senior show

IT IS COMPLETE! Phew. My favorite painting/antler duo (by far is):

 

All together there are 9 paintings and 5 painted antlers. Overall I am satisfied with it, I am not 100% in love with a few, but as a whole I believe each piece contributes to the whole...GESTALT as my art prof would say!

Latest song addiction Max Bemis and his wifey: Do the Dohnk

coral & antler

new pieces for my senior show, with a focus upon deer:

the purple lines are based on the native symbolism for constant. the 'scallops' are off a shape that reminds me of the ears of a deer and the darker areas are like spots.

antler

latest song addiction BOY: Little Numbers

still alive

i sorta died; i had mono, not fun at all.

in the meantime i have been working on my senior show. it deals with my latest fascination with deer, i am quite unsure why i am so interested in them. maybe it branched off my native love, i don't know. but this is what i have so far.

yep, as stated  i have yet to figure out exactly why i am focusing on deer but have a lot of symbolism (ie: the organic pattern in the painting is reflective of the antler textures, the fading triangles resemble the fading of a fawns spots, the triangles symbolize hoofs, etc. - i have a lot more)



oh also i have taken up swing dancing, started a new exercising regimen and diggin Safe & Sound: Capital Cities

self-entertainment list

So this week I am ordered to be dead to the world, I am sick and supposed to take it easy. Well I usually cannot do that so I am making a list of what I can/should do that is more producive than taking pictures of my swollen glands ( and name them Ned ... I may have a slight fever ).

     1. paint antlers: yeah. legit deer antlers, for my senior art show. I also need to think of an artist statement on exactly why I am doing it.
     2. other general homework: overall my professors are understanding so I have primarily reading and short papers to write; should keep me busy enough, I just hope I do not have any really bad days again though.
     3. guitar hero: I have not played in ever so I need to brush up my skills and make sure I can still play 'Heart-Shaped Box' on Expert.  ...maybe I'll play some ATV: Offroad Fury as well
     4. clean: My indecisive-ness in what to wear leads me in destroying what organization I have with my clothes. Plus I mainly am just going to be wearing the same outfit everyday (not exact but about).
     5. read Atwood: I recently bought 'Moral Disorder' and have only read a few short stories, so if I get the down time I hope to dive into it some more.
     6. finish Dexter: With this I have to have the boy come over, so I hope I do not infect him, shouldn't ...he probably already is though ...but still it is our thing.
     7. movie buff it up: In general, just take suggestions from friends and go with it. 'X-Men: First Class' is on the list.

yep ... that is so far what I have come up with. I just hope the roids are good to me and keep the good days coming.

note to self

dear self,
you have an art show coming up next week ... you have a lot to do ... get your shit together

... seriously


to-do list:
buy another white marker (used the last one with too much force)
clean room and do laundry (create a refreshing area to work)
bike (too many thoughts/relax/rid of stress)
with said white marker, finish business cards
finish poster and photocopy the hell out of it; disperse to the masses
frame GWSD (god wouldn't stay dead) series
figure out what/if pattern needs anything else done to it
make a new piece? halcyon.
gesso the water spots on artifact that your intoxicated butt dripped

artifact (partial to tease)

graphite, gesso, acrylic

2011

break//paint drying

first off, i am kinda stir-crazy at the moment. i have been working on a new painting, partial self portrait and other stuff and needed to step away and let the paint dry so this led to me taking photos of my wonderful organization of my (active) wardrobe.

i 'destroyed' some shelving units to fit my needs.

Eigth ed Hawthorne and cowboy boots.

jeans, mauve and sweats

my collection of 87c and Raygun shirts (majority of them)

tanks.



& i need to make a new playlist, longer one, i have reset it once.
(say anything//killers//cher//coheed//boggs//she wants revenge//dropkick murphys//hives//tegan and sara//minus the bear//modest mouse//breathe carolina//rancid//river monks ... )

yeah ... this is what i do to preoccupy myself.

business cards.

my personality in 2D form.
handmade business cards ... cause that's how i roll

and yeah you're not that lucky to get my numba.

not a soul knows where i go

beats.

these are a few songs that i am addicted to and get me through the work day.

Oh Land: Rainbow
love them, her voice is amazing and so captivating
also check out: Son of a Gun & White Nights

Phantogram: Mouthful of Diamonds

2:22 head bobbin

also check out: When I'm Small

 Grieves: Bloody Poetry
was told to check him out since i like Soulcrate
also check out: Lightspeed

lately i have been yearning for some new and intriguing music so if you have any i should check out let me know

tacos. tans. trails.

phew.
here is another day in my life.

open the coffee shop today; lately the morning sky has been red...sailors take warning (if there are any sailors in Iowa, ha)

devour two amazing tacos...it is Tuesday, tilapia one is quite delicious

chill on the 'beach' (aka lake shore), get my tan on with a friend

bike to the Tap for Tacopocalypse tacos...and booze; they were decent I was just spent after biking in this 90 some degree weather (14 ish miles today). I wish I had my camera on my ride, I can not fit it with my phone and wallet in my...um...shall I say storage space, but yeah, wish I had it, cause the trails are wonderful and I was less than 10 feet away from a deer!

Superfluous I know (that is me), but that was my day and I must say I quite enjoy this routine. In my down time from not working I have been trying to be more active
... side note, I have a fear of being getting too buff ...

like taking a long bike ride a couple times during the week, canoeing and might add running into the mix on the days I do not bike. I love it. It is my alone time; to vent, to think about my worries or not think about a care in the world...whatever it may be I feel less stressed at the moment and that is something.   

rare flight.

 beginning.

 still in progress.

' rare FLIGHT '

acrylic. graphite. gesso.

2011

not quite where i want it ... i honestly have no clue where it is going, just letting it be what it wants i guess

up close

To distract myself the other day I decided to wander around the farm and take pictures of all the random, dare I say, junk in our barns and garage.  These are a few of my favorites; I took tons of others like of my mother's 1976 MGB Midget convertible...oh someday we will get it back running - or at least I hope. 

That is Bonkers, she's pleasant...sometimes.

balancing my days

5am wake up to this view on my way to work - opened the coffee shop today

After that I had my Native American class, I will not paint outside again - the heat did not like to cooperate with the paint. Anyways, it was quite toasty then and even toastier when I had to drive home since my car does not have air conditioning and I can not roll down my window cause it kinda does not function. Once I get back home I then run off to pull around 50 steel fence posts, roll up a barwire fence while finding a turkey feather, about ripping out one of my piercings, having my right arm only (for some reason) sunburnt - giving me an undoubtedly sexy tan line from my glove - and also getting attacked by thorns...

maybe I will learn to not wear cut-offs anymore...maybe

& now it is close to 9pm where I am just now pondering what to cook for dinner. Such is my life...and honestly I do not mind it all that much, I mean a little hardwork never killed anyone right? Plus it is not so bad coming home at the end of the day to my pup-pup

...he just slightly loves me 

mouth watering

 preparations; tip grill the peppers till they are supper soft, mine was a bit crunchier than hoped

 jalapeño popper grilled cheese

i never knew that when you cross cut an apple you get a star.

nutritious right, i mean it is an apple and banana sandwich...with some caramel and peanut butter, still healthy right?!

summer dreamin`

so last year I had this master plan of doing all these extravagant things such as obtaining an Irish passport and seeing earthworks...well none of that happened, for numerous reasons but probably most likely cause i am kinda lazy like that (aka have real world, boring stuff to deal with instead). I looked into those things just never actually went about it, maybe this Summer I will actually do them...maybe. I really want to see the earthworks (like the Spiral Jetty), a few things are holding me back though.


1. Mode of transportation: I do not know if my 'lovely' cavalier can honestly last going across the country. It is for sure on my to-do list to pimp-it out this Summer (aka make it decent looking, like get a thing called a muffler & Walmart hubcaps).

2. Companion? This is the sort of trip I wouldn't mind doing on my own at all but I am unsure if tiny, little me should venture to 'The West' on my own. But so far I have not convinced anyone crazy enough to go.

3. Bears & other sorts of beasts that would probably like to make me their snack: I have built up my survival skills with watching Bear Grylls and 'I'm Alive' on Animal Planet but I don't quite think I am up to par on the Not-To-Dos to camping. By all this I mean that I would want to camp in the places I go to. I mean one, I am broke and two why spend the money to stay in a not so amazing hotel when the great outdoors is so welcoming?! yeah exactly. This also would help me satisfy my qualifications for me traveling to all 50-states; in order for me to check one off the list I either need to spend a mass amount of time in the state (a day), explore a unique place/landmark of it, and/or spend a night there. This is where I lose people in joining me. But anyways I need to study up on camping and what to do to not attract unwanted guests. Oh also, I want a tent like this

As you can tell, I have thought and day-dreamed about this all too much. Maybe if I don't go anywhere I will just camp-out in my yard for the majority of the summer, but that seems like an incomparable alternative.

poster.

brief portfolio view

 homepage

 portfolio page

biography page: icon 4

(sorry I cut off the top, wanted to show the info-same with below)

biography page: icon 2

My blog page when clicked opens up a new tab on your browser window and my resume well just brings up my resume on the right. I am overall satisfied with it, a few tweaks here and there - create a patterned background, add more color, maybe add a java script and figure out how to make my background scroll further down, but that is another day's work.

...i just need the pixie dust

It's a rainy day & I am just sitting here at the shop staring out the window            
 ...pondering.
I'm supposed to be studying for linear algebra final but my mind just does not want to retain anything.


Lately my life has been evolving so rapidly I do not know what to make of it.
A few doors have been slammed in my face but for each one of those a new one has opened, greeting me with opportunities that I could not even imagine.

I need to learn to be patient, it is so hard when I have such a blunt personality. I like to lay things out on the table per-say and get straight to the point. I get misjudged by this; that tends to happen too much but oh well, I am starting not to care about that anymore.


The best way to describe how I feel right now, and it is cheesy as hell but, I feel like I am blossoming. "I'm spreading my wings" haha. But it is so true. I am going with the flow and trying to not worry about things too much. I am breaking down a barrier that I have and letting my true self shine through. Maybe it is all the positive thinking I have been doing lately. I have been trying to just roll with the punches and not let one little mishap bring my whole mood/day(week) down & I feel that I am the happiest I have been in a long while. Granted I have my days but overall, I love where my life is going - I do not know exactly where but I like it & each day holds something unexpected.

decipher me.

I:   bite the inside of mouth and cheeks a lot

     smile lately with a half-smirk

     place my fingers over my mouth; mainly when online

     in social situations, cup my glass close to my chest/windpipe & when standing I tend to point my feet together


lately my interest in learning about body language has heightened. I am not sure why,  just more intrigued. I have noticed that many of my own actions speak louder than my words.

I also found out that people with darker irises are perceived to be better looking due to it giving the effect that their pupils are dilated...so tip, keep this lights off & I now will be looking for that eyebrow flash.






Oh, I also have not made much artwork lately because I have been quite stressed with...well everything. But I have made an ah-mazing spring salad.

'cause they were there

 

'God Wouldn't Stay Dead'

acrylic & graphite on paper

2011

I made a 'hide-a-book' for a Christmas gift, you know the ones that have their innards cut out so you can hide nifty stuff...yeah that kind. Therefore I have all these torn out pages. I found the book at Goodwill, "Confessions of a Catholic Priest," quite epic. So these are just me trying to use them creatively while chilling and watching 'Breakout Kings.' I just played with the words I found and composed the pages accordingly.

wisdom.

'Wisdom: I loved her...'

acrylic on canvas

2011

One belated Christmas present down, one to go! My sister wanted a painting from her wedding photos so yeah, it is their wedding rings and a segment from the book of Wisdom. I kinda got lost after awhile with all the grays and white but it is a painting not a photo so it can have freedom from perfection and have a human quality to it. Or at least that's my theory. Next is Nik's, my nephew aka Pickles, quilt.

Another painting I did for Christmas was one for my padre. I completed it in a day and got irritated with the background so not my best work but still pretty epic.

'Favre (aka Glory Days)'

acrylic on canvas

2010 (not the greatest photo but eh)

 

some say I am rad...

ha.

it may be because I know the Napoleon Dynamite dance...

 

or that I may bust out some moves from Shakira (1:11 for sure was seen on Halloween)

I by no means am saying I can dance good, but yeah.
Other song I love to dance to are No Scrubs: TLC, Nelly Furtado: Maneater and lately when Black Eyed Peas: Just Can't Get Enough comes on the radio when I am driving, yeah, sight to be seen. ha.

I am still trying to learn this dance, or at least some moves from it...

 

Other than watching youtube videos and wanting to dance I finished another piece.

'Untitled'

acrylic on canvas

2011

Originally I envisioned like a mauve/pink instead of the light parchment color but I think my detest for red killed that. Usually I go with my intuition and stick to my first thought but I eased into a comfortable palette and am quite happy with the end result. 

superfluous.

On my mind:
   - my eyelashes; I can feel them touch my eyelids, quite bothersome.
   - fall semester; schedule classes.
   - create, create, create; and not just stuff I still need to get done but expand my horizons, test my creativity.
   - food; going to attempt an eggplant pizza recipe I found at work.
   - apartment search, still.
   - urge to dance.


I will keep this short due to my fear of being judged. But anyways, I really need to get back on track for working out, my spring break was too jam packed with stuff that I did not have time to make it to the odd gym hours. I caught up on a few other things; worked on a few paintings, cleaned, cut out hundreds of quilt patches, did some hardcore napping and now back to classes.

Here is one of the pieces I made:

 

'Vague.'

acrylic, gesso, graphite (and hairspray)

2011

it came about from a typography project I did and developed from there. It's nothing much, quite a play on words; love the font and the process - I was quite at ease making it, not flustered or worried about what the end project would but just went with it. Really like the human quality to it as well; I chose to leave my smudges and measure marks to give it a raw effect and show the process - plus I really love to mix gesso and graphite.

creativity at its best

Salvador Dali: Surrealist Spaniard circa 1930s

^ thinking I should put this back up in my apartamento ^

^ laptop background ^

Alphonse Mucha: Czech Art Nouveau circa 1900
love Art Nouveau in general, ornate details and pattern work

 Muller-Brockmann: Swiss graphic designer circa 1950s

just a few talented people who I am extremely jealous of.