2B Pencil, Masking Tape, Camera.

monday rays, gloomy days

2012-01-26T00:51:00.000-08:00

our house was dark on monday in the middle of the day-------extra dark because of the all-day-washing-away-refreshing-gloomy rain we so rarely get here in Southern California

the light in our house was extra-ordinary that day-------and for the first time ever----------the added darkness helped me to notice the rays coming from the light in the bathroom.

brilliant.

.......yesterday i was reminded of where i was a year ago

2011-12-26T08:42:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I found myself looking through photos of my trip to Italy. Today, it's about just a week short of when I went last year with thirty other college students.

Having read my friend Katie's post the day before, about her experience of where the two of us were a year ago, I started thinking about those longings I had in my heart then. Katie and I were just beginning to get to know each other, and I think we both hoped we would become better friends living with each other for a month in a foreign country. But what drew our hearts together most of all was our desire to experience something in Italy so much larger than ourselves. We wanted to know something so beyond ourselves, our imaginations, and our abilities. We were open vessels longing to be filled.

So,
I've been thinking about those longings I had in my heart then, and those longings I have in my heart now, a year later.

I still feel like an open vessel longing to be filled with such wonder, delight, and beauty---enough to allow me to confront the pain of being human. I am longing to be filled today in my old hometown, seeking out how to see an old place with child-like eyes. I know today, that that is what allows me to be daily present with the loneliness and the fear that comes with being human.

the view from Katie's & my window, last January

-------if you haven't heard it before, go listen to Noah & the Whale's song Old Joy

"Left, Breathless."------ I'm co-curating a show!!!!

2011-05-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

Jason Leith and I are curating a show----this Saturday!!---- at the Salvation Army Alegria in Los Angeles, through a project called Art & Shelter.

The location itself helps those affected by AIDS and HIV, providing immediate resources (food, medication, etc.) for them, as well as long-term resources (subsidized housing, chapel services, etc.). The most unique thing about the Salvation Army Alegria though is their program Art & Shelter---which believes strongly that everyone deserves to be exposed to art, and that you shouldn't just be providing for the bare needs of a person, but you should also be providing them with "excess". And the way they do that best is through consistently putting art on the walls of their facility, and having art openings!

So, that's what we're doing----putting on a show for Art & Shelter. The title of the show is "Left, Breathless." Here's our show statement, the thing that ties the five different artists works together:

"Left, Breathless is a collection of recent works by Jonathon Puls, Ashleigh Allard, Amber Johnson, Dan Callis, and Amy Scofield. The artists address the instances we find ourselves stripped of our shells and left naked. These works are about moments of sifting through the remains of deconstruction and confronting what is left.

With little context for the struggle, we find our faculties displaced and our vision impaired. We are left with a longing to move past the impasse, yet the struggle itself calls for us to move through. The selected works by these five artists address the moment we are Left, Breathless and insight is beyond our capacity. It is then, when our perception of the light has diminished, that we must resolve to take the next breath into reality, a future undeterminable and vague. Still, the vulnerable exposure in these moments holds the potential to restore sight and renew authenticity."

------Hope to see you at the show!

The Salvation Army Alegria

2737 W Sunset Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90026

three things I'm in love with

2011-03-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Berlin, Germany

July 2010

I took this picture on my trip to Germany this past summer, and have no idea why I've kept it hidden this long. In reality, it is the epitome of three of the major things that I am constantly drawn to both in photos I take, and paintings I do (even in things I buy!): --color, --grids,--architecture. And one other one I just now thought of was: my obsession with things that are extremely similar, but just slightly varying. I even day-dream of making a painting that is just an entire grid filled with slightly different shades of white (or any color really).

It is refreshing to me to have this ordered, laid out structure---that sets down the foundation for everything. The excitement then for me is getting to discover the slight differences between each square--getting to explore each section within the frame, essentially. The compare and contrast section of tests always were my strong-point.

Reflecting on these things, I feel like so much of it is clearly traced to my family. Two of my brothers and my Dad are all engineers, and my grandfather and uncle are builders---so in a lot of ways... it makes sense that I think in terms of structure and order, grids and architecture. The love for color though (especially bright color), I think is all my own.

on my studio wall

2011-03-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

it's pouring rain outside right now, and I even just heard thunder---
campus is just an absolute flood.

I had to run from my last class to the painting studio, just a few minutes ago, and was stuck outside the locked door for a full minute, trying to scramble through my bag to find my i.d. card, getting dumped on----finally found it, and burst inside, and I'm now currently seeking refuge in my studio, until my next class starts in a half hour.

So I thought I'd share my drawing of Ray, which I did a few weeks ago in class, and is currently hanging on my studio wall

last year's drawing of the same model, Ray

Garnett's Birthday: Huntington Beach Pier 17

2011-03-14T00:31:00.000-07:00

marvelous friends, indeed.

One Orange Wall

2011-03-10T01:57:00.000-08:00

love the contrast here of stillness (i.e. major straight on, straight-forward geometry) with past movement, past actions.

absolutely nothing happening here, on this wall, in this space----- but so many traces of recent (& not so recent) activity.

posting and removing, opening and closing, attaching and dismantling, painting and scraping.

Tuesday

2011-03-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

i tend to post at a pretty slow and steady pace, and sometimes end up posting photos or paintings from a month or two ago (if not longer). but the best part about this is that I also tend to post images that that day felt like me, felt just how I was feeling.

sometimes it's the colors, or it's the composition, or the subject matter. with today being a tired tuesday, full of much work ahead of me, something simple, subdued---but highly ordered---hit just the spot.

{Italy}:: Part 5

2011-02-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

a freezing cold day in Venice ----heading towards San Marco Piazza.

{Italy}:: Part 4

2011-02-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

the tamed & the untamed

{Italy}:: Part 3

2011-02-04T01:23:00.000-08:00

today,
I had office hours with one of my professors and was telling him about the shadows of Italy-- and how they compare to California. I don't think I've ever paid so much attention to shadows before, as I do now.

It never occurred to me before that the shadows of a particular place can be yet another way to get acquainted with a space (or sometimes even reacquainted). Before, I used to only notice the bizarre, the quirky, or the most dramatic of shadows. Now, not always, but much more, I am paying attention to all kinds of shadows-- even the simpler ones.

Italy is a place filled with iron gates: surrounding their buildings, covering their windows, blocking off the sacred altars of the cathedrals. That's where it all began to change. I became obsessed with the pattern of the iron gates, and that evolved into becoming even more excited and interested in how the silhouette of these ornate and fabulous patterns were being projected onto the ground, onto the walls, or even onto the hem of my friend's coat

California shadows are much less ornate, maybe even less dramatic--- but fantastic nonetheless. It's been a great way to become reacquainted with a space, noticing the shadows, in their simple, quirky, "only Southern California" type of way. Such a good grounding in re-establishing where I am, right now, at this moment.

{Italia}: Part 2

2011-02-03T00:21:00.000-08:00

Italian architecture is a dream. It's this wonderful balance between geometry, pattern, history, & renovation. The colors they choose to paint their buildings with are fantastic, and it seems like anytime something needs to be patched up they just choose a "relatively similar" type of color to cover up the mishap--- creating some of the best walls and surface treatment I've ever seen.

{Italy}:: Part 1

2011-01-29T22:43:00.000-08:00

took this of my dear, dear friend Katie Winters with her disposable camera on our last day in Italy, in the Bobbili Gardens

really looking forward to sharing more in the next few days (& weeks) about what kinds of things I saw & learned. Katie Winters, was one of the most wonderful surprises of the trip---loved getting to know her gentle, ever-giving, sweet soul; getting to experience first-hand the way she sees & does life

---Pattern Painting

2010-12-31T18:07:00.000-08:00

This painting was done for my Painting II class, inspired by the Pattern & Decoration Movement.

The pattern was inspired by a patterned arrangement of bricks outside of my apartment complex--- which is the first thing I see every day as I get up to my place.

I am naturally drawn to pattern, it's something my hand automatically moves to create. What I'm really interested to work through and discover in the next year is how to incorporate some of my figurative work (like below) with some of this pattern work.

self-portrait in a doorway & more

2010-12-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

the above painting is from this past summer,

i'm a big fan of the color of the door,

and would also love to do another painting with more stacks of chairs

Wires and Walls

2010-12-06T22:42:00.001-08:00

A few old ones & a few new ones

2010-12-05T15:19:00.000-08:00

It's taken me about 6 months to finally take pictures of some of my paintings,

but at long last, I've done it!

So, over the next week or two I'll post a few old ones & a few new ones.

Today's is from my Life Painting Class that I took with Jon Puls back in June, during Summer School. It was our last in-class painting we did for the course-- and definitely a challenge to paint someone reclining who is lying below you.

Lately I've been really missing getting to paint people--and this image makes me miss it all the more.

we all need a bit more wonder in our lives--

2010-10-04T00:26:00.000-07:00

Friday:: Escape to the Ocean

2010-09-08T14:31:00.001-07:00

Kathryn:

2010-08-31T00:35:00.000-07:00

This summer Kathryn asked me to take her senior photos.

So exciting, but also a little intimidating---

I had never done something like that before:

senior photos just have such an expectation of how they're supposed to look, & what sort of style they're supposed to be. And of course the basic fact that Kathryn is such a friend of mine made me feel even more pressured about how they would turn out.

However, Kathryn is approximately the easiest model ever. She loves pictures and she has the most joyful smile ever--making things that much better. Aside from nearly getting stampeded by a pregnant cow, the photo shoot was a success.

Megh:

2010-08-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

Meghan Mapes,

delight of my life,

non-stop jokester,

& BEAUTIFUL person

when light, color, glass, & church floors meet--

2010-08-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

stained glass windows, more like stained glass magic

-- taken inside an old Lutheran church in Guben, Germany

first day of my trip & this is the beauty I got to behold

seriously breathtaking

Sitting in Windows

2010-08-01T23:46:00.000-07:00

The month of July for me was spent mostly in the wonderful country of Germany, on a missions trip, with five other wonderful people from my school.

During the last week of our trip, my team stayed in a hostel, called The Three Little Pigs--- coolest place ever.

Things that I loved about this place:

1. the name

2. the fact that it was an ex-convent

3. the fact that it was attached to the most amazing hidden little catholic church with the most beautiful, quiet inside-- I discovered this one night with Amber

4. the windows in our room had the most wonderful view and were perfect for sitting in--which leads me to these

Michael--

2010-07-31T17:05:00.000-07:00

this is Michael:

large personality, & large belly.

so much fun to paint.

24"x32", Venetian Ground, Limited Palette

Sheri-----

2010-06-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

more paintings-----at last!!

2010-06-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

ah,

and at long last,

child rock-stars.

2010-05-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

life well lived

2010-04-17T00:22:00.001-07:00

hair in the shot

2010-04-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

as most of you know,

my hair is everywhere,

everywhere!

all the time,

in people's faces,

on my clothes,

in my own face,

and in this case...

in front of the lens--

in the shot

However, in this case:

I like it the most.

I like that you get an impression of how windy it was in the car driving up the coast.

Asia (yes, my favorite continent... but also, the name of the model)

2010-04-11T01:36:00.000-07:00

How I photographed all my drawings:

just taped it up on the outside of the painting studio,

the best idea ever, because:

1. natural light, 2. efficient, 3. fun

I like the repetition of the lines, a lot

on the building, on the edge of the paper, on the drawing

repetition, geometry = my cup of coffee

and here it is!

medium: charcoal pencil

(p.s. I really like charcoal pencil)

Raymond;

2010-04-01T01:35:00.000-07:00

5 Head Studies: 5 Self-Portraits

2010-03-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

old train rides up the coast

2010-03-27T23:42:00.000-07:00

I found this old photo tonight, from a year ago, of my cousin Aleksander (who lives in Norway!)--

it was taken on the train ride up the coast, from San Diego to LA, last spring break.

Things this makes me miss:

1. Aleksander

2. train rides

3. the ocean (it's been a long time)

4. Spring Break (here in a week!!)

tight-rope walkers

2010-03-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

Over-Exposed Goodness

2010-03-22T00:58:00.000-07:00

The other day my friend Marielle was confessing to me her love for over-exposed photos-- their blurry quality and crazy-cool look.

I didn't get it at the time-- but after this accidental shot I'll admit: I'm a fan.

South Carolina

2010-03-04T00:56:00.000-08:00

About a month and a half ago I took a 15 hr road trip with my Mom to beautiful South Carolina-- stayed in this incredible house right on the beach of the Atlantic for 4 days and hung out with wonderful Fuchs women (including my sister-in-law, aunt, grandma, and two cousins). It was the best-- beautiful rest for the soul.

Home

2010-02-17T18:48:00.000-08:00

blue hills--my favorite kind of hills

Loving this,

2010-02-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

I found this a few weeks ago,

and I just love it: simple, but brilliant--

and it's just old billboards!

So good.

http://cutupmx.wordpress.com/

>> New York, New York (Black & White!)

2010-01-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

Here is four more images from my trip last week to New York City/Long Island-- only these are in black & white!

Two are from inside my grandparents house,

Two are from walking around the City.

>> New York, New York!

2010-01-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

The first post in a series-- images from New York City, on my way to my grandparents this past week.

In Honor of Martin Luther King day: I have a Dream

2010-01-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

I've had this secret dream for some time now, to... paint murals.

AH! Even just writing about it just gets me excited.

This semester I realized I really like working outside the studio--where the people are: in a park, on the street-- all of it. So... how freaking rad would it be to paint, in the same place, for at least a month--on the side of the street. Think about all the conversations you could have with people! Day after day-- people asking you what you're doing, you explaining your vision and then allowing your conversation to stray off to something new and exciting.

Another thing that gets me excited about murals is the absolute enormous size of them---gah, I just love it---it's like a thirty foot tall canvas! It's art outside of the gallery, in front of the people, interacting with the people: becoming a part of their landscape and their community.

I have absolutely no clue what I would paint, if I was in fact actually ever able to make a mural--but, it's fun to dream. And dream big. Literally.

The photographs are of two murals in downtown LA-- the top one is my favorite, just gets me good.

Extended Still-Life

2010-01-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

This is an extended still-life we worked on (well, on & off again) over the course of about a month and a half. We started it in class and then after two weeks of that our professor just told us to hand it in a month from then. We still had other stuff to work on in class and out of class--but this was always, always something that was on mind-- that when I had a night free I always thought "oh man, I should go try & work on that big 'ol thing". The canvas was 30" x 30".

Self-Portrait

2010-01-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

This was our second/last portraiture exercise--

but... it got me so freaking excited to take Life Painting over the summer, and to get back to doing more figure studies. Drawing/Painting people = much, much more exciting than still-life's.

p.s. the coloring on these is a little off-- just a little washed out

first stab at portraiture

2010-01-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

This semester we didn't study portraiture for long. Our professor did a 3 hour demonstration, then we spent the next class session doing one ourselves, and then did a self-portrait for an out of class assignment. All in all, we probably spent about a week doing portraits--so not much time at all.

During our in-class painting session we were told to just paint and try to get as much done as possible in the 2 1/2 hours we had. AHH!

I was so nervous doing it and kept feeling so pressed for time--but I think that actually helped me.

I not only had to see quicker but also was forced to make more instinctual decisions about what colors to use, what marks to make, etc.

In the end, the painting didn't quite look like the model...

but, it got me excited--excited to paint more people, & excited to try to quicken the pace I work at.

So, here it is: my half-done painting

The first of many posts about... PAINTING!

2009-12-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

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)

2009-12-23T20:57:00.001-08:00

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)

2009-12-22T22:32:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-20T21:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-19T10:40:00.002-08:00

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

2009-12-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-02T00:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-18T23:47:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

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,

2009-10-30T02:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-12T00:58:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-10-10T23:03:00.000-07:00

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:

You can't really plan it, you just have to be there, see it for yourself, and impulsively begin to create something
You have no clue how long it's going to stay there
You have no clue how many people are going to see it or even what they're going to think when they see it
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.

2009-09-12T00:38:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-07-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

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 ...

2009-05-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

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.