Fire Chief.

Fire Chief, what does it need?

It somehow feels unfinished. Perhaps it needs to be broken down a bit more? Maybe some sort of charcoal overlay? After all, charcoal is just burnt wood, right? Or did I just get to carried away with the ladders. Maybe a stronger foreground  object? Arrgaaahhh.

Barley Pillow

Once again, Barley-Rox serves as the object of Quinn's attention. For most of the dozen or so pictures I snapped, Barley tries, as she often does, to just ignore it all. But, when Quinn decided he wanted to be Thor and pulled out his hammer, someone got worried.

Thor's Hammer © Jeff Murphy, 2012

Quinn enjoyed these photographs so much that he decided to take his own. So, here is Quinn's very first DSLR picture:

Quinn's First DSLR Picture © Quinn Freeman Murphy, 2012

Not so bad for the low tungsten lighting. Just a few months ago the camera was jsut to heavy and awkward for him.

Awkward. That spells funny.

Chorus. Is it done yet?

When I was in Graduate school at the University of Florida, I remember Jerry Uelsmann saying that if he used computers for his work, he would never no when he's done. He preferred the limitations of the darkroom (though limitations is probably the wrong word her - maybe framework?). I've been thinking about that a lot as I've been working on the image Chorus for what seems like forever.

Chorus, © Jeff Murphy 2012

 I was initially drawn to the tree scabs and the way they appeared like open mouths shouting or singing. So they have been a constant. The waves and water were more problematic. Despite the churning water and foam, I seemed to lack the dynamism I thought would be inherent in waves. Also, after the first few versions, where I struggled with placement of the basic elements, I realized I needed a focal point beyond the chorus of tree scabs.

Enter the anatomical structures. These were fabricated from individual diagrams - I couldn't tell you what they are were, but you could probably guess some of the elements. These felt like the remains of on old pier where the deck has long since washed away. I placed these anatomical constructions in a row to mimic this idea (the work is in part about how time buries things).

So I thought it was finished. Then I pulled it out again. Then I put it away. I realized I still didn't have te focal point I was looking for. So I reworked it again. Enter bird skeleton (curiously, as I was taking a break from the computer, my neighbor came by with another bird skeleton he had found at his church). Now it's really done. I think. I'm just going to go ahead and archive the file with my other slides so I won't be tempted.