Time of Absence

Since my last post was at the end of September, I am going update everyone on my life.
Since the last post, I have finished my applications to UNT and Pratt. I will be done with the rest by the end of the week. Big stress relief of getting all that done.
I managed to fit in the flu and a stomach virus into my tightly filled schedule, thus creating chaos in all plans, work, and school assignments in my schedule.
There is only 1.5 weeks of school before winter break, and I plan on uploading all my three-dimensional work within the next couple of days to stay on top of things.

My Latest Obsession

I cannot call myself a photographer. I am as amateur as they come. However, I found a Minolta Maxxum 7000 camera that belonged to my grandfather in the attic when cleaning it out before moving to Plano. The camera, almost thrown away by David, functioned fully once I inserted film and batteries. This matter inspired me to take the photography class at school. But with the good news of finding the film camera came the bad news of my digital one breaking. The digital camera keeps on vibrating, making all the pictures a big blur. I know that to fully experience photography one must work with film; I just wish I had another, less costly, camera to gain the experience. For the time being, I have been borrowing my mom's Sony Cyber Shot, but the inconvenience makes my photos rushed, and in my opinion forced.

With my birthday right around the corner, I began researching digital cameras worth investing in. Coincidently, like my first film camera, my first digital one was a handy down Minolta. Unfortunately, the company went out of business, leading me to fall in love with the pure white Pentax K-x. Now, most of the people in my life know about my obsession with the color pink, but there is just something about white electronics that make me fall in love.

2-Dimensional Breadth Pieces

Paint on Paint

12" by 18" watercolor

2009

Circles and Squares

12" by 19" graphite pencil, colored pencil

2008

Blinded by Red

19.25" by 25" watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic paint

2009

Labeled as Other

16" by 12" acrylic paint, colored pencil

2009

War in Sight 

22" by 28" acrylic paint

2009

Ex-Gymnast 

14.25" by 13.75" charcoal, colored pastel

2008

Just Peachy

10" by 8" oil paint

2007

Praising Hand 

14" by 10" charcoal

2008

Colors and Shapes

16" by 20" acrylic paint

2010

An Organized Mess

11.5" by 18" watercolor, colored pencil, yarn

2008

Sunflower

10" by 12" colored pencil

2008

Black and White

7.5" by 7.5" chalk pencil

2008

After Bath

16" by 12" oil paint

2008

Walnut 

13" by 25.5" charcoal, chalk

2009

Many of these pieces are classwork done over my high school career. Other pieces like War in Sight and Labeled as Other were my way of exploring other cultures. I have a fascination with the world. There is a lot to for me yet to see, experience and learn from it. Like the world, I am growing and expanding in my artwork. 

DART with Personal Seating

I take the DART most mornings. Today was no different, with the exception of the hot pink and zebra print chair I had to bring along with me. I put the chair in the corner, so it would not get in people's way. When the train became crowded, I gave up my seat to another student doing homework. Putting my bag on the chair, I just used it as a knee rest. Eventually, I decided to sit down.

*My Chair....

The DART Seating

After more and more people got on the train, I received some interesting glances. Eventually, I was fed up with all the looks, and announced, "Yes, I prefer my own seating while using public transportation." Well, the statement only earned me some stranger looks and some laughter. 

From the stranger's perspective, I must have looked like a DIVA in her chair with a Coach bag and aviator sunglasses. 

This was the perfect way to start out the first day back from being sick!

*The chair was constructed by me for my 3-D Portfolio class. It is one of the many 3-D pieces soon to be uploaded for everyone to see.

Two-Dimensional Works of Art: Concentration

My concentration started out with me wanting to explore my family’s background. The first pieces focus on the Russian

culture. Then, I realized that a big part of Russia was the Communist USSR. Thus, my concentration evolved to communist propaganda posters. Most of my propaganda pieces involved some sort of text. Some of the posters are photographs of Russian countryside, which I took during my summer visit.

One Family...Diversity

14.4" by 14.5" colored pencil 

2008

White, Blue and Red

16" by 20" acrylic paint

2010

A Nesting Population

10" by 8" digital photograph

2010

Moscow from Above

6" by 13" digital photography

2009

St. Basil's Cathedral

16" by 12" oil on canvas

2009

Not so Orthodox

6" by 4" digital photography 

2009

St. Ksenya Peterboorskia

14" by 10" acrylic paint, gold leaf

2010

One Nation

8" by 19" acrylic paint, colored pencil, newsprint, photo transfer 

2010

The Soviet Future

4" by 6" digital photography

2010

U R USSR

16" by 12" acrylic paint, newsprint

2010

Russia, He's Calling You

6.5" by 10" colored pencil, newsprint

2010

One Star, USSR

20" by 16" acrylic paint, newsprint, gold leaf

2010

Weekend of No Rest

I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to two jobs. Saturdays were going to be made up of coaching at Eagle's Wings in the morning and organizing at Marshalls in the evenings. Now I have decided that helping out animals should also fit into the already hectic schedule of mine.
So on Saturday, I had my training for helping at Second Chance SPCA. I found myself heartbroken at all the animals at the tiny little shelter, even with half of them being gone at an offsite event.

Take a look at the puppies.

On the positive side, I got off work an hour early. bought some amazingly smelling soap and some film for my old school Minolta Camera.

Sunday, I dedicated to work and homework, but I did feel like my body was starting to get a bug.