The first of many posts about... PAINTING!

Whelp,

nearly all of my entries thus far have been about photography...

but for now, I'm turning over a new leaf and then next few entries will be about some of the paintings I did in my Painting I class (with oil paint!).

What I'm going to show you today is two paintings that I did at the beginning of the semester while we were studying still-life's.

Powerlines, Powerlines (2/2)

Simple, Simple Lines & Forms-- that my friends, that is the key!

Oh my word, isn't the sky just insanely, insanely fascinating?

All 3 of these photographs were taken within the same 30 minute time frame--just walking around La Mirada-- and yet, the sky still varied this much. So ridiculous, so incredible.

Powerlines, Powerlines (1/2)

This shot was one of many in a series I did of power lines for my Photo I final project. It didn't fit with the rest of the series--but I'm still in love. I'm pretty sure I blinded myself in the process of taking this.

Tomorrow-- I will post more images from the power line series.

Mind Trip Central

This is a photo I took about a week ago in La Mirada,

just a photo of the blank side of a house,

but... look at the shadows!

ridiculous, I know.

anyway,

I want you to try this:

stare at the center of the lightest part of the house for about 5-10 seconds...

does it, or does it not look almost like a repetition of the sky above?

ah, insane!

Perfectionism

Both of these photographs I don't really distinctly remember taking. I vaguely remember that I thought the shapes of the houses were interesting and that I loved the fact that there were power-lines behind both of the houses.

But now, while I was sorting through photographs from the past few weeks, in the Philadelphia airport on my way home, I couldn't believe how ridiculously perfect these two photographs are.

They almost look like idealized versions of what a suburban California neighborhood might look like.

But... all that being said, I think that's why I like them so much. They're just a little too weird, not to be seen.

Guerilla Art: A Yarn Mural

My last project for my 4-D design class was to make "Guerilla Art".

In response, I decided to graffiti the fence of McNally Field, creating a yarn mural.

Initially when I envisioned it I planned on making it so big, so large, so "WOW".

But... after 5 hours of work, I had only gotten 4 lines of the fence done. I spent Wednesday night shaking in the cold, trying to wrap yarn over & over again, through the fence until 4 am.

It only got more depressing by the hour--with light, after light, after light turning off in Hope Hall as people went to bed. I finally had to stop working when my hands froze too much that I couldn't hold the yarn anymore without dropping it.

I went back during the day on Thursday and tried to finish it up before class--and literally every 5-10 minutes there was someone who would walk by and comment on it--for 3 hours straight, saying "YOU CAN DO IT!!", "What is this?", "LOOKING GREAT!", "Is this Art?".

But without further ado, the yarn mural:

Aren't the colors simply delicious?

public transportation

This past week I went to Seattle, to visit my brother Isaac--and it was fantastic, fabulous, restful, and exciting as we explored the incredible city together. Isaac doesn't own a car so we did a ton, a ton of walking, and a bit of public transportation.

And lately, especially the past few months-- I am realizing more and more how much I absolutely love public transportation--buses, trains, ferries, the metro--all of it. The metro especially though. The metro gets me so good. I love the weirdness of it--the stillness of the inside of the metro car, the way people are waiting, waiting, waiting, their hollow blank stares as they zone out the window, and I especially love that contrasted with the changing scene outside the window--wizzing by, not stopping to let your eye catch-up.

Mexican Minimalism

I went to Mexico last Saturday and was blown away by the plethora of color, color, color! Color everywhere. So much. It just made everything so much more exciting & interesting & beautiful, in the most bizarre way. I didn't take a ton of photos, & and all of them were taken from the car, but out of the 20 of them, I was obsessed with how nearly every picture was of a building of an entirely different color, more ridiculous than the last.

And so, here is one of my favorites:

Mexican Minimalism, ladies & gentlemen.

I know, I know, the color isn't too crazy in this picture, but if you want to see the really crazy stuff look at my facebook album "Mexican Color"

Dad's Birthday Card

So my Dad's birthday was November 3rd (& he turned 55!!), but... I was late making him a card, and then I found out he was coming out to visit me (tomorrow), and I decided it was totally okay to put off making it, since I would just give it to him in person.

I spent approximately a billion hours making this. Really though. I'm too embarrassed to tell you how long it took. Except of course I was just reveling in the joy of making it the whole time.

Oh also, I tried to do a design that I normally wouldn't do and so I essentially stole the design from this incredible stationary company (that is too expensive for me) called Welcome to the Look (http://www.welcometoloop.com/doodlespark.html). And really, this card isn't much of a "Father's Birthday Card", but whatev's!

Enjoy.

Oodles of Doodles,

So yes, in fact, this post is dedicated to all of my insane DOODLES (which I am non-stop doing all the freaking time). Most of them end up in my journal, a lot end up on the side of my class notes, a few end up in my sketchbook, and even some end up on Church Bulletins.

So here we go: A few snapshots of some of my latest doodles:

Order & Structure

On a day like today, when I'm writing only about a bajillion paper's, and doing notes x7000... it seems only fitting to share with you an image that is all about order & structure.

Favorite parts of this photo is the diagonal shadows on the building, so fun.

Simple, Simple, Simple.

I'm finally warming up to the idea that simplicity is good. I'm beginning to see the beauty in the simple & really just how absolutely refreshing it is. So this post is a tribute to that: relatively simple photographs I've taken in the past week.

Once Upon A Time...

Once Upon a Time, I went out into nature. In California.

It was ridiculous. And refreshing. And so, so, so early in the morning.

For 4-D design we were required to go out in nature, and create essentially a "natural installation". This whole concept is based off of the work of Andy Goldsworthy (who is this really absurdly fantastic artist).

The thing that I love about creating art in nature, from nature is that:

1. You can't really plan it, you just have to be there, see it for yourself, and impulsively begin to create something
2. You have no clue how long it's going to stay there
3. You have no clue how many people are going to see it or even what they're going to think when they see it
4. I feel like I'm 10 again, barefoot during the summer, making weird structures in the woods.

When we were hiking up this hill in the park I became obsessed with these super intense cracks on the dirt road. Then I saw all these sticks/reeds, and thought about how great it would be to stuff the cracks with them. And so, the idea evolved from there. Soon I was out of control, gathering all kinds of plants, dried branches, flowers, etc.

Lately my favorite photos, of Late.

I haven't gotten a chance to post some of my favorites from the past two months, so here they are! The photos that just get me good.

These photos include: Oklahoma, LA, and my lovely & dear friend Marielle.

My word.

I have not posted in Oh I don't know... the whole summer?!

Frick Frack!

(as my mother doesn't like to say)

But to be truthful I really haven't been making art this past month. I don't even know what I've been doing...?

I probs. was abducted by aliens. And had all my art work that I've done over the past month stolen. Probably.

Or maybe not. Maybe not at all.

More likely... I was just a bum, bum, BUM.

A lazy art bum.

Who thinks they're art is too much to handle...

... and transcends anything physical.

But ENOUGH.

It is art-making time once again.

I've been kicking it into high gear this week.

Bought 5 big tubes of paint.

(Not Green Paint Jason... if you know what I mean.) (Gross.)

And I bought 2 canvases. For 3 dolla each. HOLLA.

Tonight when I was on the phone I whipped out this psychotic abstract art.

And I remembered thick paint is my FAVORITE. fav. fav. fav.

This painting is texture like woah.

On a random note:

I'm going to Oklahoma the day after tomorrow.

Oklahoma is the nastiest place ever...

But I am excited times 27,000 to take photos galore.

And I'm excited to have my mind changed about that place.

Fuchs family reunion here I come.

... and then it's off to Virginia for the week to prepare for Eric's wedding!!

Blueberries, Raspberries, Mountainous hills and Farms... here I come.

p.s. pictures to come soon.

3 Hour Road-trip Through the Country of Upstate New York

Anna Psiaki and I chose to go on an adventure...

We'd been itching to do something random ever since school ended for the year... and we decided that the best way to do this is to just get in a car and drive. We made a right at the main Lansing intersection and just kept heading down 34 South. We had no destination or intention or goal for the night... other than just seeing cool things and enjoying one another's company. 

First Stop: Cemetery.

Of course I begged Anna not to stop the car, and of course she insisted (given the fact that cemeteries are one of her favorite things). Anna ended up winning... she was driving after all. After we got out though, and started walking around I reluctantly admitted that being at cemeteries is pretty cool. This kind of thing always happens!

I haven't taken photographs in ages. Like maybe all year?

So... this trip was an opportunity for me to get back into the swing of things, start up that rusty old bike again, and start pedaling awkwardly. 

Here is a series of favorite/humorous photographs:

Summer Art Blogging Starting in: 5, 4, 3, 2 ...

Ready, Set, Go.

I am an official Art Blogger. I feel like that should be just one word... Bloggart? Artlogger? Argger? I think Bloggart wins. 

So I'm an official Bloggart as of May 29th.

But now to the purpose of this Post/this general Blog...

School's out.

And that means lots of lazy days...

lots of lazy days that can now be transformed into ART MAKING DAYS!

However, I realized I needed to be more intentional about this rather than just having a general loose goal of "Making lots of Art this Summer". Usually I say this and I end up making one, maybe two pieces at best. Therefore, I will describe my debacle in a three part format...

Story: This year I was an Art Major. Therefore... I made lots of art. Lots of it. However... I made no personal art... ever? Yes, unfortunately, I think ever. All year! I only did assignments. Initially it was annoying and then by the end it was just whatever. 

      ... Moral of the story: I need to begin making my own art again, I need to begin exploring things for myself again! 

... Goal, as a result: Make Art, a lot. Random art. Stupid stuff, playful stuff, ugly stuff, beautiful stuff, just stuff! Go to Art Galleries (especially the Johnson Art Museum) and get ideas! Make art, Get ideas, Think lots, and Blog about it.  

In Honor of All of this:

Bloggarting beginning... now.