Cody Goodin - The artistic and spiritual journey of Cody Goodin

Happy Friday everyone.  I hope you will be looking forward to the weekend as much as I.  I spent a bit of my Thursday this week continuing to test my new little point and shoot Panasonic camera.  There has been this idea for a little toy scene bouncing around in my head for a few months.  So, I thought why not do a trial run with the new camera.  I like these as environmental type scenes.  The first one is named "Cornering the Clown".  I find clowns to be a bit creepy by nature and so this was one of those out my nightmare kind of scenes.  A giant clown, giant to the army guys anyway, being cornered. I shot this on my bathroom sink with natural light coming in from the window. Here is a scene with a little toy replacing the clown that is a different kind of creepy.  This Siamese twin kind of rabbit character is more odd than creepy.  But, I wanted to capture the old 1950's B movie feel with this one.  So the colors are mo...

Today is a beautiful sunny day in Codyland.  I am feeling lots better now.  Good thing about stomach bugs is they usually don't last too long.  Mine was about a three day affair.  Glad it is on it's way out.  So, to celebrate I am showing a few of the dolls that I am working on now that they have some hair.  I have three on the worktable here.  But, there are five more waiting in the wings.  My goal for the next couple of days is to get them in their costumes at long last.  I am getting a bit itchy to get the photo shoots started for my Ladies in waiting.  There will be a fine collection of Ladies, Duchess', and assorted other characters who inhabit Codyland getting the royal treatment.  A grand portrait in all their splendor is the object of this shoot.  It should make a nice collection. Stay tuned, and thanks for stopping by.

Today I am at home under the weather as they say.  One of those tummy virus things that can stop you in your tracks.  It is near to impossible to work with this kind of thing.  So, I called off which is very rare for me.  I think my boss knows that I must be sick if I do take a sick day. Besides rest what can one do while recovering?  Well, I thought I could at least post from the comfort of my sick bed to show you some photos taken with my new point and shoot camera.  The above image is of one of the female models Natasha as she has decided her name is, sitting on a window sill.  I love the natural light that comes through the frosted glass window behind her. This is a photo of one of the male models, Mas as he chooses to call himself, standing on the window sill.  He has just realized how far down the floor is from his vantage point.  Again, I love the diffused light that comes from the frosted window.  I chose to render thes...

On this day some 45 years ago my mother was killed in a horrific car accident.  That day was not unlike this one as far as weather goes.  It was a cold snowy Sunday in 1969.  Unfortunately I was also in that fatal car accident.  It was a day that would change my life forever.  Despite that terrible experience, my life has evolved in a positive way.  It started off a bit rocky.  I went through many years of anger and mistrust of everything.  But, I did eventually find myself again.  Today I am taking this opportunity to honor my mother and all she gave us three kids.  But, most importantly she gave us love.  Love is the greatest gift, the greatest energy in the universe.  Without love there is no light or life as far as my concept of it is concerned. The above image is of a rose I won in a contest a few years ago.  I took this picture earlier this summer when I got my new DSLR camera.  It was one of the first ima...

It's been a long and very cold winter here in Codyland.  Many years since I can remember this much snow and below freezing temps.  Most likely an effect from the warming of the earth.  I have taken the opportunity to try and capture some of the snowy places I visit with my camera.  The shot above was taken at a local cemetery and park called Spring Grove.  It is considered a national treasure.  There are many great things to photograph here. The above image here is taken at Spring grove as well.  I decided to give this one a cyanotype like processing as it had a great deal of blue in it anyway.  I think it gives this image a rather other worldly feel. Finally, we have an image of a small house or crypt.  I call this one "The Other White House".  It was a beautiful sunny day on this past Thursday when I took these shots.  Today however, more snow very windy and cold.  I am supposed to be at work at 11 am.  Not...

It's a bitter bitter cold day here in Codyland.  Lot's of thing peculating in the old noodle.  The past couple of days has seen an increase in the number of synchronicity type events happening. This always gets my attention as it usually means some things are about to make themselves known to me.  Fortunately I feel they are good things coming my way. I recently decided to upgrade my take along camera from a little Nikon Coolpix, which is perfectly fine for basic stuff, to a more sophisticated point and shoot style.  I went with a Panasonic lUMIX dmc-f270.  Today since I was off from work, I thought it would be a good time to take it on a test drive.  So far, I really like the handling of this camera.  It isn't a pocket camera, but it allows me to save the big Nikon for studio work and this one for on the road inspiration.  It will be fun learning all the little bits and bobs this baby will do. Up above is one of the first images I have tak...

There are things that go unnoticed by us all the time.  Only to those who stop to look can they see it.  My partner told me of a small little birds nest in one of our huge rose bushes out front.  He was amazed a bird would have built one so close to the sidewalk or so low to the ground.  My thought is that they, as in the birds, will make do.  We don't go out of our way to interfere with them.  I love nature and like knowing that even in the deep urban wasteland of the city, life outside of humans exists  So, my question to you is, can you see it? Have a great Sunday.  I am off to spend it with some of my best friends eating, drinking and playing cards.  Ah, life is good today.

This afternoon it was the girls turn to discuss their roles in the upcoming creative projects.  The new cousin has settled in quite well.  She loves this country and especially enjoys listening to the great mix of eighties new wave playing on the studio Pnadora station.  My cup of coffee, a nice Mexican organic, was quite delightful. So, I told the cousins that it might be nice to have a name associated with each of them.  They didn't feel that was entirely necessary but, agreed it would make stories a bit easier to follow.  The boys aren't here at the moment so their input may be irrelevant on this topic.  The girls did say they wanted better wardrobes and I told them I would have to see what the budget would allow.  The snide little ladies said I could make them some amazing cloths if I had half a mind to do so.  Perhaps they could manage the extra time for me. Well, as you can see things are rolling along here in Codyland.  Hope you...

This week I have taken it upon myself to begin the planning and start working on the characters and props for some upcoming photo projects.  The cousins are fitting in nicely.  I shot this picture of our morning conversation over a cup of coffee.  The cousins lament not being able to have coffee.  They are very curious about all this human stuff.  Even though they look like humans, being made of plastic has it's disadvantages too. We were discussing what sorts of stories we could tell for them to play the roles. I told them that there are other plastic people similar to them but not as complex.  They were rather perplexed.  I will be making introductions later on in the process.  These guys are quite likable and will be hard working assets to the studio.  Codyland Studio is finally starting to get some action going and I am looking forward to seeing what comes out of the art machine in the weeks ahead.  My biggest dilemma at the mo...

It occurred to me today that I hadn't shown any actual art pieces or whatevers in progress in ages.  I am actually working on figures for a series of photos I am brainstorming in my head.  But, the putting together of the characters from scratch is a bit time consuming.  I will show you why. This is a shot of all the current figures in progress that I am making from scratch.  There are eight in total here.  I had nine but one of them just wasn't working out for this series.  So, it will be turned into an art piece for something else.  Each one of these figures will become one of a series of impossible saints.  I have this curiosity about what attributes and reasons someone becomes a saint.  Mine may be a bit tongue in cheek. I have also been collecting lots and lots of 1/6th scale dolls and figures to use in another series.  This will most likely expand to include altered toys and dolls that I create for more characters.  So...

E-piph-a-ny: 1.   A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.  3. a.  A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.     b.  A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization   There are a few times in one's life that a special thing happens.  A flash of insight or knowing that changes our lives forever in some way.  This change can be small at first.  But, it inevitably grows into something greater than we expected. Friday January 10, 2014 was one such occasion for me. On my way to work Friday morning something very curious happened to me.  As I was traveling down an alley between streets towards work a man dressed in a business suit approached.  He looked up at me and I at him.  Our eyes met and he offered a smile.  I smiled back.  At that instant this thought that was as loud as a voice entered into my head.  "He is dressed for his job.  L...

You just never know what will happen on your work table when you are not at home.  Sundays around here can be hit or miss for action.  But, I found this scene taking place in the studio.  Mail order cousins have arrived for the two artist models.  They have been unpacked and given some clothing since they arrive a natural.  In the meantime there is a bit of catching up to do and they were also joined by a neighbor living in the next toy box over.  Her name is Girtty.  She is the one with the wild pink beehive.  She's one of those throw backs to the 1970's and loves her Daisy Dukes. Never mind she is in her 60's. But, no one can figure out who the creepy little girl is that just appeared out of nowhere.  Can you say children of the damned?  I mean what the heck.  There is a bit of discussion going on about her and the little girl seems oblivious to it all. Well, I had better get back to see what's going on.  You never kno...

The above picture was snapped while on a layover waiting for the next bus to take me to work.  The temperature at the time was 8 F and all I can say is it was cold.  I loved how the rising sun lit the smoke coming from the power plant at the University Hospital.  Got to love that early morning light. Today it's lunch with two very dear friends and also hopefully a parcel carrying the mail order cousins of the artist models.  I ordered a back up pair.  Yes, I am getting obsessed with collecting all these dolls and models.  Can't help myself.  I look at it as my acquiring the tools I need for my artistic vision.  Several friends in the doll making world came through last year with lots of Barbie and Kens and they are waiting in the wings for their roles in my upcoming artistic endeavors.  Many of them are destined to become altered  in some fashion. One bit of observation I have realized, that all this photography play and daily sho...

Well, technically I am off from my job today.  So, it really isn't a snow day but, it is a great excuse to be in the studio.  I have been playing around with some ideas.  Rethinking some directions a bit and looking at some of my started projects with a critical eye.  The problem for me is I have several running story lines or ideas in my head.  I constantly bounce back and forth between them.  Hence a lack of real focus.  But, the point for today was to take a good look at what I have started and decide upon a plan of action.  I did want to get some work done in the studio today.  I have some help sort of. Two of my models were eager to help me clean up the work table today.  However an argument quickly ensued.  I am not sure if these two are meant to be together.  I snapped this picture of Mister model wielding one of my clay shaping tools. But, quick as a whip Miss model turned the tables and snatched the tool f...

A very happy new year of 2014 to all of you out there in the land of blogs.  I hope your holidays were good.  Now that the season has come to a soft close for me, it is time for renewed focus and goal setting for the year ahead.  Most of the art I am hoping to make involves photographing dolls and figures in a variety of scenes and situations.  I have decided that using dolls, toys and such helps me to detach any direct human likeness to the subject.  I have been loving how I can use dolls, or other figures of that nature create a sense of dialogue without making it too personal for any one person.  Plus, dolls don't require contracts and payment.  So, to me this is a great match for my evolution in creating.  Last year saw some major decisions in regards to my art making.  I know I face more challenges in the year ahead.  But, with usual "I don't give a damn," fortitude I will move on.  One challenge is the snobbery of photography ...