Reaching Out

This is one of my favorite photographs that I have ever taken. In photography, sometimes simplicity is the ultimate characteristic of beauty.

Whew!

I got my grade tonight in Photo II--remember that project where I felt I got a harsh critique?


I got a "Superior" on content, printing and concept. WOOT! So it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. That darn mind of mine sometimes blows things out of proportion. Ugh.


Here is a photograph of my photographs. There were 11 prints, so photographing each individually is quite the task. Hopefully you get the idea from this photo.

When a Little is Not Enough

I'm a big fan of Jared Miller's and the work he is doing in Rwanda. He started a nonprofit organization called Sisters of Rwanda which assists thevulnerable women of Rwanda, specifically those who make their living as prostitutes and/or have been sexually abused, widowed or orphaned. If you have been a long-time reader of my blog, you know that my heart is HUGE for the people of Rwanda, especially since I sponsor a child who lives near Kigali through Compassion International.

Yet I am in a constant state of thinking that what I am doing is just not enough. I look at Jared's work and especially his heart and am saddened that I cannot do more...that I am NOT doing more. By supporting this young girl, I am only helping one. "What else can I do?" I often ask myself.

Is my little enough?

Rolling Mill Hill

At the suggestion of my very creative friend Melinda, I went on an adventure today to take some photographs at Rolling Mill Hill, a new community development downtown, formerly Nashville General Hospital. She joined up with me to take some photos as well. Here's a sampling of some of them. I love to shoot on crystal clear days! By the way, the buildings are actually kinda creepy--like an old mental asylum or something. It was difficult to convey that in the photos, especially on such a beautiful day.

All photos copyright of Michelle Uhri.

Artistic Critique

One of the most difficult aspects of being an artist is taking critiques from others, specifically when the critique veers toward the negative.

Last night I turned in a project for my Photo II (Color Photo) class that was pretty harshly critiqued by my instructor and my advisor (in front of my classmates). I might note that I have to thank my classmates for being so positive about my project. Their comments were the good ones.

I have to admit that I took a big risk, though, in what I turned in. We were given the choice between shooting one roll of film each day for seven days OR doing a project about our family. I chose my family because the projects I have done in the past about them I have been really passionate about. My project consisted of 11 prints paired with text (that's where I took the risk). Pairing photographs (or any art for that matter) with text can make or break the project. The text was written on vellum and overlayed on top of the photographs. One comment that was made was that it was "too much like a Hallmark card." What can I say? I'm a sap when it comes to my family.

I came home last night feeling disappointed and defeated. I go back and forth between being glad that they were honest (because that makes me a better artist and photographer) and being totally dejected. So last night before I went to bed, I made a deliberate decision to not let this affect me in a negative manner. I need to pick myself up by the bootstraps and forge ahead.

Thank God today is a new day!

Photomontage

Here are 2 of the 3 photomontages I did of my family, along with my artist statement regarding them.

“Mom” is a work based upon the most influential person to me, who died three years ago. The image conveys her commitment to her faith through the stained-glass background and praying hands. The yellow canary bird represent how much she sang with all of her heart despite the fact that she didn’t think she had a good voice—and her name was “Carol” which means “song.” The wings represent both her death as well as her lifelong career as a nurse, who are often referred to as “angels.” The white dress was a scanned photograph of her wedding picture the day that she married my dad. It is also similar to the nurse’s uniform that she wore at the time. The roots represent her groundedness and how she was the foundation of our family—“the roots” or “the glue” that held us all together. Those roots are still holding us together as we are a strong family rooted in our love of our mother and for each other.

"Mom"


“John-Janet” is a representation of my brother and sister. I chose a paper doll head as to not lean toward one gender or another, as the work represents both a male and a female. The Grouch Marx glasses represent the sense of humor we all share—I think my brother and sister are the funniest people in the world. The wings symbolize the protection I have always felt as the youngest of my three siblings and how they always looked out for me. The heart symbolizes that they are my blood and my heartbeat—I am very close to both of them. The rope represents the ties that bind us as siblings. The Jeep represents both the fun and conflict we had as children, often fighting to play with the Matchbox Jeep my sister had. Several years ago she bought us our own so as adults we could each have our very own.


"John-Janet"

Mom

She lived her life on this earth to serve those around her selflessly. She lived each day on this earth never taking one single moment for granted. She loved to be kissed by her hubby. She savored the flavor of a good cup of coffee. She loved to rock her grandchildren to sleep and said often that the greatest thing in life is to be a Grandma. She saw that every "t" was crossed and every "i" was dotted. She loved to see sunsets and often said, "There will never be another sunset exactly like that one--ever."

She is a woman, a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, a grandma, an aunt, a confidant, an advisor, a teacher, a nurse, an encourager, a comforter, a helper, a spiritual leader, a server, a lover and a friend.

Carol Anne Uhri
April 1, 1943 - February 24, 2004

I miss you, Mom.

Identity Issues Part 2

To all that were wondering which of the images was the original in the "Identity Issues" entry, it was me playing the piano...ah, the magic of Photoshop...

Antiques

My latest and greatest adventures include antiquing, which I have always liked but never done much simply because I couldn't walk out the door without buying everything I liked.

I think my latest adventure started when I decided I need some new ephemera for my collages and artwork.

I found boxes upon boxes of postcards at this particular antique mall and briskly thumbed through them in hopes that I wouldn't want to buy every box (which contained at least 200 cards). So I chose a few that were places that I have been...Chicago, New York, Chattanooga, Paris...good things!

The Edge

So I'm watching tv tonight and saw a commercial for the new Ford "Edge" car. The commercial shows the car driving on the edges of buildings and bridges. I didn't think anything of that at first, but the second time around, I noticed the fine print at the bottom of the screen.

"Yes, this is a fantasy. Cars cannot drive on buildings."

I laughed to myself thinking how ironic it is that they have to let people know that it is not possible for a car to drive with only two wheels on the edge of a building.

I found this the other day amidst some favorite quotes and passages. I hope it encourages someone out there reading:

"After a while you learn
the subtle different between holding a hand
and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't mean security.
And you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of a woman
not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is
too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down
in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
that even the sunshine burns if you ask to much
so you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
that you are really strong
and you really do have worth.
And you learn
and you learn.
With every good-bye
you learn."

~Anonymous

Identity Issues

In my digital imaging class, we were assigned to create an image of ourselves through various poses in the same room to represent the conflicts of identity (meaning..."I am a student yet a teacher, etc, etc.).

Here is my completed assignment. I feel, as an artist, to make statements on my work.

I am playing piano to show that I am often conflicted between being a musician and an artist--meaning that I feel like I cannot excel at one without letting the other slip. The next two, with me sleeping and one with me reading shows both the conflict in loving to sleep (yes, it's a hobby) and being a night owl, when I often stay up late working on creative things; as well as the conflict I feel when I realize I may be a good sleeper compared to most, but yet I have those nights of too much caffeine where I toss and turn and sometimes wonder "Do I have insomnia?" It also doesn't help that for the research work I am doing, I am reading a lot of books on sleep (e.g. The Family that Couldn't Sleep). The next one, where I am praying conveys the trust in God and faith in Him. Where I am standing by the window, I wanted to show paranoia...someone who is looking through the blinds may be paranoid of something (not trusting).

In Photoshop, we took one photograph and used it as the original then cut and pasted the others into that document...can you tell which one is the original?

Next up...collages of my family!

Quote of the Day

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.”~Fredrick Buechner

Happy Valentine's Day!!

So to all of those who have someone to share this day with, Happy Valentine's Day!

To all of those who are single, my friend Shelly and I began celebrating "Happy I'm-Not-with-the-Wrong-Guy" Day (so I don't have to spend money, time and energy on him to show a little romance). It is a good day to reflect on the fact that although you are single, life is good because you are not with the wrong guy. Remember, there is always something to be grateful for!

Clean Sweep

The first generation of the Uhri's (my brother, my sister and I) must fight the natural innate tendency to be pack rats. It's in the genes...

So this year I decided that I need to start de-cluttering my life. Even though I feel like I am pretty organized, I can always do better.

On Saturday, my friend Lisa Wilson came over to help me organize my craft/office room. In a matter of two hours, we had completely re-organized the entire space...and to my delight, I actually want to be in this room again! There are still a few things I have to go through, but the results are amazing.

By the way, you should have seen the closet before--I couldn't get to anything because it was so full!

Shred-alicious!

Due to my most recent organization conquests, I broke down today to purchase the $100 shredder in order to continue to maintain my sanity...money well-spent, especially after the "5 sheets only" shredder I had previously. This 14 sheet document eater cross-cuts with a lovely pull-out container and even has a special feeder for CD's and credit cards (can you say "plastictomy"). Yes, I'm a geek.

So I have spent the majority of the evening shredding papers that should have been discarded long ago.

On another note, I picked up this shredder at Office Depot, which happens to be one of the favorites amongst my siblings and I ("Ah, Office Depot" I often remark at my siblings trips to the beloved store). What can I say...we're nerds that love large office supply stores...

Jym Davis

My artist friend, Jym Davis, recently updated his web site. Check out his awesome work!

Fred Clarke

Next week I'm going to Nashville's Zeitgeist Gallery to hear photographer Fred Clarke speak on his photographs. He photographs for the International Committee of the Red Cross in war-torn countries, photographing the affects of war on women, children and the elderly. You can check out his images: Fred Clarke

Conversations

Isn't it interesting when the most intriguing conversation you've had today consists of a group of classmates analyzing the life and death of Anna Nicole Smith? It makes me yearn for more intelligent dialogue...

The Homeless Beggar

There is a stoplight that I go through pretty much every day that has homeless men begging on almost every occasion. Last week, I was feeling generous, but did not have the guts to hand the man a few dollars.

So yesterday, as I waited again at the light, I summoned the gentleman (who was a different guy from the last time). He was an older man, someone's father, someone's grandfather. So I handed him a dollar and some change. He could barely talk and the smell of alcohol was rancid on his breath. With slurred speech he spoke of blessings and God's grace allowing him to still be here despite his mistakes.

I contemplated my decision to give the man money. Obviously he was drunk. But how can I assume that he is going to spend it on alcohol? Is my heart in giving to the man the most important thing? He himself will have to answer for how he spends that money.

As I drove away, I cried. Tears of sadness, tears of pity...and overall, tears of shame, for how could I ever complain...why complain about cleaning the house--I've got one? Why complain about being stressed--I have things to do?
Why complain about "not having anything to wear" when I have a closet full of clothing?

Count your blessings...you've got so many!

Downtown Pics

I went to the Predators hockey game on Saturday night and took some shots of the BellSouth building in downtown Nashville....

Let It Snow!!

Yes, it's 2am on Friday morning and I'm up...

BUT...I am getting to see what most people are sleeping through...the first snow of 2007 in Tennessee!!

Yipee! Snow makes me happy. I can't help it, I grew up in Wisconsin. How can you possibly argue that it's not one of the most beautiful things God created?

Yes, I'm a nutty photographer--I ran outside to take some shots. They are a tad blurry because it's so dark out there.

I'm going to peek out the window again before I go to sleep where I'll be dreaming of sledding...

Dragon Park Photos

Last week during a drive around to take pictures, I went to one of my favorite parks in Nashville, Fannie Mae Dees Park, also known as "Dragon Park." There is a ginormous dragon made of cut tiles by local artists. When I was at Belmont University, we used to head over there all the time just to play.

Here are some photos from that day. I took both my film and digital cameras along to take similar shots. It's interesting to compare the two.

Enjoy (especially you, Melinda!!)!!

Today

Three years ago today, my life changed forever...my mom (my best friend) collapsed at work and was resuscitated never to regain her full capacities again. She passed away on February 24 in hospice care.

I felt compelled to re-post this photograph as I took it with her in mind.

More Photos

More from Monday.

Today's Photos

Since I am taking a color photography class, I have to take 2 rolls of 36 exposures every week (finding subjects can get tough by the end of the semester!). Since I am just learning the color printing process, I decided to take my digital camera along for the ride today and take shots with both the digital camera as well as my film camera...that way, I could share them with my faithful blog readers.

Here are some of the best ones from today. Yes, I took some in a cemetary that I stumbled upon last year. I'm a bit obsessed with it for several reasons. First, it is surrounded on three sides by an apartment complex. Second, it's really rundown and half of the gravestones no longer have readable names (it's quite sad). Thirdly, I am oddly intrigued by cemetaries in general. Some say it is the greatest source of untapped potential....

Anyway, the other shots are from the land surrounding the Tennessee Historic Preservation Society.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

One of my favorite movies is "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"...maybe it's because I have good memories of watching it 5 times with my nephews.

I watched it again last night. One of the best aspects of the movies is the unabashed innocence and purity of heart that Charlie possesses, mostly likely because his family has nothing. He almost forgoes the invitation to Willy Wonka's factory because someone offered him $500 for the golden ticket. Throughout the entire movie, he is so grateful for even the smallest things...especially the chocolate bar he receives as a birthday present once a year.

In a discussion with a friend of mine several months back, we talked about the hearts of indigent people and how they are open to hearing the message of Jesus Christ. The hearts of those who have nothing are oftentimes the most open to hearing about salvation.

This can be seen a lot in the work of missionaries. I have a heart for it because so many people know that there is something far greater than themselves without ever being told about God or His Beloved Son. In the United States, we are so blessed to have what we have (we rarely recognize it) and we sometimes become complacent about the message of Jesus Christ. I myself am guilty of this tragedy. So how to we open ourselves back up again to the realization that we would be nothing without Jesus???

More Headshots

Joel Meyerowitz

In my color photography class, we are always looking at photographers (which I love doing). It is so cool to see what other photographers take...amazing.

One of my new favs is Joel Meyerowitz. I love his simplistic style, yet is photographs are spectacular. Check out is web site to see his work:

www.joelmeyerowitz.com

One of my favorites series of his is "Cape Light" where was work all taken in Cape Cod.

Let me know what you think if you check it out!!

Color Photography

So as previously stated, I am SO excited about my classes. We have started learning Photoshop (which is super!) and color photography has been good so far. We haven't actually started printing yet, but we are well on our way.

My instructor for color, Caroline Allison has some really great work. You can check out her web site: www.carolineallison.com

A lot of her work centers around suburbia and the effects of urban growth on nature's beauty. Good stuff...check it out!!

HandyChick

This afternoon I spent hanging a piece of slatwall I bought from a store going out of business...I wanted to use it organize my studio/office.

I was telling someone this evening all about it...she was like "how did you do that all by yourself?" Well, problem-solving is one of my fortes. I just propped it up against the wall (atop a file box), drew marks on the walls through the pre-existing holes. I then removed the slatwall, inserted the drywall screws and went from there...voila...organized!

Whoever said women can't do handywork is an idiot.

Classes

I'm totally stoked!!!

This semester, I've got three classes...two of which I am SO excited about. It might be because I didn't have any photography classes last semester...anyway, I've got color photography and digital imaging. The best part is that in digital imaging, I'm learning Photoshop as well as Dreamweaver. By the end of the semester, I'll be able to build my own web site. Plus, Photoshop is going to come in handy with photography.

I did attempt to learn Photoshop CS2 on my own which was quite overwhelming. I am SO glad I'll have a class that teaches the principals of the program step-by-step.

As for color photography, I am excited as well. My instructor is going to be great. We've had fun in that class so far. Color balancing is going to be an interesting skill to learn.

I'll keep you posted on my progress....

Proud Aunt

So here are some of my favs from the holidays. I will probably post more later....

Professional Headshots

Here are some samples of my professional headshot work.

The Wreck of the Day

So I thought today would be a lovely start to the new semester.

I got up at 6:45 am (with little difficulty after Christmas break), got ready for class and off I went, with no traffic difficulties. In fact, I left later than I should have but ended up getting to class early.

I went to my drawing class (which I ended up dropping later) then attempted to get into a different drawing class so that I would only have to go downtown to school two days a week. The class was full...so I ended up heading home, awaiting permission by the instructor to get into the class.

While at home, I contemplated the fact that if I were to drop any class, I would have to do it today in order to receive a full refund. So I drive back down there (it's about 20 minutes one way) and find my advisor walking down the hall. Thank goodness! I needed her help. So after discussing everything yet again, we decide it's best if I drop my Contemporary Art History class and wait to see if I get into the other drawing class. GREAT.

So I head to the Registrar's office and wait for one hour until it opened back up after lunch. During my wait, my advisor comes back and tells me I can get into the digital imaging class and could drop the drawing class as an option. Oh Lordy.

Finally, after this back and forth saga, I drop the drawing class and add the digital imaging class.

Whew...what a crazy day.

To make a long story even longer....

After much relief, I am pulling out of the parking lot when I see this guy about to back into me!

WHAM...he does.

And, of course, there's a HUGE-O crater in my bumper with no damage to his car (at least that we could see). Dat gum it!

In conclusion to my long saga, I can only hope that tomorrow will be better. Thank God His mercies are new every morning.

Oh Deer!

So the running gag gift in our family is "The Deer."



My mom had gotten it as a gift from one of her students (she was a nurse in an elementary school) and thought it was the gaudiest thing ever. So she started a tradition of passing the deer around to the family at Christmas.

Also incorporated were "The Rules of the Deer":

1. You must display the deer for all to see


2. You have to wait one full year before passing it on to someone else

Last year I gave it to my youngest nephew, who displayed it in his room on his shelf with his Tonka trucks. This year, he gave it to my brother, who, in this photograph, is proudly displaying the fact that he got the booby prize.

Oh deer.

Skiing!

As tradition in our family, we went to Big Powderhorn Mountain in Ironwood, Michigan (the Upper Peninsula) for our annual skiing trip. We rent a chalet (in the photo, the one in the middle) and ski all day long. Here are a few photos. As you can see, they are of me, so thanks to my brother, John, who took these.

Tabula Rasa

I read a really great article in Dan Miller's "48 Days to the Work You Love" e-newsletter today. It's about having a clean slate, starting fresh, starting over. Considering that it is now a New Year, I thought this was appropriate.

Tabula Rasa – the Power of a Clean Slate
Tabula Rasa -- This is actually a Latin term meaning “clean slate.” People who end up being successful usually view change differently than the average person.

It was a cold December night in West Orange, New Jersey. Thomas Edison's factory was humming with activity. Work was proceeding on a variety of fronts as the great inventor was trying to turn more of his dreams into practical realities. Edison's plant, made of concrete and
steel, was deemed "fireproof". As you may have already guessed, it wasn't! On that frigid night in 1914, the sky was lit up by a sensational blaze that had burst through the plant roof.

Edison's 24-year-old son, Charles, made a frenzied search for his famous inventor-father. When he finally found him, he was watching the fire. His white hair was blowing in the wind. His face was illuminated by the leaping flames. "My heart ached for him," said Charles. "Here he was, 67 years old, and everything he had worked for was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, 'Charles! Where's your mother?' When I told him I didn't know, he said, 'Find her! Bring her here! She'll never see anything like this as long as she lives.'"

Next morning, Mr. Edison looked at the ruins of his factory and said this of his loss: "There's value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God, we can start anew."

What a wonderful perspective on things that seem at first to be so disastrous. A job loss, business failure, personal dream gone sour... whether these things destroy an individual depends largely on the attitude he or she takes toward them. Sort out why it happened, and learn something from the blunders. Think of different approaches that can be taken. Start over. With any failure, there is a lesson to be learned and forgiveness to be found. With the slate wiped clean, look forward. Be wiser and humbler in view of what has happened, but don't stop living because of it. A key truth of the Christian faith is that our hope lies in a still-unseen future rather than in a miserable past.Don’t ignore the value of your “tabula rasa.”

I hope you can see, with some disasters in life, that you have the chance for your own tabula rasa.

One Punk Under God

I was going to discontinue cable, until I discovered "The Sundance Channel" which is now one of my favorites. Recently I discovered the docu-series "One Punk Under God" which chronicles the life of Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye. VERY interesting show. It comes on Wednesday nights.

The series is interesting because you see the Jay's struggles as he tries to keep his ministry afloat while taking stands on issues others want to ignore. It also chronicles his relationship with his ill mother, Tammy Faye as well as the awkward relationship with his father.

I encourage you to check it out if you have cable...otherwise, check out the site:

http://www.sundancechannel.com/home/

Back in the Saddle Again...

I'm back!

It was a great, peaceful Christmas in my house. This year I determined to NOT get my hopes up like I usually do and I quite enjoyed myself.

I spent the first few days in Wisconsin baking cookies (a tradition I started with my mom when I was in college), visited some friends and took pictures of the snow. Then off to the Upper Peninsula (the "U.P." as we Wisconsinites call it) for a few days of skiing. My entire family (dad, brother, sister-in-law, eldest nephew, middle nephew, sister, brother-in-law, youngest nephew, niece) all cram into a chalet near the slopes and ski away. It was great. Good snow, no family fights and good food (thanks to BEST sister-in-law EVER) along with TONS of laughs, including the middle nephew doing his rendition of "If I Were I a Rich Man" from The Fiddler on the Roof.

I love you, family. God has blessed me so!

Enjoy these pictures of my white Christmas....

NOTE: All pictures were taken out in my dad's back yard.