Photographs from Yosemite

Not taken for any particular assignment, here are photographs from my trip to Yosemite National Park in early January

(click to enlarge)

Yoesmite Valley

Tenaya Lake

Half Dome from Yosemite Valley

Sentinel Dome

Merced River

Artists Who Inspire Me: Tom Milsom

via
Tommilsom.tumblr.com

Tom Milsom is someone who I greatly admire and is a huge inspiration to myself and my process. Seeing as such, I feel you should know more about him and his work to know more about me. He is a versatile artist, foremost identifying as a musician, this being some of his most recent work.

Song: Impromptu for Piano


Song: A Little Irony
 via Youtube.com/Hexachordal 

Album Artwork for Explorers 6, designed by Vondell Swain

His most recent EP, Explorers 6, is my favorite of his work thus far. I ordered it on 12" Vinyl which is also a glorious shade of blue.

Go Listen to Explorers 6


















               To find more...
Tumblr

           YouTube

                           BandCamp

Tension Piece

I'm particularly disatisfied with this project, mainly because I ran into so many hinderances that the idea is so far stretched from my original plan that it's a new piece entirely. I wanted the piece to express the tension I feel when walking barefoot (which I do often) and I come across areas which have things like thorns, broken glass, gravel, etc. As well as it being uncomfortable for me, whoever I'm with shows an obvious reaction to my discomfort but they usually don't say anything. This is the tension I wanted to capture in the photographs, and I wanted to go one step further and bring an element of the photographs into the room with the broken glass. I wanted it to be subtle, hard to see unless you're really looking for the edges, and in this manner create an undefined edge to the piece. Overall, I love the way the glass worked and will hopefully be working with it again.

People Who Inspire Me

Harold Edgerton

Wenda Pyman

Ansel Adams

Michael Frye

Bill Cunningham

Mitchell Davis

Tom Milsom

John Green

John Muir

Richard Serra

Brian Dettmer

Andy Goldsworthy

Marisa Vitielo

Tom Swope

Stanley Forman

Vincent Van Gogh

Vondell Swain

Andy Warhol

Martin Scorsese

Bob Peterson

More Book Art - Brian Dettmer

I know this assignment was a while ago, but in my online adventures I stumbled across Brian Dettmer. 

The Household Physicians, 2008. Altered books. 10-1/2" x 8" x 12"

Modern Painters (1873,) 2008. Altered books. 9-1/8" x 6-3/4"

Kingdom, 2008. Altered Books. 9-5/8" x 10-3/4" x 9-3/4"

Dairy Nets and Soda, 2007. Altered Book. 6-12" x 6" x 2-1/2"

Result, 2011. Encyclopedia Set with pedestal. 34-1/2" x 27" x 11-3/8" (46-1/2" x 35" x 16" with pedestal) 

American People,  2011. Hardcover books, acrylic medium. 61" x 39" x 14"

I won't go into detail about his statement or process, but I suggest that if you have time, go to his website and read for yourself. His work is inspiring to me, he enjoys the same kind of slow and meticulous work that I do, and I look forward to learning more of him and his work. 

http://briandettmer.com/
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Local Coffee Shoppes - Site Book

For my sites book, I decided to document some of my favorite local coffee shops here in/near Downtown Seattle. Coffee is a large part of my minimal diet, and one of the things I was excited about in coming to Seattle was the coffee culture. Compiling this book was more about the experience of going to all these cafes (and more) than it was about the finished project, but I am satisfied with both nonetheless.

In this blog, I will talk a little bit about each cafe I highlighted as well as something I like about them which makes them a favorite of mine.


                                                   BEDLAM - 2nd and Wall
This is somewhere I visit frequently with my roommate and her friends. They have really unique, delicious specialty drinks such as Lavendar Lemonade and Nutella Mocha, two of my favorites. They also have AMAZING thick-sliced toast.
Get it. Now

IL FORNAIO - Pacific Place

My brother introduced me to this cafe (branched off from the main restaurant next door) because his friend works here. My favorite drink to get is an Iced Mocha, but it's not cheap - it's a special, occasional treat. They also have delicious food options in their main-floor cafe, so you don't need to stay for a whole sit-down meal in the restaurant if you don't have time.  

           ARTISAN CAFE - 5th and Vine

I went to this place off a recommendation of a friend, and I really liked it. They're coffee is great, and I'm also a big fan of French Macarons, so I look forward to trying theirs.

CAFE LADRO - 8th and Pine

I absolutely love this place. Great Coffee, great environment, and there was a beautiful selection of paintings displayed, which I particularly liked. The barista was friendly, helpful, and provided great service. I love stopping here when I get off the bus right across the street.

CHERRY STREET COFFEE HOUSE - 1st and (Blanchard and Lenora)

I don't go to this place often, but mainly because it's not on any of my regular routes. All the way down on first, I discovered it when walking back from Pike Place one day and fell in love. 

                                              UPTOWN ESPRESSO - 4th and Wall
 This is probably the place I go most frequently. It's a decently short walk, good prices and great drinks. they pride themselves on their "velvet foam," and rightfully so. I have tried a wide variety of drinks from them and loved them all.

Artists Who Inspires Me: Mitchell Davis

(photograph of Mitchell Davis at VidCon 2011)

Mitchell Davis is an young, modern artist who I have recently found inspiring myself more than I originally realized. He focuses on a lot of the same mediums as I do such as  photography, video, and digital imaging. I also focus on a lot of the same subject matter as he does.

1989-2059

Untitled Photograph

Please Turn Off and Stow All Cellular Devices

He is deeply invested in two worlds which I also am also passionate about, both the world of art and world of entertainment.  There's a clear separation between the two, but while many people realize not all entertainment is art, few realize not all art is entertainment. It's an important distinction that Mitchell embraces and understands, which allows him to navigate both realms successfully. This is something I really hope to achieve at some point in my timeline.


if you would like to see more, this is the link to his blog:
http://mmitchelldaviss.net/
from there you can navigate to such places as his Flikr, Twitter, YouTube channels, etc