Antisocial

Painted Ladies

2011-07-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Photo shoot with Hannah

Great Wagon

2011-07-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

When I see your face, the stones start spinning!
You appear; all studying wanders.
I lose my place.

Water turns pearly.
Fire dies down and doesn't destroy.

In your presence I don't want what I thought
I wanted, those three little hanging lamps.

Inside your face the ancient manuscripts
seem like rusty mirrors.

You breathe; new shapes appear,
and the music of a desire as widespread
as Spring begins to move
like a great wagon.

Drive slowly.

Some of us walking alongside
are lame!

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn't make any sense.

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.

I would love to kiss you.
The price of kissing is your life.

Now my loving is running toward my life shouting,
What a bargain, let's buy it.

Daylight, full of small dancing particles
and the one great turning, our souls
are dancing with you, without feet, they dance.
Can you see them when I whisper in your ear?

They try to say what you are, spiritual or sexual?
They wonder about Solomon and all his wives.

In the body of the world, they say, there is a soul
and you are that.

But we have ways within each other
that will never be said by anyone.

Come to the orchard in Spring.
There is light and wine, and sweethearts
in the pomegranate flowers.

If you do not come, these do not matter.
If you do come, these do not matter.

-Rumi

Things I've kinda avoided blogging about...

2011-07-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

Oh I dyed my hair red a few weeks ago. It's faded a bit, but I really love this color on me. Dying my hair was just what I needed to do to prevent me from getting sick and tired of it and shaving it all off again. Slowly regrowing.

I got my AP test scores back and let me just say I'm thoroughly disappointed and embarrassed. I'm pretty happy that I did get a five on my American history test (five is the best!), however I'm more confused than proud because I received a 4 on my drawing portfolio and a 3 on my 3-d portfolio. I thought I would have gotten a 5 on my Drawing portfolio because I did work really hard, and after taking the history test I totally thought I failed it. But uh... I guess not? Hah I'm surprised and I just really want to know why I got the scores I did on my art portfolios. I think if I was supplied with an explanation then I would be less restless with my results, but college board doesn't do that (but still has the audacity to charge me to receive my scores a week early or get my test booklet returned to me even though my school already paid for me to take the test. Seems a bit unfair and scam-y to me. Hmmf). Oh and I also got a 3 on my language arts AP. Mehhhh. At least I didn't fail any of my tests. Serves me right for trying to do 2 AP art courses in one year. Maybe next year will be better? Although it doesn't seem like it considering I'm dual enrolling (full-time college AND Visual Performing Arts program). I haven't posted any of my sculptures on my blog, mostly because I know 3-d is my weakness when it comes to art, but I guess I'll include some of my favorites. My 3-d concentration was "unconventional beauty" which I conveyed through constructing headdresses out of eclectic materials like computer parts, plastic cups, and garbage. (The sculptures that aren't head accessories were part of my "breadth" category.)

Rumi

2011-07-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Last night I was up til 4 in the morning reading my new book of poems by Rumi. He's this incredible 13th century Muslim poet who's work clearly reflects his mystical nature and philosophy. Expect a bunch of Rumi poems to start popping up on my blog now... hehe

Yesterday Michael had me over for dinner, which was delicious and a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. We watched this film on the Icelandic band Sigur Ros (finally, someone who understands my love for Icelanddd!!!) which was incredible and only solidified my desire to go to that wonderland. Oh and if haven't heard Sigur Ros, (click and) listen to them please! It's one of those bands that kinda changes your life a little, you know?

This is Michael. He plays instruments and holds my hand when we're driving.

Capa Negra

2011-07-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

My artist friend Sally just came back from Africa so we met up yesterday at a new coffee shop downtown to catch up. The experiences she had were incredible and just hearing her stories about the living conditions there and the children and widows really made me realize how much I take for granted in my life. I barely even think about things like running water, air conditioning, having a selection and a variety of different foods to eat (in Uganda the only thing they eat is red beans and rice, for every meal, every. single. day.) and even shoes. I mean, yeah these things are all stereotypes associated with Africa and for most people, these are first thoughts that surface when Africa is mentioned in conversation. But for some reason, even though I've seen footage and I'm not ignorant of the issues on that continent, I just couldn't accept these unfortunate facts as reality, it never really registered in my mind. I guess I just had a hard time comprehending that people, human beings, can not only survive but actually live like that. Sally's stories really forced me to come to terms with the truth, which makes me sad but also motivates me to try to make a difference to some degree. Perhaps now that Sally has contacts in Uganda, I could ask her to send some of my money for supplies, as well as toys and drawings and anything else pretty and within reason for me to part with. The poorest person in the United States has more than the typical refugee, and with that in mind, I think I can afford to help even if it's just a little.

Sally bought me a cape for my (belated) birthday. Yes, A CAPE!!! It's velvet with a silk lining and black and has a hood and goes all the way down to my feet. So darling! I can't wait to scare the general public by wearing it and pretending I'm in some blood chilling cult hehe >:)

I made this video. I was bored.

Little Art Update

2011-07-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

I'll be posting my entire art portfolios soon. In the mean time, this is what I've been making post- AP portfolios. They're just for summer fun.

Quick doodle, colored, edited.

+

Quite Contrary, inspired by Maxfield Parrish

I'm so bad at this

2011-07-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

This whole blogging thing... ugh. Well since my last post, I've enjoyed half my summer, had a barfday, made new art, and have racked up 4 jobs (overwhelming)

I ~~want~~ need this mug!

Here are some pictures of Hannah and I:
We're vintage!

we're not as colorful as we think we are

2011-06-12T19:27:00.003-07:00

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

2011-06-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

Favorite documentary, hands down.

Liquid Love

2011-06-08T19:37:00.001-07:00

Your pupils are black holes
and they tug and they tug at me
like how a tornado tugs at the gutter on the side of a tin roof house
in the middle of Oklahoma.
But instead of a gutter and rain
it's blood funneled through my veins
and instead of blood,
it's liquid love.

You're broken
and I like that and how I can just
wedge myself into the valleys of your cracked up porcelain skin
because I am, I am liquid love
and its a simple fact that liquids spread to fill the space in which they are.
Even a river.
But here's a little disclaimer: I never cared much about science.
I was only really interested in our chemistry.

And here is a little exclamation: I don't know anything!
Except that your bruises are actually interstellar clouds
and that spot right under your fingernail is the most comfortable bed of all.

I like how you're covered in speckles like a knock-off Jackson Pollock.
But instead of freckles they are constellations
and I am a quasi-astronomer artist who believes more in zodiac compatibility
than Attiyah's Sun theory.

I think this poem is unravelling
like that sweater I left in your house once
and I think and I think and I think
these last few stanzas are the loose string.

But that's okay because we're falling apart anyway
like the pages out of my old sketchbook from ninth grade.
But that doesn't stop me from pretending that
you're a Gothic cathedral and I'm a hopeless romantic
in the middle of an architectural revival.

And that doesn't stop you from getting drunk
getting drunk off that fermenting liquid love.
And that doesn't stop our hair from growing or
the universe from expanding or
people from living in the core of tornado alley or
you from lining my heart, my heart with the pages
you ripped right out of my diary.

Good morning!

2011-06-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day of school. I am excited to get back into blogging this summer!

Looking forward to my next few posts. I have lots of updates! But for now,

enjoy

this kitty.

Hi I'm in the newspaper!

2011-05-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

No big deal...

Etsy?

2011-05-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about opening an Etsy store for my artwork. Any tips/advice/suggestions?
I'd really appreciate it, bloggers.

God I love Iceland...

2011-05-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

I've always had a fascination and love for Iceland, which has been renewed by the arrival of hot Floridian summertime. Take me here right now.

Photoshoot with Mama

2011-05-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

She's a cutie, when she wants to be.... I like to steal her clothes >:) !

Underground

2011-05-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been fascinated by the French Catacombs, just under Paris and full of ancient graffiti. The ultimate exploration/adventure/party place. So much history, so much eerie beauty. Read this National Geographic article. It's really well written.

Oh and if you have a little more time, watch this mini documentary. It's so worth it. Eye-opening.

I've been in an adventurous mood.

Serpentine

2011-05-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

This footage was shot in 1896 actually (the title of the video is wrong) by the Lumière brothers (look them up if you're into film) and then each individual black and white frame was painstakingly hand-colored. The overall effect is so beautiful. Dancer: pioneer in modern dance, Loie Fuller, who is basically the poster child for the Art Nouveau movement. She actually developed luminescent stage lighting and garments so if you were around 115 years ago, watching her live would have resembled the editing done to this video. She's been many artists' muse, and I'm making it a mission to get my hands on one of the many books that has been illustrated and written about her.

John and I had a lovely conversation about her today in a bookstore.

Oro Fino

2011-05-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

She had a Frida Kahlo look,
an honest beauty,
and too much innocence for anyone with half a history.

With streaks of ore in her tangled hair,
and gold paint brush flicks in the geography of her eyes,
She was a miner's delight, Oro Fino.

There is nothing more attractive than hardworking men,
except when they resemble hoarding dragons.
Their fiery passions, searing.

There is nothing more tragic than slow asphyxiation,
either by the dense, smoky exhalation
or in the hands of a thick-lipped Moor.

This week has been insane!

2011-05-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

And I keep putting off blogging just because I know how tedious this post is going to be, but the more I put it off, the longer and more daunting it will become.

I didn't blog last week or this week because basically, this book:

Was my only friend. I barely slept last week because I was so busy studying for my AP American History test and finishing up my AP Drawing and AP 3-D portfolios, which where both due last friday, which was the day of my APUSH exam. Eep!

Highlights of the past 2 weeks:
Winning first place in the Sarasota County Art Show!

And receiving this from City Hall!

And meeting last Thursday with my fabulous artist friend Sally. She made me mulberry jam from the berries on her tree in her backyard. So delicious!

I also went to a picnic, climbed trees, skipped all my classes for 3 days straight and just worked on art for 6 hours straight instead, took my AP Language and Composition test, saw a really really funny play at my school, made stencils, hung out with my best friend, and planned an Art Social event. Weeee!

Pouting

2011-04-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Oh don't mind my narcissistic tendencies...

I'll just upload a bunch of pictures of myself for no particular reason...
One week since I shaved my head.

So I just wanted to elaborate on my previous post about not being able to go to Maryland. I'm so incredibly upset, mostly because I feel trapped and like there is nothing I can do to make things work out for me. Its a terrible feeling. I think I would have rather have not been accepted at all. That would have been better than being teased with the temptation to go but no means to do it. No one really understands why I'm making such a big deal about this, it would be more practical to just save up for college.

Oh but this is just one of those experiences that would be crucial when it comes to going to college. How can I decide for sure I want to go to MICA without being on campus and experiencing it first-hand? And honestly, no other school even looks remotely appealing. I've looked through all of them. I feel like maybe I'm not going to find a good match for me, I'm not going to fit in. This summer would have been the reassurance I need in order not to doubt myself and my decision. And now I'm even doubting the availability of going to college. If I can't afford this little program and I can't get a scholarship big enough to get me there, who's to say this isn't going to happen again, multiplied to a much more serious extent, when I try to survive college. All this work, for nothing, because what if it's just not enough?

Traveling so far to do something I love so much is honestly probably the only opportunity I have to taste freedom this summer. To try something new. To meet new people and escape the hot, heavy idleness that I know will creep up on me and blanket over me if I just stay home all summer. Another wasted summer. I hate that, I feel so unproductive. Like precious time has just been ripped out of my body and thrown away.

I've worked so hard this year, all with the final goal of having a well-earned incredible summer. I mean, I wasn't entirely hopelessly optimistic about the whole situation, but if I had been given a more substancial scholarship, I would have probably been able to cover the rest of the cost. $3,000 is ridiculously impossible. I hate giving up, but I feel like I really have no choice. The closer I get to that amount, the greater it'll pain me that I can't go.

I'm just used to getting what I want, especially when I deserve it, and when things don't work out in my favor, I pout. Sorry.

It's a sad day

2011-04-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

When Briana gets a $1,000 dollar scholarship to go to her dream college for a summer program (MICA) and then realizes she can't go because it costs $3,000 more which she doesn't have.

I cried for 3 days.

But I'm over it now, I think. I might use the money I have saved up to buy a camera instead.

Just kidding. Still depressed about it. Cameras are dumb.

Oh and it's also a sad day when I lose a follower. Sorry if my anarchist posters offended you, mystery hater.

Raaadical, Dudeee

2011-04-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

I spent all weekend at Hannah's house. We did yoga and went on a bike ride and did homework together and went to a farm to buy veggies. She gave me a bunch of posters from an Anarchist group she used to go to in New York. They have so much personality, I couldn't resist hanging them up in my bathroom.

So busy

2011-04-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

I've been making SO MUCH artwork lately, I just haven't had time to update anything. My portfolio is due in a week so I've been stressing out so bad. And on top of that I have to deal with AP American History and AP Lang. and I don't think I'm going to be sleeping much and I might go insane but hey that'll be interesting and might influence my artwork in some interesting way. Either that or I'll end up cracking up and that will be the end of me.

This is just a quick little figure drawing I stylized a bit to make it cute and stuff. I really like how it turned out. Oh and for AP Lang. we've been writing a ton of poems in order to learn about rhetoric and develop our voices and stuff. I don't know how well it's preparing me for the AP test but it sure is helping me get better at writing poetry.

Slice

Slice me in half,
find the pulsating medusa inside,

glowing like hot coals

tips of the tails--

coils of capillaries

send shocks of life

throughout my body.

Tip me over,

pour me out onto the floor.

My aorta-- the spout

of a stewing teapot.

No regrets

2011-04-10T17:11:00.001-07:00

Shaving my head has made me a happier person.

Pollen

2011-04-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Class assignment, I liked how it turned out.
You will only die once.
So, you might as well really feel it.

My greatest fear was of falling,
not heights.
Fall from grace, fall in love,
the fall and its seasonal memories
of tragedy that coalesced into
gusts of sticky pollen
that scratched my face...

Oh what a graceful death then,
plummeting like a lead arrow,
hair feathered, arms spread.

The violence of the rush
cauterized my zygomatic wounds
and blew the dust of my crushed bones away.

Hey Guess What

2011-04-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

I shaved my head.

Lark and Merlin

2011-04-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is the poem I scribbled into my sketchbook, in case you were curious about one of my previous posts. I love picking poems apart. My favorite lines of this poem are underlined.

a wren,

perched on a hawthorn

low enough to skip

the scalping winds,

sang a scalpel song

seafrets drift

sheer along shorelines

listening to hail spray glass

and wind

and a waitress laugh

in a cafe without customers

I fell to fell thinking

* * *

a sullen light through vapor

thins a line of hills

the edge of everything is nothing

whipped by wind

watched on a webcam

bound to a bedpost

gag on my shaft

rose blush of road-kill rabbit

insides out on tarmacadam

* * *

cumulus in a tarn

its fast shadow

flees far hills

a wave of sleek grass

skiffs mist

my hand thought of her

a photograph

waiting to happen

* * *

this come-to-kill wind

rips at the root

here she comes

and there she goes

rushes bow to rime

I should shut down

close off

stop

if I could

how quick the mist

how quick

my lover, the assassin,

is beautiful

she has come to kill me

and I concur

just now she sleeps

but when she wakes I’m dead

her eyelids flitter

as I prepare her potions,

her delicious poisons

* * *

as she flew past a lick

of her melodic nectar

stuck to my wing,

making flight, for an instant,

sticky

but nothing preening couldn’t fix

* * *

she asked about my heart,

its evasive flight;

but can I trust her with its secrets?

and does the merlin, in fast pursuit of its prey,

tell the fleeing lark

it is enamored of its song?

or the singing lark turn tail

and fly into the falcon’s talons?

* * *

my heart, the cartographer, charts

to the waterline,

is swept back as the tide turns

wiping the map blank, wave

after moon-drawn wave

but it beats, my heart,

of its own volition

a lark sings winds rush reeds

walking home I stride these tracks

with her tread

the blurred thumbprint

of a smudged moon

it has gone on for days

strumming rushes

taking up tales,

taking them on

the fall of my foot,

on tufts

a stroke of light along a law lain in under a long cloud

I accrete—lichen to limestone

sphagnum to peat

* * *

late shadows gather in the dark

words unwrite

as they are written

unspeak

as they are spoken

songs sprung

from heart and lung

to tongue

unsung

* * *

drunk winds stumble over shuffling roofs

shake his sleep who dreams

a lost love

will not

let

recurring swirls

of old gold

blown light

you can’t help

but be in it

as it opens

and falls back on itself

unfolds and unsays

I do not want to die

without writing the unwritten

pleasure of water

-Tom Pickard

In season

2011-04-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

You're more like a sunflower, growing in the courtyard of an old folks home.

You mean things to people on a daily basis.

2011-04-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Oh hey $$$

2011-03-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

So I just checked my horoscope... which is totally aligned with the crazy awesome things that have been happening to me lately. Basically my horoscope is calling a financial boost and an increase of productivity and interest in my profession. Guess who is selling 3 art pieces this week? One commission, one print, and another from a woman who saw my art at the school's art show and called my teacher asking to buy some. I'm calling her tomorrow about it. So much happiness.

Hehe it's the best feeling to be rewarded for something that you love. (What? People like my work!?) And all this extra money is coming at the perfect time for me. I was so worried that I wasn't going to have enough money to take the summer art courses I really want to take. I'm applying to MICA's pre-college and hopefully I get a scholarship and hopefully I have enough money to buy the airplane ticket and supplies and hopefully I love Maryland and end up going to that college after I graduate. It's my first choice.

I'm also applying to the Marie Walsh Foundation summer course that's in Colorado. It's a really prestigious course and if I can go to that one as well I will probably have the best summer of my life. I've been working on tons and tons of observational drawings (in other words stalking people in coffee shops and drawing them when they're not looking).

I'm also selling more hand-painted shirts around school, which is great because I haven't really advertised that.

I've been crunching down on spending so much lately because of my concern of not being able to afford my summer plans. Which means not going to prom, not buying these really cute shoes (click the link, do it, it's gorgeous but if you buy them I might get really jealous and ~~borrow~~ steal them from you) and not buying the 56.417 pounds of food I normally buy each week. Oh the sacrifices I make...

Oh and it meant returning a third of the art supplies I bought a few weeks ago. There was a big sale and I'm impulsive and spent $90 on useless playthings for me. I figured I might as well return it, get store credit, and then spend that money on buying frames for my commissions. But I did keep a new Moleskine sketchbook I got for 30% off. I'll be uploading sketchbook doodles tomorrow so make sure you come back and look at them.

I went to an art show this weekend and this guy, Philip Jackson, was my favorite. You can see why here.

Having a Coke with you

2011-03-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluoresent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I'm with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o'clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles
and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them
I look

at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it's in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven't gone to yet so we can go together the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn't pick the rider as carefully
as the horse
it seems they were all cheated of some marvellous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it
Frank O'hara is by far my favorite Personist.

Eve

2011-03-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Just finished this one! It's acrylic with a few delicate touches of gold leafing. My depiction of Eve, as a femme fatale and the reason for mankind's fall from grace, who seduced Adam into eating the apple, which might I add is my favorite part of the entire piece. It just makes the whole composition look finished. I changed my portfolio concentration.... for a third time. I'm still emphasizing on patterns and intricacy like my previous concentration, but with a more focused subject of the classic femme fatale, which means deadly women in French. I'm just about finished with Cleopatra, which is turning out so much nicer than I expected. I'll be uploading that one soon! Next on my list is Delilah, the biblical character who chopped off all of Samson's hair and left him powerless. I'm also doing some Greek mythological temptresses like the sirens and the beautiful Aphrodite. I am mimicking the styles of the Art Nouveau movement in all my pieces so that they look cohesive. Notice the Klimt-esque patterns?

Oh... and... yeah.... about her belly button........ it fell off. Just kidding, I painted it on like 2 seconds after I scanned this and I was just too lazy to re-scan it.

Rouge

2011-03-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

I've been noticing in a bunch of fashion magazines that all these models are sporting red lipstick... like a lot more than the usual batch of fire-engine vixens I think. I've been pretty into red lately too. Rad red, rad red, rad red. Hehe it's so classic.

I wanted to soften the look up a bit so I'm wearing more of a rose red instead of a blood red. It's perfect for spring.

I changed my layout and created new buttons! Take one? I'm also planning two giveaways, for the first time. The first giveaway will be when I reach 100 followers, and then the next will be for my one-year of blogging date coming up in May. They're going to be great and probably most likely art related so make sure you check back if you're into that stuff.

Triangulo Dorado

2011-03-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went out for a drive with my friend Kayla. We went to a craft store nearby just to check things out and because I wanted to buy some India ink and a new sketchbook. Instead, I bought this little jar of liquid gold leaf so I could add some gold touches to some of my paintings after taking inspiration from my favorite artist Gustav Klimt.

I'm so excited to start using it on my Art Nouveau stylized paintings that I've been working on. (Art Nouveau is basically my favorite art movement.) I've come across someone who shares my love for this golden and pattern-heavy style: This graffiti artist situated in Buenos Aires named Triangulo Dorado, which translates to Gold Triangle. Everything about his graffiti just screams Art Nouveau, from the typography in his signature to the borders lining his murals.

My blog was getting a bit skimpy...

2011-03-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

I have merged my art blog with my personal blog simply because I feel as if I've spread myself too thin and neither blog had much substance to it. Hopefully now I'll get back into blogging more consistently. Oh and I might re-do my layout or something, just to give everything a fresh look.

Hmm I think another reason why I haven't been blogging much might be because I barely even use my laptop anymore ever since I deleted my facebook a few weeks ago. It was just way too time consuming and I didn't feel very productive while I was idly lurking through a bunch of fake indie try-hard's photo albums. Now I spend much more quality time with friends I would have otherwise settled with chatting up through a computer screen and I've been reading so much. Ohhh so much! It's glorious. I'm currently reading two books I checked out from the library, one is this little booklet called "What happened to Art Criticism?" which laments the deterioration of sound, strong criticism and is really quite interesting. Just reading it makes me hate all those shallow glossy-paged art magazines sold at coffee shops around downtown. The other book is about the history of installation art and runs through a timeline of the most ingenious installations since the 1930s. I reallllllly like installation art, especially these:

The American Supermarket, 1964

{This installation featured artwork by Andy Warhol and basically drew attention to similarities between shopping for food and shopping for art}

How to Build Cathedrals, 1987

{Created by Cildo Meireles, this installation is composed of 2000 bones, 800 communion waffers, and 600,000 coins.}

Oh and anything Judy Pfaff...^^^ {judypfaff.org}

More recents

2011-02-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

This first one is a little different from what I usually do. But I like it. You can't tell from the picture, but the tree roots are cut out so they curl outwards and the figure is raised from the paper about 1 cm. It gives it more dimension.

And this was a quick little watercolor. I like drawing headdresses.

2011-02-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I submitted an art piece into a juried art exhibition held at a local art supplies store. (There's gallery space next door.) I didn't win anything, which makes sense because my piece wasn't the right style for the show. Everything that did end up winning a prize was a still life of some cute flower or a photograph of some dull landscape. I didn't stick around for long, maybe because most of it was kinda sorta really boring. Or maybe because I'm just a sore loser.

I was speaking to one of the women who won some second or third place and she was telling me with great, encouraging enthusiasm all about how remarkable it really was that she had won second/third place considering how late she got even interested in art. You see, she had grown up to be a big shot lawyer and never even came near a brush or art until she retired. It wasn't until she was old and idle and needed some dainty little hobby to occupy herself with that she just decided to start appreciating art and then gained the confidence to make some of her own.

I really wish that the art scene in Sarasota would change direction.

Anyway, I've been practicing drawing flowers myself, funny enough. I've just been doing some quick watercolored sketches of still lifes set up in my art class for a good measure of practice. I considered submitting one to the Eye for Art show but really they are just so dead or just so plastic it's unbearable.

I'm just in one of those melancholy artists moods I guess...

The Bell Jar

2011-02-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading an interesting little book written by the American poet Sylvia Plath. The reason I mention her being a poet is because she is just that and not much of a writer. Her words are arranged beautifully, but the overall story didn't really speak to me. Perhaps because I can't relate to the standards of the 1950s. Or perhaps because the main character, molded after Plath, is so overwhelmingly self centered and cold. My criticism aside, Plath is certainly an interesting character herself and reading up on her own little history is intriguing.

Two poems of hers I've thought a lot about:

1
Poppies in July
Little poppies, little hell flames,
Do you do no harm?

You flicker. I cannot touch you.
I put my hands among the flames. Nothing burns.

And it exhausts me to watch you
Flickering like that, wrinkly and clear red, like the skin of a mouth.

A mouth just bloodied.
Little bloody skirts!

There are fumes that I cannot touch.
Where are your opiates, your nauseous capsules?
If I could bleed, or sleep! -------------
If my mouth could marry a hurt like that!

Or your liquors seep to me, in this glass capsule,
Dulling and stilling.
But colorless. Colorless.

2
Poppies in October
Even the sun-clouds this morning cannot manage such skirts.
Nor the woman in the ambulance
Whose red heart blooms through her coat so astoundingly --

A gift, a love gift
Utterly unasked for
By a sky

Palely and flamily
Igniting its carbon monoxides, by eyes
Dulled to a halt under bowlers.

O my God, what am I
That these late mouths should cry open
In a forest of frost, in a dawn of cornflowers.

You'll find 200 some of her poems here, read a pair or a dozen, whatever you feel like.

Comeback

2011-02-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to be more disciplined with updating my blog. Well, I'm still very much interested in Egypt and have been recently reading up on Egyptian art. I've been reading a lot recently actually.

A few months ago I found this old book about Egyptian painting in the art room and considering how mistreated the book was and how abandoned it had been, it seemed natural for me to keep it. There are about 60 photographs of ancient Egyptian artwork and artifacts pasted onto the pages of the book, which with time have lost it's adhesiveness and are coming off the pages. Also tucked into the pages of the book are 12 postcards, written out in Arabic, which are now taped up to the wall of my room, by the window.

I love how Egyptian art has these interesting little quirks. For example, every figure is depicted with all of it's thumbs and toes facing the same direction, like as if everyone only had two left feet or two right hands or something like that. Also, although most Egyptian portraits show the profiles of it's subjects, the eyes are shaped as if one was looking at them straight on. Off-perspective make cute little details.

Commission and Portfolio Day

2011-01-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

Last week marked a busy week for me! I met with a client and gave her the commission I was working on of a skeleton of a hand for her chiropractic office. Here's the progression of the pieces from two sketches to the finished piece which I matted and framed before delivering.

On Sunday I went to Ringling for National Portfolio Day to have a sample of my best work critiqued by art colleges from around the country. There were about 50 of the most prestigious art schools set up and hundreds of highschoolers running around with their portfolios. I've never been to it before so I was plenty nervous and admiring everyone else's amazing artwork was a bit intimidating. My first critique was from the harshest portfolio reviewer Ringling brought out there, and I was so nervous I sounded like a complete idiot when he was asking me about my work and what major I was leaning toward. My embarrassment aside, he liked some of the little doodles in my sketchbook and some even made him laugh. I could tell he didn't think I was very talented quality-wise but I'm happy that he liked my style. He told me to keep developing the concepts I'm working on now and he thought my art was cute, which is great because that's exactly what I like to make- cute, beautiful little things. The next school I spoke to was Mica (Maryland Institute College of Art). I was willing to wait in line for 45 minutes to be reviewed simply because this is my first choice college. I really liked the presentation I saw of this school earlier this year and the location and what this school has to offer, so it was important I made a good impression, which I think I did. The woman who reviewed my work liked me a lot more than Ringling, in fact she loved my cute little pieces and wrote down the names of a lot of artists I hadn't heard of for me to look up and use as inspiration. She said that if I was applying to Mica with that portfolio the way it is, I would be accepted hands down, which was very exciting to hear and I hope holds to be true for when I apply next year! The last school I talked to was Risd, in Rhode Island, which criticized my work because I didn't include backgrounds in many of my pieces. I just thought that it was part of my style, I honestly like white backgrounds much better than actually putting something in there and cluttering up the artwork, but she gave me some good pointers and told me that backgrounds give art more dimension and better, more interesting compositions. I don't think I'm ready to start painting elaborate landscapes, but I'll definitely keep that in mind from now on. Portfolio Day was a fun, great experience for me and really opened my eyes. Not only were the critiques helpful, but seeing the hundreds of art students and their absolutely impressive artwork really opened my eyes and made me realize just how competitive this career is. Since Sunday, I've been working much harder and really paying attention to details and practicing observational drawings. I'm definitely taking my art even more seriously than I was before, and so far it's paid off. I just finished a piece that I started Sunday night actually, and it's probably one of my best so far. I'll be sure to upload pictures soon!

No show for me :(

2011-01-13T15:41:00.000-08:00

I was so caught up with Evening of Excellence I ended up stressing about it all the way up until the last minute. Right before the art pieces from my school were about to be driven over to Ringling to be hung up, the piece I decided on submitting was matted and finished up. Just in time! I left my forms with my art teacher and went to my first class of the day to take my math midterm, happy to have gotten everything done and put together a strong piece that I liked. What I did not realize was that because I had spent so much time on the art and did not take time to thoroughly fill out my forms, they were incomplete and basically useless considering they did not have my signature or the title of the piece (which I left blank because I couldn't decide what to do!). I was isolated in my math class, busy scribbling down solutions to equations, unaware that my piece was being left behind and unable to run over to fix my forms. It's too late to do anything about it now, so I'm just going to save the piece for the next show that comes around, there are a few little ones here and there. It's upsetting and sad that I went through so much for this show and then ended up not being in it, but I'm not too upset over it now that I've had a few days to look at the piece and think it over. I'll just have to make something so much nicer for next year, and triple check my forms, but until then, no worries. I've been making other art pieces, like this one:

Titled: Girl with a Heart-Shaped Moth

Still need to work on the body, adding more values as well as fix up the arm and shoulder. I love splatter paint and I love working on wood. Which is great because I happen to have a lot of paint and a lot of wood!

Evening of Excellence Ideas

2011-01-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

The Sarasota student art show Evening of Excellence is coming up, and the deadline to submit is Monday. I've been working with a few concepts for the past two weeks or so, including:

I took this photo before finishing, it's just to mark my progress. I'd love to submit this piece, but out of fear of future copyright issues with the mystery photographer who took the original picture I used as reference, my art teacher would rather I not submit it. So, I moved on to create this:

I like it, it's cute. But I really don't think it's worthy of a show about excellence. It doesn't represent the quality of my artwork or the extent of my talent*. It's just not something I'm particularly proud of, it's just plain silly.

I love this concept. It would be perfect hanging in a little girl's bedroom. I think I'm going to expand on the rose hair idea, but same as the previous piece, I feel like I can do better.

Well, I still have a day to decide or create something new. Hopefully whichever piece I choose gets into the show!

*Disclaimer* I'm in no way meaning to sound like a pretentious art diva. The level of quality of my work and talent I hold is completely subjective and completely up to you. However, it is undeniable that these aren't my best pieces or the type of pieces this kind of show is looking for. Oh, and if you're interested in learning more about the Evening of Excellence show, read this article.

Outline for the past two weeks.

2011-01-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting in a while, but I have been pretty busy. Here is basically an introduction to the things I need to catch up on and document on my blog in the order which they will most likely appear on here.

I've been working and getting very frustrated with my Evening of Excellence piece, which is to be donated to this annual art show that raises money for scholarships. I've created 3 different pieces specifically for this show, none of which I particularly like. I've also toyed with the idea of submitting an old piece. I have to have the piece submitted by Monday, so I have the weekend to ponder or create a last minute entry.

I've just about finished a commission which I've been working on for the month of December, which I'm excited to present to my client sometime within the next week.

I've also started this cute little series made with acrylic on canvas which consists of 7 medium sized canvases, three of which are now complete. The series are cute, simple doodles inspired by trees and typography.

My dad recently pointed out that he's noticed that I've become a lot more prolific recently. I've been creating about 4 or 5 pieces of art each week. I'm thinking this might just be a quick outburst of creativity but I'm hoping that it will last at least until after I have my AP Portfolio taken care of, which is due in just a few months!

My new year's resolution is to take art much more seriously from now on, and I don't just mean my own work. I think it says a lot about an artist when the individual is classically trained and is very knowledgeable on other artists, styles and time periods, techniques and what not. I'm hoping to find some very specific classes or workshops to target my weaknesses which are color theory, oil painting, still lifes, and perhaps a bit of a review on figure drawing as well. I'm also going to start reading up and teaching myself some art history, starting with a stop at the library sometime this weekend to find some books. Perhaps I might even start replicating some of the masterworks of the last few centuries as a part of my studies. I know doing these things will only deepen my appreciation for art and help my mind and artwork develop.

I also need to get into a habit of posting more frequently so all of these exciting things I want to share don't bunch up... hmm...

Make-over!

2010-12-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

I added a few touches to my blog to make it more glamorous and what not. Taaa-daa!
Anyway, I have a few sketchbook updates.

I liked how this last sketch turned out, I might continue developing this concept.

Observations

2010-12-19T08:08:00.000-08:00

So if you happened to pick up Sarasota's local newspaper, The Observer...

And you happen to turn to page 8A...

Look at what you'd find!

Rachel O'Hara, journalist extraordinaire, wrote a flattering article about me which was printed in this week's observer after interviewing me a few weeks back. In case you missed it, there's an online article which you may read here.

Sketchbook Doodles

2010-12-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

scales need work, incomplete

I've been playing with some vintage calligraphy fountain pens. They're fun and I love the way they look on paper but they're so messy! Or maybe I'm just the really messy one... haha. Whenever I use them, I end up with India ink all over my fingertips. I think I'll buy a nice set though, I'm sure I'll get better with practice. Either that or I'll end up permanently staining my hands black....

Sister Cities Signing

2010-12-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

Friday was the day of the sister cities signing, which took place at the Ringling Museum. I finished both pieces just in time, putting on the finishing touches the night before (yikes! I've been so stressed out by this for the past two weeks, which explains my lack of posts). I presented my pieces to both the mayors of Merida and Sarasota (see photos below) and the other guests during the lunch after the signing ceremony and had the opportunity to talk about my inspiration for the concept. A copy of the speech I said can be found in both Spanish and English here.

I always love spending time at the museum and after the signing ceremony and lunch and all that, I looked at all the art books upstairs, above the gift store. I found some really cool artists I haven't heard of before and wrote down their names. I always love looking up other artists because it's incredible how diverse everyone's style is. I've been working on new pieces which I will be uploading soon and have noticed this trend in my work of incorporating geometric patterns into my pieces. It's interesting to see how they interact with the more organic forms I usually prefer to draw. I've always loved to draw people.

If you attended this event and would like to contact me for further information about my artwork or the pieces I have donated, please email me at brianateresa@gmail.com.

I bought a little kaleidoscope.

2010-12-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

Adventures with Issa, part two

2010-12-10T21:56:00.000-08:00

Adventures with Issa, part one

2010-12-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

Progress

2010-12-01T20:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was stressing a lot because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish the Sister Cities inspired art project on time. But today I focused and got a lot done. If I maintain that rate, I'll be able to complete the two panels right on time.

I also created this piece. Which by far is my absolute favorite piece I have ever made in the entirety of my life. Once I finish the Sister Cities project, I think I'll try to develop a collection that matches the style and composition of my latest piece:

This is really the first piece I've created that I feel confident in selling reproductions of but I do hope to make more that follow suit. Also, I just received an e-mail about a commissioned piece a woman I met at the chalk festival wants me to create, which is super cool and exciting. I'm surprised at how much participating in the chalk festival has truly benefited me, but nonetheless I am very grateful I had the opportunity to make some chalk art and gain some exposure.

If you're interested in commissioning me to make you art, or purchasing a reproduction of this or any of my artwork you have come across on my blog, be sure to email me at brianateresa@gmail.com :)

Finally, my room looks how I want it to.

2010-12-01T20:28:00.000-08:00

I'm an Indian princess and this is my teepee bed.

Plant Killer

2010-11-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

Last week John brought me a Venus fly trap. This week it died. You don't even understand how upset this has made me. John is a thoughtful boy. Too bad I'm a murderer...

All I've been listening to for the past week is Angus and Julia Stone. On repeat.

+ I got rained on this weekend on Friday at Island Park with Eddie and Saturday morning at the farmer's market. I'm not looking forward to winter, it's my least favorite season.

I'm cold and grey.

Newest Pieces

2010-11-24T14:08:00.000-08:00

Other than the piece I'm creating for the Sister Cities program, I've also been working on other artwork too. Here are a few finished things I've made within the past week or so.

Sequoia - watercolor and pen

Submerged - watercolor and pen

El Lobo Hambriento (The Hungry Wolf) - acrylic and pen

Moleskine

2010-11-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

This weekend I bought three new beautiful plain-jane moleskine sketchbooks! They are so wonderful and great and they make me so happy. While I was at the art store looking through the sketchbooks, one of the guys working there talked me into buying this brush pen thingy (called Pentel Color Brush) which is supposed to be the best thing ever. I've ever used one before but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.

I've already started filling out one of the three sketchbooks. I've decided to classify them into different types of drawings. One will be dedicated to doodles and things I come up with in my head, and the other sketch book will have just observational drawings like still lifes, figure drawings, and what I call copy art (using references). In here so far I've drawn this sketch I did on Saturday of a painting located in the Cambridge Christner art gallery in downtown Sarasota. As I mentioned before in this post, I met the art director for the gallery during the chalk festival and she invited me to come down to the gallery for art advice and practice. So, I did. The painting is really beautiful even though as Sally (the art director) pointed out, she was not drawn in proportion. Her legs were a bit too short. But it's okay, I only focused on her upper half. The painter never signed the piece, so no one knows who painted it. When I go back next week I'll take a picture of it just to keep for future reference in case I feel like making revisions to my study of it.

D.Cam

2010-11-19T18:55:00.000-08:00

Sister Cities

2010-11-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

Even though I haven't been posting recently, I've been busy making art. I'm working on a new project now, which I plan to donate to the city of Sarasota in celebration of the arrival of the mayor and other government officials of Merida, our sister city in Mexico. He is coming to visit Sarasota in December, so I have a relatively stressful deadline.

The Sister Cities program is used around the world to unify the United States to another city in the world to promote international cooperation and appreciation for different cultures. When I found out about the festivities being planned to welcome our sister city to Sarasota, I decided I wanted to contribute as well considering I love art, Mexico, and of course Sarasota. I haven't been to Merida, but I have been doing extensive research on this cute and beautifully constructed city in order to create the best art piece I can.

My idea is to create two pieces actually, but they come together as one. On one panel of wood I will be painting a scene depicting typical culture and well known landmarks of Merida. On the second panel will be a portrait of Sarasota. At the ceremony on Decemeber 10th, the panels will be taken apart and Merida is given the panel created of Sarasota, and the Merida panel is displayed here in Sarasota. I've talked to a few people coordinating this event, including Mayor Kirschner and Javier Curiel, and so far I've received plenty of support and encouragement.

So far I have my overall sketch laid out and have purchases, sanded, and primed one of my panels of wood. I think I'm going to use oil paint as my medium for these pieces, which I'm kind of nervous about because this is the first time I'm using oil. I really hope they turn out good!

Merida:

Srq:

She and Him

2010-11-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

I went and bought new makeup yesterday. I thought black would be too harsh so I bought this plum colored eyeliner and other girly things. I also realized I have basically no wintery/fall clothes that I actually enjoy wearing. Mer. I feel a shopping trip coming along soon.

Look at these darling things!
I love ModCloth.

I've also recently downloaded a ton of songs by She and Him. A cute little duo with the adorable Zooey Deschanel. (Think 500 Days of Summer.)

Workaholic

2010-11-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

Except not really. Thursday was my first day of training! I learned how to categorize consignments, and fun organizing stuff like that. I like my new job a lot. I basically drooled over all the really cute old lady clothes that are in the store that I want really badly. And I like how it isn't mindless work. I actually have to pay a lot of attention and be really careful because there are a lot of steps and procedures to follow and it could be potentially disastrous if I mess something up. The world might explode. Or worse. I get fired. D:

I like my curtains.

Artist Inspiration - Ben Tour

2010-11-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I find artists I like so much that they influence my artwork and I like to create pieces inspired by them. I think I'll make it into a little feature for my blog and create a little link for it over in my navigation bar.

Ben Tour, a Canadian artist with a killer style, inspired this piece I created using watered down acrylic paint and pens.

Some of my favorite pieces of his are:

I love how he incorporates typography and drips of paint into his style, two things that I love doing with my own artwork as well.

Gosh darn, this movie is so good

2010-11-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

It's called The Cult of Sincerity

So good. So so good! You should watch it. The whole thing. It's perfect.

That iz all I have to say.
Have a good weekend!

Employment at the Consignment!

2010-11-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hehehe I start my new job next Thursday at this supercute consignment store I can bike to from my house. It's seriously the perfect teenage job for me! I love LOVE consignment store clothes and cute old ladies that shop there are my favorite people.

These are a few of the pieces I've collected from consignment/thrift/goodwill stores over the years...

I love old lady sweaters!

Tacky tourist vest hehe

Girly high-waisted outfit

Flowery blue white and yellow dress!

Chalk Festival

2010-11-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

The chalk festival was so much fun!!!! Look at all these amazing artists! Many professionals from around the world came to participate. The first picture is the one that one first prize! (I won people's choice for the student division. Look at the creation process here.) This one's mine:

Complete!

2010-11-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

This was also the inspiration for my chalk art.

The next piece I'm working on is really big and on wood. I won't give away too many details now, but it involves a typewriter, some diamonds, and Spanish typography.

Chalk Festival

2010-11-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

Huzzah! The chalk fest was a huge success! Hundreds of artists came out from around the world to the first international chalk festival in the United States. This is the process of the piece I made:

Day 1 (Saturday):

I wore a Ringling shirt and everyone kept asking me if I was in college there! Haha

Day 2 (Sunday):

So.. I definitely rocked the coal miner look. I was covered in chalk after both days! Combined, I worked a total of 17 hours on my piece, which is 9 by 5 feet. Either by the end of today or sometime this week all the artwork is going to washed off the street. But it is not all for nothing! I actually won a prize!! How exciting!! I won 250 dollars for People's Choice in the Student division. It was such an honor and I'm so happy! This is the most money I've ever won from an art contest. Also! The art gallery that I was working in front of liked my art and when I happened to walk through to look at the artwork, I started talking with the art director. She was wonderful and offered to teach me what she knows about art and techniques! I already know this is going to be a good experience for me, and I'll be blogging more in the future about my experiences working with her.

Oh and if you're interested in seeing more pictures of the other fantastic artists at the chalk festival, I'll be uploading pictures of the other artists' work here. To find out more about the chalk festival, click here!

Business Cards

2010-10-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

I made business cards! Taa-daa! I'm so proud of myself hehe. I'm excited to start handing them out this weekend at the chalk festival!

The drawing I used as the background is one I created to fit with my portfolio concentration of lace, which doesn't mean anything now that I've changed my concentration subject. But I still really like this piece, which is watercolor and pencil on watercolor paper. The style and medium was inspired by one of my favorite artists, Esra Roise. I already blogged about her on my personal blog here. She was the artist I focused on for the month of September. (Every month I choose an Artist of the Month for art class.)

I love the way Esra integrates watercolor drips and splatters with pencil. I normally don't combine these two mediums, I much prefer using pen and watercolor, but this was fun and gave my piece interesting texture! Esra also makes some pretty rad collages. I like mixed media. It's fun too. Art is fun. Fun fun fun!

This was actually supposed to be a self portrait but it doesn't look much like me. The individual features are relatively accurate, but when you look at them as a whole, it doesn't look like me. Plus, it's also kinda weird to imagine myself with long hair-- I've had short hair for so long!

Stupid Freshman...

2010-10-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

In continuation to the little rant I posted here, this is that piece that he folded up. Arg what ugly creases!

Oh well. I guess this will just serve as motivation for redoing it and making it better...

I organized my portfolio yesterday, which brought me quite a lot of simple joy. I took out all the old drawings I didn't like so much, and centered new pictures and such. It looks much better now. I'm a very messy person, but I do love organizing things.

Chalk Festival

2010-10-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Guess what I'm doing this weekend!!

This is the first time I've ever participated and I'm super excited! Click here for more information about the festivities!

My Weekend! (Yes.. I know it's Tuesday)

2010-10-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

I'm a procrastinator.

Well, this weekend I hung out with Isabel. Issa Issa Bella Isabela. I love that girl.
We went on adventures and ended up biking all around the city we live in. We jumped a fence and got into a cow pasture! It was so so fun!

Cows are so cute.

Then we biked some more and came across an Amish graveyard. It was so peaceful and the trees were beautiful and perfect for climbing. We sat up there in the branches for a while. It was good.

I like graveyards way too much. Hi, I'm creepy.

Wanna know what else is creepy? The latest art piece I've been working on. I wrote about it on my Art Diary. If you follow this blog, you should probably consider followin' that one too. And trading buttons with me! And all that blogger-y jazz.

The post is really spacey. I've got my head in the clouds.

Redirection

2010-10-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

So, for my AP art class, I have to choose a concentration to base 12 of my pieces around. This is very important and key to the success of any portfolio as it counts as a large portion. I had initially chosen to focus on lace because I love the feminine designs and how easy it is to incorporate lace into fashion sketches, portraits of girls (a subject I really like drawing), and many different styles as well as time periods, including The Renaissance, modern, Victorian, Elizabethan, and so on. However, as I started creating pieces centered around lace, I found it to be less versatile as I thought, and the pieces started to all look the same - a girl wearing something lacy. And the theme became rather redundant.

I then sat and thought a while. What attracted me to lace in the first place?

I like how intricate and detailed lace is. I have the patience to create designs like that, and I really like how the overall effect is. I decided to broaden my concentration to Intricacy. It's abstract but yet clearly defines my style and theme. And plus, now I can include a few pieces about lace without overwhelming my entire portfolio with girly-frilly stuff. These are the first two pieces I'm thinking about using, the first image is of a piece I did earlier in the year when I had an assignment on perspective. The second is a design I came up with today (it's not done yet!). It's kinda creepy but I like it.

StumbleUpon!

2010-10-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

So I figured out how to include my blog on StumbleUpon. Notice the little icon thing placed directly below every blog post title. If you have an account with StumbleUpon, I would really really appreciate it if you clicked "I like this" for my blog (unless you despise my blog, of course) because the more likes I get, the more presence my blog is given on StumbleUpon. If you don't have a StumbleUpon account, or you have no idea what StumbleUpon even is, I recommend you go and make an account speedy quick (and then "like" my blog teehee) because this website is pure genius. I should probably be working on the 4 art pieces due in my 2d art class Monday, but this website... is just... too addicting.... gah!

Skeleton Study

2010-10-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

I already posted this to my personal blog, but I really like this little set. The assignment for school was to incorporate a skeleton into three art pieces. I chose to use watercolor and ink on wood, something I'm not very familiar with at all. I've only worked with wood once before, and that was just to play around. I have a very feminine style, and I wanted to emphasize that even though I was drawing a typically dark and creepy subject. I also used subtle hints of typography, something else I was experimenting with. The first two pieces are executed in a very similar style, and the last one is much different. I did this to try to keep the collection more interesting and also include more typography. The typography I used is as follows:

Under the skull is the line "You are pretty but you are empty. You are simply hollow bones." I chose to write this under the skull, which belongs to a typically "pretty face" simply to criticize the standards society has regarding who is and isn't an attractive woman. Girls who instantly appear to be pretty turn out to have nothing of interest inside of them. It is wrong to idolize these girls and push aside the girls that have captivating personalities simply because they don't fit the stereotypical mold. Also, I wanted to show how superficial beauty has become, because when it comes down to it, deep down everyone is just a pile of bones. When looking at the skull, one could never determine whether or not that person was considered attractive or unattractive. Too much significance is placed on exterior appearances, which in my opinion shouldn't be the definition of beauty, and I wanted to remind my audience that what is truly important is the stuff from within.

The words above the collar bones in the second piece say "feathered wings against a calcium prison" which is my own adaption to the poem I found on a blog I love to read, Magpie Eyes. The original poem was:

Feathered wings against a wire prison,
A pulsing heart against a calcium cage,
I'm trapped don't you see?

I really love the poem and how it can be interpreted to mean many different things. I related it to a heart found in an oppressive or suffocating romance.

The last piece has a poem about butterflies repeated across it. I just liked the poem, and thought it tied in with the theme of "butterflies in your stomach".

Flutter by,
Butterfly,
Floating flower
in the sky.
Kiss me with your
Petal wings---
Whisper secrets,
Tell of spring.
--Unknown

Ghosts in a Graveyard

2010-10-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

And again my obsession with disposable film continues....

Finally got these back from being developed!!! I love how disposable cameras turn out. These were taken a few weeks back when I went grave-digging with Hannah. Just kidding. We just looked around at the eerie tomb stones. It looks much creepier in the photographs though, because when we went it honestly wasn't that dark out. I guess it's just more of those disposable cam tricks. We look so washed out! Hehe almost like creepy little ghosts?

And another thing, I have decided to re-enable the commenting feature on my blog. Just sayin'. I doubt anyone's been following my posts, but incase you have, let me know! I'd love to check out your blog. I'm still just as busy as before, if not more busy, but I'm trying to make a little more time for my blog. I think that's important, considering I have over 80 followers now! Wowza where did you all come from?

Organizing myself.

2010-10-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to make some sense out of everything. I seem to lack any sense of organization, not just in my life but also on the internet. BrianaMakesArt has now become The Diary of a Starving Artist. If you wish to lookit my t-shirt designs, they are here.

This blog is going to help me document when and where and why everything that happens to me as an artist, happens. Starting with a story of what happened to me today. Ugh.

In between my first and second classes, during that transition period, I left my sketchbook in my first class, math, and went to the bathroom. I was gone less than five minutes. Seriously. And in that time, one of the freshman from my math teacher's second class decided to be nosy and prying and go through my sketchpad and take out the latest piece I had finished, this watercolor of a half nude model which may I mention I spent days on and I was planning on using for my AP portfolio. I'm normally flattered when someone takes an interest in my art, however, when I came back to my class I was horrified. The kid had folded up my art piece horizontally and then vertically so there were these ugly creases slashing through my work. Why would he do this to my artwork? I have no idea. But he did.

Surprised and confused, I stammered and finally asked if he was a freshman. To which he replied, trying to be funny, "No I'm Austin." I do not like freshmen sense of humor. I do not like it one bit...

I left the art piece in the art room weighed down with heavy books, hopefully that will minimize the crisscrossing folds. It won't fix it completely though, which makes me so angry because that leaves my piece practically useless due to the fact it just looks like I have poor craftsmanship.

That freshman is going to be fresh meat.

She's my favorite.

2010-10-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

I have come across the website of my new favorite artist, Raquel Aparicio. Just look at these masterpieces!!!

So, I basically decided to be a major creeper and not only read up as much information I could find about Raquel but also email her gushing over how much I love her artwork. I didn't really expect her to respond, but she did!!! And it turns out that even though she lives in Spain, she's taken courses at Ringling College of Art and Design.... which is in my city and is a college I'm interested in for myself. How coincidental! Anyway, she's awesome and you should look at her website now.

In art class I've been working on a new 3d piece. Our assignment is to make a lamp. Mine is going to be in the shape of a hot air balloon which I will suspend from my ceiling. I already made the wire frame for the balloon part. This is probably my favorite assignment we've had so far in 3d art class.

We're vintage!

2010-10-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

A week late, but still just as great.

Last weekend was homecoming for my school! I got ready with my friend Kayla (who looked absolutely gorgeous in her lace asymmetrical dress) We had fun doing our hair and makeup together while listening to song remixes in her bedroom. The dance itself was really fun too. The gym was decorated to compliment the "Secret Garden" theme. Here are some of the pictures Kayla and I took right before. (I had fun editing them and making them look all vintage-y.)

ART-shirts

2010-10-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

Fffiinaalllyy!!!!! Got this all done! Taa daa!! Follow me/Support me and my newest endeaver which I have been blabbing on about on this blog but finally got around to making some progress on! I shall be going out and about downtown this weekend seeing if I get any reactions from my silly little shirts. Wish me luck!!

Click here! Here here here!!! Clickkityclickclick!!!

2010-10-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with this:

And I love my friend Avory for showing me this hehehe

Awkward and boring

2010-10-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

***
HAI GUYZ I'M CUTE

just kidding.

Postcript: This is the song playing in the background of the video, a friend showed it to me and I thought it was a rather clever remix.

Lace

2010-09-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

My concentration for my 2d art portfolio this year is lace. So, I spent some time looking up inspiration and references for the art I'll be making for this.

ALSO! I rearranged my blog and added a general commenting feature to my main page. You can there send me suggestions, questions, links to your blogs, or secret admirer letters. It's anonymous if you chose to remain unidentified, but please, only nice comments. I'd like to keep my blog as positive as possible.

ALSO ALSO! I was locked out of my house for 3 hours after school someday this week.

Sharpies + (hopeless boredom - house key) = success?

Skeleton Study

2010-09-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Mixed media on wood.

Perspective

2010-09-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is part one out of my two part assignment for art class demonstrating perspective. It's all pen and ink, and the concept is inspired by a combination of both:

***

1. The artist/children's book author Peter Sis. More specifically, this piece right here ^

and 2. Fish eye photography! Woot woot!
+ an eye :)

Part Dos soon to come... as soon as I get an idea for it...

Gwen Stefani

2010-09-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

Remember her? I went back and watched a bunch of her music vids and fell in love with her all over again.

He's a natural

2010-09-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ohh whatta model!

Feeling Peachy

2010-09-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm in a list makin' mood. I love making lists. They're so good for organizing myself and thinking productively. I think I should document things that I like so I never forget them. I was talking about these things with my new friend Austin yesterday. There are so many little details about a day that most people never notice. I notice most of these, I'm very observant. The trouble is I'm also forgetful and always forget about these little moments that for a part of my day meant a whole lot to me.

I like...
The sounds lizards make when you are walking in tall grass and you can hear them scurrying under leafs a few paces away from your feet. The smell of grass but only after it's been freshly cut. Ice water with mint leaves in it. The sound of a cat purring. The first bite into an apple. A warm shade of the color grey. Being drawn on. Disposable cameras. Lavender soap. Perfectly sharpened pencil points. Watching feathers float-fall down. The sound of newspaper ripping. Oh, and that satisfying noise of a camera click. And the tapping sound high heels make. The sensation of chocolate melting on the very tip of my tongue. The way sunlight looks when it filters through my red and gold curtains on the rare occasions I'm awake and in my room at around 9 o'clock. The prickle of a baby turtle crawling up your arm. Twirling my hair. Ripping open a letter and leaving the envelope with jagged edges. Licking envelopes. Blogging.

This list is infinite. I'll be updating it as I remember or notice more of my favorite sounds, smells, and feelings.

Black and Blue

2010-09-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

I was walking around Walmart at some point this weekend and passed by the hair dye isle and had a funny thought. So, I turned to my friend and the following conversation occurred, more or less, in these words:

After about an hour gooping the chemicals onto my head, taa daa! It's so black it almost looks blue!

I think this is a nice change.

I'm just kinda sorta really terrified to wash my hair tonight because I'm worried all the dye will just wash away and then my hair will look retarded and be all damaged and then just fall off and then I'll have to explain to everyone no, I don't have cancer. No, I'm not going to die. And then I'll just get sick of explaining this tragic accident and just buy a wig and probably have an allergic reaction to the wig which causes my entire head to just fall off so not only will I be hairless but now headless as well. Sigh.

I think I'd look a little funny headless. I'd probably never get a date to homecoming. Sigh... again.

I didn't mean for this post to be all depressing and melodramatic... but surprise surprise, I'm turning more and more into one of those angsty missundaztood teenagers. Okay, that's something to sigh about.

***

But if my hair/head do not fall off, I think all in all, I'll look alright. Perhaps I'll even get a date to homecoming after all.

Say Hi To Your Mom

2010-09-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

www.sayhitoyourmom.com

Postscript: The skeleton in his picture totally ties in with the subject of my 3 latest art pieces. More details on that later.

Nap Time

2010-09-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Teeheehee nap time for us!

***

And here's a little inspiration to dream about...

hehehe oh hai! Aren't you just the sweetest thing?^^^

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had an art homework assignment of drawing 30 sketches each day, for all four days of this extra-long holiday weekend. So, 120 drawings. One of the days I went with Isabel to her ballet class and just sat around and drew the graceful dancers for my 30 sketches for that day.

On Saturday, I met Fedja downtown at Whole Foods and we drank tea and made collages cut up from his old National Geographic magazines.

After making these masterpieces, we ventured about, and found an eclectic little thrift shop full of elegant silverware, old cameras, dusty trinkets, scrapbooks of vintage Valentine's day cards and framed pin-up girl posters. We played dress up, trying on the proud old military uniforms and hats from all eras, ranging from flapper girl styled head wear to straw hats. Probably one of my new favorite stores and one I consider a secret little treasure box.

Postscript: I also bought two disposable cameras this weekend. I'm excited to use them up and get them developed soon!

Updates

2010-09-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

I've developed a bit of a fascination for Egypt.

And have decided to just tell everyone I'm Egyptian from now on.
What if people start believing me when I casually mention being a descendant of Cleopatra.
Hehe please don't tell I'm not actually African! Our secret, kay?

***

Notice the sketchbook^^ I got a new one! It's a moleskin and I'm enjoying it thoroughly. Which brings me to this next point. I finalllly got around to documenting my old sketchbook. I filled up every page exactly in the span of sophomore year. I'll show a selective few of my favorites.

To a fellow rose

2010-09-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

"also pretty girls (at least I think) have to go through a lot more trouble in their lives.

every day you have to make sure you're all nice looking (not you in particular)

and it's giving a gift to everyone that sees you

like the gift a flower gives, or the gift the sunset gives.

yet people still ask for more and more

not being satisfied with what they have and trying to pick petals off the flower for themselves

but idk what i'm talking about..

i did one day..in the past

I wrote a letter to this pretty girl I saw crying

explaining to her how much she was appreciated"

***

Right now, this very second, you're my favorite person.

Artartart

2010-08-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

So for the month of September I have to pick an artist for art class and then study said artist and draw stuff inspired by this artist's technique and style. I think I'm going to choose Esra Roise, who's portfolio is absolutely fabulous.

***

I also want to share a poem that happened to be posted up in my friend Jen's bedroom, by her bed. After doing a bit of detective work I found the poet's name. You can read the rest of his poems here. He's so clever. Well, this is the poem that Jen had up. It's by far my favorite, although Kite comes in close second.

Compliment

I remember the first time
you named me “Good morning.”

And how, the night before,
you considered my ceiling,
where the passing cars outside
the passing cars outside
the passing cars outside
cast their shadows and liquid lights
through the slats of my blinds.

You said: “Hey Romeo--
your CD player is skipping again...
but your ceiling’s like fireworks for poor folks!”
And I liked that.

I like the tall pauses you take
when you tell your nephews knock-knock jokes.
And I like your theory
that men and women’s shirts button on opposite sides
so that couples can get dressed facing each other
after making love.

You seem to season your seasons,
your days, your time
with rhyme, not reason,
I’ve seen you. Daily. Nightly.
I’ve watched you housebreak a puppy
just by asking politely.

And your remedy for insomnia?
Is to pile every pillow and blanket into the tub
and you nap there like you’re taking
a patchwork bath,
and I said once: “Oh--I wish I had a PICTURE!”
and you said: “Oh--I wish you and I had HOT SEX,
YOU gave ME a PEDICURE,
and then ELVES showed up at our doorstep,
with a PIZZA, to tell us JESUS just built a TREEHOUSE
in the backyard, and he’d like to meet us both,
so HOP IN HOTSHOT!”

You’re weird,
with a capital “WE.”
And I’m grateful, I marvel,
you’ve helped me hammer
some of my worst manners into manhood,
but I still admit--I like the way your shorts fit,
and how, overall, you’d call me “smart,”
even though sometimes
I do really stupid shit.

And I like how you giggle with your lips closed
like you’ve got a secret little moon in your mouth.

But I’m not insisting you’re some kind of goddess,
(I know you’re suspicious of unspecific love poems).
You’re more like a sunflower,
growing in the courtyard of an old folks home--
you mean things to people on a daily basis,
and this petty poem won’t explain
just how “my favorite” your face is,
(but I wish I’d been your bathroom mirror
the day they took off your braces).

You’re so pretty.

You’re like a vivid video game
and I’m the idiot kid
just trying to get to your next level--
I like your right-shoulder angel,
Hell, I like your left-shoulder devil.
I admire the lively deeds you do.
So if you come through a doorway again,
in a thrift store poncho,
or a drop-dead evening gown,
twirling and asking:
“Well, whaddya think?”
I’m gonna tell you:

“Shit howdy, Sunshine,
sit your fine self down!
If you’re looking for a compliment--

I think you’ve come
to the right place.”

Foreign Films

2010-08-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

My two favorite movies of all time are both French foreign films. The first being Amelie, which I had to scour the internet relentlessly to find a version with English subtitles, but finally settled upon watching a poor quality, divided sequence of the film on youtube. If you have the time to watch a full film, I have attached Part 1 below, and you can very well continue on to the other parts simply by choosing that option after Part 1 is complete.

My second favorite film I just watched this evening, and was made last year. It's very moving and one of the most elegant films I have ever watched. It's relatively easy to find a subtitled version so a simple search for "Le Herisson," the title of the film, and a bit of detective work, should lead you to a pirated copy. Le Herisson is French for hedgehog. I know, it sounds silly, but this is actually a very serious film. It's made me even more determined to be kind to the people holding positions in jobs not conventionally desirable. You'll see what I mean if you take the time to watch it. Here's the trailer for it.

I'll probably be reading the book it was based off of soon.

Rewired

2010-08-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to change my focus with this blog, keeping it even more like a personal memoir and less like one of those websites that only try to generate traffic. I've disabled the Comments feature, but if you really need to spill some secrets to me or somethin' my email address is under my Who am I? tab. I'm also going to be updating that soon. I've completed my first week at my new school and I really, really love everything about it. I've met crazy awesome people and am actually making progress in my art classes. It's going to be a stressful year, but in a really good way. I know I'm going to evolve a lot with my art and hopefully develop a signature style, something I've been struggling with greatly.

I've been listening to Explosions in the Sky a lot recently. I like to play it on my laptop and just listen to it as I'm trying to fall asleep at night. I've come to realize the reason I have such a hard time falling asleep is because I have way too many thoughts going on inside my head and they scare the tiredness right out of me. But these songs hypnotize me into only focusing on them, and just drowns out all my other thoughts. Probably one of the reasons I've been sleeping so much lately too.

Click to listen to my playlist.

Back to School!

2010-08-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! Last day of summer already? As I've mentioned before, I'll be attending a new school tomorrow. One where I'll be in a special art program and will be doing 3 hours of art each day. So. Cool. I'm very excited to be going, but I am a bit worried as to what will become of my blog. I've been so good at keeping it updated all summer. Now that I'll be busy with academics and such, I'm worried I'll start neglecting it. I really hope not! I'm very happy with the results of this silly little webpage, and am inspired and flattered that people even take the time to read this. (I know you guys do because I was sneaky and implemented this little hit counter and it gives me all sorts of stats about my readers, like how long you are on my page and your IP address and if you are a new visitor or a returning visitor and how many times you have viewed my page in the past if you are a returning visitor. Ha! Oh how the tables have been turned! You probably thought you were the one creeping on my page, when in reality I'm pretty much stalking all of you. I know where you live... Seriously. It tells me where you live. Muahahahah!)
Well, here's a bit of a recap of some of the adventures I had this summer but I never got around to blogging about. Just thought I should put them here, for reminiscing purposes later.

Followin' train tracks.

Photoshootin' with Adrienne.

Dog sitting this precious thing.

Ringling Museum!

Silly faces with Marla.

Homemade mexican food yummmm empanadas!

Finding turtles out by the road with Issa!

Painted Rocks

2010-08-19T01:04:00.000-07:00

Well, after my last post I decided to just give it a shot.... peace out. Signed, an amateur.

I remember that afternoon back in June that you took me to the lake. It had just rained, and us being as lucky as we were back then just arrived when the storm had passed. It was still cloudy as most afternoons used to be. But so hot that the pools of rain by the shoreline would evaporate and lazily rise up. The bodies of vapor encircled us and soon we were lost in our own magical, whimsical world.

You found me a rock, slate gray and as smooth as the stone in the necklace I wore had been polished. Only this rock had been shined by nature. It was cool to the touch, a soothing contrast with the hot air laying over me. And I imagined the gentle surf of the lake washing over it, rhythmically kissing the stone with it's refreshing breath. I then thought of how you kissed me, in the consistent motion that you always did. So, I found you a rock, a lighter colored one, with a deep orange mixed into it in random bursts of speckles. I never told you how they reminded me of your freckles. I asked you if we could paint them. You nodded yes, a curl you had tucked behind your ear escaped onto your cheek as you did.

Using the stray fabric paint that had been left behind in my car, I painted our initials in gold onto my rock, and a bright red heart onto yours. You silently watched, and I knew, even though the bright red heart was a little crooked, that you loved it.

I went back to that lake today. I stood by the edge and quietly dropped my rock into the surf. The splash splattered my legs, it was icy cold. And funny thing was, I am almost positive I saw a hint of bright red flicker beneath the water's glassy surface just a few steps further down the coast.

Art Star

2010-08-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

The other night I had a dream that I caught a firefly and put it in a jar. The simplicity of it made it beautiful.

***

I cut up textures found in magazines in shapes of letters and arranged them as words on my wall today.
I dunno why. I was tired of gazing at barren walls I guess.

Cheesy lyrics from a song I barely even like. Oh I'm so creative....

I believe if I could have my pick of talents, I'd choose to be a writer.

I'd honestly prefer that over drawing silly little pictures. I know it's common to hear that "A picture is worth a thousand words." But drawings are so indifferent to their audience, the only thing you see is what the artist put down on canvas. However, a thousand words describes a different picture for each person, allowing everyone to see whatever they'd prefer, leaving room for interpretation, promoting creativity.
Words are much more prolific.

If only I could find someone with the same amount of talent in writing that I have with drawing, then I could trade. But I'm better off sticking with my silly pictures, everyone in this town is so disappointing...

Indians

2010-08-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the second to last weekend before school starts up again. Next weekend I'm going to a conference thing in Hollywood, Florida. (More on that later.) So this was kinda sorta my last weekend of summer. On Friday I taught an art class to rack up more community service hours at the YMCA. It was a fun hands-on project and I think I really connected with the little middle schoolers I was working with. Then Isabel came over on Saturday. We went a bit crazy and biked to this grassy area in the outskirts of my neighborhood. We finger painted on each other's faces and played a game of Indians, naturally including rain dances, tribal calls, and just being really goofy. The looks we got from the few cars passing by were priceless. Honestly, its some of the most fun I've had in a while. On Sunday I met up with 8 girlfriends from my old school for a picnic we like to have each year at the end of summer to catch up and be all together. I am starting a new school in a week, and will miss them dearly. I felt like I really needed the change in scenery and I'm very excited to start at my new school, which has a super awesome art program (where I will be taking 3 hours of art class each day! woot woot!) How was your weekend? I love to hear from my followers :} Sometimes I get followers who don't have their blogs linked on their Friend Connect account and I never get to see their wonderful blogs. Sad face. If that's the case, I'd love it if you would leave me a comment with your url so I can check you out!

Postscript: When Isabel came over I helped her start up a blog of her own! Check out her very first post here!

So I just realized...

2010-08-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

That the makeup I wear makes me look like trash.
Does that mean I'm growing up?

I will now talk about my life through a sequence of webcam photos I just took like 2 seconds ago. Notice the makeup-less-ness.

Is it weird that I have grown up friends? I spent my morning at the house belonging to the sweetest little lady I have ever met. She used to give me art lessons when I was six years old, and we've kept in touch. Today, we played with her adorable kitty Molly dolly. And looked through her collection of inspiring books. And I sketched a bit. And we did yoga. A wonderful way to start my day!

Meet Miss Rosa.
(sketch from this morning)

Miss Terry (grown up friend) let me borrow my favorite out of all the books we looked through. It's 104 pages all about lace, featuring these beautiful photographs and collages of the most intricate and delicate lace I have ever seen. I love lace. It's so romantic and vintage and oh so feminine. I couldn't resist. I had to scan a few of the pages of the book. I don't think I'm allowed to do that. Please don't get mad at me for infringing on copyright laws! I DON'T WANT TO GET ARRESTED!!!!! I just want to show you how cool this is!!! I'm only sixteeeeeen! Dwaaahh! o__o

Anyway...

***

So the other day I went to Barnes & Noble...

...and bought that much needed planner I mentioned I needed muchly in this post.

I may or may not have spent a good hour trying to decide which one to get. My two girlfriends who came with both got rather exasperated with me after I went from picking up one planner and asking if it was The One to running to the other side of the table and picking up a better one asking the same thing, and then going back to the original side of the table and picking up the planner NEXT to the first planner I picked up and wondering if I should buy that one instead. After much deliberation and consulting my friends who were pretty much tuning out my indecisiveness, I bought this one for 8 buckaroos. I like birds.

You have nooo idea how much satisfaction I'm getting out of whipping out my little planner every time I have an important appointment to jot down. I feel so secretarial. And sophisticated. And put together.
I guess I am growing up.

2010-08-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

So much beauty in the world.
And I can't feel a thing.