Workshop space...

Big enough physical space in the darkrrom to accomindate 5 to 10 people working at the same time...with a seperate room for talking/showing prints/etc. The size of the workshop therefore depends on the facilities. Five or 6 participants is a nice manageable size, but I have had twice that number.

The sink... preferably in the center of the room, big enough to have up to 10 people gather around it on all sides. If along the wall, long enough to have 6 people standing along it. Adaquate temperature control would be nice -- up to 120F (but I have used tea kettles and microwaves to heat water for workshops).

The more counter space the better. The ability to set up a make-shift fume hood would be nice (so we would not have to breathe acetone). A lot of the carbon process can take place in the light, so a seperate room with tables can be used if darkroom space is limited.

A couple UV light sources -- including access to the sun would be nice. I usually haul one or two with me, so I can make-do without any others. UV units made of BL tubes generally are not good for carbon printing (the diffuse light gives un-sharp prints).

Space to dry prints -- clothes line or drying screens.

That's about it. Doing a week-end workshop in Newport would be fun. The participants would not be able to make their own carbon tissue for use during the workshop (takes a couple days to dry), but they would be able to go home with prints they made, using carbon tissue I make before the workshop.

Vaughn

OK, I'm getting jazzed! On November 11, I'm marching myself down to the Art Center and pitching photo workshops in Newport. (The date is the soonest the VAC is open after my current work deadline.) Vaughn, Robert, and anyone else interested, if you think it would help close the sale, maybe you could send something for me to show. I/We might as well try to be semi-professional about the thing. At this stage no one is making any commitments. For all I know, there are plans to turn the old darkroom into a glass or papermaking studio (the two biggies around here - at least until Newport replaces Carmel as the West Coast photography center ).

Cheers and Happy Photo'ing.

You go girl! What do you wish from me? I can send or drop names of photographers who have expressed an interest. I can send you prints and so forth.

Denise...things are a bit crazy right now, but before the 10th, I will get a PDF to you with a proposed week-end Carbon Printing Workshop to present to the new director. Any thing else I could do?

Vaughn

Robert and Vaughn:

Thank you! I've got a bit of crazy going on right now, too. But, I'll turn the 'idle corner' of my brain over to planning what I guess is essentially a sales pitch. I'll let you know my thoughts when it gets closer to the 11th. And, please, share anything that occurs to you.

(Everyone else here. This is an open party. Please feel free to contribute any words of wisdom.)

d

I can also send you some ideas for workshops. Right now, I'm working with John Wimberley on his "Sight and In-sight" workshop. He's done this one twice in Seattle and once in Portland. It's very interesting and John is a great instructor and photographer.

I have list of places looking for or doing a call for artist including photography. This is for mostly Oregon areas but if you are interested? PM me and I'll send you a copy of what's what.

Robert,
Thanks. I'll email you this coming weekend and we can exchange ideas about workshops.
Good Week to you,
d

I have an exhibit of sorts going on at a place called "Bourgeois Z." It's a coffee shop / gallery / antique shop on Division near 112th. It's where the blues bar Hoppers used to be. They gave me a whole wall. It's in Portland, in case you were wondering. Thanks!
--Gary

Congrats on the show, Gary -- wish I could drop by to see it, but unfortunately there is 80 miles of California and the whole state of Oregon between us!

Vaughn

PPF is having its meeting tomorrow. Our speaker will be either both or one of the makers of the "Wild Beauty" book and show at the Portland Art Museum.
Should be a great lecture and book signing.
7pm at Wilson High, Teachers lounge

It's ok, Suzanne. But could you repost it back here again? I included it in this section because Jens Jensen wanted to work with Oregon and Washington photographers.

Thanksgiving is three days away and I want to wish all you Pacific Northwest folks the best. I plan to get out of the house on Turkey day and do some photography. I don't care for most sports on the TV. One time, I went out in the backwoods and heard some Pop/zings sounds above me. I packed up my camera not wanting to be someone's accident.

Robert,

Didn't go shooting on Thursday. Been laid up with a sprained foot (again), so I didn't go anywhere. Yesterday, I heard some pops and zings from the neighboring properties. Usually, when you hear the zing, the bullets are really close. So, ya did the right thing.

-J

I managed to burn a few sheets of 8x10 over the holidays -- a couple images in the Alabama Hills (near Lone Pine, CA on Hwy 395) and a couple portraits of my parents (86 yrs old -- using the 21" element of a Turner Reich 12-21-28). Now I need to find the time to develop them, as well as make some platinum prints and make a batch of carbon tissue.

Happy holidays! Vaughn

You guys who manage to get out and photo over the holidays are an inspiration. I always seem to get bogged down. I vow to try harder

Vaughn, I really hope you bring the portraits of your parents to our next get-together. The prints you made of your sons in the redwoods are the most beautiful environmental portraits I've ever seen.

Denise

Thanks, Denise. We'll see about the portraits of my parents -- they are just head & shoulder portraits...experiments, really, since I have no real experience doing them. Hopefully my parents will be visiting my family during the Christmas holidays and I can re-photograph them if needed. But thank you very much for creating a spark of an idea. I have not thought of photographing my parents in a similar fashion as I do my boys...though I do not think I can get my 86 year old folks too far into the redwoods (well, my mom could, but my dad is pretty well bent over with arthritis in his back). My Aunt (also in her 80's) will be with them, so we'll see what I can do with this spark!

I drove my boys down to SoCal for the holiday and we camped a couple nights on the eastside of the Sierras on the way down. If I had been by myself, I may not have never made it down there -- so much wonderful light! It was a 1000 mile drive, so not a bunch of time to set up the 8x10. We returned up the coast -- and no time to photograph (except with the Diana camera!)

Here are two images I did while in So. Oregon over the Thanksgiving holiday. I have one more to share but I'm running out of time today.

Denise, Robert, et al; Good Morning!

Denise, I hope the efforts with the new Director in Newport are progressing. If he needs any indication of the suitability of the Newport Visual Arts Center for a photographer's gathering place, we need only point to the 2008 September 14-15 event you guys promoted as a demonstration of what can happen. Almost all of the seats in the classroom had a photographer's body in them. I remind you both of the number of people who expressed interest, but also had conflicts with that weekend. If it had been made known earlier, who knows? I do think that the motel and hotel hosting people appreciated our patronage on a weekend after Labor Day. Are we enough people to justify the VAC darkroom? I do not know. I can say that if I had known that it was there when we were there, I would have asked to see it. If it is available when we have another gathering there, and I bring the Sinar F1 again, it would be really nice to have a place to dunk the exposed film sheets. I can also say that I did support and I enjoyed the gathering we had in September. I also need to get a copy of the brewery restaurant photographs to both you and Robert.

Robert, please keep the announcements of the PPF gatherings coming to the group site. I do get down to Portland fairly frequently, and I would like to attend one of the meetings that may occur when I am down there. And, there are many other photographers in the Portland area that I have met on forums very much like this one. Learning of other local photographer's gatherings in other cities here in the Pacific Northwest would also be nice.

Enjoy; Ralph Javins

I just noticed something:

Is the clock associated with this group forum still running on Pacific Daylight Savings Time? The time recorded for the posting of my message is an hour later than what my clocks are saying here in Latte Land.

Enjoy; Ralph Javins

Robert,
Your images are lovely.

Ralph,
There still isn't a new Director. A person had been hired, but something came up in her life before she could take the job, and I believe a search is back on. But, Director or no, I'll be making a presentation to the Board at their January meeting. The people I've talked with think it's a great idea and that there shouldn't be any problems, but with the Holidays and the rudder issue, it's just been a bit slower than anticipated. I'll keep you informed! Thanks for asking. And, I'm looking forward to seeing your Rogue portraits. It was a great weekend.

Cheers,
Denise

Good morning, Denise;

OK, there are lots of things in life that do not turn out the way that we thought they would.

Would you like a cheering section to be there to support you when you make your presentation to the Board? If it is during the week, I could try to be there also, again, if you would like a cheering squad with you. Weekends are now difficult for me with the obligation of Ski Patrol duties.

Besides, there is a kite in the shop in Newport that I might entice to come live with me. (Oh, it is such a curse to be afflicted with multiple addictions!)

Enjoy; Ralph Javins

Denise,
Does that person need to live in Newport to be the Director? I know that you are a busy artist but maybe you should apply? A passionate person is what is always needed to get things done and I think you are pretty passionate about the arts and of photography.

Ralph,
Thanks for the offer of support! I'll keep you up-to-date on the progress. Good luck with the Ski Patrol. Definitely don't break a leg.

Robert,
Yikes! Such a thought! Thank you for the vote of confidence, but I think it will be challenge enough to get going (and hopefully keep going) the VAC darkroom. Have you lined up anyone who's interested in giving workshops in Newport?

Denise

I have spoken with John Wimberley about doing his "Sight and Insight" workshop. Its very popular here and in Washington. I can also see someone about doing costal photography. Basically, once we know that the center is interested I can start the ball rolling.