dp studio

Evolution of a Print

2012-03-02T08:24:00.004-08:00

I have been making a lot of things in my printmaking and metals classes...mostly just to keep my hands busy. For printmaking, I've been working very quickly on a lot of small editions. I get to work independently on the intaglio process. I decided, for my first print, to keep it easy and bring a sketch from my art journal to life. I say easy because it is formally similar to everything I was creating two years ago. Drawing lines without any representational intention has become an unexplainable comfort for me much like laying in the grass at a park in the warm sun or eating pasta and meatballs with family on Sunday afternoon.

Here is the original sketch from a new art journal I made. The book is is bound in the elongated horizontal format that you see here. I didn't crop that from a larger page. I wanted to see what kind of drawings that layout would bring. It seems I just made...piano keys or something.

Then I made a drawing to fit the plate I was planning on doing drypoint on.

This is the print on plain white intaglio paper.

And here it is on my own handmade paper.

Everyone seems to like the handmade paper one but I'm partial to the clean white paper. I cannot decide. Which is probably why I haven't actually created a real edition of it yet. I'll figure it out later.

Also, more good news, I have completed all 42 pages of Chapter 4 of my thesis. There are lots of great images and tables of all the data I collected over winter break. It is satisfying having it all in one place presented in a nicely organized manner. Two more chapters to go.

I will post more prints and my most recent metals creation once I get good photos and scans of them all.

Winter Break

2012-01-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

So, this break has been wonderful. I have been visiting as many people, things, places as possible. I have one more data collection visit for my thesis. Then I get to transcribe it all.

I just got back from Buffalo. I had a great little visit up there talking to my boss's mother for an entire afternoon about weaving. It certainly was fun.

I have been obsessed with buying house plants. Someone needs to stop me.

It is strange...I feel like the semester is almost over already..but it hasn't started yet. One year left of school (forever). It feels really good.

Maybe I will have time to make my own art again...and make music with Seamus again. I look forward to both of those things. Getting a taste of both this winter break was not enough. Tease. I am tired of only posting mediocre digital photographs on here. I want to have new artwork to post.

beep boop bop.

Loom Pendant

2011-12-13T18:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the most recent piece I completed for the final in my first metals course. There are other parts below, but I suppose this is the focal point. The piece is directly related to my art education masters thesis. In my Chapter Two: Literature Review, I talk about the benefits of the process that have been identified in previous research. Let me be the first to tell you, there hasn't been much research in the field of art education done about weaving as a beneficial process to visual art students. I spent months looking and I came up with a few actual empirical articles. I had to piece together most of my argument using broader more scholarly texts like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow and Richard Sennett's The Craftsman. (Both really interesting and inspiring texts if you have the time.) I primarily discussed the importance of mastery and exploration of process for all human beings, despite intentions of being an artist, and how this is integral for the inclusive Kindergarten through 12th grade education system/classroom. I diagrammed the benefits of learning with hands-on experience and how it really brings learning into a more long-term realm in the brain. Lastly, and most importantly I talked about the educating of the tactile sense which severely lacks attention in the current American education system. There were other points, and I could keep going, but I will leave it at that.

The assignment for my final piece was to make jewelry for one of the 5 senses. So I thought, "okay...I have literally spent the entire semester developing this point of view on weaving as a beneficial creative process...why not make a loom." So I did. And here you have the product. It is a double-sight (visual sense that changes over time with use and investigation) and touch (process process process). I am really happy with the end product. There are other pieces (yarn cone to hold threads, the beater comb, and a pincushion ring that holds the tapestry needle) below.

The semester is almost over. I have one more class to attend and then it is thesis data collection time. I am actually really excited. It looks like all my anxiety was for naught. You can see the site where I am conducting my research here. The Textile Arts Center is an awesome place and if you live in the NYC/Brooklyn area I highly recommend you check out one of their locations. They hold adult classes in all fiber processes and have artist studio spaces for let as well as galleries to show work.

Alla prossima. Goodnight.

2011-12-03T18:50:00.001-08:00

2011-12-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

due date

2011-12-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

New Computer

2011-12-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

As you may already know, I have been without a personal computer for the past couple months. I have functioned this entire fall semester without it. But now I am back, with a desktop, and a lot of new abilities...like being able to take my photos off of my camera and putting them in a library. It was nice having a usb drive as my "computer" for a bit...but I'm glad to have my own computer again. Here are some images from this past semester.

and

I'm

still going...

My Official Thesis Title

2011-11-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

An Investigation of the Benefits of Studying and Practicing the Creative Process of Weaving for a New Generation of Visual Arts Students

...are you totally and completely bored and annoyed yet?

Most recent metals creation

2011-11-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

I probably won't be taking this off for quite a while.

college happened too

2011-11-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

recapping...further

2011-11-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

Italia

Olds but goods.

2011-11-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

When I finally get a new computer I will update newer photos.

It looks like I am going to Maine again for a summer vacation week. I'm very excited.

Horizontals

Photos taken while driving home from Montreal.

the semester, so far.

2011-11-11T06:42:00.000-08:00

I think I have been getting a handle on school, course load, time management, everything. I know it is probably impossible to believe but I am actually kind of ahead. Only slightly. I can have a day of rest today and not feel overwhelmed. I can't wait to have my weekends back.

I haven't been making artwork. My energy and ideas have been stretched thin, only utilized for talking about art education, art theory, art practice, etc...but not on actually DOING. Luckily, the metals studio that I am taking is interesting and devoted to learning processes. It is a new process and exciting, but not the same as sitting at my desk every morning at 8:30am with a cup of coffee and an art journal of my creation, spending hours playing with materials to inspire new ideas for projects. I really miss it. It is all just out of arms reach at this point. I can see the end of my two year plan. I have little more than a year before I can focus my attention on making artwork. Maybe I can even start playing around with music again. Possibly adopt a new friend to spend my days with (dog). It seems so lovely from down here.

Halloweenie!!!!!

2011-10-31T12:42:00.001-07:00

Metals?

2011-10-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody. I just wanted to share exciting news with you all. I completed my first creation in metals. It is an astronaut and planet that rotates as if it were drifting in space. I know it isn't THAT impressive...but for my first experience in metals...I am pretty proud of myself. I took a crap photo on my phone after I finished. Here he is.

Exciting!

In other news, trying everyday not to get completely run down and overwhelmed with graduate thesis writing and planning. Haven't really had time to make artwork outside of classes. Next summer is going to feel so good.

Weaving...

2011-09-10T07:38:00.001-07:00

(...patterns!)

The new school year has begun. I am already working hard on my thesis. This year is going to be tough. I have decided to make my topic about the process of weaving and its potential benefits for enriching an art curriculum. As of now, the idea is broad. I need to get more specific. I will need to figure out who I want to interview, students? educators? weaver/artists? I am leaning towards weavers. We shall see. There isn't much literature on the subject so I am sure it will be open for me to do whatever I want. Maybe I could manage to interview Sheila Hicks. That would be fun.

I am also finally taking a metals course this semester. I originally went to art school with intentions of learning how to weld and make metal sculpture. I wound up getting really interested in printmaking and weaving and never had the time. I am very excited.

Are you afraid of your art?

2011-08-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

That was fun.

hallo

2011-08-07T05:33:00.001-07:00

I'm back!

Full update soon.

Vacation

2011-07-30T05:58:00.000-07:00

(Above: Garden Progress, My Recent Collograph Print Experiment, more Garden Roots.)

I am leaving on an 18 hour train ride to Georgia today. I will be gone for a week. I am really looking forward to the adventure and chance to visit one of my dearest and oldest friends. And her little bear cub.

I hope It isn't too hot.

Weaving again.

2011-07-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Prepping the table loom for some new tapestries.

From the Vault

2011-07-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

This is how my drawing skills have progressed over the years. I actually think I like the older one better.

Summer work

2011-06-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

Ink and dye on handmade paper.

I put my spacesuits up on the wall again. The inspiration wall is growing. I hope to have it filled by the end of the summer. I also hope to have my art journal filled by the end of the summer too. So much to do in two months.

Recent Pages 2

2011-06-24T14:55:00.001-07:00

Getting back into it. New samples from my art journal. Spending more and more time at my desk. Feeling more and more relaxed. Going to a bar tonight for the first time in....who knows. Also, I've been thinking a lot about my art education thesis. I have been encouraged to research based upon my interest and training in textile design. Hm. We shall see. It might be a good way to get back to Philly and into the FWM. I would love to do some fabric printing again as a byproduct of study. I miss it.

Back to the studio.

2011-06-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

I've been getting back into painting. Here is a sample.

garden

2011-06-04T05:31:00.001-07:00

Ever since the semester ended, I have been taking it easy. As a part of the mental break, I decided to step down from the fine art and art education cloud to get dirty and grounded. Here are some images of my seedlings. Zucchinilings, Greenbeanlings, Basilings, and Cornlings. I also have parsley, but it hasn't emerged yet. They are really beautiful, aren't they?

Beans

Zuccs

Corns

Basil

Parsley...coming soon.

Also, I finally went to see the Sheila Hicks retrospective at ICA yesterday. I spent a great deal of time there. It was truly inspirational seeing May I Have This Dance? in person, finally. (The picture really doesn't do it justice.) I loved seeing her little notebook with her hand scribbled question, "How does one bring four geese on a train?", with an accompanying illustration of tiny geese heads popping out of a woven form. Hilarious! I think I need to pull out my table loom now that the move-in is completely over. Thank you, Sheila.

Portraits

2011-05-10T04:46:00.001-07:00

I started a dry point portrait series about two years ago now. I never got to even edition them because thesis took over. I finally printed them this semester. They are in dire need of a third. Maybe more depending on how much time I have this summer. Here are the two.

The scans lost a lot of detail. I also don't know who my third subject is going to be...

The Scifi Landscapes

2011-05-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

I will explore this more over the summer. I kind of got obsessed with trying to depict the future that I see in my dreams. It is all centered on physics and geometry. Once I establish a more cohesive visual language for it, I am sure there will be better prints and paintings to come.

remember that plate?

2011-05-06T05:32:00.001-07:00

Here is the finished product of the self-portrait plate I was working on a while ago.

It is done on my own handmade paper.

New home

2011-05-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

Bill welcomes you.

Our current livingroom.

Wall of media.

Bed and Bierstadt.

For Astrid

2011-04-17T12:18:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends

2011-04-13T05:10:00.001-07:00

A lot of news to report...

But nothing new to show.

Until May 9th.

Harry Bertoia

2011-03-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

So, a lot has been going on in the gallery lately. I thought I should blog about it.

I am really excited for the upcoming exhibition. We have been working really hard and it seems to be paying off. The show is currently featured in and article (and corresponding slide-show) at dwell.com.

The work is really fantastic. It is also extremely inspiring, for me personally, considering the similarities I am finding in his handling of formalism through printmaking processes, and the works I have been making in the medium for the past three years. The exhibition will also feature Bertoia's furniture design as they coincide with different pieces. It is amazing how technically, both mediums are so different, but for Bertoia, each visually informed the other. One example is the relationship between his renowned Diamond Chair and one of the many Untitled prints and their use of a bending and warping grid.

Here is a good quotation that I felt summed up my feelings. Kelly Murphy, my coworker, said this to dwell:

"I personally was trained as print-maker and have worked with many artists to produce editions. While printmaking can be very innovative, there is a certain level of control necessary to reproduce the same results. I find it very interesting that Bertoia used printmaking, in a way, to lose control and allow himself to explore his senses."

Visit our website: Kean Galleries and read more.

For all images of Bertoia's works on paper, visit: Seraphin Galleries
For all images of Bertoia's design, visit: Knoll, Inc.

Minor Saints

2011-03-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

I realized, after trying to show someone the work I did during college, that I never uploaded images of this book. I titled it, "Minor Saints", and it was purchased by the UArts library in 2009. I wove each folio using the double-cloth method and screen printed the content on each page. I wound up making an edition of 5. It was bound with thread and cased in dyed cotton fabric. The text was all taken from a short story I wrote and the images are based upon drypoint plates I was working on at the time. Completing this book series was a great moment for me, looking back on it.

The Grid

2011-02-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

Hello, All.

I will be showing work at The Soapbox Exhibition Space this coming month, along with fellow artists (and friends), Chloe Crawford, Astrid Bucio, Betty Lertdarapong, Joe Pillari, among others, in the exhibition entitled, Considering Structure. I look forward to seeing what everyone has been up to in their studios in Philly. It will certainly feel refreshing not to have my head buried in books and papers for a minute.

Please, come out! The opening will be Friday, March 25th at 7PM. The Soapbox: 2325 Madison SQ. Phila, PA. Don't miss it.

Blind-contour

2011-02-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

printmaking again

2011-01-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

Above is a scan of the current state of my zinc plate. I started working on this self portrait because I figured...I haven't done one in quite a while. It has a ways to go. Dry point on zinc is difficult with a dull scribe. Prints soon to come. I am very excited to have access to a press again.

new art journal

2011-01-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

To refresh your memory, at the beginning of the school year I had made this cover case (below) for a new sketchbook I intended on binding in...I think....September. I never got around to completing that project during the semester.

Yesterday I devoted most of the day to making and binding the parts together. I am very happy with it. I even started working on the first pages...then I fell asleep.

I am so excited to work in it. It has a more pages than my last art journal. I am hoping to finish it by this time next year, maybe even earlier.

sublime in abstraction

2011-01-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

This winter break is going really well. I have been getting back to drawing out ideas for larger pieces with new and different materials. I hope to have time to experiment, execute, and document before the semester begins. We will see. It is nice to have a little more time to do so. Expect pictures of my new ideas and drawings.

Also, I might just be biased, but I really recommend seeing On Line at MOMA. Go if you have the chance. It was actually really interesting drawing parallels between my personal evolution concerning abstract line drawings and the material transition of the curated pieces through the time frame. My progression is a microcosm of the greater push from the early 20th century to today's conceptual art. I was naturally moving this way without giving extensive thought to the timeline, no pun intended, of previous artists and their handling of line. Seeing the exhibit kind of gave me the recharge I needed. It was particularly beneficial seeing the work of Nasreen Mohamedi in person. After reading a bit more about her work and her life, I feel almost more connected to her than dear Agnes Martin.

Bucio<->Palermo

2010-12-31T12:11:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

My dear friend and former studio-mate, Astrid Bucio, and myself have been collaborating on and off for some time now. She and I decided to follow in the footsteps of our friends, here, and start an art exchange blog. It will work by one of us posting a piece and the other reacting to it to create a response and so on in a cyclical progression. You can find the blog here. I am very excited to be a part of it and can't wait to see what comes of it. I hope you all enjoy it too.

santa isn't coming this year...

2010-12-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from little me to you.

Normal posts will resume soon.

december: 23

2010-12-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

This semester is just about over. I'm finishing up papers as I type this. I cleaned out my paper making/book arts flat file and locker yesterday. Brought home a lot of great stuff to work with. I don't have much in the way of finished pieces to show, but here is a pulp painting I found buried in that flat file. I also finished a found object book made from an old telephone from the 50s. I unfortunately don't have pictures to show due to the fact that my teacher took it to put in a display cabinet. Eventually...

Also, I have been looking at a lot of Native American blankets for inspiration lately. Here is one of my favorites.

Navajo Rug
Bear and Yei Dancer
Circa 1920
Wool, Natural Dyes
48" H x 70" W

allora

2010-11-30T07:17:00.000-08:00

I have regained my health for the most part. I am pressing on. Here are some images from a book I am working on now. It isn't bound yet. I am trying to decide how to do so.

I have been thinking a lot about what I can make in terms of a found object book. I have a lot of ideas. I want it to have a lot of textures and colors. Photos of first attempts soon to come.

Lastly, I leave you with this special video to melt your soul.

archetype

2010-11-23T07:13:00.000-08:00

Below is my most recently completed book. The inside content is representative of, what feels like, my rotting insides. On both sides, there are accordion folded pages that pull out. The imagery gets progressively lighter and more colorful towards the outside, symbolic for my hopeful return to health. The binding is a double accordion piano hinge variation. I couldn't get any good images of the spine to show you the neat piano hinge method. You can get an idea of how it works below. The second image is a section of one of the accordion pages when it is laid flat. The general imagery is all a result of experimenting with various hand printmaking methods on a large sheet of paper. And yes, those are old paintbrushes I used as dowels.

I was told by my bf that it is the best thing I have ever made. Though I appreciated the compliment, I would like to think the books I'm currently working on are much better.

Speaking of the fellow, he has been writing in his blog, painstakingly reviewing all the albums in his top 100 list. He mentioned one of my favorites the other day. Etta James' Tell Mama. If you haven't heard it, you most certainly should. He offers a free download of the album at the bottom of the article. Read and download.

ailing

2010-11-17T10:25:00.000-08:00

So, I have been consistently sick with something new every week for the past month. I was never really a sick kid and I used to pride myself on my strong immune system. Things have broken down I suppose. The stress must have made me more susceptible. Hopefully this is the last of it. I don't want to be wheeze anymore.

So, I don't have any new artwork to show you, because I haven't gotten around to photographing/scanning anything. All moments at home have been spent in bed, with my phlegm spit cup in one had and toilet paper roll tissue supply in the other, watching movies to help me fall asleep in awkward propped up positions. Last night was Curse of the Demon. It might have been the drugs, but it was actually scary.

Also, in other news, my download of Degrassi Seasons 1-9 is almost complete. Anyone who wants to join in the watching marathon let me know. I will probably do nothing else all winter break.

Lastly, I'll leave you with this hilarious image from my sketch book where...essentially...I gave up...

a book for the day

2010-11-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today, I decided to aim toward making a book a day. Instead of working on, and finishing, one sketchbook in about a month or two (which I have been doing for eight years now), I want to switch gears and try to make little concept books. In a completed series, they will encompass each day separately over a stretch of time. Above is an image of something I did over the summer. I found it while cleaning and it sort of served as the inspiration for the idea.

Below are some images of the book I made today.

Cover, inside, and back cover.

More to come with some of my handmade paper...

lesson plans

2010-11-02T12:59:00.001-07:00

Grad school seems to be giving me a little bit of a break now that mid terms are over.

I had to teach a spur of the moment lesson to a Kindergarten class at my student teaching practice a couple of weeks ago. Teaching requires much more improv abilities than I thought. The project was a giant collaborative drawing of a "Jungle of our favorite animals". The image is just one of my favorite sections from the larger piece. I also taught a printmaking lesson to a class of 2nd graders for my field observation. The outcomes were really great. It was rewarding seeing children experimenting with materials. All the children have been really responsive to the lessons I create for them. One of the boys, Brian, age 6, drew me a detailed (and even shaded!) picture of a pumpkin, knowing that I love Halloween. "To Ms. Paleprmo From: Brian". It has been fun so far, especially when they are excited and motivated.

Here are some images from my Halloween...

Steve Albini, Big Black with a moshing pumpkin, Endless Mike, and Jurassic Park...respectively.

Images of book concepts I have been working on soon to come...

slugs

2010-10-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

I got a wonderful surprise visit from some Philly friends this weekend. It makes me really miss the city. I miss having the community of amazing artists that surrounded me while I was there. I need to get back.

Also, the visit made me realize how little art work I have been making in comparison to what I used to do. I have never been this stressed out and anxious without time for an outlet. Things are getting worse. The worrying needs to stop. I need to find time to make art consistently again. I also need to find time for more physical activity. I hate sitting in a car/classroom for most of my day. Grad school is not treating me right. I will not let it beat me.

pedagogy

2010-10-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is a small scan of a book cover that I have been filling on and off for the past month. With all the school work and stress, I have to release anxiety somehow. It is 1'6" X 11". I will be case binding with it and making myself a new sketch book over the next couple weeks.

I have been experimenting with paper making processes a lot lately. It is wet, very wet, but really inspiring work. With every edition of paper I make, I have a million new ideas for possibilities of exploiting this process in my more personal expressive work.

something recent

2010-09-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Pulled from my sketch book...

Here is an image of something tedious I did to relieve the anxieties of moving to a new place and starting in a new direction.

foster innovation and creativity

2010-09-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

This past month has been extremely hectic. I've started my graduate studies and I already have more things to do than I have time to do them. I've been studying non-stop for Praxis tests and devoting myself to my teaching field experience. I attended a back to school teacher's meeting. I was intimidated being the youngest person in the room. Luckily, my cooperating teacher is super.

All this and it is no surprise I haven't really been making large pieces lately. The extent of my art making consists of quick gesture sketches of friends, family, and animals on things like paper plates, receipts, and wrappers. These are desperate times.

I am, however, taking a graduate book arts concept studio class this semester. I am very excited for that. It'll be picking up where I left off in undergraduate fine arts studies more or less.

The next two years are going to be challenging and a real test of my values, integrity, and efficiency.

Time to be a professional.

Also ... I went to Montreal as a last minute summer vacation trip before school started. I loved it there. It is everything I like about city living. All I need to do is get on learning french and I'm there.

Back to work.

traveling

2010-08-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

This seems to be the summer of travel. I have been driving and riding the train everywhere. I have never felt so confident in my freedom and independence. It got better with age, I suppose. My artwork as been reflecting all this. In that I have noticed it is more controlled and to the point. Also, my fears and paranoia about politics and the environment are starting to effect me in a more productive way. I no longer feel paralyzed.

Here is a preview of what some of the pages look like from the art journal I have been working on this summer.

More here...

worthy

2010-07-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

I've been spending the past couple of weeks getting to know my new town. Also, spending as much time as possible with my dear friend, Maggie. It has been a wonderful summer so far. Getting used to commuting in NJ so that I can go back to school with confidence. I also just met my best friend's child. He is going to be quite a guy.

As far as art work goes, I don't really have a place to work on larger pieces, so I have been spending most of my time working on an art journal. For those who like keeping visual journals, I highly recommend getting involved in The Sketchbook Project. I am still very much interested in making art books and getting them out there. I think my studio work is going to turn into experimenting with book structures as some kind of portable art gallery.

I miss having studio space to work in...

nothing to be concerned about

2010-06-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Very well then, I haven't posted since before Maine, and there is much to be touched upon.

First off, Maine. Acadia...What an absolutely beautiful place. I hiked nearly everyday I was there, got a nice little tan, enjoyed the genuine sent of fresh air, and set my anxieties at ease with the sound of true quiet. I revived my childhood love of rock collecting along the way. My sister was infinitely amused with my goofiness and we created many a new inside joke phrase. I took a ton of photos, but due to the fact that I am still visiting my parents, I don't have the chord on me to upload. I'll post some later on for inspirational purposes.

So far I spent one night in New Brunswick house. I am excited to get back.
On the drive back from Maine, I had a strange rush of doubt and felt unnerved when I thought on the next two years. Going back to school is a good choice on many practical levels, but for some reason, I still have the overwhelming feeling of intimidation in being my age and going back to grad school. I'm sure it will pass once I get started. I feel really smart and extremely dumb at the same time.

I think once I get settled in New Jersey again, I will feel more confident and my choices will start making sense again. I also might start making some substantial art work again. The root of this probably is that I haven't actually been making.

(Click to view larger)

1. Pink Granite from Cadillac Mt.
2. "
3. Striped ocean rock from Sand Beach
4. Tiger striped blue rock from Bubble Pond
5. Barnacle covered rock from Wonderland Trails

Lately...

2010-06-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

So, the move out of Philadelphia is pretty much done. I will post pictures of the new house as soon as I take them. I spent my last night in Philly itunes visualizing with Astrid and Justin to Ladies and Gentlemang... Now on to adapt to New Brunswick.

I've been planning some projects for the summer, and setting up a studio in the basement of my parents house next to my father's model making studio. My father will be making monster movie models while I draft patterns and weave. Nice combination.

I have been having terrible nightmares. Lots of imagery of dismembered people and disturbing abandoned rooms with no doors. Hopefully they go away soon. I would like to get some real sleep.

Lastly, I am a part of a show opening at Nexus Gallery in the Crane Arts building this Thursday (June 10th 6-9pm). Make it out if you can. If not, it will be up for a month.

the letter 's'

2010-05-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Been saying goodbye to life in Philly. Going to miss it dearly. Left: work. Right: house. I don't want to get so busy that I won't be able to visit often. Too many people here mean too much to me.

I've been feeling really angry...and weird. I don't know why really. I haven't been this irritable since...high school maybe. I hope it passes. Not being a summer person is not really helping.

Been working on getting studio work and art related volunteer work going in Jersey. Things are looking up for future art. I have some big ideas for the summer. Some of those include...screen printing on grass, plain weave circular tapestry series, backstrap looming, recording on my own for the band, turning my fathers barn into a darkroom for non-silver processes, and getting so tan that my teeth look super white.

One Week

2010-05-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

College is just about over now. I was doing some work in the Non-Silver darkroom this weekend and took some shots. I think it has become my favorite medium to work in. It is the room I know I will miss most in the school... Next to the advanced fibers studio for sentimental reasons.

Here is a sample of my most recently finished print. It is a four color gum dichromate print.

I wonder if my landlord will notice if I turned our garage into a darkroom...

Re...

2010-05-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

This is what my studio...and my entire college career... has been reduced to...

The furniture is not included.

Feets hurt. First Friday was enjoyable. I'm really good at condensing. There is an impulse in me that really wants to just burn all my work and move on, start fresh and clear without anything to reference.

True Involution

2010-05-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

This was one of the plainer fabric screen prints I did before the thesis show. It didn't make the cut, though it was really close. It was hard mixing the work from the past couple months and the work I did at the beginning/middle of the school year...even though it is just a generalized and simplified version of what I was doing before.

I think I am going to go sketch (FROM LIFE) in the park...because today is the first day in, I can't remember how long, that I have no real obligation.

Less than a month left in Philadelphia. I have a feeling I'm not quite done here, to be honest.

Senior

2010-04-30T09:53:00.001-07:00

So, the show is up and ready to be seen. I am very excited to be done. Glad everything came together as well as it did. The great hall is overwhelming. There is really so much good work coming out of this graduating class in crafts. Sometimes over-ambition is a good thing.

If you don't already know the show opens TODAY in Hamilton Hall from 5-7pm. There is also a private opening on Sat. from 5-8pm. It will be up for a week. So, come see what we have all been working so hard on this year.

On a side note, I finally figured out what to do with my business cards. I think it is appropriate.

front and back...

Also glad that worked out as well as it did.

I have been really enlivened thinking about all the work I would like to make when I get time again. After this is over, it will be great to keep working on art outside of an academic setting and without people breathing down my neck. It is strange because after hanging my work for the show, I realized how far off my thinking is visually from all my thesis work. Probably going to stem off far away from fibers and pick up a paintbrush again this summer. That will be nice.

Business Cards?

2010-04-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

Most recently drawing on acetate. The series is large but this is my favorite. It consists of layers of gently X acto-ed sheets.

The senior show preparation and installation is starting to come together. The show opens this Friday (5-7 pm) and Saturday (5-8 pm). Hope to see you all there.

As an added bonus...My postcards as downloadable wallpaper!

2010-04-15T05:36:00.000-07:00

Set up a mock show of my work in the critique space. This was for my final advanced class critique. It went really well.

My mother came for a visit last Sunday and hung out in the studio for a while. She walked around and looked at my work. She "found herself getting lost in the drawings". I think, just with that comment, that I succeeded in making work related to my thesis. Wipe the sweat off my forehead.

Now, I just have to finalize and hang for the show.

88

2010-04-06T21:07:00.001-07:00

Installed work I am considering putting in the show at the end of the month. I have a critique tomorrow. We will see how it goes.

Otherwise...here is a sample of the work I have been doing recently. Everything is getting more and more simplified.

senior show

2010-04-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

Trying to plan and organize what I want to put in my senior show. It is giving me really horrible anxiety.

Here are some recent things I've been working on.

The first is an ink drawing on paper. The second is a screen print on silk. The last is a study for a wall drawing.

Mom wants me to go home for Easter. I really don't think that is going to happen.

today

2010-03-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

I have successfully dyed plexiglass.

Here are the before....

and after...

So exciting.

moving in

2010-03-12T20:17:00.001-08:00

Mezzotint 1

Plate I have been working on. Ready for edition of 8.