Calligraphy Book Project - update

Back from Seattle and a week of photographing for a photography illustration book project. It rained almost every day, but Seattle is quite nice. I was staying on the east side near a lake and wooded area. We worked hard and got a lot done, it will be interesting to see how it evolves into a book. Part introduction to the art, part inspiration, that perhaps may encourage people to take up the form as meditative art. An art more rare in our modern age certainly, I enjoy learning more about it.

Mother and Child

I specialized in fine portraits of Mother and Child in my studio when my own children were very young. These selenium toned images are more essential and timeless in black and white, to my mind. I now use a unique formula for black and white conversions with digital images. It closely resembles the final effect of many hours of darkroom processing I used to do that using a special elon/acetone film developer with selenium toner at the end. That combined with Agfa Portriga paper made for creamy rich skin tones and a warm tint on the photographic emulsion. A very labor intensive process however and the exposure to chemicals is certainly not healthy. Now I print this image, for example, onto archival watercolor paper with archival inks (called a Giclée) to have a lasting fine art print that is not quite the same, but has a quality far beyond the normal lab print.  Digital technology allows one to shoot more, and in a photojournalistic style without film costs, but the processing time can be very long at the computer. Digital photography also requires expensive cameras with powerful computers and software which need to be constantly upgraded every few years. I miss my old medium format 6x7 camera, it was such a great workhorse that never needed upgrading. Still, I enjoy the advantages of the new technology and keep finding new ways to use it!

A Cloud

A cloud

Got lost last night

In the black moonless dark.

This morning I found it

Down in a field.

-Clarinda Pearce

El Calendario Magazine, Spring Issue

There is a little blurb about my photography art in the Baja Magazine "El Calendario" this month, the Spring Issue. They choose an old favorite out the photographs provided to publish "Tres Vacas" It is a bilingual magazine so written in español as well. See below for more readable text.

http://www.elcalendariodetodossantos.com/2011Spring/el-calendario-todos-santos-page_16.html

Laurie Pearce Bauer is an art photographer with a background in the fine arts and music. Her mixed media background brings an ethereal quality to her work. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a double major in Art and Design; she also did graduate studies at the Academy of Art in SF, CA.  Laurie’s work has been published in catalogs, magazines, books and cd covers. She does both commercial work (baylaurelphotography.com) and fine art photography (http://casaverdephotography.blogspot.com) in the SF Bay Area and Baja Ca Sur, México. She first came to Todos Santos in 2004, whereupon she fell in love with the people, the light and the thriving art community.

Laurie Pearce Bauer es una artista enfocada a la fotografia, con una educación en las Artes Visuales y la Música. Trabaja con elementos combinados lo cual le da una calidad etérea a su obra. Laurie se gradúo en la Universidad UC Berkeley con una doble carrera en Arte y Diseño; después hizo su maestria en la Academia de Arte de San Francisco.  Su trabaja en ambos mundos; ell commercial (baylaurelphotography.com) y el artistico (http://casaverdephotography.blogspot.com). Ella llegó a Todos Santos en 2004, y de inmediato se enamoró se su gente, su luz y su comunidad artistica.

Calligraphy and Nature, Book Project

I am excited to be starting a new book project with a great calligrapher, Gina Jones.

We inspire each other talking about the connection between the flow of nature's energy and the art of and practice of calligraphy. Shape, form, line, direction with wind, water and sand were the first elements we worked with, and the practice of being totally in the moment.  More to come!

Poster Design for Theater Play

A poster and program cover was needed to publicize the play, but the costumes were not finished yet. I was able to photograph the magic ruby slippers however. They are symbolic of transporting one to another world so it seemed appropriate to use for the poster. 

Glitzy and sparkly meets the desert clay of Baja Ca Sur! 

Photography Exhibition

Art in Todos Santos

2nd Annual Juried Photo Show

Review by Vic Kirby

About 80 people enjoyed the opening of the 2nd annual juried photography show at Visions Gallery, enjoying some spectacular images, tasty appetizers and punch, and listening to great live jazz music by Todd Clouser.  They also had the opportunity to vote for their favorite in the two categories - "Baja' and "Open" - results and associated prizes will be posted in another article.

Although there were a smaller number of photographers and entries than last year  the overall feedback we received from attendees was that many images were excellent, and that the show is the strongest that ARTS has hosted at the Visions Gallery.  If you haven't seen it, or couldn't see the show well due to the crush of people on opening night, do go and look at it now!  The show runs until February 21st. The judge, Bryan Walwork, described the judging process at the opening, and then announced the winners and prizes. 

Here are some of the winning entries:

 Laurie Pearce Bauer for 'The Dancer"

Jack Hamilton, for his image of "Javier"

Vic Kirby for "Commanding the Elements"

Jack Hamilton, for his image "La Carerra"

"En el morro", by Iker Algori