.Community Arts.

Hello all!

As promised, here are some pics from last week's CREATE event:

The set up :) I drew out a grid with highlighters! 

 The numbers on the grid corresponded with numbered paintbrushes and cups (this was to help keep the painting random and the image a secret from participants).

Detail

Participants were instructed to pick a number on the grid and paint it in with the corresponding paint brush.

First few squares!

A little drip :)

The finished product!!

So, I'm not sure if I explained this project before, but I'll explain it now :) My boyfriend and I (Jay is pictured above holding the painting.) co-run an arthouse/coffeehouse event once every few months. We usually call in visual artists and bands to come play. For myself, I just love creating an atmosphere of inspiration and also an atmosphere of learning for those not familiar with the art world. This event has grown over the past few months, but I've always wanted a way to get everyone involved. So many times people come in, they see the artwork, and they appreciate it, but never get involved or go any deeper than a visual appreciation. A friend of ours had us over for dinner and told us about this project and I thought it would be perfect for our crowd! Basically, the message behind the piece was about building a better city and community. If we all just focus in one area of service that we are passionate about, it will in turn better our community and build a better city of Tampa. Many of us don't know how to work together either. It just takes finding a place where you can serve and plugging in and then supporting each other in our service. It was so great to get everyone involved and I learned a lot by watching the participants! Thanks so much to those who were involved!

.do you copy?.

Hey friends!! I am sorry I haven't blogged in a long time! I am totally buried in a pile of homework that will never end... But I thought I'd blog since a lot has happened! Here are some photos of what I've been doing the past few weeks since my last post:

So, this image above is my latest printmaking project. Didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but it was fun to experiment! This one is titled "Lady Liberation"

This is the first drawing from my intermediate drawing project. The project is called Copy, Synth, Morph. We have to copy two artists works, then synthesize their style for the third drawing and then morph their styles into our own personal style. This first image is by Shahzia Sikander, titled "Fleshy Weapons". I learned how to tea stain paper :)

This is the second copy I had to create. This was made from a piece by Wangechi Mutu. I learned lots about collaging and working on Mylar! Fun!

And here is my third Copy (This is for the second group of the project). This is from a section of a work my Neo Rauch. It's really not finished yet, but after putting tons of hours in, this will do for my first deadline.

So, that's pretty much it. My brain feels like it's going to explode right now from all of these projects!!! Started a new printmaking plate today, using color reduction theory, so we'll see how that plays out! I will also post pics of the Synth and Morph images from round one of the project later... I'm tired of taking pictures! 

Oh, and here's my other copy.. utter fail... hah!

from a work by Jesse Bransford... this is terrible and I am embarassed!

.eggs and oranges.

Hello everyone! So, I guess this is the start of week three of school! The busyness has begun! As promised... I pulled my first print and took a quick snapshot! (Don't judge me, I took it with my phone and it's terrible):

So, this is the first print! I constructed my plate with masking tape and craft paper from Joann's Fabrics. This is just one of those projects that comes together easily... Making the plate was effortless and I really enjoyed it! My next step is to go back into the face and add more depth using glue and different variations of modeling and molding pastes. Glue bottle drawings are my favorite because they are so painterly in the prints. More photos to come here!

On the other side of the spectrum, I am struggling in my drawing class. I just can't seem to get it. It's hard for me not to outline things... in real life, people don't have outlines, we don't walk around with big black lines dividing us from the space around us.. our bodies are visually divided from the space around us by our mass. But how do you capture that with a stick of charcoal or a pencil? I don't know.. I guess it's pure magic... My drawing teacher wants us to pick a master to copy. So, here are just a few painters/drawers that I admire and aspire to be like...

Albrecht Durer. I think this man rocked my world when one of my drawing class saw a series of his prints at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts. It was so fun to go around with the little magnifying glasses and look at all the details in the prints, but my favorite part was drawing the compositions of his prints and drawings. Durer to me was a master in the art of creating compositions that convey depth and space. In the particular print, I feel the man's knee coming towards me and can relate with the way his body is contorting to look at the small figure above his head. 

Mary Cassatt. Okay, so I'm not sure if she is what they call a classic master, but I think she's a master painter. I have always loved looking at Cassatt's intimate spaces and figures. Her paintings portray women and I just love the way she displays the female figure. She has such a way of bringing the viewer in and making them a vital part of her spaces. She is another master of composition. If I could combine her way of creating intimate spaces and Durer's masterful way of portraying space and depth in his compositions, I would be in heaven!

Well, that's it for now, I think. I am sitting in Einstein's waiting for the line to go down to get some of their Vanilla Hazelnut coffee.. deeelish!

Oh, and I had to draw eggs and oranges for my drawing class this weekend.. not my finest homework assignment... 

.goals.

At the beginning of new things (New years, new jobs, new projects) I love to sit down and think about my goals. Well, this is the start of a brand new school year, and my last, at that. So, what would I like to accomplish this year? Well, here are some thoughts on some goals I am setting for myself (academic or otherwise)..

1. Be involved - It's been hard for me to be involved since I currently do not live on campus and am a commuter. However, I do have a flexible job this year and have the ability to volunteer at campus galleries and the big museum on campus.

2. Focus - So many times when school starts, I get super flustered and when projects are thrown at me, I cringe. This year, I believe it is my time as an artist to really flourish, try new things, and yes I will say it: FAIL. I don't want to be afraid to fail.. I want to focus on something I want and go for it.

3. Relax - I guess this goes with my failing thought.. I become very uptight when school whips through. This is my last year. These are my last two semesters. Enjoy the ride.

4. Take advantage of resources - I've been privileged to attend a university where my teachers are active members of the art community. They are vast resources for us as students. As students, we have tons of brains to pick as far as the art world goes. I want to take advantage of the teachers I have around me during this year.

5. Take care - I really need to learn how to take care of myself - mentally, physically and spiritually. If not, I am useless to the world. This means exercise, rest when I can, and do enjoyable activities. Look for the simple things in life that make us smile. There are lots of little things out there...

6. Paint sunset clouds - Random, I know, but sunset clouds are my favorite thing. The sky is the most vibrant, electrifying, bursting thing I've ever seen... during the day, the sky is bright, neon blue and when the sun is setting, the event causes the clouds to take on this sort of bubble gum, cotton candy pink quality.

Alright, here's to a new school year! I'm sure I won't always be so focused on these goals, but they will be here to remind me...

Here are some clouds I found while Googling clouds. Enjoy!