Join me in my quest to fill every day with art and creativity and follow me while I journey to improve my talents and skills by creating something each day for 365 days.
I feel as though I have to begin all my posts with an apology. This time, it's not just because I haven't written a post in two months, but because I didn't write a post in the two months I was traveling abroad and actually doing something exciting with my life. I'm sorry.
Now that that's out of the way, though, I can make up for those two months. It likely would've been more exciting if I could've written about all these things when they happened, but fortunately/unfortunately every day of my Study Abroad experience was pretty much packed. Whether I was travelling, doing art, or visiting museums, I really don't think I had enough time to write good, engaging blog posts. So now that I'm home and not in school just yet, I figured I'd use this rare free time of mine to fill people in on what's been going on in my life these past two months. (If you're really curious, I did make a blog video for my family's blog every week - another reason I had no time for this blog - and you can view those over at greenegrassgrows.blogspot.com)
So, for those who might not know, I spent most of my summer in Europe this year on a study abroad. The majority of our time was spent in Berlin, Germany, but we also did a fair amount of travelling before and after. It was a life-changing experience and I want to share with you guys some of the highlights and the things I learned.
Paris
The program began on June 23 in Paris, France. After almost three days of flying, I finally arrived to our hotel around midnight that night. Just getting there was rather exciting. I'm not exactly a frequent flyer and I've never flown by myself before. Luckily I met up with two other students from the group in the Salt Lake airport and it turned out they had nearly the same flight plans as I did. It was definitely a blessing as there were some complications with one of the flights and it ended up being delayed by about 7 hours, I believe. And then, when we finally arrived in Paris, my bags had gotten lost and our taxi driver didn't speak any English and had no idea where our hotel was. I have no idea how I would've dealt with those situations if I'd been completely by myself.
We eventually made it to the hotel and with time enough to get a decent-ish amount of sleep before the real adventures began.
Paris was crazy. Everyday we were running from museum to cathedral to cafe to museum. We were given assignments that very first morning at 8 am. I was overwhelmed, but in a good way. Yes, I complained about all the museums we were required to visit and the responses we had to write and the art we had to make, but I secretly enjoyed it all. Mostly. What real complaining I did was stimulating complaining. It got me thinking about art and why I did it and why other people do it. I began to discover a little more about who I really was and what my own thoughts were on art. At the time I had no clue that in the next several weeks I was about to start unearthing some passionate opinions and crazy ideas. In Paris, though, the only major discover I made was my love for architecture. The wrought iron! The shingles! The rain spouts!
And some of this stuff has been there for centuries! Before machines or cranes or computers. I have such respect for old buildings. You can feel the love and the time and the effort that was required. I wish things were still made this way.
Now, before I drag on for far too long, I need to remember I only spent four days in Paris and I still have many more cities to cover. If you're interested, I made a much better video about my trip getting out to Paris and all the things I did there on our family blog.
Brussels
The land of waffles and little peeing boys. Brussels was a major change from Paris. Paris is certainly well worth the visit, but all the art and history crowded into it's borders accounts for some crowded streets and non-too-cheap prices. In Brussels I felt like I could breath again. This may be in part because we were there for only one whole day and that day happened to be a Monday. You see, museums don't open on Mondays. I know it's a strange thing for an artist to say, but I was relieved. I finally had a chance to wander and window-shop, without too much worrying about how many museums my professors wanted me to see or what paintings I was supposed to look at. We were free to be nothing but tourists. (Well, I was supposed to be working on art, which I did somewhat, but perhaps not as much as I could have . . .)
In Brussels I was finally able to wander. In Paris the group I was with always had an agenda (which was good for me, otherwise I would've gotten nothing done), we always had to be here or there and had to get places as quickly as possible. I don't like travelling that way. I tend to shut down and sometimes get a little moody. But in Brussels there were no agendas. On Monday morning we went to a flea market where I bought some old books to use in collage and an adorable miniature French-Dutch dictionary (I don't know either of those languages, I was merely enchanted by the look of it). Afterwards some of us split off from this larger group we had been with and meandered around the city. Towards later afternoon/evening we tried to find a high point in the city to watch the sunset. On our way, we discovered a cathedral. It was beautiful. So we went in and discovered, to our luck, that there was an organ and choir concert just about to start. I don't like taking pictures inside cathedrals and churches very much - it feels disrespectful - but I had to pull out my phone and record a little of the concert. The way the sounds echoed in that enormous space filled your soul and resonated in your chest. I'm not one for noise, I prefer silence and quiet, but I could've sat there and listened for hours.
Unfortunately we didn't have hours and we still wanted to see the sunset. Plus, the concert ended whether I wanted it to or not. So we continued our search for some place tall and we found some stairs above a public garden. A peaceful ending to a peaceful day.
A final note on Brussels: where Paris enchanted me with it's flying buttresses and colorful gables, Brussels got me with its doors and surprisingly charming graffiti.
Absolute favorite door. Ever.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam, as much as I don't like to admit, was most definitely not love at first sight. The canals and buildings were pretty, but the streets were crowded and dirty. It wasn't as bad as Paris, though, but I think I was mostly unhappy with Amsterdam because it wasn't Monday anymore. We suddenly had a grocery list of museums we had to go to again. We had an agenda. We started off on a bad note getting on the wrong form of public transportation and ending up who knows where. I was kind of excited to get lost for the first time, but my companions not so much and as I have learned, stress and unhappiness is catching.
The first day was mostly unpleasant for me. And it's mostly my own fault. But there's nothing that some good food won't cure. And that's just what we got for dinner that night.
By the next morning I was ready to give Amsterdam a second chance and it did not disappoint me. We hit the major museums that day. The Rijksmusem and the Stedlijk. I thoroughly enjoyed both and my eyes began to open to the wonders of contemporary art.
One of my favorite pieces from the Stedlijk. I don't remember the artist, though . . . :(
Amsterdam turned out to be all right in the end. I'm glad we went there and I'd like to go again, someday.
Well, I was hoping to fit my whole trip into one blog post, but I'm afraid that isn't going to happen. Two months is a long time and I don't want to rush the good bits. So, hopefully, I'll put the rest of my incredible journey into Part 2 for tomorrow.
These are the kinds of things I've been doing over here in Europe. Please don't scoff, but instead think about it, pretend you're really interested in contemporary art and that you understand it and perhaps you'll find that you actually do.
Long time, no update. Sorry about that. I've been a little busy . . .
Not to mention I have a new family blog to worry about (where if I don't post every week, I get in deep, humiliating trouble). But, this week's video (it's a vlog, so they're all videos) was about art, so I figured I'd post it here as well. I've been feeling kind of guilty about how I've been neglecting this blog while I've been doing such art-filled things. Do you know how difficult it is to be a student, tourist, and blogger all at the same time?
Freshman year is over! And now I'm a Junior. Funny how that works.
All in all, my freshman year at college was probably one of the greatest years ever. At least in terms of learning about myself and really starting to become someone. I had some bad points, but overall I'm pretty happy.
I was finally able to get some time last week to use the large scanner on campus to scan the rest of the pieces I did for my 2D design class last semester. And without further ado, here they are!
These three were a series we had to do based on a previous work we'd done. For some reason they remind me of the hero's journey. The first one's my favorite.
This one is personally my favorite piece I did for this class, but unfortunately my professor was less than impressed. To be fair, this was my first ballpoint pen drawing. Anyways, the assignment was based on the golden mean.
This assignment was based on texts. It was somewhat difficult since, at the time, I still couldn't text, but I just used some facebook messages instead. It's a poem that my sister and I wrote together while she was downstairs making a sandwich and I was too lazy to go find her. I really like how Megan turned out, but I look . . . special.
And finally - my final project. I had a really hard time deciding what to do and changed my mind at least three times, the last time being the weekend before it was due.
The one below is probably my favorite from this series.
Erggg! Sorry this post is so late in coming (not to mention poorly written . . .). But I've been extremely busy with a new family blog over at greenegrassgrows.blogspot.com (psst . . . you should check it out) as well as Spring Term classes and getting ready for my Study Abroad (ohmigosh I leave next week!). To leave you all with - here's another commission I finished for a friend of mine. Yay!
"My dad had the right idea. And it all worked out. He used to say to me: 'Son, don't miss the wonders that surround you because every tree, every rock, every anthill, every star is filled with the wonders of nature.' And he used to say to me: 'Have you ever noticed how grateful you are to see daylight again after coming through a long dark tunnel?' 'Well,' he'd say, 'Always try to see life around ya as if you'd just come out of a tunnel.'"
-Jefferson Smith as played by the wonderful James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Guys, I'm tired. Tired of living in the tunnel. Tired of sitting around and twiddling my thumbs when there are things to be done and mountains to climb. Tired of forgetting the wonders that surround me. And mostly I'm tired of being tired. And I'm going to do something about that.
I'm not entirely sure what that something is, but I'm guessing it's going to involve quite a bit of hand-shaking, lip-biting determination. But I think I've got the guts in my blood for it. For starters, I've decided that my life is, in fact, already exciting and I don't have to sit around waiting for adventures to find me.
That being said, I'm coming out of the tunnel today and I wanted this post to be all about the exciting things that are surrounding me. (Be warned, I'm about to start talking about myself even more than usual, today. Oh, and there are also going to be pictures of me . . . you have been warned.)
As most people already know, I'm going on a Study Abroad this summer. It was somewhat of a crazy, impulsive thing I decided to do Fall semester. I heard about it from one of the professors in charge of it, saw the posters in the art building on campus and said "what the heck, why not?" Suddenly, a semester later, I find myself buying plane tickets and trying to learn German. How much more of an adventure could I have asked for? Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. Some of you are probably interested to know the details of my impending excursion. So, I'll be in Europe for the entirety of summer term, mainly in Berlin, but we're also spending time in Paris, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels (among others). It's going to be insane. Especially when you consider I'm also having to focus on classes in the midst of all these really great experiences. But I think it will be good. Between devouring delicious European street foods and creating my own art I won't have any time for second-guessing or home-sicking. In addition to the program, I'll also be visiting Iceland (I've got some pretty lengthy layovers there on my flight there and back) and spending extra time in Brussels with my brother. So, yeah. What's not to be excited about?
Oh, and here's this "selfie" I took on Instagram. It's one of those rare occurrences where I actually like a picture that I took of myself on purpose. Oh, and that's my passport. (We won't look at my actual passport picture, because I look like a total convict).
Okay, moving right along. I'm not sure if I mentioned this here on my blog, but at the beginning of Winter semester I applied to some scholarships. One was a standard academic scholarship (based on your GPA and all that jazz) and the other was something called a Talent Award. Well, good news. I got the academic scholarship . . . and a Talent Award . . . and a very unexpected scholarship . . . ta-dah! There's not much to say about the academic scholarship, other than it was an incredible relief to have received it. I think somewhat more of an explanation is in order for these other scholarships, though. So, for the Talent Award I had to submit a portfolio of my art back in February and then do a good deal of waiting while professors and department heads reviewed and scrutinized it. I struggle with waiting, but I endured and it turned out to be well worth the wait. I got an email a week or so before the application for my major (Studio Art) was due, informing me that I had received a scholarship. I was ecstatic and might have done a silent little happy dance in my bedroom. Of course, having some of my tuition paid for was going to be fantastic (especially with all the Study Abroad expenses I was incurring), but I think I was even more relieved when I realized that I no longer had to apply for my major. You see, the scholarship is an automatic in. If you get the scholarship, you're in the major. It was one of those crazy moments when I realized that my life is actually going somewhere. I don't really know where exactly that is, but it's going. And faster than I expected, which is completely terrifying, but also exhilarating and incredibly exciting. So, anyways, there was this fancy award night for the scholarship winners and families. It was here that I found out I also received a "named" scholarship. It's one of those scholarships where someone sets up a scholarship fund in memoriam of a relative or someone like that who was very influential or did a lot of really great and amazing things. The scholarship I got was the Anna F. Sommers scholarship. It took me by complete surprise and it was very humbling. Here I was, worrying and agonizing over whether I'm any good at art and second-guessing my future plans, when out of the blue I get this incredible award. Obviously someone believes in me, so maybe I should too. It's time for me to stop complaining and get to work.
These are pictures from the awards night. Mostly it's just me eating brownies. Yum!
And now we come to the last, most recent exciting thing from that life that is mine. So, winter semester just ended for me last week and it was a little bittersweet. I'm one of those crazy people who really loves school. I know it doesn't always seem like that, but it's true. I love teachers and classes and having something to do (even when I absolutely do not want to do it). I'm always a little sad when classes end. What if I didn't do my best? What if I don't remember anything? What if the teacher thinks I'm stupid and I've run out of opportunities to prove them wrong? What if I never see any of these people that I've shared all these experiences with ever again? I think it's probably thoughts like these that make me do crazy things near the end of the semester. For instance, on the last day of Archaeology I went to thank my professor after class for the great semester. I told him I was still in love with Archaeology and we started talking about other classes I could take. Well, a day or so later I found myself in the social sciences advisement center filling out an anthropology minor request form and then taking that form to the visual arts advisement center. It wasn't until I got back to my apartment that I actually stopped to think. I just added an anthropology minor to my college education for no other reason except that I love Archaeology and want to take more classes. Granted, I still think that's a good enough reason, but it was incredibly impulsive and a potentially life-changing decision. But, I think being impulsive is good for me. When I stop to think for too long about things, doubts and confusion fight their way in and I get paralyzed by the thought of going on, no matter what choice I make. I need to start doing. It's time I stopped thinking and wasting the day!
Actually, not really, though I dearly do love this song . . . and this whole movie pretty much.
I actually don't think I could ever be sick of words. Although I did consider it after writing a massive research paper this weekend. Ugh. Even, then, though, I did like writing it. In a weird sort of way. It's hard to explain. I liked my topic and I like to write, but then I start to think about other people reading my writing and whether or not they'll think I have good ideas or mayhap they start to question how I got into college in the first place. And then all I want to do is find a good dark corner under my covers and live there for the rest of eternity.
Writing this is different, though. I mean, it's not like I don't think you guys are judging me (because I know all of you are . . .) but I suppose it's because I'm writing this for myself. I don't write my blog to prove anything to anyone. Although, sometimes I wish my teachers could see it so I could show them that I do, in fact, have a brain. On second thought, maybe that wouldn't be a good idea.
Anyways, now that we've got that out of the way, I come to my point. Words. They're great! Especially when you put a whole string of 'em together and make a rope, er, I mean, a book. And that is what I am here to talk to you about. Books! Yay! Let's all just take a moment to sit back and enjoy the Reading Rainbow theme, shall we?
I'm sorry guys, now that I've discovered that I can add Youtube videos to my blog, I just can't help myself.
Okay, okay, okay, let us begin. I thought I'd write today's post on inspiring art books I've read/am reading. I'll start with just a conglomeration of books I remember from my childhood.
Okay, actually, come to think of it, I really only have memories of Lee J. Ames' books. Which were totally fantastic! The one pictured above is an especially good one. I highly recommend it.
On to stuff I actually remember.
Freehand Drawing by Gerhard Gollwitzer. I read this book when I was in 11th grade and it marked the start of a sort of art revolution in my life. I started to take art more seriously and the very first inklings of being an art major started to grow in a little unattended patch of thought. What I love about this book is that, most of the time, you only need a pencil and some paper to do the projects he gives. They're mostly just sketchbook stuff, but it's really great for someone who's just starting to try out art. I remember it teaching how to draw faces in a way that I had never been shown before. I need to go back and reread that part because I've since forgotten, but I remember it helped me out so much. Here's an example of one of the exercises from it:
Such fun!
This is one of my all-time favorite books at the moment. I've mentioned it before and I post the projects I do from it quite often. It's full of little projects that can take five minutes to several days to complete. The great thing about it is that the projects are so open-ended that you don't feel like your creativity is being stifled, but they're also structured enough that they're easy to get into if you're having an art block or are just starting out with art. Also, everything is so quirky that you don't know how things are going to turn out. You don't have to worry about things looking any one way. I don't even really know how to describe how fun these projects are. Highly, highly, highly recommended. Here's some of the stuff I've done:
Look familiar? Yeah, probably.
Okay, last one. I actually only just bought this book a few weeks ago. I was talking to my mom after a particularly frustrating day and she told me to go reward myself by buying something from the bookstore. Yeah, my mom's just awesome like that. I'd been eyeing this book for pretty much the whole semester, so I wasn't all that slow to heed such motherly advice. I'm only just beginning with this book, but I'm already in love. I've had to put progress on hold for now, though, because the next project requires postage stamps, which I ordered off eBay (it made me feel like weird, independent single adult . . . ). So now I'm just waiting for my bag of stamps to get here from Canada and I can move forward with this. I've looked through some of the other things in here while I've been waiting and I'm very excited. I'll let you guys know more as I get further down the road.
So go forth and read, my creative friends! And let me know if you have any great books that I should be reading.
The age old question. Art. What exactly is it? How do you judge it? What's the difference between good and bad art? Is there a difference?
Here's my opinion. Art is everything. Everything you see, hear, touch, taste. Art is life. Or perhaps the experience of life. There is no good or bad art, just things you like or don't like. To me, art is anything that makes you feel. Currently, I'm looking at the clean dishes stacked up on our apartment's counter top. I'm sure whoever put them there spent no amount of time dwelling on exactly how they were going to stack the tupperware just a little askew, or how they were going to place the pot lid leaning against a neat little stack of bowls, but inadvertently, they made art. It makes me smile. I don't really know why, I just like the look of all those dishes neatly laid out on that little blue towel behind that yellowing head of broccoli. To me, it's art and an artist is someone who merely manipulates the things around them and 'controls' the art already existing. It's a little like that rule about energy you learn in every science class since fifth grade: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, simply changed from one form to another. Similarly, art is not created or destroyed, just changed.
Now, you're probably wondering what brought all this on. That, or you're wondering how tired and sleep-deprived I must've been when I wrote this. Well, I'm only going to answer the first one.
As I get further along in college I begin to realize that as an art major I will someday have to enter the "art conversation," whatever that is. No offense, but I'm not a stuffy art person. I don't take myself that seriously. Wait, no, scratch that. I do take myself seriously as an artist. If I weren't serious, then this wouldn't be my major. What I mean is that I'm serious about my art, but to me, art doesn't have to be serious. I've tried explaining this before and it's always been difficult, but I hope I get my point across. Let's just skip to my rant about the experiences I've been encountering.
So it started when I discovered that a girl in my Irish Dance class is a Sculpture major. I got all excited and we started discussing life as art majors. She used a lot of terms that sounded vaguely familiar to me from my AP Art History class all those years ago, but I couldn't really remember them enough to do anything other than nod politely. I explained to her that I was interested in the Sculpture major but was applying for the 2D Studio major instead and then deciding if I wanted to switch once I had taken the core classes (which involve things like both painting and sculpture). Very flatly she told me that probably wasn't a good idea and would involve a lot of paperwork. This is where our conversation began to turn. I tried to explain that I really loved "sculpture" (this word doesn't quite have the connotations I'm looking for, but we'll go with it) but I wasn't really sure that the things I did qualified as real "art" or would be considered more "craft". Immediately she assured me that there is a very distinct line between art and craft. Craft, she sniffed, is something anyone can do. Art is more sophisticated than that. At this point our conversation was pretty much over and I had some time to stew. I've always believed that anyone can do art, that it isn't a gift reserved for those precious few who have some magical ability to see the world differently. Artists aren't better than anyone else. The only thing that makes us different is that we've practiced. I hate it when people say things like "I wish I could draw as good as you" or "you're so amazing, I could never be an artist like you". For one, although it's supposed to be a compliment, it's really hard to take it that way. When people say things like that I feel kind of crummy, like I have some magical power that no one else is allowed to have. Secondly, it isn't some magical power. I wasn't born with the innate ability to draw. I do believe I've always had the desire to be an artist, but I've had to work for it. When people say things like, "I'm so jealous of your art" I always want to retort "are you also jealous of the hours I've had to spend practicing over and over again?"
I'm sorry, I'm digressing. So the aforementioned conversation caused me to ponder exactly where the line between "art" and "craft" was. I have come to the conclusion that there really is no line. Even if craft is something that "anyone can do" why does that make it not art? There are a lot of things that people would likely consider craft that take countless hours of practice. I'm pretty sure I couldn't go out and become a master tablet-weaver or professional embroiderer in a single day. Just because a blacksmith makes things that are useful, does that make the status of artist unattainable for him? I say no.
On to my second rant. There's a kid I sit by in my 2D Design class who is incredibly talented at drawing. He works at a bank and draws on sticky notes there. I absolutely love his drawings. They're adorable and humorous and a wonderful picture of human beings as they really are. (His drawings kind of remind me of the photographs Lilo takes in Lilo & Stitch - "aren't they beautiful?"). Anyways, he recently decided to apply to the Illustration major this semester and I think he's got a fantastic shot at getting in. The other day, one of the professors in that department came into our classroom and this kid asked him to take a look at his sketchbook and give him some feedback. The professor said little about his talent, but discouraged him from continuing to draw on sticky notes and said he needed to get a better quality sketchbook. I was a little perplexed. I love that his drawings are on sticky notes. It adds so much more charm to the figures. Why should the quality of materials take away from his obvious talent?
Well, now you know where all of this came from. I'd like to take some time now and just feature some "art" that I've come in contact with here on the internet and let you decide for yourself what it really classifies as.
Fan art and anything that's considered "in" is generally taboo. My Little Pony is bizarrely incredibly popular right now and while I'm not a fan, I do appreciate the creativity it has sparked. Personally, I love this. It makes me smile. Like, whoever would've thought to make a Sokka Pony figurine? It's great!
Again, fan art isn't really art, right? So, this person surely isn't a good artist. They're completely void of talent. (Howl's Moving Castle is really a great movie, you should all see it.)
And what about this? Anyone can learn how to sew. The fact that it's one of the most gorgeously designed dresses I've ever seen has absolutely no effect on the fact that cosplay couture can never be an "art" form. (You guys know I'm being sarcastic with all this, right?)
Again with the sticky notes. It doesn't matter how pretty and composed this piece is, you just can't make art with sticky notes.
Says who!?
Blech, stuffy art people. I don't ever want to have to enter the art conversation if art has to be judged by the materials you use and the subjects you portray. It's so portentous . . . and dumb. Ich. Maybe I just don't have the mind of an artist. Who knows. But I'm going to continue to do what I love however the heck I want. (Yeah! Stickin' it to the man.)
Okay, one last, hopefully happier, point before I show the things that I've been doing recently. As I've begun to think about art a lot more and what it is, I think I've come to understand it a little more. I used to be somewhat judgmental of things like performance art. But as I've come to redefine art for myself, I begin to see it differently. Maybe this isn't how I'm supposed to look at it, but it makes sense to me. As I said before, art is life, or perhaps the experience of life. Art is a wonderful thing, in that you can do pretty much whatever you want however you want. I have this problem where I'm interested in practically everything, but I don't want to do things the way you're supposed to. Like science. I think science is fascinating, but I hate the whole scientific process, or the fact that you're supposed to have an end goal. Can I not just study insect wings without coming up with some thought out hypothesis. Or if I don't find out anything hugely important or anything at all other than insect wings look pretty, was the study a complete waste? This is where art comes in. You're fascinated by the way different people brush their teeth? Well, video-tape a bunch of people brushing their teeth. Don't have more than fifty participants representing a standard variety of people? Who cares! It's art. All you're doing is documenting the act of cleaning incisors, you aren't looking for any outcomes, you're just looking. Because that's what art is. I dunno if that makes any sense, but here, watch this video:
Okay, enough with my inner musings. I actually have quite a bit of art to share with you guys.
I finally finished one of my commissions from my Facebook page. This one's for my sister for my niece. Naturally, my nieces are a little obsessed with Frozen right now and the oldest likes to think of herself as Elsa. So this one's for her. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get these done as quickly as I should be, but I do have two more in progress right now. I was hoping to get them done before the end of February, but right now I think we're looking at the end of this semester. If you haven't checked out my Facebook page, you should totally go over and do it! Please? Algae Art
I also finally got back to doing art exercises. Perhaps an artist is supposed to come up with everything on their own, but once in a while I find that I need a push in the right direction . . . off a cliff. As soon as I start falling, I realize that I do, in fact, have wings and I can fly again. Ew, what a corny metaphor. Eh, it stays. So anyways, this exercise started with two randomly selected words; rabbit and bicycle. The rest was up to me. I like how this turned out. Simple, but nice. Sorry for the bad picture, I'll get a scan of it later.
This was inspired by the subject of this post. And also by the fact that I need to practice doodling. Yes, doodling. My doodles often are way too forced and you can tell. So I'm trying to practice doodling without thinking. I'll still turn out crappy doodles, I'm sure, but they're just doodles. I think it's good for me. And therapeutic.
Again, sorry for the bad picture, but this was another therapeutic art exercise. I was having a weird weekend, so I decided to go on a quick hike up the canyon by my apartment. And by hike up the canyon, I really mean hike to the canyon. By the time I finally got there the sun was going down, so I sat on a bridge and drew the sunset. I've always been terrified of drawing sunsets and skies and landscapes in general. Then, even more terrifying, I came home and painted it. It certainly isn't the most realistic paint job, but I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. It reminds me of Quentin Blake illustrations. I was so scared to paint the yellow clouds. They were all golden and beautiful and most definitely not your standard white and grey clouds. I like it. I think I should try to draw things that scare me more often.
Well, I think this has gone on long enough. I was going to add some more things, but perhaps next week. Or the week after . . .
The first day was mostly unpleasant for me. And it's mostly my own fault. But there's nothing that some good food won't cure. And that's just what we got for dinner that night. 
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