S.R. Wild: Artist and Graphic Designer

I lost My Virginity

I finally did it, my silkscreening hymen was popped this evening. They say you always remember your first time, so I wanted my first silkscreen print to be of someone special: Magpie.

The image of her is a photograph I took that I manipulated in Photoshop and then printed on faux vellum. Having never done anything like this before, I wasn’t sure how well it would work, but it did. The entire process went very well considering it was my first time — I can only get better at it form here on out. I really love silkscreening. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I forgot I’ve been awake since 7 o’clock yesterday.

Speaking of sleep, I really need to get some — I can barley keep my eyes open.

Good night everyone.

Messing with My Mug

While I was setting up my computer, I was surprised to see my face on it when I made my user account. There’s a camera built into the monitor for doing video chat or some such nonsense. There are also effects that are entertaining, especially with sleep deprivation.

I doubt I’ll ever use it. Hell, I stopped using regular ol’ chat awhile ago — I type too slow and I don’t pay attention to it. Maybe I’ll set it up as a webcam and people can watch me sit in front of a computer. Wouldn’t that be exciting?

iExcited

It’s Sales Tax Independence Days here in the lovely state of Vermont that I now call home. Since it’s the perfect time to make a large purchase, I finally did something I’ve been thinking about doing for quite awhile: I purchased a new Mac, a 20in 2.4GHz iMac to be specific. Being the geek that I am, I’m absolutely thrilled about. And, to sound even geekier and provide further evidence that I need to get out more, it looks rather sexy (my camera batteries are dead, so no photos right now)

Not only is there no sales tax this weekend, Small Dog, where I purchased my lovely new iMac, has some great deals. I maxed out the RAM to 4GB (a must for working with Photoshop), which qualified me for $50 off, free installation, and a free printer/scanner. I also got Applecare (like most things, computers don’t have problems until they’re out of warranty) and an external 320GB FireWire hard drive (losing everything, as I once did, really sucks).

A computer is the most important tool for what I do, so having a reliable machine is paramount — speed helps too. My current machine, Fritz, frequently crashes; it’s almost impossible to work on and I’ve lost a lot of work. I haven’t been able to do a lot of things at home: take on graphic design projects (freelance and pro bono); learn Flash; experiment with animation; work on large photographs and digital collages; and so much more. My new iMac will pay for itself in no time.

As you’ve probably guessed, I’m going to be up late tonight setting up my new machine. First, I have to set up a scratch disk (another must for working with Photoshop), which means partitioning the hard drive and then reinstalling the OS. Then, I need install all of my software and move all of my files over from my old machine. After all that, I can start using it!

While I’m waiting, I always name my computers, so I need to come up with a good name. My previous two Macs were named after my favorite directors, Alfred Hitchcock and Frtiz Lang. I have other favorite directors, but none of their names seem fitting. I’m thinking of naming it Rotwang, after the mad scientist in Metropolis, but I’m open to suggestions.

We Hate Hot

Magpie hates hot weather too. She’s been lying on her back (not very lady like) all night and only gets up to move if I move to another room. I wish I had one of those evil air conditioners.

Learning Silkscreening

I’m taking a silkscreen printing class at Burlington City Arts and I’m very excited about it. I’ve always wanted to learn how to do it, I just never had the chance. I’ve tried signing up for this class numerous times, but it always filled up.

The best part is I have access to the printmaking studio during the week. I plan to take advantage of it as much as I can. And not just for silkscreening; there is also letterpress equipment, so I can experiment with all that wood type I have.

One thing I miss about being in school is having access to equipment. But, the cool thing about silkscreening is you don’t need a huge press or a lot of equipment to do simple short runs. If I get into it, and I know I will, I’m going to set up something simple at home.

Not only will I be learning something new, I’ll also get out of my cave and be around other people — those are all very good things. If it weren’t for work and junk hunting adventures, I probably wouldn’t see anyone for days or weeks at a time (like when I was unemployed) — not good for someone like me. I’ll probably still have a small nervous breakdown at some point, like the (not so small) one earlier this year, but maybe I can put it off until next year.

With this class and a few other projects, the next six weeks will be fun and busy. Needless to say, I probably won’t be blogging much. I haven’t been blogging much as it is, so that means I hardly will. But, I talk to most of you on a regular basis anyway. If I don’t, maybe you should do something about that.

More Metropolis

Good news for all you Metropolis fans out there, most of the original cut has been found (the original ZEITmagazin article, if you speak German). It hasn’t been seen as Fritz Lang intended since its original release and the missing scenes were thought to have been lost forever. It’s just a deteriorated 16mm copy of the original 35mm film, but it’s better than nothing.

I would imagine yet another version of the film is going to be re-re-re-released that includes these newly discovered scenes. The version I currently have (my third so far) has blank areas where the missing scenes would have been and subtitles describing what happens based on the original script. It’s long as it is and with these new scenes it’ll be even longer.

In celebration of this rare discovery I’m going watch Metropolis tonight. If anyone wants to join me and possibly Magpie (she likes black & white movies), feel free to stop by.

These deteriorated images are really striking on their own.

Cassatt and Other Old Things

I went to the Shelburne Museum today, mainly to see the Mary Cassatt exhibit. Impressionism and portraiture isn’t my cup of tea, but there were plenty of other old things that tickled my fancy, like the old medical implements and the print shop.

Ah yes, it was lovely day for wandering around and looking at old things.

Many of the exhibits are in low light and the museum doesn’t permit tripods, so I wasn’t able to photograph a lot of things I wanted to.

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