Works in Progress

Hey there!

I'm all done editing photos for the moment, so now I can devote my free time to the REALLY fun stuff - painting! I've had a lot of ideas pop up recently, so today I took the time to start on some and continue on others I started awhile ago. Check it out:

I'm calling this one "The Calm Inside the Storm." (Anyone ever seen "The Fountain?" Yeah.) It's nearly done, but I'd like to work more on the root system. I also feel like it needs some figures - birds, maybe a person somewhere - to make it "come alive." Not sure what, though.

This is a painting I started over a year ago. I added a few more elements today, but again, need to add something to make it pop.

Yep, it's another tree. I went through a phase, okay? Anyways, I did the background for this a couple of months ago and loved how it came out. I added the tree today, and while I did want the tree to look solid, now it looks TOO solid. I also plan to add its leaves...maybe I could add more to the background so the tree doesn't look so stark.

This canvas is black-not!

Don't worry. Much more will be added. Could be a whole series...one of the more photo-real paintings I've done in awhile. You'll just have to wait and see what it is. ;-)

I'm also working on turning some small sketches into drawings that would be sell-able. I really want to have a show sometime soon, like this fall, and I needs ta make stuffs!

Any suggestions/ideas on the paintings I'm kinda stuck on would be appreciated. :)

Thanks for looking and reading! Over and out.

James and Allyson

James and Allyson had a totally cute, fun baseball-themed outdoor wedding at Oak Hill Mansion in Carmel, IN. It was a beautiful site to photograph and I had a blast with them and their wedding party! The weather was warm but not crazy-hot like it's been the last few weeks, and the light coming through the trees was perfect for their romantic portraits. It's obvious how much these two love each other, and how much all of their friends love being around them. Everyone had a great time at the reception, but my favorite moment was when a group of guys (including James, at the end) serenaded Allyson with a lively rendition of "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo...classic! This was definitely a day to remember, and all of the 1000+ photos will be up for viewing on my website within a week. Until then, enjoy!

Padraig and Sarah's Wedding

Presenting highlights from Padraig and Sarah's wedding on May 19th in Rensselaer, IN! They had a beautiful Irish-themed celebration, complete with a Claddagh symbol on the wedding cake and bells of Ireland for the boys' boutonnieres and Sarah's bouquet. It was a day full of love, laughter, friendship and beauty. Sarah and Padraig are an amazing couple and I was so glad to capture the day they started their life together as husband and wife! I hope you all enjoy looking at their photos as much as I enjoyed taking them :) Slainte!

Randy & Tara's Wedding

Randy and Tara's wedding was my first of the summer, on May 5, and we ended up with a beautiful day! They're a very laid-back couple, and their Zionsville, IN wedding reflected that attitude - it was tasteful with nothing overly extravagant or high-maintenance. Just two people in love and makin' it official! Tara definitely showed her artistic side with her dress (mostly flowing white, but with subtle pink and purple cascading down the front), and I love that they gave their two huskies the honor of being ringbearers. I had a great time spending the day with this happy group of people! And now, please enjoy the highlight reel:

Matthew and Melissa's Sneak Peek!

I'm so excited to post this sneak peek from Matthew and Melissa's gorgeous wedding two weeks ago! Not only was it a perfect fall day, but I personally had challenged myself to shoot a little differently. Without going into detail, I think that decision was for the better; I got so many wonderful shots that it was hard to choose exactly which ones to post here. It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with this family again (remember James and Natalie's wedding in May? She's Melissa's sister!). So without further ado - here, have some pretty.

Like I said - perfect.

All's ready and waiting...

The best part of being a female photog - OMG SHOES.

The lucky groom and his mom

Dapper gents!

The beautiful bride is almost ready for her close-up...

...and here it is!

Love from her ladies

One of my favorites from the ceremony

Making it official!

Small wedding party = fun!

Husband and wife!

At Foster Park, down the road from the church

"Come here, you!"

I let them practice for their first dance ;-)

That's all for today, kids! Check my website in the next week or two for a full look at all the proofs. Thanks again to Matthew and Melissa for letting me be a part of this wonderful day!

Creations and discoveries

Hello all! My apologies for the extended absence. I have finished my time at Interlochen and am now back in Indianapolis, working on wedding stuff with my wonderful fiance and starting a new job search. I have to admit, it's been great having this week off to just hang out, but I do need to get back to earning a living...

Anyways, here's a project that I started back in June, and wasn't able to resume until our last week at ICA - the granite etching for my dad's headstone. Here's the completed drawing that I worked from--

Unfortunately, it's now covered in red ink - to transfer the lines onto the stone,  something like carbon paper is placed between the drawing and the granite, then the drawing is traced over to leave the same marks on the stone. That becomes the guide for creating the etching. Make sense? I hope so...

And here is the finished product!

I will say I was rather intimidated to not only learn this completely new medium involving a very sharp power tool, but also having to create something of this magnitude for my very first project! I think that's part of why I had put it off for so long, and in order for me to even start on it, I had to make Devin leave our cabin :-p I suppose I needed to "bond" with the etching tool...

I find that many times, when I'm learning or experimenting ("playing," as I prefer to call it), I want to be completely alone. Call it performance anxiety, but I need to be able to do whatever I feel like doing without someone watching me...in my mind, they're thinking things like, "Wow, what a weirdo," and "what on EARTH is that freak doing?" Just one of my artistic idiosyncrasies. Moving on...

Latest project: new (to me) HUGE canvas!

This is a painting I acquired from Devin's grandparents, who are in the moving process and left many of their possessions up for grabs to the grandkids. Score! They originally bought it from a department store, which means it was mass-produced and therefore worth next to nothing. My brain said FREE CANVAS, and we grabbed it. It will be the largest canvas I've ever used - pretty sure it's 3 ft x 4 ft - and tonight I took step 1 towards a masterpiece: GESSO-ING THE CRAP OUT OF IT.

See also: PLAYGROUND. :)

For those who don't know, gesso is used as a primer for canvases (and just about anything else that needs it). It comes in white AND black (ooh!) and is therefore perfect for redoing a canvas. SHAZAM, a world of potential is born! I'm already cooking up ideas...and in need of a new supply of gesso.

And that's not all, loyal readers! After being gone for a few weeks, I have to give you more treats than that. So here's two artists that were introduced to me this week, one from my mother, and the other from my future mother-in-law. Brilliant ladies they are ;-) Bonus: Both artists are women, too!

First, we have Helen Dennis. Just today she closed an installation in NYC of projected drawings...check out the link to see what I mean! It's so many of my favorite things...drawing, mixed media, projection, site-specific, oh my! She also has some gorgeous pictures of Iceland, which is near the top of my list of places to visit.

Next is Debbie Smyth with some incredible large-scale installations of string art. Seriously, this stuff makes me jealous...but in the art world, jealousy can be nearly synonymous with inspiration. Am I wrong, fellow artists?? :)

I love looking at work from wonderful artists like these. It reminds me that really, anything is possible, that I'm not limited to the page/canvas/computer (unless I want to be), and that it IS possible to do great things with art in the present moment, as opposed to 100+ years after you die (poor Van Gogh...).

And now, allergies are overtaking me, and I must bid you goodnight and adieu...as always, thanks for reading!

Rain Art

What do you do when you and your sketchbook are stranded in a tiny office during a rainstorm? You say, "Hey, Mother Nature, let's make something beautiful together."

Contour line drawings on slightly low blood sugar. Ink and rainwater on paper.