Creating Ideas one Print at a time!

As of late....

2012-01-09T19:23:00.001-08:00

MFA Degree Thesis (and Pictures)

2011-12-03T13:17:00.001-08:00

Let's see if this works. I finished my Master's in June 2011. This was my final 'report' and pictures from the show. Tell me what you think!

Serendipity

2011-12-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

Serendipity is an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. That is what art is for me. But that is another post. I wanted to write about the movie Serendipy! I love the idea around this movie. Two people meet randomly (or is destiny) and find a bond that is so strong. The idea is magical! Does it happen - I want to believe so and that is what makes the movie so inspiring. You lose yourself for awhile and believe for at leaset 120 minutes that is can! It is uplifting and I love to watch it, especially at this time of year!

Sometimes life Is Just Like This.....

2011-10-29T19:37:00.001-07:00

Sometimes life is like the picture above. You think that things are clearing up and yet there is a huge storm a comin. I have been blessed,so dont get me wrong, but I feel like life for the past 2 months has been just like this picture. I see lots of people going through many different trials, and I am not unlike any other person. We all go through them, yet we all feel the same - alone.

It is hard to lose people in your life that mean so much to you. They leave in many different forms and some of those ways are more painful than others. I long for a day when I may be able to be apart of someones life and not find that a huge storm is a comin after feeling like you had finally found your place.

Yet, we keep going and try to get through and hope that maybe tomorrow will be a different day or that we allow ourselves to be open enough to feel the healing power of the atonement. For now, I know I am in the middle of this storm and hail seems to be falling constantly, but I have to keep reminding myself that rays of sunshine appear once in awhile and that I should be grateful and in the end clear skies will be back soon!

Sara Bareilles - Gonna Get Over You

2011-10-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

Watch This - I feel in love with it! Really well done!

See there was a good reason I get embarrassed so easily.....

2011-10-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

On Good Morning America's website, it said:

SUNDAY, Oct. 2 (HealthDay News) -- People who are easily embarrassed are more trustworthy, more generous and more likely to be monogamous, according to a new study.

"Moderate levels of embarrassment are signs of virtue," the study's lead author, Matthew Feinberg, a doctoral student in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a university news release. "Our data suggests embarrassment is a good thing, not something you should fight."

The findings apply to moderate levels of embarrassment -- not feelings of shame or extreme social anxiety, the authors pointed out.

The study, published online Sept. 19 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, involved a series of experiments.

In one experiment, the researchers videotaped 60 college students as they told stories about an embarrassing moment, such as mistaking an overweight woman for a pregnant one. The speakers were rated on how embarrassed they felt.

Then the students played a game used in economics research to measure selflessness, and the researchers found the participants who were most embarrassed showed the most generosity.

In another experiment, the researchers also asked 38 people found on Craigslist how often they felt embarrassed and measured their cooperativeness and generosity after they played the same game the students played.

Each time, embarrassment suggested a tendency to be pro-social, Feinberg said. The findings may be helpful for people seeking reliable partners in business and romance, the researchers said.

"Embarrassment is one emotional signature of a person to whom you can entrust valuable resources. It's part of the social glue that fosters trust and cooperation in everyday life," said the study's co-author, Robb Willer, UC Berkeley social psychologist, in the news release.

The authors noted more research is needed to explore whether or not overly confident people aren't trustworthy

Photo Trip

2011-10-03T13:50:00.001-07:00

My friend Nick and I went on a simple photo excursion today. These were my findings:

This is what I long for

2011-09-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

2011-09-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

A success

2011-09-27T11:46:00.001-07:00

I love this video - especially being a woman, who is mormon, and a artist!

Hope this brings a smile

2011-08-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

I do not know what my life holds, but for those who are married, this video brings a special message on the power of love :)

Picture Stories of the last 2 months

2011-07-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

I find peace...

2011-07-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

When I watch video's like this, I remember how blessed I am to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint's. How amazing is it to know that we have a Heavenly Father that loves us so much. We are children of God. I am a Child of God and he is watching over me to help me to have joy and happiness in life. He loves all of us! How amazing to have this knowledge here and now on this earth today!

Well I sure has been awhile

2011-07-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

Blogging....what a chore lol. I have found myself quite busy this past year. But now am more settled and off on new adventures. I finished my Masters of Fine Art in June. What a journey. I hope to have pictures up soon, but that will have to wait until I am back in the states.

In April, Brett and I came over the England to visit Kevin and for Brett to finally see England and Normandy beaches. It was a fantastic trip and ton of fantastic memories. In June, Kev came to visit me and the family and then a week later I came to England to be with Kev and his family. I just extended my stay here and will now be in England until September. I love being with Kevin and his family. It is my second home.

On a walk to Kev's sisters house, he took me through Beddington Park and Carew Manor. I have fallen in love with old cemeteries and this one was priceless. So today I went up and took some pictures. There is something magical about the old headstones and the history just in one place makes me contemplate on family history and genealogy...Thank goodness we have the gospel and the knowledge that brings.

Holga Experiment

2010-06-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

I got back a little over a week ago from a field study of the west coast and British Columbia (Victoria, Ucluelet, and Vancouver.) While on the trip, I experimented with camera's and techniques. Here is what happened with the Holga. I would like to see what more can be done as these pictures are ok but not that great! How fun though. Possibly I will get more pictures up. We will see, seeing that it took me 6 months to update.

If I ever.....

2009-12-30T23:31:00.000-08:00

am lucky enough to have children...they will have an abundance of these kind of shoes (well some pink but in other colors too!) They are just to darn cute!

More Pictures

2009-12-30T23:10:00.000-08:00

**Not the best quality pictures, but you get the jist**

It has been awhile!

2009-12-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

More to follow when blogspot decides to work again!

The last post was the first week of September. Needless to say the excitement of what was to come came to a crashing (literally) halt. I was involved in an accident shortly after that post. A guy ran a stop sign and hit my car. TOTALLED it was and I spent about 3 weeks fighting the insurance company. I was so tired of it all! Seriously I was not at fault (hence the police report where it quite boldly said that the guy admitted to running the stop sign, had no license, the car did not belong to him, and was cited 2 tickets!!!) yet the insurance company made me pay some of the holding fees for my car...what an ordeal. But alas it is over and I have a new car (with car payments I might add) and am well pleased with it (A honda civic, two door, silver, fun.)

Well that was just the beginning of a crazy, stressful, and somewhat crappy semester. So instead of keeping all abreast of my misery I can now write in relaxation and happiness. I have decided to prolong my graduation by a semester so I can take it a little easier and be more involved in church and social life. I have also moved into a new place and I like it alot already. I have great roommates and it should be a fun semester.

A wonderful sight!

2009-09-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went walking for some good o'le exercise. Of course as I am walking I am looking around at everything because 1) I am trying to look for people that might jump out of trees 2) the beautiful stars and 3) well basically everything else. There was a house that had lights on in their living/family room. The blinds were pretty transparent so I could see inside. Kneeling inside and some sitting on the couch was a family having evening family prayer with their parents and grandparent. This is such a simple thing but moved me and I found it to be quite a precious moment. On that note I had a similar experience this week with something else.

On Tuesday night I went to the temple to do a session. When I was leaving I saw this little Peruvian man standing by the bus stop confused. He came over to me and asked if he could ask me a question. I helped him with the bus stop times and realized that he had missed his bus. Now granted I am not one to give strangers a ride home (well I take that back, in Rexburg I would but for some reason felt more safe there) but I felt like I should help him (reluctantly because I was just still unsure about all this.) Anyway, he lived quite far away to walk and I asked him if I could give him a ride home. He then asked me what I was doing in the temple (he said "were you learning or something?) We were able to talk about church, which I found out that he was a member but had not been to the temple for a very long time and he was also receive an art degree from BYU, which was interesting. He was from Peru and wanted to have his English skills develop so he would not go to a Spanish speaking ward. Anyway, as he was getting out of the car and he gave my a hand shake and said "God would bless you." I think he already had, that is for sure and I was sure glad to have been given the opportunity to give that man a ride home that night.

So life is good and there are some good things in store that is for sure! I can't wait to be able to see it all unfold..........

The adventure of the Caribbean

2009-08-14T06:45:00.001-07:00

*** Ok I cant get the photos to work right so if you want to see photos go to my facebook pager**** BOO HISS to blogspot

I have been thinking alot about how I want to blog about this one. The experience brought about alot of things for me. So since I have posted alot of the pictures on facebook I thought I would rather put up more words than pictures.....but don't worry there will be some!

Anyway, so we took the red eye and arrived in St. Lucia July 4th at 2pm St. Lucian time. We were all prepared (or so I thought) to be hit hard by the humidity and heat! I didn't expect to start sweating so quickly....through out the 5 weeks this was a constant occurance and after awhile you just didn't care that it looked like you peeded your pants due to the excessive sweating....but I digress....

We were in St. Lucia for 2 weeks. The place that we stayed was quite fun. It was right across the street for a Steel Drum Orchestra. They practised every night (well there may have been a few nights they missed) but were our "going to sleep music." The owener of the apartment/hotel we were staying at was named Castro and his sons name was Mandela. Mandela ran track for a university in the states and was quite nice to help us figure out how to use the bus system there. I loved the bus. The beach was amazing (well until we got to Tobago but that will come later.) In the first few days people around Gros Islet (the city in St. Lucia we stayed) starred at us but soon became so friendly and were saying good afternoon to us constantly. We also had the cat calling from the men. Yes you may think flattering but after the everyday occurance you soon found it incrediably annoying and could not wait to get back to the states where men would never say anything. We did alot of fun walks, a boat ride down the west coast of the island, hiking in rain forest, swimming, meeting the poet Derek Walcott and hanging out at his amazing house, meeting fun musicians, etc. Plus of course hang out with amazing people from our program....and most especially my roommates Emma and Lori!R>>DIV>
Then we jetted off to Trinidad which was suppose to be a quick flight to Barbados and than to Trini but ended up being a four hour journey and we went to the island of St. Kitts, Grenada, Barbados, and finally Trinidad. The airline is Liat and well not so hot. Well we finally got to Trinidad and went to our hotel Par-May-La and well needless to say it was not customer friendly, were told bad information, and is where the international phone we used was apart of a scam company and we were charged outrageous amounts. But regardless of that we saw many fantastic things (i.e. another rain forest, the Leatherback Turtles) and tasted some great food (rotti, baby shark sandwich, and doubles.)

After spending 10 days in Trinidad we jetted to Tobago. We decided to walk to our hotel from the airport and what was thought to be a 10 minute walk was more like 30 minutes. Well it felt like it. Now just imagine the sight we were.....a long line of white people hauling all their luggage. We were a spectacle and heard all of the laughter. Tobago was my most favorite island. The beach there was the most spectacular in both sand and water. The sea looked like a swimming pool, it was that clear. In Tobago we did my two most favorite activities, sea kayaking and a glass bottom boat!

After the 7 days in Tobago we headed back to Trinidad and than a day later back to the states. The trip for me was amazing for all I was able to see but more so for the spiritual side of it. We went to branches on each island. They were small and yet so strong. I would even venture to say stronger than some of the wards here in America. They were so happy, they were full of joy, loved being there, and full of the spirit. In Tobago we were able to witness 2 new member confirmations and the smile on one of the guys face was so big and he just couldn't stop smiling. I felt the spirit every Sunday and to be honest I do not in the states. I realized that the gospel brings so much more than we are allowing ourselves to feel. We can be uplifted to a greater extent than we let ourselves partake of. We can feel that church is just another thing we do each week and almost drag our feet to get there. I felt that this entire experience was life changing for me and it showed me great possibilities. Yes it was fantastic to see beautiful parts of the world, and learn about poetry that promoted the love of nature, and artistically being inspired from the surroundings, but the most memorable were the members!

Here is some of the cat calls we got (besides from the hissing sounds they gave all of the time)

You are the Champion

Are you a movie star? Because you look good

(out of no where) I am attracked to you
Will you marry me(then later.can I buy you a drink.no thank you.why not? can I buy you a drink.no.what are you scared of me.no I don't drink.bla bla bla.well if I found the right girl than I would move to America and marry her.at that point I said see you later)

For the love of things..............

2009-07-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

I have a new fond love for "old school" film. Of course I would love a Holga for my birthday (hint hint) but that is not the point. I found that I had a roll of black and white film in my SLR camera. So I decided to use it on my niece as she is the cutest and she loves having her picture taken. Here are some of the results:

They pictures could use some more contrast difference...but then I realized that was what was so fun about the pictures...and grainy appearance (like a grainy memory of what it used to be like.)

Anyway, we leave for the Caribbean and I am excited...like a child that is about to have their birthday party and what feel like 10 hours is in reality only 1 minute. I cant wait to do lots of art, meet Derek Walcott, take tons of pictures, meet lots of new people, try snorkeling, and finding a new love of fruit!

Oh and I have now realized that it is time to reveal my little secret. The simple secret is that I am a cookie-a-holic...if there is a group to help people like me out let me know....I am off to exercise to make up for the three I ate today....

!!!!!!!HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!!!!!

A breathtaking site

2009-06-12T10:34:00.001-07:00

As I was leaving the HFAC yesterday I was running to get to the car quickly because of the rain and was stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this! I thought it was amazing!

What a site eh!

Living In Utah

2009-06-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

I have to say I love living in Utah. There is so much to do and it really is very beautiful!!! I am loving taking hikes all over the place and feeling at peace. Nature always brings that for me.

There is even good o'le Walmart! Last night I couldn't get to sleep and so at 12am I went to Walmart. You can always count on that place being open 24/7. Now as I was walking into walmart a guy striked up a conversation. Basically he said he wished the doors were open and not closed so he didn't have to walk as far. I told him to think of it as exercise. He then told me how he flunked his pt test (supposibly wanting to be a firefighter.) He then felt it necessary to tell me that the way this country is going we are going to be in a world like WWII and that those that were digging to deep into 9-11 were going to go to "secret camps." The ones like they sent the Japanese that were living in America....Interesting as I was just trying to be nice and help the guy be more positive about exercise!!! Teaches me to go to Wally world so late at night!

Art Pieces

2009-05-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

I am posting two pictures. One is the last print in my series of 5. I really liked this series. Each print is 30x22 and the plate was 24x18.

The second is my piece from the Mapping the West show.

Oh I uploaded a ton of pictures onto my facebook account. If you want to see more check them out there.

Toodless.......for now :)

It was about time to update......

2009-05-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

**There will be more pictures to come....as soon as the stupid blogspot figures out its upload problem**

News first: I passed my review...I am not sure if I have announced that yet!.....now for the happenings in the last month and half or so......

1) In the middle of April I met these amazing individuals from New Zealand. It was a mother/daughter named Zeerena and Pera (pronounced Peda). I was teaching Zeerena about Lithography and produced some prints that she is going to show in New Zealand. We were able to hang out alot, went shopping, and out to lunch! I just love these gals. I love making lifelong friends and they want me to come to New Zealand...SCORE!

2) At the end of April we started our collaboration project with a bunch of art students from Liverpool, BYU undergrads and grad students, and Zeerena and Pera. 7 of the 9 women that came from England stayed with Tali and I in our house. IT WAS AMAZING!!! We had so many laughs and fun experiences.. They were here for 2 weeks. The first few days was introduction and than that following weekend we went on an amazing camping trip to southern Utah. Now I must say before this trip I disliked camping...well has that changed!! Anywho, after we got back we started producing the art pieces to describe all these experience in a show called Mapping the West. It was a success...now for more friends and more traveling to occur to see them again as we all miss them TONS!!

3) In 6 weeks I leave for the Caribbean for the study abroad. Exciting...I think so..it will be nice to be out of Provo for a bit.

This Semester

2009-03-27T18:36:00.001-07:00

Alright then I think that is enough pictures for this post. This is a documentation of everything that I have done these two semesters (well almost everything I still have some things in process.)

So next month nine girls from Liverpool will be staying with us. We are all participating in a collaborative project with other students and professors from BYU. It is going to be really exciting!!! Then in May we will be working with a few people from New Zealand in a intensive printmaking project. I believe that the art work that will be produced in each group will be shown in both England and New Zealand.

For the whole month of July I will be in the Caribbean reading poetry, meeting the poet (Derek Walcott), and creating art (pen and ink, watercolor, charcoal, etc.) These next few months will be full of different experiences, intensive art making, and lots of fun!

How long does it take???

2009-03-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, December 14th was my last enty....but this semester of graduate school has been BUSY BUSY BUSY....so as a precursor.....I will be posting at the end of next week (hopefully unless I die of stomach aches because of stress) all of the art I have done thus far in graduate school, my recent trip to San Fran, and all the happenings since December....OH and what will be happening these next two semesters for me....here is a few clues Liverpool, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia , poetry, culture......FUN.....yes, yes you will just have to wait to here the skinny...until then Toodles

I have been stabbed....or I mean tagged.....

2008-12-14T22:21:00.000-08:00

Before I start on the agenda of being tagged I want to say that due to being in graduate school I have started to get grey hair and when I say grey I mean patches not a singled out strand!!!!

8 Shows that I enjoy watching:
1) Grey's Anatomy
2) House
3) The Hills
4) Intervention
5) Those documentary shows about psych wards or people in prison (ok yes this may damage me but I find this programs interesting.)
6) Reba
7) The Nanny
8) The Cosby Show

8 Things that happened yesterday:

1)Processed 2 litho plates
2) Snowed a ton
3) Drove to Provo
4) Got a blister on my hand from processes the litho plates
5) Said a swear word because all of my 3 processed litho plates failed
6) Stayed the night with my brother, sister-in-law and niece
7) Ate cookie dough ice cream
8) Made a mini-quilt for a barbie

8 Things I am looking forward to:

1) Going home for Christmas this week
2) Meeting new people
3) Traveling to Trinidad, St. Lucia and New Zealand (hopefully this summer)
4) Reading some books during the break
5) Shopping
6) Ridding myself of negative energy and people that create it by their actions and meanness (sp?)
7) Getting out of debt as soon as possible (since the only debt I have in school but let me tell you....it is quite large in sum)
8) Living in cool places for a year and than relocating (I don't plan on buying a house for a long time, I want to live in cool apartments in major cities being a very successful artist!)

8 Things I love about Winter:

1) The feel of romance (ok cheesy but why not be honest)
2) The smell
3) The change in people's attitudes
4) Cold rooms where I can pile on the blankets and sleep oh-so-nice
5) Christmas Lights
6) The Plaza in Kansas City
7) Jacket weather
8) Homemade soup

8 Things on my Wish list:

1) Travel to the following countries: Italy, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, Bulgaria, Croatia, India, Jordan, Israel, Bali, Russia, Samoa
2) Have my own studio and Printmaking equipment
3) Have a fellowship and artist-in-residence experience around the country
4) Live in a foreign country for a year
5) Met the most interesting man to whom I can have fantastic conversations with
6) Learn to stand up for what I believe in
7) To do very well in art and establishing my art in the "art market" SUCCESS!!
8) To feel joy (happiness is not the same as joy, where as joy is much more extreme)

I am not going to tag anyone to this current round BUT if you feel oh so inclined to contribute the process of a tag.....paste it on your blog!

Happy week....and may you all not find that you are getting grey hair too. Cheers!

A Picture

2008-12-03T10:04:00.001-08:00

Ok really....this is quite possibly the most unflattering picture of me BUT I have to excuse that because Landen looks so cute.

Alright I have a public announcement

2008-12-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

Maybe I should go into hiding after revealing this upcoming announcement but well.....I will just shave my head....BUT.....here it goes

I REALLY LIKE THE TWILIGHT MOVIE! And may I be one of many to say that Robert Pattinson is gorgeous (although I saw some interview on youtube and he seems a bit out of it and a bit young) Ok it has been said and NO i have never read the books nor had any interest in doing so. The movie soundtrack is absolute and well I just might have to download it soon. BUT the story was all sappy and girlie....wahoooo...and finally two people who love each other TONS-O stay together instead of dying or cheating on one another (crap story line to begin with why make a huge deal on idiots that cheat but whatevs.) lol....I am running on a soap box now...but anywho....I have spilled the beans and feel much better for doing so....good night!

Here is the soundtrack list....gotta love youtube if you have not heared any of these groups.....

Supermassive Black Hole
Muse - A must I have enjoyed this group since 2004 (I think?)

Decode
Paramore

Full Moon - I had not heard of this group before! Definatly worth looking into
The Black Ghosts

Leave Out All The Rest
Linkin Park

Spotlight [Twilight Mix]
Mutemath

Go All The Way [Into the Twilight]
Perry Farrell

Tremble For My Beloved
Collective Soul

I Caught Myself
Paramore

Eyes On Fire
Blue Foundation

Never Think
Rob Pattinson

Flightless Bird, American Mouth
Iron & Wine - this guys voice could put you in a permanent state of bliss

Bella's Lullaby
Carter Burwell

My new favorite

2008-11-30T22:45:00.000-08:00

As of this minute I am pretty stoked about the band Iron and Wine....so if you have not listened to them recently or ever...check them out on youtube.com

New Art, Dolls, Sammy's, Vacation...oh my!

2008-11-29T11:52:00.001-08:00

I have decided to put alot of pictures up for this blog. I don't know about anyone else but I love pictures more than reading lots and lots of words...although there may be lots of words with this blog entry too...

New Projects

So I finished the 2nd collage of prints shown below. I am really enjoying this new process and the outcome. This print below is so musical and fun that it turned out this way. I did not think about making it look this way just a formula of how to put each 1" square down. Chance is apart of the process and hopefully as I progress in this process chance will take over the entire thing or at least a few of them!

I have started the 3rd collage and am integrating both square and circles. I really like how this idea is turning out also. It is appearing to look even more like a quilt and that is the exciting part.

The other project that I am working on simultaneously with the collage is a 6ft x 6ft painting. I have below the process that I have been taking. The first two layers were good but after I finished the second layer of purple house paint it leaked through the tape and was a bit messy for me, so I put one layer of gesso over the yellow and purple and the best part is that it lightly showed through. So again, happy accident, chance, whatever you want to call it but I am getting this great layer effect with the different colors and their layers.

This is where I left off before Thanksgiving break. I am looking forward to getting back into the studio and finishing this painting and starting on some new prints both monotypes and lithographs.

Dolls

I also wanted to introduce Emily Fox into this mix. She is a 2nd year graduate studio. We share studio space. Anyway, she had a review coming up and was making this doll to be apart that review. It was a fantastic idea, she paper mache(sp?) parts of the doll, sewed together newspaper for the dress, and painted (oh and did some plastic surgery to enhance the lips.) It is coming along and it will be quite fun and interesting to see the finished product. By the way she did an amazing job a the review and blew everyone away! Kuddo's to Emily!

Sammy's

Just before break Tali, Jayna, and I went out to eat at Sammy's. It is the funnest little dive around. Tali make the discovery when we were eating at an Indian restaurant across the street. So I had fun taking some pictures of the area and the people in the place. This guy had a tattoo on his arm that I found fascinating so I included it!

Vacation

So came break and got to be around family. The 2 cousins got to meet for the first time. Autumn was quite fascinated with Landen and even poked his eye. It was her way of saying "look you have eye's too." The are both so cute...that is for sure!

Break is almost over. I have a ton of homework to do....and can I say I really hate writing papers. This past week alot of us were sick. I have had a headache since Monday and even threw up. My mom got a really bad cold and fever and at one point we thought we might have to do CPR or call an ambulance because she couldn't catch her breath. She thankfully got better but left her vacation early. It was weird to go to the airport so many times and even more so having to change her airline ticket. I have come to realize I hate airports. The bring back to many crappy memories. What happened 7 months ago is still as fresh as the day it happened apparently and it really stinks. So for now I am a no go for venturing to any airport soon. Hopefully that will all change through the coming months as of this coming summer I will be doing alot of traveling all over the world for the next year off and on (New Zealand hopefully, Europe, India, New York, Hawaii, etc.)

Three more week though and than school is out and we are off to Kansas (in the car). I am looking forward to that very much! It will be nice to have a proper break. Until than though it is time to work hard, figure out why I have a constant headache and coming to terms with airports and remember that they are fun places, not sad places, and that because of them you get to see the world!

Life and its thoughts...........

2008-11-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since my last update. School is sure keeping me busy, but it is good because I don't have time to really think about anything else.

These last 6 months have been tough and this past week as I was driving I had this weird feeling, meaning, a feeling that I am not used to and was unsure what I was feeling. After contemplating for a little while I realize that I felt a sort of calming peace. It was interesting feeling as I am not used to that feeling. Additionally, I have seen what can happen when you are trying your best and HF will help with the rest.

I love the holidays and wish that things that were planned 6-7 months ago were still going to be the same. It is weird to not have everyone that was planned for Christmas not to be there and that one will not even be apart of us at all. It is weird to think about, but regardless somehow you make new plans and try and get those plans to be just as good.

Anyway, so life is school....that is about it....and I am ok with that.....If I had a family maybe not so, but life as a single person...it is great....I get to work long, long hours, travel a TON next year and the following year, and than have the potential of living and moving lots. It is weird how things work out.....But I have posted some art I have been working on and than also the painting that I acquired from one of my professors.

Halloween, Black...oh how I love that!

2008-10-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

Ok so I love black nail polish! I admit it!! And that does not mean that I am goth....but I wouldn't mind wearing it ....well all the time ;)....I have come to realize my favorite time of year is fall and the months of October, November and December! It is fun to see all the little kiddo's trick-or-treating and so excited to have yummy candy! Especially if you give them a "regular" size candy bar....ah to be young!

Intro to Lithography

2008-10-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

Pictures to Tell the story

2008-10-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

I thought I would do a pictures blog this time. I went up to Rexburg this weekend to meet my new nephew. He was born September 15th, 45 days early. He is cute, everyone is doing well, except BJ (the dog) as he is feeling deprived of attention....evidence in his pictures and needing to be the center of it all!

Halloween and all that goodness

2008-10-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our ward Halloween party. We did "trunk 0r treat" which is awesome for two reasons. 1) We got to trick or treat (for some of use this has been a few years) and 2) that is what the primary kiddo's do. So yeah for being a kid for like 5 minutes. I have my bag of candy now and it is great.

Also, I have wanted some rain boots but have not wanted to pay $25 for them. Well I went to Target today and was browsing well all of a sudden I saw rain boots, in the clearance isle! Well I saw a pair of yellow ones (i didn't like the pink colored ones) and saw the size, they fit and so though ah this can not be this good to be true.....BUT wait folks it really was ......$6 was the price HOOOORRRAAYYYYY!!!! I am now the proud owner of yellow (big bird yellow) rain boots!

Finding things interesting....

2008-10-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

I am slowly finding blogging and other things like facebook at bit "boring" so for now I will keep up with blogging but I find myself disenchanted with facebook. I go on to see if anyone has posted any fun pictures and reply to the comments, but don't invest in the "status updates" or "take this quiz and you will find out who your soul mate is..."

On a random note Sarah McLachlan is someone whom I have enjoyed for many years. She has come out with two new songs "Don't Give Up on Us" and " U Want Me 2". I really like the later song, but both are quality enough!

Also, it snowed here on Saturday late! Ewwwww...I love the cold weather but can do without the idea of it snowing! I caught a cool picture of the mountains being surrounded by 'snow' clouds today though. They are currently being hit by the white stuff and we, at current, are being protected and can still see grass.

I also went to SLC today to begin my theory paper. The Salt Lake Art Center was closed but I went to the A Gallery. I found some great pieces and these are two of the ones that I enjoyed....can you tell me why?

The Smell of Pleasant Grove

2008-10-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I drive to school everyday and I live about 40 minutes away. I always pass Pleasant Grove, UT and I have to say that it is a necessity at night to plug my nose from the stench of the poop factory! Yes you read it right, a poop factory. YUCK.

This week has been tough but today while looking at my friends blogs I found a link to yearbook yourself from 1952 -2000. These are the following pictures that I found hilarious!

Here is a recent Lithograph I did. It was a transfer drawing. I really am enjoying Lithography and learning all the techniques. The transfer didn't transfer as well as I would like it, but all in all it was pretty successful.

Who said you could be lazy?

2008-09-21T19:30:00.001-07:00

Well I am sick. I have had a cold for 2 of 3 weeks. This time it is worse and has been going on now for 6 days...BOOOO...School has been good, intense, challenging, and all those other words. I know I am going to be learning alot and think things will be good, it is just the beginning that is hard and an adjustment. I have fun being in my studio space exploring how to paint (which they are real crappy looking) and building a box for my lithographs. Lithography is fun and I enjoy the process and printing.

The biggest news is that my sister-in-law and brother had their baby on Monday, September 15th (45 days early) and he is doing just great. This is their first and a big blessing for them and us all. His name is Landen Michael. Enjoy the pictures!

The first week of New Beginnings

2008-09-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

So I started graduate school this past week and I did a print for the first time in 9 months at the University of Utah print center. Needless to say the print stunk of rotten eggs....lol...But I think, even though graduate school is going to be really intense/hard, that I am going to learn a ton from the professors here. I already have! The best part is that they are showing a different side of art/thinking that it is almost life changing. So I am excited about that and even the growth, although I am already sweating bullets about next semesters full faculty review. Oh the worry wart I am.....

Anyway, I don't have any cool pictures yet but I will post some as soon as the prints become post worthy.

Hike Anyone?

2008-08-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we (my uncle, two cousins, and I) went on a hike at Mt. Timpanogos. There are two main points in this hike. The lake and the summit. The lake is 6.7 miles and the summit is 9.8 one way. Ok so hiking is great. But for a previous Kansan with quite a different elevation this hike was quite intense. I thought "no big deal with the miles" but simply forgot the steep incline. By the time I got to the lake (that is far as my 10 year old cousin and I went) I was extremely exhausted. I had a camera full of pictures and to top of the 14 hour day of hiking lost every single one of them not to mention everytime we stopped for a break my legs shaked so bad you would have thought I had a disorder. I have blisters on both feet (the left has the most... and did you know that blister can build upon each other to make stacks? I didn't but now have proof.) Anywho, when I realized I had no more pictures that was it...I was royally ticked! But I found on the Internet these lovelies. The mountain goats I was so glad to find because I was able to get extremely close to one, at the lake, to take a pictures one of the probably 100 I tooke that day.) Although when the goat realized I was there he or she starting snorting and I was convinced he or she was about to charge me and even though I was exhausted I ran up that hill as if my life depended on it. So anywho...this is probably something I will not be doing in the near future not to mention, I think, some training is in order to try that long hike again. Nature is beautiful but I think I will admire the backyard for awhile.

The Trip to Utah

2008-08-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well the trip was pretty uneventful to Utah. It was incredibly long and well...not my favorite. But on Thursday we (my 10 year old cousin and I) drove to 11.5 hours to Laramie,WY. On the way to Laramie my air controller knob broke and so no air conditioning....get to Laramie to stay in our hotel (a little scary) and than around 10:30pm I hear this loud old noise outside. I look out the window and could not believe all the hail coming down. It was hilarious. We got up early Friday morning to start on the road to Utah and I will have to say that this part of Wyoming in the morning right when the sun is coming up is gorgeous. We arrived in Provo 6 hours later, took care of some paperwork, and than drove up to Riverton where I am living. The temperature is lovely here (NO humidity) and am ready to get things figured out in the coming weeks.

Well I guess I am old

2008-08-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

My cousin from Utah has been in town (he is the ripe age of 10 1/2.) So my mom got us tickets to Worlds of Fun (a theme park here.) I have not been in like oh....6 years....or 5...anyway a long time. There is a particular ride that I did not intend on riding as I remember the sheer panic is placed on me...Well to be the "cool" girl I went on with my cousin and brother. This particular ride is one that spins around really fast, sucks your back part of your body to the rotating circle and than the floor drops (see picture below ...it was found on the net)

Well needless to say I royally freaked out. My brother (who is 12 years younger than me) had to keep talking to (per my request) just so I could breath and not go crazy. I realized that my real "thrill" seeking days are over and I just can't do it! lol...BUT I did survive all the rollar coasters...those were a blast (especially the one below called "The Patriot"....spinning rides...well those are history!

Lack of things....

2008-08-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well there has not been anything real interesting or blog worthy lately. I am leaving August 14th for Utah. I am ready! I got my schedule for the undergraduate course that I should be teaching and I am getting anxious to find out more and the syllabus or whatever they want us to teach. The class is an intro course "VASTU 101 - Intro to Art and Drawing." Needless to say I want to prepare now but will have to wait until the end of this month for the meeting at BYU.

In movie news if you have not seen Mamma Mia, GO, I have seen it twice now and love it even more. **If you are not a "musical kind of person - beware you might just fall in love and start dancing!!***

10 Things I Love

2008-07-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't posted lately. I have been busy trying to get organized to 1) have a garage sale and hopefully make some mula and 2) get organized to move. So tonight as I am sitting in bed at 11:44pm trying to psych myself up to try and get to sleep ( i have a really hard time getting to sleep, it usually takes me 2 or more hours) I decided to write a list of 10 things I love.

Since my little hiccup at the beginning of June and trying to, well lets just say, keep my head above water, I have been trying to be more positive because generally I am negative (maybe I should not admit that, but hey I am just trying to be honest.) So here goes the list:

1) I love the taste of Peanut Butter M&M's. They are not healthy at all but they are so right.

2) I love going to bookstores and libraries for no purpose at all but to discover new things. It is better this way I think. You have less expectations and so the littlest thing seem so huge.

3) I love sleeping in. I know they say that you need only like 7 or 8 hours of sleep. But I am here to tell you that I am a 10 hour sleeper. And truthfully I feel better when I sleep 10 hours or maybe it is the fact that the last two months that is my sleep pattern.

4) I love the smiles of babies. There is something about their smiles that bring much more than an adult smile. They are pure.

5) I love homemade gifts much more than store bought ones.

6) I love music. It is very inspirational. I really enjoy Sergei Rachmaninoff for classical, King of Convenience for melo, Cascada for dance, The Shins for Indie, etc.

7) I love playing outside in the rain, especially when it is absolute pouring down and you get soaked!

8) I love making things but usually get frustrated because I can't figure things out fast enough. I get a little impatient.

9) I love the tender moments of spirituality. You know those times that take your breath away. It makes the fact that you believe in God become that much more real.

10) I love it being absolutely cold in my room ( I used to sleep with my window slightly open during the winter in Rexburg) just so that I can pile up TONS of blankets on my bed....ohhhh so comfy! Oh and did I mention I had a fan going too...not directly on me, but so that I can sleep? I love the sound of the fan...it is soothing to me and helps me sleep...OK OK i know that is like 11 things....o'well :)

I AM TAGGING PEOPLE ON THIS BLOG!!!! YEAH TO PASS THE LOVE AROUND. MY TAGGED PEEPS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Lizzy House
Daleen Royer
Miranda Pabst (soon to be Murdock)
Nick Wheeler
Traci Stephenson
Lindsey Bowerman
Quinci Messen
Cassie Ruhnow
Hilary Sorenson (sp?)

Birthday

2008-07-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

Make-up Bag

Today is my 28th birthday! Can you believe it. To do something fun I drove down to Lawrence, KS (home of KU) and went to this amazing fabric store. There I was able to get more fabric and some ribbons. This was an additional birthday treat for myself. It has been a good day. I got a ipod shuffle from my mom, birthday cards from family, and lovely emails and messages on facebook. One particular email is one that I really needed and was very grateful to receive. I thought I would post my findings and also the current sewing project I am attempting (first time I have ever made a bag) and a project I am almost finished with (a make-up bag). I really love to sew and do crafty things. I have decided (after being inspired on etsy and seeing the wonderful talents there) that I want to make more things. They don't necessarily need to be print related but just silly mundane things. If they are nice enough I might sell them. I was also inspired by Lizzy with her store on etsy and her home made cards and envelopes. What a great idea! Anyhow...I have three more weeks in kansas until I am officially deemed a Utanian!

Childhood drawings

2008-07-22T08:48:00.001-07:00

I am going through all my stuff to consolidate. I found these drawings I did when I was 6 years old. I thought they were quite funny and amusing. The horse is something I learned how to draw on Sesame Street. Yes it still does not really look like a horse but I sure loved the fact they were teaching us how to draw!

Notice on the right hand side the blue bird....it looks like it is dead and it is falling from the sky. Or the fact that the cowboy looks like his leg is all twisted. LoL.....I was on the right bottom corner that I was attempting to draw pigs....but erased them..

This is a picture of my younger brother Bradley a.k.a. Brady......At least my letters looked ok!

This is Brad in my "now" drawings (although it is not the finished product) lol....what a differece although I prefer my age 6 account especially his teeth!

Little Missy a.k.a. Autumn

2008-07-19T07:24:00.001-07:00

Do you notice in this last picture how Autumn has almost the same expression as her daddy? Interesting....I just love this little girl. Being and aunt is pretty great.

She is growing up so fast. In a months time she is already this big....I can't believe it! I am so happy that I will be able to see her more often when I move.

My Birthday

2008-07-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

I found out, via facebook, what my birthday says about me. This is what it had to say:

July 24, 1980

Lucky Color: Amber
Personality Strengths: Compassion, Charisma
Personality Weakness(es): Impatience
Successful Career Path: Fashion
Sense of Humor Style: Slapstick
Adjectives to Describe You: enterprising, strong

A hip non-conformist who truly stands for his/her beliefs - you are out to make a difference in this world, and you have a realistic chance of success. You have always been self-driven and derive your inspiration from those close to you. Ambitious - and why shouldn't you be - the sky is the limit for you!

Made especially for Shirley.....

2008-07-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have found out that a dear person to me is sick and not doing to well. Because I am so far away I decided to make her a card. I thought that since I had some watercolor paper already cut like cards that that would be my project for the day. This is my first personal art project I have done in 7 months. So I decided to photograph the process. As you can see from below the first attempt it was a failure and it looked like poop (well it was ok until I put the dark purple and red on the heart...ewwww I know) so I tried again and came up with something more my style.....

And this is it for today

Toby - our cat

2008-07-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

I thought I would do a quick note about our cat Toby. He was a stray kitty when we adopted him. We think he had been abused from the looks of his nose. Because of his life as a runaway he now has a disorder and is in need of a cat therapist (according to the vet.) Anywho, he eats himself...literally....and he sucks his tail like a child would his or her thumb for comfort. Toby is really enjoying my bed as of late and have caught him there in a restful sleep many times. His "self-destructive" eat wounds are healing, which is good, until he gets real depressed again and they become his obsessive target...so with that introduction this is the big old guy (did I forget to mention he has a weight problem too?) All you

can do is love him.....

Soulmates

2008-07-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

I was wondering what the meaning of the word soulmate and so I googled it and came across this description:

"A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we're two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we've found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life." --Richard Bach

After reading this I was thinking to myself, "does this concept really exist? Isn't this just what is love? And can't you fall in love or love someone multiple times?" We find lots of people we are drawn to and I think that all pertains to the pre-mortal life. But I used to believe in this and now I am skeptical. So my question goes out to all those that read my blog (few as it may be) to hear what you have to say on the idea of "soulmates."

And the answer is.........

2008-06-30T13:38:00.001-07:00

I have decided, with lots of help, to go to graduate school this fall! WAHOOOOOOOOOO....I am actually excited about it....and ideas are starting to flow....Does this possibly mean I am out of my funk.....I hope so as it feels so amazing to be happy and optimistic and not downtrodden. GO COUGARS (ok that is kind of lame to say but whatever.)

God is everywhere

2008-06-28T15:36:00.001-07:00

As I was taking my walk today, on our trails, I was listening to my brother Brett's I-Pod. There was a very peaceful song playing called Nie unto Kolob. It was building up in intensity with the orchestra and the choir and I could feel the spirit so strongly and for a brief moment realized how much Heavenly Father is in everything. I have always felt him in nature but it was one of those moments you didn't want to end because you felt like you could do anything with his help and the love for him and the love he has for us. It was very refreshing and a release for my brain as I wished everyone I know to feel what I felt at that moment.

Heavenly Father is here for everyone. Satan would have us believe that he is not there or to just feel nothing of his possibilities. My only wish for everyone in this world is to feel his influence and truth. What happiness people could feel and not to mention a happiness that can not be felt but only through him and your belief in him. What a great gift we are given or can be given of this knowledge, this belief, and this feeling that he is real, he exists, and he loves us unconditionally.......I live for these moments like I had today just by taking a walk and listening to good music.

Sit down kids this is going to be a long one....................

2008-06-26T14:45:00.001-07:00

Within the last month lots of thing have happened. So for those whom are looking for an increadibly uplifting post....well the beginning of this is not....but hang in there.

I was meant to have been in England for a month. Unfortunalty things went way south quite fast and I left only having been there a week. This experience has been quite painful and I still am trying to come to grips with it each day. It doesn't help when you love the person and still think of them everyday. Shame really as I don't think he understands the true reason I left only thinking I had seen no future when in reality I left because of him pushing me away completely and feeling quite alone in many aspects. We were meant to be working on things and I am here to tell you things have to be a two way road and not a one way!

So when came home I realized that I needed to be around people, familiarity, and those with whom I could trust. I had enough airline miles to get an oh so cheap flight to Utah. After arriving in Utah I took the bus up to Rexburg and was reunited with loveliness. I was able to see my peeps (Lizzy, Miranda, Ben, Nick, Sister J, Chris, Sister S, Sister Jones) and my family. It was a really nice visit and also a visit of awareness of how people in the church are falling. I felt sorry to see what I did and for the people that were involved. On a more fun note I was able to inherit some more fantastic prints and also get some more fabric YAHOOOOO. Oh and I cant forget to mention being able to play with BJ (Brian and Daleen's boxer pup) although he can be a rough little git but man he sure is cute.

After a week there I went down to Utah and when I got off the Salt Lake Express my cute grandparents were there waiting for me. Although when I got of the bus my grandma let me know that she had some bad news for me. My aunt and her three little ones were involved in a car accident on the highway. Basically my aunt lost control of their SUV, everyone was buckled in except her oldest (he is 10) and the car rolled at least 2 times. The windows on the left hand side all were broken along with the back window where my cousin was ejected from the car. The miraculous thing of this story is that no one was hurt real bad, meaning broken bones, mangled, etc. They only suffered sore backs, bruises, and shock. The oldest had road rash on his back and head (his head had 2 staples) and some scratches on his knees and elbow. He healed so quickly! So I was with my aunt and uncle for a couple days to help out with the kids.

Than I went down to meet my niece for the first time. I feel in love with her so quickly! How cute she was especially when she started to sing and babble talk. She has a personality of a 40 year old and is very intelligent. I also checked out BYU and for those that said "you need to go to graduate school" I am sorry to report I still feel that it is not the place I need to be. Also, I went to Ikea (AMAZING) and was able to get some fabric there too....nice fabric...

On my way home I was able to meet a guy that was coming to America from Kenya. He was very nice and we struck up conversation as he didn't understand what was going on in the terminal. I was able to answer his question which than lead to a series of additional questions. These are the questions that he asked me:

1. Do you have a boyfriend?

2. Do you have a child?

3. Why don't you have a boyfriend?

After that he than told me he wanted to come here and he was looking for a wife. Than he asked me:

4. Where is Bill Gates from?

5. Where is Obama from?

6. Don't you follow politics?

7. Where can I get a cheap but fast car?

8. What are the best cities to live in that are cheap and safe?

It was fun to talk with him although I had to keep asking him to repeat himself because I could not understand his accent. He seemed to be ok with repeating himself all the time....Than when we boarded the plan I was going to my seat and I was sitting next to a woman that was not very small and was very friendly. Her husband had just had heart surgery and they were from Florida. We had a little scare with her husband as he was having trouble breathing and his lips were a little blue....needless to say I was about to freak out not to mention that the turbulence was still going and didn't really end at all throughout the entire flight.

So there we go.....I am in the process of making a make-up case with fabric scraps. Oh did I mention that I am getting really interested in "going green." I am also going to try and be more of a blogger. Regardless now of whatever is being posted......

So there we go....oh what can happen in a month.....Until next time................

Toodles............................

2008-05-21T14:15:00.001-07:00

I received these two pictures awhile ago but was looking at them again and thought I would post. I miss these people from good ol'e BYU-Idaho.

Auntie Amy

2008-05-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

I thought I would put a little post about my niece. She is brother Brad and sister-in-law Becca's first child. Her name is Autumn Marie. Additionally, I added a picture of her daddy. He obviously wanted the binky more than Autumn and was darn set on keeping it by the look on his face!

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Can I say I just love to cook. Today was mother's day and I wanted to make a nice meal for my mommy! So I made chicken parmesean, green beans, homemade biscuits, salad, and fruit cups. My family informed me after is was all ready and set-up that I should be in culinary arts. So I thought I would post some pictures.

I have been down-right tagged

2008-03-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

Ok the thanks for this tag needs to be granted to the Miss Lizzy BEE House.....thank you very much :)

So I guess I am suppose to write 7 things about me....

1. I have played with baby cougars....and have a video to prove it.....let me tell you they are cute and want to play but once their paw hits you (in their playful manner) it hurts like heck and I was finished playing.

2. It took me 10 years to get my Bachelors degree....yeah yeah I could be working on my doctorate by now!

3. I can not stand when people bite down on metal silverware....it is just like taking fingernails against a chalkboard for me

4. I loved the Spice Girls when they were real popular

5. I am a cookie-a-holic.....especially with frosting on top

6. I have anxiety about flying....but absolutely love to travel

7. I love unique looking homes.....like European cottages

Pictures and Good finds

2008-03-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

I received a package from my lovely friend Lizzy sometime ago and did not post the pictures until now. They remind me of the good o'le days in Rexburg, land of the artic and giant rolling snow hills.

Additionally I went to a used bookstore (thank goodness for them) and found some really great prices on Wassily Kandinsky books. One was only a $1 and it is called "Concerning the Spiritual in Art!" Yes I know you are saying to yourself...."you are probably the luckiest person in the world!" and well I guess I was at that moment the luckiest person in used-bookstore times. Anywho.....Here are some of those pictures....I just love my friends!

Lizzy and I at the art opening

Sister J, me, and Lizzy

OoooHHHHhhh...Art

My symbolic drawing of Rexburg

To be honest I don't know if this picture is the one that I took or Lizzy....for humble

purposes I will say I took it :)

Lizzy, Sister J, and I at graduation

One of my favorite pictures of Sister J

The mean-graphic-designing machine Nick Wheeler

Miranda

Yael Naïm's

2008-02-19T17:12:00.001-08:00

Ok this is the chick that sings in the new MacBook Air commercials... Yup she is that good....check her out

http://buzzsugar.com/981831

Movies and Music

2008-02-17T16:37:00.000-08:00

As of late I have been a constant movie goer. If anyone has not seen P.S. I Love You I would highly recommend it. Also I have stumbled upon a couple new musical artist that I like. Their names are Ingrid Michaelson and also Alison Sudol. Here a links to their videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCeS-yorGtc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJOzdLwvTHA

Life is still in limbo and I have no official or definate plans. As of late my thoughts have been around possibly staying in Kansas, yeah or nay to graduate school, possibly going to nursing school, my job, etc.....lol....not a still moment in my mind yet. Toodles.................

Priorities

2008-01-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about alot of stuff. I am trying to figure out money and for me that is really stressful. I plan and plan and than over plan and well, it probably is not meant to be like this but, I guess I am obsessive compulsive about it. I am trying to get everything in order to move to Utah in June. Then I worry again about money and man what a negativity because then it spirals down to "the gas is so high" "we are all going to lose our jobs" "I can't get into more huge debt for school." Does anyone else ever have these moments? I am realizing that I need to develope more faith. And then I think about the kids I have been working with. My job is working with kids who have disabilities. The other day I worked with children that are both blind and deaf. They put me through a simulation of how it would be if I were blind and deaf and let me tell you, it is frightening. This make me think about the things I am worrying about and yet things could be worse. Should I be worrying about this as much as I have....I think the answer is no! I believe in a God. This God is watching over each one of us. If we are intently listening to his guidance and do what is right he will take care of us. I just need to work hard, work at the places I need to be at this time, save and do as much as you can (having a savings/account is really important even if you are only putting like $20 a month because one day it will be a lifesaver....and well I wish I would have started that a long time ago), then the rest will be taken care of.

So I am really grateful to be working with these children. You watch these kids get frustrated and you also have the privilege to see them improve and smile at you because they know they did something well. Being apart of their lives, for a short period of time, is a blessing and so I should just forget my worries because in the end it should all work out!

I love Art!

2008-01-10T08:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I talked to the gals in printmaking....thank goodness for cell phones. I miss them all and continue to realize how much art is apart of me and how I love it. So I decided to post some more art work from the BFA project, not necessarily pieces from the final show.

Carefree

Spark

Spring

Good Ideas

2008-01-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine on his blog did a little recap of the past year and I thought it was a great idea so I decided to copy....in general though I am not a copy-cat....

2007 Events:

January: Preparing my portfolio to submit for the BFA review in February. Had a great schedule. Met the ever -so- cool Miranda Pabst in Printmaking 2. Found out I was going to England again.

February: Found out that I was accepted into the BFA program.

March: Met a friend of mine's mom, whom was full of life and loved to dance. Got medicine to be able to fly over to England ( I get a little flight anxiety sometimes.)

April: Came back from England, began my BFA project, talked to my mom the most I ever talked to her my entire time away at college.

May: Went to San Fran with the Art travel class but mostly becauese Sister Jimison was going and the "girls" from Printmaking 3. Met the fab up-and-coming fabric designer Lizzy house. Had my BFA portfolio critiqued by two professional artist..great feeedback

June: another artist went over my portfolio and started to think more about graduate school.

July: The ever so long trip back to Kansas for the seven week break (althought I did see the Oscar Meyer Weiner bus). Finished my BFA project (60+ pieces).

August: ....hhhmmmmm nothing really, I was in Kansas, had no money, and well was a bum ok wait I had a friend from school come to visit, Rena, swam, learned how to make sushi, and saw this awesome bug shell hanging from our tree.

Sepetember: Last semester of school and started the forever process of figuring how I was going to hang my BFA show....it is all about those dollars$$$$

October: Finished my first ever quilt. This was alot of fun. Brother and sister-in-law got a dog, was not excited at all until I saw the lovely creature and now we are the best of buds. Incidentally, BJ (the dog) loved my Mr. Potato head (which is now dead and its insides are spilling out) and my toilet paper that I used for watercolor. My friend Ben offerend to help me bring my stuff home!!! Yes I could finally get everything back.

November: Became friends with the ever-so talented Graphic Designer Nick. Kept with the "wen" club at Sister J house.

December: BIG month for me, had my BFA show, sold art work to the school and a museum, saw how amazing people were while they helped me get things together for the show, graduated, packed, left my home of 2.5 years and came back to Kansas....where now I am looking for a job and beginning the year 2008.

The things we do

2007-12-28T19:14:00.000-08:00

So today we, my sister, my mom, and I, went outside in hopes to create a splendid snowman....but alas the snow would not pack together. The next idea was sledding....but no sleds....SO my mom came up with the idea of taking my car and holding onto the bumper and being pulled around....Well this worked fine until they began to be gased by the muffler...Now the adventure came to finding bowl sleds and rope....which we found and began what would have been alot of fun....BUT the knot on my rope slid up and down and well lets just say I know what it is like to be dragged, with one hand being squeezed to partical death and panic starting to surrond you because all you can think of is "I am being towed by a car that essentially could run over me or quite simply tear my arm off"...So as I cried my eyes out because my hand hurt like all get out....the activity ended...

On a nicer note....I saw this on another fellow bloggers profile and I fell in love with this song.. check it out....it is called "Coffee Shop."

http://www.myspace.com/landonpiggmusic

Christmas and Trips

2007-12-22T11:03:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas. Not because of the gift giving, that is not important to me, but because of the spirit of Christmas. It brings more laughter, more love for each other, more happiness. The best Christmas was when we didn't have presents and just spent time as a family. Family is incredibly important to me and the time that we have together is such fun. I am glad to be here with them my family during this time of year.

I also went to St. Louis with Ben to do a temple session but also to sight see. St. Louis has some amazing architecture...ok yes it has the arch.....but looking past that they have buildings with so much character not to mention history. So I thought I would share some pictures of the trip. Ps.....St. Louis has Wicked until January 6th....

Kiddies

2007-12-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

Today my brother Ben and I went to see the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks.

If anyone remembers the movie Finding Neverland do you remember the part when all the kids were brought to the theater to see Peter Pan?....and basically the kids, in that movie, made the play much more enjoyable because of their precious laughter and interaction with what was happening on stage? Well today as we were watching movie Alvin, the theater was filled with kids and I was happily entertained by the kids watching the movie. To have a theater filled with them laughing, let me tell you, can just make your day not to mention the little one sitting next to me with his arm stretched out and saying "THAT WAS SO COOL DAD!!!" The movie was cute (very much geared toward children) but fun non-the-less. Kids.....they are the best!

Graduation

2007-12-11T21:57:00.000-08:00

I am graduating in 3 days. This has just began to really sink in. Not only has this just sunk in, but I realized I am scared. This has been my home for the past 2 ½ years and as much as I complain about Rexburg and the little town it is I am going to miss the people that will be here. It is different for me here (Rexburg) verses what it is like for me back home (Kansas). It makes me start to think about the precious nature of friendships and keeping them. I need to get better at that. Change.....it is inevitable.....but can I just say....it stinks!!!

Watercolor assignment

2007-12-04T22:15:00.000-08:00

Today we were assigned to make a Christmas card and I thought that I would post the result. I did a study from a photograph found online. But the texture background was my idea along with the holly next to the candy canes....

Printlab

2007-12-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

Examples of work-in-progress

Etching/Aquatint area

Family - Isn't it about time?

2007-12-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

My brother Brett and me

L-R: My sister-in-law Becca and brother Brad

I was clearing out things from my computer and found these two pictures. They make me smile each time I see them. The first one was taken when my brother Brian, his wife Daleen, my brother brett, sister Ashley, and I all went to Jackson Hole . When our family (sibilings) get together we have a blast....not to mention the amount of laughter that happens....anyway.....brett did not shower that day and he had enough "grease" in his hair to stick it straight up and needless to say it stayed....and so him and I posed for a picture to document this hair experience.

The other picture was taken at my cousins wedding where brad and becca were told to "give us a funny expression" and this was the outcome.....brad is a little sensitive about his nose and so he really made it stand out....ahhhhh the love of family!

2007-12-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

Artist Statement

Sold

Gallery Hallway where the show is hanging

L -R: Tracy, Amy, Lizzy, and Carla (aka Sister J)

Me in front of one of my pieces

Last night was possibly one of the most amazing experiences I have had so far in life. I was able to share it with friends and family which was an added perk. First I received 1st place for printmaking in the juried art show and than for my BFA show I was able to sell 5 pieces of art to be added to a collection at the school. WHAT a blessing.

Art is so much apart of me. I enjoy creating and viewing art! Those around me have inspired me to keep going and to them I am deeply appreciative! It is a bit refreshing to be excited again about the possibilities and I think that I do really want to see if I can go to graduate school....we will see....there is sure endless possibilities!

The miracles of God

2007-11-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

I have seen this week the awesome qualities of human beings. This week has been the week of preparing to put up my BFA show. On Wen I started to get the frames and prints put together and within a short period of time people were wanting to help! Not only did they, Nick, Amy, Montica, help with the framing BUT Lizzy, Miranda, Tracy, and Sister J helped basically hang the show while I was gone fixing a problem with one of my plexiglass sheets.

Did anyone of these people have to help...No....did I have to really ask for help....No and why.....because they are miracles. I feel so blessed to have been able to attend this university and all of the people that I have met have been a testimony builder. They are amazing people living their lives in the way we are taught about at church. I enjoy being around them, they lift me up and I only hope I am able to do the same for them.

Tomorrow is the opening of the show and I hope to post lots and lots of pictures.....Until than A BIG THANKS to my peeps :)

2007-10-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

2007-09-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

(Pictures belong to Lizzy 'Bee' House)
I am on my last semester of school and am getting ready to show my artwork for our BFA show in Novemeber. I asked
my professor if she would let the Printmaking 1 students critique my work. I wanted to see which ones are their favorits. They had great input and was fun to see which one's they chose. Lizzy's favorite is the
yellow-purple piece that I call "Loose." I am starting to get pieces put up for sell and som
e can be found on Etsy.com.
** Check out lizzyhouse.typepad.com They have amazing links to quilt patterns (that
are sometimes free to download) and her art.

2007-09-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

Beginnings

2007-09-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

So this is the first time ever doing a "blog". So it should be a great adventure. More to follow