Category Archives: Technology

The Yard Waste series

Written by Michael Clinard. Posted on March 28, 2009. No comments.

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Got back into the studio tonight after taking the morning and afternoon off to recharge the human AA battery.

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I don’t know how you guys relax, but nothing spells chillaxin’ more than digging through my compost pile for my next series involving yard waste.

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I must confess, I’ve had this idea bouncing around for quite some time.

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More always,

Mike

ART is Magnuson

Written by Michael Clinard. Posted on March 26, 2009. No comments.

Got back in the studio late last night after a day of running around, doing deals and pressing the ‘execute’  button.

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That said, I had the great pleasure of sitting with Seattle-based artist Perri Lynch of Velocity Made Good.

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If you must ask, Perri is ART in Magnuson, meaning that if you and your pup visited the park for the off-leash canine mecca and wandered up through the sports meadow and/or breezed in to attend the Friends of the Library Book Sale at Hangar 30, chances are you’ve run past her art (look for ‘at ease, 2008′).

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Perri, myself and others are part of an organization called SPACE whose primary objective is to keep Magnuson Park as a center for arts and culture. Unbeknown to most, when the military gifted Magnuson Park to the City of Seattle, it was on the condition that the park be a center for arts and culture. And based on the link, you can see how long it’s been a talking point.

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Which brings us to now. Slowly and systematically, developers in association with the city, are slowly taking steps to displace a cache of working artists from Building 11 in order to turn it into a new, lake-front commercial space for folks like Ivar’s and McDonald’s.

If you’ve been to the park, could you imagine a place without Fin Art or Soundgarden?

That said, on April 25th, the Mountaineers are hosting an event to celebrate the park, its tenants and visitors and all it has to offer. Please try and come out, and stay tuned for details.

Pouring it out for the Homies

Written by Michael Clinard. Posted on March 19, 2009. No comments.

Today Brugen and I got into the studio to bless it appropriately.

It wasn’t our usual blood-filled chalice faire or endless rows of tables stacked high with freshly slaughtered fish and game. Today it was Nestle Chocolate Milk, Michael-made Salmon Burgers and an impromptu portrait session that brought dead artists to their knees in heaven/hell/purgatory.

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After all the sugar, Bill had a hard time focusing. He kept yelling, “Beam me up, Scotty. . .” apparently mistaking himself for Geordi LaForge after his recent completion of a project for the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum at the Seattle Center here in Seattle.

All in all, it was good fun to hang with Bill. Peep the triptych below.

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More always,

Mike

Tidbitterys

Written by Michael Clinard. Posted on March 13, 2009. No comments.

Below is the smallest grip kit in the world.

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Its being packed for a quick trip down to Sactown to cover the tent city issue that’s raging down there.

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Amazing how a little storage bin can hold all this stuff. No hocus pocus, just straight gangsta packin’ on account of my mastery of protractors and intuitive grasp of The Golden Mean.

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I also met Sian Kennedy the other day.

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I’ve always loved this shot of his. This one ain’t so bad either, but that’s perspectival.

Mike

Studio Box in a Box

Written by Michael Clinard. Posted on March 3, 2009. No comments.

Swept and mopped the entire studio yesterday in preparation to paint the floor.

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Had to push all the goodies into the corner save a couple tables, desk chairs and that monster from the Twilight Zone who ripped holes in the airplane driving William Shattner (and later John Lithgow) crazy.

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He’s actually a good guy, just misunderstood but completely well-informed on matters of the day.

Then while looking around online for niche and specialty devices for the lab, I came across this jewel which I find to be right up my alley.

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The wizard I keep on retainer is moving his hands around a non-existent orb to whip this puppy right up for me. When its fashioned, I’ll blow cigar smoke on it and take a pic so as to show it to all.

Takeoff

Written by Michael Clinard. Posted on February 21, 2009. No comments.

Great view from this office. Nice.

Joseph Reohm, Illusionist

Written by Michael Clinard. Posted on February 12, 2009. 1 Comment.

A couple weeks back I met Joseph Reohm while he was visiting Seattle. We got to talking and he’s like, ‘You know, I’m an illusionist. . .’

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This of course piqued my interest, and we decided it was high time for us to get together and work on a little shoot. He noted that he was oft photographed levitating or making things float, and I asked if he’d be interested in taking a more humorous look at the ins and outs (or dangers in this instance) of being an illusionist.

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Given his propensity to spoon and fork bending, I figured it might be downright frustrating at times to sit down for lunch.

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Evolution of a Haircut

Written by Michael Clinard. Posted on November 28, 2008. 1 Comment.

No secret: I’ve been going bald since high school.

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That said, I’ve always had a vision that my ideal haircut would incorporate this particular handicap into my favor. The vision is straight out of Mad Max, and if memory serves, I believe Tina Turner had this kind of doo in Thunderdome.

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Below you’ll find the more refined manifestation of my vision. I lived with it for a matter of hours (with newly cropped facial hair design) but alas, I gave it up with the foresight to know that a place like Athens, Alabama isn’t ready for such a revolutionary utterance in hair sculpture.

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2008 Emerald City Gamefest Portraits

Written by Michael Clinard. Posted on November 18, 2008. 2 Comments.

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What’s that you say?  You were at the Emerald City Gamefest this weekend for tons of rad board games and RPG’s? No need to look surprised young lads, as I had the great pleasure of doing some portrait work of those in attendance.

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Initially, I’d been trying to hunt down a backdrop with a fantasy element to support the theme of the event, but all I came across were unicorn fabrics and a faux-cloudy sky thing that just didn’t cut it.

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That’s when I started thinking about a double seamless setup. Something fun and upbeat to reflect the sensibilities/personalities of the attendees, but with a royal/regal bent and got the gist of a pink and purple schematic. Also thought it interesting that its the color of Easter, and given the multitude of resurrections happening with each successive role of the dice, I thought the idea fitting.

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“Ffej” as Cassie (telepath). 2008

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Marcus aka MIB2404 of Munchkin, 2008.

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Otto of Warhammer 40,000: Member of the White Scars Space Marines, 2008.

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John as Cheldon de Moche (Hobbit Thief), 2008.

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Mr. John Bradley, 2008.

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Tim with the Amazing Eyebrows, 2008.

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This here’s Laura. She kind of made it happen for me. She and Jenna do Aikido together, and after a recent get together celebrating those who moved up in kyu (pronounced ‘cue’), we started chatting about hobbies and work.

That’s when she mentioned, Quelf, a role-playing game that she was super fond of. She went on to say that there was an event where many would be playing it, along with a whole host of others. A couple days later, she put me in touch with the organizer, Mr. Ed Metheny.

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He and his wife flew all the way up for the event from California as they’d recently moved down for work. That’s dedication. So thanks for making it happen Ed!

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Of course I should say that Ed isn’t the kind of guy that strikes me as taking all the responsibility. He’d probably first thank all of the game-loving folks in and around Seattle who came out to participate. Following that up by thanking a small group of dedicated staff members who take time out of their busy schedules to locate venues, organize the day’s events and make sure there’s plenty of caffeinated sodas on hand to keep the gamers going.

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Thanks to everyone I had the pleasure of meeting. I had a great time. Hope to see you all next year!

The Heraldry of Triple Step Studios

Written by Michael Clinard. Posted on November 8, 2008. No comments.

Either in studio or on location, you might have seen me stepping back and forth in place to some non-existent beat. Should one come within earshot, you might hear me repeating ‘step, step, rock step, step, step, rock step. . .’ and so on.

Sure this scene has caused a few to ask if I might have once been dependent on a walker: some daily exercise performed to keep me up on the all the cutting-edge advances in walking. Perhaps my mother pitched me out into the middle of a busy food court at 1 year old, and its some kind of traumatic flashback as my scampering baby-self desperately fled the clomping feet around me.

No my friends.

I practice the dark and sinful art of Swing Dancing. Some dig human sacrifice, others cast spells and curses. I prefer shaking my tail feathers to a snazzy old tune. In fact, it’ll be a year ago in January that I picked it up.

Here are my teachers: Sara, Maureen and Matt.

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This is the super-awesome crew of Triple Step Studios, and I had the great pleasure of photographing them this morning in anticipation for a refresh of their website. After dancing them to death, they were plumb knackered, so I sat them down for a cool down portrait session.

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Matt looking fly.

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Sara looking rad.

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Maureen looking snacky.

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