Pinata!

Artist Statement

Cynthia Miller

Cynthia Miller (°1970, Colombia) is an artist who mainly works with photography. By contesting the division between the realm of memory and the realm of experience, Miller formalizes the coincidental and emphasizes the conscious process of composition that is behind the seemingly random works. The thought processes, which are supposedly private, highly subjective and unfiltered in their references to dream worlds, are frequently revealed as assemblages.
Her photos feature coincidental, accidental and unexpected connections which make it possible to revise art history and, even better, to complement it. Combining unrelated aspects lead to surprising analogies. By experimenting with aleatoric processes, she creates with daily, recognizable elements, an unprecedented situation in which the viewer is confronted with the conditioning of his own perception and has to reconsider his biased position.
Her collected, altered and own works are being confronted as aesthetically resilient, thematically interrelated material for memory and projection. The possible seems true and the truth exists, but it has many faces, as Hanna Arendt cites from Franz Kafka. By rejecting an objective truth and global cultural narratives, she absorbs the tradition of remembrance art into daily practice. This personal follow-up and revival of a past tradition is important as an act of meditation.
Her work urge us to renegotiate photography as being part of a reactive or – at times – autistic medium, commenting on oppressing themes in our contemporary society. Cynthia Miller currently lives and works in D***.

Found 500 letters through Heather Powazak Champ. It wrote this for me, with just a little bit of info. Maybe trying to comment on what BS most artist statement's are? What do you think? Is it accurate? (I DON'T make assemblages in the way they are referring to for sure.)

"You find beauty in ordinary things, do not lose this ability."

Is it too much to ask that these fortunes be written in proper English? I see enough comma splices in my work; I don't need them from my online seer. (Though, perhaps that title is stretching it....)
There are some ordinary things that I find beautiful, true. But maybe they aren't really ordinary. Maybe by recognizing them as beautiful, they are elevated to extraordinary. Who gets to choose what's ordinary, anyways?
In college I took a couple of drawing classes. I was crap at the still lives- my bottles just didn't look like bottles, I guess, but something about the live models in my life drawing class worked for me. Maybe it was because the lines didn't have to be so rigid but flowed and curved as living flesh.
Our models weren't completely naked (not at my conservative college they sure weren't!), but their bodies were well displayed. The man was probably in his sixties, fit, but not taut, and the woman was older, and curved marvelously everywhere. They were both beautiful as they stood in the middle of the room, and we focused our young eyes on them and sketched.
Now sometimes I stand transfixed in the supermarket, marveling at the red bell peppers, that twist and curve, or the radishes, so visibly crisp. No wonder Weston elevated vegetables to high art.

"You are demonstrative with those you love."

"him with his foot in his mouth"

art

I managed to send in some pieces for a juried art show at Cedar Valley College and had one accepted. It was a rush to get it down there before leaving last week, but Sledding is now on the walls of their gallery. It will be on display till the end of March.

Talking with big bro

Photo by H, I think.

more photos

Good News/Bad News

The good news is that I finally tackled my closet yesterday and can now see the very dusty floor. The bad news is that I threw my back out- probably by sitting on a stool instead of just squatting. I was afraid my legs would be sore today if I didn't use a stool, but now I'm thinking that would be better than this.
I have history of lower back pain that leads into sciatic pain, and it seems I'm headed in that direction. The midwife told me on my first visit that I shouldn't do my core strengthening exercises, which are what I usually turn to in this kind of situation, but just visit a chiropractor. Luckily my primary care physician agreed to give me a reference without my having to go in, but I couldn't get an appointment till tomorrow. So, since I'm not sure how much that will help, and tomorrow is busy, I googled back exercises while pregnant and learned I could do a couple while pregnant. I also found a heating pad and got that on today.
Tomorrow night I'm shooting 6th grade graduation (Leila seemed to think that very violent, but really, they asked me to!) I have to be able to move around a bit for that. I'm hoping the chiro is a miracle worker!

Grass

Here's an older picture taken with my Voightlander, I believe.

Christmas Giveaway

The winner is Jen! (#72 as chosen by a random number generator) Thanks for participating everyone. I hope to see you at the next giveaway. Happy Holidays.

You've worked hard all year and now you are hard at work preparing for the holidays. You deserve to get a little something special in your stocking- right? I think so. As part of the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day,
I'm giving away a pair of earrings-

 or

And a 4x6 calendar-

Please visit my Etsy shop to see the rest of the calendar and my other available prints.
Leave a comment telling me which pair of earrings you want if you win and tell me the one thing (other than this giveaway, of course) that you want to find in your stocking or under your tree. (Or just next to your breakfast plate- you don't have to celebrate Christmas to win.) Make sure you include your email address. If I can't contact you, I'll have to select another winner. One comment per person, please.
I'll draw on December 17 after noon, Pacific time, email the winner for an address, and ship your package out by Monday. If the winner does not reply to the email by Monday, I will have to choose another winner.
I'll ship to both Canada and the US (sorry other nations!) Now that I've seen all the fabulous giveaways from other countries, I'm feeling bad that I said only US or Canada. If you are in another country, go ahead and enter. Instead of a calendar, I'll send you both pairs of earrings if you win. (Shipping isn't as expensive.)
For those of you who don't win but still want some earrings or a calendar, I'm offering 20% off everything in my shop using coupon code CHRISTMAS2010.
Happy Holidays!!

Art Calendar

A downloadable version of my "Perfect 10" 2011 calendar is now available in my Etsy shop. I hope to have  a printed one there soon.

They really live

But for the full story, you'll have to go to Etsy.

Etsy

I've finally officially opened my Etsy shop. You can check out my latest posting (and the only thing there so far) at this link. Let me know what you think. I hope to have some other pictures for sale in the next week, and I'm working on a calendar.

Way back when

This was the house where my grandfather grew up in Montreal. We visited here this summer- my first time.

Chocolate

Only the Lonely

Usually these stickers are the whole family, including the cats and dogs. What's going on here?  I could see this on a mini cooper, but a giant SUV?

verdant life

camoflauge

Never too late

I just finished reading an article called "Never Too Late" by Robin Black, in which she talks about the lack of information about and opportunities for middle-aged emerging writers.
I've had the same complaint about middle-aged emerging artists and photographers. A few years ago, there was a show for artists aged 33 and under, called "Younger than Jesus." I was about 5 years too old for this group, so I decided we needed to have a show called "Older than Jesus, but Younger than God."