Art Critic Photography

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

It must have been the fall of 1983 that I was told by a counselor that I had to take an elective at my school (then called “Southwest Texas State University” but now “Texas State University”). I visited this counselor when I decided that I did not know what I would do with my impending math major and also I was having trouble understanding the thick Chilean accent of my math professor. I changed to become an English major (with equally confusing future plans) and signed up for Black and White Photography course as my elective.

It changed my life. That moment in the darkroom when chemistry changed a seemingly blank piece of paper into an image hooked me forever onto the magic. My teacher for Photography 1450.2 was Mr. Roger Nuhn and he was really a great teacher. After this one class, I never took another photography course (other than restoration almost a decade later). Instead, I decided to “get a job in a photo lab to pay for college,” which I did in the spring of 1984. This was not the most financially brilliant plan I have ever come up with, but it did start me on my artistic career path.

Lately I have been doing a kind of spring cleaning – going through decades-old letters and art materials in order to lighten my load a bit. I am also rediscovering images that I took in my early adult years and could possibly use for future work. The reason that I write today, though, is because I also found a bunch of self-critiques that I wrote for this photography class.

I had always thought that my first 10 years or so of taking photos produced rather ordinary beginning images, but that it may have been necessary for me to do this in order to shape my own voice. These critiques are mostly typed and double-spaced on one side of the page, obvious homework, including the responses by Mr. Nuhn. What interests me is not only how specific and knowing my comments are, but also how negative I was with myself. I wonder if there was some sort of checklist that we were told to address in every critical analysis that we submitted. On a few, I would add a positive note at the bottom, more like a personal conversation with my teacher, but probably near the end of the semester.

Here is one example (with the teacher’s comments in the square brackets):

Kelly Seiler
Exercise V -- Selective Focus
Journalism 1450 Section 2
Lab Section 6

Critical Analysis

I’ll start with my shooting. I focused better this time. On Roll A, I forgot to check the ASA speed on the light meter. After Bracket 2 I realized I should’ve had the meter set on 400 (using Tri-X film). The same problem on Roll B -- only the reverse. I used Vericrome Pan and should have set the light meter for 125. [check]

Then on Roll B, I totally messed up Brackets 2 and 3. I don’t know what I was thinking when I set my shutter speeds. [check] The negatives are just too dark; the film was exposed too long. No excuse for it, especially since you told us in class to not shoot this exercise outdoors in direct sunlight! [check]

On the unmounted extra print “y” I think the depth of field may be too deep; [no - it’s shallow enough] but more importantly, the subject (the black camel) is not big enough. [check] Someone looking at this picture would probably not realize I was trying to emphasize the subject. [Right] The picture also needs to be burned in on the left side. [check]

Extra print “z” is too dark everywhere, except aroudn the candles’ flames. I chose not to use this picture as my mounted one because I don’t think it is clear (or even consistent) that that is a scale in front of the vase. [Right]

On my mounted print, I should’ve burned in the bottom area some more. [check] I had trouble with dust on my negatives, especially the prints from Roll B. It seemed the more I brushed the negatives off, the more dust they collected. My mounted picture is almost impossible to spot well, although I tried. [check]

P.S. I don’t like the glossy paper at all. It is too easy to get scratches and finger prints all over the picture. [Agree - but it is very good for find detail, high contrast subject matter.]

I also think it is funny that I apparently cannot follow instructions even when I understand them, although I also had no trouble pointing it out myself. Ha.

This image is of one of my test prints (probably not from the assignment in the critique above). You may notice the vertical lines as I moved the safety paper back to allow different amounts of light to expose the paper.

Stone Carving Assistant

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

People occasionally ask me if I accept apprentices or assistants when I carve stone. Thus far, no. However, sometimes I get volunteers, as I have for the “Gymnast” marble project. Today was the first time “Tony” stuck around long enough for me to capture him on camera. Maybe it was the overcast and muggy day created by last night’s grand storm or maybe he is becoming less shy as the marble sculpture gets smaller.



Tony is not as helpful as the assistant I had for over 15 years. But doubtful anyone could compare to Zac, even if he was a dog. Zac was more into accounting, I think. He always let me know when it was time to take a break to go for a walk or just do some belly rubbing.



Tony has moved in closer than Zac ever got to my tools, though. He even stood still as I showered him with marble dust! He has some subtle spikes on his body and more busy patterns on him and an overall darker color than anoles. If you know what kind of lizard he is, I would love to know it.




When I pulled out my 1-inch pneumatic hammer and some of Vasily’s chisels to try out as I began to shape the section under the gymnast, Tony bailed on me and ran to another block of marble nearby. I am not sure if it was the noise or the vibration that made him uneasy. However, the vibration was more than I remembered, even with my anti-vibration gloves.

And Vasily always said, “It’s not in the tools. It’s in the technology…” as he pointed to his noggin. Good point, always. However, a tool that feels good in your hand and works for you cannot be all bad.

Pins and Feathers Stone Splitting

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I have begun spending more time with one of my sisters in the (Army base) Ft. Hood, Texas, area. Her husband is in Afghanistan. She was born when I was off in college and so, this is a different kind of time together than we have ever gotten to share before.

But today, I arrived back home, unpacked, took a nap, shook off the grogginess, and got back to marble carving this evening. My goal was to finish drilling the safety holes before dark so that I could split the excess stone off of the base of the sculpture in the morning. However, I made some real progress with the drill and decided that there was no time like the present . . .

I am not normally competitive with other people, but I do sometimes use Nature as a way of setting deadlines for myself. So, I wondered if I could split the marble before today’s light disappeared behind the trees. Nature, you are on!

I received my mentor and friend Vasily Fedorouk’s pins and feathers from his wife Dilbarra last February when I was in Chicago to visit her. I am quite sentimental and have wanted to use these tools to feel somehow that my teacher was still alive and working with me.


You can see his mitten emptied of the stone splitting pins and feathers here in the first image. The two sets at the bottom have been arranged to show you how they work. Basically, you drill a hole into the stone and place the two outer winged parts (the feathers) into the hole. Then you place the tapered pin between the feathers, hammering on that part as you direct the force in the direction you want.


Sometimes I do not think - there is just no other explanation for this: the drill bit I used for my safety or guidance holes is such a thin diameter that I could not even fit ONE feather into them! Hmmm. Still sentimental, I decided to place at least the pins in each hole, rationalizing that I could not use my normal brick laying chisels underneath the gymnast’s back anyway since there was so little space there. [Note: my drilled holes were done at diagonals for this reason as well.]

Because I was unable to tilt the entire marble sculpture on her side to score the bottom edge with my blades, I was afraid that I would not be able to save this rectangle of marble in one piece. I hate being right sometimes! This third image shows you the first chunk of stone that broke away. This is along the diagonal that corresponds to the bedding plane of the stone and was likely to give along these lines.


Each time I broke away a piece of marble, I would take my diamond and later my masonry blades to score another safety cut along the new edge. This also gave me a “ditch” for inserting my chisels. When striking the chisels or pins to remove stone, one strikes one or two blows in succession from one end to the other… this is not like playing a xylophone in which you can go back and forth to make music. Slow and consistent strikes in one direction yield the best result.


I also enjoy this process because I get to swing my hammer with my left hand when the angle calls for it. It is fun to “mix it up a bit” and keep my different sides on their toes, so to speak. I am a bit odd in that when I was a child, I thought that my left hand had its feelings hurt because he could not do very well the same activities that the right hand performs so easily. Until they traded roles (as I tried to become ambidextrous) and he learned that my right hand felt the same about the supporting tasks that Lefty normally performs without fail. I do not think that I ever claimed to be normal.

In this fifth image, I have split enough stone so that my original drill holes no longer support Vasily’s pins. And I have a little more working room under the figure’s back (which clearly needs shaping - how flat that pelvis!) This was the last piece to come off in one chunk, to be carved at a later date. You may also see how shallow my original safety cuts were. A lot of this had to do with the proximity of the curving back to the stone base.



And finally, as it was getting ever darker (you may see how the color in the images has gotten bluer with progress in the carving), I could stand back and take in the new view. I must say that one of my favorite feelings is when you have cut off stone and you cannot imagine having it back on! No, “uh oh” feeling here - with so much less mass, this smaller base allows the figure to lift.

I had just enough time to notice the last lingering of sunlight on the tips of the clouds overhead and put away my tools before it was too dark to work anymore. Good girl, Nature and thank you! And, as I write this, the skies are showering rain and even hail over my tin roof. Life is sweet and sometimes the timing even works out beautifully!

Portrait Art Workshop

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

If you find yourself in central Texas (Florence, actually) on Sunday, June 12, and want to learn about creating art portraits, come on out to my 3-hour Portrait Workshop.


In this hands-on introductory 3-hour workshop, you will learn how to draw faces. We will go over basic anatomy for the face and skull and also how to capture a likeness. We will talk about differences of the subject's age, sex, personality & expression. Instructor Kelly Borsheim will demonstrate, as well as assisting students on an individual basis. Copy a masterwork (select from one on this page) or bring in a photo of your own to work from.

To register and receive more information, click here:
http://www.borsheimarts.com/art-workshops/Portrait-Workshop.htm

Studio Gallery Tour Dripping Springs Texas

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Oracles and other fortunetellers have been popular and intriguing since man became aware of himself. Curiosity being one of our human traits is another reason that we sometimes want to know our futures before we experience or create them.


So, with that in mind, I hope that you will come to this next event to see my newest bronze figure sculpture, “Seer.” He debuts THIS Saturday at the Dripping Springs Artists’ Studio & Gallery Tour. There will also be drawings for gifts and refreshments, as well as other perks. The Wesley Gallery organizes this event and doors are open to all. I will be a guest artist at Philip and Michelle Hoggatt’s Carved Stone, and will have new works with me.

THIS Saturday, May 14, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Carved Stone
5300 Bell Springs Road
Dripping Springs, Texas USA
Tel. (512) 858-5665
Tour questions: For more info, contact Jack at Wesley Gallery 888.806.0678 or 512.858.9758

Happy Birthday, Vicky! I love you.

Impatience with Stone Carving

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Hello again. If you have followed along much on these posts or my art newsletters, you may remember that I tend to work the whole piece of art “at once.” Not literally. What I really mean is that I try not to leave any part too far behind the development of the whole.

In my work on the marble “Gymnast” sculpture, it became time for me to remove some of the base. I know when it is time to remove some of the support when I can no longer envision carving away parts of the figure that I know must be removed because they start to look tiny in comparison to the part next to it. I wanted to shape her hips more, but the stone beneath her was just too overpowering. And also, as I worked the hips, I knew that I would want to start designing the way her hips connect with the shape I want to carve underneath them.


This first image shows the line on the left side of the marble base that I wish to cut off. Note that my wooden support and levelers are location outside of this mark. My first task is to move the supports inside of this line so that the stone will not fall over after I remove some of its bottom.

Since I want to keep the marble block that needs to get cut off, I need to take some extra care when splitting the stone. Normally, I would tip the sculpture on her side so that I could use my diamond blade to cut a “safety stop” into all sides before splitting. However, these days I am working alone without access to another human being when I want one. And if I tried to tip my heavy stone girl over alone, I would either hurt myself or hurt her. Neither is an acceptable option. Safety first.

Instead, I am trying to be patient as I drill deep holes into the stone on the three sides that I can access in order to guide the break once I am ready to make it. Some people think that the mere fact that I carve stone means that I am a patient person. That is a poor assumption. I think that we are all patient in some areas, and hardly at all in others.

My little neck of the woods, Cedar Creek, Texas, recently made the NBC national news for our unusually early drought situation. (The rest of the summer is bound to be another brutal one for our plants!) With the sun and heat we have now here, I have only been working a few hours in the mornings and again in the early evening before dusk on my marble. And not every day. And the drilling is going slowly.

I find myself getting impatient and wanting to just split the stone and hope that it breaks along the line I want. But, the only way that I have successfully convinced myself to settle down and do it right is to remind myself that the marble really will not care. No one (but you, I suppose) would actually know . . . and it would be up to me to redesign my intended sculpture. So, my impatience could cost me a lot of time. And the problem is totally avoidable. Finally, I am terrible company when I am angry with myself.


This second image was taken with my camera’s timer as I used the back end of the axe that I use to chop wood in the wintertime and a metal pipe to hammer the supports further into the stone. I scored the safety lines on the sides and began drilling holes after that. Thank you for following this journey… I wish you patience (when it is called for).

Stone Carving Tools

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

So, here is a brief peek into my little world out in the woods. I am continuing work on my marble “Gymnast.” While I have never been good about names and labels, I will try to use the proper terms for equipment here as I share with you some of my tools.

I bought a pneumatic die grinder with an extension tube at the front, as shown in this first image. Into that I added a double-cut carbide grinding tool connected to a 6-inch shaft. That is about as much reaching as I know how to do, other than to use a Fordham (and I think I broke mine some time ago). But even a Fordham might be of limited use since it has a flexible shaft. I need something rigid that not only will reach the distances I need, but help me push the tool into the marble to carve it. This is especially important since I cannot get even one finger into some of these areas between the figure’s torso and her thighs.


I hope it is obvious from this first image that the main difficulty in carving down into the negative space of the body in a pike position is that the gymnast’s head is in the way! This second image shows you what I really do not even get to see when I am carving (vs. photographing). I am reaching down between the face (upper left) and right arm (bottom of image) and trying to carve a deeper crease between the figure’s legs, just above her knees. It is like hiking in a snowy cave!


This third image shows a right angle die grinder … a Home Depot item with a great warranty. I have traded in two of these babies over the years for a brand new replacement! This stone carving tool also has a double-cut carbide tip with a 6-inch shaft on it. Fantastic helpers, but not many choices in tip shapes unless I am willing to wait and pay for a special order. Patience is rarely one of my virtues!


And even though I cannot always see what I am carving, I still like to draw on the stone to help me delineate various anatomical forms. Something to aim for! A straight pencil with a tapered tip will simply not leave a mark on the stone inside this narrow crevice. In this last image, you may see my thumb up against the figure’s eye as I am holding a specialized scissors that hold a pencil between its front claws. These teeth in the scissors are not designed to hold something as thick as a pencil, but it was all I could think to use. So, I bend the pencil in an angle that I think I want and squeeze the scissor handles very tightly so that I do not lose my pencil when I move down into my “well” of a workspace.

Really, I hope that I can pull this off! What are your favorite tools – for stone carving or any task?

Happy birthday, John! And thank you for showing me a lot about tools.