Oh GOD, My Back Itches!

No, no... my horse isn't dead; she's just rolling in the mud. Oh well.

A New Word for Your Vocabulary

Gestalt: (noun) guh-stawlt

-1. A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts. Also called gestalt phenomenon.

-2. 1922, from Ger. Gestaltqualit‰t (1890, introduced by Ger. philosopher Christian von Ehrenfels, 1859-1932), from M.H.G. gestalt "form, configuration, appearance," abstracted from ungestalt "deformity," noun use of adj. ungestalt "misshapen," from gestalt, obsolete pp. of stellen "to place, arrange." As a school of psychology, it was founded c.1912.

Where I found this word: In my art classes; I've heard it many times in my Graphic Design class, and my sculpture professor mentioned it today. Since it's been cropping up often in my life lately, I thought that I would mention it.

It is a psychological term that applies to how we receive/interpret new information and make sense of our surroundings. As applied to a piece of art, it means a focal point that is a key to the piece and contributes to the understanding of that piece. However, it can also mean an overarching idea or purpose with respect to a person, an organization, or any sort of project.

Usage: The gestalt of this painting is the circle in the upper-left corner; it draws your eye there first and then helps your gaze radiate out to the rest of the piece.

Jewelry Fabrication: sweat soldered piece

So, here's my second official piece as a metalsmith in training.

Sweat soldering is similiar but different from the technique that I learned at the Kenyon College Craft Center: instead of putting the sheet metal face to face and then placing the solder around the seam, you metal soldering onto the back of the smaller face, then place the two pieces together, then heat them to soldering temperature until the solder flashes to the edge and you can see it at the seem.

For example, my ring. The smaller of the two faces in my ring is the top, silver face. So, to connect the sheets, I placed flux and solder on the back of the top face and melted that solder until it flowed, dredged it and put it in the pickle. THEN, I filed the solder down flat, to make sure that there wasn't too much solder on the back. THEN, I placed the smaller face, solder-side down onto the band, then heated both pieces until the solder flowed again and held the two pieces together. THEN, I bent the ring around a mandrel, soldered the joint, and dipped it in Liver of Sulfer to get that nice black color.

And that's that. I'm happy with how it turned out. Doesn't it look nice on my finger :)

Sculpture: carving project, second edition

I told ya it would happen :)

Graphic Design: grid system project, parts I and II

Okay, so this is what I've been doing in Graphic Design for the first part of the semester... part II, the last picture in the series, is due this evening. The grid and the first part of the project were due a couple weeks ago.

I wish I could explain to you what these projects were about... but the truth is I'm not sure that I understand them myself. Learning about graphic design is like learning a foreign language... it goes back to the visual decision making that I learned about in 3D, but my teacher also talks a lot about intuition and feeling the decision. She talks a lot about how designers are somewhat schizophrenic, having to be crazy and free and creative while designing and then being anal and neat during execution.

All designs (magazine pages and covers, book covers, posters, billboards, t-shirts, business cards and flyers, etc), she says, all of them have an internal structure that helps the viewer make sense of what he or she is seeing... helps move the eye and create closure in the design.

NOW, the first picture in the series is a picture of my actual grid (a gird is any system of lines, straight, curved, or other wise, that helps the designer place items like text and image into the design so that those items relate to each other). The second picture is an abstract design based on my grid system. And the last picture is a translation of my design that includes text and image.

Part I and II of this project were graded on many different criteria: form, balance, unity, movement, negative space (was there charged negative space or no), contrast of scale, contrast of value, and anomaly (does the design break away from the grid in sufficient ways to create interest).

So, anyway, I don't know if that helps you understand what you're seeing, but just so you know, I had fun with these projects. Hard for me to wrap my head around but lots of fun in the making.

Heinz Hall

So, I went home this weekend to hear my brother play with the Penn State Symphonic Wind Ensemble IN HEINZ HALL! Sweet.

Okay, so, some background. Heinz Hall is almost exclusively the venue for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh's version of Carnegie Hall... less prestigious but no less grandiose. There are stucco flowers gilt with gold paint all over the place, the hall is three stories high, and there is no lack of crystal chandeliers, let me tell you. Their choir shell is spectacular, and no matter how far away you are from the stage, you can hear every little thing that the musicians do.

For more information about the PSO and more pictures of Heinz Hall, visit the PSO's Website.

And, I have to tell you that I had forgotten how good the music sounds in there: warmer, crisper. Hearing Matt play made me wish that I still had the time and the money to go hear the PSO.

BUT, bonus, Mutti and I had general admission tickets, which meant that we got to sit anywhere that we wanted. Now, I must mention that every time I've been to Heinz Hall to see the PSO, I sat in the nose-bleed section... and I'm not just using that as a cute, little term... I'm talking three stories up, touching the back of the auditorium seating. I always had fun sitting up there... but there's nothing that can beat five rows back from the stage courtesy of Penn State.

So, anyway, back to the real reason for this post: since I got to sit so close, I got a front row seat for my brother's performance. He had a semi-solo in the Ensemble's first piece, and when he stood up in recognition, he looked so proud and happy. And he looked so spiffy in his tux. And I was so happy that I could be there. AWESOME! It was so awesome, I almost cried, no joke... getting to hear my brother play in Heinz Hall. It was a religious experience.

Today's Small Miracle

The temperature climbed above freezing (by 2 degrees).

This According to My Algebra Teacher

Three things that you should never do:

-Tug on Superman's cape
-Spit into the wind
-Divide by zero

Outta Luck?

My Lucky Bamboo is dying... what does this mean?

Am I just a bad plant parent or is the universe trying to tell me something?

My Graphic Design Professor Reminds Me of Willy Wonka: in a good way

This is not to say that my professor is out of touch with reality in the way that Willy Wonka is (because she seems really grounded), but she really does remind me of Roald Dahl's character.

She wears very strange glasses, think owl-eyes with silver triangles by the ears. She wears brown boots with black pants and green sweater vests.

She does asides on herself. She is unabashedly honest and in your face about what she thinks. She is very smart and a genius at what she does. We'll be talking about a topic or a piece and she'll make a grandiose/philosophical comment that will take you aback, then the class will start talking/arguing about what she said for 45+ minutes... we won't get anything done but you'll look back on the class and know that it was really some of the most effective time that you've ever spent in a class room.

The Hands of the Artist

I've been thinking about this for a while... and a lot lately because my hands are killing me from carving the plaster.

Why do so many artists today seem hell-bent on removing the craft from art? It's like no body wants to get their hands dirty anymore... and in my opinion, that's the best part. You get to play with paint and clay and paper and glue. When did taking the time to use your hands become uncool?

I mean, jewelers have computer programs like CAD/CAM that do a lot of the design work... THEN, based on CAD/CAM images, there are machines (like lathes for wood) that will actually cut the mold out of jewelers' wax for casting... Human hands are not involved in the process at all except for the fingers that use the keyboard and mouse.

There are so many artist studios around the country where artists just take the time to make a sketch or mockette, then he or she hands the drawing/mockette over to an art director, design team, fabrication house, or apprentice for fabrication. I know that as part of the Post-Modernist movement, a lot of artists were working against the idea that you needed to have skill to create an impressive work of art... but come on, where's the fun in that?

I mean, you walk into any Kay's or Zales around the country and get a mass-produced bracelet or ring or pendant than any number or women or men can own... and those pieces aren't considered art. But that's my point. They aren't considered art because no one had to think very hard about the design (movement, flow, negative space, etc.) or how to fabricate them, they're basically a bunch of settings jammed together and set with as many gemstones as possible. These are things that machines created with the help of humans.

Without the hands, all art will eventually look the same... there will be no connection between the creation and the mind, no physical link at all. The computer can only show you so much before it all becomes a blur of grey, unsubstantiated and uncreative. A computer is a tool... but our minds are the greatest computers and our hands are our greatest tools. Take them out of the picture and what have we left? And if art is supposed to be a labor of love, then where's the love in that?

Sculpture: carving project

Right now, we're working on carvings in sculpture.

We made mockettes out of clay, then cast proportionally sized blocks of plaster for the final pieces.

Right now... my tools consist of a mallet and chisel. But later we'll be moving onto rasps and sand-paper.

And, I swear that somehow my sculpture will end up looking like my mockette. I don't know how yet... but somehow, somehow it will happen.

Dietrich's Canoe

Okay, so Dietrich is a sculpture professor at Edinboro... and he's building his own canoe. I was lucky to get some pictures of it because I was in the studio when he was working on it.

It isn't quite finished. If I can get a better picture of it, I'll post the new picture later.

Dietrich said that he was building a canoe to avoid working on his own sculpture. BUT, I mean, stick that thing in an art gallery and just tell me where to sign. I think it's gorgeous.

Sue Amendolara

Okay, since I've shown you my first jewelry fabrication piece, I thought I'd introduce you to my jewelry professor: Sue Amendolara (aw-men-doe-lar-a). There are two jewelry professors at Edinboro: Cappy (my advisor) is one and Sue is the other.

Okay, so honesty, Sue's aesthetic is a lot closer to my own than Cappy's, although I respect them both as artists very much.

The piece shown is entitled "Flower of Life" and is one of Sue's later pieces... her earlier work is much different from a materials standpoint (she used a lot of other materials besides metal: plexi-glass and ebony... and she used a lot more surface treatments, like texturing and Mokume Gane (marriage of metals)). Although what her earlier work has in common with her later work is an affinity for organic shapes and clean lines (but in my opinion, her later works are more successful solutions to these problems).

Anyways, she's a really nice lady and awesome teacher... during our critique on Thurs, she had a lot to say to students who thought their pieces hadn't turned out very well... telling them that it's never useful to put ourselves down because we're always changing and always learning. She said that metal is one of those mediums that takes time to get used to, gets familiar, but is always going to be challenging. She simply had a lot of positive things to say to everyone: I really appreciated her attitude, although I'm not sure if I'm getting it across here.

To me, she seems like one of those people who takes art as a philosophy as well as a life style and life choice... but that's not to say that she takes herself too seriously. She just seems very level-headed and knowledgeable. I hope that I can be as helpful to budding artists some day if I ever get to where I'm going.

To learn more about Sue and her artwork, visit www.sueamendolara.com

Today's Small Miracle

I got a 100% on my first college level Algebra exam.

Amendment to My List of Favorite Birthday Gifts

-Matt sent me a copy of Ivanhoe AND the cutest birthday card ever.
-Andrew sent me Imogen Heap :)

Jewelry Fabrication: cold connection piece

Here it is, kids! My first ever assignment as a metalsmith in training!

This first picture is of my sketch book, and the second picture is of the finished project... from my brain to you :) Our critique was today, and I turned it in today.

It was made with bronze (the "gold" metal), copper (the "pink" metal), and a little bit of sterling for the flowers and petals. Also, the tree trunk and Japanese lantern are of copper as well. The tree trunk has a hammered texture and is patina-ed with Liver of Sulfur, and the lantern is engraved and patina-ed with ammonia fumes. And the way I got the path onto the bronze was through sandblasting; I covered the sky and the path with masking tape and then sandblasted the grass, and that's how I got that effect.

Now, the whole point of this assignment was cold connecting, i.e. connecting the pieces without using any heat, which means no soldering or melting, etc. So, what we did was create our own rivets using wire (you can kind of see the rivets in the flowers, and those little "gold" dots on the lantern are rivets). First, you take the two pieces that you want to rivet together, then you tape them together so that they don't move while you're drilling them. You drill holes through both pieces for the rivets to go through (making sure that the drill bit you're using corresponds to the size of wire you're going to use to make the rivet, meaning that the bit and the wire have the same diameter). The you thread the wire through both pieces, snip the wire to the appropriate length, and file both sides of the wire flat (so that you get a nice round rivet). Then, and lastly, you hammer both sides of the rivet to flatten it out and make both ends larger than the hole you drilled. TaDa! You're pieces stay together.

And that's that... this piece was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. AND, I only broke one saw blade the entire time :) Go me :)

I'm so proud of it. I hope that you are too.

Mostly Because I Thought My Blog Needed a Picture of My Dog

Today's Small Miracle

My internet is moving way too quickly. It's freaking me out... but I hope it lasts.

The Art of Gary Spinosa

Gary Spinosa is a sculpture professor at Edinboro, and he had an art opening on Wed., the 31st at Edinboro's Bruce Gallery.

Now, as far as I can tell, there are two gallery spaces at Edinboro... the Bruce Gallery which is a university run space that hosts professor showings as well as artists' work from around the country, etc... AND the Bates Gallery which is a student run gallery, students submit portfolios and are juried into the space by their peers for shows that occur a week at a time, meaning that there is a different student exhibit every week during the semester.

So, anyway... I went to the Bruce Gallery opening Wed. night. I loved his artwork so much that I bought myself the show catalogue as a birthday present.



His pieces ranged in scale from pocket objects to slightly monumental (one piece standing at about 10 feet high)... and there were also a few paintings and drawings. BUT, the point is that all of his pieces felt old, felt precious, like mysterious, devotional objects that were meant to be prayed to and touched.

His imagery revolved around ancient iconographies (at least from my point of view)... I felt like if you walked into an ancient Egyptian or Incan (etc.) temple, you might find pieces very similar to the ones that Spinosa created (except for 3 portrait busts of Christ... interesting, but by far my least favorite part of the show).

Also, a lot of his work felt funerary... or guardian like, maybe both at once. But the point is, all of his work feels peaceful, in a very deep-seeded and stirring way... it all goes back to the idea of devotional objects for me. The pieces are like meditations in and of themselves, layered with images, but so simple in and of themselves... and that was they're most seductive quality: they're simplicity. My favorite piece of the show (or at least the piece that I was drawn most strongly to) was entitled "The Dog of Sorrow," and it is, as the name implies, simply a dog sitting on its haunches... but the look on its face, like someone in mourning. I can't really describe it but to say that it made me feel, just feel... and I think that's what art is really about.

To learn more about the exhibit or see more images from the show, visit The Philosopher's Stone webpage on the Bruce Gallery website (where I found the images shown above).

My First Post as a 24 Year Old

a list of my favorite birthday presents:

-i got to talk annie AND dabney on the phone on the same day!
-both jackie AND andrew wrote on my facebook wall on the same day... my favorite gifts are the ones that say, 'i'm thinking about you'
-my mutti called and sang happy birthday to me (okay, so actually, she sang happy birthday to my voice mail... BUT, that's almost better because I saved it and now I can listen to it any time i want :)
-uncle bob's they'll-kill-you-they're-so-good-brownies
-the day after my birthday was a reading day so i got to sleep way in and then sit around
-rosencrunch & guildenpop, if you don't know what i'm talking about, i hope that you can one day find out. it's like cracker-jack on speed.
-the fact that mutti bought me two birthday cakes, even though we only ate one
-the complete metalsmith awesome! a bench guide for all serious jewelers :) we all know that i'm very serious
-thundercats, ho!

Today's Small Miracle

The sun came out. And with all the snow all over the place, it was like walking on a floor of mirrors. It was so bright that I had walk with my eyes closed.

The Art of Michael Parkes

I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting for this book. Years.

It all started with the first Michael Parkes monograph, The World of Michael Parkes, which was published in 1998 and went out of print almost immediately. It was published in a limited run, so by the time I discovered Michael Parkes' art around 2000-2001 there were no copies of The World of Michael Parkes to be found. I searched around for it on Amazon and Ebay every once in a while. The cheapest that I ever saw it was in the ball park of $200.

So, I told myself to be patient. If Michael Parkes was really so popular, it was only a matter of time before the publishers put together another monograph. AND, low and behold, The Art of Michael Parkes was published in 2006. I was visiting the website of a gallery in California which sells Parkes' work online, and I discovered that the book had been published. I get all my Michael Parkes news from the Avalon Gallery website because not only do they have pictures of current and previous Michael Parkes lithographs and paintings, but it has artist bios and news from other wonderful artists, like two of my other favorites, Danial Merriam and Juan Kelly. If you have a moment, you should visit the website and see what I'm talking about.


But anyway, I digress. I discovered the book had been published, so immediately, I started hunting around for it. However, I only discovered that this book was published during winter break, almost 2007, as in almost a year after the book was published. This book was also published in a limited run: a run of only 5000, which in the publishing world is a very limited run. So, as I hunted around, I started to run into the same problem: copies on Ebay for over $100, etc. BUT, I found my copy new from the Amazon Market Place for the publisher's price. LUCKY.

And I'm so happy with it, I love leafing through the pages and looking at Parkes' surrealist, fantasical art: right up my alley.

So, anyway, when we get right down to it, this book was well worth the wait. Everything I wanted.

*Both of the images above can be found at the Avalon Gallery webpage.

Movie Review: Pan's Labyrinth

Ye of weak constitutions, turn back; this movie is violent with a capital 'V.' The only other word I can think to describe it is "gore." And I think the only other movies that come close are Tarantino movies. Except where Tarantino's violence (I'm thinking of Kill Bill in this instance) is ultra-stylized and choreographed, the violence of this movie is ultra-realistic. It was as if writer/director Guillermo del Toro tried to portray as many different kinds of violence as possible as realistically as possible: battle, murder, torture, amputation, payback... even childbirth in this movie is incredibly violent and deadly.

Since the movie was touted as a fairytale for adults, I think the violence has a lot to do with the original versions of Grimms' Fairy tales... but still, I had to cover my eyes numerous times, and not because what I was seeing was frightening... it was terrifying and grotesque... and I'm sure things like those portrayed have happened in real life. Scary.

Also, the movie was subtitled. I didn't mind; I was just surprised. I saw HBO's First Look of Pan's Labyrinth, and nothing in the first look led me to believe the movie was subtitled or even foreign. Weird.

Other than those two things, the movie was really interesting, beautiful, and well told. All the actor's were amazing. All the special effects were amazing. Pan was awesome. The villain is viscous and colder than even Lewis' White Witch of Narnia, and you are totally endeared and worried for the characters throughout the entire movie. It was a good flick, if not a little left of center and jarring.

So, in short, I liked the movie... I'm just not sure that I ever want to see it again.

Frosty Should Move to Edinboro

Okay, so I came back to campus on January 15th... January 16th, it started snowing here, and it has not stopped since then. It has snowed here EVERY DAY since I got back to campus. I mean, maybe not inches everyday but at least some sort of snowy precipitation every day I've been back at Edinboro.

I don't' mind the snow, when it comes down to it, I'd rather have snow than rain... but I really don't like walking in it. It wouldn't be so bad except I don't think that the Edinboro ground crew has heard of this stuff that I like to call "salt." I mean, there have been a couple days where the snow fall has been really light, and I thought to myself, "Oh good, maybe they'll get this place cleaned up before it starts snowing cats and dogs again." But no, the sidewalks have pretty much remained slushy and snow covered. I honestly don't know how the disabled students get around, it doesn't seem possible to me.

We have about a foot-and-a-half on the ground right now, and at the rate it's going, we'll have at least 2 feet by tomorrow. Yikes.

On the up side, I have been enjoying lots of nice, hot beverages lately... hot chocolate with caramel and green tea flavored with Mandarin oranges, etc.

The picture I included is the view from my window of the back of a house on Darrow Rd. Please note how some of the icicles almost touch the ground.

Don't Lie to Yourself, You're Jealous

A humidifier that looks like a cow AND the mist comes out of its ears :) Awesome!

Livin' the Dream

Koolkat in on Washington Ave. in Mt. Lebanon will be selling my jewelry on commission. The owner's name is Kate, nice lady.

A week ago today, I met with her at her shop and showed her samples of my work... she took 38 pieces from me including pendants (one of which is shown), necklaces, bracelets, and earrings... and she is selling them for me on commission. She takes my pieces and adds 60% to my price... and then I get %60 and her store gets %40. I get a check every month for the pieces that sold, and then I send her new pieces every month.

It was all very official... I had to sign a contract saying that I wouldn't sell my jewelry anywhere in the immediate business district as well as other details about the commission prices, etc... and I have to fill out inventory sheets that describe the pieces she takes.

I'm so excited though, I'm hoping that what I sell will help me pay for Edinboro. AND, even more exciting is that I didn't think I would get into the store on this visit... I am artist #67 of about 80 artists that are represented in Kate's shop and before Christmas, when I first visited the store, she said that she has about 50 jewelry artists in the store and wasn't looking for anymore but that she would be happy so see some samples. SO, imagine my Happy Happy Joy Joy when I learned that she was going to take stuff from me :) Yay! It made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

SO EXCITING! Making money at my trade, yay.

RIP BMW

Poor BMW, though you were rear-ended and are no longer with us, you are still in our hearts. Though the insurance company has decided to total you rather than fix you and deliver you into our garage, we will always remember you as a first among cars: fast, comfortable, safe.

And as we send you to Auto Heaven, that great big junk-yard in the sky, do not fear that you will ever be forgotten. Though we must replace you, there will never be a car to match you. Rest in peace, BMW, rest in peace.

Quiz Part II

So, I took the quiz again... Okay, I'm not gonna lie, I took the quiz may times again, and the two cards that came up the most (okay, the only two cards that kept coming up) were The Wheel of Fortune and The Star. So, here's The Star.

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised

The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Quiz

Another quiz via Air Pollution. Interesting and fun. Also cool because there are five decks from which to choose your display card AND the deck I chose is a deck that I own in real life. So, much love and have fun.

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

My Visit to Kenyon

Marvelous. I had a good time.

They rearranged the Bookstore. I hate it. Ellen made the comment that it looks like a K-Mart, and I agree. She said they changed it because President Nugent walked in one day and thought that it looked "shabby." I don't even know what else to say except that it looks more commercial and less loved.

Well, I stayed at the Kenyon Inn: posh. And tasty, I had room service for dinner last night, and let me say: Yummy! I had this Eggplant Napoleon thing, layers with eggplant, mashed sweet potatoes, risotto, and cranberry chutney. Awesome.

And I had lunch at the Middle Ground both yesterday and today... Yesterday with Ellen and Kristen (my advisers), and today I went stag. I wanted to eat at the Gambier Deli today, but since it's break, the deli was only open for three days during the week and Saturday was not one of them. Oh well. But I have to say, both times at the Middle Ground were yummy. Chatting with my advisers was good fun; I got to hear all the Kenyon news, got to hear all about Graham Gund's latest campaign to recreate Kenyon in his image, all about the mundane details of living on the hill, got to tell about the happenings in my life (Edinboro and art)... It was really nice, just talking and listening. It was a choice way to spend an afternoon.

Then today, I just took a walk around campus. It was really weird and erie because since it's winter break, I had the campus to myself. There was NO ONE else there. I felt like a ghost, as if the living were hiding in the real Kenyon while I walked around in a life-size model: like I stepped into another world, another Kenyon, my personal Kenyon. It was nice, weird but nice. And also because of break, all the buildings were locked: bummer, I wanted to go into Ascension and Peirce. But alas, no go. HOWEVER, amazingly and appropriately so, Sunset was not locked and I got to sit in the library classroom. It was quiet and sentimental. Words cannot really express how happy I was that Sunset opened for me.

And on my way off campus, I of course drove past the new athletic center: a monster of a building. I learned that it covers 4 acres. I did not stop to go in.

The on my way out of Old Vernon, I had to stop at the bead store, duh: bought myself some beautiful pearls and some peridot chips. AND I went and visited Fred and Dianne in Rundell's; they own the store and custom made a ring for me as my Kenyon graduation gift. I drooled over their display cases and talked with them for over an hour. They are such nice people, I'm so glad that I fell in with them. I hope that they allow me to drool over their cases for years to come.

And then, drove home. It was time for a visit. I'm glad that I took the time.

Uncle Bob Made This for Me

My Uncle Bob made this vase for me... I've been bugging him to make me a vase for a couple years now, and he finally got around to it.

And let me say, I think the vase is gorgeous. It is exactly what I wished for, except more beautiful. He is really a talented ceramic artist. Too bad he writes computer programs for a living...

I wrote him a thank you note and told him that I put purple roses in it... but the I mailed the letter before I bought the flowers and the silly Giant Eagle people had no purple roses... so I bought the yellow roses instead (the sunflowers and daisies were left over from another bouquet). But still, I think my vase looks so lovely with all those flowers. It was lonely yesterday, so I filled it with flowers today. Lonely no more :)

Some Poetry for You

I bought myself a new poetry book yesterday... I picked it up because of the author's name: Jane Kenyon. However, after I read a few poems I decided to buy it because I actually really like her style. So, here's a sample for you...

The Shirt

The shirt touches his neck
and smooths over his back.
It slides down his sides.
It even goes down below his belt-
down into his pants.
Lucky shirt.


Who

These lines are written
by an animal, an angel,
a stranger sitting in my chair;
by someone who already knows
how to live without trouble
among books, and pots and pans...

Who is it who asks me to find
language for the sound
a sheep's hoof makes when it strikes
a stone? And who speaks
the words which are my food?


Fun stuff.

The Butterfield New Year Traditions

Well, New Year's has never really been that big a deal in my house... so there aren't many traditions that we uphold.

The main tradition that you have to keep in mind is that we all hold a piece of silver in our hands as the new year turns, usually some coinage. Holding a silver coin is supposed to bring you luck and prosperity for the new year.

Other than that... we just sit around and watch movies, eat shrimp cocktail, drink wine, and generally relax.

AND, our other major tradition is for New Year's day... we eat pork and sauerkraut for dinner. Sauerkraut because we're Polish, and pork because for some reason or another, eating pork on New Year's day is supposed to be good luck as well.

So, I guess the short of it is... our traditions are about bringing luck. Amen.

What is the World Coming to?

Yesterday, I was shopping a department store and I saw a Steelers thong... a black thong with the Steeler's logo on it. AND it wasn't even in the underwear department... it was on a gifty-type display in the middle of the men's apparel section of the store.

I mean, really...

Doggy Under the Tree

Aaaawwww... :)

Pancakes

Matt made pancakes this morning... second time this break. He is growing into quite the little chef. Awesome :)

The Butterfield Christmas Traditions

Well, all the good traditions start with Christmas Eve dinner... the table must have at least 7 different foods on it (why 7, I couldn't tell you): three different kinds of homemade pierogies (sauerkraut, potato, and cottage cheese), pickles, olives, and fish (2 different kinds this year). The table must have fish because my Granny always said that fish (and almonds) are the Lord's foods... it's always been smelts in the past but this year it's smelts and crab cakes, and thank God because I hate smelts, all those little bones, gross.

Then, after dinner, church. That is a relatively new tradition, we only started it after my dad left... and it is the one time a year that I go to church. I like it though, we go to the candlelight service. I know this sounds cheesy, but every single time we sing "Silent Night" in the dark, it makes me cry. AND, I have a bell that I wear on my coat when we go to church, my Gran gave it to me, it used to be hers... I wear it once a year and then it lives safely in my jewelry box for the rest of the time... a very "It's a Wonderful Life" kinda thing.

Then after church, we always watch Scrooge with Albert Finney before we go to bed. My Mutti always waits until after Matt and I go to bed before she puts the presents under the tree... I like that, I think it keeps the magic alive. Sweet.

Christmas Day, we wake up and open gifts then have a big breakfast then we start cooking dinner. I cook pounchkies ("poonch-key"), polish donuts. I only make them once a year because they are so labour intensive. You have to fry them in grease, so I'm sure they also majorly clog your arteries as well. This is another tradition that I took over for my Gran... she used to make the pounchkies, but she taught me before she died, and now I make them.

And my Uncle Jimmy and his family usually come over for Christmas dinner...

And that's Christmas in the nutshell, good food and lots of good times. Family to the fourth power and just lots of tomfoolery. Yeah.

Baking Day!

Today is Baking Day... I'll be making mini-oatmeal cookie sandwiches with buttercream icing in the middle and mini-cherry tarts with cherry pie filling and whipped cream. Yummy. This is the first time I will have tried these recipes, but don't they sound really great?

Also, Uncle Bob and I are making dinner this evening as well: lasagna.

AND, I'm making ice cream today... Kahlua/Amaretto ice cream.

Good times in the Butterfield kitchen.

3D: foam carving project

These are pictures of my final projects for 3D Design. We were studying organic forms... making pieces with edges and folds and transitions in and out of both. There were two pieces required for this project, one larger and one smaller. Both pieces had to have at least one edge and at least one fold.

Both of these pieces are made of housing insulation, obviously not the pink fiberglass stuff, but the blue foam-type stuff. I worked with Hacksaw blades and sand paper. They were very messy to make. Once you started working, there was blue dust, pieces, brap all over the place. My lint brush was my new best friend when I was working on these pieces.

They were fun, but I'm glad that I don't have to work with the foam anymore.

2D: final project

Our final project for 2D was to create a book of about 10 images. The books did not necessarily have to tell a story (although mine did, what's the point if there's no story?). The object of the project was to use good flow and design sense, and the images had to connect to one another visually, that is to say, you couldn't turn the page and feel like you were in a different book all together. Text was basically no allowed, it could only make up about 10% of the finished book. Although, I know plenty of people who used no text at all, myself included.

Just some examples of the books people are making: one girl is making a book about different types of houses, another girl is making her book about sensations and she has lots of pictures of hands holding ice, holding gravel, etc, one boy is making his book about pirates (and that's all I know so far, but what I've seen looks really cool), and another boy is making his book about superheroes (and it looks awesome). And that's all I've got so far, but I can not wait to see every one's finished project.

The project was incredibly open ended, your book could be about anything that you could possible think of (as long as you could make it visually interesting). The book could be any dimensions that you wanted and be bound any way that you wanted. The only real "rule" is that you have to use two different surfaces. My two were glossy card stock and acetate. One boy used scratch board and Bristol board. Lots of people used Bristol board and construction paper.

My book is a story, as I said... kind of a mythology story. The mythological creation of water. I created all my images in Adobe Photoshop. I didn't include any images from the front of the book... but, basically, the story begins in the desert, and a blue wolf enters the landscape. As he walks across the desert, his footsteps fill with water and storms come in behind him. Eventually, the desert is overcome by an ocean and lush green replaces the red sand of the desert. My book had 11 pages and I've included pictures of my favorite 3. Trust me when I say the color is much more vibrant and impressive in person.

3D: foam core projects

Alrighty, I turned these projects in about a month ago... sorry that I'm just getting to them.

None of these are very big: the tallest is maybe 7 inches. The object of these projects was to deal with plane: how it divides space and how one plane maps onto another.

All of us turned in 6 foam core projects: 1 dealing rectangles and set up in a grid-like way, 1 with rectangles and triangles set up in a grid-like way, 1 with just triangles no longer in a grid-like manner, 1 with all curves, and 2 using any shapes or techniques that we wanted to use. I've included pictures of my three favorites from the project.

The rules for the project were as follows: planes could only be glued face to edge (not edge to edge or face to face), they had to be built to stand in a certain way, each plane had to be broken be another plane (meaning there could be no clean faces that could be placed on the table like a pedestal), and there had to be at least one plane in each of the three axes. To understand the axes, just imagine a desk: the table top is in one axis, parallel to the floor; the wall is in another axis, perpendicular to the table top; and the legs of the desk (connected front to back) create the third axis, perpendicular to both the table top and the wall. I hope that helps you visualize. I had a hard time with that concept at first too.

Triple Planetary Conjunction

"Starting" December 6th and "ending" December 13th, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars pass closely to each other in the eastern, pre-dawn sky.

So, of course, I got up this morning to see it. AOL said the best time to see the planets was 45 minutes before sunrise, and according to Weather.com, sunrise was at 7:38 AM, so I got up around 6:40ish. I saw the conjunction, but at first, I wasn't sure that it was the conjunction because Mars kept winking (so I thought it was a star) and I couldn't see Mercury. So I thought maybe it was stars just haning out in the pre-sawn sky. BUT, I found a picture of the conjunction online, and it was what I saw. So, yay, I didn't get up before dawn for nothing :) I tried to include the picture, but sorry, no go on that one. Just imagine bright stars that form a tiny triangle to the left of sunrise. The brightest and left most intersection is Jupiter, white... the top of the triangle is Mars, cream, not as white and winking. Mercury, the least bright, sinking into the sunrise and barely visible. Also according to AOL News, these plants have not been this close since 1925 and will not be again until 2053.

Now, let me just say that as an astronomical event, this one wasn't too stunning. I mean, intelectually, I understand why it's scientifically significant, but visually, not really so impressive. I wasn't even sure that it was what I was seeing, I thought I was seeing stars and turning them into plants because that's what I wanted to see.

I saw the conjuction between the Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon in June 1991, and as both a scientific and visual event, that was much, MUCH more impressive. All the bodies were easier to see AND it was an event that only happens about once every 600 years. PLUS, it was an event that happened in the western, post-sunset sky, so there was no getting up involved. I remember seeing it with my Gran and reading about it in the news paper. Good times.

And that's it for now. Much love...

Yep

This first picture is the view from the front door of my building. White, isn't it?

And just in case you couldn't tell, that's my car with over a foot of snow piled on top. Nice.

This According to Weather.com:

Tonight (Wed Night)
Rain and snow showers this evening transitioning to snow showers overnight. Low 27F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation 70%. 2 to 4 inches of snow expected.

Tomorrow (Thurs)
Cloudy with snow. Colder. Morning high of 28F with temps falling to near 20F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 80%. 4 to 6 inches of snow expected.

Tomorrow Night (Thurs Night)
Periods of snow and windy. Low 17F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 90%. 5 to 8 inches of snow expected.


Please pay special attention to the amounts of snow that will be falling.

Winter Wonderland

Hey gang,

I know that I haven't written lately, but that's because there hasn't been much of anything to write about.

Thanksgiving break was fabulous, although not nearly long enough. And now I'm simply back at Edinboro, finishing out the semester: working on final projects for both 2D and 3D, studying for Golf/Wellness, Computer Sci, and Accounting tests. And that's what occupies my time at the moment.

Although, in other news... there must be at least a good 7 inches of snow on the ground here. We got about about 3-4 inches two nights ago and another good 3-4 inches last night. So, everything is very white and wintry looking. Just what I need to get into the Christmas spirit.

I know I shouldn't be telling you this because Annie will be appalled, but I don't have any Christmas lights or decorations in my room, not a one. I just didn't feel the need for some reason. Christmas is what happens at home, and this place isn't my home yet.

And that's it for now, much love...

Mini-movie Review: The Fountain

Don't waste your money. As a movie, it was well crafted and beautiful looking... but as a story, it sucked, not worth the 95 minutes.

The Chimera Soiree

Well, it was a good night. I included a picture of myself, but as you can see, it's blurry. I have no idea how it became blurry because as is a prerequisite of using the self-timer, I set it on something, so it's not like it was going any where. So, my apologies... but don't I look hot? I'm surprised that no one asked for my phone number.

The second and third pictures are of the gallery space in the Erie Art Museum Annex, where the party was held. It was a really cute, intimate space that was subdivided by a wall; the gallery space and all the art that was accepted into the book was on one side, and we had the food and Chinese auction on the other side. And let me just say that the food was fab... most of our dishes were made by the Multi-Cultural Club and they were great. The Soiree had a Mediterranean theme this year so there was a lot of hummus and bruscetta flying around, but there were also some very nice rice dishes and some spanicopitta and salmon rolls. And there was this spinach/roasted red pepper dip that was yummy to the Nth degree; if there weren't other people there I seriously could have just grabbed the tray with the dip and fresh bread and just eaten the entire thing. But alas, I didn't, maybe next year.

The forth picture is of the gallery on the second floor where the poetry/prose readings were held. If you didn't read the previous post and you don't know, three of my poems were accepted into the book, so I was in the reading. I think the mag accepted about 12-13 writers this year, and 6 of us read, so it was a really nice, intimate reading. I only read two of my poems because the third is a suedo-Haiku and the explanation of the poem would have been longer than the poem, so I figured the audience could just read it for themselves when the book comes out in April.

And the last picture is of a band from Erie called Mr. Gnome... they were a two person band and actually quite excellent. A little bit loud for the space, but they're music was pretty fab. There was another group on before them, based in Edinboro, it was a student group... much calmer in tone but just as excellent.

All in all, I had a really nice evening, eating and listening, etc. Good times. I would do it again.

My Brother, The Musical Genius

My mom and I went to visit Matt at Penn State over the weekend... to hear him play in PSU's Bandorama: both the Symphonic Band and the Blue Band played.

Matt is in the Symphonic Band, the second best band at Penn State. AND he is the first chair oboe, over juniors that are also in the band. So proud. He had solos in three out of the four songs that the band played... and let me tell you, he sounded maaaarvelous. So proud. The first picture is of him and Mutti, notice how saucy he looks in his tux. And the second picture (you're just going to have to take my work for it) is of Matt standing for recognition of his solo in the forth and final song of the concert.

It was a football weekend, vs. Temple... lucky I had my PSU Tee with me, there were armies of people in blue and white. And I got to see a little bit of Penn State's campus. I liked it... I don't think it would suit me, but Matt is very at home there; he fits. And I am happy to see him happy.

Chimera Submissions

All three of the poems that I submitted made it into the book, although one of them just barely.

Two of them were on the cusp... so both of them were read aloud to the group (by the faculty advisor). I know I should be complimented by the attention, but I'd rather they were in outright.

Work harder, write more I suppose. But I am on my way to being a literary success :)

The Next Time You're on Jeopardy

I learned an interesting little tidbit of information to day in 2D: how to "grey" down a color.

When you're painting, you don't add black or brown to a color to "grey" it down because then you will end up with muddy colors that look icky. Instead, you add a color's compliment to it to make it into a "grey." But that's not all, even if you a color's compliment (red/green, blue/orange, yellow/violet), you may still end up with a muddy mess. SO, you add that color's secondary compliment to get a nice grey.

For instance, in the painting I'm working on now, I have a shade of Yellow-green (actually, it's green, but to get that color, I had to use a heck of a lot more yellow than I did blue to get it) that my teacher told me was too saturated (too pure). So, he told me to add Violet to grey it down.

How, may you ask, did he arrive at that descision? Well, simply refer to the color wheel... to arrive at the correct greying compliment, find your color's actual compliment and then take one step counter-clockwise on the color wheel (always one step counter-clockwise) and you have the correct mixture.

Example: the color I'm working with is Yellow-green. Yellow-green's actual compliment on the color wheel is Red-violet, BUT, take one step counter-clockwise, and the correct greying compliment is Violet. Viola!

So, the next time you're on Jeopardy and Alex Trebek is grilling you about the greying compliment of Yellow-green, you'll know the answer: Violet.

Via Air Pollution

Thanks to Andrew, I've just discovered Quizilla. I have a feeling it is going to be one of my new favorite sites.

Which Jane Austen Character Are You?

You are Eliza Bennett from Pride and Prejudice! Yay, you! Perhaps the brightest and best character in all of English literature, you are intelligent, lively, lovely-- in short, you are the best of company. Your only foibles are that you stick with your first impressions... and your family is quite intolerable. Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Winter Hits Overdrive

Lake Erie dropped 4+ inches of snow on Edinboro last night between 3-9PM. You know how I know? I was driving in it.

I went to my class in Meadville around 5:30ish... and it was snowing profusely, but the roads were still passable. THEN, on the way home, my trip took me 2 hours. That trip usually takes me 30 minutes.

It was still snowing profusely, and it was sticking to the roads (I saw more than one person in a ditch off the interstate). THEN, when I did reach Edinboro, the main road into Edinboro was closed (as to exactly why, I'm not sure), so some firemen directed me along another route, which I had never taken before, and it was dark, and still snowing, and there was snow on those roads as well. I was terrified that I was going to end up in a ditch for the night as well.

But I did make it home... and when I made it to my room, I was shaking. I had myself a mini-panic attack over the thought of being lost and stuck. But you live and you learn, if I had been smart enough to check the weather when it started snowing at 3PM, I might have known that last night would have been a good night to skip Accounting I.