Look What I Found at the Orange County Fair!

The Road Through Bodie, photograph by Jennifer Geisert - that's me!

I entered the Orange County Fair again this year, and I won a second place for my photograph "The Road Through Bodie"! Yeeeeaaahhh!!!!

Bodie is a really amazing ghost town in northern California that's now a state park kept in "arrested decay." I first visited it when I was about 13 or 14, and the landscape has always stayed with me. When I started using the TTV photography technique, I thought it would be perfectly suited to capture images of Bodie, and I had the opportunity to do just that last October. (My family is great for putting up with my photo-obsessiveness!) What I love about the viewfinder images is that current images are made to look old - there's just something about the twist of perception that I'm really drawn to.

So, if you're in Orange County, check out the visual arts section at the OC Fair! There are some really fabulous photographs, and you might just find something you can't live without. And, if you get the chance, visit Bodie and see how great it is for yourself!

Artwork, aka Please Don't Steal My Car

I'm usually really bad at letting people know that I have artwork on view while the show is still going on, but hey, I'm slightly better than normal this evening. SO! If you're in southern California, go see the Orange County Fair and find my artwork! It's on until August 12th, so you still have a little time to check this out:



The Writer



Lighter Than Air - I won an honorable mention!

 The photograph is in the Non-Traditional Color prints section, and the fabric collage is in the Professional Graphics (??) section. (I give two "??" because the thought of me doing anything graphics related is somewhat rediculous.) Lighter Than Air was at the Scenes of Tustin exhibition at Chemers Gallery earlier in the year. You'd think I really knew how to quilt, wouldn't you?

In other news, I kitted my car out with a MasterLock (same thing as The Club, except not bright red). My neighbor's car got broken into last night, and since the only thing of value in my car is my car itself, I'd rather it not be stollen, thank you very much. I'll probably forget I've gotten one, get in my car tomorrow to go to work, and go "OMG, what the hell?? Oh yeah..." Seriously though....please don't steal my car.

Catching Up

Remember way back when, when I told you I had some news about the OC Fair? Well, I was bad and never followed that one up. I'm only human.

So even though it seems like the fair is loooong gone, and you've no chance to see it in person*, here's my news:

The Greenhouse, copyright Jennifer Geisert

My photo won a blue ribbon! Hooray!!
Judging this year must have been tremendously difficult. Over 4,000 photographs were entered, and only about 900 or so were selected for exhibition. Of those 900 photos they were split into Amateur and Professional, and from there they were split even further into classes and categories. Among this years judges were Jeff Alu, assistant director at the Orance County Center for Contemporary Art, Susan Spiritus of the Susan Spiritus Gallery of Fine Art Photography, and several professional photographers and educators.

I'm particularly fond of the piece I entered as it shows my friend Eleanor's back garden in London. Obviously it makes me think of the evening I took the picture this past May, when I stayed with her for a few days and we ate our dinner outside in the sunset, but it also reminds me of all the times I've spent with her. We'd get together most Sundays for coffee and cakes at our favorite local place, Cafe Mozart (sadly it's no longer there), and sometimes we'd take her dog Ruggles for walks on Hampstead Heath and end up at the Bull and Last pub. We've had BBQs in her garden and celebrated Guy Fawkes day with bonfires and fireworks with friends and family.

Amazing how just one image can stir so many memories, isn't it?

*Even though you can't see this anywhere in person at the moment, you can see it on my website. Hope you enjoy!

A Sneak Peek at my Day Off

Wednesday provided a much-needed break for me. I haven't had time to edit the photos yet, but here's just a little look at what I did on my day off...



Masks

Oh, and PS, stay tuned for a little piece of news about my photo entry at the Orange County Fair!

Happy Friday to All!

What are they deep-frying this year?

Baby Chickens

It's that time of year again, when Costa Mesa begins to smell of BBQ and weird deep-fried food, when carnival rides and funhouses are errected seemingly overnight, when we start to dream of cotton candy and Alaskan pig races and baby chickens and pies that are just right. You guessed it, it's time for the Orange County Fair!



Strange Dancing Animals

I've always loved the fair. When I was younger I loved going to look at the animals raised by the local 4H programs (okay, I still love doing that) and seeing what sorts of weird stuff people collected (still love doing that too). When I got to be a little older, like a teenager, I used to go with my friends to play carnival games and ride the rides. (Some boys always thought it was HILARIOUS to rock the cart of the Ferris wheel. NOT funny.) Now as a "grown up," I love to look at the artwork that local ametur and professional artists submit. I've even joined in the fun and submitted works myself!


The Greenhouse, copyright Jennifer Geisert

 This year my entry into the photography section is another TTV picture. It's the lovely greenhouse in Eleanor's back garden in north London with the late afternoon sun shining over the pond. Don't you just want to sit and rest here awhile?

I also entered these photos into the fair, but they weren't accepted. Oh well, there's always next year and other photo exhibitions!

Country Walk, copyright Jennifer Geisert

Stately, copyright Jennifer Geisert

What do you like about your local county fair? 

Playing Catch-Up

I've been bad. I haven't posted in quite awhile.

Here's what you missed:

Etsy Samples

1. Samples from the CCCOE Team arrived - YAY! It was like Christmas in my mailbox.

Silver Lining - Sold!

2. I had two photos in a local exhibition and am so thrilled to say that one of them sold and the other was accepted into the Orange County Fair!

Sketchbook Project - Study

3. I signed up to participate in The Sketchbook Project and have been a lean, mean, creating machine ever since.

Mawi

4. My family was faced with the difficult decision to let go of our cat, Mawi. We lost a little light in the world, and I've been finding it quite difficult to come to terms with.

5. I've been re-discovering my love for yoga.

LA Arboretum

6. I finally discovered what the LA Arboretum is all about. If you don't know yet, go. Now.

San Francisco

7. My husband and I are about to leave on a much-needed 3 day trip to San Francisco. I can't get the thought of all that yummy food and artwork out of my head.

I'll try to be better from now on...