Love Factory

Below is a photo of a painting I've been working on. It's called Love Factory. I have no idea where this idea came from. It just kind of popped into my brain somewhere. Basically, what you see is somewhat of an abstracted smokestack. Instead of nasty smoke coming out of it, you see hearts forming, meaning love is forming and being born.

The photo is not so great, and I'm not sure that I'm finished with it. I think it needs something else. I think maybe I need to add some kind of defined background, so it doesn't look so much like it's just floating in space. I do love all its texture though.



Love Factory
acrylic on 16 x 20 inch panel

Lately, I think I've been trying to figure out exactly what my style is. Not that I have to have my own distinct style or anything. It's just that... I know I'm definitely not one of those artists who paint everything very realistically. For me, trying to get something to look exactly how it looks in real life confines me, and I have no patience for it.

I've not disappeared

I'm still here. I've been working on a painting. I'm super tired right now, so this will probably be short.

I'm rather pissed at American Idol. My hometown was featured on Idol Gives Back. They basically portrayed my hometown as a poverty-sticken area where no one has anything. They showed probably the worst areas in my hometown that they could have possibly shown. What they didn't show was the beautiful mountain scenery, and yes, there are some actual nice neighborhoods, and not everyone is stricken with poverty. Every place you go will have an area full of poverty.

I know it's a good thing that the people who do need the help will get it. I'm all for that. I just wish American Idol wouldn't have shown such a one-sided story. They could have focused on the positive aspects as well.

Anywho, I'm working on a painting. Not sure when it will be finished.

Me and my boyfriend are going to dance theatre tonight. It should be fun!

Exploding Deodorant

My deodorant melted in my backpack in my car which was there all day in the heat. I didn't realize this until I got home, went to put some of it on, opened it, and it exploded all over my backpack. Fun times!

I'm going to be slow w/posts because I'm making art!

Creative Juices Can't Flow

The past week and a half I have wanted to make art so bad. Why don't I? I don't know. I spend my days at schools, and in the evenings I am tired, with my boyfriend, don't have the resources I need, etc. I went to Wal-Mart some day last week to buy one of those cheap ass canvases. They were out of the big ones so I didn't buy one. I'm going to wait until they get more, then maybe I can paint.

Thursday me and my boyfriend went to Hastings, a book and music store. I found a hardback book about Grandma Moses for $5.99 and a FANTASTIC book about papier-mache for $3.99. Needless to say, I was more than excited. The papier-mache book is my favorite. It has so many different and intricate ideas for papier-mache. You can basically make anything with papier-mache. I haven't got a chance to get to try anything in that book yet, but I really want to soon.

My cooperating teacher informed me of this artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat Art. I will post some of his stuff below. Look Him UP!!!

Credit for these images: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Michel_Basquiat and Google Images

You Got the RIGHT STUFF

So, if you live under a rock, you probably haven't heard that the friggin' NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK are back together!!! It makes me so excited that I don't even know what to do with myself! I was just a small child when they were popular, but I remember my Joey McIntyre (spelling?) doll, and my NKOTB Raincoat and Umbrella! I still have the doll and the raincoat! All of this buzz makes me feel like a kid again! I'm such a dork. Please forgive me. :)

I want to do something cool with this blog. What could it be? I don't know. I'm kind of spacey right now. It's been a long week! TGIF!

ATTENTION! :)

I don't have a lot of online time today. I have to go to the park and collect sticks for my cooperating teacher. Yes, sticks. The 8th grade kids are going to be making three dimensional chairs with twigs and such. I also have to go to dinner, and spend time with my boyfriend, and watch my weekly mini marathon of Ghost Hunters on Sci Fi.

I should probably finish up a lesson plan, but I don't think it's going to happen. Eh?

So, short post today! Sorry! Thanks to all my lovely visitors. I <3 you!!!

Bad Smells

I do not know what the deal is with my car, but it smells BAD. As soon as you open a door the smell hits you in the face! I don't know how to describe it well. It kind of has this weird leafy odor, but it's really strong. I thought maybe I could buy an air freshener and it would go away. No. Now, it smells like Strawberry Weird Leafy Smell. Not good. My car isn't dirty or anything. I mean, I'm sure it needs to occasional vacume, but I don't have any weird stuff in it that shouldn't be there. It's really strange. I think this weekend I'm going to totally clean it. Hopefully that will help.

I had to leave school early today for a doctor's appointment. Oh the joys of that. I've received my usual dose of Cipro, and hopefully my bladder will be on to a full recovery soon. ?

I went shopping last night here in town. My boyfriend surprisingly agreed to go with me ("Sure!"), but of course by the end of the trip he was complaining and pouting. I should have known it wasn't a good idea to take him with me! That won't happen again. Well...it probably will.

I'm going to post some work by Dale Chihuly today. I think his work is very interesting. I've seen a couple of lesson plans for high school that you can use to incorporate his methods. One method deals with heating up small sheets of plexiglass in a toaster oven on 350 degrees (I think) for about two minutes. Once you take the plexiglass out of the toaster oven, it's very pliable and bendable, but it hardens really quickly. Students enjoy doing this because the results resemble that of Chihuly's work. There are also some special transparent glass paints that you can buy at arts and craft stores.

Another lesson plan similar to that one revolves around putting vinyl records in very hot water, and the records are bendable and pliable. It's very similar to the plexiglass idea.