I was eating pizza with Lindsay and Karen called me up all frantic wondering where I was. I didn't know I was supposed to be anywhere but there was apparently a shindig/collage party going on so when I had my fill of pizza I went up. We hung out into the wee hours of the mornings, making jokes and collages and talking about theories and things.
It was gray and somewhat rainy all day. I was prepared with awesome rain pants and plastic bags so I didn't get soggy or even cold (those rain pants are seriously warm).
When I got home after work and my comic run we sat about and talked and we did some moving about. She had to reorganize her room to accommodate a large scale painting she will be working on throughout the semester. I wanted more room so I asked if I could move my book shelves into the living room (she moved her hula hoop light structure into the living room as well) and she said yeah so I moved them on out and stacked them. Now our place looks eclectic and lived in. I hate to say it but I am actually starting to like Goose Hollow. We might be taking a trip to Ikea in the near future to pick up some bowls, a stand for a lamp, and maybe some more shelves. I really like our living room and now my books are more accessible. I'm not worried about Ibanez and my books. It is too formidable for him to climb and he doesn't claw books.
Work went by really quick. Actually I think I might have forgotten to do something because I finished up so early. Didn't do anything eventful. A new refrigerator was bought, it seems chill enough. Mike now has a studio and some of the new people are starting to move in. The MFA's are as awesome as ever. I finished reading Understanding Comics at the end of my shift. Scott McCloud is officially the type that can't do and so he teaches. Some good concepts and he lays them out clearly but he hasn't really applied them to himself that much. Oh well.
Illuminating Manuscripts went by fairly fast. Most of it was just the teacher talking but I think we are still getting into the class and so once we get around to the actual comics it will be more interactive discussion based. Had a chat about McKean and Gaiman with a girl in the class who is currently sporting an old hairstyle of mine.
I went home for the break between class and work and ate oatmeal and drank cocoa and chatted with Lindsay about things which are not fit to share in this space.
After work I made a run to Floating World to pick up the remaining "textbooks" for class. Happily, an anthology, an independent publication, a trade paperback and three issues came in at only $50. Jason gave me a discount. The frequent customer awesome rad person discount. Also the Alex Cahill comic for the class came in the mail. The only thing left is From Hell. Lindsay said she really likes this class because I bring home all these cool comics to read (she has discovered that I lend out from my library quite generously). The bike ride up Jefferson was really hard; it felt like I was towing fifty pounds up the hill.
Tomorrow is a luncheon for Goose Hollow PNCA people and I will also be photographing my work. I need to assemble a digital portfolio if I want to study abroad this summer. I have a great deal of stuff I will need to do all next week pretty much. Well, lots of forms, letter of interest, and a portfolio. I really want to do this so I will find the time to do it. Belgium, UK, Ireland, maybe possibly France (even though I have no real interest)...HERE I COME!! (hopefully).
hi
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
Shins & Cups
James Mercer gave a live acoustic performance at PNCA tonight. It was at 10:15, after a long lecture about how the army is screwing over the environment, among other things. I am not the biggest fan of The Shins but it was a lovely performance. There was not a large amount of people so it was very close and respectful. It was more about a man and his guitar than this famous musician performing. I was out late but it was worth it.
The Focus The Nation lecture was depressing, as most environmental and army speeches tend to be (or at least make me feel like they are). Some valuable information was given but I didn't write it down.
Experiments in Drawing was spent in part drawing cups (either our favorite cup or other peoples favorite cups) and in a short review/critique. I need to stretch my imagination a little more. I'm still on the fence about the class but I am for sure not dropping it. It is as tricky as I make it; as experimental as I make it.
I went home to relax. I fell asleep reading Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics.
Painting class was spent doing a white still life, as in finding the color in white objects. The class goes fast, too fast. I haven't finished a painting yet. I mix very slow.
After class I worked on my reading response for Scott McCloud's very boring book and I worked on my plate a little. I grabbed something to eat from Urban Grind and then I sat down to listen to the depressing talk.
Very busy day, it will be nice to sit back tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
tea time: fact or fiction
Whoo! Long day spent in the print lab. Got to school right on time, even a few minutes early. The first hour and a half was spent mostly in demonstrations of cleaning, etching, and printing.
I retained more information than I thought. After lunch I finished cleaning my plate and carbon transferred my drawing onto the plate. The etching really hurt my hand. It required more pressure than I thought it would and the needle kept slipping. Some of my lines are far from perfect and some are pretty awesome. The hair on the guy turned out pretty fab. I stayed a little late and managed to produce a test print. It needs some more work, probably work I will do tomorrow. I'm very pleased with how it looks to be turning out. With some more work it should be a real piece!
In the middle of class Yoshi boiled some water and informed us it was tea time. Seriously. I heard there was a print lab tea time... I had pomegranate tea.
During lunch I went to a meeting about Global Studios and studying abroad. Some of the information was muddled but from what I gathered I can go study abroad this Summer. I just need to find a school, fill out some forms, and apply by February 12th. So yeah...under two weeks to do a lot of stuff. But I can do it. The schools I am interested in are:
Chelsea College of Art & Design (UK)
University College Falmouth (UK)
Burren College of Art (Ireland)
Hogeschool Sint-Lukas (Belgium)
Hogeschool Sint-Lukas and CCAD are the ones the school already has programs with. I'm going to go for it.
It was raining pleasantly as I went home. Need to get into the habit of having my rain pants with me.
I'm sort of watching Life of Brian in the background. Ehhh. Not Monty Python's best.
I retained more information than I thought. After lunch I finished cleaning my plate and carbon transferred my drawing onto the plate. The etching really hurt my hand. It required more pressure than I thought it would and the needle kept slipping. Some of my lines are far from perfect and some are pretty awesome. The hair on the guy turned out pretty fab. I stayed a little late and managed to produce a test print. It needs some more work, probably work I will do tomorrow. I'm very pleased with how it looks to be turning out. With some more work it should be a real piece!
In the middle of class Yoshi boiled some water and informed us it was tea time. Seriously. I heard there was a print lab tea time... I had pomegranate tea.
During lunch I went to a meeting about Global Studios and studying abroad. Some of the information was muddled but from what I gathered I can go study abroad this Summer. I just need to find a school, fill out some forms, and apply by February 12th. So yeah...under two weeks to do a lot of stuff. But I can do it. The schools I am interested in are:
Chelsea College of Art & Design (UK)
University College Falmouth (UK)
Burren College of Art (Ireland)
Hogeschool Sint-Lukas (Belgium)
Hogeschool Sint-Lukas and CCAD are the ones the school already has programs with. I'm going to go for it.
It was raining pleasantly as I went home. Need to get into the habit of having my rain pants with me.
I'm sort of watching Life of Brian in the background. Ehhh. Not Monty Python's best.
sketch for an intaglio plate (#1)
Photo of a sketch to be made into an intaglio plate. (Change to the design is a possibility)
Swade, Jake Allen & Henley
Just got back from Karen's. We sat about watching Scrubs, working on homework, eating chocolate, and just drawing and gossiping as art girls do.
I have my sketch all done for Printmaking tomorrow. It took me longer and I had more frustration with it than I thought I should have. But the expressions are great and I can't wait to translate it onto my plate and start printing.
Today started off fairly fun. It was raining in the morning so I decided to wear my rain pants. It was not raining as I biked with them but I still looked pretty damn cool. We were meeting at Work Sound, which is Modou's gallery that he curates for. The gallery is in East Portland, so I had to cross the Hawthorne bridge. I left at about 7:50 and arrived at 8:15. He didn't show up till about 8:40. The outside was very very cold and the inside seemed even colder. It was painful to sit and draw. The assignment was to draw from observation from the pieces and from those sketches produce an original work to show by next class. Well that is what I THOUGHT the assignment was so I just did quick sketches to get some of the parts I liked about pictures across. However the assignment will be to go over the sketchbook drawings that we did, and not any original piece. It is a shame because I had an idea for what I wanted to do for the assignment. I think I might get a start on it anyway, just so I have something to show with my rudimentary sketchbook drawings.
The ride back was hell. What was downhill one was was up back and I was freezing cold. Some parts of my body warmed up but my toes and fingers were in considerable pain. I just slumped in front of my computer when I got back, turned on the heat, wrapped myself in a blanket, made some cocoa and watched some movies. I watched Drugstore Cowboy in the background as I made my Internet rounds. Maybe I would have liked it better had I paid attention. I don't think it has aged well, it was probably edgy when it came out but now it is commonplace. I also watched Death to Smoochy. That is a delightful movie. Edward Norton is adorable and mostly everyone acts really well, even Robin Williams. Nice dark comedy.
Eventually it was time to return to school. I packed up my painting supplies and rode out into the late afternoon. Class was uneventful. We painted a still life to practice color mixing. I am slowly getting it. Emphasis on the slow. There were enough tables this time so I didn't have to share with Jason. Raved about Fire on the Mountain to him and I think he thought I was asking him out...oops.
It was raining profusely during our snack break. Luckily I had but a plastic bag over my seat. Unluckily I had left my rainpants at home because I doubted it would start raining again. By the time I had to leave it was only a soft rain, nothing too horrendous.
When I got home I discovered a new pet in our home. A venus fly trap. We have been having problems with flies so hopefully the little guy can do the trick.
I relaxed a bit. We cleaned and scrubbed our place a bit. Then it was time for me to go visit with awesome Karen and the crew (Chelsea, Kristen, and Robin).
I have my sketch all done for Printmaking tomorrow. It took me longer and I had more frustration with it than I thought I should have. But the expressions are great and I can't wait to translate it onto my plate and start printing.
Today started off fairly fun. It was raining in the morning so I decided to wear my rain pants. It was not raining as I biked with them but I still looked pretty damn cool. We were meeting at Work Sound, which is Modou's gallery that he curates for. The gallery is in East Portland, so I had to cross the Hawthorne bridge. I left at about 7:50 and arrived at 8:15. He didn't show up till about 8:40. The outside was very very cold and the inside seemed even colder. It was painful to sit and draw. The assignment was to draw from observation from the pieces and from those sketches produce an original work to show by next class. Well that is what I THOUGHT the assignment was so I just did quick sketches to get some of the parts I liked about pictures across. However the assignment will be to go over the sketchbook drawings that we did, and not any original piece. It is a shame because I had an idea for what I wanted to do for the assignment. I think I might get a start on it anyway, just so I have something to show with my rudimentary sketchbook drawings.
The ride back was hell. What was downhill one was was up back and I was freezing cold. Some parts of my body warmed up but my toes and fingers were in considerable pain. I just slumped in front of my computer when I got back, turned on the heat, wrapped myself in a blanket, made some cocoa and watched some movies. I watched Drugstore Cowboy in the background as I made my Internet rounds. Maybe I would have liked it better had I paid attention. I don't think it has aged well, it was probably edgy when it came out but now it is commonplace. I also watched Death to Smoochy. That is a delightful movie. Edward Norton is adorable and mostly everyone acts really well, even Robin Williams. Nice dark comedy.
Eventually it was time to return to school. I packed up my painting supplies and rode out into the late afternoon. Class was uneventful. We painted a still life to practice color mixing. I am slowly getting it. Emphasis on the slow. There were enough tables this time so I didn't have to share with Jason. Raved about Fire on the Mountain to him and I think he thought I was asking him out...oops.
It was raining profusely during our snack break. Luckily I had but a plastic bag over my seat. Unluckily I had left my rainpants at home because I doubted it would start raining again. By the time I had to leave it was only a soft rain, nothing too horrendous.
When I got home I discovered a new pet in our home. A venus fly trap. We have been having problems with flies so hopefully the little guy can do the trick.
I relaxed a bit. We cleaned and scrubbed our place a bit. Then it was time for me to go visit with awesome Karen and the crew (Chelsea, Kristen, and Robin).
Monday, January 28, 2008
deep fried
Oh boy. Oh wow. Lindsay called me asking if I had any plans tonight and I said no so she invited me out for Hot Wings. We hopped on the Red Line and transferred to the Yellow line. Matt and Andy boarded at the same time we did and we chatted a little. Amazing I am now running into people I know.
We arrived at Fire on the Mountain and ordered up our meal and took a seat. The live musician was starting his night right as we settled. First up was the large order of deep fried tater tots. We horfed on those for a while and then came the buffalo wings, half spicy and half sweet. Our pace slowed as we wolfed the food down. More and more was stuffed as our face and hands got messier and messier. Right as we were starting to settle, the grand finale showed up: deep fried Twinkies. Oh god. It has been two hours and I am still immobile and lethargic. We both ate the whole Twinkie! Each! We had one each, and we finished it in its hot and gooey glory. Uuuuhhhnnn... We had lots of fun chatting and stuffing our faces and riding back and forth.
Art History lasted all of 20 minutes. Jim, Diana, Sandra, Jack, and Pete are in my class. It is really full. The teacher remembered me and singled me out as the one who suggested No Country For Old Men to her...and then she said she found it really grim and dark and creepy and thought she might have missed something because I loved it. So yeah...she singled me out as maybe a bit psychotic?
I checked out some books and then went home. I finished Twin Peaks and first of all Spanish subtitles showed up out of nowhere covering the subtitles for the backwards talking. They spent 15 minutes in the Red Room. Dale is possessed by Bob. Audrey might be exploded. And that is it. No more Twin Peaks. There is a movie out but it is a prequel. Who wants a prequel??
Uhhh oh maaan. That was too much. And I will be riding 7+ miles tomorrow. Going to the East Side!
We arrived at Fire on the Mountain and ordered up our meal and took a seat. The live musician was starting his night right as we settled. First up was the large order of deep fried tater tots. We horfed on those for a while and then came the buffalo wings, half spicy and half sweet. Our pace slowed as we wolfed the food down. More and more was stuffed as our face and hands got messier and messier. Right as we were starting to settle, the grand finale showed up: deep fried Twinkies. Oh god. It has been two hours and I am still immobile and lethargic. We both ate the whole Twinkie! Each! We had one each, and we finished it in its hot and gooey glory. Uuuuhhhnnn... We had lots of fun chatting and stuffing our faces and riding back and forth.
Art History lasted all of 20 minutes. Jim, Diana, Sandra, Jack, and Pete are in my class. It is really full. The teacher remembered me and singled me out as the one who suggested No Country For Old Men to her...and then she said she found it really grim and dark and creepy and thought she might have missed something because I loved it. So yeah...she singled me out as maybe a bit psychotic?
I checked out some books and then went home. I finished Twin Peaks and first of all Spanish subtitles showed up out of nowhere covering the subtitles for the backwards talking. They spent 15 minutes in the Red Room. Dale is possessed by Bob. Audrey might be exploded. And that is it. No more Twin Peaks. There is a movie out but it is a prequel. Who wants a prequel??
Uhhh oh maaan. That was too much. And I will be riding 7+ miles tomorrow. Going to the East Side!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
figured out something today
Slept in till noon again. A decent time. Watched Twin Peaks and just messed around. Didn't really do much. At all. Slowly have to get back into the work ethic for school. I didn't get out of the house till after 5, and that was only a quick grocery run. I'm trying out this fizzy yogurt in a tube. It is actually really tasty. I like my yogurt in tube form, and not chunky with bits. Anyone who knows me knows I do not like bits. It was also consumed to get the hideous taste out of my mouth.The taste caused by when I figured out what off milk tastes like.
Jim called me around 6:30 and I met him halfway and we swung by Boyd's real quick and I picked up a hot beverage and he a cinnamon roll. Then we went back to my place and hung about and gossiped. Had a nice little visit and talked about comics and going back to school and how crazy the teacher Morgan was. Lindsay shared her two cents on that crazy teacher subject. He left with my Animal Man comics (in borrowing form) at about nineish and I kicked back.
I think, if I have time, I would really like to reread The Fountain by Aronofsky. The art is beautiful, I have been shuffling through it recently. So if I can't read it, I will just study it.
Ibanez has taken over the living room with his cardboard and paper play area.
I drink your milkshake
Just got back from a late evening with Michael. We saw the last showing of There Will Be Blood at the Lloyd 8 and we chatted for a long time afterwards.
The movie had a rather unsatisfactory ending but I don't think there could have been one. The movie started really well and the first hour was magnificent. There were some amazing and tense scenes and some of the work with sound and music was beyond brilliant. I hope it is nominated for acting, directing, sound, and costume awards. As it had a fairly small main cast the actors had to be really strong and Lewis and Dano were. Daniel Day Lewis had a performance that reminded me of Gangs of New York, not so much a copy but very similar in acting the characters differing types of brutality. Paul Dano, for being the age that he is and having the number of roles that he has, showed subtlety...very subtlety. I don't know what I can say. I don't think I have fully digested this movie yet. Very shocking and real but I began to notice the Cigarette Burns as the movie went past the hour and a half mark. A different story, that is for sure. I like living here as it enables me to see different things.
The theatre we were in was MASSIVE. There looked to be enough seats for 500 people. Outside of Wall-E (probably the same theatre I was in when I saw it) I have never seen anything so big.
Hanging with Michael is nice. He isn't in any of my classes and probably won't be for the rest of our stay at PNCA. Kind of sucks but we are very good about finding time to hang out.
Today was spent loafing and not doing anything. Slept in till noon. I talked to Jim on the phone for a bit. Watched some Twin Peaks. I am almost done with that series. It is getting very interesting and I don't want it to just end in a few episodes. Bah!
Tomorrow I will work on my design for my bronze dry point and read my "text book". Nothing major really. Probably watch a movie and some TV. Might meet up with Jim for coffee (well, a warm beverage for me as I don't drink coffee).
The movie had a rather unsatisfactory ending but I don't think there could have been one. The movie started really well and the first hour was magnificent. There were some amazing and tense scenes and some of the work with sound and music was beyond brilliant. I hope it is nominated for acting, directing, sound, and costume awards. As it had a fairly small main cast the actors had to be really strong and Lewis and Dano were. Daniel Day Lewis had a performance that reminded me of Gangs of New York, not so much a copy but very similar in acting the characters differing types of brutality. Paul Dano, for being the age that he is and having the number of roles that he has, showed subtlety...very subtlety. I don't know what I can say. I don't think I have fully digested this movie yet. Very shocking and real but I began to notice the Cigarette Burns as the movie went past the hour and a half mark. A different story, that is for sure. I like living here as it enables me to see different things.
The theatre we were in was MASSIVE. There looked to be enough seats for 500 people. Outside of Wall-E (probably the same theatre I was in when I saw it) I have never seen anything so big.
Hanging with Michael is nice. He isn't in any of my classes and probably won't be for the rest of our stay at PNCA. Kind of sucks but we are very good about finding time to hang out.
Today was spent loafing and not doing anything. Slept in till noon. I talked to Jim on the phone for a bit. Watched some Twin Peaks. I am almost done with that series. It is getting very interesting and I don't want it to just end in a few episodes. Bah!
Tomorrow I will work on my design for my bronze dry point and read my "text book". Nothing major really. Probably watch a movie and some TV. Might meet up with Jim for coffee (well, a warm beverage for me as I don't drink coffee).
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