chocolate hearts & chocolate cake

My weekend was incredibly busy, but rewarding! I spent Friday night finishing up my items for our arts and crafts sale, and a good portion of Saturday at the sale. It was a lot of fun, as always! Here are some pictures.

Our very official sign.

Alex and Tori attracted visitors by hula-hooping.

This is my half of the table I shared with Casey. I sold polymer clay and ceramic jewelry, photographs, drawings, 'zines, and chocolate espresso bean hearts (!!!). I tried selling this one very pink purse I've been trying to sell for awhile, but it didn't sell, again. For our next sale I'm going to be sure to make time to make a lot more sewn items (in less obtrusive colors). I think they would go over well.

Alex looking at my jewelry.

After the sale, I headed to my parents' house to work on the final project for this Very Interesting class I have, Meal Management. Allow me to explain. I started college as a Family & Consumer Science major, and after switching to art (a much better fit for me), I had half the credits necessary to have a minor in FACS. I decided to finish out the minor, because some of the classes I do find interesting (especially the textiles/sewing and food science ones). This semester, I am in a FACS class called Meal Management. We learn about food preparation, food safety, and meal planning. The final project is to throw a formal dinner, then make a presentation about it, complete with pictures. Since I have neither a kitchen, dining room table, or even a matching set of dishes (thanks to living for a dorm for four years), my sweet mother told me I could do the project at home.

It turned out very successfully! The dinner was delicious, and I think my whole family had fun dressing up and having a fancy meal on a regular day (i.e. not a holiday dinner, when we usually have something extra special). The menu included faux chicken breast (made from wheat) with an orange and soy sauce glaze, herbed new potatoes, green beans almandine, salad, rolls, and devil's food cake with strawberries and whipped cream.

I'll be happy to post recipes if anyone is interested! When I returned to school, I had a long night of being darkroom monitor. I am also monitor tonight and tomorrow night (whew). I usually only work one or two nights a week, but last night I filled in for another monitor. Tuesday night will be my time as monitor until fall semester! I'm a little sad about that, because next semester the people coming won't be the same. Oh well, ecco fatto. This week is full of finishing final projects. Ironically, next week, finals week, should be a little less stressful.

summer is coming

This is the project I am currently working on for my graphic design class.  This composition is actually scaled at 15"x15", and my next step is to cut it up into smaller pieces and from that design a cd cover and booklet for a mix cd.  The imagery, compositions, songs, and theme were compiled before we were told what the project would be in the end.  It's been a neat process so far.

Last night we had the last opening in the gallery for this year...it was the twelfth one since August!  The show went so well.  I have pictures to post in a later entry.  The classes that put this show together did such a good job.  It feels good to be done, but sad too.  Besides cleaning things up, there will be no more gallery work until August.  The summer is coming on quickly and at times, I feel a little overwhelmed when I think that my internship is going to start in just a few weeks!  I'm not looking forward to finals week and moving out, but really, who ever is?  I'm excited about the internship, but of course, the unknown is always a little scary, and entering into a new workspace always brings on a little doubt.  I know that once everything is in place and I have a few days of training, it will all be fine, however.  I'm also trying to factor in if I'll have enough time and energy for a small summer job...and if I do, will I be able to find one?  I have a few places in mind to apply, and at the top of my list, is working behind a photo-processing counter.  Yes, I would really like to do that...learning the equipment involved and getting to process other people's photographs sounds like so much fun to me, and is at least a little related to my field of study...we'll see if that works out!

on being a busy bee

I have been such a busy bee the past few weeks. Last week the 35th annual Vortex Magazine of Literature and Art made its debut! It has been so rewarding to be on the staff the past three years. The release party went very well and it's a treat to have the new issue in my possession.

Also, as the staff photographer, I was put in charge of a photo shoot where I got to take various pictures of the staff members for use in the magazine. We did an official staff portrait, as well as other photographs that were to be considered for use on the cover and certain inside pages. The cover image was taken using a long exposure, while several staff members waved sparklers around. Very exciting!


This is my favorite photograph of mine that got into the magazine. Even as the art editor, I didn't have a say on the layout, and everything gets into the magazine by a system of voting. So being on staff doesn't mean you automatically get published or treated specially. Sometimes that's assumed, so I just want everyone to know. It is still just as exciting for me to get into the magazine as anyone else!



This coming Saturday, there is going to be another art sale! I think this one is going to turn out really well. I made tons of fliers and have been putting them up and handing them out, and lots of people are planning to come. In preparation, I've been making lots and lots of things.

I turned many of my favorite doodles into miniature prints on pretty-colored cardstock.

I'm quite taken with doodling/painting on these premade wooden plaques you can buy at craft stores, and I had five large-ish ones lying around, so I decorated those and added hangers on the back. If these don't sell I won't be too sad, because I'd love them on my wall...ha!

I have also been making lots of jewelry! Lots and lots and lots of jewelry, as it was my bestseller last time. Much of it is made from polymer clay, but I had some time this week to make some ceramic pendants (pictured here), so I made about thirty and fired them my Clay Club friends Melissa and Mizuki. I just got everything out of the kiln about an hour ago and was so excited about how they turned out! I had five bowls in there as well, but couldn't carry them home so they are still in the studio. I'm going to get cord for the necklaces after my last class. Very exciting! There are some tiny pieces, as well, to glue onto earring backs.

Tonight I am going to pick up a bunch of photographs I had printed from the store (for the sale also), finish up assembling all of the jewelry, make heart-shaped chocolates with flavored espresso beans inside (yes, they are amazingly delicious), and possibly sew some tiny bags or stuffed owls...we'll see! I've got the making bug at the moment...I can't stop! I'm glad I'll have lots to sell on Saturday.

Ciao, friends!

discover yourself

Discover Yourself: A Journaling Project

Today I presented the practice version of my thesis project! It's very thrilling to nearly be finished. My project is about the journals artists keep. I did research + I kept a visual journal dutifully for one year. My presentation is half talking (actually, reading parts of my paper--I think it sounds better than extemporaneous blabbering) and half a slideshow of all of the journal pages I did in a year, set to music. Then, at the end, I give all of my listeners a mini 2"x2" 10-page booklet with copies of my favorite journal pages in it, and information about the project. I'm happy with how everything turned out! The four journals I made are so special to me. They documented my studies abroad last summer and lots of other things. I present the real presentation on May 8th.

tragic, I say

I combined multiple photographs to make a few sort-of digital double exposures, because I really wanted to enter this exhibition coming up at the New York Graduate School for Psychoanalysis called Dreamwork. They were looking for dream-like imagery and content, and since this photograph deals with my personal fears, as do dreams oftentimes, I decided to up the dream-like visual quality of it and enter it.

I have to enter four shows this semester to fulfill the requirements of certain classes, and I found that the Dreamwork one was free, which is important to note, since many shows cost $25-$50 to enter, and that times four is not a pretty number. I think it is unjustifiable to spend so much on shows right now, since as a student up against professionals, I feel that I don't really have the same odds of getting in.

Well, maybe I should reconsider that last statement, or, maybe I just got lucky, because I got an e-mail today from the New York Graduate School for Psychoanalysis saying that I got in the show! So I have to send them my photograph, framed, by May 5th. Oh, but not only did I get in, only 37 submissions out of 1,800 were chosen. How did I get so lucky!? 2% of entries!?

I'm so excited! I'm actually at work in the darkroom, which would be the perfect place to share the good news of getting a photograph into a show, but it's a really slow night and no one is here at the moment! Tragic, I say.

Now I just need to convince one of my handful of friends who live in New York that they would love to visit this exhibit when it's up and take a photo of my photo up on the wall for me..hmm...?

soup & tattoos

What's been up lately...

The Soup Bowl Benefit put on by Clay Club

Black and White Show at the student gallery I work in.


"Tattoo" project for my graphic design class.

And a recipe for you...

Black Bean Hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained halfway
1 can black beans, drained
1 Tbsp olive oil
cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt, & pepper to taste

Blend until smooth. Garnish with chili powder, diced tomatoes, and parsley. Serve with crackers, pita chips, or tortilla chips.

And tomorrow...
Vortex Magazine release party!
I am highly anticipating this year's issue,
for which I served as Managing Art Editor.
I also designed that poster...hurray for dinosaurs.