live from the studio

laurawennstrom.com is now live!!!

2011-06-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

Let's Read

2011-04-19T16:45:00.000-05:00


Let's Read by yaelfran on etsy

The more you read,
the more you know.

The more you know,
the smarter you grow.

The smarter you grow,
the stronger your voice.

When speaking your mind
or making your choice.

(from a bookmark I have, author unknown)

Neuron Rebellion

2011-04-06T21:38:00.001-05:00

Just stumbled upon a glorious website and fantastic project http://neuronrebellion.com

Chicago

2011-04-06T12:21:00.000-05:00

I am back at school after a glorious 11 day spring break. I flew out to Chicago, stayed with Kelly a few nights and went to Bethel with her. On Friday Anders drove in, we ate at Tre Kronor with Aaron and then we went up to his parents house for a few days of relaxation. Something about getting away from it all and having time to reflect is so refreshing. It made me homesick to visit Chicago and drive down North Avenue and see all of my little (but growing taller all the time) friends. I know I have a home there, but I also have a home here. It's hard to be in two places at once.

I did some more printmaking work over break. I entered this tree print into the spring CSA project, it would be my dream come true to be accepted. I think trees are a beautiful metaphor for growth and life, they are especially awesome after they have some dings and scratches and twisty old bark.

beauty school

2011-03-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

Today I visited the Minneapolis Aveda Institute because I am thinking a wee bit about getting my cosmetology license. The school was very impressive and I am sure it's a top-notch program. Only problem is that I don't have 20K sitting around to pay for it... I started thinking about Jayber Crow (by Wendell Berry) and good old Jayber had some wisdom, hair will always grow and it will always need cutting. Sounds like job insurance to me. In some ways I feel as if I am betraying my undergrad degree by thinking about doing something else, all before my original loans have been payed off. Who knows, I probably won't go to beauty school but at least I can make a more informed decision about it.

This economy is really frustrating and difficult to navigate. It is hard to have faith that the Good Lord will take care of us... What does that look like? Is it that the perfect job-posting will pop up on craigslist and they hire me, plus benefits? Or is it living with my parents for another few months and driving an old car that can hopefully hang in there to 200,000 miles? I guess life is just turning out differently than I imagined, and I thought I had pretty low expectations. I guess being told you are special and gifted your whole life doesn't always equal any type of meaningful employment.

homes

2011-03-24T08:37:00.005-05:00

some new collages, cutting up old art to make new art.

Printing Press

2011-02-07T10:19:00.003-06:00

I received a super sweet Speedball mini printing press for Christmas and I have been busy trying it out. I have felt kind of confined to making editions, and perfect prints... so I have been playing. Instead I have been creating a series of 5x7" monoprints. Kind of fun.

Treasury Crazy!

2010-12-20T11:17:00.004-06:00

I decided that I would make a treasury, just to try... and made it to the Front Page of Etsy. Then I made a 2nd, just to try agian, and it also made it to the FP! I feel an addiction coming on...

I've got a new favorite

2010-11-26T10:30:00.003-06:00

Birds of North America Collage Audubon Painting TShirt by isotope

Organic accent pillow California by birdmafia

Book of Comics by Frantic Meerkat

Missing my Friends

2010-11-18T18:18:00.003-06:00

this picture makes me homesick for my friends andre and jaleigh and a different kind of home.

North Park Triennial Alumni Exhibit

2010-11-18T18:16:00.003-06:00

Image of my painting in the North Park Triennial Alumni Exhibit
photo credit: Steven Signa Avilez

Flickr Top 20

2010-10-31T09:25:00.004-05:00

In effort to create a portfolio for my grad school apps, I am looking at my flickr stats. Not everything I post on flickr is portfolio worthy (some are quick sketches and old assignments). I have a pretty solid top 10, but the last 10 images can really go either way. I just have made so much work, editing is the most difficult part! Based on flickr stats (all time views, favorites, and overall interestingness) and some personal editing, this is the flickr top 20. I'm not satisfied at all with the results, but it is an interesting exercise nonetheless. My photography skills need some serious help! Basically anything that will be final portfolio material will be rephotographed. Please vote for your favorites.

Rain

2010-10-24T16:43:00.004-05:00

I found some half finished paintings from a few years ago under my bed... I gave them some TLC and now I think they are more presentable. This one is called Rain, I'm excited about the layers that have literally happened over time, I love the texture that is happening as well.

I have officially started applying for grad school. Maybe I shouldn't be discussing it in case I don't get in, but its going to be quite the process... the portfolio and artist statement part particularly.

It was wonderful to have a 4 day weekend due to MEA. I feel energized and ready to go back to work. Work would be great if I didn't have to work with people, but people are difficult (but they also make it fun). And honestly, without people I wouldn't have a job.

PotAYto, PotAHto

2010-10-04T20:36:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from our garden over the summer after we dug the potatoes. We left before we could harvest everything, but they have been pulling in wheel-barrows full of tomatoes. We were able to enjoy some leeks, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and squash this when Uncle Bud brought them up on his way to a Twins game. Yum!

new painting

2010-09-26T18:42:00.006-05:00

16 x 20 inches on canvas, inspired by a children's book "The two ton canary"

a to do list

2010-09-23T14:12:00.002-05:00

Since I have decided to apply to art school I have done absolutely nothing about it. I started working full time as a reading teacher through the Minnesota Reading Corps. I am now working 40-50 hour weeks and when I come home there is not much creative energy left in me. (Plus we just got cable so Anders can watch his beloved Bears, oh another Bones rerun marathon is on, goodnight productivity)

I am still unsure about my grad school "portfolio". The work I did in undergrad is really different from the work I am interested in now, but I also think that my current environment is not as conducive to to the work I did in undergrad (inner city/ giant installations). I'm still trying to stay focused and work on some new work as well.

Alumni Triennial Exhibition @ NPU

2010-09-17T12:29:00.004-05:00

This is the work I am showing in the Alumni Triennial Exhibition at North Park University

playing with the moon

2010-08-30T19:42:00.004-05:00

Here is an email forward (or a Fwd: Fwd: Fwd:) from my grandpa, I get about 10 a week from him. but something about these photos are captivating. I don't know who the artist is, if anyone could enlighten me it would be much appreciated :)

952 Crew

2010-08-29T10:17:00.003-05:00

My brother Jeff and friend Black are releasing their debut album Unlimited from the 952 Crew. This high energy hiphop dance album is sure to please. You can download it on iTunes for 99cents a song.

Senior Art Show Presenation

2010-08-26T21:56:00.002-05:00

I don't think I ever posted this video taken by Tim Lowly at my senior art show. See the art here and see my other videos here.

Alice Melvin

2010-08-24T08:28:00.004-05:00

I'm in the process of applying to some grad schools (currently that process is involving more thinking and processing than it is filling out forms). I just found an illustrator doing beautiful work, and I think that my work has some interesting things in common with hers. I've always thought that I would love illustration and producing children's books. This work is very inspiring and practical and lovely!

Summer craft projects

2010-07-30T09:24:00.006-05:00

I have spent the summer working at the YMCA day camp in northern Illinois as the Arts & Crafts coordinator for the campers, ages 3 to 15. It has been a fun/challenging

experience and I have scoured the internet for every age appropriate craft in cyberspace.

One of the biggest challenges I found this summer was trying to find a craft that not only fit the week's theme, but was engaging to a group of kids of varied ages and abilities (i.e. 5-8 year olds). I'm not sure where this comes from but many kids have the tendency to rush through a project so they can sit and stare at the wall for the rest of the hour... still working on ways to rectify that, perhaps some children are just disinterested and I should just accept that.

I know that I am posting these photos without any kind of reference from where they came from. I have a folder on my desktop that I drag pictures into that spark an idea or for projects I want to do.... this works for my visual memory. So I pulled some favorites from "the folder". Many of my ideas came from www.familyfun.com, they have hundreds of fabulous ideas, mostly made from things around the house.

how awesome is this?

2010-07-25T17:32:00.000-05:00

$2 thrift store find

Vintage Graduation

2010-07-23T09:00:00.003-05:00

I have been playing around with a vintage high school yearbook. From which I have created cutesy kitschy cards for graduates with a sense of humor (some take that diploma way too seriously.) And now I will show you some pics. All of these cards are for sale here.

In other news I am in moving transition again, finishing up working my full-time job in the next couple of weeks. We will be living in MN by mid August, can't wait to have all of my art things in one place at one time.

4th of July Crafts

2010-07-01T21:23:00.000-05:00

4th of July Crafts from the YMCA day camp!

Apartment Remodel

2010-05-31T19:57:00.001-05:00

Anders and I have been working on remodeling/ fixing up the apartment attached to his grandparents' house on the since his great aunt died last summer. We started started fixing it up in January, Anders' uncle did all of the carpentry work but we did the majority of the of the painting, cleaning, and little stuff.

Main level/ Living room: (photo taken from the loft), re-stained the windows, new paint (Swedish blue), new trim, new moulding, new facade on fireplace, refinished floors

Kitchen: new cabinets, new trim, new crown moulding, took out wall where island is, new counters, new floor

Downstairs hallway: new paint, new trim (wish there was new carpet!) cool spiral staircase huh?

2nd Bedroom in basement: New paint, new trim, new closet doors, (again wish the carpet wasn't green)

Bathroom in basement: new paint, new trim, deep clean

Master bedroom in basement: new paint "Swedish Yellow", new trim

Transience

2010-05-04T19:51:00.002-05:00

Transience
By Elizabeth Galik

It started with Cedrick, just a few months after we opened.
Then Ted and Tremaine,
Zander,
Lettie, Jon, and baby.
Dozens in all.
Extended families, cousins included,
Or just a single sibling.
Moved on.

"My gramma's gonna keep me in St. Louis."
"We got a house approved for Section 8 on the southside."
"She wasn't minding, so her uncle's gonna keep her further west."
"My gramma says we gotta go."

Sudden.
Overnight.
"We already had our clothes in bags, so we just got on the bus and moved."

Today, the most recent,
An orphaned child,
Beloved to us for the past three years,
Saying goodbye from a third-floor window.

Monday
He'll be states away
From the hundreds of extra, special lessons
We carefully crafted
Just for him.

But however sudden the stop
We know
That he knows
What we sometimes can only shout up from street level:
"We love you!"
Each of you.
So, so much.

NPU Mural

2010-05-04T19:24:00.003-05:00

Last week I helped create a mural at North Park University with the Art Club and some other students. The mural is about 30 feet wide along the backside of one of the campus buildings along the river. The entire mural is created using drips of paint that ended up looking likes stripes. Directly after the mural was painted some hooligans vandalized it (thanks Chicago) and we ended up re-painting it a few days later. It was a lot of fun and was gorgeous in the end.

more sewing

2010-04-29T07:48:00.003-05:00

Here's a dress that I made this week from a too-short hand-me-down tank top, a thrifted pillowcase and some scrap vintage fabric. Now it just has to warm up a bit so I can actually wear it.

If I had a Million Dollars

2010-04-27T11:08:00.003-05:00

Since we are in the process of moving, I am taking a break from packing with a bit of online shopping. I am broke as a joke but a girl can dream right? Target makes my heart beat fast.

now tweeting @laurawennstrom

2010-04-27T07:55:00.003-05:00

tweet! tweet! follow me tweet!

or buy this painting here

flickr inspiration

2010-04-26T11:01:00.004-05:00

Here are some of my recent favorites from flickr:

from vrno

from eklektick

from vantiani

The Current MN Public Radio

2010-04-21T13:35:00.004-05:00

You should be listening to The Current MN Public Radio, free online streaming, feels like home

Kristina Perkins Creates!

2010-04-19T10:05:00.003-05:00

Behold the lovely, creative, talented Kristina Perkins! She's photographing America, photographs regular stuff and will bring a photo booth to your event! Please check out her website, she's got a lot going on! Photo by KP as well.

sewing projects

2010-04-18T21:05:00.004-05:00

i got my machine out and have been makin' some stuff.

Jennifer Davis

2010-04-05T20:08:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share the work of one of my favorite artists, Jennifer Davis. She currently has a show going on at First Amendment Gallery in Minneapolis. Check out her blog as well. Photos from her flickr.

wedding bells

2010-03-27T09:34:00.003-05:00

Anders and I got engaged about this time last year, and I finally have created an album of our wedding photos. In honor of everyone else I know that is getting married, I wanted to share the top wedding blogs I read. I got really into them.

1. Brooklyn Bride
2. Style Me Pretty
3. The Off Beat Bride
4. Bravo Bride

Do you have a favorite wedding blog? Feel free to comment

mac dr.

2010-03-26T21:09:00.005-05:00

I just brought my computer home from the mac doctor where it got a new power port DC-IN thingy. Now it can charge up and be happy again. This computer is officially 5 years old and I am going to milk it for all its got.

Anders and I are spending the next two weeks doing some serious dog sitting for various relatives. During this time we will be helping the grandparents remodel their house (or doing the labor part of it). Also, the giant garden planting/plowing will begin this weekend.

The Tim Lowly Ensemble played a show last night that was a lot of fun, although a bit bizarre. Here's a pic from a show we played at Schubas a few weeks ago. Photo creds here.

some new work

2010-03-16T10:09:00.003-05:00

Unemployment has left me with a lot of time. I've been trying to make art, but unemployment has also left me frustrated, directionless, a bit bored and uninspired. My friend and old studio mate Beth lives a few blocks away, isn't working much, and is 7 months pregnant. We got together once last week to make some art and I'll go over to her place again today. I was so productive during college because all my friends hung out together every day in the studio and we made stuff together all the time. When uninspired or down, we were there to encourage each other, I really miss that. But printmaking at Beth's kitchen table has really helped me out!

Also, you can order 50 free MOO business cards!

Hawaii

2010-03-09T01:38:00.000-06:00

Anders and I finally got to go to Hawaii for our belated honeymoon. It was excellent to get away from winter for a week in February! We spent a significant amount of time hiking, at the beach, at the pool, and eating fresh fish!

One of the non-highlights was the non-tsunami. We had to spend the day evacuated to a local baseball field where we anticipated a 2 centimeter "wave". I was mostly glad that the island wasn't wiped out and we got to enjoy the rest of our time there.

We didn't take very many pictures but here are a few:
Tree Tunnel Road: a 3 mile road completely lined by Eucalyptus trees- making a tree tunnel
Hiking Wiamea Canyon at Koke'e state park
Anders and I at the Botanical Garden, where they grow every house plant you have ever seen

garden update

2010-03-08T22:45:00.004-06:00

today I spent the afternoon with a friend I shared a studio with last year. we took a long walk, got some coffee, and played with her new printmaking fun. I haven't spent time with another artist like that for such a long time, and it truly fed my soul, which was thirsty.

Collage Exploration Class at the Galaxie!

2010-03-08T10:42:00.003-06:00

This interactive course walks students through the different techniques of collage, mixed media, pop-ups, paper and book making techniques. Gaining such skills as paper marbling, stamping, monochromatic prints, and general collage design, the class will culminate with an original altered collage accordion book. This course stretches artists and non-artists to explore the possibilities of re-use, alteration, and re-creation of material usage. Laura Wennstrom is a working collage artist who has taught at art centers through Chicago, North Dakota and Ecuador. Her work can be seen at www.flickr/com/photos/lauraprentice.

Collage Exploration
6 Weeks
Thursdays 7-10 PM
Beginning Thursday April 15
$140 ($120 with valid student ID)
to register you must go to: http://galaxiechicago.com/gs/classes/visual-art.php

The class will be held at The Galaxie in Logan Square www.GalaxieChicago.com
Classes are also being offered in figure drawing, screen printing, embroidery, oil painting, adobe creative suite, relief block printing, and advanced portrait painting. Classes also available for children, see website for details.

show at Jamestown Arts Center

2010-03-07T22:07:00.002-06:00

I went out to Jamestown, ND for the closing reception of my show. The reception was in conjunction with an incredible flute-violin duo of Juliard called Silver Roots. I got to see a bunch of old friends, see all the kids and was even able to sell some work. I was pleased and they did a fabulous job hanging the exhibit. Fun Fact: the gallery space is an old movie theater (it's HUGE)

urban garden experiment

2010-02-16T11:05:00.005-06:00

In our new apartment we have a really great sunroom. It is half my studio half his greenroom, an arrangement that works nicely for both of us. I'll post the lettuce progress as it progresses. Chicago needs a bit of green in February anyway.

book for a new baby!!!

2010-02-15T10:51:00.005-06:00

so my BFFFFFFF is having a baby (due today) but not exactly here yet. I made her this book:

casas

2010-01-31T19:41:00.007-06:00

1. New job
2. New apartment (back in the city)
3. Unpacking
4. Some faves:

5. Meet Me at the Top
6. Orange Chair House
7. Homage to Chagall

need job stat!

2010-01-13T10:27:00.002-06:00

I need a job and have run out of places to look. We applied to some temp agencies, but my only knowledge of office work comes from watching The Office, and I have no experience. So when they ask me "what is your ideal position" what am I supposed to say? fuzzy gray cubicle walls, panty hose, heels, 6am yes please!? I actually admitted I would like ice cream instead. May the good Lord help me find a job because I sure can't help myself much. If any of all y'all can help a poor girl out...

snow day

2010-01-07T22:48:00.006-06:00

I am now staying with Anders' parents and we are snowed in a job searching until we find a job. Not ideal, but a necessary step.

owl

here is some crazy snow i found on the google from dudecraft.com

www.fredfree.com

2009-12-28T19:45:00.004-06:00

Here is the work of one of my favorite artists, Fred Free.... always inspiring

fred free > work > portable wavelength
Fred Free
"portable wavelength"
mixed media on paper
88 page workbook, 6.5 x 8in
2007

fred free > work > static.free
Fred Free
"static.free"
collages on cardboard
4 works left in mapped out locations
6x6in
2007

fred free > work > 58
Fred Free
"58"
tradigital collage
2007

new work, moving, show

2009-12-17T21:59:00.002-06:00

we are packing up and getting ready to go have a super-christmas-bonanza for the next few weeks!

i have been packing up my studio and putting the finishing touches on my "new" body of work. i have created quite a bit of new work, but also will be able to pull out some work that has never gotten much attention as it fits into the theme of the show. i think that for kind of the first time i understand what my work is about or where it is going... it makes sense to me. i will be having a solo show here in january and february with the work i created during the residency.

the show will be called "dwellings". it is a series of mostly mixed media houses and cities of various sizes on various materials but has kind of neat chaotic, cohesive collagey aesthetic to the whole thing. the work isn't about the subject matter as much as it is about the paint, the surfaces, the processes, and the possibilities these dwellings hold. a dwelling is not only a house or a building or a city but also a grid, wherein each square or cube is a box holding little treasures... hmmm very interesting and kind of tactile in concept. i hope that other people think so as well.

a kind of bizarre thing about this residency has been the isolation. i have been forced to kind of rely on my own artistic judgement of what is good/bad/needs work/etc. without the convenience of a critique or outside influence or opinion. similarly i'm not sharing a studio or talking to other artists or really seeing other artists work (besides online) but that kind of rubs off as well. so, we will see if my own internal, isolated aesthetic and judgement is any good. look out world, here comes my new art. lol.

last week in Jamestown

2009-12-15T21:30:00.002-06:00

in celebration of the last week here in Jamestown I am posting some more of my students work. More of it can be found here.

In other good news I am off my crutches and getting around with a walking cast, week 8 today.

2009-12-05T10:34:00.001-06:00

o holy night

2009-11-29T18:42:00.001-06:00

BLING

2009-11-22T14:16:00.001-06:00

The girls at BLING in Chicago have been hard at work and are selling jewelry for Christmas this year!

some littlethings

2009-11-15T12:53:00.003-06:00

Some good friends of mine have started a project called littlethings: www.somelittlethings.org

"Littlethings works toward bringing inspiration, opportunities, and empowerment to young women in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Littlethings is an entirely grassroots-funded non-profit started by Sarah Thontwa in 2007, founded on the notion that every person has a little thing to give , and that if we each do our part, we can make positive change in the world. Sarah's particular vision is for her home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. She started her work in helping other young women in the DR Congo through making simple necklaces and earrings in her dorm room while she was still an undergraduate student in Chicago, IL. Sarah's jewelry project slowly grew to include other like-minded young women, and we started holding jewelry parties and inviting more people to share their little things through jewelry making." (text from littlethings website)

installation idea

2009-11-08T13:53:00.001-06:00

an installation idea for my show at the art center in january. thoughts?

the fifth metatarsal is broken

2009-11-06T13:29:00.002-06:00

News from my life is that I broke my foot 2 weeks ago at the Art Center, navigating the gallery in the dark, before I was awake, while they were putting up a new show. I stepped on a broom handle (without the broom part) and fell down. Resulting in 2 breaks in the fifth metatarsal, apparently the worst possible place to break your foot. SO I am teaching on crutches/in a wheelchair and living with a big ass boot on my foot.

Little known fact is that not all of the elementary schools in Jamestown are handicap accessible resulting in me teaching classes in interesting places such as a storage closet.

Right now I'm just trying to stay on top of my life and heal. It's a lot of work and I am very tired.

blog action day

2009-10-15T20:08:00.003-05:00

I used to believe in global warming. Then I moved to North Dakota. In the last 6 days, it has snowed 4 of them. Last night Anders and I made a SNOWMAN in the park.

I also don't really understand how blogging about climate change will change the climate.

this is a new collage mixed media piece i have been working on when it's not snowing so much.

frustrated

2009-10-06T19:58:00.002-05:00

As the artist in residence, it is my job to teach children and to make art. Problem is that by the time I am finished teaching the children I am so utterly exhausted that I cannot manage to make any of my own art. When I'd like to be making my own work is whenever I am teaching the children. Also, in the lovely town I now live in, there are no places to buy art supplies. People also don't buy art. So how am I going to prepare for a show when I:

A. Don't have anything to paint on
B. Don't have any place to buy a surface on which to work
C. Don't have money to buy any new materials because my work isn't selling
D. Don't have any energy to make work if I had something to work on.
E. Don't really have any ideas to make work if I had a canvas.

oh woe is me.

2009-09-22T21:35:00.001-05:00

anyone know of any craft fairs in ND?

cupid shuffle

2009-09-10T13:48:00.002-05:00

Zakeya, Zakena, Zakema, Mimi, and Heaven doing the Cupid Shuffle at the Block Part in Humboldt Park:

New stuff from the new studio

2009-09-08T20:59:00.005-05:00

I want to share a photo of my new beautiful studio!!!

I have been working on a few things:

some 6 x 6 inch collage (5 completed) (look for them in my etsy shop)

Some goofy collages of ladies inspired by the AVON catalog: (see the rest on flickr)

And I've borrowed the art center's book binder and made a bazillion little recycled notebooks in every color of the rainbow:

also available at my etsy shop.

I am trying to compile a mailing list to contact people with shows, new art, or exciting adventures. If you would like to be a part of this please email me at laura.prentice@gmail.com

New Studio New Home

2009-09-04T09:05:00.002-05:00

Anders and I are now officially married.
We've moved to ND because I am the artist-in-residence at the Jamestown Arts Center through December. We're living downtown above the art center and so far it's been kind of neat. A slower pace since living in Chicago where I was graduating, was doing crazy Bethel every day AND planning a wedding. I'm doing lots of putzing in my new studio space (unsure of what I'm doing exactly) and doing some lesson planning. Anders is working at the coffee shop. He brings home coffee, I like him.

Twisted Ambiance

2009-07-26T17:29:00.005-05:00

I spent my last semester interning for Nigerian artist Nnenna Okore. We largely worked on making this large scale installation of twisted and woven newspaper titled Twisted Ambiance that is now showing at the Chicago Cultural Center until this fall.

Nnenna Okore

doing some lowly work

2009-07-26T17:22:00.001-05:00

I am helping Tim Lowly do some painting this summer

DIY Weddings <3 <3

2009-07-09T21:52:00.004-05:00

My favorite part of planning the wedding has definitely been browsing all of the fabulous wedding blogs out there. I'm also obsessed with saving money. The DIY projects are definitely my favorite, I am excited to live someplace someday and actually buy furniture.... someday. So the DIY wedding has led me into this trail of DIY life projects, so fun

Here are my favorite blogs:
Brooklyn Bride seriously awesome style
the Off Bead Bride just cracks me up!
Style Me Pretty
non Wedding related
DesignSponge oh yes!
Mint

when the wedding is over we can talk about art again!

2 weeks into summer

2009-06-26T19:00:00.005-05:00

So far summer has been way too hot but good. I bought this painting from Quientieria the other day, she is an incredibly gifted artist- did I mention she is 10 years old? I bought a self-portrait from her brother Emmitt last summer and it is one of my most prized possessions. I love that family. It seems as if I will be working mostly with teenagers this summer, helping run a few different teen-enterprise operations. One of which is a jewelry class called BLING for teen girls, teaching them how to bead and how to manage a small business, so far it has been fabulously successful! My art making is taking a small break for 8 weeks while I focus on this. In the meantime, I am helping Tim with some paintings this summer which will be fun. Also some little girls with their custom made shelter from yesterdays water balloon war.

in honor of summer

2009-06-16T22:08:00.004-05:00

I am spending my summer back in Chicago working as part of New Life Centers in Humboldt Park. I'm living in a new apt for the summer and getting married in 2 months!

130

2009-06-06T11:03:00.001-05:00

music video I made.

Anathallo and the Tim Lowly Ensemble

2009-06-02T17:47:00.002-05:00

Photos from the April 20 show at North Park University featuring the Tim Lowly Ensemble, Anathallo and of course, the giant quilt.

senior show artist presentation

2009-05-29T20:48:00.002-05:00

for those who missed it the first time around!

senior show

2009-02-26T21:35:00.003-06:00

The Whitest Boy Alive

2009-02-14T13:04:00.001-06:00

Nnenna Okore

2009-01-24T13:10:00.006-06:00

This semester I am doing a studio internship with my professor Nnenna Okore. Now living and working in Chicago, Nnenna is a Nigerian artist who has shown both nationally and internationally. We are currently preparing a large scale newspaper installation for a show at the Chicago Culture Center in July.

From her artist statement:
"Of all the aspects of rural life that inspired me, the use of discarded objects and found materials in coping with poor economic conditions, had the most profound impact on me. It is reflected in the visual content and imagery of my works, which by virtue of these influences, celebrate the transformation of discarded materials into cultural objects, forms, and spaces, and bring a critical focus to bear on the consumption and recycling cultures in parts of Nigeria.... Currently, I am invested in forms that explore, or are inspired by intimate spaces, shelters, architectural and natural environments, and ideas related to textures, colors, qualities and social values associated with African fabrics, using multiples and repetitive processes."

For more information please visit: www.nnennaokore.com

sewing and sleeping

2009-01-05T11:55:00.003-06:00

My first blog started when I was in Ecuador at CBC and I got addicted. My break is consisting of coffee, too much coffee, sweatpants, sleep, sewing and the laptop. It's this weird mix of doing 100% things I want to do and being bored out of my mind. Makes me wonder if doing art full time would be life giving or if it would just kill me. I would probably die from lack of human interaction because as an introvert picking up the phone to call someone is torture. Also sub-zero Minnesota suburban winters would do the job quite effectively.

studio diary- a short film

2008-12-18T13:35:00.001-06:00

home for break

2008-12-13T19:46:00.002-06:00

the semester has ended. one more to go! notable things about the past few weeks:
-i took a video art unit from hell
-i am working on a series of large houses- possibly my senior show!
-i cooked spaghetti with anders for about 100 people for the bethel christmas banquet
-my roommate borrowed her friend's hampster for 48 hours and it died

anders drove me home and we are bumming around. not much to do in bloomington when you are broke. and who wants to go to the mall of america the week before xmas on a saturday? sick. i'm handmaking all of my gift or purchasing them from sustainable sources this year.

i don't have school again until january 12! things i plan to do:
-make a card catalog quilt
-make a moleskin daily planner book quilt
-make some xmas presents
-make a big quilt again!
-read "taking it to the streets" (a book about using art to transform community!)
-exercise (yeah right)
-visit some local artists

Some Inspirations

2008-11-23T14:54:00.001-06:00

o I wanted to devote this post to some things that have been extremely inspiring to me lately:

Installation at North Park University Carlson Gallery: The Beerhorst Family

Drawing by Sharonya, age 5

Crowbar Angel Man over the car repair place on Grand in West Humboldt Park

My brother Jeff's doodles in his Spanish notebook

My roommates!

15 pages of art analysis

2008-11-10T23:04:00.006-06:00

Here's a art analysis paper I've been writing the past few days:

Art Analysis of:
Carlo Crivelli, Max Ernst, Shazhia Sikander

Carlo Crivelli
Madonna and Child
Fifteenth century
21 cm x 15,5 cm

Carlo Crivelli’s painting Madonna and Child reflects the aristocratic values and convictions of the culture upon the religious iconography. Through the examination of the painting, the viewer can understand the relationships between the aristocratic class, the peasants and the place of religion in fifteenth century Italy.
Carlo Crivelli was an Italian painter born around 1435 in Venice. Most of his works were commissioned paintings for churches, many of which still remain in their original locations. Crivelli’s painting style was unique for his time, reminiscent of Byzantine or Gothic work. His work was highly detailed, something considered old-fashioned at the time. Crivelli painted in tempera but sometimes used plaster to build up texture onto the surface of his paintings to give dimension to special details, such as a drop of Christ’s blood or a tear of a mourner. Crivelli predominantly painted religious portraiture but is known for adding fruits into his paintings and dressing his subjects in thick expensive tapestries (Marche Voyager).
The painting Madonna and Child by Carlo Crivelli is a portrait of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus in the midst of a green landscape. The painting is done in tempera on panel, measuring 21 x 15.5 cm. The painting utilizes bright, vivid colors and careful detail to depict a common religious subject matter of the Madonna and Christ. Crivelli’s rendition includes ornate fifteenth century fashions and a lush country landscape.
The main focus of the painting is the two forefront figures, Madonna and Christ. Mary is depicted as a fair, beautiful, young, blonde woman. She is dressed in ornate, expensive looking clothing that is gold, deep red and green. She is draped in a gold fabric embroidered or patterned with a deep red floral pattern, the edges of the fabric are trimmed with stones or jewels and the underside of the cloak is bright green. She is wearing a veil while a crown of pearls and red jewels is perched upon her head. Crivelli has also added a jeweled iconic halo around the head of Mary and Jesus. In her right arm, she effortlessly cradles Jesus as a baby, while her left fingers playfully grab his bare toes. Her gaze is directed downward, towards the baby.
Baby Jesus is sitting in Mary’s arms. He looks more like an oddly proportioned miniature person than a convincing baby, but his tiny hands and fingers allude to his young age. It is difficult to determine the age of Jesus in the painting, he may range from a few months to a few years old, but it probably is not crucial in analyzing the work. He is dressed in blue and white flowing clothing with a golden, jeweled collar to match his mother’s. He is also fair and blonde as he gazes out into space, or perhaps more fittingly, he gazes intelligently into heaven. His left arm is down while his right hand is up, as if he was a waiter supporting a tray in a restaurant.
Madonna and the Child stand together behind a marble railing, with a book (presumably the Bible) resting open along the ledge. This is telling the viewer that Crivelli’s version of Mary is educated and literate woman. They stand between the ledge and what can be interpreted as either a brown pillar or a poorly fashioned fake tree. Upon closer examination, it is in fact a piece of cloth hanging, acting as a backdrop, tied up with red string. Three perfect apples and a cucumber hang from the top of the brown backdrop among some leaves. The apples are painted with such care that I am getting hungry looking at them. A little fake brown bird on a stick over Mary’s right shoulder, apparently attached to a stick from the bottom.
In the background, we see a green, lush countryside. A handful of peasants walk along paths in between bushes, trees, and hills. The sky is blue and partly cloudy as flying birds fill the air. It is obvious that Mary and her baby are far removed from the lives of the peasants in the yard. They are placed above and outside of the scene but have the luxury of simply enjoying the landscape. The combination of the figures and the distant background are two separate scenes that are merged together in this painting, to make a statement about the disparity between the aristocratic and peasant life.
The light source comes from two places in this piece. The lighting on Madonna and the Child comes from the front left side of the piece. The light source in the background comes presumably from the sun and is directly overhead for there are few shadows in the landscape. The background sky is confusingly dark at the top as if the sun was setting or a large storm is coming in, yet the light on the ground does not reflect this idea.
The perspective used in the piece as if the viewer is standing directly in front of the main subjects. The distance of the landscape in the background suggests that the viewer is above and far away from the ground, as if safely in a tall tower removed from the hardships of landlessness.
The painting is created with careful attention to detail. Although the human proportions are stylistically nonrealistic, the rest of the painting is realistic. The piece is balanced and is generally symmetrical with a traditional triangular composition extending from Madonna’s face, to her left hand to her right elbow.
This painting was commissioned as an altarpiece for a church in Northern Italy. (The painting remained in the church until the late 1860s when it was moved to a nearby museum.) In the fifteenth century, only wealthy aristocrats could dream of commissioning paintings so we can assume these were the types that wanted Crivelli to paint this scene. As a result, there is a striking resemblance between the Madonna and Child and the aristocrats that would have commissioned the piece. As humans, our theology often assumes God is like us, so it is fitting that these people chose to depict the Virgin Mary and Jesus as wealthy, educated, land owning, blonde, Europeans.

Max Ernst
The Master's Bedroom, It's Worth Spending a Night There
1920
Collage, gouache and pencil on paper
16.3 x 22 cm

Max Ernst was a contributor to the Dada movement and had a monumental role in shaping and changing the art world as we know it today. His overall work is broad and somewhat complicated due to a career of constant experimentation and exploration between the real and surreal. Ernst’s piece The Masters Bedroom, It’s Worth Spending a Night There exemplifies this tension between reality fiction.
Ernst was part of a group of artists that championed Dadaism. Dada was a type of “anti-art”, anti-war movement during World War I, peaking between the years 1916 and 1920. The actual world “Dada” is unclear in origin, but it has been theorized as a nonsensical word, such as “blah, blah” (Canfield 53). Dada work consisted of visual art, poetry readings, public gatherings and other types of theatrical performances. These performances were unique in that they sought to create in a way that was outside of the forms of traditional art that was accepted by culture. Dadaists were concerned with protesting the mainstream political, cultural, artistic and social norms of the time, choosing chaos as one of their methods. They were shocking, controversial and obscene, yet created a platform for later art movements such as surrealism.
Ernst was a self- taught German artist. Throughout his career, Ernst experimented extensively with different subject matter and techniques. In 1925, he developed a style of painting called frottage, which involved using graphite rubbings of different objects as a reference for paintings. With the help of Joan Miro in 1926, he engineered two more techniques called grattage, which involves removing dried paint from a canvas and decalcomania, which involved pressing paint between two different surfaces. It is difficult to determine an overall theme or issue characteristic of Ernst; because his work was concerned with defying boundaries and creating a context of discussion individually separate to each piece (Spies).
This portion of the paper will analyze the piece by Max Ernst titled The Master’s Bedroom, It’s Worth Spending a Night There. The piece is collage, gouache and pencil on paper. My first response to the work is a sense of comfort and curiosity. The interior space is rugged, warm and cozy. The presence of the various animals are reminiscent of storybook characters in a home for animals rather that intruders into a human habitat. The work is intriguing, warm, and a little bit ridiculous.
The subject matter and composition of the painting The Master’s Bedroom, It’s Worth Spending a Night There is reasonably straightforward. It is an interior of a plain room with bluish-gray wood floors containing a bed, a table, a wardrobe, a tree, a sheep, a bear, a whale, a bat, a fish, and a snake. It is unclear what the animals are doing inside of this space. The animals and furniture seem to be placed in the room into three groupings forming a triangular composition. The whale, bat, fish, and snake reside in the bottom left; the sheep and bear at the top; and the bed, table and wardrobe at the bottom right. A grayish blur of a picture in a black-drawn frame hangs mysteriously on the wall. All of the objects are relatively unaware of the other objects as each exists individually throughout the composition. The bear is the focal point of the room, it is blue, is looking at the viewer, and is arguably smiling. The colors are muted and the overall surface has a worn or aged look. Each object is outlined and details are marked with fine black lines determining, fur, scales and leaves.
Throughout the composition, there are a variety of scale and perspective shifts, mainly in the furniture and also with the size of the animals. Ernst conveys depth in this piece through the backward slanting lines of the floorboards into the back of the room. Additionally, the scene is viewed from slightly above, as if the viewer is floating near the ceiling instead of standing on the ground inside of the room. The overall scale shifts give the image a dreamlike or surreal quality.
The surface and texture of the painting help explain the tone of the piece. The animals and furniture appear to be collaged onto a gouache painting. This would explain the scale shifts throughout the work, as the original source image was a specific size and Ernst used the images as-is. Although painted on smooth paper, the surface of paint itself looks somewhat rough or textured. The paint is not uniform in color or texture, as if reflecting peeling paint in an old bedroom. The paint also has many layers or hues within the flatness of each wall surface of floorboard. This style of paint application leaves the interior of the room looking worn, lived in and consequentially nostalgic.
The use of color further extends the dream-like quality of the piece. The colors are muted earth tones yet not close enough to be true to life. For example, the walls are tan, the bear is blue and the sheep is pink. The fictional use of color lends itself well to the symbolic imaginative side of this piece. For example, if the subject matter were to be an outdoor landscape, the sky would probably be predictable blue and the grass green.
This painting has no direct or harsh light source, yet the figures cast small shadows to the right, as if the light is coming in from the front left side of the painting. There are no windows or interior lights that clue the viewer into the time of day or source of lighting.
The title of this piece, The Master’s Bedroom, It’s Worth Spending a Night There is somewhat informative about the subject matter of the piece. It explains that we are looking at the Master’s bedroom and that there is something particularly special about it that makes it worth sleeping in. Additional information is given about the piece in the words written along the edges of the piece. The phrase on the top border of the piece is written in German. Translated, it means the same thing as the title, roughly, “it is rewarding to spend the night in the master’s bedroom”. The bottom border has a phrase written in French. Roughly translated this phrase reads “Max Ernst’s bedroom is worth spending a night there”. This line in French is crucial in understanding that Max Ernst is the master, and that the painting is of the artist’s bedroom. However, it is still unclear as to what Ernst is the master of. The painting contains collage elements from a children’s schoolbooks and a fairytale dreamland. Perhaps he is suggesting that he is a schoolmaster or has control over his own fictional dreamland. Whatever the case, and regardless of what makes the master’s room special, it’s worth spending the night.
Following in the often unexpected and confusing tradition of Dada, the piece The Master’s Bedroom, It’s Worth Spending a Night There is a classic example of art that is created in a time of artistic rebellion against traditional rules. The piece has comprehensive formal qualities, but it tends to be scattered or unclear in reference to concise meaning.

Shazhia Sikander
Hood’s Red Rider #2
1997
vegetable color, dry pigment, watercolor, tea on handprepared Wasli paper
10 1/8 x 7 1/8 inches

The work of Shazhia Sikander creates visual conversation between the age-old eastern traditions of miniature paintings and that of the contemporary western art world. Through her unique use of her own visual iconography, she is able to explore the relationship between the east and west while telling a story of her history and her past.
Shazhia Sikander is a contemporary artist born in 1969 in Lahore, Pakistan. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design where she received her MFA in 1995. Sikander specializes in traditional Indian and Persian miniature painting. She strives to combine her Eastern heritage with that of contemporary Western culture. She says that “Such juxtaposing and mixing of Hindu and Muslim iconography is a parallel to the entanglement of histories of India and Pakistan.” Her embodiment of both contemporary and traditional art forms has allowed her to be successful in today’s contemporary art scene. Her work extends beyond the traditional miniaturist painting into installation and mural art (Art: 21).
Sikander’s piece Hood’s Red Rider #2 presents a complex and fascinating visual display. The piece is painted on paper that is 10 1/8 by 7 1/8 inches, similar in size to this sheet of paper. Completed in 1997, the painting is done in vegetable color, dry pigment, watercolor, and tea on handprepared Wasli paper.
Upon first examination, the painting is chaotic yet whimsical. The center of the piece is a figure dressed in white. Surrounding the figure is an array of representational and nonrepresentational figures in a balanced yet chaotic composition. It is difficult to determine subject and meaning of much of this abstracted- surreal piece.
The center figure is a man dressed in a white robe with a white head wrapping, in what appears to be traditional Islamic clothing. He has a sash across his left shoulder wrapping around to his right him. His hands are painted in a circle. Inside the circle the hands are larger and the sleeves are a bluish color. The hands grasp an unidentifiable object resembling an animal that is brown and red, perhaps a dead bird, fish or large insect.
To the right of the white figure, is a flat red silhouette of a woman from the waist to the neck. The red figure has six arms, each are a different shade of red and are holding various objects: a winged horse with a halo, a turtle on a stick, the same unidentifiable object that the white figure is holding, an unidentifiable little black woman-fairy figure in an orb and some red lines that lead into the figure above. The red woman’s torso is sitting in a large green, striped, upside down triangle that could be related to a pocket. This triangular shape has an upside down pentagon on it with an unknown symbol, similar to a stamp or seal. A similar type of pocket-triangle is opposite this one on the left side of the piece.
To the left of the white figure is another striped, green, triangular pocket-like shape. This one has noticeable depth. Inside the pocket is a small, black, silhouetted figure standing on one leg, wrapped in white string. There is a winged horse with string draped on it on a patch on the pocket.
Above this figure is a similar black-silhouetted figure inside of a white circle. The figure is folded in half in an unnatural contortion.
The top-right section of the piece has a particularly odd figure, it is another red-silhouetted woman. Her feet melt into lines held by the hands below. The torso is dressed in white stripes and a white cape that covers the face. From the cape, poke fifteen hands, each holding various swords, axes, knives and other weapons. These red silhouette women with many arms remind me of the pictures I have seen of Hindu gods.
The background of the painting consists of blue, gray, periwinkle, tan, and red washes of paint. Throughout the composition are white, red and black dots. The dots show repetition and variety in the piece. The organic, random quality of the washy background is nicely contrasted to the geometric dots, circles and squares covering the piece. The flat composition is random and chaotic, yet is balanced.
This piece is done in a fantasy style similar to surrealism, and could be related to the dream inspired pieces of Frida Khalo. The piece uses a similar style language to that used in traditional Persian and Indian miniature paintings. The figures and objects in the piece seem to be symbolic and may reference Islamic and Hindu religious traditions. I am unfamiliar with both of these cultural and religious references and it is therefore difficult to decipher without background knowledge. Regardless of my cultural ignorance, the work holds a certain level of narrative ambiguity that is interesting.
In the PBS publication Art: 21, Sikander speaks about the imagery in her work, “It was all coming from my own sort of diary of developing forms and giving meaning to them, and meaning actually emerges by usage...For instance, with 'Hood’s Red Rider,' I did a series with children’s tales such as 'Little Red Riding Hood'..." (Art: 21). This leads me to believe that some of the imagery in her work tends to be more comprehensive as a whole. For example, similar red-silhouetted women are depicted in her 1996 painting Weapons and 2001 silkscreen A Float. As Sikander explains, the title “Hood’s Red Rider” references the children’s fairy tail of “Little Red Riding Hood”. As I look at the painting, with my current understanding of what I see, I cannot interpret a relationship between the painting and the fairy tail.
Sikander creates much of her work and iconography through her own lens that is determined by training, place and personal experience. Sikander’s formal training in Islamic and Persian Miniature paintings allows her to have a rich and intelligent understanding of painting, yet she chooses to use these images in a new way, by presenting them in a contemporary context to a Western audience:
“Sikander uses her training in both of these traditional art forms as a basis for the imaginary worlds that she creates. It is from the miniatures’ vast storehouse of figures, animals, mythological creatures, landscapes, design, and architecture that Sikander selects elements to be filtered through her personal iconography and political views. She often subverts traditional stereotypes and overlays her own figural images and narratives onto the traditional artwork’s subject matter” (absolutearts.com)
By creating work that moves beyond a well-worn, eastern cultural model of miniature painting and into another, opposite western context, Sikander is able to speak a new language of iconography to a fresh audience. Her work challenges stereotypes of women in the third world as well as explores the historical and current tension she feels as a Pakistani and as a Muslim woman in the west (absolutearts.com). By practicing the ancient practice of miniature painting in a contemporary context, Sikander’s work references a sense of religious and geographic cultural history.
Examining the piece, Hood’s Red Rider #2 in the context of the previously mentioned meshing of a personal invention of iconography, the work slowing begins to make sense in a new way. I can understand the background as a topographical map or as a setting for a narrative. The figures in the piece tell a narrative story, although the particular story is still unclear.
In conclusion, I am unable to decipher a clear meaning or message from this painting, yet it remains to be a fascinating display of imagery. The piece is influenced by both eastern and western cultures, yet speaks a type of iconic language unique to the art making of Shahzia Sikander. Sikander’s brilliant combination of different cultures, religions, backgrounds and images has allowed her to be a fascinating contemporary artist.

Works Cited

Absolutearts.com. Indepth Art News: “Shazia Sikander: Flip Flop” San Diego Museum of Art. Accessed November 11, 2008.

Art: 21. “Shazia Sikander Biography” Accessed November 2, 2008.

ArtinthePicture.Com: an Introduction to Art History. “Carlo Crivelli”. Accessed November 3, 2008.

Barnett, Sylvan. A Shirt Guide to Writing About Art. 22-83: 2008.

Camfield, William A. Max Ernst: Dada and the Dawn of Surrealism. Houston: Prestel- Verlag, 1993.

Marche Voyager: Art & Architecture. “Carlo Crivelli”. Accessed November 6, 2008

Spies, Werner. Max Ernst: A Retrospective. Artchive. Accessed September 2008.

they biked.

2008-08-24T17:49:00.002-05:00

www.bikeforjustice.blogspot.com

Matt, Eric, Marcus, Andrea, Emily and Dylan. Congratulations, job well done. They biked across America. For justice. We have a lot to learn from you. Excellent work.

i'm with the band

2008-08-18T10:23:00.005-05:00

Just got back from Grand Rapids MI show last night. I spent the weekend with the band and now I'm singing with them which is super awesome. I feel so priveledged to be apart of such amazing music with such talented people!!! I even had a debut as a percussionist (yikes!!) Included are some tour photos featuring Antonio Lopez Garcia and Barry McGee and Pianos Bar in NYC. More Tim Lowly Ensemble stuff at www.timlowly.com and www.myspace.com/timlowly

Pioneers

2008-07-10T21:02:00.002-05:00

This is a video pastor kummer put together and watching it gives me chills! I went to Bethel today for a short meeting and ended up spending the entire day just loving those kids. Sometimes it is so hard to just be in charge and responsible all day everyday and it was so wonderful just to observe and to be available to give hugs, to hold hands, to wipe tears and to give a spongebob band aid. The kingdom is so simple in that way. I know that I haven't written tons and tons about Bethel because it's hard to put into words oftentimes. Yet I know that God is at work. It's an interesting summer because the program is about to transition. No plans are made but everyone knows it. It's at a point, where those in charge right now, are not at Bethel for the long run. We are not equipped, ready or able to handle this community forever, yet we are still be used in powerful ways. It is my deepest desire that a big church or a big ministry, relevant to the Bethel community, would move into the neighborhood and take over the ministry. We cannot do it alone and we are really ready for some real help to come in. I think for the first time today I understood that our role at Bethel is a pioneering one. It is not necessarily to fix the problems but maybe just to understand what they are. Whatever happens in this place I want to be there to see it happen.

Water is my Future: Tim Lowly tour 2008.

2008-07-07T20:48:00.004-05:00

I went on tour with the Tim Lowly Ensemble. (www.timlowly.com or www.myspace.com/timlowly)

It was wonderful.
10 days
3,000 miles
8 people
2 compact cars
14 states
11 shows
4 art museums
1 speeding ticket
1 parking ticket
50 origami cranes
7 new friends.

I didn't really sleep last night resulting in total exhaustion currently, I told Rebecca every single story I could think of as I drove. I feel so blessed to have met and shared the experience with such wonderful people, both in the band and the people along the road. I think I have come to understand hospitality in an entirely different way and it's excellent. This has definitely been the most epic road trip of my life.

all we can do is keep breathing

2008-06-26T09:13:00.005-05:00

Being at bethel every day is so much more exhausting and wonderful than i could have ever imagined. it's been a hard week. the kids are naughty. really naughty. it's not just naughty but it's the kind of naughty that stems from broken families, unmet needs and brokenness in a community. it's hard sh*t. really hard. it makes me so angry, i've never been so angry. all of the time. how can we live in a world, in a society that allows entire major groups of people to slip through the cracks, or rather, tumble into the gaping holes we push them into? and it starts with me, and it starts with you. no easy answers. i wish racial reconcilliation was much easier, it's way more than just showing up, it's mutual. i don't know where to draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable because that line is so blurred by race, culture and socioeconomic status. i'm learning... baptism by fire, trial by error etc.

all we can do is keep breathing/

Minnesota Life

2008-06-10T10:05:00.005-05:00

MMM... Tuesday morning, I need to take a shower, I need to get dressed, cup of coffee in the living room, nothing to do, favorite kind of day. I'm home but I still feel torn between home and Chicago home.

I wish I could just have a traveling entourage
to take everyone that I love with me all of the time,
to talk to
to protect
to love.
but maybe that's not my job,
my burden.
It's God's job to love her,
it's her job to find him.
instead of drinking alone each night
instead of spending one more night with her
instead of getting poison ivy on your fingers
The distance still makes my heart ache.
Conflict I can't fix
or avoid.
or understand.
Please bring me along for the ride.

santa pants the wonder dog

2008-05-30T18:31:00.004-05:00

A little hippie love is always a positive experience. Santa and I have spent a lot of time together this week going for walks.

Photos: Painting a mural at Bethel and Santa the wonder dog, also known as "Pants"

clicking anyway

2008-05-21T21:28:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was a little bit rough but today was much better. Last night I had some quality introvert time in the midst of an underage drinking party in my apartment (looks like one will be happening again tonight) and then I went out to Lindo Michoacan with Stacie real late and we had quite a great time. Can we talk about amazing food for real cheap? I’m definitely becoming a regular. We have come to the conclusion that we have vastly different lifestyles, but we click anyway. That was a nice thing to have said out loud, to find someone who you could potentially be enemies with because everything about you is at odds, but we can be friends instead. Maybe that’s what reconciliation is all about.

Public transportation and I are getting to be really wonderful companions. Beats paying for gas. I’ve also become quite the gutsy individual about being along in Chicago, I’m walking all over the world, especially places I never would have gone before.

home on a monday night

2008-05-19T20:25:00.002-05:00

punched numbers and rode the bus today. then hung out with some whiny children (that i love dearly) then rode the bus back.
buy the $75 cta 30-day pass.... sooooo worth it.

i feel like i'm really in it. i'm not sure what it is. i'm adjusting and i'm waiting. adjusting to my new home, my new lifestyle, and adjusting to those in my new home with a very different lifestyle than my own. i'm remembering how to be an artist without assignments. i'm trying to take quality time for myself. it's funny how moving 2 blocks away leaves me in an entirely different world.

god is so good and so constant.

Giant Quilt Project

2008-05-08T23:58:00.005-05:00

I can't ignore this in a blog.

Pansy Baldessari

2008-05-08T23:48:00.006-05:00

My Last final was today. Yipeee!!!!!

Moving tomorrow into the new apartment. I've never lived with a guy before and I've never lived with lesbians before. It will be a new experience in many aspects, but I think it will be good.

I went out on Friday night for Tiffany's 21st birthday. Oh the bar scene, you are not that interesting or fun to me. Plus I am poor and I cannot afford drinks.

This morning I had a clothing swap with some girls. hoorah for free new wardrobe and recycling!

Graduation is tomorrow/ saturday. I'm going to watch Anders graduate. I'm trying not to feel left behind... but it's still sad.

I brought home a baby bird that was abandoned at Bethel. He was so adorable and naked and bald. I named him Pansy Baldessari and fed him mushed up bits of ham off my fingers. He was so chirpy and cute. Then he died. gross. R.I.P. Baldessari.

image source: http://volunteersforwildlife.org/i/tree-swallow-hatchling-big.jpg

i love my drawing class

2008-04-29T21:16:00.002-05:00

3 big things today. it was a good day.:

1. my roommate from cbc (heidi) has just gotten engaged, i am very happy for her!!! not to mention that her engagement pictures are so incredibly adorable ...

2. I GOT A GRANT FOR THE SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have money. praise the lord. so happy.

3. i'm making the most ridiculous piece of art. SO RIDICULOUSLY HUGE. it's like it's taking on it's own life. it's a quilt. i bleached it, then i dyed it with coffee in my bathtub. today in critique my class climbed into it and we transformed it into a wearable performance piece. brilliant. the photos are excellent and i will do something wonderful with them once i figure out what that is. it was probably the most euphoric art experience i have ever had.

Humboldt Park Art Show!!!

2008-04-25T09:58:00.002-05:00

Graffiti Zone After School Art Program announces our 2nd Annual Humboldt Park Art Fair on June 21st 12-8pm. We are looking for amateur and professional artists working in any medium who would like to exhibit and sell their art work at our yearly art fair. Our theme this year is “I Spy Humboldt Park”. Artists have a chance to enter a 2D or Photography contest with a $100 prize for each. Artwork needs to fit the theme and be ready to hang. Photography will be in the Boat House Gallery and the 2D will be located the Field House. We are excepting a limited amount of artists so reply early.

You can submit your work for consideration by e-mail to Jody Cooley at jcooley@graffitizone.org

Graffiti Zone has a blog

2008-04-17T13:45:00.003-05:00

OMG another blog for your reading enjoyment. This one is the story of my internship, it's my final project.
www.graffitizonestudio.blogspot.com
I probably have to call myself a "blogger" for sure now. Number 3? Seriously.

I GOT THE HELL OUT OF DODGE! II am home for a few days because I just needed a break. Oh sanity welcome back.

So Where Are You Going?

2008-04-06T15:11:00.002-05:00

Hasn't anyone realized prior to be becoming an art major that I KNOW it's not a stable choice for a career, not going to bring in a lot of money, and is not predictable, and furthermore why I have chosen it?

little bloggy blog

2008-03-24T11:41:00.003-05:00

i've had 2 nice breaks. 1. spring break. 2. easter break.

this summer i will stay in the city at Graffiti Zone and live with 3 new roommates in the city. www.flickr.com/photos/graffitizone/ maybe i'll make a Graffiti Zone blog for my final internship project.

pwnding hillary

2008-02-20T15:48:00.003-06:00

My little brother Darren made this. He is Hilarious. No offense Hillary.

In the past week

2008-02-16T16:40:00.016-06:00

I have had a very busy art week. This is all of the art I have made in the past 2 weeks:

Learning to read

2008-02-13T01:09:00.003-06:00

I went to the Graffiti Zone again today. They moved into a new studio upstairs with giant windows, which is totally fantastic. The dirt and clutter are also minimal at this point making it a happy space with good energy. There are still bullet holes in the windows and ceiling and Jody (my super)told me that the church is haunted by a basketball playing teenagers who was probably shot at somepoint during the past 100 years. (Which makes me really excited to spend more time in the tall, tall tower of this ancient church. creepy!) The kids are great. Mostly junior high boys that don't really know what to do with me... but it's okay we're learning more and more about each other each week. Jody and I are also getting to know each other better which is awkward and cool at the same time I guess.

Today was tough though, we just found out that all of the kids are doing really crappy in school. Probably all of the kids in that school are doing really crappy thanks to CPS. All D's, never do your homework, etc. I can encourage kids to make art and to be creative and to use more paint on the canvas. Can I really encourage them to deny the societal labels that have been put upon them and to prove to them that they truly can succeed in the real world, while I, educated and priviledged cannot even guaranteed my own medial success? It's really hard! These kids come make art because it's an escape from their world of drugs, abuse, hurt, poverty, and broken promises, but they can't escape that world forever- especially if they don't make it to high school. I want to motivate them and to encourage them, but I don't know how. I'm really under-qualified for this task and I have been given an enormous amount of responsibility. Yet, I show up exhausted each week because I'm doing my own art and my own homework with such force and emotional intensity that it's hard to have anything left for them. But that is why I go. I want to learn and I want to make a difference.

Perhaps this Sankofa trip in 2 weeks won't be "oh wow! racism!" but will be a chance for me to ask some honest questions with honest answers about how the hell and why I feel a call to this group of people that I have almost nothing in common, yet I can't shake them from my thoughts or dreams or inspiration.

sitting desk

2008-02-09T23:29:00.000-06:00

yeah for 100 views.

i'm sitting desk and i have 29 minutes left of my shift but i really have to pee. hopefully someone will come by that i can grab so i can relieve that annoyance.

i am in the studio all of the time.
3 studio classes is 20+ IN CLASS studio hours a week (not to mention 2 other classes and an internship) but then I spend every night extra in the studio. It just doesn't seem like I ever finish anything. so hopefully one of these days i will get something done and post it.

i may live with 7 other girls next year in a house. thoughts on that?

sankofa is in 2 weeks. i'm excited.

Here's an intaglio print from last semester

thoughts for non-football watchers

2008-02-03T14:10:00.000-06:00

so being a non-avid football fan and non-owner of a television i don't think i'll get around to watching the superbowl this year. whatever.

1. i got a brand new stove and am now bff with ron the stove installer man.
2. the church i've been going to is officially launching it's official "first" sunday Feb. 7. i'm really excited about it. the philosophy is sort of two things. (a.) love god, love people. (b.) God told us to go into all creation and preach the good news... but really the nations have come to us in this neighborhood! it's very exciting.
3. still don't know what i'm doing this summer. today the scales are tipping towards staying in chicago.
4. i have way too much painting to do tonight but zero intellectual homework. whoo!
5. sankofa, the racial reconciliation trip is coming up in 3 weeks. i'm excited but it's going to be really tough. racism sucks. yet, i think i have a handle on it more than some of the white kids. i want to make new friends but i just feel so socially awkward, but that's why i'm going on the trip: to intentionally make friends with students of another race. and to figure some of this stuff out. i have to fully understand what the issues even are before i can attempt to solve them.
6. becoming a real live artist feels so freaking far away sometimes.