Blahhg Post

The Following is a post from a guest writer. 

Hopefully she'll be interested in contributing more in the future but for now enjoy a short poem.

Blahhg Post

by: Alyson F.

What if my life were to stop. 

If I could press a button and

Never talk again, think again. 

Where would the glory be then?

Since day one He breathed

Breath into me and since then I 

have never been able to stop.

Starting Art Again

Guess who's taking an intermediate drawing class!! If you guessed Chuck Noris I can't technically say your wrong. However the other correct answer is me! We just started and I haven't done much drawing in a while so please give me some grace. The following are some different things including a semester long project.

Titles: top- Chair; bottom left: Cellophane; bottom right: Stool

Date: 9/10

median: newspaper print paper and charcole

The following is the first day that I began the card project which is a semester long thing. It's actually pretty exciting. Basically every day I will draw a card (the full list is in the one of my previous entries: http://maddysmadnezz.blogspot.com/2014/09/spice-up-your-art-little.html) and do what ever the card says. Note: that I receive 3 cards every class, which is once a week, and some of them are not always about actuating putting something down on the paper.

Day 1:

 

Description: Draw with your eyes closed for 15 min.

Date: 9/10

Response: Let's just be real. I am so grateful that this was the first card I had due to the fact that I don't know if I could have been quite as brave to fill up the paper. It was such a white and nice piece of paper too. It wasn't a horrible drawing either. I simply put my finger on a point in the paper and drew out and back to the finger. Similarly I felt for the edge of the paper and tried to use that as a guide as I added lines. My teacher pointed out that it was interesting that there was a range of thick and thin lines as well as darker vs lighter areas. These made really nice contrasts.

Date: 9/10

Description: 1) Turn your paper upside down and erase the left hand corner.

My thoughts: I'm just going to say that it is solo hard to completely erase charcoal from paper. It is a lot less forgiving which is why I prefer painting.

Discription: 2) Cut out 3-7 pieces of paper, spray paint them and then glue them on your paper

My thoughts: Sticking with thee idea of flowers I cut out the leaves giving it a layered look. The musical not felt needed and giraffes are my favorite. There were three shades of blue, one shade of black, one of white, and one of gray. It was actually really fun trying to layer the different shades.

Date: 9/18

Description: 1) Cut out 3-7 pieces of paper, spray paint them and then glue them on your paper

My thoughts:  I probably moved that leaf around more times then I really needed to. I wanted to cover up that area because I though it would become really hard to cover p ;ager. However I also didn't want to cover up my cute giraffe 

Description: 1) Do a line drawing of an object from three different angles overlapping in the same place.

My thoughts:  While I wish the white cup was vertical rather than horizontal I'm glad I used the three different colors. I feel like it gave it more clarity. I used a soft pastel because charcoal apparently doesn't work very well on the painted (or in this case spray painted) surfaces.

Random words and phrases

I just found an amazing sight that generates random words for your pleasure. Hello words with friends. Which got me thinking what are some random words/ phrases I can come up with. Some words were inspired by the conversation happening next to me.
http://listofrandomwords.com

• The function of a hippo
• Cat- cartography
• A bus full of hippies
• Bobbadeda
• Quadrigatus
• Maddy get out
• Oh the files are in the computer
• Bowel
• Bitter
• Hieroglyph
• Slug horn
• sound track seemed too
• One who or that which crisps or curls an instrument for making little curls in the nap of cloth as in chinchilla
• Okay, it turns out the cat was actually the Dowager Countess.
• In the best interest

A Poem for Jill

When she looks in the mirror

Another takes her place

The reflection shows

Only what’s created her

Her ears are not hers

They’re made of dark stuff

They record society

And humans are not perfect

Her hair is not real

Although it’s attached

The long curly locks

Holds secrets she’s been taught to hide

Even her heart

Has been shaped by others

Each defining beat

Strums the anthem of her life

When she shocks the world

Only then will she show

From her wink to her nose

That she different from a robo

______________________________________
alternative poem if you had freckles

When she looks in the mirror
Another takes her place
The reflection shows
Only what’s created her

Her ears are not hers
They’re made of dark stuff
They record society
And humans are not perfect

Her hair is not real
Although it’s attached
The long curly locks
Holds secrets she’s been taught to hide

Even her heart
Has been shaped by others
Each defining beat
Strums the anthem of her life

The only thing she owns
Are the freckles on her nose
No matter what others say
They cannot be over looked

Each dot shows rebellion
Every a sun filled hour
That she skipped through
Her own imagination

They hold her true thoughts
As they sway and they taut
They stick out their tongs
And face the world head on

When she shocks the world
Only then will she show
From her wink to her nose
That she different from a robo

Who am I?

Who am I? What do I want?

I am... 

-crazy

-sarcastic

-silly

-hard working

-passionate

-easily flustered

-awkward

-compassionate

-artistic

-tall

-anxious

-sensitive

-gullible

-a learner

-weird

-unique

I want to be...

-loved

-desirable

-wanted

-not an after thought

-a princess

-known

-comforted

-the key to a great adventure

-fired up for God

-able to see the needs of others

-sensitive

-needed

-deep

-wise

But most of all I want to be your friend and a friend to all

Thank Your Friends While You Can

Thank Your Friends while You Can

Don't Wait Until They're Leaving to Let Them Know

I recently went to  a friends college graduation; let's call her DJ Mike. There was food, badminton, a plethora of conversations, new students who knew DJ-Mike or simply wanted to be part of the festivities. At some point we were all called to order by group-picture-girl to sit down/stand around and share memories about DJ-Mike. Usually the girls start sharing their feelings about said person and everyone say's awwww in their hearts but awkwardly tries to think of something deep and profound to say. In this story however the guys were practically fighting to get a chance to share leaving the girls in the dust. I was amazed at the stories they told.

Surfer-dude shared about the time they were standing in line for a ride in Disney world in a line that had a 3 hour wait. Now DJ Mike is considered one of the funniest yet deep people in our group and on this occasion she had payed for surfer-dude to enter the park as well as food and other needed expenses. Let's just say even though there was a 3 hour wait surfer-dude still felt pretty good about the whole thing. They started moving slowly while DJ-Mike kept on cracking jokes. At one point DJ-Mike said something and added in a made up word that was completely gibberish. They were both laughing and at that moment an employee was passing them and heard her. He came over to them and asked what she had just heard. They both repeated it back to him and he started laughing ridiculously hard. The employee then said that since it was so funny they could move to the front of the line. The point of that story being that it was DJ-Mike's ridiculousness and humor that caused them to have such a fun day regardless of being able to skip in line.

As everyone was laughing at surfer dude's story I reflected on wow this is what it means to be a disciple. Not the skipping in line part but the pure joy of simply living life and loving others. It was because of love (not romantically) that DJ-Mike gave to surfer-dude in such a way. 

The-Happiest-Man-Alive-Sayer said something that really stood out to me. After recalling more of DJ-Mike's awesomeness he stated that perhaps moments like these are important for letting a person know how you felt about them BUT we needed to get to a point where we could do you're this regardless of whiter they're leaving or not. Too often we wait until the end, the last minute, the final count down. If we are to have deep relationships with one another we should often convey our feelings for the intended person. I don't even mean to our "lovers" or what ever their called. I simply mean to every day people in our lives. It doesn't have to be fancy. Just call them or simply walk up to them and say, "I'm so grateful you are in my life because..." and fill in the blank. It can be that simple at times.

Relationships of any kind are hard. As someone once said, "If you want it come and get it." The only way to have a deep friendship is to make it. If it's hard that means that you're touching some part of their life and you're growing as a person.

In Pursuit of Personal Preferences 1

AR: Monica Majoli at Air de Paris

Artist: Monica Majoli

median: oil paint

http://www.contemporaryartdaily.comcontent/uploads/2014/04/2_mm14_Pam2.jpg 

This composition and structure of a mostly black canvas with an implied light source that illuminates a fraction of this man or woman's face is rather intriguing. I think what draws my eyes to it is how dark everything is and yet is able to portray something deeper. It both intimidated me on an artistic level and allows me but a speck of hope that I could learn this art. Perhaps the art I like the most is that which I could not do easily yet from which I could conclude the mechanics/ making of piece. If I understand it and am still impress then I value it.

Michael Beutler at Bielefelder Kunstverein

http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com/2014/08/michael-beutler-at-bielefelder-kunstverein/bkv_beutler_2/

Though this is not a drawing the composition and use of color in a space is really eye catching. Clearly it is dependent on nature and not man which gives it a life of it's own. Most interesting perhaps is not the mere idea of being able to move around  it and possibly use the sense of touch or smell to examine it closer but rather the fact that the art piece might in fact be mobile it's self. Meaning the wind can move it about.

http://www.olsonlarsen.com/index.cfm?nodeID=65515&audienceID=1&albumID=3771&action=dspalbum

Artist: Gary Bowling

STUDY: May 2, 2008

Media: Oil on paper

Dimensions: 22x 30

Contemporary artist

There is something so aesthetically pleasing about water and the way that it can be both captured and yet not. Although a person could be looking at the same thing as someone else and never see the same thing. However when looking at water you will never be able to see what they've painted. Not because water cannot be seen but the pattern is something that can never be seen again. The technique of the blotted paint is such that there is both a certain amount of detail and yet a complete lack of sharpness. It gives it a peaceful like quality. I personally love paintings that you can see the brush stokes. It allows for a certain amount of imagination that almost renders the painting impeccable. Paintings that are in sharp detail are both intimidating and seemingly controversial in my mind. Flaws are more potent and culturally specific ones tend to go against natural instinct. The colors too feel very muted which gives it its opaque feeling. Yet there are no lack of colors pink, blue, brown, green and others that are used to make different shades. This artist's style is one which I very much appreciate. Here are a few more of his works.

Artist: Gary Bowling

AFTERNOON CREEK

Media: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 32 x 32

Artist: Gary Bowling

FLINT HILLS BARN
Media: Oil on panel
Dimensions:  36 x 40

Artist: Lisa Houck 

Prints

http://www.lisahouck.com/prints.php

What is particularly interesting about this print is the fact that it has layers that make it feel as if there is more then on layer. Much of her prints are very secular in the sense that it feels like a few pieces of paper have been placed together on a piece of paper. However this work feels more layered. It's interesting that it shows so many shades and layers and yet is on a black to white scale exclusively. This has both repetitive shapes (to an extent) as well as more organic shapes that look almost recognizable as plants, flowers, vines and the like.