Kiki's Wedding - Polaroid Emulsion Lift Series

I originally published this letter and these images over on my Polaroid blog. I started this series of Polaroid Emulsion Lifts with the aim to submit them to a magazine which has ceased publication. I was happy to complete it, publication or not, for my very dear friend, Kirsten. The series is called Kiki's Wedding.

Dearest Kiki
Your friendship is something that I cherish even more than words can say. And the best part about it is that I know you know exactly what I mean without my even needing to say anything. I consider you a sister.


I have been working on a series of images from the amazing weekend during which you wed Chris. While I had already made these images into Polaroid transfers, I felt I should push them a bit further and try making them as Polaroid emulsion lifts. They are one of a kind, hand placed on handmade paper from India. They are even lovelier in person. I wish I was at your kitchen table right now, showing them to you while drinking tea, or wine, and eating chocolate...


I will never forget the weekend you got married. It was a wonderful trip for Andre and I, and to be able to stay at the Inn, with you, and friends of yours who have since become friends of ours. I would not have missed being there for the world. Thank you for treating us as if we are part of your family. It was good for my soul to be back in Maine and good for my heart to see you so very very happy. Remember when used to we wonder if we would find our true loves? How lucky for us both that we have...


I have so many rich memories from that cold, gray, rainy weekend in Maine in May. I must say that is how I like Maine best. Call me crazy, many people would, but my favorite Maine is moody Maine. And they say it is good luck to be married when it is raining. That weekend was perfect. The cold dampness only made the Inn, the chapel, tent, and the barn seem more cozy. It was magical to look out over all of your dining friends and family and to see their breath on the air, as they talked and laughed together. They had come together to witness your wedding and nothing could dampen their love for you and Chris. It was beautiful.


All of the other memories in my mind have to do with the timeless elements of your special day and the days surrounding it. The Inn was brought me back in time to an era in which I must have once lived, it just seems so familiar. The curve of the gleaming banister on the wooden stairs; the gilded empty frame that hung above the fireplace, flanked on either side by creamy white antique lamps; the old ornate wing backed chair next to the lacy curtains that let in a bright white light; the antique photographs of both of your grand parents, when they were young; the daffodils and pine boughs on our tables; your lovely dress that was truly made for you to wear, it came alive when you stepped into it; your enchantingly scrumptious cake dressed with twigs and birds a top a round of birch, such a shame to cut it apart but to much of a temptation not to. These remembrances and so many more will live on in my mind and heart for the rest of my days. I am grateful to have been a witness to the first day of the rest of your life.

Love to you and Chris,
Tiffany


(Images and Text by Tiffany Teske)

Wedding Cake - Maine

Ok, so do any of you have more than one blog? Do you sometimes post to the wrong one? That is what just happened here. This was supposed to go on my other bloh, http://iheartpolaroid.blogspot.com. Whoops! But it is such a lovely image I am just going to leave it here... Another lovely image from my friend, Kiki's wedding, in Maine.
Image by Tiffany Teske

Night Owls, Create-a-day!, & Sale to Aus

Sheesh, 12:36 AM ALREADY?! How come this always happens to me? I do love being a night owl. I would NEVER switch it for being a morning person. EVER. My daughter and husband are sleeping peacefully, it is dark, and quiet, and I am getting so much done. I am lucky that even when I was pregnant I went to bed after midnight, because Quin learned in utero the sleep in and stay up late. She goes to bed about 10 PM and gets up about 9:30 AM. She has always been like this. I LOVE it. I get to work after she goes to bed and get up when she does. Yeah, I know, all the morning people tell me how someday she will have to go to school, ya da ya da, but that is SOMEDAY. For now she is 20 months old and its all good. I am a professional artist/photographer, I chose this life. I don't have to get up at 6 AM. If I have a commercial shoot it is always after 10 AM. And anything else I do can be done whenever it works. I hate to break it to all those people who told me I would HAVE to get up at 6 AM "when you have a baby" because honestly, babies adapt to their situation, and she fits into ours perfectly.

Guess what?! I joined another blog (this is the third including this one, I will talk about the Etsy Mini Blog tomorrow), it is called Create-a-Day. I saw Sheila, or Sheasy, in a forum on Etsy. She was talking about Create-a-Day. I checked it out an wanted to join RIGHT AWAY. It is just what I have been looking for. I have been wanting to create on thing a day for about a year now, so this will give me the push I need. I am excited to be surrounded by more Etsy talent. The blog has good energy. I have already been welcomed by Lady Arwen of the Silver Rose (who has a daughter named Tiffany, who is a photographer!) and Robayre (who was kind enough to heart my Etsy shop, thanks!). Let the creative games begin!

In the wee hours of the morning, yesterday, I received a convo and order from G in Sydney, Australia! This is my first "international" Etsy order that is not to the US (I am in Banff, Canada). It is a Polaroid transfer of Pemaquid Light in Bristol, Maine, my favorite lighthouse (I am getting nostalgic just thinking about it, I lived in Maine for almost 10 years). Thanks for being my "first", G! I hope to make it to Sydney again someday...

OMMA

I have been a member of OMMA (Ottawa Mixed Media Artists) for three years. While I am a professional photographer I have always liked to mix media and joining OMMA has inspired me to do that on a regular basis. It was through OMMA that I took a gelatin monoprinting workshop, which I LOVED! I hope to have the time to do more of this soon. I have the perfect venue for which to start a new series of prints. I have been chosen as the featured artist for the month of August at the new OMMA gallery. It is called D'OMMA. I will hang 5-7 pieces, and the awesome parts are that they only take a 10% commission and the gallery is in a public building that sees 10,000 people pass through it a week!

I had been thinking about monoprinting this week because I saw an article about it in the current issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors, and because I am going to be part of the Home Grown Art Show at the Banff Town Office in March and am planning to exhibit one of the pieces that I made at the OMMA workshop. Here it is:

It is called "Self Emerging". It includes a self portrait that I took of my feet in the grass of my yard back in Kingfield, Maine. I made the image in color while I was going to school for photography at the University of Maine.

I also made this monoprint and traded it with the workshop instructor for one of her pieces.

Here are two more in this series which I need to scan and post. This reminds me that I need to post some work to the OMMA site...

It continues to be cold here. Tonight André and I went to see The Bucket List. It was a fun movie. Off to catch some ZZZZZs now.