I'm always just a little bit nervous about adding to a series of art that I did all at once some time in the past. What if my technique has changed? What if I can't remember the nuances of it? What if my paint has aged?

I created my series of James Wedding Art (aptly named) for the wedding of Roxanne and Comet James. The couple selected places that were important to the two of them, and each of these places became a travel-poster-style table marker at their wedding.

For their third anniversary, Roxanne wanted one more piece, commemorating the wedding itself.

In classic unpredictable Portland September weather style (just yesterday it was 90°, and today it's cold, gray, and thunderstormy), the wonderful wedding idea of lawn games in a city park was... altered... by the dismal drizzle.

Fortunately, the wedding colors (and wedding guests) could not have been cheerier. The couple had selected bright red, orange, green, and blue as their hues, with each member of the wedding party adorned in one of the colors. Quick fix for the ceremony in the rain: matching umbrellas!

The reception was held in a picnic shelter, with bright, colorful flowers, decorations, candles, and lights. Though the day was gray outside the shelter, inside had all the warmth and friendliness required for the happy occasion.

The end product is quite effective, I think.

Wondering what I did to "gloom up" the areas outside the shelter? I added a thin wash of black paint. Works every time (by every time, I mean I tried it this once, and I'm glad it worked...)

I sent Roxanne a tiny, zoomed in peek at some of the paper lanterns, but I'm not letting her see the final product until she gives it to Comet on their anniversary (it's already framed and wrapped); it will be a surprise for both of them.

I'll post this after they've both seen it.
(Wedding photography by Jasmine VanDemarr)

I love how the setting sun shines through the waves, making them look green, even when the rest of the ocean is decidedly blue. Although, judging by the colors in the other photographs taken that day, the colors were all over the map that evening.

This little gull was only in the splash zone occasionally, and otherwise had the rock to himself for some last-minute sunbathing.

A little bit late in posting about this year's projects, and though this particular project has zero process shots, the final works are already in digital form.

The project once again revolved around culture, and each student's individual cultural elements. Each student was asked to bring in an object of cultural significance to their family. The students were not allowed to bring something in simply because it represented an activity they personally enjoyed; it must be something that other members of their family or culture would recognize as significant.

Once an object was chosen and approved, the next step was photographing the object. The key concept in both photography and studying culture is, "What you see depends on where you stand."

Each object was photographed by the students from  4 different perspectives, most often focusing  closer and closer on the details of the object.

Students learned about depth of field, composition, and contrast, as well as how to focus a camera and manipulate a tripod.

The original plan for the photographs was to print them onto transparencies and adhere them to plexiglass, to be hung where light and background objects could show through them—what you see depends on where you stand...

Many installation complications arose, however, and the final projects are displayed with no transparency apparent. They were successfully adhered to the plexiglass, so though they are not transparent, the final result is strikingly vibrant photography displayed in the 6th grade classroom pod.