allana July 3rd, 2008
It’s been an interesting two weeks of visiting people, making portraits of old friends, new friends, and little children new to the world.
It is energizing to feel and see these things reflected in people I care about; to those people who struggled and worked for happiness, for success, for families, for life. Friends whose life paths are opening to something new, paths that are revealing themselvs in directions that a decade ago, two decades ago we might not have thought possible or probable. Paved with experience, disappointments, reverse directions, the best intentions.
Many friends whom are nearly a decade out of school, seeing their work, dreams, sidebars, all come together for them. The energies invested and the diligence put into programs, jobs, busniess, personal exploarions and relationships come to fruition. Seeing this makes everything seems worthwhile. Life affirming. a good gift of awareness to me, on the 2 year anniversary of such a life changing incident. A reminder.
My husband reminds me often. To enjoy life, to make our time here together count, to move with purpose through the world.
allana October 28th, 2007
Kristen pointed out that we were nearing Salem; and it was the Sunday before Halloween. Hmmm . . after bungling it by following the signs to Salem, New Hampshire (uh . . at one point I did live in New England, but clearly California has pushed certain geographic information out of my brain), we did make it to Witch City. There was madness afoot everywhere. Take a peek.
Happy Halloween!
allana October 28th, 2007
On our way back to Boston, we took a day to take pictures for fun.
classic vermont cow in pasture:
Kristen had never had cider donuts, hence the need to stop by Cold Hollow Cider Press for a snack.
the one truly brilliant tree:
picturesque Vermont scene:
Connecticut River in New Hampshire:
Closed ice cream shop in White River Junction:
allana October 26th, 2007
walking. talking (at the moment still unintelligible to me, but still there is the effort of verbal communications). feeding his snacks to the dogs. generally being a delightful nephew.
allana September 15th, 2007
Our little Sadie is 1 year old now. At least another year to go of puppyhood.
allana July 31st, 2007
Had a puppy mom breakfast with Dawn Tacker on Sunday. Sadie and Kalli, the lab girls, played all over the house and the yard. Dawn’s son Andrew helped pouring and stirring the pancake batter. Aaah, to be 3 again.
allana July 3rd, 2007
Today is the one year anniversary of my near-death drowning. I’m not sure how I feel about this; my heart and mind are all over the place. It seems like today is like a second birthday for me. There are no physical reminders of the accident; no scars or abrasions left. But clearly it is embedded in my psyche as much as a permanent physical reminder would be.
Yesterday at a used bookstore, I happened across(in the graphic novel section, where you’ll usually find me) a copy of The Wild Party that was illustrated by art spiegelman. I bought it and read it through last night before bed. It is a great poem, and worth reading if you haven’t. As suggested by William Burroughs in the forward, this poem and its’ images stay with you.
I’m not sure if today is for celebrating, and having a wild party; or for quietly enjoying the fact that I am alive and just having a normal day. I’ve had an amazing year, but still my soul battles; is this life for the wild party that we can get out of it? Do we live it up, drinking in every pleasure until the cops come in? Or is this life for a moderate cautious blend of simple pleasures and traditions?
allana April 15th, 2007
Last summer on the long desert drive to Arizona, I heard a short piece on the radio about the growing number of high school mariachi bands. Suddenly I had these images in my head, very avedon-esque, of these teenagers, in their trajes, as musicians. Last winter, while doing a printmaking residency at the School of the Arts at San Diego High School, I met Serafin Parades, the band teacher and leader of one of these groups of teenage mariachi musicians. We talked about me making some portraits of the students, and planned for a few months. I dropped in a few times to listen to them play and to make them comfortable with me.
Here are a few of the portraits. As I said, very influenced by Avedon’s Southwest, and Arnold Newman’s genious use of the shape of instruments to break up negative space. While editing, I was fascinated how the countenance and body language of the students changed when in their trajes and while playing their instruments.
allana April 8th, 2007
Trent and I volunteered to shoot the Hip-Hop Bunny Drop annual egg hunt that The Kroc Center partners with the radio stations Magic 92.5 and Z90.
Most of the kids were in their regular Saturday clothes. One girl had her full-on Easter best dress, heels, and straw hat. Her brother was wearing a tiny seersucker suit. The kids cleaned up thousands of eggs in under a minute. It waas amazing to see how motivated children are by candy.
See the elegance of a nine year old, waiting for the egg hunt to begin:
