For The Love Of Trees…

 

Since my childhood, the natural world has fascinated me. I’d spend my time wandering through the woods near the house, examining every living thing I came across. I had my favorite trees that I loved climbing. I would find a comfy place amongst the branches where I could relax, take in my surroundings, and read and write for hours.

There is something majestic about a tree that has been rooted to the earth overlooking the land for decades upon decades. I’ve searched for ways to photograph trees in a way that properly portrays these majestic sentinels. I’ve found there is something magical that comes from photographing trees at night. The camera’s interpretation of light from the moon in this outdoor studio creates a dramatic effect, which lends to the tree appearing to be on a stage. 

For The Love Of Trees

Seeing Through The ‘Graine

Seeing Through The ‘Graine

I began “Seeing Through The ‘Graine” a number of years ago, but never shared more than a few photos here and there. As my migraines have been taken to a whole new level in recent years, and with the addition of seizures, I have been seeing so many different scary, but often wondrous visual disturbances. There’s a list! —> Auras; teichopsia (a.k.a. scintillating scotoma, fortification spectra); flashing lights (It’s like having someone set off an electronic flash in your face repeatedly for seconds, minutes, or even hours); metamorphopsia (Experienced this since early childhood; parts of my vision distort/warp), neon or metal balls of light that flash on/off or shoot through my vision like a shooting star… This list does go on.

The top photograph is how I see the world when I have an aura/fortification spectra. This visual arc grows until I cannot see anything but that arc made up of a series of neon, glittering, geometric shapes. It then looks like I’m viewing the world through a frosted glass door. As fun as this phase of migraine seems, once the visual leaves, the next phase of migraine is much more painfully unpleasant and can last days, weeks, months, or even years (been there, done that… Don’t recommend it).

I’m finding that creating these images are helping to give me some control over a neurological condition I’ve had absolutely no control over for decades. Grateful for this most cathartic experience!!!

I’ve been exploring ways to depict the objects I see daily within my visions and what I see during the aura phases of the migraines. Crystalline structures and the stars (using long exposures) are the closest I’ve been able to get to depicting how I see the world… Which is with many geometrical colorful shapes and lights that flash through my visions momentarily or stay for hours or have become a permanent part of my vision. Hoping I can continue to create images that accurately depict what I see, because however scary it is to see these things, many of these strange shapes and lights are truly beautiful…

 

Silent Pride… From Museum Without Walls

I am fascinated with the colors in the old wood that have been created by time and the elements. There is a sense of peace that comes with photographing in rural Illinois. Man-made lights are physically painful for me… As a photographer, steering away from man-made lighting can make photography life a bit difficult, but gratefully I’ve faired well with my love of taking long exposures by moon and starlight in rural areas, with the rare use of an external flash (while covering my eyes!) on cloudy, moonless nights.

Silent Pride… From Museum Without Walls

Forever Grateful

Jen Marek Photography (Facebook): A Beautiful Tractor

This beautiful tractor is owned by a man who graciously allowed me to photograph it in his field in the middle of a rainy night… I will be forever grateful.

Woodburned Books and Photo Box… Completed

Jen Marek Photography Museum Without Walls: A Silent Strength Handmade Woodburned Book and Printed Images

Jen Marek Photography Washington, IL: Rebuilding a Community Handmade Woodburned Book and Printed Images

Jen Marek Photography Washington, IL: Rebuilding a Community Handmade Woodburned Photo Box

Jen Marek Photography Washington, IL: Rebuilding a Community Handmade Woodburned Photo Frames

Jen Marek Photography Museum Without Walls and Washington, IL Handmade Woodburned Book and Printed Images

Night’s Rural Stage: A PhotoShelter editor featured one of my Lattice photo boards!

“Night’s Rural Stage” Lattice Board Curated by Jen Marek Photography

I’ve began creating and curating a couple of Lattice boards (A link to my Lattice boardsLink to my Lattice boards) through PhotoShelter. My first board is called Nature Spirits and was chosen today by a PhotoShelter editor as a featured board! This made my morning!! These boards are a fantastic idea on PhotoShelter’s part for helping photographers share their photographs with the world.

 

Woodburned book portfolios… Time to make the beaded clasps!

I thoroughly enjoyed taking out my jewelry tools, wire, and beads for the creation of these photo portfolio books. I chose to do simple wire wrapping with bone beads and shell on the smaller portfolios (approximately a 4×6 cover) with simple stitching on the book spines.

For the 12×12 book covers, I went simple again with the clasps (bone, polished jasper, and Bali silver beads) and the bone beading/stitching along the covers and spines.

I am usually my toughest critic, but I really like how these woodburned portfolio book covers are turning out, thus far! I think they are fitting for the photos that will be going into each of them. ;0)

One step closer to these woodburned pieces of wood becoming a book cover!

Book cover and spine for Washington, IL: Rebuilding a Community; post-sanding and pre-drilling for book assembly.

Holes are drilled for the Washington, IL book cover and spine. Woodburning the drill holes made it easier for me to pass the cord through when assembling the book, and I liked the look!

All of the woodburned areas have been sanded and holes have been drilled… One step closer to these wood pieces becoming a book cover!

Woodburned Books: Coffee Staining Wins!

I needed to find natural methods of staining the book covers, due to man-made versions causing some pretty severe neurological/migraine reactions for me, which I do not care to repeat! So tea and coffee became the top two favorite methods of staining for me! :0)

My first attempt coffee staining the larger book covers (12×12).

The science geek/teacher side of me found experimenting with natural staining methods to be great fun… I played around with which teas and coffees would be best. I found that tea staining was too subtle for what I had in mind. After trying coffee, I was a bit happier with the result, but it still wasn’t quite there. Boiling the coffee grounds lent to a much darker stain and the color of wood that I wanted.

I coffee stained each of the covers for the small books and the two larger ones with three “coats” of coffee, allowing for drying between “coats.” :0) After I was happy with the stain color on the books, I tried the same method on a couple woodburned frames and a portfolio box for Washington, Illinois photographs.

I was on a roll with these! Grateful for my coffee staining science experiment working!

Book covers and spine after woodburning, sanding, and coffee staining. They need one more sanding!

After coffee staining and sanding, I was happy with the result… On to drilling holes and adding hardware!

 

 

 

 

The Beginning: Woodburning Books for Museum Without Walls: A Silent Strength & Washington, IL

I was searching for other ways to present the photographs I’ve taken for Museum Without Walls: A Silent Strength and Washington, Illinois: Rebuilding a Community. I didn’t want to send these photographs out for a company to print and put into a book format. I felt that something created by hand would better represent these photographs. It’s been a little while since I’ve used a woodburner or have done any woodworking, and it felt fantastic combining a number of my passions into the creation of unique handmade woodburned photo books.

After woodburning the book covers, spines, some photo frames, and a photo portfolio box, I used sandpaper to give the woodburned areas a more weathered-look, but I felt each piece still looked too clean and new… I needed to find a way to naturally stain the wood, (maybe tea or coffee), since I cannot be around any kinds of strong chemical products without having a neurological/migraine reaction. Hmmm… Back to the drawing board! Science, woodworking, woodburning, and photography ~ I am loving this! 🙂

Washington, Illinois~ It’s amazing what six months can do!

Twilight on October 11, 2014 in Washington, Illinois… That moment in time captured one small part of Washington, which showed portions of vacant lots, assorted states of new construction, and a few new homes with their families tucked safely inside.

Six months later, the same view looks nothing like what I saw on that evening. The tornado-damaged trees in the photograph are no longer there. The homes under construction in the photograph are now completed, while the empty lots in the foreground now contain a line of new homes nearing their completion and awaiting their families. I’m looking forward to posting these photographs in the near future. It was such a moving experience to see the changes that have occurred in this community since early last winter. I enjoyed conversations with some familiar faces of those I’ve been lucky to run into during many of my visits. I definitely enjoyed talking with a number of new faces too!

I was grateful to get the chance to see my friends, though I wish we had more time to spend together during this visit! I did have a grand time photographing my friend’s daughter removing fallen trees with their tractor. It was pretty awesome to see her do this and to get the chance to photograph her!

Washington, IL: Rebuilding a Community

Hello all…

Here’s a link to a collection of the images I included in the book…

Link: Washington, Il: Rebuilding a Community

If you want to read more about the book, you could filter through prior posts, or just click any or all of these links!

Cathartic creation… A way to show how far Washington has come in rebuilding…

Creating a handmade book of images I’ve taken in Washington, Illinois…

Finishing Touches…

Coming Home…

(November 17, 2014 at Elgin Ct. and Elgin Ave)

Looking forward to photographing in Washington throughout the year and in the coming years… Also looking forward to seeing my friends and the people I’ve met this past year!

Nature is making a comeback! (Washington, Illinois)

The subject of the devastation of the trees in Washington, Illinois, especially the old growth trees, has come up in almost every conversation I’ve had with people I’ve met while photographing here.  It was sad to see these losses, yet it was heartwarming to hear about all of the volunteers and businesses who have donated time, labor, materials, and trees to help increase the neighborhood’s tree populations.

As I’ve photographed around Washington, Illinois, I’ve paid close attention to the trees that survived. As someone who grew up feeling more comfortable outdoors with my hikers covered in mud while I trekked around, I tend to pay attention to flora and fauna in an area. I’ve been fascinated with the strangely shaped trees, which were affected by last year’s tornado, but are still hanging on with all their might. They’ve held onto their thick old trunks and most have had parts of their main branches broken off. As a result, these shortened main branches have tufts of leaves growing from them— Signs that they will continue to grow and survive. These trees remind me of the Washington community’s incredible strength and will.  ~ Jen Marek, January 2015

 

Finishing touches…

 

 

 

Put the finishing touches on the cover of the book…

© Jen Marek, December 2014

 

Cathartic creation… A way to show how far Washington has come in rebuilding…

 

 

 

It has been a cathartic experience creating a book with a number of the photographs I’ve taken in Washington, Illinois. Thank you to everyone who looked at the photographs and shared their feelings about the images and their experiences in Washington, and to friends, family, and fellow photographers… All of you helped in so many ways. This is the first collection of images… There will be more in the future. I already bought the wood for the next book cover~ I’ll be picking up my ol’ wood burning tools for this one! 

If you see me shooting in Washington, please feel free to stop and talk with me… The part that means the most has been the conversations with people I’ve met along the way. If you’re interested, ask me to see some of the photographs and the book!

I have also put a number of the images on my website (www.jenmarekphotography.com), and I’ll be adding more as I continue to photograph…

Creating a handmade book of images I’ve taken in Washington, Illinois…

And so it begins! I’ve finally narrowed down the images I’ve taken in Washington, Illinois thus far to the strongest ones for the first set of photographs that I’ll be using for a handmade book I’m creating… It will make it easier to show others what I’ve been photographing in Washington, and it will help give others an idea of where Washington is today in the reconstruction of the community and how far it has come since November 2013.
I hope my images and this book do justice in their portrayal of a community that is dear to me. ~Jen Marek, December 9th, 2014

Dinner with friends~ November 17th, 2014… Washington, IL

I wandered around Washington before going to my friends’ home for dinner with their family. Seeing houses in an assortment of stages in the building process and seeing completed homes with a family sign posted on the front lawn stating that they are home (Washington Strong!) is such a wonderful sight!

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To the lady I spoke with on Elgin Avenue while we watched the CH7 News reporters across the street… I very much enjoyed our conversation. It meant a lot to me.

 

 

 

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It’s always a joy to see and spend time with my friends and their children. I’m grateful for my time with them. After looking at a number of my photographs, their youngest asked which of my photographs is my favorite… I find I cannot pick a “favorite.” Each one has become a part of me in some way… Each photograph that I feel is worthy of sharing with others has something that I feel says something about the Washington, Illinois community, which I’ve had the chance to see through the eyes of my friends, their neighbors, and others I’ve met along the way. I hope that my photographs do justice in showing this amazing community. I knew that my friends loved where they live, but I have come to understand why my friends call Washington, Illinois “home.”

 

A Welcome Surprise at the Artist Reception…

I had a wonderful surprise when I walked into the Bloomingdale Museum’s Artist Reception today… One of my photographs was given an honorable mention ribbon by the juror. It was a photograph I took of on just after 4am on Valentine’s Day… It was a cold one!! But what a perfect way to spend that day… err… night! Sunrise was not going to happen for another few hours!

A good friend and photographer, Dee Hudson, was nice to capture a few cell photos of me and my three photographs in the show. Thank you Dee!

© Jen Marek, October 26th, 2014

Sky’s the Limit… A Juried Exhibition

Patches of Beauty…

Bringing back a sense of “normality” to everyday life…

In the middle of all of the construction and the homes being rebuilt, there are a number of patches of beauty in the form of mini flower gardens. These bursts of color stand out and are somehow holding on and being protected from the giant assortment of construction equipment maneuvering around the neighborhood… These gardens seem to be another sign of the hope people share of going back to a way of life that no longer needs massive amounts of construction everywhere one looks ~ A life where things are whole, where homes are restored, and where people can continue to heal.

A Few Signs of Hope…

This is one of a few signs of reconstruction on this block. There is also little new construction at the far end of the block. When neighbors look out the front door on this street, they see more foundations destroyed by last year’s tornado than they see rebuilt homes or construction in progress. I chose  to photograph it with a blue sky and the moon in late afternoon, as opposed to the destroyed foundations, which were photographed during a day where storms were passing through the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are a few of the foundations neighbors see out their front windows. Neighbors from a few different houses on this block have said they’ve contacted the village numerous times to try to answers on why nothing is being done with these properties. They have a constant reminder of the tornado and it’s aftermath every time they look out their window or walk out their front door. The height of the weeds are about the only changes I’ve seen in the times I’ve visited these foundations. Hope the neighbors get their answers soon and something is done to change the view out their windows.

The opposite end of the block also has a few sites where homes are being rebuilt… Hoping that the sad-looking foundations sandwiched in between those new constructions will also receive the help needed so families can come back home soon.  ~ Jen Marek, October 5th, 2014

This is not just about photographing…

Photographing here was an intense experience. This is part of the route that the tornado took last year. The wooden tower is the replacement for the one destroyed by the tornado. If you look in the background, you’ll see the older, more elaborate steel towers. A home once stood on the right behind the street sign.

The time I spent here was not just about photographing, it was about thinking of and trying to find a way to pay tribute to a man who lost his life, to those who suffered loss in so many ways, and to those who have been trying to find a way to rebuild their lives physically and emotionally.

As I photographed here, so many people pulled over to stop to talk with me and find out why I was there. I enjoyed these conversations. I’m hoping our paths cross again… There are so many reasons why shooting here means so much to me, and each one of you added to those reasons, so I thank you…  © Jen Marek, September 29th, 2014

Door to Inspiration…

As I’ve gone through the photographs I’ve taken, I have printed the ones I feel are worthy of possibly being included in the final set of photographs. I’ve also printed the ones I feel are worth looking at in print in order to get a better idea of how I may re-photograph them. I may try photographing a specific subject or area during a different time of day or night, under different weather conditions, or maybe try a different composition.

I have found in the past that hanging my prints throughout the house gives me the opportunity to look at them throughout the day(s), and usually somewhere along the way, a moment of inspiration will present itself, and a new perspective is created for one of the photos…

The one issue I am having is that I am running out of door space! The photographs are now making their way onto one of my walls!

~ © Jen Marek, September 28th, 2014

Help is needed…

Every time I’ve been back to this site, It has been used for parking for an assortment of trucks. I’ve spoken with some of the neighbors who have been hopeful when they see me with my camera. Some have thought I’m the owner and others have thought I’m with a local newspaper. They are concerned… Why isn’t anything being done with the row of foundations? Are there insurance issues? Money issues? Who owns the property? Unknown thus far…

This street has been a favorite to go back to for a few reasons… The neighbors are the first reason. I have met and have spoken with a number of people as I’ve been photographing. The first time I was on this street, a lady asked if I was taking photos to help sell the property. We spoke for a short while about what I was photographing and why. She was a pleasure to talk with. A month and a half later, I was back shooting on her block and ran into her again. We spoke of how that side of the block has stayed the same, whereas, as one wanders through the subdivision, new construction can be seen in various stages of progress.

After watching all of the construction companies working so hard at so many sites throughout Washington, it is strange to see a site where absolutely nothing is being done. Neighbors have said they’ve tried to find out why nothing is being done, but it has been to no avail. I would understand if it was an insurance issue that owners are fighting, though shame on the insurance company if that was the case. I wish I could do more than take a photograph of what I see and of what is of concern to the neighbors here. They want their lives to go back to normal, and that must be hard to do when one looks out their front door to a row of destroyed foundations and weeds.

I look forward to going back to this street to talk with the neighbors and to photograph. I hope that by then the neighbors have the answers they need and that action is being taken to finally fix what needs to be fixed. I’m also looking forward to seeing one of the neighbors of this block who has been a treasure to talk with, and I thank her for her kindness!

© Jen Marek, September 16th, 2014

Washington, Illinois… Steel Tower

The steel tower in the background survived the tornado. The path of the tornado was just east of this tower, and only a minute drive down the road. The grass in the foreground was where workers, power lines, and equipment covered that field last year, while they were replacing another tower that had been destroyed by the tornado just down the block. © Jen Marek

Meeting a kind soul…

One Beautiful Tractor; Taken at 11:24pm in a misty rain! Washington, Illinois ~ © Jen Marek

I met a kind soul in August this year. My friend’s neighbor was willing to let me photograph a beauty of a tractor. The one’s I’ve photographed are usually stationary with trees and bushes growing through them. This one sounded amazing 🙂  I asked if he’d be willing to let me photograph it after I showed him an album of some of my photographs. I’m grateful that he was willing to let me stand in his field in the night and battle mosquitos and a rainy mist while photographing this beauty of a tractor! I thank him for his patience and kindness!

I feel this tractor is a beautiful part of our Midwest history and it is a symbol of survival for that reason and for the reason that it survived last years tornado and is still running perfectly!  ~ Jen Marek

The lady with the camera…

My friend’s tractor. Photographed at 10:58pm in August 2014. The steel tower in the background survived the tornado. The path of the tornado was just east of this tower, and only a minute drive down the road.                                                                                                             © Jen Marek

My friends live with their family in Washington, Illinois. They were graced to only have wind damage, and did what they could to help their neighbors. Listening to what they went through and meeting their neighbors has been an intensely moving experience. I will be sharing my experiences and photographs that I’ve taken in Washington as I continue to spend time photographing and talking with people. I’ve met so many wonderful, kind-hearted people. I’m grateful that they’ve put up with the odd photographer lady who photographs by day and night! So if you live in Washington and see me wandering with my camera, please stop and say hi! I carry an album of some of my photographs with me, so feel free to ask to see them so you can see and understand why I’m doing this! If you think of something you think I should photograph there or something you feel is important to the area you feel I should photograph, please let me know!  ~ Jen Marek

Hope, kindness, and determination (11-17-13)

Tink the Dog with kitties, named Thing One and Thing Two… One of the kittens is a bit of a tree climbing daredevil! ~ © Jen Marek

Last November, I was driving with a friend through Coal City. We had been riding next to a Werner truck for a while. We decided to get off the highway to quickly get food, switch drivers, and get back on the road again. What we found when we got back on the road was that traffic had stopped because a truck, the one we had been next to, had been flipped and spun on the highway by the tornado. The driver was okay, thankfully. I felt like someone was looking out for us. We had been right next to that truck for a ways on that highway. We eventually were able to continue on our way toward central Illinois as planned.

Along the way, we saw evidence of the tornado’s path, from a destroyed home and bent metal electrical poles to groups of old large trees broken at scary angles all in the same direction. There were power outages in so many towns. The gas stations could not provide gas due to the outages, but the people I met who worked at these stations were doing what they could to help those who came through their doors… whether it was to give emergency information on the weather or on what towns had power, or it was to just provide a bathroom. The one man who stuck out in my mind from that day was sitting in a gas station and holding onto his little dog. He told the people running the gas station that he was a retired physician, and he would like them to share his address with anyone needing any kind of medical assistance. I saw people helping one another without knowing who they were. Kindness… It’s something that was apparent even when those had lost a great deal.

Since that day, I have wanted to find a way to give something back. I do not have the money to help, but I have had a picture in my mind of something I want to create with photographs. I’ve seen the destruction the tornado caused in Washington, and I’ve seen the hope, kindness, and determination that come through in conversations I’ve had with people and the stories they’ve shared with me. Though my photographs, I want to show this hope and determination and strength created by the people and by Mother Nature all making a comeback.  ~ Jen Marek

Museum Without Walls: A Silent Strength…

A Silent Strength is the first part of the Museum Without Walls series.

I am currently involved with working on the second portfolio in this series which is something I’ve been wanting to do for the past year. More to come on this!