Exciting Shadows

I wrote this post over a week ago... don't as me why it took so long to post it...

Yesterday proved to be really productive. I spent most of the day finishing the really exciting shadow at the bottom of the drawing...the reason why I picked this particular photograph to work with. The middle (to the left of it) isn't dark enough, but what I think the bigger problem is is leaving the left side unfinished. I've encountered some problems with fading things out on this drawing. I don't even think I needed someone else to tell me I needed to add value to the left side. I already knew and just didn't want to face it. In a way tho, it's exciting for me to deal with such simple things as composition. It's almost refreshing to strip everything back and just focus on formal qualities. It's also nice to feel confident enough to make those decision on my own. Although I did need someone else to see it in order to face what needed to be done. I think a lot of artists do that. We are innately designers. Even though training helps, there is something natural about being able to judge things visually. We just don't trust ourselves. It's nice to have someone look at your work with you. It makes you confront things about it even if they don't utter a word. Tomorrow I'll add all the middle value in that needs to be there and then face the rest of the composition problems I've set up for myself in this drawing.

I went grocery shopping tonight. Just a quick trip I didn't feel like dealing with raw meat tonight. Is it sad that a quarter of what I bought had something to do with caffeine and alcohol? I'm supper excited that I finally found a wine I could trust. I always forget what wine I like so it's a surprise each time I buy some. Not this time! I knew it was gonna be delicious and I refuse to forget the name of it!.

On my way to the grocery store I stopped at Barnes and Noble for some coffee and book browsing. I saw one that was titled Women Who Think Too Much and seriously considered buying it. Not gonna lie sometimes I really feel like I'm a walking cliche (at least in my head). Like I could easily be narrating a movie or book on a day to day basis. Ok now I sound crazy. I'm not really I'm not.

In other news: I FINALLY saw inception and it really was the mind-blowing experience I knew it would be. I couldn't sit still the whole time. I kept cracking my knuckles and tapping my foot. I really loved it. It's ones of those movies that you can over-analyze to pieces. Since over-analyzing is a part of my daily life this movie felt like Christmas morning. There will never ever be a final say on anything. It's just what the viewer decides... because for everything you can go ... yes but ... anyways beyond the movie it just makes you think is all and I like that. I also really love the actors. There's something extremely comforting in trusting certain actors to pick good movies. I will always love Leonardo DiCaprio.....ever since Titanic. He's one of those actors that you can tell acts because it's something that he can't live without doing. It's the same thing with artists and musicians. I guess I just have a lot of respect for actors like this. And once again I love Joseph Gordon Levitt.....I have ever since he was in Angels in The Outfield... one of my favorite movies as a child.

There is a really large creepy spider spinning a web on my front porch. I'm too afraid to get rid of it. I keep expecting the spider to drop down from the ceiling or something and stare me down. I'm starting to feel like Ron Weasley.

I really hate that New American Paintings cost 20 bucks. There is just really awesome work in it. Especially this guys paintings. They caught my eye as I was flipping through and they are supper exciting. My brain is shot so I'm not even gonna bother to talk about them. They are just really beautiful formally and conceptually. P.S. His name is Gregory Thielker.

Since I wrote the post I fixed that sharp contrast on the left, but it's still not done. This drawing's at the point where it's going to be a constant struggle

Spiders and Charcoal

These photographs of the drawing I'm working on connect with that earlier post about Time and Light so I'm not going to be even more redundant than I already am. Go back and re-read that post it explains these photographs.

I totally blame my lack of efficiency this past week on a spider. I jumped to conclusions when I thought the tiny spider I killed last Sunday was a brown recluse. I was about to leave the house and get things checked off my to do list but I ended up spending two hours looking up spiders on the internet which freaked me out even more. I wouldn't admit this if I didn't think it seemed so entertaining; I am neurotic enough that I slept with my glasses on and a flashlight and heavy book next to my bed that night. In my defense I was on the hunt for palmetto bugs as well. They like to slip under my back door when it rains. I'm still not use to Florida bugs ick. I put paper towels in front of the bottom of the door. This is a problem though because I'm now afraid to go out on my back porch where my washer and dryer are and I have a pile of laundry that needs to get done. Stupid spider.

On to way more important things. I had some more realizations about my work process. Because I make these charcoal drawings by shading in the value and then smudging parts, it's even harder for me to finish the drawing. I find myself wanting to leave stuff untouched once I shade in values. Every slight change in the drawing is something only I experience and I think that's part of the beauty of the process of these things. It's not the finished product that drives me but the difficulty I have NOT leaving stuff unfinished if that even makes any sense. And all of that becomes part of the overall concepts of these drawings. On a certain level these drawings are simply ABOUT drawing; about the beautiful relationship of charcoal and paper.

500 Days of Summer/ Photography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsD0NpFSADM

There are numerous reasons to love 500 Days of Summer but I particularly enjoy the color palette and selective visual shots and how they interact with the music. Also, the opening is just super exciting with the usage of old film. I feel like old film automatically puts a romanticized spin on things.

I was obsessing over this movie at the end of last fall semester when I was thinking in terms of memory rather than time. I was also focusing a lot more on the nature of photographs in connection with my work. "Long ago it must be, I have a photograph. Preserve your memories, they're all thats left you" is a direct quote from one of the songs in the movie. More PROOF that photographs and memory have a clear and strong connection. "A moment, a love, a dream, a laugh " from another song just creates a nice visual.

The thing about photographs is that they edit information. They are documentation of reality that has occurred but it is selective truth. The viewer can only know what actually happened unless they were there. Since they alter fact isn't creating artwork from photographs taking that fact to yet another level of illusion? It allows for even more situations to be set up. Isn't that what humans often do in their heads? Set up possible instances that could have happened or that they hope to happen? I feel like this all dances around words such as fantasy, illusion, and romanticism. Taboo cliches in reality. It took me a while to admit that a lot of my work deals with romanticism (not as in romantic love) but more in terms of an idealized view of life. That's what old photographs do. As much as I would like to imagine people in the 1940s walking around in a sepia tone mist, actuality is that it wasn't anything different from the world we experience today.

Also, I adore Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Epiphanies

Over the past few weeks I have had multiple epiphanies, things that I couldn't realize at the beginning of the summer because I was too busy freaking out about my life. The shock is finally wearing off. So below are some realizations that I've had as well as some random thoughts.

1. Everything REALLY is going to be okay.

2. I need to have more fun. I'm way to young to worry so much. I don't have to have everything accomplished for the day to go out and have fun with my friends. I'm impatient and I need to realize things don't happen overnight.

3. School really is over and pretty soon most of the people at Flagler that I know will move on too. It's not like making art is over. I have my whole life for that. I WILL meet new people and keep in touch with those that matter. It's not like Flagler is disappearing off the face of the planet and it's not like I can't visit St. Augustine when I eventually leave it. There are so many experiences that are waiting for me and I frustrate myself by holding on to past ones that have been good. They were awesome time periods in my life, but it's time to move on.

3. Art people are crazy. We may appear to LOOK normal (most of the time) but listen to us talk for a while and you'll see what I mean. But it makes sense. There are definitely times when you can call some stuff out for being a lot of b.s. but most of the time it makes sense, it's why we do things...and it's really simple. And while it may seem like we are talking about nonsense it's really not. It's like a secret artist language.

4. I watch a lot of reality television. The combination of the Jersey Shore and Project Runway on the same night is super exciting.

5. While watching yet another reality T.V. show, The Rachel Zoe Project, I had a reminder of how much I miss Paris (even though I've only been there twice for a few days at a time). Rachel goes there for fashion week and seeing the shots of Paris made me want to book a one way ticket there that very second.

6. I think I'm ready for New York. Growing up less than an hour away, I never ever thought I could live there, but I think I'm ready for it. There's no city like it in the world, and even though I'm totally romanticizing the starving artist thing in my head, reality is that there are numerous opportunities there. I'm sort of missing the excitement of New York. There are also more opportunities for meeting people. I think I need to book a flight home to visit.

7. Or Paris. I should move to Paris. I seem to have it in my head that I need to go to grad school soon. I have a plan. I also seem to think that I need money in order to make Paris happen. Truth of the matter is I can pick up and move to Paris anytime I want. If I'm gonna be a poor starving artist why can't I do that from the most beautiful city in the world? I am sort of afraid that living there would take away from the magic of it. I had enough guts to study abroad in London for a semester, question is could I really move to Paris?

8. My caffeine addiction could be a lot worse but it's still pretty bad. This was brought to my attention when on the way home from the gym (in the morning) I stopped at McDonald's NOT for food but for a diet coke. Usually people drink water after working out. Not me I went straight for the caffeine.

9. I really don't know how people wake up at 5 in the morning to go to the gym. I mean I always feel better after going but I can barely wake up at 9:30 to be someplace at 11.

There are more wonderful realizations that I've had. Moments that everything just seems so clear an clicks together. I'm just going to keep them to myself, but all of these epiphanies have been supper exciting to have.

Business Cards

I really don't know how I forgot this tidbit of information but around two weeks ago I had business cards made and I'm thrilled with how they came out! It's just exciting to have something to give someone when they ask what kind of art you do. I always have this sneaky suspicion that people pretend to be into art (really have no clue) or want to roll their eyes when I say I'm an artist. They usually have a look of shock on there faces when they see my work. It's like they realize I'm not joking. I take what I do seriously. Anyways back to the business cards... I need to start handing them out more... preferably to rich people who want to buy my art. Thanks again to the people who helped me with them! Technology, printers, and I really don't get along that well.

Last Wednesday

Last Wednesday (as in a week ago since I can never post things as they happen) was one of the most productive days of the summer. It was a perfect caffeine/forgetting to eat day. I just really enjoy being absorbed in making art to the point that I get annoyed when I realize I have to stop and do things such as eating. Seriously, food and sleep just get in the way of things. These are the days I make the most progress; days that my mind and body are completely 100% captivated. I got a good portion of the window finished and I'm really happy with how the shadows turned out!

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist was on that night so I decided to treat myself to some wine and I continued to draw with the T.V. on in the background. I haven't seen many episodes so I'm a little behind. It's definitely entertaining. Having it on in the background when I was drawing was interesting. I was listening to artists talk about art as I was making art.

Working for shorter periods of time is really annoying. I find that I'm taking a lot of quick breaks that turn into longer breaks. There are too many distractions at home. In the studio I just had to walk around the art building for a minute when I needed a break and I was right back to focusing on my work. I'm thinking that a good way of fixing this would be using my ipod instead of itunes... that way the temptation that is facebook and the internet won't be an arms reach away.

The reason for last week's productivity is that I had been ignoring the real world. The thing is, when you say screw reality it usually comes back to bite you in the ass (and there's no getting around facing it). I think I can continue to put things off for a while but it's subconsciously making me anxious. Somebody needs to teach me better time management... and how to become more of a morning person.

It's just frustrating that I have so many things I want to do. I'm not stuck with my art. The charcoal drawings have been a huge breakthrough in terms of my perceptions of my art. I know they are going to influence my pencil drawings and I still have this nagging urge to paint. Why does this have to occur when I'm done with school and can't dedicate all of my time to art making? I guess I should be happy I'm so inspired... I could've graduated and had no clue where to start.

Annoying Heads/ French Toast & Fire Alarms

This past week I found myself struggling to balance drawing and figuring out my life. Unable to do this successfully resulted with a very unproductive week.

I need to get this rant over with. I feel as if my precious studio time has been wasted. I SPENT OVER SIX HOURS ON ONE HEAD. After struggling for an hour I hated it; took a second look, decided it was the best part of the drawing, then realized it was too big for the body after stepping away from the drawing for the day. It was going to bother me way too much so I very painfully erased it. I then spent 5 1/2 hours trying to fix it. I hate it but it's time to move on. It should've only taken a half an hour to do but I couldn't let it go, I felt so betrayed. This was the section of the drawing I couldn't wait to render (such exciting value relationships!) and it was giving me Hell. What got me through all this was possibly the best studio mix I've ever made! Most of the songs remind me of stuff that played on pandora in the studio a lot the last few months of school. I can't NOT share it so here it is:

1. "Dog Days Are Over" Florence and the Machine

2. "Fidelity" Regina Spektor

3. "1234" Feist

4. "I'm scared" Duffy

5. "L.E.S. Artistes" Santigold

6. "Maps" Yeah Yeah Yeahs

7. "1901" Phoenix

8. "Between Two Lungs" Florence and the Machine

9. "Cosmic Love" Florence and the Machine

10. "The Greatest" Cat Power

11. "Sort Of" Ingrid Michaelson

12. "Samson" Regina Spektor

13. "Almost Lover" A Fine Frenzy

14. "Paris" Yael Naim

15. "You Picked Me" A Fine Frenzy

16. "The Way We Get By" Spoon

17. "Young Folks" Peter Bjorn and John

16. "Electric Feel" MGMT

17. "Sleepyhead" Passion Pit

18. "Fallin' For You" Colbie Caillat

It's almost like being transported back to the studio. I'm starting to think that it may just be the actual space of that particular studio that I am missing (not just the company). I'm pretty sure I could tell you exactly what CD was playing when I made most of my drawings from drawing two ( as well as what movies were on for each section of my color copy in painting).

I made french toast the other morning for the first time since high school. It actually turned out really good, however, I did set off the fire alarm. Thankfully opening the back door made it stop fairly quickly. Something was bound to happen. Me and the kitchen rarely ever get through a meal without some small argument. Well I guess it's back to work.

"Warhol-esque"

http://perezhilton.com/2010-07-19-lady-gaga-turns-a-urinal-into-art

I really think Lady Gaga is Andy Warhol's long lost twin. I like her simply because I heard her songs non-stop when I was living in London and they stir up a pleasant reminiscence for me. Either way I have respect for her as an artist. Andy Warhol's personality was not having one. He lived his art 24/7 by creating a public persona. Even though it seems like he was kind of an asshole, Warhol as an icon in the art world still commands a certain respect, whether you like his art or not.

Likewise, her music aside, Lady Gaga still deserves respect for taking her art to the level that Andy Warhol did. My whole point to this post is that I understand Andy Warhol and Duchamp were part of two completely different art movements but it is Lady Gaga's "Warhol-esque" attitude that makes her reference to Marcel Duchamp so amusing to me.

Perhaps I have no idea what I am talking about since I feel like I am not nearly as knowledgeable in Art History as I believe an artist should be.

Invisible Treehouse

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/guest_bloggers/56/almost-invisible-mirrored-tree-house-built-in-sweden.html

I really want to see this tree house in person. It reminds me of Dan Graham's work which I love because of his use of reflective materials. Mirrors create the illusion of depth, of three-dimensional space, on a two-dimensional surface just as drawing does. (Below is one of Dan Graham's pieces).

Florence & The Machine/ "The Figure"

So flashback to a week ago Sunday as in 7/18. Remember the allure of the song in that movie trailer I mentioned? Well I gave into it and bought the whole Florence and the Machine album "Lungs" (because I really have the money to spend on music). Totally worth the investment as it seemed to be the only thing that made me productive. Not only did I get the entire house cleaned but I had one of the most effective "studio" days since I started this drawing. I can't count how many times I listened to the album. There's just something so haunting about her voice that makes the music so intense in a beautiful way.

It's hard to reach that "zone out" state when making art. That invigorating place where you leave reality for a brief time and are completely engulfed in the harmony of music and art. For me the two are closely tied but it still takes the right mood and music to get there. It doesn't happen very often so it's important to soak up every minute of it when it does. Thanks to Florence and the Machine I stayed there for most of the day Sunday which produced the majority of the top right side of the drawing.

I promise this next rant connects to art is some way. The most entertaining part of my job at Athena's is watching people parallel park and fumble over maps. People watching is fun because it almost becomes an unconscious investigation into human nature. Most of the people that walk by are couples and families. What is the driving force between human connections? Watching all of the different types of interactions between couples, as well as parent-child interactions, I've found my brain contemplating the intensity of love and genetic connections.

What is it that makes these types of human attachments so strong? I have friends that I am closer to than family members yet there is still a bond there when I see them. But why? Why does sharing blood change relationships.

How do we control who we surround ourselves with? Is it simply out of our own overwhelming loneliness that we yearn to associate ourselves with others? Are genetics so strong because they are a guarantee of human companionship?

The truth is that no matter how many incredible people we seek the company of, there is still no avoiding those times when we are left alone with our actions and thoughts. I guess what I am getting at is that no matter how strong our instincts are to form bonds with others we will never fully achieve these connections. We will always be (to some degree) alone as no one can fully get inside another person's thoughts. I think each individual needs to learn to deal with this inevitable realization of loneliness in there own way.

I think this summer has made me face this awareness of human solitude. I haven't had enough alone time this past year so making up for it is a good thing. This rant was not meant to be depressing. And when I am not alone I'm insanely blessed to have amazing people in my life.

This all relates to art because it is about the figure. The figure has always been a prevalent subject in art. The viewer attempts to identify with the figure in the artwork just as they would attempt to connect with any person. It's our way of making sense of how we navigate through this thing called life. It's making sense of the world by associating with other human beings.

Another thing I've noticed working at Athena's is how people above the age of 65-70 dress. They all wear the same white sneakers, socks, and cotton shorts and shirt. Is it a generation thing or am I doomed to loose all fashion sense when I am older?

Sun-Dried Cranberries

I promise to be quick and straight to the point. This charcoal drawing is taking way too long. The pencil drawings are done quickly and I can function normally when making them. These charcoal drawings however, require frequent breaks to keep my sanity. There is also the problem of figuring out what to render and what to leave incomplete. I was not in this predicament with the last drawing until closer to the end. I'm already facing the push and pull of creating this illusion of space, making the drawing process even slower as the more I draw the more I want to leave parts unfinished. Below is the setup I came up with. It's working surprisingly well but I'm really really really missing the studio.

Summer is so suffocating. It's like being in an oven stuck in limbo somewhere. It has always made me feel really detached and lonely. An occasional walk on the beach or reading a good book can sometimes fix this feeling for a brief time. There's just something about the open expanse of ocean and sky or loosing yourself in well written book that counteracts the stagnant time of summer. Too bad I've been way to busy for either of these activities. I'm ready for the crisp fresh air of fall.

Running on the beach at night at the beginning of the summer was working quite well until it got hotter and my life did not allow for this activity as frequently. Also, asthma and humidity don't really get along. I joined a gym yesterday and it was really nice to be able to exercise and breathe. No weird looks from people wondering if I was gonna pass out from not being able to get air into my lungs. Anyways as I was leaving the gym I felt really good. To quote Legally Blonde "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't." I'm thinking this gym thing may work to brighten up my mood in the midst of this weird transition in my life from school to the real world. Who said you couldn't learn anything from watching movies! Ironically legally blonde was on T.V. when I got home.

I promise I'm not on some crazy health kick I just really love salads. My dinner when I got home consisted of a mixture of lettuce, carrots, some chedder cheese, grilled chicken, balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and the best part: sun-dried cranberries! This whole cooking concept is still relatively new to me. I've finally moved on from the days where obtaining food was a microwave button away. Dessert consisted of strawberries, a few teddy grams, and the best part: a glass of wine.

In the past week I've had three light bulbs burn out on me. I don't know if it's me but I'm wary of turning on lights now. I almost expect the light to do that weird electric spark thing and then go dark.

I keep seeing commercials for that movie with Julia Roberts Eat. Pray. Love. It looks really good but that could be the allure of the song they picked out for the movie trailer. Inception looks really good too. I love going to the movies but I never seem to have the time and always forget about movies I want to see when they come out on DVD.

I Finally Started to Draw

I've never felt so unsettled in my whole life. There's always been school in my future. I'm not going to lie. I love school. Since I've graduated I've been denying the fact that I no longer attend Flagler College. I know grad school is in my future.. but what do I do until then? I avoided this question for a while before I had to face reality.

I think what I miss most about school is not seeing people on a daily basis. There's something nice about showing up to a place and knowing your friends are going to be there. You don't have to plan anything in advance. It's a guarantee that someone will be around to go on a caffeine run with you or distract you from working when you need a break. I was so spoiled being surrounded by wonderful creative people.

I won't be able to work on my art nearly as much as I used to and I hate that. I hate being forced to be at a place at a certain time (job). It has nothing to do with working. I work my ass off when I'm in school.... way way over a 40 hour "work week". It has more to do with being able to control the time in which I work. I also don't do well with not being productive. Standing outside Athena's restaurant for the past month trying to convince people to "try the best Greek food in town" has gotten to be boring and monotonous. (I think it was boring and monotonous after the first hour). The time just goes by so slowly and I feel so stuck there. I don't do well with feeling stuck. Why is it that I'm perfectly fine driving for hours and taking insanely long walks but I can't handle traffic or standing in one place? I think I have control issues which have nothing to do with normal control issues just this whole Time thing.

What really frustrates me is I had it so good this last semester. It was a really amazing year and I didn't enjoy it because I was too busy having panic attacks about the future. I was too sad about it all ending that I wasn't fully soaking it all in. It's too late now I can't go back and re-live it.

Sorry for the rambling, the whole point of this post is to say I WORKED ON A CHARCOAL DRAWING TODAY. By the time I couldn't handle not doing artwork (sometime around the end of May) I was too consumed figuring out this job thing to make time to draw. I think it has become almost physically painful to not make art. For the first time since graduating I feel like myself again. Words cannot describe the feeling. I couldn't focus with the T.V. on in the background and since there is never ever anything on television I turned it off and put on Stadium Arcadium (Jupiter CD) by the Chili Peppers (possible one of my all time favorite CDs) followed by some Norah Jones. I just can't put into words how happy it made me. Something about the music and drawing and music and drawing and some thinking. Drawing is just this amazing processing tool that I think my brain has greatly missed these past few months. I really love drawing insane amount of hours with little food and tons of caffeine to the point that I can't form sentences. It's exhilarating. Not that I did that today just, well, I miss it. There is no feeling like it in the world. I know I probably sound insane.

In other news: 1. I really hate cockroaches. I'm totally blaming there semi-invasion of my house on it being summer. 2. I still have bruises from being in the hospital two weeks ago. And people wonder why I can't handle having my blood taken. Every time is a traumatic experience. I was so delirious from fever and dehydration I was barely conscious and they are poking needles in me every chance I get. It's not the pain that bothers me just the thought of the needle. The hospital really wasn't that bad. It was just all the needles and not being able to stick my veins the first attempt. I think I was stuck 5 times? Just when I thought I was about to get the IV taken out after hours and hours (which they stuck 3 times before getting it). A guy comes in to take my blood! And can't get it on the first time! Anyway the bruise on my left wrist has kinda wrapped around the side of my wrist and doesn't show any signs of stopping. I'd like to seem them try to get the needles in me when I feel like a normal human being. The nurses don't stand a chance.

Light and Time

Three months ago when I was neurotically working on my final charcoal drawings and refused to leave the painting studio I couldn't help but notice the lighting effects that the skylight had on my drawing. In some crazy roundabout way it helped me realize one of the reasons for my obsession with old architecture.

Detailed architecture exaggerates the changing light of the sun. There are great deal more opportunities for shadows and a wider range of value shifts. It's a way to watch time progress right in front of your eyes. The dramatic shadow transformations that occur around dusk have always made me uneasy. It has something to do with seeing the physical proof of the passage of time and being completely unable to stop it.

Anyways all of this was set off by seeing the changing light across my drawing. Aside from this whole time obsession that probably makes sense only in my head, the light also reminded me of lighting coming through a cathedral window (perfect lighting for a drawing OF a cathedral). So in the end even though the lighting reminded me of this unnerving feeling I have about time, it also gave me this calm and serene feeling, like a peaceful moment stopped in time when watching light shine through a cathedral window illuminating the beautiful architecture inside.

Either I sound absolutely crazy or these pictures really needed no explanation.

I could totally see these drawings installed in a gallery with similar lighting. Maybe people will make the connections? Or maybe it's completely cheesy... anyways I liked the way the photos turned out.

New American Paintings

So I originally made this blog to post Sculpture II projects on, but I am going to venture into the world of real blogging and use it to ramble on about art. However, there will most likely be the occasional post on my disastrous cooking attempts or venting about the obnoxious drivers in St. Augustine.

So moving onto art stuff... I went into Barnes and Noble yesterday for some coffee and saw the April/May issue of New American Paintings (which by now everyone's probably seen and I'm just really behind). Completely flipped out about the cover (artist Justin Bower in case you need a reminder). I mean look at those marks and those colors. It's super exciting and it makes me really want to paint... too bad I'm insanely rusty at painting and I would probably get frustrated and lose my motivation.

Anyways, I flipped through New American Paintings when I was drinking my coffee. I can definitely empathize with Mary Laube's artist statement. I can't find it online so I think I have to go back to Barnes and Noble read it again. Her artist statement discusses the memory that places hold and the merging of those memories with our imagination of those locations. Her artist statement explains it a lot better than I am doing right now so you just need to go read it. She also comments on how our memories fade more with the passing of time. This is something I have thought about often in relation to my work. Time constantly makes me anxious only because it detaches me more and more from fond memories that I wish I could replay more vividly in my mind on command.

I also really enjoyed the paintings by Rebecca Wallace and Caetlynn Booth!

Checkerboard Landscape

For me the moving checkerboard is a way to create time and space. Adding the mirrors create an anxiety filled landscape of potential movement of space and and a stopped moment in forever moving time. Ever since I made this piece, I've wanted to continue making a series of these landscapes. All semester long I've planned on making something for the final project involving this moving checkerboard landscape and mirrors, however, I've really like elements to some of my other sculptures this semester (especially the drawing on a transparency). I would love to combine these ideas into either one large coherent piece or several smaller pieces.... I open to suggestions!