Gridded

This is a little experiment I did in my sketchbook the other day.  I drew a grid, then took two colorful magazine pictures and cut them up using the same grid pattern.  Then I glued the pieces down, alternating the pieces from the two pictures.  This is how it turned out.  The colors are vibrant, the pattern is interesting.  I must admit that when i try to separate the two pictures with my eyes, I get confused.  I think I'd like to try some more, perhaps some different patterns and different color schemes.  I also might print some of my own pictures and cut those up.  It would definitely make it more personal.

3/22/2010 - Third day of spring

The trees in the UNCG parking lot are blooming and are absolutely gorgeous!  It seems that they sprung to life just over the weekend.  The bigger ones are white and from a distance, look like they are covered with fluffy cotton balls.  The smaller trees are blooming pink, with deep red interspersed here and there where some leaves have sprouted.
They're all so full of life and hope and promise!  It's invigorating, inspiring!  It makes me want to plant something or start something new.

In-Progress Self-Portrait

The class:  Variable Topics in Drawing/Collage
The professor:  Barbara Campbell-Thomas
The project:  make a self-portrait exhaustively investigating the potential of line, mark, and value.  Employ collage heavily as you "construct" your portrait - constructing being a means of conveying an idiosyncratic version of yourself, not merely an adept visual equivalent.  Ponder how collage's propensity toward fragmentation and juxtaposition might be useful to you in creating a self-portrait.
The photo of my in-progress self-portrait:

The analysis:  I enjoy the tactility of the portrait, the feeling of glued paper - stiff, wrinkly, crinkly.  The ripped edges of the paper lend to its messiness, as does the visible brustrokes produced by the glue mixed with charcoal.  I also love the size (it's obviously not to scale in the photo; it's size is roughly 4' x 5').  My tendency is to work very small and tediously.  I feel with the size of this piece and the nature of its creation I have been able to loosen up a bit.  It's nice to do something out of my comfort zone.  With that, as always, comes trouble too.
I have a little trouble with scale at this size.  Plus, I've never done a self-portrait so placement of my facial features is not coming easily to me.  However, thanks to the nature of the project, I can literally cover my mistakes and rework what I don't like.  I don't like my nose or mouth.  I really need to rework that area.  I use the terms nose and mouth generally because I don't actually have a defined nose and mouth.
Last class I began adding "curly hair."  At the moment, I'm a little unsure about it.  I may add a little more and gradually cover it up until some is poking through here and there so that it's not such an obvious feature.
Definitely still a work in progress.

The Extra Ingredient

Yesterday I had about 3 hours to kill between school and work.  Mom had told me about this cute little shop in the Friendly Center called The Extra Ingredient, the jackpot, so to speak, for stocking your kitchen.  They have absolutely anything and everything you could possibly need for a well-stocked kitchen.  They have oodles of cooking utensils, cast iron cookware, baking dishes, magnificent coffee makers, aprons, professional cutlery, specialty food items, tablescapes, cute little knick-knacks that you would buy just for their cuteness, and so much more!

Even though I didn't buy anything, it was such an inspiring place to browse!  I left feeling an overwhelming need to create something...anything!  But alas, due to work, the only thing I got to create was a royal mess while attempting to organize books in the New Age section at Barnes & Noble.

Here's a link to The Extra Ingredient so you can browse the online catalog to your heart's content:  http://www.extraingredient.com/

A collage from my sketchbook.

I was flipping through a magazine and came upon a beautiful photograph of ancient ruins in the desert.  I was completely captivated by the colors.  I ripped up the picture and created a base.  For some reason, as I was contemplating this base of beiges and dark browns, this half-moon shape was stuck in my mind.  I thought bright reds would beautifully complement the muted colors of the desert palette.  It turned out rather nicely, I think.

Supplies

I love new supplies!  Art supplies, school supplies, cleaning supplies, any kind of supplies.

Whenever I have new supplies I feel like I have a fresh, new beginning.  I'm starting from scratch with no mistakes yet.  It's such a refreshing feeling!

Here's part of my list of all sorts of new supplies that I love.

pens, pencils, sticky notes

floor cleaner, stamps, glue
file folders, rubber bands, dryer sheets
acrylic paints, paint brushes, markers
Sharpies, white-out, scissors
push pins, windex, stickers
bristol board, dish detergent, double-sided tape

Of course, these are just a few supplies from my long, long list.  My absolute favorite new supplies to get are pens, double-sided tape, and floor cleaner.

Here's a little design composition I did with my new Sharpies pen.  It brought such joy to my heart!

Anne of Green Gables

J'adore Anne of Green Gables!

Mom and I watched part of Anne of Avonlea last weekend.  I started reading book 4 in the book series, Anne of Windy Poplars.  Anne, or I guess I should say Lucy Maud Montgomery, has such a way with words.  I wish I were as eloquent, as beautifully descriptive, as imaginative with my vocabulary.  Here is an exerpt from one of Anne's letters to Gilbert, her fiance:

"I'm sitting on the window seat in the tower looking out into the trees waving against an amber sky and beyond them to the harbor.  Last night I had such a lovely walk with myself...I went out and down the harbor road.  There was such a nice frosty, Octobery smell in the air, blent with the delightful odor of newly plowed fields.  I walked on and on until twilight had deepened into a moonlit autumn night.  I was alone but not lonely."

Isn't that such a delightful description?