Stuff stuff stuff to do do do
Look at me! Another post? Qua? Amazing. I actually amaze myself. I am fully aware that I am almost entirely incapable of maintaining focus long enough to stick to something. Hopefully it will last.
It rained this morning. It was lovely the smell on the hardtop mixed with the crushed blackberries and early morning left a tang on your tongue and made me want to crawl back into bed to just listen to it patter on the leaves outside my window. It was not to be so, Sarah has abandoned me to go to a Print conference in Fargo North Dakota and I had to teach her class this morning, which was actually lovely. There are some great kids (and a few old ladies) in that class and I gave them a big leg up on their waterless litho project. There is something about the 8am-11 classes that is far superior to the 11-2pm version of Beg. Print. Those other ones gave me some sass.
Sarah is up for tenure this year and I have been writing a letter for her file for over 3 weeks, it just keeps getting longer and longer! I am realizing more and more what a profound impact this woman has had on my life, i.e. my whole trajectory. Printmaking has become such an integral swatch in the quilt of my being! I have been in exchanges with noted mexican-asian printmaker Sr. Takeada. I have traveled to Kansas City and met with some of the greats of modern day printmaking. I spend all of my free time and much time that is not free (borrowing heavily from such things as sleep, food, and other class work) to live in the Print-lab. WOW. I never would have told you this is where I would be after 4 years of college. How cool is that. What it boils down to is that Sarah, art, and printmaking are my college experience and I am so so so grateful that this is so.
I promised the good stuff in my last post and that is a huge part of it. Man I love what I do. It is so rewarding! And Etching?? ACH! SO GOOD! Playing with acid? How could you go wrong?? I will probably spend all weekend working on my aquatint and although I may complain out loud I secretly wouldn't have it any other way. Another major major aspect of this is the fantastically hilarious, wonderful, talented folk who are in Int. Print. this sem. You have no idea how amazingly gelled this class is, from the ridiculous bike riding, dinosaur fighting, emo-hipster Draeger, Patch and Mark (yes that is their names). To the ever surprising goofy Kristina. To Jordan who is a gem of hilarity, spontaneity, rad dressing, and the subject of many a nude drawing of mine. Annie who never seems to deliver a less than stellar print, who even on her worst day is such a sweetie you could rot your teeth. And last but not least, my partner in crime, the peanut to my jelly, the delicious delightful Amanda. I have love love loved getting closer to her!! Hooray!! And not only is she way too much fun to be allowed, she is a rock-star cook. Um, can you say Steak wrapped in maple bacon with blue cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and cheesy ranch potatoes?? *drool* I may or may not have reverted to my black hole personality and inhaled everything that was put before me.
Ari and Josh's joint birthday is coming up and they are having a 70s theme! Whoot! They are such sweeties. I miss my boys, especially Ari. A more snuggly hugger you never did snuggle. It is still a bit awkward with Veronica but there is a minimum of passive aggressive behavior, which is just grand because I probably would have slugged her if she had continued last years trend. Kelly is all wrapped up in finally having a local boy friend and Mo and Roo have been off on adventures without me, but I'm sure I will catch up with them in time.
I love finally having the space, time and concentration to finally do all the things I always half-assed when I lived with other people. Baking baking baking, pumpkin scones, blackberries crumbles and so many more! Knitting and finishing what I started (YES SHOCK! Jess, Leah you have long awaited presents coming) Beading. Painting. Masks! Writing. Its like my world was jammed full of all of this white noise clouding and confusing and now I can just focus on me. Now don't you worry, I am not going to take off into the woods to live in a hut alone forever! I love living with other people most of the time, I just feel like now is the time to find the bits of myself I left discarded on the road, gather them up and cement them into a foundation I can stand on.
As promised here are some bad photos of the etchings I did for the first project. The theme was Ex Libris which translated means 'from books' and is the title for that cool little thing in the front of books that says whom it belongs to. Neeto huh?
There is a story behind this one but I want to hear what you think it is about before I tell you. Heh.
It rained this morning. It was lovely the smell on the hardtop mixed with the crushed blackberries and early morning left a tang on your tongue and made me want to crawl back into bed to just listen to it patter on the leaves outside my window. It was not to be so, Sarah has abandoned me to go to a Print conference in Fargo North Dakota and I had to teach her class this morning, which was actually lovely. There are some great kids (and a few old ladies) in that class and I gave them a big leg up on their waterless litho project. There is something about the 8am-11 classes that is far superior to the 11-2pm version of Beg. Print. Those other ones gave me some sass.
Sarah is up for tenure this year and I have been writing a letter for her file for over 3 weeks, it just keeps getting longer and longer! I am realizing more and more what a profound impact this woman has had on my life, i.e. my whole trajectory. Printmaking has become such an integral swatch in the quilt of my being! I have been in exchanges with noted mexican-asian printmaker Sr. Takeada. I have traveled to Kansas City and met with some of the greats of modern day printmaking. I spend all of my free time and much time that is not free (borrowing heavily from such things as sleep, food, and other class work) to live in the Print-lab. WOW. I never would have told you this is where I would be after 4 years of college. How cool is that. What it boils down to is that Sarah, art, and printmaking are my college experience and I am so so so grateful that this is so.
I promised the good stuff in my last post and that is a huge part of it. Man I love what I do. It is so rewarding! And Etching?? ACH! SO GOOD! Playing with acid? How could you go wrong?? I will probably spend all weekend working on my aquatint and although I may complain out loud I secretly wouldn't have it any other way. Another major major aspect of this is the fantastically hilarious, wonderful, talented folk who are in Int. Print. this sem. You have no idea how amazingly gelled this class is, from the ridiculous bike riding, dinosaur fighting, emo-hipster Draeger, Patch and Mark (yes that is their names). To the ever surprising goofy Kristina. To Jordan who is a gem of hilarity, spontaneity, rad dressing, and the subject of many a nude drawing of mine. Annie who never seems to deliver a less than stellar print, who even on her worst day is such a sweetie you could rot your teeth. And last but not least, my partner in crime, the peanut to my jelly, the delicious delightful Amanda. I have love love loved getting closer to her!! Hooray!! And not only is she way too much fun to be allowed, she is a rock-star cook. Um, can you say Steak wrapped in maple bacon with blue cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and cheesy ranch potatoes?? *drool* I may or may not have reverted to my black hole personality and inhaled everything that was put before me.
Ari and Josh's joint birthday is coming up and they are having a 70s theme! Whoot! They are such sweeties. I miss my boys, especially Ari. A more snuggly hugger you never did snuggle. It is still a bit awkward with Veronica but there is a minimum of passive aggressive behavior, which is just grand because I probably would have slugged her if she had continued last years trend. Kelly is all wrapped up in finally having a local boy friend and Mo and Roo have been off on adventures without me, but I'm sure I will catch up with them in time.
I love finally having the space, time and concentration to finally do all the things I always half-assed when I lived with other people. Baking baking baking, pumpkin scones, blackberries crumbles and so many more! Knitting and finishing what I started (YES SHOCK! Jess, Leah you have long awaited presents coming) Beading. Painting. Masks! Writing. Its like my world was jammed full of all of this white noise clouding and confusing and now I can just focus on me. Now don't you worry, I am not going to take off into the woods to live in a hut alone forever! I love living with other people most of the time, I just feel like now is the time to find the bits of myself I left discarded on the road, gather them up and cement them into a foundation I can stand on.
As promised here are some bad photos of the etchings I did for the first project. The theme was Ex Libris which translated means 'from books' and is the title for that cool little thing in the front of books that says whom it belongs to. Neeto huh?
There is a story behind this one but I want to hear what you think it is about before I tell you. Heh.