Tuesday, February 21, 2006

A Self-centered Post :)

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear...uh...me me (get it? Mimi? Ha ha ho ho to the funny farm I go), happy birthday to meeeeeeeeeeee!

Oh yeah? You want to know how old I am? Well, as my mother would say, "I'm celebrating the tenth anniversary of my twenty-ninth birthday." Hmmmm, let's see...ten plus uh, twenty-nine is...thirty-nine! Yeah.



So, for my little ol' birthday post I thought I'd treat you to a bunch of self-portraits I've done over the years...well, most are from my college years (1986-1990) but I might put in one or two from recent times. Ya never know. Most of my self-portraits were assignments from teachers. I think it was the thing they thought would challenge students or something. (My major was Art, if you couldn't have guessed...I ended up with a BA in Art from San Jose State University in 1990.) Anyway, I had those same assignments from photography, drawing and paper-making.


Okay, this one was photography. I enjoyed the shadow effect on this one...made it rather sensual. Woowie.

Next is a series thing from 1988...I was really deep back then, you know, artsy-fartsy. Now that I have kids, I have to wait until after ten to become all surreal or impressionistic...heh, thought I'd throw out some big words and impress you ( I probably spelled them wrong, knowing me, and now you are laughing instead of feeling impressed). So, here is the deal about this series. In art school, the stranger or more creative you are, the better the grade. I'm not kidding...one time I hated the drawing I was doing, knew it would get a C or less...so, I took it, threw it on the floor and started to stomp on it with my shoes...it made a cool pattern. Next thing I know, the teacher is praising my creativity. So there ya go. Oh, back to the show...The first is a mask. Like the saying, "We all wear masks." Well, this mask you can see (gee, it is made out of foil...but let's just not think about that)...



So, the next picture shows me wearing the mask.



Now, I'm gonna rip it off...



After removing the mask, I feel vulnerable...revealed...scared. What will the world think of me without my mask?



Man, I was skinny back then...oh, hello, I was just thinking back. What's funny is that back then I thought I was fat. Sheesh. Okay, what's next. Oh, here is a charcoal drawing from a life drawing class...must have been around 1987...



It is pretty basic when it comes to creativity...I didn't use my feet or anything. So, ya want to know what I got for a grade? Here it is...It was taped to the back of the drawing. Not too bad for a first project...

Okay, here is a paper-making project that I mixed with photography and dark-room magic...I poured the developer on by hand to make it all strange looking. Don't know why my scanner scanned it so green...it should be cream colored paper and a black and white photo. Oh well.


Last is a drawing that I did for my F.A.I.R.I.E.S. book...I used myself in the mirror but made me look younger. The scene is underwater. I cannot really explain what is happening because you really have to read the book to understand...let's just say that she is getting the air out. No, it is not out of the nether-regions...it is out of her ears. I used charcoal and the computer to make it.


So, now everyone can recognize me if they pass me on the street...well, you'll have to add about 15 years onto them but, hey! You can do it! Hope you all enjoyed my tribute to myself. Heh. I had fun at least. ;-P

25 comments:

Bonnie S. Calhoun said...

That mask was cool...and funny you should say you felt fat back then...so did I and I just got out a picture of me this weekend, from back then because we were joking about big afros...the teens said, "You were a babe! What happened?"

Wonderful children..I shall let all of them live another day...

You were a babe too! Oh, Happy Day, Oh, Happy Day...Birthday that is!

WannabeMe said...

Happy Birthday! Enjoy your last year in the 30's!!!

Anonymous said...

HAPPY HAPPY Birthday!! :)

have a great day
janice

Photography said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.

Be assured of my constant prayers for you and your intentions. Take care and God bless.

jeff

Kat said...

Happy birthday!! What great self-portraits. You have quite a talent and you were a babe :)

Kimber said...

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday dear Hungarian Friend of mine!! Happy Birthday to you!!!

Love the pictures...especially like your drawing ;)

Hope you have an AWESOME day and a GREAT GREAT YEAR!! And hey, this could be the year your book get's published - WHHHAAAWHOOO!!

Blessings dear friend!

Ciera said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I love the second photo...how'd you do that??

Cinder said...

Happy Birthday! Hope you had a very good birthday...very good pictures, I liked them!

Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

God bless you more! mwah! =)

David Meigs said...

Hacky Burpday 2 U

Denise McDonald said...

Happy Happy Birthday - sorry I am so late -

cube said...

Happy belated Birthday...

Liked the pictures, but I woundn't have wanted to run into you in a dark alley while you were wearing that aluminum mask. Yikes!

Nick Zegarac said...

WOW! Your photos are amazing. Happy belated birthday. The way I figure it, you've earned the right to turn one day of celebration into your own private Mardi Gras.

Anonymous said...

Nick's right, these photos are amazing - texture rich and unique to the core. I join with the others in wishing you Happy Birthday!

An Ordinary Christian said...

Thank you for sharing all that. I enjoy sites that let me get to know the creator, like yours. I enjoy your comments on mysite a lot and I enjoy praying for the things you mentioned.

Bonnie S. Calhoun said...

It's your e-mail thats all weird...they keep coming back that they can't be delivered yet.

Rulan said...

Happy birthday. Not getting older, just getting closer to home.

Trinity13 said...

Happy Birthday to you Mimi!!!!! Have any special plans?

Ballpoint Wren said...

Mimi, that is so funny, such wonderful explanations for those photos. Your personality really shines through!

And why is it that we think we are fat when we're young and skinny?

Happy belated birthday, dear Mimi.

M. C. Pearson said...

Bonnie C.~ The mask was fun to do. It is so sad that we all think we were so fat when we were young...hindsight is 20/20!

Dana~ Oh, rub it in! ;)

Janice~ Hey! Welcome, I've seen you over at Curm's blog. You need to get a blog so I can visit you!

Jeff~ Thanks bud. God Bless you too!

Kat~ A babe eh? Hot mama! Hee hee...maybe I'm just a mama now. :D

Kimber~ Thanks Hungarian twin. Funny how my major was in Drawing and Painting but I took about 4 photography classes.

Cierra~ Thanks! I like that second one too. I set it up with a tripod and used a timer and an attachment on the trigger that allowed me time to get set up. I took many different shots that day...this one was framed just right. Hard to do by yourself!

Cinder~ Thanks! I did!

Lisa S.~ Right back at ya. I love your profile pick...that victorian house. You did a post about it once, didn't you?

Pia~ Thanks, dear friend. You are such a blessing.

Curm~ Thurk yurk Burpy Morouch.

Dennie~ Thanks! I've been celebrating all week...you are just fashionably late!

Cube~ The mask hides my true identity of Captain Janeway don't you know?

Nick~ Thanks! I love your photos and poems. So beautiful.

Aurora~ Coming from you, that means a lot! As with Nick, you have a gorgeous blog full of inspiration.

An Ordinary Christian~ You too! I'm still praying for your son!

Bonnie~ I hate my computer!!!

Rulan~ Ah, thanks! That's pretty!

Trinity~ I wanted to blog about it but my computer hates me almost as much as I hate it. I cannot get into my blog right now! Grrr! Anyway, I went and saw the new Pink Panther and laughed my buttocks off! We also went out to eat at the Olive Garden in Hickory. *Sigh* What fun!

Bonnie Wren~ Thanks! It is so strange about the thin/fat thing. Man, I wish I could rewind and enjoy my thinness! I'll be posting more of my art/photography soon...I had a blast remembering those projects!

audrey` said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

God bless you!

Mindy Tarquini said...

Wow. And happy birthday!

cube said...

Janeway! Well, I like you more already ;-)

M. C. Pearson said...

Audrey~ Thanks!

M.G.~ Ah, shucks.

Cube~ Yeah I like your Borg reference (The Blog and Cube!) Hee hee. Gotta love a fellow Trekkie!

Saija said...

so now that i have highspeed, it is so much easier to visit my blog buds ...:o)

belated b.day greetings ... mine was on the 18th ... time flies ... but our lives are so short compared to eternity!

(hugs)