Flickr Inspiration

Autumn Colors by Indy Kethdy via Flickr.

Rainy Week-end

Rain, rain, wind, thunderstorms, rain. That's what's up in my neck of the woods--how about you? Hope you've got plans for a glorious weekend!

Fun photo by potatobeenz on Flickr--love it.

Secret Stairs

I watch PBS--known here in Oregon as OPB. One of my favorites is Oregon Field Guide (Thursdays, 8:30 PM), which covers stories of all things outdoors in Oregon.



The latest episode took me into the Oregon forests, underground in the Oregon Caves, and right here in town to explore the public stairways of Portland.



I was delighted--but not too surprised--to learn that we have 180 public stairways in and around Portland! Back in the early days of our city--pre-automobiles, in the era of the streetcars--Portlander's that lived in our hills (and we have plenty), built the stairways and used them daily to commute to their jobs in the city below.



Today, the stairways are considered hidden gems of our town. Urban hikers love them for a workout. Local historian, Laura Foster, is researching the history of the stairs to write a book. I plan to check that out when it's published later this year.



You can view the stairways portion of the Oregon Field Guide episode at the OPB website.

Images - various photographers on Flickr (not all in Portland).

Flickr Fave: New York City, USA

Taxi light in colors, Times Square @ New York City, USA, originally uploaded by °Doudou°.

My friend, Marty, is headed to The Big Apple tomorrow--here's hoping she has a fantastic trip! No, I've haven't been yet. Yes, it's on my list. People to see, places to go, things to do.

Signs of spring

Outside our door and fresh from my camera lens - sure signs of spring.

Have a happy weekend, Readers!

Banner photo credit: © Apt 3 Photography, 2009 - Chris Pfeiffer

Flickr Faves: Fleeting Color

Fleeting Color, originally uploaded by Ar'alani.

In a hurry today. I finished my movie poster project for art class {you can view it on my apt3design blog} after 3 redesigns. Two blog updates. Now I'm off to catch the bus for class at 2:00 PM.

Sharing some Oregon fall color with you today...enjoy!

Flickr Faves: Relaxed Atmosphere

Image via miki**'s photostream on Flickr.

The corner

The corner, originally uploaded by Stox - Ideas Playground.

Have a relaxing late-summer Sunday evening, my friends. Until next week...

My Backyard: Garibaldi, Oregon

We visited our friends, Mike and June, in Garibaldi, Oregon last weekend. The gals went vintage hunting--yard sales, thrift shops, junk shops and antique stores. The guys spent Sunday on a fishing charter and brought us back some fresh Coho salmon--yum! We consumed great clam chowder, slept with a window open to the sound of the ocean, and were spellbound by a family of cranes flying over the bay in the evening.

Hope we get to go back soon...

Images 1 & 3-6 via Flickr, Image 2 via Pfeiffer Photos.

New pastures, new passions

Dear Friends, (those we know and those who are have just discovered us)

SHOP CLOSING
After much consideration Chris and I have decided to close our photography shop--Pfeiffer Photos--on Etsy at the end of August. The sales haven't been coming for some time, and our promotion level has dropped due to pursuits of other projects so it's on to other pastures and passions for now. We're still taking photos--no loss of interest there--and we'll keep sharing them on Flickr so check our our gallery over there and become a contact so we can enjoy your photos, too!

Pfeiffer Photos has been a good adventure for us and we value all the nice people we've met through Etsy and beyond. Our photography has improved much, we've learned a lot about running a small business, and most all of we've made some great friends--on Etsy, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and especially through the Pfeiffer Photos blog.

We're still answering Etsy convos (until end of Aug), and email inquiries (click the icon in the right margin of this blog) so don't hesitate to drop us a note.

CLOSING SHOP SALE: Receive 50% off on select 4x6 prints and cards...visit our sale section in the Etsy Shop for all the details.

Our photo note cards are now available only upon request. Please send us a message with the title of the image and quantity you desire and we'll create a custom listing for you on Etsy through the end of August 09. After that, please view our images and send requests through our Flickr Gallery or via email link on this blog.

FLICKR
Our Flickr Gallery will stay alive after the shop closes as it holds MANY MORE images and almost all of them can be made into prints or cards upon request.

BLOG
The Pfeiffer Photos blog has morphed so much since originally started and has become about so much more than just photography! The blog adventure will continue after our shop is closed. I'm still here...the posts have been fewer just because I'm on a bit of a hiatus to enjoy some summer activities before I start school again in the fall.

MY VINTAGE ADVENTURE
And, last, but not least, please visit my Etsy vintage shop--forrestina vintage--the place where I'm spending more of my energy these days. You can also connect with forrestina vintage on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and via the vintage blog which has turned out to be lots of fun for me to create (and has a nice little following at 87 and counting!)

On a more personal note...

We're heading off for the beach this weekend for some fishing, thrifting and clam chowder with friends. And, yes, we'll be taking our cameras so check the Flickr gallery for new photos soon!

Have a super weekend, my friends!

Image copyright Pfeiffer Photos, 2009.

Flickr Faves: The Polaroid House

An abandoned house turned into a Polaroid installation art exhibit. Yes, it is cool. No, it no longer exists.

To see the full series of photos from the house visit ~KIM~'s Flickr stream HERE.

Flickr Faves: James M - Polaroids from Sydney NSW, Australia

These lovelies were all taken with a Polaroid camera. No, I'm not kidding. Oh, yes, I know. Amazing! Visit the stream HERE.

Artist Profile: Amber Coppings of am textiles

Tell us a bit about yourself name, location, the personal stuff.

My full name is Amber Dawn Coppings. Currently, I am located in Pittsburgh, PA which is really just a small town in a mid-size city atmosphere. My yard is connected to a big green space that is host to deer, owls, woodpeckers and a lot of bunnies.

Apart from creating art, what do you do?

I am the Education Coordinator for Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society. We have a School of Folk Music and also develop Outreach programs that provide music education for children.

What first made you want to become an artist?

My mom always encouraged creativity, so I sewed, crocheted and made pretty pictures when I was young. However, it wasn’t until I was a senior in high school and took a sculpture class that I realized that making art was something I could not live without. From then on, I have pursued art-making and a career in the arts relentlessly.

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.

My main passion is to create three dimensional textures with cloth using sewing, or fabric dyeing techniques called Shibori. Shibori is a general term for hundreds of different Japanese fabric dyeing traditions that use objects to create design on cloth. Think tie-dye times 12 using wood and clamps, sewing techniques and whole lot of patience. While traveling in Japan, I saw many examples of contemporary shibori where the artist left the three dimensional texture of the objects used to dye the fabric in the cloth, though the objects themselves were taken out of the fabric. I was hooked. I started experimenting and I have since created several lines of work that celebrates Dimensional Cloth. Amtextiles and its signature Silk Organza Bubble Wraps use marbles, bicycle parts, vintage buttons and other objects to create ethereal and dimensional art-to-wear. My other line is Xmittens--fleece and recycled fabric accessories that have unusually sewn 3D thread ridges.

As often as possible, I translate these shibori and dimensional cloth techniques into non-wearable art as well. Currently, I am working on a Textile Art Installation for the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh. The Mattress Factory is world-renowned for its focus on art installation as an art form. I am really honored to have been invited to create a piece! The working title is “Echoes of Objects”. I am creating silk organza “camouflage” panels (hand-dyed and sewn) that will be strung all over the space. Each panel has a series of shapes embedded within the fabric that were created using donated objects such as old toys, broken wrenches, remote controls that don’t work, things that we keep around that have no purpose and we don’t really see anymore. In a sense, they are camouflaged by all the stuff we have in our lives.

To help me create texture, I have a fancy serger (for silks and jersey), an industrial serger (for fleece) and a regular sewing machine. It can become a sweatshop in here in summertime as I get ready for the holidays! My fabric dyeing studio is in the basement, or sometimes I go outside to dye fabrics. I love color very much and it is great to see the beautiful dye colors unfold themselves in the buckets. I use low impact fiber reactive dyes that are non-toxic and create vibrant, permanent colors on the fabric. As I stir the dye bath buckets, I feel very connected to previous cultures that considered creating color on fabric an art form and necessary for their civilization.

My day job is part time and flexible (thank goodness) so I do get 3-4 days a week in my studio. My studio days go something like this: Wake up-computer time-putter around and make lists-make dye baths-go outside-sew-sew-sew-wash and hang fabric to dry- pet the cat and eat- repeat.

What artists have influenced you and inspire you to create?

Yoshiko Wada is a huge influence for me. She almost single-handedly brought back the shibori Japanese art form from near extinction. She has written many informative books that inspired me to start my journey with Japanese shibori dyeing and cloth manipulation methods.

Where else can we find your work and connect with you online?

The best places online are am textiles, and xmittens. For stories and documentation of my artistic process visit my blog, and I am on Flickr. If you are in the Pittsburgh area, visit the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Shop and/or Patricia’s Boutique in Apsinwall. I travel around and sell my work at shows, so definitely check my blog to see what is coming up!

Images copyright am textiles, copyright 2009.

Flickr Faves: Sweet Sweet Life

Found on the very inspiring and colorful Flickr stream of Sweet Sweet Life. Doesn't she have a fun home decor style? :)

Images copyright Sweet Sweet Life, 2009.

Trivia: Disneylandia Minutiae Sempler Absurda Giveaway

It's no secret to my regular readership that I'm a fan of Disney and especially the history of Disney films and Disneyland. This week I came across a book that I forgot I own, Magic Quizdom: Disneylandia Minutiae Sempler Absurda by Kevin Yee and Jason Schultz--aka: Disneyland Trivia!

The book is divided into sections by each 'land' within Disneyland, and then separated further by the level of difficulty of the questions. I thought it might be fun to make this an occasional feature for those of you among us that are also lover's of the land that Uncle Walt built.

Answer the questions below by leaving a comment. Contest is open until next Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 11:00 A.M. The person who answers the most questions correctly will win a set of our note cards featuring random images from Disneyland photographed by yours truly!

Let's give it a go, shall we? Since the first area you encounter upon entry to Disneyland is Main Street, U.S.A., we'll start there as well...

MAIN STREET, U.S.A.

1. Main Street, U.S.A. is based on Walt's hometown. What is that often-mentioned town?

a. Marceline, Missouri

b. Manchester, Missouri

c. Marionville, Missouri

d. Marquand, Missouri

2. What is the largest shop at Disneyland?

a. Disneyana

b. Disney Showcase

c. Disney Clothiers

d. Emporium

3. What is the name of the statue in the middle of the Central Plaza at the hub of Disneyland near the end of Main Street?

a. Friends

b. Companions

c. Soulmates

d. Partners

e. Walt

f. Mickey

4. Approximately how long is the Disneyland Railroad track?

a. 0.5 miles

b. 1.5 miles

c. 2.5 miles

d. 3.5 miles

e. 4.5 miles

f. 5.5 miles

5. What kind of music plays on Main Street?

a. Showtunes and jazz

b. Country and western

c. Ragtime and showtunes

d. Swing and jazz

e. Mambo and new age

f. Salsa and swing

6. Which corporate sponsors on Main Street have been there since the Park opening? (hint: there are only 2)

Have fun and thanks for playing along!

Images 1-4 and 6 via Flickr - Joe Penniston aka Disney Joe, 2009. Image 5 - Pfeiffer Photos, 2008-2009.