Slightly Sad News

I realize it has been awhile since I have blogged. My apologies. Summer is wrapping up, and after this entry I plan on entering the wonderful world of packing, claiming objects as my own with sharpie, etc. I am still finishing work on one set of senior photos that I plan to have ready by this weekend.
Anyways, to the point of this entry. While UWGB is in session, starting the 3rd, I will not be there until the 7th and my first day will be the 8th. Why is this? Family obligation. The 50th Wedding anniversary of my dad's parents, which is the 5th. I have decided to miss school and stay in Milwaukee until after this event, as I would only be missing one day of class and I have off on Fridays. Sadly, this affects my 407 show. Between packing, moving, and the anniversary celebration....I would not have time to install my show, and I find that a Tuesday morning setup would be quite tacky. So I gave up my spot and will show if a spot opens up later in the semester. So I will keep you posted if that be the case! I hope everyone's summers are wrapping up nicely!

Clarissa/Rotary Park Photoshoot

Today my lovely fellow photographer friend Clarissa and I, after getting coffee, ventured to Rotary Park here in Menomonee Falls to "shoot" eachother so we have photos available of ourselves to use for our portfolios and they could perhaps serve as a photograph next to an about me section in a website or something. Needless to say we had a pretty successful day. To see more of these photographs, visit my flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilybartos).

My brother also had his professional senior portrait session today at Portraits on Pilgrim so I accompanyed him to watch the owner/photographer Nancy in action. Learned alot, especially with tech. She uses manual flashes from the 80's with her Nikon D2X which is very cool and she has abilities to take the simplest scenery and create a beautiful photograph--some studios I find overcomplicate their backdrops and settings and it takes away from the image. She gave me tips with shooting--it was a great day for an amateur photographer.

Also, I started my day with an iced chai charger. It had to have been a good day.

Papahawk 2009

Every year, my mom's side takes a week to rent a lodge to vacation at in Conover, WI just north of Eagle River. The lodge is fondly known as "Papahawk". It is always a great week there, I love that side of the family to death and its a week full of swimming in the lake, campfires, eating a meal cooked by a different family each night, playing games...just being lazy. Shopping, rafting, gokarting, and horseback riding were mixed in there too. Either way, although the weather wasn't the best...I managed to get some pretty shots. Northern Wisconsin is so beautiful, no matter how much you might feel like you are in the middle-of-nowhere.

As of Saturday I am back in Menomonee Falls finishing up my last month of summer break. It is crunchtime to get work done for my show, but aside from working I think I might be able to get it done. Back to reality, and soon enough back to Green Bay. Stay tuned as I attempt to finish my wad of work! :D

Kissing the Lipless

Called to see
If your back
Was still aligned
And your sheets
Were growing grass
All on the corners of your bed

Inspired by the Shins song, I have been dying to do these photographs since February when the idea first crossed my mind. Similar to another set of photographs inspired by music by the Shins, these photographs will be in my show this fall. The idea has barely evolved since I've been sketching it for months. I don't want to get too much into content, but I loved the green and white color palette, the quality of environment I created with natural aspects, and challenging reality. Anyways, here they are, as promised!

The Incident of the Baby Squirrels Waterskiing

Someone sent me this dream about baby squirrels waterskiing and I was immediately inspired to make art about this for my show in the fall. I used watercolors, prismacolors, chalk pastels, marker, and embroidery on stonehenge paper.

Untitled (Sleeper on The Porch)

Tonight after work around sunset-time, I borrowed my friend Mikey to model in a shoot for my gallery show this fall. Obviously, the main drive behind the work is sleep. So I gave him a blanket. And a pillow. And shot pictures of him outside my house. I made him wear pajamas too that he didnt really need because you could never see them. Anyways, this shot is on my porch. My cat, Zoe, was quite curious as to what we were doing but although her "cuteness" may consider to be a damaging factor behind this shot, I think it is somewhat appropriate that she is in the shot. Someone pondering why Mike is outside on the porch sleeping...gives the photo a bit more life. I have more to edit but I really like the lighting in this one and obviously the slight intereaction between the subjects! I also finished a drawing and I plan on photographing it to show you all. I may post more as I complete pieces, but at the same time I want it to be somewhat of a surprise. But we will see how I feel as more work happens. I hope you enjoy the shot! I must think of a title though...

Fireworks

I shot these on the Fourth of July at a park in Elm Brook, Wisconsin. These shots were taken during the grand finale. I loved how the "plumes" of the fireworks shot from the landscape mimicking the shape of the large tree on the horizon line and lit up the haze from the fireworks from earlier in the show. I like one shot better for its colors, but the other I like better for the amount of light on the horizon line. Obviously the more colorful shot came at the beginning of the finale, because there is more haze in the second photo to light up. Both photographs were shot under the same manual settings. I hope you enjoy these!

Also, PLEASE check out my Nature/Landscapes set on Flickr!! I have tons of new shots from an excursion to the domes this past week!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilybartos