Black and white keys, saxophone, guitar, everywhere. The music has much more magnificence than can be tried to be explained through words…
Black and white keys, saxophone, guitar, everywhere. The music has much more magnificence than can be tried to be explained through words. This jazzy rendezvous has always been André’s favourite ear-food. He just loves the way its beauty, splendour, radiance is ‘unleashed’. André stares at the canvas for over a dozen times. Here he is staring at the blank space which is future marvel…or was it to be past marvel? Had he missed his chance, missed the boat which would have sailed to sentimental stardom? He refuses to collaborate more than a sentence for any one idea. Any idea that deserves a sentence must deserve no doubt. Any canvas is only worth the greatest ideas. Two André’s exist; though only one at any one time. The withdrawn analytical front, designed for most occasions. On rare occasions the other character may appear, the intensive, massively determined André who acts on impulses. Impulsive André must be begged out. A Pandora’s Box of surprises, his job will at least never cease to astonish. “Dearest André, Through years have you befriended my son Louis, so therefore I am offering an opportunity to benefit both of our interests (with intent towards your gain). Litton inc., my company has stepped up towards mainstream success. We require visual arts for our newly bought edifice. I understand you have been painting for the eight years since high school. To your discretion I would like to require a painting; just one will suffice. I would like something vibrant and colourful, yet deep and meaningful; Contemporise to your own vision. Much thanks, Dr. Raymond Fonck.” The commissioned paper lies stuck on the wall. André has read it. Now it is time for the future. It has been too long sitting around (or rather bouncing around); too get too much productivity from anything. Someone once said to him that anything is good experience. True perhaps, although he prefers productivity, especially in a time of intensity such as this; three days left until confrontation. His vigilant eyes stroll around the room, searching for advice. He is not bored, nor has he painters block, for such a term does not exist and will not ever for him. His eyes strike the clock. The clock glares 5:48 pm back. What a disgusting fierce look it has. Not 5:45, nor 6:00 and only one uncomfortable minute in-between. For at this time these uncomforting three digits add to the frustration in the actual time. “Aw!” André suddenly realizes the importance of the time. It is the one factor which never seems to be on his side but actually encourages his total progress. It is an epiphany like that of a mother to the newborn. André decides to let his hands take / control. They are the secret key, (sometimes the gatekeepers of unleashing impulsive André) His dominant left one picks up the brush (over time it has made up for its fault of statistically losing him seven years). His right hand decides to lose cognition. It dips itself into a little puddle of Sangria oil paint muck. Than it flies onto the near-centre of the canvas, smeared diagonally. His left hand takes initiative once again, waving lines of smudge to and fro. Right hand brings more paint to its destination. Myrtle, Indigo, Olive, Magnolia…and no, not that…Yes, yes, even black! (Well seal brown to be precise). All of these contextually beautiful colours unleashed! There are no thoughts in André’s mind now. This is impulsive André now; organised thought is of little importance! That colour is important here. This colour is unimportant there. A few lines of any colour are important right here or there, but perhaps a darker colour is better. More negative space up and down the edges. Shape is forming. Lines are bolding. Complete non-representational form is diminishing. Visualizations; the visualized images in mind are being…unloaded bit by bit. It is coming about. What is it though? No one knows. If anybody could guess it definitely would not be André. André knows he has the power to bring out the reality in it though. In a seemingly paradox situation he must not connect to reality at the moment though. Now, after these hours of painting, André is in the painting. He would not know it has been hours besides the constant glare of the illuminating digital clock staring from across the room; it unconsciously processes its recognition into André. The phone screams out, ‘br-ring, br-ring!’ Like the other external matter it creeps into André, until finally its screams become too annoying to ignore. It’s too late now…impulsive André has vanished; his conventional counterpart has replaced him. The phone persists though. André decides to take it (typical for his returned mannerism). He dives across the room horizontally attacking the corner where that nuisance phone lies. ‘Aw, aw, aw, aw!’ A tube of paint has squirt from underneath his stomach. Agonising that his material friend can be so painful at times (like any of his life long friends). He picks up the phone; only the tone. He has missed whatever, whoever it was. Once again, missing the boat… Now thought and all that comes with it has returned. Why now out of all times possible? There is only sadness, misery, all this escalated from these small miniscule misfortunes; all has turned to turmoil! What can one do, when feeling like crawling into a hole? His secret minor disorders such as his claustrophobia would prevent him from crawling into that hole, even if he had one. At the moment everything feels like one big hole. Not surprisingly André’s eyes begin doing the only thing they know to do in times of unrest; wander. It is impossible to ignore what is there; it has been there all along, yet has never been seen. It is beautiful! It is splendour! It is radiance!! It is interrupted by another scream of ‘br-ring br-ring’. André picks up the damn phone. Without contemplation he whispers, “Sir, madam, I’m very terribly busy, could you perhaps call back sometime?” A deep sophisticated voice replies, “Raymond Fonck, André. Listen, I need to know about the progress of the painting. How is it going; ready to sell on Friday?” Many emotions garner at the speed of light inside André allows these emotions to clash inside of him. The painting; it is beautiful, splendour, radiance! How could he give it away now, after an indescribable series of emotional contributions? It is something that has not been attempted before; yet it is new but the expression of old. It is everything, at the moment, hopefully containing more interpretive inoculations for the future. It is a subject, of just some time, yet it contains a collaboration of detail separated from time. It is…once again interrupted by screams, this time of another sort; the infuriating talking of man. “André. Are you there?” Feelings of great rebellion sweep André off his feet. He knows how he will revolutionize his life, because after all; this painting has revolutionized his thought already. “Mister Fonck. I am so sorry. Some things have come over me…a type of sickness…although I am sure you are not aware of this mad syndrome I am suffering due to it. Well to the point, I must say I will not be supplying you with your wanted artwork. Thank you for your understanding. Hopefully we can collaborate something in future.” André hangs the phone up without replies, without a stated understanding from the mister Fonck. Without even the knowledge of acceptance or approval from the mister Fonck…it does not matter. All that matters is this new painting, this contemporised vision. It is everything. Most importantly of all, it is…unleashed!
Ok, ok first of all, everyone breath. Cool. Now let’s check. Melbourne experiencing four seasons in one day? Check. Shane War…
Ok, ok first of all, everyone breath. Cool. Now let’s check. Melbourne experiencing four seasons in one day? Check. Shane Warne caught out again? Check. Running my own business continuing to be challenging? Check. Darren Stones steering the good ship RB around icebergs with a confident if not somewhat alcohol induced flourish? Check. Some people on some distant journal thread arguing about freedom of speech as if RB is the most vital instrument for world peace on earth. Whilst slandering, vilifying and taunting each other with racial, overworked cliches from behind psuedo names? Check. So nothing new or unusual about today then? Un check. What the… Check this… Today in seperate orders people have bought… 1 canvas print of shoe woman plus 20 cards of shoe woman 150 cards of mother & child 25 cards of Possibility II 25 cards of the congo skipping kids & a further 26 of these 20 cards of this beauty 5 cards of these guys 5 cards of these little ones 2 cards of this chap 2 cards of this dude 2 cards of this princess 5 cards of this piece of possibility and 2 cards of this beautiful, precious boy I don’t know anything much about freedom of speech, flags, philosophy or anything like the stuff that’s been going on here this week. But I’ll tell you all ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING. These purchases will save lives. These people live on less than a dollar a day. They live in slums, gutters and sheds made of flattened alluminium cans. The love, they laugh, they dream – they dodge bullets, they run as fast as they can from rapists usually unsuccessfully, they starve and they cry. Every cent of revenue goes to them and the brave souls who live in a war zone to help them. They couldn’t give a rats about flags, and virtual slanging matches. They live on the real edge. I didn’t cry once in Africa. Right now I am sitting here drowning in tears. Maybe change is possible? Even the tiniest bit?? Thanks RB – thanks whoever. EDIT: SEEMS LIKE A GOOD TIME TO DEBUT THIS FELLA. Oh and thinking of turning some of these into Chrissy cards if anyone’s interested.
Well after much agonising I have finally put together a calendar of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda shots I most like. Man it…
Well after much agonising I have finally put together a calendar of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda shots I most like. Man it’s been hard. But for what it’s worth here’s Melly’s choice picks. If anyone would like to purchase one for $30 you can bubblemail me. The $10 profit will go straight, smack into the hands of HEAL Africa. Hold on a minute 13 Melinda Kerr’s for JUST $30!!!! THAT’S DAYLIGHT ROBBERY!!!!!!!!! Seriously if you’re making a charity purchase this year consider HEAL Africa. These guys are awesome and they’re living at the coal face for us as much as anyone else :) / / / / / / / / / / / /
Many of you guys know my passion for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda after visiting there as a photojournalist …
Many of you guys know my passion for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda after visiting there as a photojournalist in April and May this year. Much of our time was spent at HEAL Africa Hospital in Goma, in the eastern province known as South Kivu. South Kivu is considered ‘lawless’ as the various militias roam the countryside and villages quite literally raping and pillaging. I say various because there are many. One consists of the remnants of those who slaughtered their fellow Rwandans 13 years ago, another is from Robert Mugabe’s private army (think ‘Blood Diamond’ – that’s their style). Yet another is secretly supported by the Rwandan government who are lured by the promise of diamonds and more land. You see D.R. Congo has the most natural resources of any country in Africa. This should be a cause for celebration. But it brings heartbreak, despair and the most overwhelming cruelty you could imagine possible. You must wonder at my obsession with this cause. The thing is, it’s invaded my mind and kidnapped my heart. Following is an article about D.R. Congo. It was published in the New York Times in October this year. You remember October. It was less than 4 weeks ago. I hope you read it. It’s not meant to make you sad and turn away. It’s an unashamed attempt to get you involved. In prayers and you bet, in money. These guys don’t want your sympathy they want your help. This is written about another hospital apart from HEAL Africa. But the story is exactly the story of the HEAL Africa hospital. And the people you seein my photos. Take my word for it. I stood in the victims urine and feces. I touched their macheted limbs. And I played with kids who suffer diseases we fix with one of those pesky little things we call needles. Ladies this is a call to action. In February (14th lunch time) my sister here she is… she is hosting a lunch for Lyn Lusi the head of HEAL Africa. Yep she’s going to be in Melbourne. And I am getting a table together. It’s $55 a head and Lyn will tell you first hand what is happening in Congo. Much of it will be about the treatment of women. I’d love love love to have some Red Bubble chicks at my table. $55 for charity, a great meal and words that will change your life, from one of the rarest people you will ever meet. Please please please come. Anyway to the article. Read it please. Knowledge is power. The New York Times October 2007 BUKAVU, Congo — Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynecologist, cannot bear to listen to the stories his patients tell him anymore. Every day, 10 new women and girls who have been raped show up at his hospital. Many have been so sadistically attacked from the inside out, butchered by bayonets and assaulted with chunks of wood, that their reproductive and digestive systems are beyond repair. “We don’t know why these rapes are happening, but one thing is clear,” said Dr. Mukwege, who works in South Kivu Province, the epicenter of Congo’s rape epidemic. “They are done to destroy women.” Eastern Congo is going through another one of its convulsions of violence, and this time it seems that women are being systematically attacked on a scale never before seen here. According to the United Nations, 27,000 sexual assaults were reported in 2006 in South Kivu Province alone, and that may be just a fraction of the total number across the country. “The sexual violence in Congo is the worst in the world,” said John Holmes, the United Nations under secretary general for humanitarian affairs. “The sheer numbers, the wholesale brutality, the culture of impunity — it’s appalling.” The days of chaos in Congo were supposed to be over. Last year, this country of 66 million people held a historic election that cost $500 million and was intended to end Congo’s various wars and rebellions and its tradition of epically bad government. But the elections have not unified the country or significantly strengthened the Congolese government’s hand to deal with renegade forces, many of them from outside the country. The justice system and the military still barely function, and United Nations officials say Congolese government troops are among the worst offenders when it comes to rape. Large swaths of the country, especially in the east, remain authority-free zones where civilians are at the mercy of heavily armed groups who have made warfare a livelihood and survive by raiding villages and abducting women for ransom. According to victims, one of the newest groups to emerge is called the Rastas, a mysterious gang of dreadlocked fugitives who live deep in the forest, wear shiny tracksuits and Los Angeles Lakers jerseys and are notorious for burning babies, kidnapping women and literally chopping up anybody who gets in their way. United Nations officials said the so-called Rastas were once part of the Hutu militias who fled Rwanda after committing genocide there in 1994, but now it seems they have split off on their own and specialize in freelance cruelty. Honorata Barinjibanwa, an 18-year-old woman with high cheekbones and downcast eyes, said she was kidnapped from a village that the Rastas raided in April and kept as a sex slave until August. Most of that time she was tied to a tree, and she still has rope marks ringing her delicate neck. The men would untie her for a few hours each day to gang-rape her, she said. “I’m weak, I’m angry, and I don’t know how to restart my life,” she said from Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where she was taken after her captors freed her. She is also pregnant. While rape has always been a weapon of war, researchers say they fear that Congo’s problem has metastasized into a wider social phenomenon. “It’s gone beyond the conflict,” said Alexandra Bilak, who has studied various armed groups around Bukavu, on the shores of Lake Kivu. She said that the number of women abused and even killed by their husbands seemed to be going up and that brutality toward women had become “almost normal.” Malteser International, a European aid organization that runs health clinics in eastern Congo, estimates that it will treat 8,000 sexual violence cases this year, compared with 6,338 last year. The organization said that in one town, Shabunda, 70 percent of the women reported being sexually brutalized. At Panzi Hospital, where Dr. Mukwege performs as many as six rape-related surgeries a day, bed after bed is filled with women lying on their backs, staring at the ceiling, with colostomy bags hanging next to them because of all the internal damage. “I still have pain and feel chills,” said Kasindi Wabulasa, a patient who was raped in February by five men. The men held an AK-47 rifle to her husband’s chest and made him watch, telling him that if he closed his eyes, they would shoot him. When they were finished, Ms. Wabulasa said, they shot him anyway. In almost all the reported cases, the culprits are described as young men with guns, and in the deceptively beautiful hills here, there is no shortage of them: poorly paid and often mutinous government soldiers; homegrown militias called the Mai-Mai who slick themselves with oil before marching into battle; members of paramilitary groups originally from Uganda and Rwanda who have destabilized this area over the past 10 years in a quest for gold and all the other riches that can be extracted from Congo’s exploited soil. The attacks go on despite the presence of the largest United Nations peacekeeping force in the world, with more than 17,000 troops. Few seem to be spared. Dr. Mukwege said his oldest patient was 75, his youngest 3. “Some of these girls whose insides have been destroyed are so young that they don’t understand what happened to them,” Dr. Mukwege said. “They ask me if they will ever be able to have children, and it’s hard to look into their eyes.” No one — doctors, aid workers, Congolese and Western researchers — can explain exactly why this is happening. “That is the question,” said André Bourque, a Canadian consultant who works with aid groups in eastern Congo. “Sexual violence in Congo reaches a level never reached anywhere else. It is even worse than in Rwanda during the genocide.” Impunity may be a contributing factor, Mr. Bourque added, saying that very few of the culprits are punished. Many Congolese aid workers denied that the problem was cultural and insisted that the widespread rapes were not the product of something ingrained in the way men treated women in Congolese society. “If that were the case, this would have showed up long ago,” said Wilhelmine Ntakebuka, who coordinates a sexual violence program in Bukavu. Instead, she said, the epidemic of rapes seems to have started in the mid-1990s. That coincides with the waves of Hutu militiamen who escaped into Congo’s forests after exterminating 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus during Rwanda’s genocide 13 years ago. Mr. Holmes said that while government troops might have raped thousands of women, the most vicious attacks had been carried out by Hutu militias. “These are people who were involved with the genocide and have been psychologically destroyed by it,” he said. Mr. Bourque called this phenomenon “reversed values” and said it could develop in heavily traumatized areas that had been steeped in conflict for many years, like eastern Congo. This place, one of the greenest, hilliest and most scenic slices of central Africa, continues to reverberate from the aftershocks of the genocide next door. Take the recent fighting near Bukavu between the Congolese Army and Laurent Nkunda, a dissident general who commands a formidable rebel force. Mr. Nkunda is a Congolese Tutsi who has accused the Congolese Army of supporting Hutu militias, which the army denies. Mr. Nkunda says his rebel force is simply protecting Tutsi civilians from being victimized again. But his men may be no better. Willermine Mulihano said she was raped twice — first by Hutu militiamen two years ago and then by Nkunda soldiers in July. Two soldiers held her legs apart, while three others took turns violating her. “When I think about what happened,” she said, “I feel anxious and brokenhearted.” She is also lonely. Her husband divorced her after the first rape, saying she was diseased. In some cases, the attacks are on civilians already caught in the cross-fire between warring groups. In one village near Bukavu where 27 women were raped and 18 civilians killed in May, the attackers left behind a note in broken Swahili telling the villagers that the violence would go on as long as government troops were in the area. The United Nations peacekeepers here seem to be stepping up efforts to protect women. Recently, they initiated what they call “night flashes,” in which three truckloads of peacekeepers drive into the bush and keep their headlights on all night as a signal to both civilians and armed groups that the peacekeepers are there. Sometimes, when morning comes, 3,000 villagers are curled up on the ground around them. But the problem seems bigger than the resources currently devoted to it. Panzi Hospital has 350 beds, and though a new ward is being built specifically for rape victims, the hospital sends women back to their villages before they have fully recovered because it needs space for the never-ending stream of new arrivals. Dr. Mukwege, 52, said he remembered the days when Bukavu was known for its stunning lake views and nearby national parks, like Kahuzi-Biega. “There used to be a lot of gorillas in there,” he said. “But now they’ve been replaced by much more savage beasts.”
This should be a story about a gigantic digital press, hydraulic guillotine, and a machine that can punch 20,000 sheets of paper an hour….
This should be a story about a gigantic digital press, hydraulic guillotine, and a machine that can punch 20,000 sheets of paper an hour. But it’s not. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / All credit to Ed who took one of my calendars and turned it into something much more beautiful in the entrance to HQ. James
This time it was “Beautiful Sunrise”. Thank you Jim Caldwell for purchasing my photo!! !http://images-0.redbubble.com/img/art/mattecol…
This time it was “Beautiful Sunrise”. Thank you Jim Caldwell for purchasing my photo!!
I just sold a print «Glittering» to a fantastic bubbler «Karenanderson» she makes the most beautiful flowwer’s shots,an amazing macro …
I just sold a print «Glittering» to a fantastic bubbler «Karenanderson» she makes the most beautiful flowwer’s shots,an amazing macro photographe ,thanks again Karen…..Micmac
Some two years ago we were sitting around a table talking about what should be important to RedBubble. Mark Williams...
Some two years ago we were sitting around a table talking about what should be important to RedBubble. Mark Williams, our first engineer, said he felt we should be seeking after beauty. I recall being perplexed by this at the time. I have sat through a lot of corporate meetings striving to define “values”. And even within the freedom of vaporous rhetoric the word “beauty” is a step to far. And so it is in our culture. The scientists will pull apart the universe to the last proton without getting a micron closer to beauty. The accountants will count to the last bean and beauty will not have been found. Somehow it seems an ugly utilitarianism has pervaded our priorities. Beauty it seems is a casualty of our relentless desire to comprehend and value. Being without value, beauty is ignored. Perhaps this is no more evident than on the Internet. Web design frequently pursues a relentless focus on functionality at the expense of any consideration of aesthetics. If any design ethos pervades the web it seems to be pursuit of banal utility. Too frequently this is simply ugly. And the problem with ugly is that it diminishes us. Our humanity cannot be found in the protons or chromosomes of which we are made. It certainly may not be found in the value of our work (or the perhaps the weight of gold in our teeth). The beauty that can neither be found nor counted is at the heart of that which gives value to life. Beauty is both part of the ultimate destination and our signpost that we are on the right road. Martin (aka Pilgrim)
One of the remarkable things about RedBubble is the fascinating conversations that take place. For me none have been more interesting tha…
One of the remarkable things about RedBubble is the fascinating conversations that take place. For me none have been more interesting than the responses to last week’s post on beauty. At that time I argued that beauty was currently out of fashion. I felt it had been superseded by an “ugly utility”. Reading the responses I realise I had missed two things. Firstly: that there is an attitude that can craft beauty out of the seemingly mundane – think of the bricklayer who builds with elegance and precision. Secondly: that there is a grace that can allow us to see beauty in all aspects of life. Under the microscope the ordinary is seen in awesome wonder. People responded with quotes and comments which capture these perspectives and which I could not hope to better: “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” ~ Confucius quoted by Solefield “Finding the beauty in the banal is the true secret to life. This is where beauty and happiness cross paths.” ~ mick8585 “The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.” ~ Albert Einstein quoted by Dyle Warren “Grace makes beauty out of ugly things. Grace finds beauty in everything. Grace finds goodness in everything” ~ U2 quoted bu Sue Hodge “Beauty can be found in nearly all things, by those who have the clarity of vision and the feeling ability to perceive it.” ~ Steve Hook “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart” ~ Helen Keller quoted by Kathie Nichols “For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it.” -Ivan Panin quoted by LindaR “The human soul needs beauty more than bread.” ~ DH Lawrence quoted by Dawne Olson “Beauty is the brother of love. Both are impossible to harness.” Tony Elliot Martin (aka Pilgrim)
Go Here !http://images-3.redbubble.com/img/art/border:whitewi…
Go Here Has been a featured item in the Beauty N’ Bubbles group today…........Thank you all so much for your awesome support of my work…....Thank you Kimmie and Maria for your awesome hosting of the group!
This is an older Tutorial I created while I was on Deviant Art…It proved to be very popular so I thought Id share it here with my favou…
This is an older Tutorial I created while I was on Deviant Art…It proved to be very popular so I thought Id share it here with my favourite Redbubblers :D / If you have any questions please feel free to post them here :) Below are some of my works in which Ive used this effect / Click images to go to full view
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I shall show you many pictures and thusly be brief: !http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273…
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I shall show you many pictures and thusly be brief: I just sent this to one of my sister’s with a subject line about how she should prepare to die of a heart attack. Weelah! I have no idea what would prompt him to dress that way, but, I hope if I ever marry again, something will prompt that man to dress relatively the same! That’s the classic, male “What? What is this? How do you work it? You put coffee grounds in? Where?” morning look. Very cute, it is, too! Don’t know what that look is, but, I’m all for it! Well, not into crosses, mind; but, then, how many of us look at that picture and, first thing, go “Oh, look! A cross!” Yeah, I thought so! Anyway, that’s all I had to say, really. I hope you don’t mind me bringing that subject up! .................... That was all I had to say. Now I say: Read this!, because it is funny, weird, and good advice!
I have a list of 50 mind blowing artworks, artists and websites. If you bubblemail me or leave a comment, I’ll share one with you. Yes, j…
I have a list of 50 mind blowing artworks, artists and websites. If you bubblemail me or leave a comment, I’ll share one with you. Yes, just one, that I think you would like. I’d post them all here, but sometimes it’s fun to keep secrets. share your favourite mind blowing art too
Maybe it’s hearing the words “global financial crisis” too many times in the last month, but I keep feeling like everything in the world …
Maybe it’s hearing the words “global financial crisis” too many times in the last month, but I keep feeling like everything in the world is expensive, even when it isn’t. What do you mean, three whole dollars for a coffee? Outrageous! I live in my home loan, I eat my food budget, I have no idea where bill money goes, but the purchases I still cherish and make me feel happy every time I see them, are all art. I come home to to walls full of Simone Maynard, Jessica Tremp and many other favorites and it is the best feeling I get all day.
If this was a beauty pageant we all would be going up to Flickr and giving it a big collective kiss for winning the Webby award. Yes we c…
If this was a beauty pageant we all would be going up to Flickr and giving it a big collective kiss for winning the Webby award. Yes we came in a commendable second to them in the Community category. I am not sure, however, that it feels much like a loss. It was a joy to read the lovely comments (314 of them) on the Webby site about RedBubble. This puts us in the top handful of most commented sites. RedBubble still may be small(ish) but at least we’re passionate. We captured just a few of the comments for posterity including: SHRyan: “Without doubt the best community site I have ever come across. So much talent and support for each other. Puts others in the shade.” Tim Chuma: “I have had my work on my own personal site for over five years and it hasn’t come to as much notice as having it up on RedBubble for less than a year. I have met a few people in real life due to it.” Monster your …: “RedBubble is awesome in it brings so many different cultures together with art, design , photography, friendship, guidance and much, much more! Deadsie: “RedBubble is by far the best website which supports the arts of creative people. Whether its writing, artwork, simple designs or just finding that certain group for you, there is something for everyone.” Northbeacher: “Some of the work there is absolutely stunning, really no exaggeration – there is some truly extraordinary never-seen-before art on the site, and the community is “top shelf”, great people, and you can harvest a multitude of ideas, resulting in “why didn’t I think of that”. OK, we admit it would have been nice to be the bride not the bridesmaid and we all were being very well behaved in public, but nevertheless it does leave a certain collective warmth.
“If God had intended photographers to use more than one key light, he would have made more suns.” Just about every single shot includi…
“If God had intended photographers to use more than one key light, he would have made more suns.” Just about every single shot including the food and still life shots in my portfolio was made with one light. One light in the right place. You won’t need any more except possibly to light a background. In this case make sure that they light the background, and do not spill back on to the subject. Use barn doors or large black sheets of card if necessary. Very early in my career I learnt that light bounces around all over the place in a white studio. This is unwanted light. When I worked for top food photographers and fashion photographers like Barry Lategan, we actually blacked out the studio with drapes or black screens. Great for glassware too. I ordered funeral drapes to cover an entire studio when I was asked to light a “Finish” (the dishwasher stuff) TV commercial in Milan. The essential shot was of a glass. How do you get a glass to look sparkling clean? Answer, outline it in black, make it totally transparent and have one clean reflection of light on it. How do you do that? Black out the studio; this creates the black edges which are the walls reflecting in the edges of the glass. Use one ‘window’ type light. In this instance I used a 6×4 sheet of opaque white Perspex and stuck some halogen floods behind it. Result – one clean reflection of soft light, no glass to be seen, just the black outline of one. It looks as clean as a whistle because the glass is invisible! The actor doing the demo in the commercial looked good too, with a similar lighting quality to that in my stills. The cameramen were two old hacks from Rome who scoffed in bemused wonderment at this 22 year old kid who had made the studio look set for a funeral. The drapes were all that the three funeral companies could provide. However, the results were crystal, the client was thrilled, I was a hero for a day, and I got more work from the production company who shot the ad. This lighting style was often copied after that, and is still the basis of many British commercials today. So where were we? Yes one light. One light in the right place. At John Cowan’s studio, I persuaded John to have the entire walls of the studio painted black to which he agreed. Why black? So that the light does not bounce all over the room filling in shadows where you want shadows. To start with black and then paint with light gives you much more control over your lighting. It makes you the master of it. It gives you the contrast you want without having to print on grade 4 paper, thus allowing more detail in mid tones. I painted my studio in Milan black, and would do the same today. It gives you a quality that is sharp and precise. OK so where does the One Light go? More or less above your own head and slightly above the subject. This will slim the face by putting the cheekbones in shadow if the model is facing you head on. Take a look at the head shots in my portfolio and look where the shadows are. Then figure out where the light is. Above the camera, maybe slightly to one side. This should be the side the model faces if the shot is three quarters on or the shoulders are three quarters on. When you have set up, always use a tripod to establish your camera position and then adjust the light until it is exactly where you want it. Don’t run around the model with your camera in hand. It may look good in the movies, but it will look crap in your contacts, with no consistent lighting whatsoever. Just one more thing, what sort of light you may ask? The light should be intense but soft, so a single umbrella is fine, a soft box is fine, and a bowl light is excellent. This is where the flash head is reflected into a shallow bowl and the head is shielded. If the bowl is then opaqued by a thin sheet of plastic, you will get the same quality as some of the Vogue photographers. It is a very flattering light. You can tell when it has been used by top photographers. You will see the circular highlight with a black center reflected in the model’s eyes. OK folks so that’s how I light head shots (and many of the top guys I have assisted). Give it a whirl and see if you can take some shots that stun you, the girl you are shooting, and the horse I rode in on. ‘til next time – John
I’m pretty certain I have one of the greatest jobs in the universe. Working remotely from home for Redbubble means that I don’t have t…
I’m pretty certain I have one of the greatest jobs in the universe. Working remotely from home for Redbubble means that I don’t have to deal with traffic, if my children are ill and need to stay home from school it’s no biggie, and I can wear my Elmo pj’s all day and no one will even batt an eyelid. Except my dog. But I have a large stash of schmacko’s to keep her from blabbing to the neighbours ;) For all that though, I find myself isolated. The personalities of my work colleagues are reduced to words on a screen, and an occaisional crackly voice over some shonky internet phone chat setup. So when I find myself invited over to Melbourne to spend some real time at RB HQ, I always grab the opportunity in both hands and run with it as fast as my short little Elmo clad legs will carry me! I mean let’s face it… no matter how hard we try to infuse our personalities down into our modems, what comes out on the other side is only going to be a shadow of our true selves. Being able to see someones face animated with life as they speak, being able to read their body language as you make them laugh… that is something we really can only do face to face. And it is these interactions that round us out and fulfill our sense of connection to other members of the human race. For example… Over the internet I could not have seen how much Geoff’s face lights up when he let’s rip with his infectious laugh. I would never have realised that Xav, Troy and Russ are the Larry, Curly and Moe of Redbubble. In my wildest dreams I couldn’t have guessed that Nat and Jo are soul sisters of the Cousin It variety. Nor would I have been able to witness the effect a massive amount of caffiene has on Russ. And I most certainly would never, ever, have imagined that Xav owned a pair of shoes. Let alone that he would actually wear them! Spending some quality real world time with my colleagues has given a much greater depth to our interactions with each other over the internet, and this is something that I have also witnessed at the many Redbubble meet-ups I have attended. These meets are so much more important than just “putting a face to a name”. Meeting fellow creatives from Redbubble provides a deeper sense of connection that simply can’t be conveyed through the written word alone. If you have never had the opportunity to attend a Redbubble meet, go hunt one down in your area or even better yet, why not organise one yourself? Your life will certainly be the richer for it. Rhana P.S. For those who are wondering at the title of this journal well… Shrek was pretty big in our house ;) And friendships are like onions. Many different layers.
A great BIG Thanks to everyone who responded yesterday to my request for thoughts and prayers. !http://images-0.redbubble.net/img/a…
A great BIG Thanks to everyone who responded yesterday to my request for thoughts and prayers. As I was undergoing treatment for skin cancer, I just felt such a peace. There was no pain, apart from the little injections. I was awake during the proceedure and without going into the gory details, they cut some tissue away, and kept cutting until after testing each time, there was no more cancerous tissue. Called Moes Surgery. I was surprised at the size of the hole above my right eye. But they stitched it and said I’d have a scar. Another one:-) LOL. Doesn’t feel too painful this morning though. Afterwards, I felt such a phoney, because there were other people at St Thomas’ for treatments that looked far more painful and extensive. One young boy, could only have been 10 or 11, had it on the side of his face and down his neck. Poor little thing, but he was sooooo brave, and his dad was very attentive. Chatting with people between cuttings, they were all quite positive and looking forward to recovery. We’re such an optimistic people. It was smiles all round when they came out and revealed that I’d reached the end and they could now stitch me up. Praise the Lord, and the wonderful and amazing nursing staff and doctors at St Thomases Hospital London. There was a girl there taking photographs of every stage of the treatment, I don’t think I’d really like that branch of photography, but she’d been to University in Edinburgh, close to where I used to live. Amazing. I feel good today, two black eyes, a few stitches and the wonderful sunshine. I’ll try and encourage people to enjoy life whilst they can, be good, praise the Lord, love others, talk to family and friends, and and and….. LOL. LOL LOL. As much as they can. It’s sooooo good for us. LOL. Thanks again for all your kind comments, and especially to those kind folks who actually put a smile on my face by purchasing some of my little works. You are very special people, and may the Lord richly bless you in every way. Success in life is living the way God intended you, enjoying His Creation to the full, and using the gifts He has given you to enrich the lives of others. Have a blessed, creative and fulfilled life my friends. So thankful! / Don.
I admire my mother so much and she has just returned from around the world trip at age 76. I have just emailed her a poem I wrote about h…
I admire my mother so much and she has just returned from around the world trip at age 76. I have just emailed her a poem I wrote about her and my father (who died at 41 years old) as a present for her birthday. I feel that this is the right time to share this with her. As a tribute to my love and admiration of my Mother and the importance she plays in my life I would like to share the poem again and a few photos of her life with my friends on RedBubble. Happy Birthday to my beautiful mother Joy Rose Slade! Mother Her mind incisive and fast / Her strength a mountain / Courage her middle name and her last / She taught me so much / My mother pragmatic from the start / Me philosophical by heart / When as a child I asked her what I should do? / She said I have given you a good mind, / so think for yourself. Her intellect so penetrating / She bought her books of law / Although she never started / Her mind was insatiable / Always begging for more. / At school in her exams / She was the top 8 in her state / So clarified, so defined, articulate and wise. She was so pretty, her hair so golden / Her features fine / My mothers name is joy / She was the same by nature / She sang to me as a baby / A voice like an angel…even more / She read to me as a child / and taught me the love of words / She drew pretty ladies / and gave me the love of feminine grace / and a passion for art. (Thank you) Her love of my father was passionate and rare / Their charisma together burned on my memory / My father admired and loved her so… / Admiration was the first ingredient of their love / Their IQ was identical and it was high / His inner strength danced with her courage / as his masculine beauty complimented / her feminine grace…so divine. As a young child I witnessed their love / built on passion and respect / My dad held my sensitive heart / in his gentle hand… / My mother shaped my strength / My father taught me nurture / and unconditional love / My mother taught me to stand up / and to spread my creative and intellectual wings / She made me strong enough / so I could be sensitive always. She possessed that rare quality: Courage / My mother was never afraid / to stand up and speak her mind / Conformity was never her mode… / Pioneer, revolutionary was more in line / and gave this to me as a birthright. / She gave me permission to flourish in / my own sunshine and not be afraid to speak / Be different and explore and live true / to my inner voice, my inner knowing… In my early thirties I interviewed her for my / autobiography and my heart swelled with / Pride at the person she was, / the history, the story and the wisdom / she had lived and passed on. / She told me I was the sensitive one / and softness she knew needed / protection and so she challenged me to / strengthen my inside and taught / me that I must look after my inner child (my inner child still dances) My mother encouraged me to pursue an education / To question, to explore, to flourish / To push the boundaries of convention, / To disrupt the wrong and unjust / and to pass on my learning and wisdom / She taught me not to settle for mediocre / and strive and struggle to reach my potential. When she saw my art begin to blossom / and the words explode from my mind as / a teenager she did not try to stop / them or control them… / With pride in her heart she encouraged / me to follow my heart and my dream / She placed no limits or restrictions / on my imagination. Oh that I love her there can be no doubt / She was my role model of woman / and showed me the dynamic / and pure love of a woman for a man / and she chose a beauty in my father. / I admire and I adore her / Inside my heart I know she loves me too / And this is the foundation of my esteem / …a woman of intellect, brilliance and generosity / Joy so beautiful…Joy so wise Although we do not always see eye to eye / We can communicate, challenge and provoke / and reach a better place then we started / We question each other and then we take flight / I am thankful always to my mother she taught / me acceptance of difference encouraged me to / be a freethinker and a creative… / And she taught me the best you can be in life is / kind. By Anthea Slade 14-4-09
/ As a lot of you know, there is a forum he…
/ As a lot of you know, there is a forum here at RB to make Front Page suggestions – Choose the Red Bubble Home Page is basically a personal reference journal for me which i’ll continually add to along the way. / Some Useful Links Rules, Guidelines & Tips on Submitting Sanne’s Red Bubble Homepage Blog – for an updated daily record of Red Bubble Home Page features Aglaia’s Calendar Code – the code for squaring off calendars for HP submission on this page of the forum Link to the HP Suggestion Forum Link to the HP Comment & Chat Forum / and totally unrelated – but i keep getting asked for the link How to Add a Slideshow with your Images Dave Pearson’s Better Formatting Hack Edit a Work from Public View Hack Add a Share Button ...just so i can keep track of what and who I’ve suggested (in order not to double up!) i’ll throw my suggestions in here… they should be all hopefully be clickable links / Comments @Chat Forum Here Way Too Cute! / 23/9/09 – Pg 310 Extra / Ooops! / 23/9/09 – Pg 310 Shoes and Socks / 22/9/09 – Pg 309 / / Extras Stars and Stripes / 21/9/09 – Page 308 Extras / The Smiling Assassin / 21/9/09 – Pg. 307 Bounce – my assignment! / 21/9/09 – Pg.306 Of Clowns and Jellies / 20/9/09 – Pg.305 Loss / 20/9/09 – Page 301 / Minimalism / 19/9/09 Pg 299 / Front Page Selection 20/9/09 Beautiful Behinds! / 18/9/09 – Page 290 Extras / ...and wasn’t that little search educational!!! T...and Toast / 18/9/09 – Page 288 Extras / Hugs! / Revised 16/9/09 – Page 279 These are All Calendars / 16/9/09 – Page 276 Extras / Geeks & Nerds / 15/9/09 – Pg 271 and 17/10/09 – Pg 328 / Extras / Elves / 15/9/09 – Pg 269 Extras / Mirror Mirror / 15/9/09 – Pg 266 Cubism / 15/9/09 – Pg 265 Balance / 14/9/09 Extras Global Warming / 14/9/09 – Pg 263 Extras Chalk and Cheese / ...and viva la difference!!!! 14/9/09 – Pg 263 Niagara Falls and Vikings ♥ / random monday madness / 14/9/09 – Pg 263 Spheres / 14/9/09 – Pg 262 Extra / Surrealism / 13/9/09 – Pg 260 Extras / Impressionism / 13/9/09 – Pg 259 Extras / Sightless – as requested Ma’am / 13/9/09 and Revised 16/9/09 – Pgs 259 and 274 Extras / / (i keep seeing michael jackson’s face in the side of that bandage which is creeping me out a little!!!) From Grapes to Wine / 13/9/09 – Pg 259 and again 11/10/09 Pg 325 Extras Music Notes / 13/9/09 – Pg 259 Extras / Barcodes / 13/9/09 – Pg 259 Extra / Summer! / 13/9/09 – Pg 258 Extras / Upside Down / 13/9/09 – Pg 258 Extras / ...and finally (for today at least) shameless pimping of the amazing talent in my three groups / Frogs-Giraffes-Elephants / 13/9/09 – Pg 258 Take a Bow! / 12/9/09 – Pg 258 Extras / Say Ahhhh / 11/9/09 – Pg 258 Extras / Hula Hoops / A Couple of Groovy Spares! / Hopscotch! / Pg 257 / Extra / Pinstripes! / pg257 A couple of eye-popping spares! !http://
Check out these amazing robot models from Japanese 3D artist Kazushi Kobayashi. They’...
Check out these amazing robot models from Japanese 3D artist Kazushi Kobayashi. They’re described as something from “a parallel 50s where the robots are the most popular transport system”. Apparently you can buy the kits to build your own, but only if you live in Japan. They have so much personality … If I was in the market for a robot I’d definitely invite Chubu 01 to come and live at my house. More info here.
......and man I have REALLY been out of touch on some things. It occurred to me today that one of my most favorite artists here on RB,...
......and man I have REALLY been out of touch on some things. It occurred to me today that one of my most favorite artists here on RB, a woman whose heart and art and social commentary, bite and artistry, integrity and yes, temper has been booted off the bubble. Unfortunately, it was almost a month ago I think, from what I’ve been able to find here and read about it. Also unfortunately I haven’t the time to read all about it right now. (Going on another serious sleep deficit – 3 hours last night and a 10 hour day today with 6 more to go). But I do want to say this: BRING HELEN BACK!!!!!!! And for all of you HMB supporters out there HMB lives!!!!!
Through my cyber travels i have come across many photographers work that has been stolen and used without their knowledge / And just recen…
Through my cyber travels i have come across many photographers work that has been stolen and used without their knowledge / And just recently i have found a site that tracks back photos and shows where they are being used on the net / http://tineye.com/ / you simply enter the image address (URL) or choose an image from your HD and the site looks for it in their archives / it even works for images that have been cropped after being stolen or partially photoshopped this is a good example / http://tineye.com/search/0ac89241ed4c8ccd104094f6412ded2e0acfc2d7 / The original is the profile pic of someone who friend requested me on Facebook as something seemed odd/funny about it I put the image through Tineye.com / and you can see the results Another image site which you might like (if you use flickr) is / http://clipyourphotos.com/FP / they serch through the Flickr Front page history for your photos that might have been featured there that you missed any way I hope these are useful for people Cheers Richard
We have four Lensbaby winners in the Embrace the Blur...
We have four Lensbaby winners in the Embrace the Blur Lensbaby challenge. The winning entries (by popular vote and curatorial pick) are: The artists are sashdc, lywylde, Reynandi Susanto and JudyBJ. Each of these artists will receive a remarkable Lensbaby Composer. This has been a fabulous challenge at RedBubble with 1876 works entered. There are some of the most moving and imaginative images we have ever seen in one place. In recognition of this we have picked out a further 4 images as curatorial picks to receive a $100 RedBubble voucher. They are: There are innumerable other great images but here are the rest of the top 10 popular and a few others that just caught our eye. Congratulations to everyone who participated in this challenge. I want to particularly thank Lensbaby who have been a great sponsor. Now wouldn’t a Lensbaby be an eye-popping stocking filler? Pilgrim
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