Painting class trip the Crocker Art Museum

I had so much fun yesterday! Can you believe I've never been to an art museum? I was trying to think of why...I think it has to do with your family. If you didn't grow up doing it, you probably don't think about doing it as an adult. I guess. I dont know! It also has something to do with my own cocky attitude I've always had. The idea that somehow I don't need to see some famous artists' work-- I make my own art.

What a dork I've been.

I was so inspired!! I loved wandering around and letting myself sink into the paintings.

I was surprised to love the Wayne Thiebaud exhibit. I knew about the cakes...I didn't think I cared about the cakes. And...truthfully, I'm not a huge fan of the food paintings. I LOVED, loved his figurative works!!

No photo's were allowed on the ones I really loved, but I was able to take a picture of this one, that belongs to the Crocker:



Here's a couple of my other favorites in other exhibits:




"Autumn Landscape"
Oil on Canvas, 1960
Jerrold Ballaine



"Gold of the Caucasus"
Acrylic on Canvas, 1969
Fred Thomas Martin




"Winters Blue Cold"
Oil on Canvas 1990-1991
Christopher Brown

Figure Drawing #16

Ok, at this point I'm numbering posts instead of classes- I haven't a clue what class we're on!

We've been working on back muscles, portraits, and lots of seated poses.

Here's my favorites of the week:




I really want to get Mikes face. I think this- with more time- could be very close!!

Whats lost is found, what was scabby is...

well, still scabby. I'm mildly afraid I'll never actually look cute like my friends. This is so good for my terrible vanity problem. I have to see this blackish red thing in my peripheral vision 24 hours a day. And I have to suck it up and act like I don't care about it. Because I shouldn't....because I'm a grown woman. Oh my pride...

My bag was found, exactly where I suspected. Frankly I'm lucky no one decided to just grab my pencil sets out of there! I'm so relieved. I really didn't want to lose almost an entire semester full of work!

Here's a part of my life I don't write much about...(for those who may not know me personally) (which I think amounts to...zero? whatever...it could happen)...

my messy house.

I'm having a party here Friday night. I'm very excited! I wanted to get friends together to hang out without anyone having to bring a present or kids. It seems the only time women tend to see each other is at their kids' schools, kid's birthday parties, baseball games, or the occasional baby shower or blessingway.

So, no one has to be having a baby, or turning older, and no kids...just food and giggling. I love it.

My only hurdle?

My disaster of a house.


I'm really only posting this so I can post before and after shots. I need motivation. I'm a mutant type of person who usually doesn't care about house work. I just don't keep up with it at all. At least this house cleans up nicely and has plenty of room- without that, there would be no party.

Hopefully I can post Friday midday pictures of both my unscabbed nose and my un-crapped house!!

Craptastic!!

Today sucks.

Anyone who knows me knows I get really upset about fairly trivial stuff.

Currently its the fact that my portfolio bag is GONE. Gone with all my colored pencils, my sketch box and an entire semester full of Figure Drawing work. Yes....a hundred sheets of gestures and studies. All due pretty soon. Probably $75 worth of pencils and supplies on top of the bag thats worth..ok, well...$40, maybe.

Where the heck is it? I had it at Thurdays painting class...and I can't see a window in which it wouldn't made it home with me, but it seems like the only option. I've called Folsom Lake college, they told me to contact my professor. But she walked out with me! And another class came in as we were leaving- and I knew some of the students in that class- if someone saw me leave behind my giant bag, they would have stopped me.

Tonight we are reviewing our portfolios...wonderful I don't have one!!

And if I don't write today, I'll be over 3,000 words behind on NanoWrimo. Very frustrating. What happened to this weekend?

Well. I lost Saturday because I decided to go out with my friends. We had a BLAST....even got all of our noses pierced.

Of course...today, mine looks like THIS:


Nope...not black jewelry- it's a tiny blue stone. Covered in caked blood. Cute. It wont stop bleeding today.

And my house is a mess...and i have a party hear on Friday. Totally my problem...my fault...I'm just frustrated.

WHERE IS MY PORTFOLIO?????

20,028...the sweet freedom of fiction

Meaning, in fiction you can do whatever you want. Including solving a major problem by simply allowing a giant lion of sorts to be able to shape-shift and become a water beast. And I've decided this character can breathe under water.

Why? Because people write about elves! Because Frodo's ring called to him, because Aslan is a freaking lion who talks...because of Santa Claus and the tooth fairy...

NO RULEs!!

Fiction is a wonderful, wonderful world.

Especially because my character has a giant cat that he can ride on who shape-shifts when the need arises. Beautiful stuff.

I'm sleepy now, enjoy my nerd-tastic picture. Deathly Hollows comes out next weekend... I'm almost scared to see it, I love the book so much. Don't mess with my Severus too much, screenwriters!!

(I'm pretty sure no one who reads this blog is into Harry Potter, but, it is my blog...)




**Ok...I should never post after midnight...yikes. I do like the Harry Potter image, though!!**

a conspiracy: now finished

This is the result of last weeks painting featuring the clarinet and the pipe:


I'm pretty happy with it. It feels unfinished, but I like the space this has. More opacity might make this painting too flat.

Here's a close up:

Spontaneous performances- bringing classical music to everyone!

I was so delighted by this post on the NPR blog, Deceptive Cadence. I am a big advocate of classical music...to the chagrin of my close friends and family. I'm so tired of it being looked at as boring or outdated.

This post talks about spontaneous performances taking place all over the world by opera troupes, orchestras, etc. I love the idea that people are bringing this music to the street level- making it accessible and alive for people who may not have ever given it a chance.

I know that when I was in high school, our choir traveled to a huge competition to sing. Some of the school performed classical choral pieces- and I was hooked. There is nothing like having your senses overtaken by a performance! I remember hearing a large choir sing T.L. de Victoria's "O Magnum Mysterium". I have loved that piece since then.

When I was in college I got to hear a real life orchestra for the first time and was dumbfounded. It was only a rehearsal...but I was nearly in tears.

When I sang with the Nyack College Chorale, I routinely found myself choked up. I remember one time in particular when we where practicing and a friend of mine went up to sing a solo. I had never heard her sing as I sat several rows away from her on the stage. She was a voice major and was very passionate about it. I'll never forget it- the piano started, and then Kathleen began to sing. Tears rolled down my face- I had never heard anyone sing like that...in the same room as me! The beauty of it was overwhelming.

I had several such experiences through college, and they have formed a love of this music that will last forever in me.

So, check out this post on NPR....watch the videos. I hope we see more of this!