Show Opening on Friday!

Yes, it's true, I'm faculty now, no longer a grad.

The First of April

There are several inches of heavy wet snow on the ground and I just put in motion my first real April Fools Joke! It involved an altered photograph from 2001 that was scanned on a flat bed scanner...



and twenty-one computers.

It is the "Crazy Steve Dodging Tool" from the CVA darkroom. It was made long ago when Steve was still a student and of course his photo is at the end of a wire so it is an actual dodging tool! Steve, a college professor now, teaches a class in the same computer lab right before I do. I put that picture on the desktop of every single computer in his classroom.

I will never have a chance like this again! And based what he puts on his athletic blog, and that he knows his students read it, I think the results will be well taken. This is also a good test to see if he reads my blog! Hi Steve!

World Traveler

There are the peach rings, solid coated, processed, artificially flavored sugar. Sometime during my travels they became my official traveling food. So, since I've recently become the world traveler I thought it appropriate.


In October I went to China with the other wonderful photo grads/friends from the art department here at the University. There we all are on Nanjing road in Shanghai above. It was fabulous. We all had photographs showing in AnJi (as small town about a 4-hour drive away from Shanghai) at their Bamboo Photo Festival. Then we made our way to Beijing where we presented our work at the Beijing Film Academy. It was good fun and a priceless experience.

My next travel, 2 weeks after returning from China was to Flint, Michigan. A bit less exotic.... well much less exotic. I went with two other fabulous grads/friends (Sarah and Andrew) from the department to go to the Society for Photographic Education (SPE) Midewst Conference. I was speaking as well as well as Sarah, and we got to see Edward Burtynsky speak which was fabulous! We met up with some other photographers from the cities and had a good time, despite the fact that we were in Flint

Now, soon I'm off to Tuscon to visit some friends.

And all during my graduate thesis year... I've been busy!

More Adventures with Making Photographs

I was on my way home from a cabin up north; I of course, had my Victoria Jean look-alike with me (as the real Victoria Jean's bellows are still being repaired), and was pulling over from time-to-time to make a photograph if something struck my fancy.

As I was driving along 95 (north western MN, in the middle-of-no-where) some ambulances and police cars zoomed past me, sirens blaring and I could see an accident about 1/2 mile up the road. At this point I noticed a row of lawn chairs lined up near the end of a driveway with an upholstered couch and chair lined up next to them. My bonus is that they were in front of a pink trailer home... beautiful. So I figured I'd let the accident clear, turned around and parked near the end of the driveway and whipped out my tripod and 4x5. I positioned myself at the side of the driveway, near the road so I was technically still on public property. I had been there maybe 5 minutes setting up the shot when a woman came up to me, sounding agitated saying, "What are you doing taking a picture of my house!"... Then she got distracted as a helicopter flew overhead to the accident just down the road where the emergency vehicle lights could be seen quite well. The woman's tone in her voice changed to curiosity and she continued, "What's going on down there? Did you come from that direction? What happened?"

I waited as she looked down the road as the helicopter landed. When she turned back towards me I shook her hand and told her my name and that "I'm a student at the University of Minnesota and I'm actually taking a picture of the lawn chairs at the end of your driveway, not your house. I thought that if I was in the ditch it would be okay, but if you'd rather I not take the picture I'll leave."

Still slightly distracted from the accident down the road she absent-mindedly said, "Oh, no, that's okay."

I said thanks and she walked into the house while her husband stood on the other side of their yard and watched the accident until I left. I made one exposure... it's not as good as I hoped, but the story is priceless.



On the down side when I was done taking the picture the road I was trying to drive home on was completely shut down because of the accident. I found a way around it and still got back to the U in time to teach class, but found out later four people had died in that accident. Alas.

Excessive?

I recently acquired 2 new e-mail addresses in the last few weeks bringing up my total of e-mails to six. Why do I need so may? Well I have one for work, choudk@cva.edu; one for the U, houd0015@umn.edu; 2 hotmail addresses, one personal, one for business; then I recently set up, caroline@carolinehoudek.com; then someone suggested I get a gmail address because then I can have all my carolinehoudek.com mail forwarded to it and I can reply to it as if from carolinehoudek.com.

So much, so complicated!

And, if you’re wondering I do have a placeholder up at www.carolinehoudek.com. If you’d like to comment you can see the under construction site that the U is hosting. I’d love feedback before it’s published for real. And beware, all the links do not work yet, yet being the key word!

Bananas and Cheese

I had final critique in my class at the U a few weeks ago. We all brought food and had dinner before talking about art. At the beginning of every class I take attendance by asking a silly question that we go around the room and answer. One day the question was, “What is your favorite exotic fruit?”

There were a variety of answers, I remember star fruit was a popular one, and then someone said bananas. I asked if he ever wrapped cheese around his banana when he ate it. The whole class looked at me like I was crazy, so for the final critique I brought bananas and cheese.

No one touched the bananas or cheese until I ate one in front of everyone. You know, just wrap the slice of cheese around the banana as you eat it. It’s good… really! I think I picked it up from “Mr. Rogers” years and years ago. After I demonstrated a few people tried it, but no one seemed to really like it. Am I crazy?

How strange is it...

Earlier this week, in the beginning photography class I teach at the U, I had individual conferences with each of my students about their final projects. One of the students came ready to go with sketches and ideas galore! I was impressed. Anyway, one of the sketches involved an idea that he started in an earlier assignment with a shadow on the wall of someone holding their hands as if it was a bird. Then he was going to have a dead bird on a table underneath that shadow. Along with the idea he mentioned that he had no idea where he would get a dead bird. Me, well I said that my parents happen to have a dead bird in their freezer that I could possibly aquire for him if he wanted it. He was actually pretty interested, but a little weirded out at the same time.

Is that strange? That someone would have a dead bird in their freezer that is?

My mom found it outside about a week ago and put it in the freezer hoping to give it to the nature center near by so they could study it, dissect it, stuff it, or do whatever with it. Otherwise, someday it will get buried in the woods, or used for a photo project. We'll see what happens...

What Time is it?

I've always been fascinated by daylight savings time. Why change the time and what happens in that magical hour when the clocks change and it's either the same hour all over again or an hour is gone. Perhaps it's like flying over the international date line, but I've never done that so can't say for sure. Anyway, today, for the first time I experienced it first hand. I was working away on the computer the clock skipped the 2:00 hour and went right to 3:00! Strange, and makes me feel bad because that means I'm still at the studio at 3 in the morning rather than just 2!

Snow!

"The Buried Snowman"

So much snow lately! On Tuesday I had the pleasure of listening (for hours) to the loud revving engine and the annoying backing up beep of a huge CAT that was removing a massive pile of snow right behind my studio. Driving down the freeway I also see dump trucks full of the white (or not so white) frozen water. The idea of moving one pile of snow to another place just blows me away. It may be necessary to prevent massive water when it melts, but it still seems unnecessary to move something so bigthat is just going to melt and disappear in a month or two.

Also, today CVA, the college where I work, closed at noon and the
U of M, the college I go to, closed at 2:30. Then I got a call from my supervisor at CVA that they are closed tomorrow as well. Nothing like snow days… too bad I’m working away at the studio anyway!

The HORROR!

Thinking that I have two more weeks before classes start up again, checking and realizing I only have one. ONE!

Onto the Next Task

So I survived yet another semester with yet another grueling month of final projects, paper, anthropology, etc. So now I have time to pay attention to my next task, Christmas shopping! I make many of my presents, but some I must buy, and thank goodness for extra-long store hours because I still tend to leave my studio after 8 or 9 o'clock. But I digress...

Last night I was Christmas shopping, and finding all sorts of things I needed. I bought a sweater, socks, a picture frame, all for me and only found one thing for someone else. I haven't been shopping period in so long I do need stuff, but I feel guilty, suppose to be shopping for other people. Does anyone else have that problem too, or perhaps it's just me?

Problems ehh? :-) Anyway, Merry Christmas!



And if you didn't get this card in the mail and would like to be on my Christmas card mailing list in the future just e-mail me your address, and be sure to tell me if it changes too!

The Bane of my Existence

It's anthropology... rather the excessively long paper I have to write that is due in 5 days. Working title:

On the Mantelshelf: Material Culture Prominently Displayed in the Home.

So far, very much in progress, but determination will get me through this! And you ask shouldn't I be working on it right now? Well even in the most desperate of times everyone needs a little more procrastination time!

The Story of Nicoel

If you weren't at the U's open studio night in November, this may seem rather strange to you, but here it is anyway!



The history of Wales before the Roman invasion is shrouded in mystery. From the depths of our research we have found that there was a mass invasion of Celts around 435 BC. Only recently have we discovered the cause of this migration. It seems there was a warlord named Narco pursuing the Celts. This warlord desired to rule so badly he even made a pact with the unseen. The demon who answered his call was known as the soul stealer and possessed the unfortunate warlord. The reign of Narcoel (as he was then known) was a brutal time of oppression for the people of Wales, for as armies fought against Narcoel, each fallen warrior would arise as a Zombie. Narcoel truly was a soul-stealer. Finally, the tribes of Scotland, Britain, and Ireland launched an attack on this demon. Through overwhelming force they drove his armies to the brink of the sea. Their druids then bound the soul-stealer into the structure of Woodhenge. This structure held the demon for over two millennia until an unsuspecting tourist knocked over the last remaining pillar, freeing the beast. Fortunately, the tourist’s companion snapped a picture at the same instant, so instead of being released into the world, the soul stealer was trapped in a Nikon camera. This camera was sold to an unsuspecting student in a master's program, Caroline. When she took her first picture with it, it stole her models soul. This led her to a mental break, allowing the demon to possess her partially. Luckily, her three guardian spirits keep part of her sane and allow her to spend her days studying works of art. Unfortunately during the night…the demon, Nicoel, rebuilds her army of the undead.



Story by Tim W.
Drawings by Stacey Holloway

Fortune from the Cookie

"Determination will get you through this."

This is my new theme until the end of the semester!

Orientated

Yes, I am almost officially done getting orientated! Being that I work at an institution of higher learning, AKA the College of Visual Arts, and go to an institution of higher learning, AKA the U of M, the week before school starts is packed full of orientation. Actually work hasn’t been so bad at work being that I am merely a lowly support staff (although I know the darkroom would fall apart without me… well at least the color processor would) there were several orientations and a staff meeting I didn’t need to attend.

The U, on the other hand, I am a prestigious grad, and the amount of meetings I need to attend is ridiculous! Meeting on Monday, meeting on Tuesday, 2 meetings on Wednesday, and a meeting on Thursday! Argh! I’m playing the game of going to work, then the U and back to work, tomorrow it will be that plus back to the U at the end. At least I will theoretically be properly orientated for the new school year!

And so it Begins...

So, I have a busy life, grad school, teaching, work, make art, have a social life... you know. So in an effort to release some of my randomness I have started this blog (and I wanted to post on a friend's blog site and couldn't figure out how to do it without signing up for a blog myself). So here we go. These posts won't be profound, sorry I try to save those thoughts for grad school, and they may be far between, but I'm sure they will be amusing and random...