More watercolors

I can't get my brain out of making these little watercolors... It's kind of really bizarre. I'm not good and I don't care because I feel strangely proud of them. I don't know how to describe it except to say that I'm allowing myself to suck at this until I work with it enough to not feel like I suck so badly. I wonder what my dad would think about them... they are strangely similar in feeling to his sketches. The Bean found one of his sketch books and tried to eat the pages. Always a good sign... if a baby will eat your work, then you know you're doing something right.

So here are some of my recent watercolors.

Leaving work

I have to leave work now! It's almost 65 degrees outside and I can go home and walk with the Bean in our neighborhood up and down the hills...

But before I leave I wanted to write that I've been sketching... as seen in my desk sketch in an earlier post. I love it. Today I sketched for 2 hours during a really boring meeting. I sketched the auditorium where we were meeting and then I did doodle sketches but I doodled them in my new and special notebook that is all watercolor paper... I can now watercolor the sketches, see? It's brilliant.

I wish I had more time to make stuff and craft. I love that people think my job is sitting around and making stuff all day. I wish that were true. Instead I go to boring meetings, deal with many crazy people, answer weird and random emails, check facebook when I'm not supposed to, get chemistry all over my cute shoes, roll my eyes at certain people I work with... No where in there is there usually time to craft.

My desk

There are work days when I feel like I just can't get any work done. I blog (ahem!), I check facebook, I check my personal email... I really couldn't get any work done when my favorite person would stop by and chat with me in my office (but that, I loved).

So yesterday morning I decided not to do those other things and instead I wasted time by sketching my desk. I literally drew my desk and the jumbled cluster EFF that it is... I ask you, could you work with all of that crap all over your desk? I love the website: wherewedowhatwedo.com because it's pictures of people's work spaces. I love looking at that stuff... I collect books about artist's studios as well so that I can peer into their creative environment. Do people work better in hermetically sealed order? Or do they work better in a giant mess of paper, coffee cups, and stuffed creatures?

I suppose there is an in between... maybe that's where I'm supposed to exist. I can't seem to be uber productive in my chaotic explosion of a desk but I also can't imagine having a desk that is completely austere.

Anyway, here is a scan of the little drawing I did of my desk while I should have been working on work stuff. I added a little color with some watercolor pencils, which are kind of super awesome- you can color in with them and then use water later to make it look like a watercolor... Enough of me. Off to work!

Tribune article featuring me...

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/apr/05/kelsey-hammond/

This is the article from the Columbia Tribune ... I'm a nice artist! Who knew?

I think journalist did a good job on the story... she conflated some of my experiences but the story she wrote is a good snapshot (if you will!) of my work and why I'm doing what I do. I'm wondering if my boss is going to read the part about me making artworks during the week... while I was on the clock. Oops. In all honesty, I did do a lot of other work for the studio that week, so there.

I wish the picture of me making polaroid transfers wasn't so goofy, but then would it really be me? I'm kind of a goofy gal.

Teaching tonight!

I get to teach tonight and I'm so excited... the first day of class is always sort of weird. I talk too fast and try to be a little too impressive... I say too many weird things to get a laugh and then lose my students attention because I'm totally boring. Really? Who cares about grain and all the different layers to a negative except crazy zoners like me... I just love talking about photography and taking pictures so I force them to learn things that I really think are interesting...

For instance (you knew that was coming)
Did you know that faster speed films have more grains (to pick up more light) and so if you're shooting a 400 speed film you will see the grain much more easily than you will a 100 speed film?

And (I swear this is the last one... for now)
Did you know that you will usually get a better image if you overexpose your film a little bit? It's true, the film industry wants to sell their faster speed films to you and yes, you will get an image... but if you rate your 400 speed film at 320, you will, most likely, get a more easily printed negative?

I know... it's awesome.

I'll save focal length for another post (can't wait!)

-photonerdinesstotheNthdegree