Polaroid day 20

Colour contrasts can be used to great effect. This simple photo of a red bucket against a green lawn, works mainly because of the contrast set up by the clash of the two colours. As a result it is eye catching in a way a photo of a green bucket on the lawn would not (but that’s a different story for another day.)

The polaroid project is now finished, at least in the time being. I plan another sometime later this year; in the meantime I will add a photography section and post any photos I take which I find interesting or worth sharing.

Polaroid day 19

Animals often make fascinating subjects for photographs. I find it interesting the way animals and humans have learned to co-exist together. Cats in particular have that ability to get themselves into situations that can appear comical (perhaps its because they are so agile).

Here’s a portrait of puss on a car bonnet – it’s almost like she owns it!

Polaroid day 18

Its not necessarily immediately apparent what this is, however most people would after a while recognise it to be a screen door. The background is less obvious though. Is it the screen or a frosted glass window? Because the photo was taken at night, with no light outside it is harder to work this out.

Photos taken at night have a special quality to them that you don’t find with daytime photos (which have their own special qualities). I like exploring the dimensions of after-dark and just seeing what happens. Sometimes things appear a little scary, but most of the time there is a real beauty to be discovered and enjoyed for what it is.

Polaroid 17

I have always enjoyed growing cacti and succulents; I like their shapes, colours, wonderful flowers and I have to say their easy care nature (they don’t complain if you forget to water them for a few weeks). For some of these reasons they often make good subjects for photographs. Their strange forms can look visually interesting and can give the picture a hot climate desert feel, if thats what you want.

I took these ones with a flash at night. To me the dark background makes the plants stand out and almost gives them an other-worldly feel.

Early influences

Like most people my family are a major influence on who I am. Art and creativity are an important past time of many of my close relatives – particularly from my parents generation. Above is a range of paintings on display around my home – all were completed by close relatives, including:

My grandparents. I am particularly impressed by the painting my grandmother did (displayed beneath her). My grandfather was not nearly so good a painter as her – which apparently used to annoy him!

My Aunt (now in her early 90’s) continues to paint today. She still attends a Friday group of friends who paint, which she thoroughly enjoys. My Uncle (on the right) also paints (and is also very much alive), however I do not have any of his work in my collection. My father (on the left) passed away some 12 years ago. He wasn’t that interested in the arts but enjoyed supporting my mother in her interests:

My mum was very keen on the arts. She would often take me to concerts, shows, gallery openings etc. – these were hugely influential on me. Our family home was also full of paintings, Nelson pottery, books and music. Although she had very bad health for most of her adult years, her love of music and the arts helped get her through the difficult times.

This is me as a teenager (aged around 14) somewhere in Rotorua. At that time music was a big influence. I enjoyed singing in the school choir and I also sang in a church choir up until that time. During my primary school years I sang in school productions (which I loved) and was a member of the Wellington Junior Choir for 3 or 4 years.

I became interested in photography when I turned 15 (largely due to the influence of a school friend who had his own dark room). I remember the magic of developing my own films and seeing the image appear in the developer solution under the darkroom red light. The first time I saw that hooked me. I saved up and brought my own camera and later on set up a darkroom under the stairs in our family home. I would spend hours in there developing films and pictures (mainly black and white – I gave colour a try without much success). Above is a small selection of photographs I took up in Algies Bay, near Warkworth. These were all taken years before digital cameras were even thought of.

Around that time I became the official school photographer and worked for the school magazine. Above is a selection of mug shots I took of that years year 13 (7th form) leavers. Its interesting to think of what they are doing now – there are a number of CEO’s, lawyers, a psychiatrist, accountants, farmers etc from that group!

In my late teens I became a clown! I initially became involved through a church group, but later broadened my clowning to include a wide range of situations. I had great fun being a clown and kept going until my early 30’s. In the end I gave up because I found the make-up a drag to get off (even with foundation!) I became quite good at my clowning and was paid for a number of my gigs. I clowned at numerous Christmas parades, kids parties, supermarket openings, church fairs etc.

The above includes a brief introduction into my early influences and what led me to pursue my art and enroll in an art course. Of course the story continues – in a future post I may well update the story and talk about the next period of my life.

Collage two: Maraenui crusher

Jenkins, W. (2013). Maraenui crusher. Photoshop collage.

Here’s my second collage work. This one is more overtly political and is my response to the housing situation in Maraenui. I like the power that collage has to make political statements about what is happening in the world. Of course it helps if the viewer is aware of the situation, however hopefully a picture like this will inspire a person to find out. If that happens, then I have done my job.

Walking home

Jenkins, W. (2013). Video.

“Walking home” is basically a little vid about observation. When you walk home do you notice the leaves on the ground? Do you notice their colours, shapes and texture?

The everyday things we take for granted can still be full of wonder. Greeting the cat, getting the mail, sitting down after a long day.. are things most people do everyday. Yet, these simple little acts are often the very things that make life tolerable.

Polaroid day 16

I like ambiguous objects. Is this an underwater scene (have I taken up deep sea diving?) or is it something I found around the house. I’ll leave it to you to decide.

The object is slightly out of focus – if anything this helps deepens the sense of mystery.

Objects which are not immediately obvious, are often the ones that engage the viewers attention. Of course, they can be off-putting, however more often that not, the viewer will linger just that little bit longer. I like it when that happens.

Polaroid day 15

Domestic views and objects are a common theme for many artists. A shower, while an everyday experience for most, has the ability to evoke a wide range of emotions. For most a shower is a place of ritual and bathing. For a small minority it is a place of terror. Psycho has definately made shower time a little more interesting for some… watch out for those knives!

Polaroid day 14

I personally find shadows a wonderful photographic opportunity. There are times when they are really annoying – especially when they fall over your subjects face – fill in flash anybody?

However they can also be used to give structure, strength and tone to a photograph. Sometimes colour photos need this – black and white photos almost seem to have this inherant characteristice without even trying. This photo is pretty simple and is basically a study of light and shade. I couldn’t help including puss to give it a bit more visual interest. Have you noticed – she is a study in light and shade too!