Altared States & Bridaled Ambition

Altared States

Bridaled Ambition

I recently had some fun with a mangled Barbie doll and a circa-1980s tin newspaper printing plate featuring ads about weddings. I messed around with the sepia setting in Photoshop, pumped up some random colours, and voila- vintagey glam photos. Yes, that is a black bar across Barbie's mouth. No, she doesn't have any arms. Such is the state of many Barbie dolls in my Art Lair.

Having gone through this photo shoot, now I understand the tedium that Vogue editors experience when they're looking for the perfect shot for the next magazine cover. Each tilt of the model's head suggests a different mood, even in a Barbie doll. Eyes aimed up, she looks like she's dreaming. A slight tilt downward makes her look sad. Shadowy lighting can make a face look demonic (especially with a black bar over the mouth). When I checked my results for the photo Bridalled Ambition, for example, there were 15 shots of almost the same pose, but there was only one shot that captured the emotion I was going for: vacant yet jaunty.

The second photo was originally entitled "The New Gibson Girl" but my friend Sally Tubello suggested the title, "Altared States", utilizing a brilliant play on the words altar and alter. Following Sally's fabulous lead, I then renamed the first photo "Bridaled Ambition", making a play on the words bridal and bridle.

I love it when everything comes together. I am happy with my results. A special thank you to Sally for her linguistic prowess. The World is lucky that she's using her powers for good.