It’s been quiet around this here blog and I’ll tell you the reason why – we’re moving – across the country – to Huntington, WV. I’m used to moving, I’m the master at moving, the clearing out, the massive yard sale, the selective selling of other things in other venues, packing, filling up the u-haul. I can move with one arm tied behind my back.
But, it’s what we’re leaving that is making it so hard to even say “moving” out loud. The friends who have become family, the best neighbors in the world, a school my son loves and thrives at, and The Wooden Cow – my baby – who’s only just a toddler still – still figuring things out there,and discovering it’s possibilities and it’s limitations.
An yet, the more I find out about Huntington, WV the more excited I become. This is a town that is working to remake itself, striving to become more that the railroad town it began as. Revitalization is it’s buzzword and I am looking forward to being a part of a community that is actively looking create a better version of itself. And the art community is small but active, and I hope to contribute as much as possible to it. I know the skills I’ve honed at The Cow will be useful in pushing Huntington’s artist community forward.

Good weekend, went to a grownup party. saw some fantastic art, made more plans for the gallery. Productive and still relaxing. Currently putting off work by blogging and photoshopping. But that’s ok, the work will get done sometime – just not today – and that’s ok.

This one was fun and scary all at the same time! I am not a “hair and makeup” kind of girl. My husband owns more hair products than I do!! I had to search to find the hair dryer and I bought most of the other stuff you see here. But, doing the self portrait thing has made me see there’s some things I want to improve – whiten my teeth, do more with my hair, lose some weight. So I’m doing what I can, getting ready for my closeup!

And here it is!! I love how it came out!! And I put a lot more on my Flickr (go to the sidebar and click on the Flickr icon to go to my photostream). I’m having so much fun with these self portraits. I thought it would be torture (and it is a little tortuous) but I’m definitely enjoying the process. Now to come up with an idea for tomorrow.

Not an accurate description of how I’m feeling, I’m actually feeling great!! I’m working on a new blog – one with info for NM artists – quite an undertaking!

Felt icky most of the day today – after rallying yesterday for a day of art I went right back to feeling crappy. Didn’t feel like having my picture taken but I persevered and then played with this a lot (obviously!). I did a split tone in my RAW editor, followed by a bi-color filter, and then a high key filter (both Color Efex Pro) and finally did a little dodging on the white of my eyes.

So this is the ubiquitous resolutions post – it’s pretty simple.

FOCUS!

Focus on photography – and by this I mean read every book and magazine I can get my hands on, utilize online sources – including classes, join some local photography groups and SHOOT everyday, even if it’s just silly stuff around my house. I’m doing a 365 Project and a 52 Weeks Project – working on a theme for that one.

We’ve had a very arty day so far. Went to the Albuquerque Museum, it was Family Day so Katie and Will both made art and Will and I went on a special “kid’s tour” of their current exhibition. Then we went to the Open Space Visitor Center and checked out David Cramer’s exhibit of wild horse photography, and then we went to the Factory on Fifth for their art opening. I was cool to see some familiar names of people that show or have shown at The Cow, and some intense work by artists I’ve never seen before. Very inspiring.

At the Factory there was a tree decorated with lots of big silver balls, and I chose those for my second self-portrait of the year.

So, I am participating in a 365 project. I’ve tried to do the photo-a-day thing the last two years and have failed miserably both years. This year I’ve added two things to increase my odds of finishing. I’m giving myself monthly themes, and I’ve joined a Flickr group of like-minded women. Let’s see what happens!