Cyanotype Demo

Today I did a cyanotype demo with these two precious girls. They're the grandchildren of TTU's Chancellor, Kent Hance. We had a lot of fun. Its exciting to learn new ways to make art. I forget the wonder sometimes. 

"All in a Day's Work"

Ok so this is my final project photo series. Im photographing people at what dominates most of our lives-our jobs. My ideas were based on Atget's photographs of street venders and people working hard to make a living. We don't have street venders in Lubbock but most of us are working one way or the other. Whether you work to live or live to work, work dominates a lot of our lives. I thought it'd be interesting to document people's lives that way. So far I have only 3 subjects. But I'm ready to collect more.

Autumn-Rejavanate

Kenzi-UMC

Bryan-Patterson Farm

Art is for Everyone

"a fellow 'wholly bent' on 'excellence in his art'"
--The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough
I feel as if this quote fits me this year. I am wholly bent on perfecting my art. I'll be honest, some days I get really frustrated. I get burnt out. and sometimes, I don't even know what I want to paint. I even question myself, is this whole degree in painting, the pursuit of life as an artist, as pretentious as so many people seem to think it is with the looks on their faces when they ask, "what do you plan to do with that?" Maybe so. David Hockney said that all artists have to be somewhat selfish. And we are. Anyone who creates has an obsession that overpowers them in moments. Maybe I am being selfish by  changing my major from teaching to just painting. But when I watched "Monuments Men", I remembered the power of art. And how it has to be shared. This being said I have this rule: if a child approaches me while I'm doing a watercolor, in a park, in a coffee shop, in a restaurant, ect. they get the painting. Those are the rules. Because art is a passion that is meant to be shared, and most kids color at a young age, and then they stop. They're taught to fill in SAT bubbles, but not express. So if one painting can keep a kid interested in art. Then my painting isn't completely self-serving.

I was painting in the park today because it was beautiful and Im tired of my studio.

These two approached me and asked what I was doing. I showed them some sketches and Luke picked the tree. I told them adults don't always like to have their picture drawn when they saw the sketches I did of them skateboarding. "Thats dumb," said Seth (bottom right) "Art is for everyone."

Photos Using the Space

I'm taking a photography class and lets just say I am on a major learning curve. Luckily, I live with one of the most talented photographers I know Jake Walton (check out his blog-jtalon). We went on this crazy photo adventure last Saturday. I feel these photos stand to prove that Lubbock can be beautifully interesting.

Live Subjects

ok guys I have been terrible about blogging. Really terrible. Thats what instagram will do to you.. well that and 15 studio classes and 80 hrs of work a week (ok ok I do get paid to sleep, but it does eat at my studio time) and then I got a boyfriend which in responsibilities is similar to adopting an 8 year old boy. Funny how life has to cut into art, but I think the only way I find peace is by balancing love for others and my art with the responsibilities of life. I've tried to parr down that equation and always seem to result in anxiety and forgetting to eat.
     However! I have been finding ways to overlap them. For example, painting and drawing from live models-

Drawing IV

Sarah Gill

Samuel Roberts

Obviously my skills are a little rusty, but I think there is value in painting from life in a world dominated by the internet and people so caught up in the business of their own schedules. We don't make time for real interaction.