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May 2024

from Nancy Ori and New Jersey Media Center

scotland
my candid Umesh

Dear Fellow Artists,


You might think that I shot the tulips if from when I did the tour in Holland a couple of years ago. The surprise is that I shot was done at The Farm in Green Village, a great place to take a quick break and go make some photos. I did a workshop there once several years ago because there are so many things to photograph within a couple of acres. Everything is blooming right now but anytime is great for a visit.


I encourage you to continue to find ways of being inspired and to keep doing your art. Do what ever brings a smile to your face. A smile can change everything. Celebrate the best of what is right with our world, acknowledge it to those around you, and be safe. This is time to take stock of all the positive and truly great things and especially important people in our lives. Spread the love!


All the best,

Contact me with any questions.

Workshops make a great gift!


nance


nancyori@comcast.net

www.nancyoriworkshops.com

Give the gift of education or artwork.
Support your local artists or art organizations.

In-person & Zoom workshops at the Nancy Ori Studio:



All in-person workshops are at my studio and include a comprehensive handout that is yours to keep for future reference and to follow along with during the workshop. Sometimes if the group is small enough and everyone agrees, we can make a workshop happen on Zoom instead.


My groups are generally small so there is a lot of one-on-one time and I can tailor the info to your needs. Photo Encaustic and Hand-coloring Your Inkjets this spring and my 4 workshops with Heidi all include the use of my tools and necessary materials so you do not have to purchase anything else to attend. Contact me for workshop details. Payment is currently through PayPal with credit card or by snail mail with a check. You do not need to have a PayPal account to pay through them.


Private Tutoring: is ongoing with Personal Projects and Portfolio Development for photographers, critiques, and college prep applications for art students. 6 hours: $395 Makes a great Gift!

2024 Workshops


June 23               Mono Printing with Nancy Ori and Heidi Sussman 10-1   $125

June 30               Lighting for Portraits, Products, Still Life & Food 11- 4  $150     

July 7                  Designing a Composition for Painters and Photographers 11-4  $150

July 21                How to Photograph Artwork & Other Tips for Artists 11-4 $150

July 28                How to Create Collages with Nancy & Heidi 10-1         $125

August 4             Framing and Exhibit Tips for Artists                       11-4         $150     

August 11           Image Transfers with Nancy and Heidi  10-1        $125

August 18           How to Write an Artist Statement & Other Documents 11-4 $150

August 25           Visual Journaling with Nancy and Heidi 10-1         $125

October 27        Using Mixed Media Techniques               11-4               $150

November 10    Seeing in Black and White                         11-4               $150

December 1     Developing Photographic Style                11-4               $150

Mono Printing with Nancy & Heidi

June 23, 10am-1pm


Learn a simple printmaking process without the use of a printing press. A mono print is a one-of-a-kind piece of art that can be matted and framed as a stunning art piece. Learn to also use them as components in other mixed media pieces like backgrounds for image transfers, cut papers for collage, inkjet printing on top of them, or for pages in a journal. With just paint and plastic wrap, you will create colorful works of art. We will also do some Gelli Plate printing which opens a whole new world of simple and fun printmaking opportunities.  In person or on Zoom.

Lighting for Portraits, Products, Still Life and Food: June 30, 11-4pm


This workshop is designed for those who want to gain control over the most important element of every medium – lighting. 

 

You will be led through a step-by-step process of how to approach and set up lighting in a controlled studio atmosphere to enhance any subject matter. Nancy will stress the thinking behind what is being done with the composition as well as how light helps to tell the story.

 

There will be a complete discussion and presentation of different kinds of light sources along with the pros and cons of each. Lots of great tips.

www.nancyoriworkshops.com

AI Newsletter


If you want to get on board with AI and follow someone you can trust, you will want to subscribe to the newsletter that Umesh and I are putting out this year. You already received a free one. The rest is up to you to see how you can use it with your art or just keep up with what is happening.


The AI Newsletter is a great way to start slowly and build on the info the same way we did when digital first appeared. We will definitely do the workshop again so stay tuned. Things are changing every day. Contact me if you are interested in getting the newsletter or signing up for a workshop. nancyori@comcast.net

image by Umesh

New Book Launch


Check it out. Great gift for any level photographer. In-depth discussion of all the elements involved in creating a great composition. The images are of nature but the content is about any type of image. Go to Amazon and check out my other book offerings:


www.amazon.com/author/nancyori

Last Call:


Scotland Orkney Islands, Inverness and Cairngorms National Park Tour

September 8-19, 2024


Tour through the less traveled parts of the Northern Scotland

• Photograph and explore the diverse landscape of the islands, friendly people, prehistoric forts, spectacular cliffs, beautiful sandy beaches,

Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness.

• Inverness, the Capital of the Highlands with castles, mountains, and the River Ness. (and maybe even Jamie Fraser!)

• Cairngorms National Park offers awesome landscapes in the mountains, valleys and streams of Northern Scotland.

• All accommodations are central to photographic locations.

• Flexible itinerary to take advantage of opportunities along our route.

• Maximum of twelve participants. Private van with guide.


Contact Nancy for a brochure: nancyori@comcast.net. A deposit will be required to hold your place.


For more info and to register: https://phototc.com/tours/scotland-orkney-islands-inverness-cairngorms-national-park/

Last Call:

Norway Tour & Northern Lights

September 20-28, 2024


• Eight days with accomplished photographer and tour leader Nancy Ori.

• Tour limited to 11 passengers.

• Experience the diverse landscape of Norway.

• Jagged mountains, grand vistas, colorful fjords, and soaring eagles.

And a chance of experiencing the greatest show on earth, the Aurora Borealis, aka Northern Lights.

Editorial: My Newest Composition


I am now in the midst of a bathroom remodel having completed the tower with the elevator last year. The bathroom will be an ensuite and take over the space where my darkroom was, and after that, it was my computer room. There will be space to also add a second floor laundry. My quest for all of this construction is to set up my house for the future so I can not only remain here, but be able to easily get up and down to my studio on the third floor as well as my bedroom on the second floor.


A friend mentioned this morning while we were walking that I should have a podcast on construction from a homeowners perspective with lots of tips. I decided to do this instead since I have no clue how to do a podcast. I always become somewhat of a general contractor with these projects to oversee everything. In the process, I learn a lot about construction and materials. I am currently learning about plumbing, tile, and fixtures.


Coming up with the final design is a process. I try to always approach every design the way I approach a photograph taking into consideration the final composition with good use of color, contrast, texture and design. There is a pretty interesting correlation between what we do to create an art piece and how to design a new bathroom. I am sure a lot of people would not understand that, but I know that artists will get it.


I started, of course, with the focal point, which is not where my contractor would have started. He wanted tile and fixtures. I am trying to get him to understand that design does not start with the supporting elements. I wanted something to become the main interest that will draw the eye and then become the catalyst for all the rest of the textures and colors. I chose a beautiful quartzite slab to be the shower wall that you see as soon as you enter the room. My first job was to choose that stone slab. It will only be on the one wall facing the entrance, so I needed then to find tile to complement it on the other two walls of the shower.


Sales people kept showing me light gray tile that went with the background color in the slab, but it created no contrast. The gray was not ok, even though they all seemed to be gravitating to it. There was no contrast. The slab had the overall brightness value of what they were showing me, so it did not pop. If you want something to have contrast, it obviously needs to be lighter or darker than the value next to it depending on which is more important. If the eye is always drawn to light colors and I went with the light gray, the eye will not be drawn to the slab. I needed the slab to be lighter than the side walls. I chose charcoal gray. When I put my sample slab next to it, the slab popped forward. The shower wall tiles are now chosen. This also includes the color paint to go around the room on the walls so all the verticals are the same charcoal color with the slab becoming the focal point. The room is super bright with windows and new lighting, so I am not worried about the dark color at all. It will be striking.


The vanity is going to have the same stone top taken from a part of the big slab that has some honey color veins that match the color of the oak dresser that will become the vanity. The sink will be undermount to keep the quartzite top in clear view. There are off white veins in the slab, so I will pick this color up with an off white sink and toilet. That color will also be used on the trim and ceiling to keep that color consistent and help carry the eye throughout the room.


Now on to the flooring. I am still in the process of looking for floor tiles. At first, I was thinking of the honey color to pull that out of the slab veining. The tile trend is not heading over to beige yet, but i was told it is coming back. The manufacturers are not set up for it yet. Gray is now out. I would not want the dark gray on the floor. It would show all the spots and dust. I am now leaning towards the off white to not add a new color. I will let you know what I find. Having three colors would be enough.


There are a lot of local fixture and tile places to work with. Whenever I do a new project, I always get at least three estimates no matter what it is. That is where I learn about what the project entails, what materials are needed, and what questions to ask. It gives me an opportunity to get to know the vendors and the quality of the materials they use. I often do not go with the lowest estimate once I am confident that I know enough to choose the best value and a company or project manager that I like dealing with. Like everything else in my life now....it has to be fun, and feeling comfortable with my choices is a big part of it. Stay tuned. Once done, I will share some before and after photos. Here is the before and after of the tower construction.


Before: There was nothing there before but driveway. The wood tower is all new along with the roof, gutters, sump pumps, chimney sleeve, and spray insulation in the crawl space. Lots of projects. Lots of estimates.

After: The tower houses the elevator and a stairwell from the first to the third floor. I don't use it a lot yet, but for moving furniture and getting all my computer stuff up to the third floor, it was really handy. I was able to move a whole room full of cabinets and book shelves up to the third floor by myself.

"You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” ~Ansel Adams