Untitled, 2. sail her, don’t sink her, 3. seedy motel, 4. 127/365 2010, 5. Any requests?, 6. logs, 7. Route 66 California, 8. waiting, 9. Daydream
‘Roid Week 2010 is over, but that doesn’t mean the beauty is gone. Please check out the many, many pages of participating pictures over at Flickr. I made the above collection using FDs flickr tools with pictures from the group.
Here’s a polaroid izone picture of my yoyo quilt. This picture is probably from ‘98 or ‘99. Remember izone? I still mourn the end of izone. I remember a picture my friend Nicole D. and I took and stuck on the toll booth leaving town. Remember “change” toll booths in Illinois? Those are all but gone too. Times change.
I love Polaroid, and that means ALL Polaroid products. In other words, I am a sucker for a Polaroid gimmick. This has led me, time and time again, to be disappointed when they’ve discontinued products…until at last the FINAL discontinuation of ALL instant photos. That is, but one last gimmick, and I’ve used this blog as a stage to plug it over and over. POLAROID POGO! Take pictures with any digital picture, carry your portable pogo printer with you and print little Polaroid pictures on the go. Here you can read a previous post all about how it works.
Here is a Polaroid Pogo print and the original file from which it was printed. If you click on the images it will take you to their flickr pages so you can see them larger. Each pogo also can double as a sticker, if you peel off the release paper on the back. I love my printer and of course I think everyone should get one. I think they were even going to carry a printer and camera in one, so you can take the pictures on the digital Polaroid and print them straight from the camera, but I haven’t seen any of them out there yet.
edit: I forgot to mention I also offer mounted Polaroid Pogo prints in my Etsy shop, check them out here.
Here is a self portrait I must have taken, circa 2000.
Recently, searching through stacks of old college artwork, I found these books I made for a project in lithography. I did a series of stone litho prints of self portraits based on polaroids I had taken.
Each one of these pieces was then attached to a thick black paper, like old photo albums had, and then handmade into a book. You can see the top center piece is not exactly the same, but must have been based on a picture from the same pack of film.
I thought I had shared these on my blog here when I recently discovered them, but looking back I don’t see them. Here is another print based on Polaroid, probably 2001? This is an intaglio piece, (etching onto a metal plate and then printed onto paper).
The countdown to spring is on! 19 days left. If the rest of those 19 days are as nice as today was, this should be a breeze. The snow was all melty and I was able to drive around with my window rolled down half way.
Today was one of my days where I have to go in to work at 2 a.m. so I had the daylight to myself. I got a lot done. Grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, etc., etc. I also finally got around to listing the rings I made last month for Thing-a-Day.
The circle Paper Wrapped Spiral Stratum Rings are a new offering for my shop. I love the pendants that I make like this so much that I had to make some as rings as well. Dare I say, these rings are even more beautiful than the pendants?
Other rings that have been added are more collage based, similar to other rings that have been in my shop previously. I love this abstract piece above. It is very much like something I could see myself wearing all the time.
Here is a ring dedicated to my love of Polaroid. When I was in college I used to incorporate a lot of the polaroid shape into my artwork, printmaking primarily. This was about 10 years ago now and before Polaroid was becoming extinct, so I don’t think my teacher understood or appreciated it very much. It warms my heart now to see the Polaroid image in so much artwork nowadays. Each time I see it, it’s like me sticking out my tongue and giving a big raspberry to that teacher and saying “See, other people get it, why couldn’t you?”
And finally, here is the last ring. Picture it as a whisper of the spring to come. It looks like the underside of a leaf, but it’s actually a real leaf skeleton, with a green cardstock paper visible from behind, all encased and preserved in resin.
It is Friday and that means today’s are the final pictures for Polaroid Week.
Once again trying to keep this week’s pictures relevant I decided to do portraits. This is my brother (who wishes to be known only as “Alfonso” or was it “Alfonse”?) and my Sister-in-law (who shall remain nameless, not because she requested but just because it’s fun). The relevance is that they are expecting their first child. They are so thrilled and the rest of the family and I are SO excited. I had the idea to document them in this manner, in this turning point of their life. They are right on the verge between being married and being married with children.
I set up a tripod and had them stand in the exact same spot so the height is consistent. They looked at each other off camera and it worked out perfectly. I kind of like to imagine the pictures framed as it is above.
Today I had the brilliant (patting myself on back) idea to kill two birds with one stone. Day two of Polaroid Week would also be a great day for a Found Art Tuesday piece.
I remembered the other Found Art Tuesday Polaroid piece I did around this time last year at Carhenge. That piece was a failed picture that I drew on, so I was inspired to look through my bag of old Polaroid pictures and find an old one I’ve never posted before and then leave it somewhere for another person to pick up and keep.
The picture is from 2003, as it was written on the back. I like all of the white/neutral colors and textures.
Shhhh, don’t tell anyone but….tonight I had my ceramics class at the community college and I decided beforehand I’d leave the Polaroid in the Art wing somewhere. When we got to class I remembered how many bulletin boards are covered with all sorts of artwork and decided to sneak my picture in on one of them. As it turns out one of the boards was filled with art cards with different subject matters, portraits being one of them. Perfect. My piece fit in wonderfully.
It’s is Polaroid Week 2009! I’ll be posting a new Polaroid picture each day this week, Monday through Friday. I posted about it over at HelloCraft.
This morning I started browsing through my collection of Polaroid cameras looking for one that might have film left in it. None of them did and this triggered panic. Reality hit for the first time. I might never be able to buy Polaroid instant film ever again. I knew I had at least one film pack left in the basement, but I immediately started kicking myself thinking “WHY DIDN’T YOU STOCK UP WHEN THEY ANNOUNCED PRODUCTION STOPPED!”
When they originally announced that Polaroid halting production of their instant films I wasn’t worried, I had tons of boxes of film still. I continued to take pictures frivolously as if each film pack was like water and would never run out. Deep down inside I thought it was just a threat and Polaroid would never dare to stop making a product that everyone loves, a product that has become so deep rooted in our culture/society and such a huge medium in the art world.
I drove around today thinking, thinking, thinking. This last film pack I have has to last the week and plus some. I’m allotting only one picture a day. No take backs, no re-dos, no multiple shots. Each and every picture might be one of the very last Polaroid pictures ever taken. Ever. That carries a lot of weight and pressure.
It’s beautiful outside today. A gorgeous fall day with blue skies and growing bare trees with the goldest of gold leaves remaining. But is a snapshot of that worthy of one of the last pieces of film? Hasn’t that been done again and again?
I hoped that when the time came for today’s picture, the one that was meant to be, that I would realize it and be able to capture it fully. I kept my camera by my side as went through my day.
I took the rest of the day off work and decided to utilize my day fully. I got things done that I just can’t seem to force myself to do on the weekends. I cleaned out my dead car and went to the post office. I grabbed a box of tulip bulbs that I had purchased as part of my “To-Do list for 2009″. I went outside and put my hands in the earth. As I dug through the cold dirt I realized that this would be the picture. I’ll document this as I cross off an item off my list. A perfect item to document, as planting fall bulbs also carries connotations of death and rebirth. As everything dies and goes into hibernation for the winter, I’m investing in and hoping for beauty in the future/upcoming spring.
Of course, the picture didn’t turn out as I had hoped, and where I normally would have retaken it, this year, I get what I get. So here it is. My first contribution to Polaroid Week 2009. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Polaroid too has a rebirth and that we can keep it going. If you read the quick Hello Craft article I wrote (linked above) you will find several links to help support the movement. Please take a moment to check those out.
And I’d love to hear if you are also participating in “Roid Week”. Leave me a comment. Polaroidgirl on twitter has created a list (here) of all the people participating, and of course there is the flickr group devoted to it as well.
polaroid sky, originally uploaded by robayre.
Once again, last minute. Friday’s are definitely busy, because I get off work and then have my art group meeting which usually goes pretty late.
Last week I got a new polaroid camera, and so for today’s archive piece I decided to choose an old polaroid picture I’d taken in 1998. Polaroids have long been a love of mine and have found their way into many pieces of artwork from mailart, to intaglio prints. The idea and image of polaroid often creep into my work. I was of course sad to hear that polaroid was discontinuing production of their instant film, but still hopeful that another company will pick it up. After getting my recent camera, I’ve found that fugi already carries an instant pack film that supports my new camera.
This photo was used in an illustration piece that I can’t seem to find right now, maybe I’ll be able to track it down and post it tomorrow? I had cross hatched with my fine rapidoliner pen, the entire positive space of this piece. The picture was taken out my parents back window, out into their yard.
Anyway, I’m excited to try out my new camera. The film arrived the other day and I haven’t even had a moment to try it out yet, but I’m sure you will see more of that coming soon.
polaroid colorpack II land camera, originally uploaded by robayre.
This weekend I scored this polaroid colorpack II land camera from Erica’s Grandma. I have already purchased a fugi film pack to use with it. I’m so excited to use it. It’s like brand new and came in the original box and everything.
I also bought myself this hibiscus plant, my favorite flower. I just hope it is as cool as my mom’s, which blossoms all winter long.
Both the above pictures were adjusted using picnik, recommended by Rosa on her blog. You can do all sorts of effects with your images right on flickr.
Today I finally left my found art piece from last week. It was set on top of a lotto machine at Matt’s suggestion. I was so afraid that the guy at the register was going to get testy with us for messing around near the machine, but I think he was too busy helping customers.
Lastly, today I got some mail from my sister. She sent me a couple pages from her page a day calendar that she thought I might like. I liked ’em, thanks Chris! The top one says “Compose a poem and leave it in a public place to brighten up someone’s day” and the bottom one says “Stick a message on a fruit”. I love both of them, but the bottom one really has inspired me. It reminded me of two things:
1. When I was trying to fill up my Wreck This Journal page with fruit stickers, I totally cheated by covering the back of my hand with the stickers off of fruit I didn’t buy at the grocery store. One time I was checking out and wasn’t paying attention and the cashier saw my hand and asked “Are those our stickers?” She didn’t seem too upset so I showed them to her proudly and she just laughed.
2. I used to do this thing when I would go to Walmart where I would pick up fake plastic fruit from the craft department and strategically place them in the real fruit bins. They blend in amazingly. I never stuck around to watch as people picked them up and immediately were shocked at their lack of weight and delicious juiciness. Ha ha, I crack myself up.
Anyway, I think the next natural step in messing around with the produce department in grocery stores would be fake labels. I’m a graphic designer after all, how come I didn’t think of this idea sooner?
april 24 Polaroid Week 2008, originally uploaded by robayre.
Wow, I’m blowing through polaroid film this week like it’s going out of style (or maybe just being discontinued).
Have you seen the Save Polaroid site? They have a survey up, go take it.
One thing that makes me really sad about the end of instant Polaroid Film is all the stuff I wanted to do, but will never get the chance. I’ve always wanted to try emulsion transfer with polaroid, and there are so many different types of cameras and films that I never got to use. I’m still trying to get over the end of joycam and i-zones :(
I came up with the idea to make some polaroid buttons like this one and will hopefully add them to the shop soon, so keep an eye out for those.
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