I, Curtis

Category: Art

  • P365: Day 6

    Day 6
    Jake guarding his yard. I didn’t do a lot of images for this day, but this one seemed like a good selection. Went for a pleasant walk before dinner and was greeted by Jake as usual. Its one of those things that is a characteristic in my daily life that is nice to capture.
    There isn’t any great lighting on this image or anything, the sun was reaching the point where it goes below the tree line, making it useless. I would have preferred to capture a little more of a glow from Jake’s fur. Maybe on the next attempt.

  • P365: Day 5

    Day 5
    I have been fascinated with the way that beverages, glass and light interact recently. I have been trying to capture the essence of that fascination, but it does not translate to photography well. This image is a positive step towards being able to capture it, although, I still can not actually focus fizz.

  • P365: Day 4

    DSC_0695-1

    Out of all of the shots I took yesterday, I don’t know why I picked this one. This one jumped out at me. Something about the 3 different areas of light against an otherwise dark composition seems interesting. I did this shot right after doing my own attempt at a “challenge shot” that I had previously had Chris to attempt (involving the pillars to the right of the image).

  • P365: Day 3

    Day 3
    For this day I did several shots, but I decided to go with something more classically me that also showcases the talents of my new toy.

  • P365: Day 2

    Day 2
    Yesterday pretty much sucked. It rained pretty hard all day, and I didn’t want to take the hardware outside in that kind of weather. There wasn’t anything interesting going on inside either, so I tried to shoot me making a drink, its a mix of Mt. Dew with Cheerwine. Focus wasn’t as clear as I would have liked it, since apparently the D90 really likes looking completely through glass, so after it was made, I did this shot. I think I would like to try the originals again at some point, just have to manage to focus on the fizz.
    This was done with the D90 on the Gorillapod, using an Opteka softbox add-on for my SB-600.

  • P365: Day 1

    This is a fairly simple shot. On the UNC-Charlotte campus, walking back toward the main campus from CRI and Chris saw this bird, and suggested that I could get the bird with the lens that I had attached at the time (Nikon 18-105mm). I think the shot would have been better with the 70-300mm lens, but the point of the day was to test both the D90 and her native lens at the same time.

  • Change of Clay Body

    My enthusiasm for Standard Ceramic Company’s 563 clay body has been short lived. Upon going to get a fresh batch this morning I was informed that it has been discontinued. I am now in posession of Standard’s 220 clay body. Supposed to be very similar, but I will determine that. I liked how well 563 vitrified, so I guess I will try 220 to see if it does the same.
    I am a bit upset that I can no longer get the clay body that I prefer, but I guess things change and nothing stays the same.

  • James Biggers and Friends Exhibit

    James Biggers and Friends Art Exhibit on Display

    The James Biggers & Friends Art Exhibit will be on display January 20 – February 20, 2009 in the Jeanne Rauch (Rouwsh) Gallery on the Gaston College Dallas Campus. Fifteen artists from North and South Carolina will be featured in the exhibit. Gallery hours are Monday thru Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm and Friday, 9 am to 2 pm.

    For more information, call 704.922.6200

  • Waiting for Grades

    This should feel like a three times annual procedure by now. Finish all of my course work and then wait patiently, or not so patiently, for instructors to enter grades. This semester is a little different though, and I can’t put my finger on why. I am usually so very hyper and waiting for grades is almost like an Olympic sport, but this semester it is like I am waiting for fates to decide if I have done well enough or not to get an A in a particular course, while other courses the anticipated grade is much clearer. I am calm, but almost so calm that I am depressed. I don’t want the semester to be over, I want there to be more to it. I have enjoyed my courses so much this semester that it is just sad that they are over. The spring semester will start soon enough I suppose, but what am I supposed to do now? I have been filling my days and evenings (or late nights, early mornings and afternoons) with doing classwork or with avoiding particular assignments that I felt particularly procrastinistic (or procrastinatory, neither are real words, but oh well) about.
    I have been avoiding art a lot this semester, probably because I have been busy doing other things, but now it seems a little strange to just jump back to them. It has gotten cold outside now, which makes ceramics a pain for me, as I have no good indoor wash-up facility for it. Drawing seems too time consuming and requires me being patient with myself as I find my hand again. Photography… while always easy to do and fun, its been freaking cold this week.
    I’m noticing a pattern here, my excuse for everything seems to be that it is cold outside. Perhaps I’m suffering from a bit of seasonal affective disorder since winter seems to have hit so suddenly?

  • Toilet Art

    Bare walls above toilets bother me. Why must taking a piss be such a boring experience? It would be nice if there were no bare walls above toilets, but what would you place above a toilet? What type of art suits such a space? It is such an intimate space, a space of privacy. I believe it should be something thought provoking, but with incredible simplicity. The bland walls bother me, I am going to seek out something appropriate to place in that barren space.