Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Mark Jenkins: Street Installations

I know very little about installation artist, Mark Jenkins. After recently coming across some of his work, I couldn't resist sharing it. All of the photos I've included of his pieces were displayed in one of three locations: Washington, DC, LA, or NYC in 2006 or 2007. Since some of you live in these areas, please let us know if you have seen any of his work or have any additional information about him (as of now his website doesn't include a bio). If you are as intrigued by the photos of his work (he kindly let me "borrow" them from his website -- not exactly-- but hopefully he won't mind the free publicity) check out the other projects he is working on.







Here Comes Hiroko

Last year we asked our friend, Gary Demercurio, for some pictures of the dog he rescued - Hiroko - a very young and very adorable Akita. Hiroko (generous child in Japanese) and Gary lived for a few months together in their North End apartment seeing the sites and selectively marking their own territories. Then Gary took a job in Connecticut at Sikorski, the helicopter manufacturer. Now they have plenty of room to lounge about suburbia. It only took about a few hundred days to get Gary to send us some photos of Hiroko but we've finally got them to share. Hopefully he'll keep us updated with more photos before the next leap year returns.





What Did You Stumble Upon?

Before I begin let me just say I'm sure I'm behind in the times. One of my co-workers sent me a link from a site search website (I'm sure there is a more technical term some one has derived) that I thought was worth sharing. If you haven't taken some time roaming through StumbleUpon give it a whirl. The site is the equivalent of an "Intellectual YouTube." Don't let my typecasting make you run away. It really is worth taking some time to stumble through.

Here is just one site you may find among the millions: (remember, we went to Art School)

Living My Life Faster: Oct. 1, 1998-2006
8 Years of JK's
Daily Photo Project

(yes, it is suppose to open in YouTube)

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Lensbabies


If you haven't tried using one of Lensbabies selective focus SLR lenses and are struggling from "artist's block" this may be the solution for you. Just the way the 3G lens is constructive becomes a conversation piece -- my description won't do it justice (check out Lensbabies website if you are curious. You will also find some interesting portfolios of work). After years behind a view camera, having the option to experiment with a lens "with bellows" recently was a blast. I look forward to the next time I'm able to look at the world from a baby's perspective -- that might be a bit too extreme, but I'll roll with the thought for now.

Willow 2000 - 2008

When it rains it pours. At least that seems to be the best way to explain the current absence of any 4 legged friends living at 59 Winthrop Street.

On Monday, we decided to put Willow down. Although we are still recovering from Sydney leaving us, Willow's unpredictable behavior was getting too risky for us or guests to be around. While he may have been missing a few marbles, it doesn't make it easy to say goodbye. Fortunately, I was able to take a good number of photos of the little guy this weekend. He certainly was a gorgeous cat. I loved his slate blue/gray coat and bright yellow eyes. Thankfully, he always was a good model.

1Ds Mark II

After my digital camera broke this summer, we have been saving our pennies for a new/used camera. While working through this situation, I've been using the school's Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi. The time and energy I have been taking trying to salvage what I have shot has worn me out.

This past weekend I had to shoot the school's annual silent auction. Since I knew the event would require 5 hours of shooting in a poorly lit gym full of too many people to count huddled over cocktails and dancing, I decided to treat myself to a new camera and lenses -- at least for the weekend. For the first time I was able to rent one of Canon's "high end" digital camera's. Their 1Ds Mark II (now replaced by a newer model) was enough to convince me that I was still a competent photographer. The 3 lenses I got my hands on made the situation all the more better.

Aside from driving home in the snow Saturday morning, enjoying dinner at 2:00 am, being exhausted the next day, and feeling as if I had lifted weights all day (the camera, lenses, and flash weighed approximately 6 pounds); I fell in love with a digital camera -- something I never thought I would ever say. Never say never...

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Bezanson's Bakery

When Nicole sent us this photo of a cake she recently made for a friend's baby shower we were amazed. The combination of colors, polka-dots, and of course the green baby carriage couldn't have looked more like the invitation to the event (pictured next to the cake). We are just waiting to see what Nicole pulls off next in the kitchen. Since her whoopee pies are to die for, we know anything she bakes will have us coming back for more. No matter what sweets enter the scene next we are always willing to be on call as taste testers!