Had a really good critique tonight...just one of those nights where it felt good. Accomplished a lot, helped me to solve some display issues I've been thinking about and I'm really enjoying the feedback I've been getting about my new body of work and its relation to my ongoing instillation work...

Started the night off in Kate's studio participating in her "Ten Minute Show" where I and nine other artists crammed into her small studio for ten minutes and painted and marked up rectangles painted on the wall. It was hectic, crammed, sweaty and exciting. I had peers and professors smushed up less than an inch away from me, elbows precariously close to my face, paintbrushes and fingers flying with paint every which way and absolutely no idea of what I was doing. It was great, if anything to get the juices flowing and an excuse to go crazy with other artists in a 6'x6' ft space.

During my critique I showed photos from my last three photo sessions since I hadn't gotten critiqued in a while. I laid out images printed on 8''x11'' matte paper and transparency film and a few on 13''x19'' matte paper to give an example of size that I'm considering going for. I really wanted to facilitate connection between the subject and the viewer so I thought that life size proportions would be powerful. I wanted to show people the images on transparency film and explain the image transfer process I will be trying out on the glass to give them a better idea of the finished product....while I did so, something really cool happened. People started layering the images on transparency film on top of the same image on paper, and started playing around with space between the two and balancing clarity with unfocused imagery. This brought my images to a whole new level and helped to solve questions about displaying the work...I've been conscious about the transparent quality of glass and been thinking up ideas about how to prevent the image from getting washed out. Layering the image on glass with the image on paper solved that and produced a true experience for the viewer. I really wanted to create a space between the subject and the viewer to focus on that concept of isolation and separation. Since glass is an integral part of the process photographing my subjects, it seemed fitting to involve it some way into the final piece. Layering the images on two different glass planes separated the image from the viewer enough, yet still allowed the viewer to peer in and connect with the person in the photograph on a personal and emotional level. It was a great suggestion and I am immensely looking forward to playing around with the effects of the two planes and images interacting with each other. I'll post pictures of my experimentation as time goes on, so stay tuned!

We also talked about solving technical problems such as how to connect the pieces of glass to each other with fasteners and/or potentially making shadow box type forms to hold the piece. Also considered trying out plastic instead of glass to lower material cost, but I'd really like to do justice to the work and there's something about glass that I find much more appealing. As I piece together the work I'll be thinking about lighting and how to make it work with the lighting in the photographs themselves. I am really excited by these ideas and the collaboration with my peers and professors who are interested and inspired as I am to really bring my pieces together in a successful and meaningful way. I've truly learned a lot this past year about myself as an artist and gained courage to act on my ideas and bring my creations to life...to push my ideas (and photographs) off and beyond paper...to understand what it means to create an "experience" for my viewers. Something that goes beyond the wall and paper and reaches out and touches you. Something that brings you in, makes a connection and leaves an impression...a residue, something that questions, something that feels and makes you feel. Something that, in a sense, lives...and speaks to us, because we are, well, living.

I've decided to begin writing down words that people say about my work which speak out and stick with me from now on. I find that they really give voice to the character of what I'm making and help to illuminate where I've been and where I'm going

Words that came up in tonight's critique...
...transcend...delicate...golden...light...intimate...elegant...experimental...tenderness...feeling