A (small) breath of FRESH wind - The Framed Film Project
Part 2
I’ll begin here by saying — if you haven’t read part 1 of this journal (“Reevaluating my work”), go ahead and do so! It will help explain a lot of what I am writing about here in this entry.
After my month long sabbatical (that sort of turned into longer than a month), I felt like I was able to take a step away from my work and see it for what it really was. Sometimes when you’re SO immersed in something, it’s hard to get a full picture of what is truly happening. I was so head down in the studio working my a$$ off trying to produce produce produce that I didn’t even realize what was going on in there! Truth be told, I needed (need) a break from painting the way I was. As I mentioned before in my first journal entry, I felt like I was sleepwalking through my work. Like truly I could make the paintings in my sleep, thats how “naturally” they came to me. There is a degree to which I feel like this is healthy and great, but I felt that I had wayyyyy overdone it and began feeling like an “art factory robot” rather than an artist. I hold the belief that there is artwork that has a heartbeat and LIFE running through it - and then there is dead art. Somewhere along the way, I truly sense that my art has died a little bit.
That said, I want to breathe new life into my work. I want it so so so badly. I want to already have arrived there and be making the “fresh” “new” work, but this process can’t be forced. The process has to be taken day by day, hour by hour. I’m truly learning how to use brand new muscles that I have barely worked in the last 5 or so years.. so they’re a lil rusty! Like, if reaching the next level/layer of potential in my work was the super bowl, I would still be in the pre-season training/workouts phase right now! But dang, I wish it was super bowl already.. lol.
My first attempt at flexing these muscles is a new project I’m titling my “framed film” collection. Backstory… Last summer, I grabbed my film camera and brought it with me to the beach (Sullivan’s Island) with my family. It was really fun picking that camera up again, since I hadn’t used it since college. I actually took a film photography class in college and developed my own film and everything.. it was legit. I felt like a REAL art student ;) lol. I took these photos and then set the rolls aside with intentions of sending them off to get developed! Fast forward 1+ year later when I am cleaning up my studio while exhausted and postpartum + entering into a sabbatical that I decided to take (July of this year), I stumbled upon my film rolls. It was kinda fun because by that time I found them, I’d totally forgotten what I’d snapped photos of. I sent the film off and patiently waited for the scans to come back. Of course I opened the email while I was nursing Sunday in the quiet of her room, and when I opened the files, I truthfully got tears in my eyes. They were so, so beautiful. Some of them were of sawyer, some of some of my favorite places on the island + surrounding areas, and some just of the beautiful landscape of Sullivans.
I felt like these photos were an incredibly timely gift from the Lord, truly. They came at a time where I was feeling just so tired, drained beyond belief of all inspiration, and (just being totally real here) experiencing a little bit of a depression. It was a reminder that you can’t manufacture inspiration, you just have to wait for it to come to you (out of the abundant GRACE and KINDNESS of the Lord). In hindsight, I’m so so glad I didn’t have the photos developed until a year after I took them. They came to me at the exact time I needed them and was ready to receive them for what they could truly mean to me.
All the while, I had been collecting some antique frames and just keeping them on a shelf in the studio. I wanted to maybe make some drawings for them.. some paintings.. but nothing felt right. These photos felt RIIIIIIIIGHT. I am a massive fan of vintage art and have collected it all over my house, hanging in my kids bedrooms, our bathrooms, on shelves, its too much really. If I hang more vintage art Patrick will probably take it down and beg me for something else, haha. I LOVE IT. I love the feeling of having a “collected” home.. a home that has some of this and some of that. A home with warmth and depth and life. To me, this looks like a home with some old pieces mixed with some new pieces, and some one of a kind pieces. Something I’ve been asking myself as I emotionally explore this new season of my work is “what would I hang in my house??” — the answer is THESE FRAMED PHOTOS.
I made this collection of framed photos for a myriad of reasons. They symbolize a true, honest gift that was given to me from God - the gift of fresh and new inspiration. The type that I didn’t have to seek out, I didn’t have to manufacture, it was truly just GIVEN to me at the exact right time. What a sweet sweet symbol of new life that can only come from the Lord. Truly something from nothing. I also made this collection for the sheer reason that I think its cool and I’d truly hang each and every one of these pieces in my own house. It feels fun to make work that I like so much that I kind of want to keep it. I love the colors, the textures, the shapes. It’s felt so indulgent and FUN to make these! Lastly, I wanted to stretch myself. I’ve never printed film scans, I’ve never disassembled and rebuilt frames, I’ve never installed dust covers. I’ve learned so much about the art of framing and it’s been really creatively fulfilling.
Some details…
The collection of framed film will launch on 11/10 at 10am EST! I will share a journal entry next week featuring a catalog of the works, their prices, sizes, and additional photos of the work so you can make plans and take measurements :)
The Process -
I began by taking inventory of all the frames I’ve collected over time and went out and bought a few more to round out my collection. I went to 4-5 antique shops around my area and searched high and low. I knew what I was looking for in a frame but couldn’t really describe it.. the right ones just sort of gave me a certain feeling - well made and well taken care of, but also super timeless and cool. After I laid my collection of frames out, I started measuring for mats. I ordered 50+ mat samples and chose a few colors that felt perfect with my photos. I spent hours deciding which photo would go with each frame, paired with which mat and so on and so forth. Each photo is a film photograph I took in July 2021 on Sullivan’s Island (except for one photo - I’ll make sure to show you which one it is). They’ve been printed as giclee prints on thick, archival matte moab natural rag paper. I had to order samples and had plenty of snafus along the way, and finally got all the colors of the photos right. I was practically at the edge of the driveway waiting on the UPS truck to deliver all my mats and final photos so I could play and put them all together.. it was so fun. I was so giddy. I had taken apart all the frames and removed all of their old art (some if it was so weird, it was hilarious). I loved putting these back together so much and turning them over to reveal the final product to myself every time. It was so rewarding! I finished each piece off by cleaning the frames/glass as best as I could, removing dust and dirt that comes with wear. After they passed my test, I added a dust cover onto the backs of each one. Plus, I am adding a special sticker to the backs of them where I can add details on each photo + a signature etc. I’m way too excited about these darn stickers.
I cannot WAIT to share this collection with you all next Friday, 11/10, at 10am EST. I hope the pieces can inspire you to remember how generous life can be if we keep our hands open and receive.
