Happy Birthday, Indira!

This is another tree done in pastel (no time-lapse video this time). A few differences.. There is only one tree. In my previous drawing, I did four frames and in took Forever. This time, though, I was able to focus on one of them. This tree is also larger than the other four I've done. Also, last time I used oil pastels, this time I used soft pastels. If you are wondering the difference, think about drawing with Crayons vs. drawing with chalk (Crayons = oil, chalk = soft)

This is my first time working with this medium. The light blue color blended very easily with your finger, but the darker/harder the colors the more difficult they were to blend. Another issue that I've run into with pastels, both soft and oil, is that they come in sets. Sure, you can buy big fancy large fold out sets, but I'm a poor college student and am stuck with what Walmart decides to sell. Therefore, I am lacking in having a large selection of colors. I wish the tree could have been more shades of green rather than brown and yellow, but it is how I had to make it work. My preference is oil, btw. I like materials that feel real in your hand; something that smears and is thick. I definitely can see myself using the soft pastels later, though. There's a lot of untapped potential with them.

But! It is okay because this is actually a birthday present for my friend Indira, who most know as Desiree. I told her I would do a tree for, so here it is! Happy Birthday! :)

And a few details:

The styling is a tad more rough than what I'd wanted, but with the overall process of making it this is just how it came to be. I will begin practicing soon on more shading and softly applying mediums

A few revisions_Elderly Man

 Now that I have splurged out most of my favorite photos that I took from the Dominican Republic, I may go back to some of them such as this one and finish the job. Yes, several of them have already been edited, but most of that editing was done rather quickly. Confession timee: I suck at completing work. I love getting a start to lots of things and roughing it in, but whenever it comes to finishing a piece and getting really meticulous, I fail. Here's to making an attempt to change that. Below are a few edits of an old man that I was able to capture while down there.

Black and White Vs. Color

Both have really interesting characteristics to me; their own "vibe", so to speak. And yes, each with its own flaws, as well. B&W, for instance, has a great feeling and strong emotion- the blacks and darks weigh really heavily. The color photo seems really... real. Perhaps the colors are too vivid for the mood?

Cropped.

This one is growing on me. I've applied a warm filter which does a few things. #1- it lightens the mood. It's not as spooky. #2- the highlights and shadows balance more. We're not being blinded by the glare off the face nor are we being drudged down by such dark shadows.

The framing changes things. I'm still trying to figure out how I like it.  :)

Cropped and Black and White.

This one interests me. I do love the hard contrast between the black and white which almost causes contours to develop in all the aging of the face. Features of the face tend to stand out. When I look at it, I feel more analytical. As if I am studying him. I'm not so concerned about why he is aged like so or what caused him to become that way as much as I am interested in the shapes of the face. The eye, ear, and cheek are each very crisp. The hair like white wool.

Feel free to let me know what you think of any of these via phone, facebook, or comment. I'm interested in other people's feedback!

Slavery? Almost.

I feel as though coworkers will enjoy this more than most others, but for those who are fortunate enough to not have to work at Papa John's, this is how the founder, John Schnatter is made to look to his peons.. oops. I mean, employees.

Apple 1

I'm actually not a big fan of how this turned out, but whatever. To understand how this came to into being, though, you've got to be aware of what I was using. My desk area is slowly turning into a Frankenstein of random art materials, paper..mediums..camera stuff. But, the first thing I grabbed is the orange charcoal-esque stuff as well as the black charcoal. Then I grabbed for a graphite pencil and even used a little bit of white charcoal. All in all it ended up gray and bleh.

Perhaps I will try another more realistic one tomorrow

A tip of the hat

to Josh Evans for getting me to do something else tonight. My last week or so I've not had any time to do anything due to Summer class and work, BUT, that class is now over. and I don't work every day of the week, so there's no excuse. I did a kind of quick charcoal drawing earlier- I didn't spend too much time on it, so I'm pleased with the final product. I'm aware everything isn't quite proportionate and that it's definitely a rough draft, but it was nice to actually do something again!

A change in subject.

 So, I was asked a favor by childhood neighbor, Mrs. Beth, who runs a local organization, Paws and Claws, dedicated to helping animals. Recently they've picked up some strays and asked me to take pictures of them to help them sell. I dunno if the pics will help much, but I had a blast trying to make models out of creatures that have no idea the concept of a photograph. Ha. Here's a few of the results- the only ones that I gave to Mrs. Beth were all in color.

:) I like this one.

Drama much?

I feel like they should all be playing poker.

How can you say no to that face? You should buy him. =)

I feel as if maybe I'll draw one of these sometime soon. Hmmm....

Don't forget the children.. I never will

Okay, now that I've slowly exhausted pictures of the Dominican Republic, I'm going to change course back to normal stuff again. Considering I still have several photos that I haven't even had time to touch, I'm sure that they will show up again, but here's a couple more of the children. I hope my camera has done this experience justice. Don't forget that if you click on the image, you get the full size view of it.

And I guess this could be a plug-in. If you want prints of any of these, let me know,

This little boy was awesome. He had a washer on a string and would just hold the string loose then pop it and watch the plastic washer continue to spin.

She was so shy..

There were TONS of kids dragging these branches across this big field. I asked what they were doing and the only answer I could understand was, "playing!"

Band pic? ha.

Spanish Presentation ..presented in Spanish..

This is a video presentation that I had to do for Spanish II.
Scene 1--
I'm explaining what telenovelas are and comparing them to soap operas. I also explain that there are 2 important aspects of them, music and drama. Such as:

Scene 2--
Both parts, of course done by me, are 2 people having a dispute. One guy, the angry one, was having dinner with his girlfriend and guy #2, Raul, came up to them and started talking to her. "That's a problem with me- that's no good. Now, it's a problem with you, too"

Scene 3--
A recap of the importance of music and drama. And the insertion of 1 more key element- Romance. "Love here, and here, and there, and way over there in All of the characters". The theme of romance is demonstrated heavily in:

Scene 4:
A really cheesey and improved love poem.
Translation:
Your love is enough to make my heart stop.
I love you. Like a fat guy likes roast beef.

Scene 5:
Just a conclusion. "Yes, telenovelas do have a style that is a bit.. Strange. But it's okay, because they are only for entertainment"

FIN

The last scene is a blooper (which I had many of)- it was the first time I was trying to deliver my talk, but I got really paranoid because Mexicans were outside and live next door.

The end of a long day...

Perhaps Not

Falling.
Falling?
No.
Floating.
Yes.

Boom.

República Dominicana

My experience written (by me) in Spanish for class. Words are as much of an art as any. Translation is below it.. Que Bueno!

Joshua Gale
Myron Avila
SP 1002 – Composition 1 (FINAL)
20 de Julio del 2010

República Dominicana

Era sólo yo. El avió aterrizó y el momento de la verdad llegó, el tiempo que mis padres estuvieron preocupados más que nada más por todo el viaje. No se me ocurrió a mí que, seguro, posiblemente es un poco loco—el hecho de que estoy volando a otro país para cncontrarme con una persona a quien yo no había conocido en el pasado; y yo sólo hablé con él través de la Internet. “Gracias por su vuelo con Delta! Pueden salir del avión e ir a su destino” Mis manos y pies se movieron correctamente—agarré mis mochilla y mi almohada, sali del avión, caminé delante de los otros esadounidenses confundidos que estuvieron en las colas para el baño, seguí caminando con seguridad, y recibí un jarjet a de turismo. Mi mente, sin embargo, etuvó pensando en el hecho de que tenía que encontrar a alguien que (se suponía) debía buscarme. La máquina utilizada para el equipaje se movió como pasajeros nerviosos, yo tambi´n, esperé el equipaje y recé para que no me lo robaran.
Por ultimo, caminé alrededor de una esquina parecía que mil ojos me miraban. Caminé más o menos diez pasos cuándo escuché, “Josh! Mi hermano!” Mi atención se dirigió a donde escuche la voz. “Chaggy!” yo dijé (en ingles), “I am SO glad to see you!” Había encontrado la persona que buscaba. Después de una viaje largo de cuatro horas, que, por cierto, incluyeron coches, autobuses y motocicletas, llegué a las casa donde viviría durante dos semanas. “Bienvenido a la República Dominicana! Esamos aquí!” No voy a decir que no me sentía asustado, o que mi repiración coró pero era gradable estar “en casa”. Había llegado a mi desino y yo que era un alivio.
La historia de mi llegada en resumen fue Buena. No sentí inseguridad pore star sólo, me excitó porque estaba en otro país, algo vital para mi corazaón y me experiencia de viaje a la Repúplica Dominicana. Mi objetivo era usar mi céamara para tomar fotos y tener un experiencia nueva con Dios en un diferente lugar… y un diferente idioma. Porque fui sólo, mi experiencia fue diferente de todas mis otros llegadas en el pasado, en todo el mundo. Fue nada más una sensación de seguridad con un grupo o mi familia. Estando sin otras personas conmigo, aprendí. Ahora comprendo la palabra “vulnerable” diferemente. Por primera vez en mi vida en otros países, sentí necesidad de cambiar—nootro personas. Esto es diferente a lo que conozco. Mi ego grande se hizo más pequeño y pude ver coss que no pude en el pasado. No fuí un turístico o un analista, sino otra persona del mundo, un amigo. Esta es la vida de ellos—aun si quisieran muchas personas no pueden cambiarla.
Yo tuve muchos trabajos cuándo fue allí. Yo trabajé con diferentes grupos de diferentes estados en lo Estados Unidos para los ciudadanos del país. Hice un piso para una iglesia en mi semana primera, y en mi segunda semana, ayudé a alimentar a la gente pobre en los pueblos de haití. Cuándo estuve en Haití, hice muchos trabajos. Pero mi favorito fue cuándo necesité usar mi cåmara para tomar fotos. A los niños les enantan las fotos. Quiero poner estas fotos en un galleria un día, per no sé cuándo. Aprendí cómo jugar béisbol don un tapa de botella y un palo—no bases necesarias. No pensé la última vez en esto en los Ustados Unidos! Tambien yo ayudé a muchos a ver porque les dimos gafas a personas que no pueden ver.

___________

Annnd.... The English Translation:

Joshua Gale

Myron Avila

SP 1002 – Composition 1 (Draft)

11 de Julio del 2010

República Dominicana

I was alone. The plane was landing and the moment of truth was slowly approaching, the time that my parents were more worried about than any other of my whole trip. It had not occurred to me that, sure, this might be a little bazaar- this whole flying to another country thing to meet up with a contact whom my only contact had been very limited conversations via the internet. “Thank you for flying with Delta! You may now leave the plane to move toward your destination.” My hands and feet were going through the motions- I grabbed my backpack and pillow, exited the plane, walked past all the other confused Americans who were backing up lines to the restroom in the airport, continued through customs, and received a card only tourists need (awesome.). My mind, though, it was focused on the fact that after I grab my luggage, I’d have to sort through a crowd of people and find the one that was (supposed to be) looking for me. The luggage belt churned as nervous passengers, including myself, wait for it to dispense his or her luggage and pray no one else steals it. Good- it’s there. I see it, I think.

Finally, I wheeled my luggage around a corner to see what felt like a thousand eyes looking at me. I walk about 10 steps before I hear, “Josh! My brother!” My attention darted to my right where the voice came from. “Chaggy!” I said. “I am SO glad to see you!” I met my contact. After a long four hour ride, which, by the way, included riding in taxis, buses, and dirtbikes, I arrived at the mission house where I would be staying for the next two weeks. “Welcome to the Dominican Republic! We are here!” I am not going to say that my breathing slowed very much and that my mind was no longer acute, but I can say that it felt nice. I made it to my destination and that was a relief.

I feel as if the story of my arrival into the country sums up the rest of my trip well. The uncertainty of what was next, insecurity of being alone, and thrill of being in another country are each vital parts of how I felt while in the Dominican Republic. My mission was to use my camera and take pictures of what I could and experience my God in a new way and different place… and in a different language.

Because I was there by myself, my experience was different than that of any other trip I have previously taken, particularly one out of the country. My sense of security with a group and friends or family was removed. Things change whenever you are the only person who can back you up, I found out. Vulnerability takes on a new meaning. I, for one of the first times in my foreign country experiences, felt as if I were the one who needed to conform according to their culture instead of the other way around. My swollen ego began to shrink and I was able to see their communities not as an analyst or a tourist, but as a fellow world citizen. These are their lives- most could not change if they wanted.

My job was that of many occupations when I was down there. I went with other American groups to the villages and communities- the first week I helped with concrete and helped tile a floor. My second week I worked in really poor villages called a bateys where refuge Haitians work all day with sugar cane for a miniscule amounts of money. While in the bateys, I did many things. My inner art major surfaced and I took many photographs that I hope can be exhibited some day in the United States. I played with kids and learned how to play baseball with a top of a jug and a stick- no bases necessary. I also gave out food to the families and assisted a group with equipping people with eye glasses who could not see.

            When I came home, many people, especially those from work, asked how my vacation was and I explained the work that I accomplished there as well as how beautiful the beaches were and other funny stories. They replied, “Why that is no vacation at all!” To some, maybe lots, they were right. Sure, I did not do lots of relaxing and sun bathing, but I feel that this vacation away from the hustle and bustle of the United States and that this vacation from work and school is the best I have ever had.

Some audio.. what?

I work with a guy named Dee who listens to rap and I told him that I could make a rap song if I tried, so in order to prove it, I've got till the 2nd week in August to come up with something- This project will be easy.

Here's part of the intro- TERRIBLE sound quality because it was recorded on my phone

It's just a draft, so it probably won't end up anything like this, but whatevs!




There's more of it that's not uploading for some reason.. I'll just deal with it tomorrow

And another experiment that was done yesterday, I ended up scrapping it because it started to sound like garbage, and the singing wasn't forreal. I threw it on there at the last part so you could see what I was eventually going to do. I'll do another, better one, later.



I've also been developing a website for an online portfolio of mine.

My blog has not been updated recently, but I promise I've been working!

One more to go: It came out okay :/ -- I'm pretty sure this was filmed around 2am.. =]

You and Me from Joshua Gale on Vimeo.

Confused as to whether to desaturate this or not, but eh, I like it both ways so this'll work. :)

This little boy was flying a kite for as long as I can remember visiting one day.

In fact, this was the kite..

 

 

No image or edit of these 2 could do it justice...

I told you they'd be back.

A wonderful woman.

Granny.

"Blow us a kiss!"

There were so many good ones, but these just happened to be the ones I chose. I know, you don't have to tell me. She's pretty much awesome.

Oh boy.. You're in for a treat..

So, this blog was and still is dedicated to my exploration and documentation of all the aspects of my camera among other things.. One great thing about the d90 (for me) is that it incorporates a video camera. =]

Of course, before any real recording can be done, the sound quality must be tested.. thus, this post.

I really can play the guitar better than this.. and more than 4 chords.. and can sing better.... oh, whatever- judge me if you want. This is me. :)
..totally improved, btw. ..and just ignore my butt sticking in front of the camera for the first 10 seconds. I couldn't find my pick...


Testing..Testing..Is this thing on? from Joshua Gale on Vimeo.

Lyrics (I just transcribed everything I said):

I don't know if you can hear me... or if you can see me

This is my
Soundtest
I just wanted to see
If the camera can hear me and the guitar
At the same time
To see.. How the quality would be

This is my
Talking portion
As if I were
Really really Serious. and I'm
Talking about my song- that's so important
And there's a big meaning behind it

..

Did you you like the pause there?
Yeah, that's where I would noramlly go into a song.

Btw, I'm not very good at guitar.

Mr. Camera,
You make me kind of nervous
Sitting there
Just looking at me
Mr. Camera

Nikon, that's what you are
Nikon, you make me happy
Nikon, Nikon.. It's just kind of fun to say

I'm going to talk some more about
How seriuos my song is
And about my camera that makes me kind of nervous

Mr. Camera,
This is my test.
This is my test.
This is my test.

I hope you like it

This is me not letting the song die
Because I'm finishing it out with a touching story
Something that meant something to me
Or how much I love my camera
This guitar is kind of cool,
It's my Mom's- Thanks Mom!
..That's how a lot of people end things

okay, it's really ending now.

----end

I will be posting more pictures from the D.R. but figured I take a short break from them

Later! ..if you'll still be my friend

A little of the environment..

Okay, okay. I'll hold off on the portraits a little- I did take photos other than those, after all.. The first of these is where I stayed!

I'm trying to think of when I last grilled like this. Oh, wait.. never.

Portraits..portraits..portraits!

I'm aware this last one is kind of out of place considering the age, but I just love it- and the simple story behind it. I was walking with the kids through the community taking pictures when I came across this man sitting down. I asked if I could take his photo and he got up and began to walk away (towards his house). I was scared I'd offended him but the kids all started looking at me saying pee-peh, peep-A.  I was confused and looked back up to see this man standing in his doorway- he had gone to get a pipe to pose for a picture.