brave, like looters in a burning town

Set 2 of Self-Portraits of You turned out pretty fantastic. And I've decided to add another level to the project by drawing/painting some of the portraits. Or maybe all of them, who knows.

So far, no one has refused my request, but a few people thought they were funny. haha.

stunning! (& not just because it was taken by my terribly beautiful daughter)

take 1 (pretty/gross)

take 2 (better!)

take 1

take 2 (disembodied head = better)

smiling bartenders make better tips

drunk patrons smile more (holy fingernail, batman!)

breathtaking (in a seedy nightclub kind of way)

creepy (in a Leprechaun meets Planet of the Apes kind of way)

trust me, he's the nicest dork you'll ever meet

two ghosts are better than one (that's my ghost in the background!)

"I don't do drugs. I am drugs." -Salvador Dali

isn't she lovely?

is this like some kind of social experiment or something?

so, you think you're a wise guy, eh?

some faces speak for themselves

even the bar took a picture of itself!

some people prefer to be in front of the camera rather than behind it

Overall, the results were fruitful, if a bit dark. But that's how I like it! And I think you're going to like my interpretation of you.

...

Beginning
Alden Nowlan

From that they found most lovely, most abhorred,
my parents made me: I was born like sound
stroked from the fiddle to become the ward
of tunes played on the bear-trap and the hound.

Not one, but seven entrances they gave
each to the other, and he laid her down
the way the sun comes out. Oh, they were brave,
and then like looters in a burning town.

Their mouths left bruises, starting with the kiss
and ending with the proverb, where they stayed;
never in making was there brighter bliss,
followed by darker shame. Thus I was made.

...

These scattered things

Last night I had this great idea for a social experiment (I just love experiments, don't you!). I handed my camera to a few people & asked them to take a picture of themselves. It's interesting to observe how people react to anything that challenges traditional social norms (picture-taking is fine, so long as it conforms to certain unspoken rules). And self-portraiture says a lot about a person's self-image.

This is the first set of photos in the series I Am a Self-Portrait of You. Unfortunately it was a rather small group of friends, so there are only four portraits. But there will be more to come.

The results:

the first, & my favourite.

can't you at least make it LOOK as if you're having fun?

like her?

and, I don't even know your name.

It was easy to get the first two to take their own picture; I know them both quite well & they are used to my eccentricities. The third girl thought I wanted her to take a picture of me, & was very hesitant about taking one of herself. It took a lot of coaxing. I had to assure her that if she didn't like the picture, I would delete it.

I don't know the fourth girl. She was curious to know why I wanted her to take a picture of herself with my camera. I told her it was an art project/experiment & she was nice enough to humour me. 

...

Self-Portrait
Rainer Maria Rilke

The steadfastness of generations of nobility
shows in the curving lines that form the eyebrows.
And the blue eyes still show traces of childhood fears
and of humility here and there, not of a servant's,
yet of one who serves obediently, and of a woman.
The mouth formed as a mouth, large and accurate,
not given to long phrases, but to express
persuasively what is right. The forehead without guile
and favoring the shadows of quiet downward gazing.

This, as a coherent whole, only casually observed;
never as yet tried in suffering or succeeding,
held together for an enduring fulfillment,
yet so as if for times to come, out of these scattered things,
something serious and lasting were being planned. 

...