Pat:

“Got your voicemail about the new subject.  Thought it was strange you chose to use an herb, but I’m sure you said thyme.”

“Race Against Thyme”

“Thyme Travel”

“Just Killing Thyme”

“Thyme On My Hands”

Mariel:

“Rose’s Lament”

Joel:

Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower from Bernal Hill, Lubitel 166+,  120 film

Andrew D:

“35mm film shot using a piece of cardboard to make the circular image.”

Erin:

Shot on Diana F+ with 120 film, light leaks.

“It’s much more apparent when there’s no one else in the house, and light is slowly fading and slipping behind the hill and the ringing in your ears rises up in a sudden wave.  You feel so still and like this could go on forever but it won’t.  Soon you’ll forget, soon you’ll be talking and laughing or sleeping quietly in your dark room.”

Thanks for the great submissions and again, sorry for the delayed post.

Next theme: Words.

As far as deadline, let’s aim for two or three weeks? Let me know if you need more time.  Send submissions and questions to:  erin.conger@gmail.com

Deadline: Sunday, September 12th

For first timers with questions, read the About  page, or feel free to e-mail me: erin.conger@gmail.com.

Kristin:

“Here’s a little collection of pictures of all the places we’ve called “home”… California, Colorado, Ohio, Florida and soon to be New Mexico. (Along with a favorite saying among the Air Force wives).”

Laurel:

“A series of collages about what I consider Home, and what goes in it.”

Andrew W.:

“I pieced this image together from over twenty separate images.  I definitely learned WAY more about donkeys and llamas than I ever expected to.

As people in our mid-twenties, we all have stylized images of what we perceive “home” to be. These are based on our experiences as children, but are also based on experiences we pick up as we grow older. Since we are all so transient during this period, we carry these perceptions with us. We carry them until all of a sudden, we find ourselves with a family of our own, and we feel that it is time to “unpack”, and create a home of our own. Sometimes, though, the donkey has a mind of its own, and just eventually refuses to move. Then, wherever he stops is home.”

Anchal:

Jill:

Quilt block 15″ X14″,  free pieced ( no pattern).

Azlynn:

“I did this collage for my younger sister, Kylise, who left earlier this week for a 6 month long job working with Orangutans in Indonesia. She doesn’t have running water or electricity where she’s staying, and internet is a village away. We’ve travelled the world, explored fairy castles, and pushed our parents’ buttons together. We always seem to be most at home when we are together – so 6 months is a long time for us to go apart. This little collage went in her travel journal, along with photos and notes from friends and family.”

Mariel:

“Mine is called “Home is Whenever I’m with You.” (Thanks, Ed Sharpe!) That song has been stuck in my head all. week. long.”

Dan:

“Home is comfort and familiarity. It’s a place where you want to linger and know that you can be yourself. Home is Sunday morning in you pajamas reading the paper.”

Andrew D:

8.5″x11″
Crayon on Paper

Erin K:

Erin C:

35mm film

“Efes is located in Turkey. It was an ancient Greek city, and later a major city in the Roman Empire. This facade is of the Library of Celsus, which was built ca. 125 AD and once held nearly 12,000 scrolls. The building faces east so the reading rooms can make best use of the morning light. [wikipedia]. I thought to submit this for the theme of ‘skeletons’ could be an interesting way to reflect on how, like bones which make up a skeleton, old ruins hold together memories and histories beyond our lives. Just as a skeleton might lead to clues or questions, ruins take us out of who we are. I always try to envision how it might have looked once, with people bustling in and out.”

Patrick:

“Not quite a Skeleton, but close.  This is a shot of a shadow at the De Young in 2007.”

Olga:

“ This theme was perfect because i’ve been really into anatomical drawings lately.”  I want to see more!

Natasja:

“It’s a mix of “skeletons” we’ve found while hiking on volcanoes recently. Including an actual animal skeleton with a jaw bone larger than my head, that we stumbled upon.  Exploring decommissioned logging routes.  Alone. *shudder*  It was creepy.”  

Susan:

“This is in The Washington National Cathedral. Speciffically pictured is the tomb of Hellen Keller and Anne Sullivan. There were a lot of bodies and ashes (I’m pretty sure they were cremated) down in the cattecombs but it was surprisingly not creepy, it was very serene and incredibly beautiful.”

Graemme:

“Skeleton”

“Black Fallen Mercenary”

Joel:

“Dingo Star”, shot in Mumbai, India.

Mariel:

“Went with a Mexican folkloric angle this week. My rendition = sketchy, but fun to draw.”

Laurel:

Handmade skeleton earrings. You should sell those on Etsy, L.

Erin:

I don’t usually like to post old work, but this was very fitting.  Photo of a Polaroid 690 shot with my Landcamera at Bombay Beach, Salton Sea.

Mike:

“Vintage rubber stamps for use by medical students atop altered preprinted paper.”

Claire:

“Medium: pen, ink, and love.”

“Claire y James”

Dan:

“ I saw this old sign on the main street here in Escondido and immediately thought of your art blog.  After shooting a few frames, I felt like I captured what I saw in my mind’s eye. The engineer in me was taken by the supports and frame work while the actual sign or skin was long gone.”

Thank you so much for all these great submissions, I couldn’t have hoped for a better Art Takes revival.

The theme for next time is “Home”.  Let’s try two weeks from now as the cutoff point.

-EC

The theme this time is Skeletons - remember that this doesn’t have to be a literal translation; anything goes.

Take a look at the About page if you’ve never participated before, and feel free to e-mail me with any questions or suggestions: erin.conger@gmail.com. Please e-mail your files and photos to me by Saturday, July 24th.

Cheers!

Erin

Sorry for the delay in posting! I felt so guilty all day today.  This week we have my neighbor Laura as well as my old friend Coral participating for the first time.

• Liesa sent me a shot of her and John at the State Fair in Sacramento with a gigantic golden bear.

• Laura says that when she saw the “Golden” prompt, she was reminded of her Europe trip last summer, as Europeans “can be extravagant and love the gold”.  Isn’t that the truth!  She put together a collage of a few public restroom signs (as well as a shot of some tasty looking beer).  Apparently she was met with some strange looks while photographing the restroom doors, though!

• Mariel is back with yet another lovely visual – a quote from her friend Jason.  She says, “I don’t remember what I said to him that made him so happy, but I definitely remember his response.”

• Coral sent me a photo she took of her Golden Retriever, Lodi, adventuring somewhere with Coral’s mom.  What a sweetheart; he was one of my favorite dogs ever!

• Erin M is back this week with another unconventional yet really well-done project.  “The premise my project is to take a box I found and reconstruct the whole thing in this gold cardstock board.”  She hand-etched all the lettering on the gold cardstock herself!

Gold cardstock:

Original box:

Our next theme is called “Contrast”.  What’s your take?

Deadline: Saturday, February 13th by the end of the day (feel free to e-mail me if you need a little more time).  I’m moving next weekend and I know things will be crazy, hence the two-week period.

• Remember, there are no restrictions so don’t feel that you are required to use any particular material!
• Send your completed projects (and questions) to erin.conger@gmail.com.
• If you’re feeling lost, have a look at the About post.

• Pat says, “Maps show us the way, but you have to step off from someplace.”

• Mariel gives us an amusing glimpse of her thoughts, via a map of her mind.

• Taylore says, “Woke up this morning to find my window covered in condensation. I did my best attempt at drawing the state of California.”  I think it’s perfect how she framed her photograph to include the palm trees in the distance.

• Matt asked me if he could submit this – he didn’t want to make a mockery of the blog, he said.  Then I reminded him how I made a pizza for our first project.  Anything goes!  Plus I thought this was funny and clever. 
• Erin M submitted some scans from an Artist Book containing all the places she’s lived in the last 8 years – 12 places total.  These are just some of the pages.  It seems like a huge undertaking, but how great will this project be later in life when your memories aren’t as sharp?

• I’ll let  Natasja describe her image this week.  She thought it might be too technical, but I think it’s super interesting!

“This was my first picture from a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) that I’m currently learning to use. It maps the surface of some sample with a beam of electrons and uses the signals from these electrons and atoms on the surface to create a topographic image of the sample.  It allows for magnification that isn’t possible with a normal optical microscope.

The above is a picture of an unidentified squished bug at 1200x magnification (we think a Tick). All we can assume is it must have fed on human blood as the biconcave discs shown in the picture are identifies as red blood cells. The cavities and ridges seen here are parts of the shell. This particular picture took me 45 minutes to obtain and in the worlds of Physics and Chemistry, use of this machine is more of an art than science.”

Next week’s project is called “Golden”.  What’s your take?

Deadline: Saturday, January 31st by the end of the day (we all know that’s somewhat negotiable by now).

• Remember, there are no restrictions so don’t feel that you are required to use any particular material!
• Send your completed projects (and questions) to erin.conger@gmail.com.
• If you’re feeling lost, have a look at the About post.

Click through for images you can actually see.

• Jeff created his image this week using his 5d, an iPhone camera, and some 430ex strobes.  I really like how his post-processing gives the photo an aged feel.

Jeff’s accompanying text:

Prideful or prided?
The man or his instrument?
The lens or the eye?

• Graemme submitted a hand-drawn illustration of himself, using graphite and pen.  It’s great to have an illustrator among us.

• I created my image this week using an enlarged photocopy and typewritten text.  I made it at work – can you tell?

• Lea (a photographer friend of mine and fellow instant-film enthusiast) submitted this image which I really enjoy. She said she shot this on her point and shoot one night after work. “I have a series of my feet and where they go and this is one of them.”

• Erin K (jokingly?) asked if she could submit a photo of herself with a bag over her head, complete with a creepy hand-drawn face. I took her up on her offer!  Contribute again soon, E!

• Azlynn is back this week with another photograph, this time from Death Valley.  While she and her friends were photographing the Charcoal Kilns at dawn, she turned and noticed her friend’s shadow against the snow.

• Mariel sent me a very detailed image that she drew with Sharpie.  I have to say that I really appreciate how she isn’t afraid to experiment with different mediums – good to have you back, Mariel!

• Natasja submitted a beautiful image that she created in Illustrator.  I know you’re very busy with school, but I always really enjoy your submissions, T!

Next week’s project is called “Maps”.  What’s your take?

Deadline: Saturday, January 23rd by the end of the day (we all know that’s somewhat negotiable by now).

• Remember, there are no restrictions so don’t feel that you are required to use any particular material!
• Send your completed projects (and questions) to erin.conger@gmail.com.
• If you’re feeling lost, have a look at the About post.

Do yourself a favor and click each photograph to view the detail!

Jeff says, “In my mind the shot is really just a vignette of a story, but rather than tell the story I’d prefer that the viewer come up with their own.”  Technical details for those of us who love them: Shot on Jeff’s Canon 5d, 85mm f/1.8 wide open at 1/160 with a .9 ND filter,  fill flash on camera positioned to bounce, key light directly behind subject pointing towards camera.  Looking forward to more great shots, Jeff!

Patrick shot this photo, titled “Door to the Past” in his hometown of Neligh, Nebraska.  He says he interpreted the theme to mean old-fashioned, simple and unsophisticated.  But he also says, “There’s something about old that moves me.” I can very much relate.

Natasja submitted a beautiful grouping of photographs that I’m interested in buying. She says she was at a brewery in Portland and noticed the “bad ass aquarium” and realized that the gorgous and very primitive coral would fit the theme perfectly.  Fantastic!

I shot my submission in San Francisco on 35mm film this past weekend. I’ve always had an aversion to pigeons and they definitely strike me as primitive, pea-brained animals.  “Pigeons are filthy creatures.  You look more like.. an angel!”

Dan submitted a photo from the east side of the Salton Sea called “Primitive Accomodations”.   He says, “Chances are it wasn’t primitive to the owner back then, but it’s surely primitive by our standards.”  He used his Nikon D50 and 12-24 wide angle lens in creating his shot.  Take note of the vine-patterned wall paper – classy!

Thanks so much for your really wonderful art this week. Yet again, I’m really impressed, encouraged and inspired.

Next week’s project is called “Portrait of the Artist”.  What’s your take?

Deadline: Saturday, January 16th by the end of the day (we all know that’s somewhat negotiable by now).

• Remember, there are no restrictions so don’t feel that you are required to use any particular material!
• Send your completed projects (and questions) to erin.conger@gmail.com.
• If you’re feeling lost, have a look at the About post.

• Azlynn shot this image using a cross screen filter – it’s a 1.3 second exposure in the San Diego Harbor.  I’d be interested learning more about the filter and its atypical effect on the lights here.

• Natasja submitted an image of her first New Year’s in Portland. Chilly but cheery!

• I submitted a video I recorded on Christmas Eve using my parents’ Mac.  It might not seem like anything of substance, but it’s pretty accurate of the mood – relaxing, drinking framboise lambic and talking until 2 in the morning.  It was  a good night.  (If someone could tell me how to fix the formatting here I’d looove that)

• Dan submitted a photograph called “Bump in the Dark” that he shot at Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs. It’s a 3 minute exposure, so be sure to click to enlarge for the detail in the shot.

(Some of you may need to lighten your monitor settings.  At home on my Mac the image looks great, on my work PC it’s much too dark. )

Thanks to first-time participants  Azlynn and Tasja, and to returning participant Dan for the great art.  I realize it’s been a busy few weeks so I really appreciate the submissions to keep the momentum going.

Next week’s theme is “Primitive”.  What’s your take?

Deadline: Saturday, January 9th by the end of the day.

• Remember, there are no restrictions so don’t feel that you are required to use any particular material!
• Send your completed projects (and questions) to erin.conger@gmail.com.
• If you’re feeling lost, have a look at the About post.