Rainy Day Sketches

One thing Charon and I talked about was the use of wrapping in my work, and how that could maybe be improved. So here's a set of sketches I did, thinking about different ways to use or push the wrapping for my wall brooches

Thesis Pieces

So I realized yesterday, as I was looking at my DISASTER of a bench, that I have about four neckpieces started (barely) for my thesis and an idea for a fifth. Plus the 250 wall brooches I'm planning on making. I've gotten myself into that uncomfortable place where the ideas are coming faster than the work is getting made.

I mean, I was making forms just to make forms, maybe for this piece I designed over a year ago, and all of the sudden, there they are on my bench and a little sketching/thinking and a title later, this piece totally needs to be in the show. I also realized that one of my rocks for Sacra Sancta is too small. Poop.

I'm not going to be posting many pictures of the thesis work, partially because I want it to be a surprise at my show, and partially because my landlords switched my Internet provider so it kinda sucks now, and I'm pretty sure it would take forever to load photos. And I never remember to bring my camera cord to school.

But the ultimate goal is 10-14 neckpieces, and 250-500 wall brooches (depending on the size of the wall). Here are my titles so far, just to give you a taste:

Sacra Sancta
Flow Like Water
Gray Grief (Potato/Rock)
Inner Growth: Salt in the Soul
All the Stones at Your Feet

Happy Tuesday.

Pencil Post

Love these pencil sculptures by Dalton Getty.

Quote of the Week

"Either this deep desire of mine
will be found on this journey,
or when I get back home!

It may be that the satisfaction I need
depends on my going away, so that when I've gone
and come back, I'll find it at home.

I will search for the Friend with all my passion
and all my energy, until I learn
that I don't need to search.

The real truth of existence is sealed,
until many twists and turns of the road."

~Rumi
from In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo: In Cairo, Dreaming of Baghdad

Charon Kransen Seminar

As I mentioned on Wednesday, we had Charon Kransen come as a visiting artist. We had an intense two day seminar on what we really want (the BIG dream), what's holding us back from what we want, how we define success for our selves, listening to our inner voice and what is our work is really about.

He took us through his personal history, so that we could understand better where he's coming from, which I found fascinating. It just really reinforced my belief that we're all just products of our unique set of experiences, and how we choose to handle those experiences. Also, that you never really know where life will take you, and the only thing you can really expect is the unplanned and the unexpected. One example that blew my mind was how at one point early in his career, he got offered a teaching position, from people who he didn't even know were following his work. It all felt a bit spy movieish, but he said never to underestimate that people aren't doing their research on you. Makes me wonder if there's anyone out there following MY work, that I don't even know about.

We also got some insights from Charon on choosing a gallery or galleries to represent you and what kind of relationship that should ideally be. I sometimes forget, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, that the galleries need the artist as much as the artist needs the galleries. A gallery needs good work if it's going to survive. He gave us an idea about how much it costs to do a show like SOFA Chicago. He said that maybe the artist doesn't need to know that kind of information, but it helps. I think it makes absolute sense that an artist knows how much, or about how much it's going to cost the gallery to do a show, because that affects how much work the artist needs to produce to make it worth it for the gallery to take to the show.

For me, the whole experience underscored or meshed really well with all of the things I've been thinking about the past several months. I almost wish I would have had this sooner. But life is what it is, and I feel like I was able to speak from an honest and stable place. I could totally empathize with the new grads though, and the things they're feeling now, were the exact same things I felt when I started grad school.

The seminar was open to both grads and undergrads, though most of the undergrads wound up leaving during the first day, whether due to class, or work, or just not being ready for what Charon had to say. The second day though, the grads got to crit with Charon, which made for a really long day, but it was still absolutely worth it. I felt like I had the most useful critique that I've had in a long time.

I've had a little time to digest and while most of what Charon talked about wasn't brand new to me, I keep coming back to a couple things. One is, that every time I think I'm dreaming a dream that's big enough for me, I realize that maybe I'm not. Maybe this thing that I thought I wanted isn't the best thing for me. Maybe there's something bigger and better out there. Also, that the majority of people live life out of fear, and also, I think, desire. You can live out of fear, or out of love, and I'm working very much on the latter. I want to learn how to be fearless.

Update

I know, I know, I've been terrible with the blogging lately. I really have no idea what I did last week except freak out a bunch and drink a lot of beer. I had to make an emergency trip home a few weeks ago, and I finally feel as if I'm getting caught up. I actually got in some studio time this weekend and the past few days. Here are a few things I've gotten accomplished:

-last four forms for Sacra Sancta in the electroformer.
-Beach Cycles I: Atlantic shipped to Kent State for the Alumni Show (so sad I can't make it!!!)
-brooches finished up and sent to Loring
-molds made
-wax fiasco
-wax victories
-7 wall brooches
-a few hours in the print studio
-am half way through The Upanishads
-got new china paints to play with
-finished up a white pearl rosary with vintage jewelry parts and a green gemstone rosary
-installed my Italy rosaries
-installed some other work in one of the display cases because. . .

Charon Kransen is coming as a visiting artist tomorrow!!!! I'm super psyched and more than a little nervous. He's been here before, and from what I've heard it's going to be an intense two days. Wish me luck!

Happy hump day!

Quote

"Who could abide such a barren land?
Why the lizard, the owl and the drifting sand.
Who could yearn for this glistening space?
You and I who have seen it's face."

~Valerie A. Reiche The Desert (found on a vintage postcard)

Process Shots of the Week

Electroforming guide wire annealed, cleaned and put through the rolling mill.


Rocks, in various state of undress, for Sacra Sancta.

Quote of the Week

"Let him give no thought to transient things, but absorbed in meditation, let him renounce the world."

~The Upanishads

Reading Update

The reading for my geology class is down right oppressive, but I'm trying (and failing) to keep up with the readings for my thesis. Especially since I keep acquiring books quicker than I can read them! I picked up The Sufi Book of Life last week, along with a book of prayers by Ghandi. Still working on the Upanishads and another translation of the Tao Te Ching. I've got another translation of the Bhagavad Gita, a book of meditations/quotes from St. Francis, a scary looking translation of the Upanishads, another book on the Tao, AND a book of Vedic hymns on my "to read stack".

But it's really hard to make any progress when I've got a couple hundred pages of geology to read a week. And this is a class I wanted to take just for fun!

Oh, and have I mentioned how I don't have any actual work done for my thesis either? But I've made a lot of progress on my porfolio exchange brooches and I managed to make myself a pretty sweet Virgin Mary necklace with some super cheap and super kick ass decals from Rynne China Company.

Here's to another week of keeping my head above water!

Process Shot of the Week