2007 is ending quietly. Aaron is napping on the couch next to me, Itchie-bon is asleep under the blanket next to him. But I'm awake, organizing my online platforms: blogs, domains, websites. There is much work to be done in 2008, and the development of my printed promotional materials begins soon.
One of the highlights of this latest, vacation-time flurry of work is that www.jessicabeagan.com is now ready, and should be pointing to a beautiful online gallery, courtesy of www.otherpeoplespixels.com. I cannot speak highly enough about this company, their products, and their service. It's been a godsend to find. Now if only the domain name will stop pointing to Blogger and start pointing to OPP, we'll be golden.
It's been long overdue that I get my online presence established. I'm now motivated to make my photography work for me. Related to my goal of exhibiting, selling, and publishing my photographs in 2008, I start a six-week continuing education course at RISD next week. It's called Professional Practices for the Visual Artist, and it focuses on the business of selling one's work. I took a terrific course my Senior year at UMM, called "Real World Writing", which introduced me to a number of the same principles but for the Writing market. I successfully published and exhibited both writing and photography almost 10 years ago, as an undergraduate, thanks to what I learned in that class. Now it's time to start doing it again with all of the much-improved material I've been creating since then.
And now for something closer to home: This post marks the 440th for ICON this year, which is 400% increase over last year, and more than one post per day on average in 2007. I plan to continue this trend, showing you new work and sharing with you my ideas and ramblings throughout the year. ICON is the outlet, the platform, that I always hoped to find, where I can share words and images and ideas as they are ready to find an audience. I love to hear your feedback, and look forward to continuing to hear from readers in the coming year.
2007 saw a number of changes take place, and it's good to look back and take stock of how far things can come in just 12 months. One big difference in the next 12 months will be TRAVEL. I was back and forth domestically so much this year that it sapped my international travel plans for 2007. 2008 will be a different story. I'm also going to be 30 in June, which feels exactly like the milestone that it is. All told, I can't say I've ever looked so forward to a new year as I do this year.
So here at home, we're wrapping up a very relaxing and low-key vacation, rested and ready for a productive and eventful 2008. Time to wake the boys up and start getting ready for the evening's festivities.
Happy New Year!
12.31.2007
Best 3 for Street Photography Submission
Amity put these three images together so we could see them as a set. One of my New Year's Resolutions to get my photography exhibited and published widely in 2008. I had success with this 8 or 10 years ago, when I was only just starting out. My work has improved, obviously, since then, and it's time to get it out there.
The submission for the juried exhibition on Street Photography is due January 15. I've begun gather these and other submissions guidelines for a big push in 2008. As always, I'll keep you posted.
12.27.2007
Other People's Pixels
Thank you, Ms. Chrystal!
Tonight she popped up on IM and told me about OPP: www.otherpeoplespixels.com. I am HOOKED! I finally got my website up and running, EXACTLY the way I want it to look. OPP is designed specifically for artists to create online galleries using various templates. I have been avoiding the creation of my own photography website because I couldn't bear the task of trying to figure out how to make it work. OPP has done that for me.
To check out the early draft, click here.
I'm working on getting the domain name www.jessicabeagan.com attached to the site, and there will be a new email address as well. I'll post more once the site is complete.
Tonight she popped up on IM and told me about OPP: www.otherpeoplespixels.com. I am HOOKED! I finally got my website up and running, EXACTLY the way I want it to look. OPP is designed specifically for artists to create online galleries using various templates. I have been avoiding the creation of my own photography website because I couldn't bear the task of trying to figure out how to make it work. OPP has done that for me.
To check out the early draft, click here.
I'm working on getting the domain name www.jessicabeagan.com attached to the site, and there will be a new email address as well. I'll post more once the site is complete.
12.26.2007
FOUR DIRECTIONS: A collection of Polaroid Transfer Lamps
2007-12-26 Gracie Ballerina, Polaroid Transfer Lamps (2002) 006 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
Inspired by a course called "Designing with Light and Paper", I made these Screens in 2002. Two images are from London, two from Iowa. They were shot with slide film. I used a Daylab Jr. Slide Printer and Polaroid 669 film to create Polaroid Transfers. The roughly 3x4 inch images were them glued to wooden frames to make lampshades.
The following collection of Screens is called Four Directions. The first image is Thunderhead (Iowa), which is followed by Flowers (Iowa). The third image is Snail & Tile (London), which is followed by Door (London).
I'm in the process of revisiting these lamps, redesigning them and creating new Polaroid Transfer lamps. In 2008 I plan to produce and market these and other Polaroid Transfer lamps. I'll keep you posted. Any feedback or ideas are welcome.
Thunderhead (Iowa) Detail
2007-12-26 Gracie Ballerina, Polaroid Transfer Lamps (2002) 008 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
The muted saturation of the Thunderhead (Iowa) Screen is echoed in the Flowers (Iowa) Screen, shown next.
Flowers (Iowa) Screen
2007-12-26 Gracie Ballerina, Polaroid Transfer Lamps (2002) 021 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
This transfer resulted in an impressionistic image on the Flowers (Iowa) Screen. The colors are deep, muted, and saturated, suggesting an organic form while retaining a touch of abstraction.
Flowers (Iowa) Detail
2007-12-26 Gracie Ballerina, Polaroid Transfer Lamps (2002) 024 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
A close-up of the muted saturated look of the Flowers (Iowa) Screen.
Snail on Tile (London) Screen
2007-12-26 Gracie Ballerina, Polaroid Transfer Lamps (2002) 026 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
This is a horizontal screen, therefore shorter and wider than the others seen here. This is a snail on a pavement tile in London. The graphic geometric form of the tiles contrasts the round dark snail to the right. This image is sharper than the impressionistic Flowers (Iowa), but still retains some of the painterly characteristics of Thunderhead (Iowa).
London Door Screen
2007-12-26 Gracie Ballerina, Polaroid Transfer Lamps (2002) 014 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
The sharpness of the Polaroid Transfer on this Screen creates a more photo-realistic image.
London Door Detail
2007-12-26 Gracie Ballerina, Polaroid Transfer Lamps (2002) 016 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
Sometimes it's Impressionistic, other times, the Polaroid Transfer process is clear and sharp, as in this close-up view of the London Door Screen
London Door Lamp
2007-12-26 Gracie Ballerina, Polaroid Transfer Lamps (2002) 010 A, originally uploaded by jessica_beagan.
A clearer transfer, the detail of the doorway is sharper in this Screen.
12.16.2007
Fishy-bon
Aaron won a betta fish at a raffle at the Wickenden Pub last week. We went out the next day and got a fish tank and plants and rocks and little faux Greek columns. The fish is named "Fishy-bon" in honor of A's cat, Itchie-bon.
Fishy came home in a Stoli bottle, so he took right to his new surroundings. I love the ambient light from the fishtank in the corner of the dining room at Aaron's.
12.14.2007
Gridlock
I'm not saying I told you so, but Providence was a mess last night. Most of Northern Rhode Island was. Schools got out, businesses got out, but only after the snow got bad and grew much much worse. 60 Providence School buses were still out at 8 pm. Elementary School children, mostly.
The Superintendent of the Providence School system, Donnie Evans, should have just cancelled school. Just because it wasn't snowing in the morning doesn't mean it's not going to change dramatically and quickly during the day. But one should not blame just this Superintendent. It's a system-wide problem. The State is investigating the response to the storm, and how badly the system failed.
But honestly, how can the Providence Journal Bulletin actually print this excuse?:
Had they known how ferocious the initial snowfall was going to be, he said, they would have cancelled school altogether.
“I think in retrospect, if we had known the kind of storm, the pacing of the storm, the kind of gridlock there was going to be on the interstates, we would have cancelled school from the beginning.”
The National Weather Service had predicted a brief but intense storm, lasting several hours, that could have left 4 to 7 inches over the region. Forecasts on Wednesday afternoon had indicated the storm could arrive around 1 p.m., but it moved into the area around 11 a.m.
Click here to read the full story.
We have hour-by-hour weather forecasting technology. Weather.com anyone? I followed this storm closely, to see just how accurate the predictions were. It stopped snowing a bit earlier than I thought it would, but otherwise the impact of the storm in Providence, the way I experienced it, followed the predictions.
And it was the nonchalance with which the community treated this storm that was really distressing to me yesterday, and exactly the scenario I imagined. We don't have the good sense as a culture to just stay home when conditions are going to be bad? At least our early ancestors could argue that they didn't have METEOROLOGY to help them make decisions.
We have more information at our fingers than at any other time in human history, and yet we FAIL to avail ourselves of it.
The Superintendent of the Providence School system, Donnie Evans, should have just cancelled school. Just because it wasn't snowing in the morning doesn't mean it's not going to change dramatically and quickly during the day. But one should not blame just this Superintendent. It's a system-wide problem. The State is investigating the response to the storm, and how badly the system failed.
But honestly, how can the Providence Journal Bulletin actually print this excuse?:
Had they known how ferocious the initial snowfall was going to be, he said, they would have cancelled school altogether.
“I think in retrospect, if we had known the kind of storm, the pacing of the storm, the kind of gridlock there was going to be on the interstates, we would have cancelled school from the beginning.”
The National Weather Service had predicted a brief but intense storm, lasting several hours, that could have left 4 to 7 inches over the region. Forecasts on Wednesday afternoon had indicated the storm could arrive around 1 p.m., but it moved into the area around 11 a.m.
Click here to read the full story.
We have hour-by-hour weather forecasting technology. Weather.com anyone? I followed this storm closely, to see just how accurate the predictions were. It stopped snowing a bit earlier than I thought it would, but otherwise the impact of the storm in Providence, the way I experienced it, followed the predictions.
And it was the nonchalance with which the community treated this storm that was really distressing to me yesterday, and exactly the scenario I imagined. We don't have the good sense as a culture to just stay home when conditions are going to be bad? At least our early ancestors could argue that they didn't have METEOROLOGY to help them make decisions.
We have more information at our fingers than at any other time in human history, and yet we FAIL to avail ourselves of it.
12.13.2007
Half Snow Day
I got myself out of bed early and rambled down to the Crime Lab for 8:30 am so I could get in a couple hours before the snow started. Mom arrived around 10 am with bread and milk for me. It's a Rhode Island thing, to stock up on bread and milk before a snow storm. I think it embedded itself in the collective unconscious of Rhode Islanders as a pre-snow ritual, buying bread and milk, after the Blizzard of 1978. I was in utero at the time, and I never remember to stock up. Today's reason why I'm grateful for my mother.
She also chased me out of the lab when the first flakes started to fall just before 11 am. So I grabbed some work I can do from home and headed back to Providence. It's been snowing briskly for a couple hours now, and getting stronger. I made it home easily, had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (with bread and milk).
I wish Aaron weren't at work so we could go for a walk in the falling snow.
I'm worried about how he'll get home after work, and hope his day isn't too long. That goes for anyone else NOT home in a snow storm. But they have a day of meetings with an Executive, so no one is taking a snow day today. Likewise, I spoke with the lab director's wife this morning, and she told me she was panicking because her daughters have final exams today, and have to be out for hours in snow that is falling more heavily by the hour.
You know, we slow down so infrequently in our culture. Snow days are like Nature's way of making us slow down. We have 6-10 inches on its way today. Why can't we stock up on some bread and milk, cozy in with our loved ones, and kick it for two days while the snow falls? Will our Gross Domestic Product slip THAT much if we just checked out, collectively, once in a while? Is it worth the stress, the time lost stuck in snowy traffic, risking the dangerous conditions on the roads?
Here's hoping that the Executive will call it a day at a reasonable hour, and that URI will cancel its afternoon exams. I'm grateful to be able to be home. And I already warned the others at the lab that I will be in tomorrow if I can get my car out of the driveway. If not, I brought enough work home. I'll stay productive! Heaven forbid we don't.
She also chased me out of the lab when the first flakes started to fall just before 11 am. So I grabbed some work I can do from home and headed back to Providence. It's been snowing briskly for a couple hours now, and getting stronger. I made it home easily, had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (with bread and milk).
I wish Aaron weren't at work so we could go for a walk in the falling snow.
I'm worried about how he'll get home after work, and hope his day isn't too long. That goes for anyone else NOT home in a snow storm. But they have a day of meetings with an Executive, so no one is taking a snow day today. Likewise, I spoke with the lab director's wife this morning, and she told me she was panicking because her daughters have final exams today, and have to be out for hours in snow that is falling more heavily by the hour.
You know, we slow down so infrequently in our culture. Snow days are like Nature's way of making us slow down. We have 6-10 inches on its way today. Why can't we stock up on some bread and milk, cozy in with our loved ones, and kick it for two days while the snow falls? Will our Gross Domestic Product slip THAT much if we just checked out, collectively, once in a while? Is it worth the stress, the time lost stuck in snowy traffic, risking the dangerous conditions on the roads?
Here's hoping that the Executive will call it a day at a reasonable hour, and that URI will cancel its afternoon exams. I'm grateful to be able to be home. And I already warned the others at the lab that I will be in tomorrow if I can get my car out of the driveway. If not, I brought enough work home. I'll stay productive! Heaven forbid we don't.
12.11.2007
129 Days
I have spent approximately 129 days out of the country, from February 1996 to some time in 2006, maybe? Andrea got it the other day, then my letter arrived too from the class action lawsuit that means we might get money for having made international transactions.
So I had to calculate how many days I've been out of the US in that period of time:
1997 -- 78 days, Ireland
1999 -- 7 days, Italy
2002 -- 7 days, France; 6 days, UK
2003 -- 7 days, Italy
2004 -- 7 days, Venezuela
2005 -- 4 days, Mexico; 7 days, Venezuela
2006 -- 6 days, Dominican Republic
Total - 129 days, or nearly 4 months total, in about 10 years.
I hope it's worth more than the $25 flat rate. Actually, I don't expect to win anything. I just appreciate having catalogued my travels in those terms, and seen how that's quite a chunk of time after all.
So I had to calculate how many days I've been out of the US in that period of time:
1997 -- 78 days, Ireland
1999 -- 7 days, Italy
2002 -- 7 days, France; 6 days, UK
2003 -- 7 days, Italy
2004 -- 7 days, Venezuela
2005 -- 4 days, Mexico; 7 days, Venezuela
2006 -- 6 days, Dominican Republic
Total - 129 days, or nearly 4 months total, in about 10 years.
I hope it's worth more than the $25 flat rate. Actually, I don't expect to win anything. I just appreciate having catalogued my travels in those terms, and seen how that's quite a chunk of time after all.
12.05.2007
Holiday Greetings Card Time!
I decided I'm going to send Christmas Cards this year. For reals. Actual pieces of paper in envelopes sent via USPS.
In trying to decide what to send, I realized I have photos. And I can print them. And send those along with my holiday greeting. I also have readers, and I'd like to send holiday greetings to all 6 of you. ;)
So, below are the two choices. I WILL SEND A CARD TO WHOMEVER EMAILS ME WITH THEIR NAME AND ADDRESS, AND PREFERENCE ("Wreath" or "Candles"). Doesn't matter if I've never met you, or where in the world you are.
My email address is jbeagan78@hotmail.com
Deadline is December 31st at midnight, Eastern Time.
Happy Holidays!
In trying to decide what to send, I realized I have photos. And I can print them. And send those along with my holiday greeting. I also have readers, and I'd like to send holiday greetings to all 6 of you. ;)
So, below are the two choices. I WILL SEND A CARD TO WHOMEVER EMAILS ME WITH THEIR NAME AND ADDRESS, AND PREFERENCE ("Wreath" or "Candles"). Doesn't matter if I've never met you, or where in the world you are.
My email address is jbeagan78@hotmail.com
Deadline is December 31st at midnight, Eastern Time.
Happy Holidays!
Christmas Card Candidate #1
From the Gaspee House. It's obviously "Christmas" greetings, due to the wreath. But I like the idea of sending this one to the people who were there. Perhaps that's what I'll do. Some people might even get both ;)
Christmas Card Candidate #2
The other choice, still Catholic, but slightly more interpretive. It's candles, like Hannukkah, but at a Catholic basilica. This one might work.
12.03.2007
Three-Five-Zero-Zero
I ripped this off from Carlita. I so need to spend more time reading her blog. My answers are below -- JB
So, I was reading this blog, GenPink, which Penelope Trunk mentioned on her blog the other day, and she did this iTunes meme. Since I have been having so much fun with my iTunes lately, I decided to do it. Also, it sort of reminded me of that most fun of surrealist activities--writing exquisite poems!
Here are the rules:
1. Put Your itunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT
Jessica's iTunes:
IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
All Around -- INXS
HOW WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Either Side of the Same Town -- Elvis Costello (Yup. I'm a Gemini.)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
If Not For You -- Bob Dylan
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Atomic -- Sleeper (one of my favorite songs, from the Trainspotting soundtrack)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Luka (Live on Vrpo, 1989) -- The Lemonheads
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Dusted -- Belly
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Track 02 (Joe's Mix) -- MUCHO SALSA!
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Distorted Angel -- Elvis Costello (The Costello is always spot on)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Baby Can I Hold You -- Tracy Chapman
WHAT IS 2+2?
Walking in London -- Concrete Blonde
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Monkey -- Bush
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Colma -- Buckethead
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Elevation -- U2
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Viva Las Vegas -- Dead Kennedys
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
All I Want Is You -- U2 (I kid you not. And it's true)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
In God's Country -- U2 (I'm not this big a U2 fan. Costello, yes, but not U2)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Shipbuilding -- Elvis Costello & the Attractions
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Cheating on You -- Franz Ferdinand
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Hallelujah -- Jeff Buckley (I do collect Virgin Mary icons, so yeah)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart -- Wilco
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Personality Goes a Long Way -- John Travolta & Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction)
WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS?
Three-Five-Zero-Zero -- Soundtrack from the musical "Hair"
So, I was reading this blog, GenPink, which Penelope Trunk mentioned on her blog the other day, and she did this iTunes meme. Since I have been having so much fun with my iTunes lately, I decided to do it. Also, it sort of reminded me of that most fun of surrealist activities--writing exquisite poems!
Here are the rules:
1. Put Your itunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT
Jessica's iTunes:
IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
All Around -- INXS
HOW WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Either Side of the Same Town -- Elvis Costello (Yup. I'm a Gemini.)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
If Not For You -- Bob Dylan
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Atomic -- Sleeper (one of my favorite songs, from the Trainspotting soundtrack)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Luka (Live on Vrpo, 1989) -- The Lemonheads
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Dusted -- Belly
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Track 02 (Joe's Mix) -- MUCHO SALSA!
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Distorted Angel -- Elvis Costello (The Costello is always spot on)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Baby Can I Hold You -- Tracy Chapman
WHAT IS 2+2?
Walking in London -- Concrete Blonde
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Monkey -- Bush
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Colma -- Buckethead
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Elevation -- U2
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Viva Las Vegas -- Dead Kennedys
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
All I Want Is You -- U2 (I kid you not. And it's true)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
In God's Country -- U2 (I'm not this big a U2 fan. Costello, yes, but not U2)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Shipbuilding -- Elvis Costello & the Attractions
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Cheating on You -- Franz Ferdinand
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Hallelujah -- Jeff Buckley (I do collect Virgin Mary icons, so yeah)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart -- Wilco
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Personality Goes a Long Way -- John Travolta & Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction)
WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS?
Three-Five-Zero-Zero -- Soundtrack from the musical "Hair"
Carlita
All it takes is a reminder, like from a comment, that someone is out there. Hi Carlita. I've missed you. And I've said a million times that I need to get in touch with you. But then tonight you reminded me that in our way, we are in touch.
Amity tagged Carlita with some blog-related questions last year, and Carlita linked to it today to answer why she blogs:
Did your blog positively affect your mind? Give an example.
Here’s why I started blogging: When I was In college it was easy to be connected to my friends. I could just walk down the hall to somebody’s room and we would share the details of our day. Now that we are all far away from each other it’s hard to stay in touch. I hate talking on the phone, and when I do talk to people on the phone, it’s hard to know where to start when you haven’t spoken to each other for six months. So I decided that blogging would be my virtual way of walking down the hall and telling people about my day. I wish more of my friends did it, because I really enjoy reading about what everyone is up to.
I'm one of those people who used to walk down the hall to sit and chat with Carlita. How I loved that, and miss it now.
I think of you. I mentioned the two of you just today, in my Art Appreciation class. I do a unit on Pompeii each term, and I always mention your unfortunate spill on those slippery basalt pavers.
But I'm bad about reading blogs, and bad about commenting on them. So I'm going to get better about it.
And I'm going to come and visit soon. Did you hear I'm home again? It's time for me to reclaim the parts of home that are long-lost and far-flung. Including you and CSB. :)
Amity tagged Carlita with some blog-related questions last year, and Carlita linked to it today to answer why she blogs:
Did your blog positively affect your mind? Give an example.
Here’s why I started blogging: When I was In college it was easy to be connected to my friends. I could just walk down the hall to somebody’s room and we would share the details of our day. Now that we are all far away from each other it’s hard to stay in touch. I hate talking on the phone, and when I do talk to people on the phone, it’s hard to know where to start when you haven’t spoken to each other for six months. So I decided that blogging would be my virtual way of walking down the hall and telling people about my day. I wish more of my friends did it, because I really enjoy reading about what everyone is up to.
I'm one of those people who used to walk down the hall to sit and chat with Carlita. How I loved that, and miss it now.
I think of you. I mentioned the two of you just today, in my Art Appreciation class. I do a unit on Pompeii each term, and I always mention your unfortunate spill on those slippery basalt pavers.
But I'm bad about reading blogs, and bad about commenting on them. So I'm going to get better about it.
And I'm going to come and visit soon. Did you hear I'm home again? It's time for me to reclaim the parts of home that are long-lost and far-flung. Including you and CSB. :)
12.02.2007
Photography Site is Now Online!
I finally decided to do something about getting another site online, strictly devoted to my fine art photography.
It's a stop gap. It's a start. But it works for now. Click here to see, or see the link to "Jessica Beagan Photography" in the sidebar to the right. You can also visit www.jessicabeagan.com
It's a stop gap. It's a start. But it works for now. Click here to see, or see the link to "Jessica Beagan Photography" in the sidebar to the right. You can also visit www.jessicabeagan.com
Nixon's Resignation, 1974
This my dad (top of stairs) and his best friend, the late Steve Thibault, in August 1974, the day Nixon resigned. They hung the American Flag outside on the fire escape of their apartment in Olneyville to celebrate the day.
A passing news photographer snapped this photo, and it ran in the Providence Journal Bulletin as part of the local reaction to Nixon's resignation.
I love the political timeliness of this image. It's always been a favorite photograph of mine. This is among the reasons why I love my dad :)
11.28.2007
Quote From Freud
Aaron gave me an edition of US News and World Report devoted to "Three Minds that Shaped the 20th Century: Secrets of Genius -- Einstein, Marx, and Freud" I'm home reading it this morning. Today is a day to mine material to use in teaching, art, etc.
Say what you will about Sigmund, he was arguably an influential thinker, and for good reason. To a young analysand, and friend of his daughters, Freud said:
"You know I always liked you very much, but I like you more now that I can see some of your problems."
For those of you who read this, and who get it, I couldn't have said it better. And I think it goes both ways.
*
Say what you will about Sigmund, he was arguably an influential thinker, and for good reason. To a young analysand, and friend of his daughters, Freud said:
"You know I always liked you very much, but I like you more now that I can see some of your problems."
For those of you who read this, and who get it, I couldn't have said it better. And I think it goes both ways.
*
11.26.2007
Pucker Up, Bullrock!
Here is Amity and me cozying up to Bullrock, the Moose in her front yard. His tracks are all over "downtown" Dixfield. :)
Amity and I have a wonderfully symbiotic relationship. We are intensely creative in each other's company. I am thankful to have relationships like these.
And I love being able to wear a sweater that makes me look like I'm wearing a Faberge egg. A sweater that I've had since the 12th grade. A horrible sweater, really, but in Maine, it fits right in and feels just right somehow.
PHOTO ESSAY: Dixfield, Maine
The following photographs are a selection from the work I shot while visiting Ms. Amity Beane in Dixfield, Maine over Thanksgiving Weekend, 2007.
Dixfield Honor Roll
On the Town Green Side of the Barn at the Historical Society building in Dixfield, The Dixfield Honor Roll is displayed. Oddly, the plaques are dedicated mostly to listing the types of trees planted in the Town Green.
Geneva M. Torrey
Died entirely too young, aged 24. Infants that lived for only 9 days are tragic, of course, but there is something about young women dying young that arrests me. Like 24-year-old Geneva Torrey, or 16-year old Texanna Cox, or even 38-year old Mrs. Betsey Trask. What would their lives have been? Their children's lives? They were old enough to have grown up a bit, to have had so many promising years ahead of them.
I think about how my generation views long life as almost a given. We don't think about dying young. I was 29 before a friend my age died. A few generations ago, this would have been almost impossible.
And I think about myself at 16 or 24, and everything I wouldn't have gotten to do had I lived the same number of days as Geneva or Texanna. And I think about Betsey, and how much I have yet to do between now and age 38. It makes me want to remember these women, and live a little for them, for what they didn't get to do.
Or maybe I just spent too much time around dead Victorians, and picked up a little dead Victorian sentimentality. I do know that I'm a little different these days, a little more sentimental maybe. Since I moved home and surely because I am rapidly approaching 30, I'm aware of my own mortality all of a sudden. And I did lose a friend this year, whose wedding I photographed, who had a husband and sons and a calling to save sick pets and sick people.
I've never had to think about it before, that I'd run out of time some day. I know I've always been conscious of it on some level, knowing how driven I am to do as much as possible at all times. But things as big as the fact that you are going to die can and do manifest themselves in our consciousnesses in all sorts of myriad ways.
These photographs are one of them.
Maine was more than 10 years ago in my life. I've done a lot since then. And that's a lot of time. It's important that I go to Maine. It's where photography started, where "adulthood" started. And it was a long time ago, and it's impacted everything that's come after it.
Alright . . . . Back to photographs.
Gun Racks Are Standard
With the purchase of any shiny new pickup truck in Maine. If the driver is under 18, the gun rack holds a baseball bat.
november ice
Shot by Ms. Amity Beane. It's that cold up in Dixfield. I love how fall gives way to winter in this shot. Her photography is particularly gorgeous lately. She's capturing her wintery environment so acutely.
It was my distinct privilege to tap into one of my creativity streams, in Maine, with Mainegirl. I got a lot done, and I love getting a lot done.
I got a little bonus today when I realized that other than wrapping up some Incompletes, there was no grading at CTU today. Their first assignment is only due tonight. As usual, I recently hit another low point with CTU, but have since rebounded to find myself intensely grateful for the job.
And enjoying it. I wasn't happy about losing a class, and I thought maybe it was about the money. But it's not. I like what I do. Yes, I have drama in my CTU past. Yes, it was an intensely painful experience on a lot of levels. But it is what it is, as they say. And it's definitely NOT what it used to be.
TIme to stop fighting it, Ms. Beagan. You've got a good thing going, at CTU, and overall. Time to just . . . be still.
11.24.2007
My Visit With Amity in Dixfield, Maine
The following series of pictures were shot this morning. Amity and I were eating breakfast and brainstorming when a car pulled in the driveway. It was Peter Stowell and his friend Palmer, two local historians coming to the Dixfield Historical Society to do some research today. They invited us out for breakfast, so we got dressed and headed downstairs. First, we got a tour of the Historical Society Museum, housed in the same building in which Amity rents her apartment.
We then traveled on to the Front Porch Cafe, also known as the Stowell House. Sammie and Clint own the house and the restaurant now, having bought in in 2005 after the death of Peter's great-aunt Phoebe, who lived in the house until her death at the age of 93. Sammie claims Phoebe still haunts the place, although she didn't die there.
The Front Porch Cafe is right next to the Eustis Cemetery. Amity and I rambled over there for a bit before Peter joined us and gave us a "Who's Who" of the deceased buried there. We then came back over to the Historical Society and Old Chapel Antiques next door. Bill opened the store just for us, so Amity could get the bookshelf she'd bought. I bought some amazing plaster-of-paris icons and some other odds and ends. Oh, and flannel sheets and a quilt on sale at Marden's later on.
It was a funny detour of a morning, and very Maine: from the antiques shopping to the overly-decorated family restaurant, and from the local history to the cold clear November morning.
Otherwise, we've been cooking incredibly healthy and hearty meals (as always. I am staying with Mainegirl after all). I'm catching up on blogging, as you'll notice, and the decor in Amity's house is coalescing into the charming cottage feel she wants for the place. It's been a good weekend. I miss having cell phone reception. But otherwise, a good weekend indeed.
We then traveled on to the Front Porch Cafe, also known as the Stowell House. Sammie and Clint own the house and the restaurant now, having bought in in 2005 after the death of Peter's great-aunt Phoebe, who lived in the house until her death at the age of 93. Sammie claims Phoebe still haunts the place, although she didn't die there.
The Front Porch Cafe is right next to the Eustis Cemetery. Amity and I rambled over there for a bit before Peter joined us and gave us a "Who's Who" of the deceased buried there. We then came back over to the Historical Society and Old Chapel Antiques next door. Bill opened the store just for us, so Amity could get the bookshelf she'd bought. I bought some amazing plaster-of-paris icons and some other odds and ends. Oh, and flannel sheets and a quilt on sale at Marden's later on.
It was a funny detour of a morning, and very Maine: from the antiques shopping to the overly-decorated family restaurant, and from the local history to the cold clear November morning.
Otherwise, we've been cooking incredibly healthy and hearty meals (as always. I am staying with Mainegirl after all). I'm catching up on blogging, as you'll notice, and the decor in Amity's house is coalescing into the charming cottage feel she wants for the place. It's been a good weekend. I miss having cell phone reception. But otherwise, a good weekend indeed.
A Musical History
According to a website about the town, Dixfield, Maine was home to a thriving music scene around the turn of the last century. I guess there was a local boy with a great deal of talent who taught his friends and neighbors, resulting in Dixfield being home to quite the band back in the day. Here is the sheet music for the various instruments, laid out on the floor in the Dixfield Historical Society Museum.
Vintage Sewing Machine
Made by Singer in 1911, just donated to the Dixfield Historical Society. Something had been nesting inside the table, the evidence of which was obvious when Peter opened the table and a stream of birdseed poured out.
Pantry Shelf
Amity lives in an apartment on the second floor of the Dixfield Historical Society building. This is the pantry on the first floor, where the museum and archives are located.
Her Handiwork . . .
This sampler was made by Betsey Canton Rolfe when she was 10 years old. According to local historian Peter Stowell, Betsey grew up to marry Captain Peter Trask, whose first wife, also named Betsey, is buried in Eustis Cemetery. Her grave, beside her infant son Hiram's, is shown below.
This is one of those strange connections I had in Dixfield. Peter showed us this sampler, made in 1823. After breakfast, and before I learned the women were connected, I drifted to the grave of another Betsey, who happened to be the first wife of Betsey Rolfe's future husband, Peter Trask. Maybe it's just a small town, with a limited history, but I find it an interesting connection. Perhaps the attention paid to Betsey #2 roused Betsey #1 to seek a bit of attention for herself . . . .
And Her Predecessor's Grave
Captain Trask's first wife Betsey died just before her 39th birthday in 1843. Her infant son Hiram joined her just a few weeks later. Her husband, Captain Peter Trask, married Betsey Canton Rolfe the following year.
Stowell Ancestor
I had some strange experiences in this graveyard today. Perhaps a hundred people are buried there, but I was drawn to photograph only a handful of stones. After I was done, Peter Stowell, our host for breakfast and a tour of the Dixfield Historical Society and the Eustis Cemetery, took me back through the graveyard and pointed out the exact stones I had already shot, and told me the stories behind them.
This stone had a lovely sunlight falling across it. It's the grave of 4-year old Albert Newhall Stowell, son of Levi & Sarah Stowell, who were founders of the State of Maine itself.
The Two Algernons
Thomas Cox was a founding father of Dixfield. He and his wife Almira had four children who died before reaching adulthood, including not one, but two infant boys named Algernon that died within one year.
The name of their youngest daughter, Texanna, is an unusual one. Perhaps it relates to the war that was being fought in Texas in the mid-1840's, which led to Texas ultimately becoming a US State, and not an independent nation itself, in 1845.
Childhood Illnesses
The number of children buried in the Eustis Cemetery in Dixfield is staggering. Here are four from the same family, with Palmer and Amity in the background.
Nelson Rose
He died in January 1861. According to Peter Stowell, the widowed Mrs. Rose then volunteered with the Union Army as a nurse, and went on to win acclaim for her service.
At Salty Brine State Beach, Galilee
Aaron and I headed to Narragansett last Friday for lunch at Champlin's, and then coffee at my parents' house in the afternoon. After lunch we decided to go for a quick walk on the beach at Galilee. It was clear and cold, a strong wind was blowing off the water. As we entered the beach, we saw this shape in the sand.
Beached Dolphin
We found the body of a 5 foot long bottle-nosed Dolphin washed up and half buried in sand on the shore.
Tagged Dorsal Fin
We discovered the tag on the dorsal fin, #623. Someone was tagging this Dolphin, but at what point in the animal's life cycle? I thought about calling Burke, but then debated if I should check the back of the tag first.
Mystic Aquarium Tag
Of course, I had to touch it. And call the number on the tag. Turned out the woman I spoke with at Mystic Aquarium had only just been out there an hour before. She had put the tag on the dorsal fin herself.
Nothing to Do
The Dolphin would be left on shore, where the birds could continue to peck at it. The stomach was totally out already. Nothing too foul to leave behind for scavengers and beachcombers, or for the tide to just take back again.
The End
If I'd been alone, and had my good camera, I'd have shot more pictures. I might have even tried to pry out a few teeth. I know, goulish. But how often does one find a 5 foot long dolphin half-buried in the sand at Galilee?
Death and the Maiden
Well, in this case, Death and the Tiger. This is Gracie and Sam, my cousins, dressed up for Halloween.
11.23.2007
Moonlight, Dixfield
Came to see Amity in her new place tonight. We unpacked the car, headed to the corner store for provisions, whipped up a vegan stew, and took photos in her neighborhood in Dixfield. A very good night indeed.
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