Jackson Pollock, Lavender Mist, 1950

"Lavender Mist epitomizes Pollock's ultimate style, in which physical action and emotional expression achieve balance. It is an astounding tapestry of color, poured, dripped, and flung on the canvas." -www.nga.gov

When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It's only after a sort of "get acquainted" period that I see what I have been about. I have no fears about making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own.
- quoted in Possibilities I, Winter 1947-48

La Lune

Last night Mallory and I went out and watched the total lunar eclipse. So did a bunch of other people from West Quad - it was the most I've ever done with people from my dorm aside from being outside together when the fire alarm goes off.
It was pretty sweet: thanks God!

It's Eternal

Talk radio that is. I have to say I used to hate it growing up as my mom listened to the radio. However, now that I have a job it helps time go by so fast. By far my favorite is the Glenn Beck Program. That guy is crazy, but scarily accurate, and definitely the most entertaining. Seriously, if you have a job and need some entertainment turn him on. Also if you read non-fiction I highly recommend his book, an Inconvenient Book.

Valentine's Day

There were lots of jokes running around the retreat with the youth leader's couples about spending Valentine's day with 40 high schoolers - but what a great way to share love with lots of people who really need it, right? I got more hugs this weekend than in the last few weeks combined.
But for our Valentine's day, Josh took me to Nonnah's (amazing dessert place in The Vista) the weekend before. He also got me a gift card to Walmart. Have we been living in the South too long? No really - it was something I wanted: the rest of the set of dishes I got when I moved into my apartment. I just ordered them today!

Winter Retreat

"Day-homie!" Weekend t-shirt

A view of the Smokey Mountains from the slopes.

One of many (much needed) snow blowers.
Josh and I at the top of the run.

Log cabin suburbia.

Apres ski spa night!

Never having worked with high schoolers, I had not realized what a difference a few years makes. Every time the girls in my room cleaned up after themselves, or got up when they needed to, I was amazed. Jr hi is very different. I love both, don't get me wrong, but this weekend really was a bit more like a retreat. We all had such a great time. God worked in the kids and the leaders, as well. It was so fun getting to know the group, too - 40 kids and 9 leaders.
To sum it up: no injuries, lots of prayer, word games and really cool kids.

Big Fan

DCB. They rock. Listen to Never Let Go.

I just got a text from Allison. "Ding!"
That means she's gonna get a raptor.

Rare

This morning I talked myself into getting up on time - and showering - so I could get to class on time. I didn't want to skip class because we have an exam scheduled for Thursday.
I am sick, but walked half an hour to get there anyway. We sat around for about 10 minutes while the prof and ta tried to get a film clip to work (of which I watched the entire thing last night somehow). It didn't work, and he dismissed us, telling us we would watch it Thursday. I went up and asked him about the exam and he said we weren't having one yet. That is a pain because I already started studying, and now that test is going to end up in the same week as another one. Sigh.
But it wasn't all a loss. I left class and decided to stop at the school library on the way home to check out the exhibit of illuminated manuscripts my Northern Renaissance Art History prof had raved about. It was fantastic! There was everything from tiny Books of Hours to huge lectern Psalters. They also had some history books, Bibles, and pages out of similar items. It was very exciting.

Study Browsing

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/abstractexpressionism/

I just found this website while searching for a Lee Krasner image. It is a fabulous collection of abstract expressionist works. Love it.

April 15th and 600

Yes, it's that time of year. Have you received all your tax information from the church, job, and school. I know I have. Did you know that the total you can earn before having to claim it on your taxes is $600. I am at about $140 so far this year. Here's to the number 599 and sticking it to the man.

Chicken?

I found this add for a slow-cooker. I'm gona call this bad advertising - that chicken looks really scary.

Sweetness.

I was kind of irritated with the world tonight, so as I sat in film discussion after class, I felt very antagonistic and was probably scowling. At the end of class the teacher announced he was showing us our papers from last week (I thought we weren't getting them back till after midterms) and he said he had graded us on a scale from 1 - 10. He wanted to read us some titles so we know what a good topic is, but that we all did well - between 7 and 10. I waited eagerly to hear if my topic was read. No luck. Then, when I got my paper back, it had a 10 circled on the top, and three, scrawled notes. Two of my classmates who I sort of actually know had received 9 1/2 and he told them "great paper". One of them asked why he only got a 9 1/2 if it was so good, and he replied, "well it wasn't *that* good - I only gave out one 10".
It's amazing how fast your day can improve.
Then one of the 9 1/2s told me I should go back to Portland and take my fiancee with me if he's anything like me. He loves to talk trash. It was fun.
Now I'm eating beef barley soup and attempting to finish my French history paper.

Just a shout out to all the Canadians who will understand this, sorta. We in South Carolina are in the middle of a chinook. Well, not really, but it's 80 degrees Fahrenheit, in the middle of winter.

Beautiful things:

-not Starbucks
-warm, flowery smells
-picking a camellia (pamela style)
-being given mardi gras beads from my barista
-talking about good, imported beer with a South Carolinian
-walking on bricks under naked crepe myrtles

You're gonna need pencil and paper for this...

So, here is the deal these are the thirty odd finalists. The choice is yours what happens to them. This is what you need to do. First, go find a Post-It note, 3x5 card, notebook paper, or envelope. Second, your favorite marker, pen, pencil, or Sharpie. Third, your favorite piece of jazz music. If you don't have any I would suggest looking up something on YouTube (Seriously, you need some jazz music cause for some reason there is some bluegrass song on the slide show. Turn the sound off if you have to). Then watch the video and pick your top 10 photographs. They don't have to be in a specific order, just your 10 favs. Then post your fav 10 (if you need you can just make a list of numbers - 1 being the first photograph) That's it, no expository commenting necessary. Oh, and pick one that you think is the worst (not necessarily bad, but the worst at of the bunch)

Advanced Black and White Project 2

Ok, so this really isn't the first project, but I didn't want to be outdone. It's the pre-project goofing around. We were supposed to take photographs of whatever we want. In class we will learn how to make digital BW prints, that are comparable to film prints (such as silver gelatin). So Al was my first subject.

Print Project #1

The project was "Self-portrait as Evil Dopplganger". Pretty fun! This is me as a sorority girl (notice the long hair, pearl earring, dixie cup of cheap beer, and disco light). The original sketch is nicest, but I don't have a picture of it. The sketch on top is the mirrored version with the incorrect hand. The bottom image is more or less what the print actually looks like, only with nicer, creamy paper and a few straighter lines. I made eight, of which two are close to perfect.
I smell like ink, vegetable oil, and baby powder. It's somewhat disgusting.

Head's Up

I'm posting on the photoblog and want comments. Go check it out the link is over there -->
It's called photoblog.

Hunting

Tonight, in lieu of doing school homework, I decided to work on another bit of homework - wedding homework. I've been meaning to look at patterns and fabric for my bridesmaids dresses for some time but haven't gotten around to it. Wow. Have I ever been missing out. There are some amazing patterns out there for all you ambitious seamstresses.
Among the few cute ones, I found countless dresses of considerable levels of hideousness. I'd like to share of few of my favorites with you.Here we have the timeless Tartan, structured dress - with a little swoop in the neck for all you daring ones. Who ever was allowed to put that fabric and that design together?

This pattern is for all those who wish to look 8 months pregnant. Have we not learned from "What not to wear" that one should never wear flowing top with flowing bottom? Why would those pieces ever be brought together on one model?

This is even better - it is so lovely they couldn't bear to put it on a real person... or even try sewing it for real. Perhaps, if you were a French model living in New Jersey in the 1960s where you frequently attended garden parties - maybe - you could wear this. But wait, this pattern was not in the vintage section so no one should ever find an excuse to wear it.


I'm not sure I can even add something to this. Angel - nightgown - costume - thing?

But this one... this one takes the cake. Or maybe it IS the cake. A funeral cake for Count von... Victorian... Queen Isabella?

This Week's Culture

Somehow this week's homework has largely consisted of my professors telling me to go check something out on the internet, and, more specifically, wikipedia (yeah, who knew).

"Dorthea Lange's best-known picture is titled "Migrant Mother".
The woman in the photo is Florence Owens Thompson, but Lange apparently never knew her name. ... Lange spoke about her experience taking the photograph:

I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean-to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. There was a sort of equality about it."

These are the two films I will be seeing at the Nickelodeon this week. The first is a hopeful, and not required. The second is our weekly film, which this week includes a Q&A session with the director.

THE RAPE OF EUROPA
"The Rape of Europa" is a feature documentary that takes the audience on an epic journey through seven countries and into a violent whirlwind of fanaticism, greed, and warfare that threatened to wipe out the artistic heritage of Europe. For twelve long years, the Nazis looted and destroyed art on a scale unprecedented in history. But heroic young art historians and curators from America and across Europe fought back, mounting a miraculous campaign that would rescue and return the millions of art works displaced by the war. Joan Allen narrates this chronicle about the battle over the very survival of centuries of western culture.


APPARITION OF THE ETERNAL CHURCH BY PAUL FESTA
In this award-winning film, 31 artists and thinkers listen to a ten-minute piece of music through headphones and describe what they hear. What all but a few don't know is that the music is Olivier Messiaen's monumental organ work Apparition of the Eternal Church. A devout Catholic and the organist at the Church of the Trinity in Paris, Messiaen wrote this music to send listeners to the heights of spiritual ecstasy. In actuality however, Festa's listeners respond in wildly different fashions. ... Together, the music and its interpreters conjure something like what William Blake famously called "the marriage of heaven and hell."

Nostalgic Pavement

I love the smell of warm chlorine in the winter - when you are walking down a cold street and you get that whiff of pool. One of those wonderful dichotomies, like smelling sunscreen in the snow. It's as if the world got all rolled up into one awesome day.

Weekend Homework

This being my last semester I've become quite used to doin' some kind of homework on the weekends. That's what weekends are for afterall. This year, however, my homework is taking pictures since I have 3 photography classes. w00t!

Humanitarian Education.

Tonight, in my Arthouse films class, we watched a documentary called Darfur Now. A British girl who works with the I Vote for Darfur coalition was there with letters for people to sign that she would be taking to the capitol. I was at the South Carolina Save Darfur rally in October - it had a great turn out and was very moving and informative, but I am so glad I also had the opportunity to see this film for a class. It was powerful. At the same time as working on the emotions of the audience it also was massively informative. Hearing more details regarding the progress that was being made to recognize, if not try to stop, the genocide was both hopeful and despairing. But it was awesome having letters to sign that were being sent to representatives and the like... it reminded me of going to the Karmans or the Maynards growing up and writing something or signing something that would later change homeschooling laws. It was funny how the professor had just been telling us to think about our experiences and our filters through which we see films, and try to figure out what it is that we are bringing to a film before we see it, and something like signing some sort of homeschool lobbying letter years ago would come back to me in a South Carolina arthouse theater.

Devot

When God works his miracles, we have to laugh at our own foolishness. If we still persist in worrying and planning, then we are no disciples of his. Many, I fear, never see God work for them because they always have a way out - some friend perhaps, who migh help a itle if God does not! Most to be pitied are those who brought to a supreme crisis, still find an avenue of escape. For necessity is the foundation for miracles To escape the one is to miss the other. Great difficulties are meant only to force us out of ourselves into reliance on him. When there is no way forward or back, then God is able. He has a plan. So do not fear impossibilities. They are of no account to him. Fall a his feet and wait for him to act. A miracle is ahead.

See: 2 Kings 6:15
- A Table in the Wilderness, Watchman Nee

I needed this did you?

Surprise

So apparently I was wrong about the new computer. He's here. He also has new iPhoto which allows RAW files which means you get to see some works in progress. Enjoy.

Inc BS

For those of you who don't know... that actually means "Incoming at the Blacksmith." It's from WoW. I've been doin' alot of battlegrounds lately cause I've only had 30 min to an hour to play. Hopefully, I've figured out a schedule to get back to leveling. However, the bigger and better news is that my computer and digital darkroom are arriving this week. Which means I will be able to post new pictures soon.

Photos will be from my 490p class which is photography portfolio class. The first project is on jazz. I'm taking photographs right now and will hopefully be processing and posting them this week.

Intro to Printmaking

My first project in Printmaking is a Linocut.
Linocuts generally look like woodcuts; they use the same tools and techniques, and often use the same styles. I'm a big fan of German Expressionism and love the look that can be produced and the expressive abilities of the medium.
The title of the project is Self-Portrait as Evil Doppleganger (aka: a drawing of me as my complete opposite). It has been mentioned to me that my opposite is perhaps a sorority girl, so I'm going with that idea. The image is supposed to be dynamic, from about waist up, and including hands.

I've done a few preliminary drawings, and I'm getting excited for the actual cutting and printing process.

[Here's a picture I found of my boy Picasso working on a Linocut.]

Snow at Carolina

Last night we had some wet flakes coming down for about two hours. It's not much, but it was enough to give some kids a late opening and make lots of people very excited. My roommate who is from here said she hasn't seen snow since she was in 8th grade. You can imagine the general excitement that has lingered even through the cold rain of today.

What to buy?

So I'm checking out software to purchase for my photography classes. Originally I was going to purchase Adobe Creative Suite, but now I'm considering dropping the suite programs (indesign and co.) and purchasing Photoshop and Lightroom. Now, I don't know...

For those who don't know anything about any of those products. The Suite is actually 4 (5?) programs that can produce any type of image for any type of print (no website design) media production. The thing is I only know how to use Photoshop in the suite While the other option is Photoshop and Lightroom which are together the ultimate photo digital darkroom. Lightroom as a large file management/photo editing program and photoshop the beefy digital photo creation program. Hmm...

For Tracy

First Day of School

Oh my. The first day of school comes so often. It sounds momentous and then it just comes and goes.
I bought a bag full of strange things today, and a few bags of normal things, for strange purposes. The first contained things such as Duralar, transfer paper, a window scraper, a Bone folder, Yes glue and a brayer. The second bag held things like vegetable oil, baby powder, wax aper, cotton swabs and paper towels. The first bag held printmaking items all new to me and was purchased at City Art in the Vista where people are helpful and friendly and the prices aren't bad. The second bag came from Walmart, also for printmaking, apparently for printmaking cleanup. Who knew.
I went through most of the day without eating. I had felt sick when I woke up, so I didn't eat. Then I didn't get home till well after lunch, when I then just wanted a nap. So tonight I was going to cook chicken, but discovered that it takes forever to thaw. And after reading all sorts of scary things on the internet, I stuck them in the fridge to do the rest of their thawing, and proceeded to wipe down all the kitchen with Clorox wipes (we don't as of yet have bleach at the apartment). Now I'm cooking cornbread muffins. They look alright so far, although the cornmeal scared me a bit at first because it has little dark black and reddish flakes in it that look almost like bugs, but the pictures on the front have the same thing so I'm guessing it's okay. And it's brand new.
Hopefully everything will turn out alright.

Monday

Is it a bad monday if you stayed up the night before finishing a book, you don't take a shower cause there is no hot water, you have a cold, and you can't get warm?

Food, What Else?

Dinner was quasi-Asian: terriyaki ramen and green tea. I was planning to eat quasi-Mexican food (spiced up black bean burritos), but was thwarted by lack of a can opener.
Maybe next time.

The New

Early this morning we arrived back in South Carolina to a new year, a new semester and, for me, a new roommate. As we stumbled into the house, tired from some relatively eventful flights and a foggy drive home, we saw how everything was clean and packed up after the Christmas craziness. There was a new verse on the kitchen black board that I thought an appropriate selection for the new year:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Cor. 5:17

We are constantly being made new: Christ is always renewing our spirits and providing us freedom to live each day with His power and the joy of His love, but it is especially good to remember that promise on the start of a new year.

Update: in case anyone was keeping track of my last year's resolution to read the Bible in one year this is what happened: it turned out that I switched it 'round about September to reading the OT in one year. This I accomplished as of about 11:45pm December 31st. The new resolution is to read the NT in Spring semester and we'll go from there.

Goodbye Portland

So this will be my first post on the new blog. Alli is sitting here reading as I type. Just thought I'd drop a little line to say Goodbye to my soon to be home. It'll be a couple more months, but here's to the beginning of the new experience.

Quelf

"To ancient lands and distant music"
"The chickens on fire!"
"Apple"
"What the heck Batman, I mean Holy heck Batman."
"I need my pills"
"Pardone moi"
"Ned, Ned, Ned I wish you were dead"
"Box blouse"
"I'm the Fat Lady!"
"Holy language acquisition class Batman"
"Holy Batman Batman"
"Ned I wish you would bring me a boyfriend not a timberwolf"
"My favorite was when we sat on Stephanie's lap"
"Say 'Flee!'"
"Alli had to put ice down her pants."

You too could have this great game.

Snowboard Season 2008

This year our snowboarding season is tragically short. Even with all the dumpings of beautiful powder, we cannot ride. But at least we were here for two weeks and were able to spend Saturday up at Timberline.

Josh and I in the day lodge, getting ready to head out.

We were so excited to check out the new Jeff Flood lift and all the rad new terrain. Lisa, in front of the new lift.

Our boys were a little under the weather, as it were, and only lasted till lunch. Here they are, pouting.

This is me, standing in the parking lot to show you how high the snow banks were. Aaamazing.

Lisa digs out the car while the boys load it up after a fabulous day on the mountain. I love snow.

Good Old Northwest Welcome

On coming home we've been welcomed to the Rose City by presents, sparkling lights and ... snow! Well... a little snow. On our way home from church it snowed just enough to cover the road and dust the trees - and make me rather giddy. Snowboarding trip Saturday! Eeee!

Snow, SUVs, and Airplanes.

Tomorrow we arrive in Portland, where we will spend the remainder of our wonderfully long Christmas break. It's been snowing in Portland recently, we've heard, so we attempted to pack accordingly.
It will be a rather long day of traveling starting with a two hour drive to Charlotte. We'll probably drug ourselves up with caffeine. I certainly will have to if there is any hope of me staying awake, or, more importantly, being a nice person. Modern transport is amazing: we can somehow have a long day of travel and still plan to arrive in Portland at noon.

Side note: we too Mom and Dad Schreck rock climbing today and they did awesome! It was so fun.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Sports Center

The longer I live in the South, and the more time I spend with Josh and at his house, the more I know about sports. Of course, all the talk for the last few days has been steroids. We're getting a little tired of it, but I thought this quote was funny.

Jon [Stewart]'s theory on steroid usage in baseball: "In this country, a man is innocent until proven guilty. Everybody - whether it's the young, wiry Barry Bonds of 1986 or the current Barry Bonds, who looks like he ate two of the first guy."

Christmas in 307-A

With all of us being gone over the actual holidays, my roomies and I didn't make much efforts at making our apartment festive.

Here are some of the snowflakes I decorated with:

And my little "tree":


Some of the packages I've received have also added to the general cheer: a cute Christmas mug from my mom, chocolate advent calender from Rosie, and Christmas card from my grandparents.

Gothic.

I'm having a bit of a Gothic evening:

Coffee
Making art
Candlelight
Mozart's Requiem
Washington Irving











It's quite lovely.

/train

I am so excited for the Timberline expansion! It feels like years since I've hit new terrain. My only question is what the new lift is going to be nicknamed. The Jeff Flood Express Chairlift is a bit of a mouthful.

And Now for Something Completely Different.

Jacques-Louis David.
We learned a bit about this man today. We learned how he was a political chameleon and how that saved his life, how he was the nephew of Boucher, all that important stuff. My professor was humorous, as usual, but he really didn't even need to bother - the images are funny enough. Usually when I think of David, I associate him with the masters, appreciate his skills, etc. But today it was just funny.

Here is his self-portrait, painted during his brief stay in jail after the Revolution. I'm pretty sure this is where Zoolander got his look.
This piece is called "Paris and Helen". It was commissioned by a count someone or another, brother to King Louis XVI (I'm getting really good with keeping my Louis straight these days), is a mythological story and all, but that doesn't really interest me so much as what Paris is wearing. Sandals, scarf and gnome hat! WHAT in the world! Seriously, it kills me. I just sat in class and laughed.

Candycanes are Yummy.

Well. I suppose I ought to make an attempt to welcome December and the Christmas season and all. It is a lovely time, but I am doing my best not to think about it. That is, until finals are over. I would love to only think about Christmas - read Isaiah and Luke, sit in front of the fire and the tree, bake cookies and wrap presents. But for now I'm going to write write write until my fingers are callused, my brain is numb and my back is cricked.
My hope comes in half hour breaks I allow myself whenever I've almost accomplished something.
I'll be glad for a time that I am not thinking about Latin American conquest, teaching methods and Woolf.