Navigation

Tag Archives | darkroom work

Paros news, part II, and travel ahead…

By on June 25, 2012 in 4×5 photography, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, quiet islands, rangefinder camera, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, working

Once again I find myself at Mikro Cafe updating this electronic epistle, free to whomever wishes to read it and in doing so, please respond.  I arrived after my 12 day island-hop with fifteen rolls of exposed 120 film and I have developed it all.  This is important because it means that I may not have to bring my heavy medium format camera to Italy in the fall, which also means no tripod, no film, etc…What a literal load off my shoulders!  I can concentrate on digital color and get to know my new Leica M8 during the Italian session.  There was an issue in the darkroom, however, dealing with the near-tropical conditions. In short the water coming out of the tap was 24-25C  and I need the chemistry to be 20C.  The ambient room temperature was also 24-25C which meant that all the metal canisters and film reels were all 24-25C.  The upshot is that even if I drop the chemistry temp to 20C the second I put the soup in the can, the temp will rise 2 degrees at least, thus dropping the developing time.  This was my solution:

I made the initial film rinse at 16C, thus dropping the can/reel/ temp to 20C.  Then I can add the 20C soup and it will at least be stable for a couple of minutes before the ambient room temperature raises the can of soup a degree or so.  Now, since I have been under developing my PlusX by N-2 anyway in this darkroom I have to adjust the time again, this time for ambient temperature.  For this round of work I dropped the time to N-5 and the effects are very nice indeed: good separation in the shadows, nice highlights that are not overexposed and a balanced contrast.  Considering that many of the images were made in the height of the Greek sun (10:00-15:00, or 5800K) I am very pleased with the results.

Paros is much the same.  The Watercolor Workshop and the Digital Photography Bootcamp finished and hung a small exhibition last Friday which was lovely.  I was impressed by the photographers and enchanted by the watercolorists.  Some of the photographers had never worked in this kind of digital dynamic before and their work was terrific: all illustrated an excellent use of negative space, lovely light/shadow, texture and elegant composition in the work.  The watercolors were ethereal and splashed with colors, bright and soft.  There were some students who had never worked in this medium as well but that wasn’t apparent.  This is a testament to both their innate skill and that of their instructor.  There are more tourists on the island, but it is not crammed with people.  I am sure this is making some business owners nervous about their futures, but the summer hasn’t really arrived and the July and August crowds will write the book on this piece of marble in the blue sea.

I leave Paros for the USA in about a week.  I would like to think I will have a relaxing time back in New York but my time will be short and I have much to do, many people to see and commitments to keep.  I will be off-island and out of the EU for a month and then return at the very beginning of August.  As the plan goes I have about three weeks here and then I am off to visit a friend in England for a couple of days and then head to Italy, Ravenna and finally Pistoia and the Villa Rospigliosi where I meet up with the rest of the school for the Italian Session.  I have a lot of work to do for the fall.  My portrait project must continue and I need to push that a bit if I am to stay on schedule for the beginning of printing in October.  I am thankful for all the work I have done so far and I am a little ahead of schedule in the darkroom, but I must not rest on my laurels.  My role as student/intern is unwritten but the future looks bright, at least from this vantage point.

JDCM

Paros homecoming…

By on June 20, 2012 in craft, Cyclades stone walls, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, quiet islands, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, working

As we left Sifnos I waved goodbye to that pretty island and began my short journey home via the Aqua Jewel, a ferry I have come to know very well.  The northern wind whipped up the waves and as we sailed due west we were in a beam sea most of the trip.  This caused a fair amount of pitch and roll and, although I am not one to get seasick, I kept my eyes on the horizon to keep my inner ear on an even keel.  The trip was, as I said, supposed to be a short 3 hours, but it went for an additional 45 minutes due to that weather.  As we came into closer sight of Paros, we turned south, the seas calmed and the rolling ceased.  The following sea pushed us and as we sailed past The Doors and I felt like I had come home.  A friend met me at the port and we caught up with others at Pebbles for a sunset.

This morning I loaded a large pile of laundry into the machine, opened up the doors of my flat, shook the rugs out, swept, mopped and generally re-opened the place after having it closed up for almost two weeks.  I then headed to the market and picked up some essential stuff and went out to Drios to pick up the rental car I had lent to my friend Jeanne.  It was great to see her and some other folks.  When I returned back to Paros I realized that I had accomplished what I needed to do for the day and had little choice but to head to the beach for some swimming and lazing about.  Not really, of course.  I did a hundred or so crunches and bicycle pumps, swam a few ‘laps’, read a bit (a biography of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius) and then headed back to Paros for a shower and quick nap.

As I write this I am back at Mikro Cafe.  Colin has made me a wonderful iced latte and offered me an apricot from a friends garden.  “They were falling off the trees, he said…”  There is chill music on the stereo, the weather is balmy with a light southern wind and I have plans to be in the darkroom tonight to begin developing the film I shot while I was hopping about the Cyclades.

Ah yes…back home and back to work!

JDCM

Sifnos, hiking and going home…

By on June 18, 2012 in craft, Cyclades stone walls, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, quiet islands, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, working

I left Serifos almost three days ago.  It was sunny and warm and the northern wind was Force 7.  The ferry arrived shortly after 12:00 to take me to Sifnos and off I went, rolling a bit in the sea, but enjoying being back on the road, so to speak.  How do I describe Sifnos?  If Serifos is the rugged, rough and rocky island then Sifnos is its more quiet, calm and well-preserved cousin.  It is not as if either are not developed, but Sifnos has been developed in a more thoughtful way while Serifos will always bear the scars of 19th and 20th century industrial manhandling. In short, Sifnos is lovely.  The towns are small, the island running roughly north-south and the ambient charm all Greek, all Cyclades, all the time.  Sifnos is the ‘Island of Potters’ and the number of ceramic workshops dotted across the landscape speak to that, but this was not always the case.  At one time Sifnos was an island of gold and other metals which made it very wealthy.  Each year the inhabitants gave a golden egg to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.  The end came around 500BC when, as legend has it, the Sifnains gave a gilt egg instead of a solid one and so brought on the wrath of the god who flooded the mines thus ending their prosperity.  Just a warning from history about taking shortcuts!  In any case, the island was eventually part of the Duchy of Naxos, then suffered under the Turks and then finally liberated in 1830 along with the rest of Greece.  The history is more complex than what I have just written and you can read a bit more here.

My stay so far has been relaxed yet very active.  I have been taking pictures and have only a single roll of Plus-X 120 to shoot.  If I don’t manage it I won’t kick myself because I know I will be back here soon but I would like to finish up the pack.  The quality of the walls here on the island is magnificent and I have been documenting them extensively.  Like most of the islands there are stone walls everywhere but the level of preservation here is well above the others.  I imagine this has more to do with the importance of agriculture when compared to other islands.  More agriculture means infrastructural relevance which translates to a pragmatic upkeep of existing bulwarks and boundaries.  There are olive groves covering open areas and along myriad terrace farms while fields of barley grow wherever flat ground can be tilled.  One striking short journey is from the port of Kamares to the primary town of Apolonia.  Through the long winding uphill valley the olive groves line the road, hugging the steep hillsides, their silvery green-grey leaves standing out in stark contrast to the dried golden hue of the surrounding flora.  The Port of Kamares is small. I like port towns and it is quiet when one compares it to Adamas or Paroikia. There is something about being so close to the hub of travel that excites me.  Once again I am reminded of the millennia preceding me and the countless footsteps that have traveled the path I now tread.  Not much has changed, I think.   Not really.

I have been staying at Simeon’s Rooms and Apartments. It is clean, neat, the terrace of my double room looks out over the bay and I have a lovely view of the sunset.  The owner and his family have been very helpful during my stay and I highly recommend the place.  They also seem to run a small taverna about 100 meters from the dock where I have been happily eating for the past two nights.  I tend to stay away from overly-complex new-wave Greek cuisine in favor of local home cooking and I have found it here.  The kolokithokeftedes I had two nights ago were fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.  They were a perfect match to the garlicky tzatziki. I could spend a week here and really explore the restaurants but in the end I am a creature of habit and when I find a place I like, I stick with it.  I’ll be there again tonight, this time for imam baldi, salad and something else to be decided upon later.

Sifnos is also noted for its hiking.  There are many well-marked trails running throughout the island and all of them well maintained.  I have been on two jaunts so far, the same one really, but tough enough to make the second time as challenging as the first especially in hot weather.  My choice has had more to do with the high northern wind and my search for a quiet beach away from whatever crowds are here.  I chose the path that runs on the southern tip of the island from the small seaside village of Vathi to Fykiada Bay.  The hike to the bay was mostly downhill and I covered the 3km in about 25 minutes.  The return trip took 40 minutes.  I brought 1.5L of water, some fruit, sunblock and other beach necessities.  The fine, sandy beach is nestled in a quiet cove and I saw no other humans the entire time, including during the hike.  The only other souls were a few goats running around the scrubby, rocky hillsides and the beach.  There is an abandoned farm behind the beach and an olive grove stretches another half kilometer to the NE.  I loved walking through the grove, feeling very much like I had discovered this place for the first time.  In the middle sat the old farmhouse, crumbling stone barns and other outbuildings.  I wandered around the place for a while today, snapping pictures.

This is my last evening of my island hopping adventure.  I have been away from Paros for less than a fortnight  yet it feels like a month since I have sat at Mikro Cafe for coffee or watched the sunset from the terrace of Pebbles.  My friends at the Aegean Center have been busy with their watercolor workshop and their digital photography boot camp.  I have been working as well, but at a different pace.  Tomorrow afternoon I board the Aqua Jewel for the three hour voyage to Paroikia, a place I hope is becoming my home.  I have loved my break and there have been moments when I have lost track of time.  This has been a cure for my restless mind.  I have met some very interesting people and I hope to see them again in the future but as I write this my thinking is already beginning to shift. After over a week of being off-island I need to clean my apartment and air it out;  I need to finalize some details with my mentors regarding the fall; preparations need to be made for my trip back to the USA in two weeks;  I have to develop 15 rolls of Plus-X…the list could go on, but you get the drift.  Reality seeps back in to the fantasy of life on the road and reminds me where I need to be standing.  I can have my head in the clouds all I want but my feet need to be firmly attached to the earth in order to properly fix my position with the wandering stars.

JDCM

 

Showtime at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts…

By on June 2, 2012 in craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, Uncategorized, working

It is showtime tonight and the student exhibit is up, ready to be viewed by the public.  We have cleaned the school, hung the paintings, drawings and photographs with care and pride and have cleaned our respective studios.  These will be open to the public as well so, like those before me, I have arranged some paintings and hung some of my better drawings on the wall in a display.  My paints are out so that others may see the limited pallet that has provided so much color for the past three months.  It is a very pretty show and reflects hard work on all of our parts during what was, at least for me, a very difficult and trying session.  The mid-session stroke that left my photography teacher partially paralyzed threw a real monkey wrench into my thinking, but I pulled through as did others.  We have learned in proportion to how we have participated and that will always be true no matter how much or how well we age.

There are several alumni here this week which makes for fun times.  One is a young woman who I had a particularly difficult time with last spring.  She believed I had fallen in love with her when a simple gift of farewell and good luck was misinterpreted as something more.  I have decided that being friendly and supportive is a better path than being withdrawn and sullen.  This is a very Greek cycle.  It has been year since the incident occurred so I suppose it is time to the let the water go from under the bridge, over the damn and back out to sea.

Speaking of paths…Another alum is here and next week see begins her journey along the Camino de Santiago, walking the 790 km French route from Pied-de-Port, France to Castello de Santiago, Spain.  I have left the hyper-link for a reason. Follow it and find out what it is if you do not already know.  I have made it a goal to walk this route in the fall of 2013.  Yes, more than a year away, but I have goals to achieve before that in my photography.  I’ll talk about that later…

More to come.

JDCM

The Big Push…for me at least…

By on April 23, 2012 in 4×5 photography, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, spring in the Aegean

The spring break is over.  I was able to have some time in Athens visiting friends and the teacher from school who is in a very positive recovery from her stroke.  All seems well with her and we all hope to see her back on the island soon.  I have been expanding, albeit slowly, my 4×5 portraits and will be developing some sheet film tonight.  These are family photos of a wonderful homesteading family here on the island, an English couple who raise their own chickens for eggs and bees for honey.  In return I received  a half-dozen fresh eggs.  I’ll take that as a solid barter.

We have less than 40 days until the show and even les for me since I will be off the island for a long weekend so that leaves about a month to do what I need to do and still have two or three days of free time before the show.  That is a lot of work for me.  I am focusing on quality rather than quantity but there is still a quota I need to fill.  I think ten large-format scans from the digital lab and 15 silver pieces.  This, of course, doesn’t count the paintings.  I think there will be 8 to 10 of those as well.  Those have to be finished by the week before the show so that the paint can dry fully.  I have my work cut out for me.

The weather has turned to spring/summer warmth, sun and the kind of light that begs for early morning photography.  It also seduces the less fortunate into spending time at the beach rather than in the studio.  So be it.  This is not my problem.  The phrase ‘youth is wasted on the young’ is apt here as always.  So much energy and so poorly used.  It is interesting to see how young kids blow off huge amounts of energy too soon and then have none for the rest of the day.  They are naturally out of balance.  This changes in the future as they age and learn how to manage time.  I think so anyway.

More to come…

JDCM

Here at Mikro Cafe…

By on April 2, 2012 in 4×5 photography, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, working

“Latte, please,” JDCM said.  Colin stands behind the bar, talking of his love of chewing on coffee beans.  Fresh from his bi-athalon on Naxos, he is feeling sprightly and full of energy.  He was able to shave off 6 seconds from the last event of this type so that’s a win and new personal best…Bravo Colin!

On other notes my portrait sessions have begun and I have photographed one student, the artist Jackie Massari and one of the instructors, the painter Jun-Pierre Shiozawa.  I hope to work with Colin Brown and his wife Stella later this week, perhaps Wednesday afternoon.  Couples are more difficult than single subjects, but I hope to work this out.  I’ll do some research on the subject so I can get some ideas first.

Other students are using the studio as well which is a good thing, and I am eager to see their work.  My painting is moving along and I am getting the hang of glazing, scumbling and the balance of colors.  We are still using a limited pallet and I understand why.  I am champing at the bit, however, to open up the brighter, more vibrant hues and work them in.  This will come with time.

Weather still fine, cool at night, etc…

JDCM

Painting, portraits and 4×5 photography…

By on March 26, 2012 in 4×5 photography, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, Uncategorized, working

The Fayum portrait I am copying

I have discovered an excitement and love of painting.  That is the only way to describe how I feel.  Using this medium to see light as opposed to the photographic process is a joy.  Although I tend to be a ‘fast’ painter, the inevitability of having to let paint dry keeps me from getting to far ahead of myself.  We are still engaged in tonal studies, but have branched out into some color variations based on ‘hot’ and ‘cool’.  Very interesting.   We have also begun the ‘Fayum’ process as well and using the tetrachromy is a challenging form that dates back to the beginnings of the Common Era (30 ACE to the 3rd century).  Art historians believe that these colors are actually the four used by the Greeks in the 4th an 5th centuries BCE and reference the four elements.  The spiritual aspect of this intrigues me.  The Fayum portraits themselves seem to have survived purely by chance while only written descriptions exist of the height of Greek painting from the classical age.  As a student of history I am happy to be looking at this course from both an artistic and academic point of view.

This afternoon I cleaned up the light studio and set up the four studio lights and scrims we use here at the Aegean Center.  This means that I can begin my portrait work this week, I hope.  I will use my 4×5 camera and produce images similar to the portraits made in the late 19th century.  The lighting will be dramatic and raking, borrowing  more from the style of Rembrandt than anything else.  My subjects will be students and locals and will be both an important part of my portfolio and my learning curve.  This vision may change, of course and I may find I like the open studio light concept better than the drama.  The composition will be head and shoulders only, 3/4 view or something like that.  We shall see…

JDCM

 

Painting, Paros and changes in the weather…

By on March 15, 2012 in craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, working

The weather has finally turned around on Paros, at least it seems that way for the next few days.  Last week it was brutal and maritime with Force 8-9 winds at night and rain most of the 24 around the dark.  That lasted three days but yesterday the wind shifted and blew the clouds and rain south and began to dry the world.  In the sun it is warm and comforting, but step into the shade and the coolness returns to still chilled bones quicker than you can say ‘parakalo’.  I am looking forward to the hike tomorrow into the hills surrounding this small piece of vegetation covered marble floating in the wine dark sea.  I need to clear my head.  Two years of feelings cannot be discounted so easily, but as a friend reminded me,”on to the next hill!”  I digress–another story for another time perhaps.  Anyway, the walk will do me good.

My painting courses have been a series of remarkable epiphanies.  It turns out that I am pretty good at it and have a decent eye for color, tonal values and composition.  I have never painted in my life and find I love working with oils. They are forgiving in may ways but not to be taken for granted.  The white spirits used to thin them can run against me so I must be stern with the pigments and move them vigorously, not the other way around.  I can bully them around and they will behave.  So far we are using tonal values of black/white in exercises and today we began to use glazes and scumbling to build up color on that same grey-toned background.   Our pallets are limited on purpose so we get used to blending slowly.  Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, Ivory Black and Mars White can be mixed to make myriad shades and colors.  One aspect I have discovered is the commonality between painting and photography.  Balance and tonal values rule the canvas as they do on the paper.

Tonight is Pub Quiz at Mikro Cafe here in Parokia.  My team, J.A.G., has won the quiz in the past two weeks.  If we win tonight that will be a hat trick.  I have joked about retiring from the quiz if that happens.  It’s just a joke.  I have no intention of retiring.  It is one of my ways to blow of steam.  That and the hike…

More to come…

JDCM

6 days and eager to get going…and a little rant…

By on February 21, 2012 in Greece, spring in the Aegean, working

I leave for Greece next Monday and I am, as you all know, eager to get on the road and back to what I love to do: work, travel and be anywhere but here.  By ‘here’ I mean the country in which I live, not the circumstances, or is it the circumstances within the country…?

This place has lost its charm for me.  There is little joy left in Mudville when I contemplate a life led here in North America.  The Religious Right are  taking over much of the country with their backward-ass medievalism; politics is becoming more obviously about money and elitism; the growth of the police state is of great concern since ‘The People’ seem to welcome it and the mainstream media circus provides Fear of the Outside World in much the same way that Ed Sullivan introduced his variety show–a little tease, the wind up and the pitch…Kapow!  Watch out folks!  The Boogieman is back in town, in fact he has never left and is hoping to turn your quiet and peaceful (both lies!) neighborhoods into cesspools (which they have always been, btw…) of moral and religious degradation.  God, I am so tired of this place…

At least where I am going there is no doubt who the fascist/liberals/Greens/Commies are.  They are upfront about it and do not speak in double-talk designed to confuse and disorient the voters.  Protest is allowed and not cordoned off a mile away from the place of interest and , yes, sometimes it turns violent.  What can one say?  People are pissed off…

But I remain in eager need to be gone.  I’ll start packing on Friday, but I have to inventory my socks and so forth to make sure they are all good.  I’ll pick up some new ones if I need to.  I have more film to shoot and develop, but I have time for that.  There are a few odds and ends of errands I have to cross off the list, but otherwise I am good to go.

There are two art openings this spring in the area in which I will be represented.  The first is a ‘small works show’ at Noble Horizons in May and the second is a 14th Colony gig in Millerton, also in May.  I have two pieces being matted and framed as we speak and I’ll leave them with a friend to hand in.  So yes, I am happy to be a part of something here in The West, but I will keep much of it at arms length at least, if not further away.  Best not to get involved.

JDCM

16 days, crossing things off the list and postal updates…

By on February 10, 2012 in 4×5 photography, craft, darkroom work, Greece, nude studies, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spring in the Aegean, working

I haven’t been counting the days recently so imagine my surprise when I realized that I had only 16 days until I head back to Greece!  Amazing, really, just amazing.  I am very excited to return to Paros and the Aegean Center and begin working. It feels like I do no work here.  Although I take pictures and develop film I seem to spend more time combing through my Netflix queue and meeting friends for coffee and all that.  On Paros I have days full of reading, dark room work, digital work, artistic discussion and more that are much more fulfilling.  I also get more exercise which is good since I tend to loaf around here more than anything-and gain weight in the process.  This isn’t saying that I do not “get things done” because I do.  I have been crossing many things off the list recently and  am confident that I will be departing Ancramdale in ship-shape-and-Bristol-fashion.

The tree work and storm cleanup has been finished.  The place looks lovely and we are getting everything ready for spring, which is just around the corner.  No snow to speak of, but we are supposed to get some tonight and this weekend.  the ‘Farmer’s Almanac’ claims a big storm later in the month, but thankfully before I leave.  We shall see.  Mom’s care is all set-up and all the important adjustments have been made for her going forward for the next few months.  I have visited my father in Pittsburgh and followed through on that commitment.  The donations to charities have been made and I feel hundreds of pounds lighter than I as before–not so much material stuff anymore.  It has been a cathartic few weeks for sure.  I have also hired some new employees to replace my mother’s long-time home maintenance man.  He has been a good guy but in the past few years has begun to flake out due to burnout.  It is time to switch to those who have the resources and will to do the job.  I’ll bring the Mini Cooper up to the shop in Latham next week for a tune-up and then it will be ready to sit quietly until I return in July.  I’ll have someone drive it once in a while during my absence.

The boxes I have sent to Paros have all but arrived.  Three are on the island and have been delivered to the school, but four are still in customs, waiting to be released.  I have had to jump through some hoops to have them cleared but I think that they will be soon.  I’ll be charged a fair amount of money for their freedom, but it will be worth it in the end.  The other night I had to call Greek Customs at 3:40 AM to speak to the official there, but I think I have solved that problem.  It was not without a lot of help so, from the bottom of my heart, I thank those who eased the tensions and fears around this issue and acted on my behalf.  You know who you are!

On another note, I have so many wonderful interactions with other Aegean Center alums here in New York that I am bowled over by the solidarity.  First was the meeting at the Metropolitan with Jeffrey, Liz and the others and then the other day I met with some other former students at MoMA and the Met for a wonderful day of art and conversation.  Really great!  I am grateful to have had the time with them and thankful that I am able to do so.  Super photography, beautiful paintings and a lot of crappy post-modern junk have assured me that I am on the right path and that my ethics are true.

More to come…

JDCM