if every word i said.

so far this semester has been pretty satisfying. That seems like a pretty good way to describe it. For my first piece, I had some ideas that I began thinking about when I started working, but the piece changed and became something entirely different. I've noticed that I really am fascinated with texture. I look at my things and I think of cool textures or ideas or how I can do something with the clay that I've never done before, and try to do it. I am constantly thinking "what if..." and i think that is what drives a lot of my work. "what if I put this here.." or something like that. maybe thats totally unoriginal but its how my mind works. "why cant i put this shape over here and move it like this?" I always am thinking and feeling about concepts or feelings in my head and begin projects perhaps thinking of those things...but what drives the rest of the work becomes a why not and what if process.

I am expanding on a piece I did sophomore year, where I took 5 spheres of different sizes and stacked them on top of each other. On each sphere I did a different texture and surface treatment. Its one of my favorite pieces and so I decided to continue with that idea. So I've been doing those spheres the past couple weeks. I have one completed and another almost done. I enjoy thinking of different ways to treat and work with the surface of the clay, doing things ive never done before or combining textures I've never combined before, and then enhance it all with a in interesting glaze.

I am reading Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis right now. I just started it, but its a very interesting book. Basically it is a series of letters written by a high ranking demon writing to his young nephew who is a young demon beginning his job of hurting human lives and keeping them away from God. He's instructing his nephew on the best way to distract humans and he describes the way human minds work and how they think, what makes them nervous, insecure, etc. Its really interesting and makes me think about the things that get to me and where they stem from, and the force behind all the negative comments that my spin in my head. Recently, a friend of my sisters committed suicide. He didn't have a job and wasn't going to school, and his girlfriend had just broken up with him. While these are all unfortunate situations, I wish he had known that the pain from them would have subsided. It makes me wonder what words the devil was whispering in his ear to make him think this was the only way out. The book explains the subtle ways we can be distracted and how the devil works in your mind.

My favorite recipe...:)

Macaroni and Cheese

2 Tablespoons butter (or margarine)

¼ cup unsifted flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dry mustard (or a little squirt of “regular” (prepared) mustard)

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 ½ cups milk

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

8 ounces of elbow macaroni, cooked 6 minutes and drained

¼ cup bread crumbs

In a 2 quart saucepan melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, mustard and pepper until smooth. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk until smooth. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat about 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups of the cheese until melted.

I COOK THE MACARONI ALL THE WAY (9 MINUTES OR SO). I PUT ALL THE CHEESE IN THE CREAM SAUCE. AFTER I DRAIN THE MACARONI, I PUT IT BACK IN THE PAN, OR IN A BIG BOWL, AND POUR THE CHEESE SAUCE OVER IT AND MIX WELL.

SO good :)

During the summer I made a lot of models from molds using liquid plastic. We bought Smooth-cast 300 liquid plastic. It comes in two parts, A and B. Its really easy to use: you measure out how much you think will fill the mold, and do equal parts of part A and part B. Then you mix them together, thoroughly but quickly, and then pour in into the mold (which has been sprayed with mold release). You let the mold sit for about 5 minutes, and during that time the chemicals react to one another and create this awesome pure white plastic. Its super cool and you get great results in the molds-it gets all the little details. Smooth cast has a lot of different products that can be used to make molds and models, but they are slightly expensive. But the liquid plastic is awesome!

http://www.smooth-on.com/Urethane-Plastic-a/c5_1120_1209/index.html

Two artists Ive been looking at are Damien Hirst and Anselm Keifer. Hirst does incredible sculptures with animals that are super interesting. I also am so interested in people who do things in more than one medium-he does sculptures, paintings and all sorts of cool things.

Keifer does paintings and sculptures relating to the Holocaust (he's German). They're really cool and he uses a lot of different things in his paintings (straw, ash, etc.). I particularly like the images of what look like books or torn and rugged scraps of clothing. My eye is just drawn to them, and they give off such a sense of despair.

http://www.whitecube.com/artists/hirst/vitrineworksl/

Tuesdays crit!

Alex: I just wanted to touch them! each time i saw them they just looked so desirable to touch. i really liked the contradiction between the rug and the cocoons. the cocoons have the illusion of looking soft but in reality are a very hard material, but the rug is very soft and comfortable and enhances the soft look altogether.

Steph: at a technical level, I know that the ace bandaged was placed in a known spot in the bathroom for the video. But you chose to put it in a spot where most people keep hair brushes or tooth paste or more common things. From that, I got the feeling that she was expecting something to happen, and so left the ace bandage in a spot that was easy to get to as if knowing she would use it soon. I got a very overwhelming sense of despair and angst, like waiting for something to happen, but the only thing that happened was she got sicker and sicker. But there was a level of urgency and expectation. I feel like i could relate this to a specific medical disease or something, but i wish we could've discussed it in crit i would have like to hear what you had to say!

Elise: I like that you didn't fire it, something about the texture adds to the realism. It looks really life like, which is then creepy when I say that the liquid around it looks like candy which kind of made me hungry. The cracking in the liquid, i think you said it was soap, makes me think of cracking ribs and of how fragile the body is.

Abby: This looks crazy real in a disturbing but cant take my eyes off it kind of way! the green liquid kind of made me think of an alien and like an eerie cave with all sorts of unknown things it in.

Lauren: I love multiples! I kept looking at all of the little squares looking for one that was different but they're all the same! so perfect and white. I really enjoy the simple shape and the plain white, along with the way you presented them.

Ashley: Each of the squares seemed to be a self portrait of you. Different parts of who you are, but they all connect. I enjoy seeing work that is so personal to people.

ps. i love the skirt of cat heads. haha

Pam: The glazes you chose were interesting. I really like the tall greenish one. It showed interesting techniques of throwing as well as firing.

stay beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI4JLa0hbUw

http://www.hulu.com/watch/52192/saturday-night-live-penelope---therapy

http://www.hulu.com/watch/37752/saturday-night-live-the-lawrence-welk-show

http://www.hulu.com/watch/73360/saturday-night-live-lawrence-welk

the way we are

sooo now that I've been back in the studio, I've been throwing and working on a sculpture. I have an idea rolling around in my head about what it might look like, but its nothing exact. I like to see where the process takes me. I've been using left of parts of clay from throwing or that I scrape off the wheel in my sculpture, and I like using the parts that are left over and usually unwanted.

hmm the last dream I remember has nothing to do with art. But in my dream my boyfriend proposed to me, but just mailed me a ring and sent me an email asking if i would marry him. hahaha. i think i said no..

cool websites!

http://www.jennyholzer.com/list.php

http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/exh_detail.php?id=179

http://artandmusic.wordpress.com/2008/11/

http://www.re-title.com/artists/Devorah-Sperber.asp

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

http://www.cbstudiosnyc.com/

http://jumpinginartmuseums.blogspot.com/2009/06/christopher-beckman-jumping.html