Monsieur Cabinet.

I found Monsieur Cabinet's website via OK Great a couple of weeks ago, and fell in love. His 1,000 Awesome Things drawings are the best, but don't forget to check out the rest of the site.

A Saturday morning.

Meet Winslow.

The Girl Effect.

To find out how you can help go here.


[via okaygreat]

Operation: Education on College Street

Our class finally finished our one and only project for Mel Chin. We decided that College Street in Fayetteville needed something more, so the idea of street signs came about. Sadly they were taken down a few hours after they were installed, but thankfully we were able to document them before that happened.

You can find the rest of the signs here.

Door frame toe has progressed...

It's worse in reality.

Foot, meet door frame.

My pinky toe took it the worst.

Art Am!ss.

All of my prints that I have created this semester have been accepted in Art Am!ss X! More info to come soonly...

New etchings.

These are my latest etchings involving aquatint, chine colle, and drypoint. I am finally making art about my parents' divorce and my feelings towards my dad (and stepmom). All are rendered from photographs which are printed backwards, and editioned to five.

Three More Years
Aquatint and chine colle.

No Memory
Aquatint and chine colle.

Succubus
Aquatint, drypoint, and chine colle.

My sister's wedding.

I've been trying to upload photos into Blogger for the past hour with nothing to show for it, so just go here for the pictures.

My work is getting better, but I am screwed in my BFA critique. Thank goodness I finally have a theme for my current work...

Our Arkansas Fundred Initiative site will be up and running soon. Mel is so incredible - he wrote a check for the rest of the money that we needed ($2,000+). We're doing something incredibly awesome every time we meet, and soon we'll have something to show for it.

Southern Graphics Council Conference, Chicago

About a week ago Suzanne and I went to the annual Southern Graphics Council conference. It was in Chicago this year, and I was more than excited and thankful that I was able to go (I basically had a two week break because of spring break). It was my first time to attend, and it was pretty awesome to say the least. We saw so many great prints, and so many different and amazing techniques. It makes me really sad that our university's print program lacks excitement, and of course funds (the business school receives the most funding). I didn't know what to think about Chicago at first, I just had to take it all in. I had never been in a place like that before, and it was hard for me to understand/remember where we were because you can't see for miles like you can here (ha). Mostly it just felt so surreal that I was dumbfounded the whole time, so I couldn't think of what I wanted to do (even though I had made a list). Now that I'm back in Fayetteville, I really do miss Chicago. It will take a huge adjustment if I ever decide to live there.

Printmaking on Clay demo

Rolling ink onto the wood cut.

Two guys who run a t-shirt printing business, called Drive By Press, talked on a panel at the conference. They make hand cut wood block printed shirts. They travel to different schools and places with a press in the back of their van, and roll it out and print 'em up. They were at an art reception one night, so I got a shirt!

Below are some of the artists who attended:

1. Two Tone Press
2. The Bird Machine
3. Kristen Bartel (her work is incredible)
4. Nicholas Bakita
5. Sean P. Morrissey (oh. my. goodness.)
6. Adam Wolly
   

I will be in Chicago. Tomorrow. (Hopefully) by lunch. Seriously. I can not wait!

father:

I hope you realize that I don't believe you when you say you'll make time to visit with me or with us. I hope you can hear it in my voice. I wish you would stand up for us and yourself. I wish she didn't control you like you let her. Stop just living with it, and do something about it. I just might blow up soon if you don't, and I don't want to do that to you.

"Falsely Represented Nightmare".

The background on this linoleum cut was a random project that I was doing on my own to use for card making and other things. Even though the background wasn't in the original plan I feel like it makes some sense because it adds chaos to the image in a way (which relates to my dream). The subject is from part of a nightmare that I had when I was a kid. It is "falsely represented" because the window was not part of my dream, and of course the background wasn't either. Also the snakes were coming up from holes in the floor which they aren't here, but you get the general idea. There are 12 prints in this edition.

The Credit Crisis Visualized

I watched this video over at OkayGreat which involves some nice graphics and of course some information on the credit crisis. If you already know all you want to know about the crisis you can still enjoy some great graphics along with the depressing information.


The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Ayumi Horie.

While catching up on my daily readings I came across this mind blowing video of potter Ayumi Horie dry throwing a bowl. I haven't been in the ceramics world  (I guess you could say) for a long time, so I had never seen this technique done before. Below are a few of her pots. Enjoy!

Ayumi Horie

[via design*sponge]

Mark Bradford.

Mark Bradford's use of layering in his collages and other artworks is very intriguing. I bet each piece takes months to finish. I was first introduced to Bradford at the Modern in Fort Worth, and was drawn to it by its size (it covered the whole wall it was on). He doesn't have a website, but you can find out more about him through PBS' Art:21.

Mel Chin.

Conceptual artist, Mel Chin, agreed to become a visiting artist/professor at the university this semester for a five week course. I was very fortunate to get into the class (so many complications) and experience his genius. I cannot stress how thankful I am that he agreed to come here. He made us think about so many things, and the world around us. Mel is one scarily smart, funny guy whom I miss terribly. Unfortunately our class was canceled for a week due to an ice storm, but we were all productive through the mess. At the end of our class we had an exhibition at the Walton Arts Center. Mel wanted it to be an equal exhibition between all of us, and not focused solely on him. Since most of us had created work during the storm we decided that that was what we would exhibit, and aptly named the exhibit Shelter From the Storm. The above photo was our concept wall displaying all of our drawings and ideas cultivated throughout the class.

Extraction of Plenty from What Remains: 1823 -

Two columns which are exact replicas from the White House squeeze an empty cornucopia made of mud, banana, mahogany, coffee, and goats' blood. Mel relates back to the history of the cornucopia, and refers to the fractured ability of Latin American countries to prosper on their own because of America's foreign policy. The "cracks" at the top of the columns are the signatures that are on the foreign policy.

Revival Field

Safehouse

After hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Mel struggled with what he could do to help. He eventually decided that there was nothing he could do, and decided to look elsewhere. His research led him to discover that there was a harmful amount of lead in New Orleans' soil before the hurricane. Determined to save the city from the horrible health problems (ADHS along with violence) that the lead was creating he founded Operation Paydirt. Through Operation Paydirt children (and other citizens) draw on Fundred dollar bills that are going to be exchanged for the money and jobs needed to fix the soil. He created Safehouse to be reminiscent of a bank safe. It is the headquarters of Operation Paydirt and contains a display wall of some fundreds collected so far. Please visit the Fundred site to find out more, learn what you can do to help, and to find a pick up location in your area (pick up is scheduled for October of this year).

Anna Wingfield.

My friend, Anna, creates these mysterious and magnificent oil paintings. She is interested in perspective, and paints these straight from her memory of her current apartment. Anna imagines the rooms empty and the walls invisible. Her color palette explores the various temperatures of whites (with browns), and the feelings they can create. I hope that is she able to part with one of them someday!

Lucy laziness + her new habit.

While I was getting ready to go to my only class of the day this morning Lucy hopped up onto the toilet and sat down. She had never done it before, so I was very surprised. If only she was capable of using it, sigh.

New dresser.

This was the dresser I was talking about a day or so ago. It was still at the place when I got there! I'm not really liking my black picture frames anymore. I have several of my friends' works in need of frames; a trip to Ikea is needed desperately. My room feels even smaller now, but is happy it has more storage.

Happy Birthday, Zuzanne!

Am I still alive?

Technically, yes. I have become sort of a hermit crab lately; sticking to the comfort of my bed, and wasting endless hours on a senseless computer game (and the internets). I need to calm that part of my life down again because I've become sort of useless.

School is back on the scene after our break from the ice storm adventure (four days of no classes, and only two days with no electricity). I'm finally popping out some prints in Etching II (photos will come soon), so now I feel somewhat satisfied in that class. I am finally focusing on a concept this semester, which I've never done before (because it wasn't stressed). My prints are going to surround the drama that is my step-family, and dealing with my parents divorce (which is about time since that was over 17 years ago). I have so much anger and stress built up inside that I need a way to get it out. My mom is bringing her wedding album and yearbook this weekend when she visits, so hopefully I can get some more ideas from those. My roommate and I have been cleaning in preparation for her visit (ha).

I finally ordered the quilt I had been eying at CB2 when I discovered it was on sale (around 50% off!). Suzanne and I went to my favorite flea market and furniture store a couple of weeks ago, and I found a beautiful Danish Modern dresser that is begging for me to take it home. I need more drawer space, and for $97 I might be willing to go for it.

Chicago is just (about) a month away, eek!

gift cards = unnecessary waste

I was thinking about this a few weeks ago.

tim hawkinson

While browsing through the modern art collection in the fine arts library a few months ago I picked up a book that had an interesting cover. The artwork in the book fascinated me and captured my attention instantly. Tim Hawkinson's pieces are wonderful and delightfuly strange, and sometimes downright gross. He made a baby chick skeleton completely out of fingernail clippings. I love being intrigued by a work and being surprised by the materials used to produce it (i.e. Warhol's Oxidation Paintings). Tim Hawkinson does just that.

Find out more about him here.

sheets + lucy + weather

These are another set in my vintage sheet collection. Why is it so hard to find colorful sheets like these today at an affordable price? I've looked everywhere, maybe I'm not looking in the right places. I should've known that this was going to happen when I tried to put clean sheets on my bed this afternoon...

The ice started yesterday late in the evening, and it hasn't stopped raining/sleeting since. The university closed today, thank goodness. I'm crossing my fingers that it will be closed again tomorrow. A lot of my friends are without power, so we're sort of housing them at the moment. I just hope that we don't end up without it; my roommate's boyfriend lost power several minutes ago and he's in our complex.

scott barry

i love it; pure fun. here's his website.

"these are the things i think about when i'm alone without you"

Second week of school is almost over, and I still haven't accomplished much. I was sick for the first week, and had to go to the campus health center (bleh). They didn't tell me much or prescribe me anything useful. I got over it just fine with some good ol' Equate cold and sinus (ha). Of course I didn't expect much from them, but it was helpful. While waiting for the doctor to come in my room I couldn't help but notice that whoever built that place forgot to run a bead of silicone or caulk between the countertop and the backsplash. I kept staring at that empty crack wishing I had my own caulk gun to fill it in and fix it. Leave it to This Old House and my dad for me to notice that while I'm sick at the doctor.

One of the rare times that I am forced to physically touch/interact with a total stranger is when I'm on the bus to campus. Everyone gets on the bus with the hopefulness that everyone has taken a shower and worn deodorant that day.

Lucy is back with full force since her surgery last Monday (it was time for some fixin'). It's still sad to see the stitches on her little shaved tummy.

i am afraid that i have gotten in too deep. it's because of how i act, and who i am. i am sorry for being myself, and i don't want things to unravel because of it. i wish sometimes that i could run away for a little while, but i can not and i will not. ever.

oh, to be a dog...

she loves getting buried in the blankets.

(it's... they're?) HERE!

i think i posted enough photos... ha.