Enamored by curly cues of classical building tops, I have a penchant for illustrations of architecture and interior design that capture that charm of old school design. I'm currently loving French artist of the early 1900 somethings or something or another, Raoul Dufy...
"My eyes were made to erase all that is ugly."
dufy got graphic, too; reminds me of prints i might see on a runway dress today.
"When I feel a little confused,
the only thing to do is to turn back to the study of nature before
launching once again into the subjects closest to heart."
"I don't follow any system. All the laws you can lay down are only so many props to be cast aside when the hour of creation arrives."
A few days ago, I made another trip to the Seattle Art Museum and I laid my eyes upon the "Thermometer" by Jasper Johns and I literally pointed and suddenly said "Jasper Johns!" because the art academy I've been working at (and been having a fab time at the same time) dedicated one of its summer camp projects to Jasper Johns' number art works! So I was like 'hey I know this guy!' Haha. So cool story bro of the day!
is known for working with numbers, prints, flags, stenciled words.
was the first studio artists to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom (right from the hands of President Obama in February 2011) since Alexander Calder about 35 years ago.
Obama said about him: “It has been noted that Jasper Johns’ work, playing off familiar images, has transfixed people around the world...Like great artists before him, Jasper Johns pushed the boundaries of what art could be and challenged others to test their own assumptions. He didn’t do it for fame, he didn’t do it for success—although he earned both...As [Johns] said, ‘I assumed that everything would lead to complete failure, but I decided that it didn’t matter—that would be my life,’”
"Do something, do something to that, and then do something to that."
I'm loving those colorful, consistent yet unexpected lines.
"When something is new to us, we treat it as an experience. We feel that our senses are awake and clear. We are alive."
"I don't know how to organize thoughts. I don't know how to have thoughts."
"I have no ideas about what the paintings imply about the world. I don't think that's a painter's business. He just paints paintings without a conscious reason."
"To be an artist you have to give up everything, including the desire to be a good artist."
This was the painting, Thermometer, I saw at the Seattle Art Museum! Apparently, the thermometer in the middle protests to contemporary beliefs of warm and cool colors. Even as the temperature goes up, cool colors are still up there. So case in point, colors are whatever temperature you want them to be. Go out of bounds! What a rebel you were, Jasper.
looks like i was really excited?
There's the man (he was pretty good lookin' back in the day)
"As one gets older one sees many more paths that could be taken. Artists sense within their own work that kind of swelling of possibilities, which may seem a freedom or a confusion." - Jasper Johns
song of the moment -
yellow - coldplay (I feel like it's appropriate...)
so i'm back into the swing of school and ap calc is getting the best of me! if there is anything i complain about a lot, it is definitely that class. it has sapped the life out of me and stymied me from doing my best in other classes. i can't catch up in ap calc and it is just uber tough for me. i used to love math when it actually made sense, and it was just playing around with equations. and ap calc has caused me to complain like this, and i dont like complaining. see, it's even making me complain about other things; complaining about complaining.
i'm sorry my second post of the year started out negative! butttt--we all like big buts--on the bright side, i love the book we're reading in ap english--the awakening by kate chopin. i have to admit, for a lot of the books we read, i don't get to "get in the reading zone" for most of the books and i have to skim chapters, etc. i really love reading and english and exploring how these sentences, these simple words evolve into themes, all intertwining and creating powerful stories! but then, ap calc comes in to burst my bubble and i only have 10 minutes to read act III of hamlet.
but anyway! the awakening! i love it so much that i've noticed myself unconsciously making time to "get in my reading zone" for this book. not being able to entrust your life to someone, finding who you really are and not what society makes you, staying home at one place, and wanting to belong to someone -- i feel like those are some key themes in that book and they are definitely key themes in my life. only two books have made me cry--night by elie wiesel and the awakening. it just touched a level inside me that no other book has. and reading the awakening has instigated a few awakenings in myself, too; for one, it made me remember how much i love loving. it has been so long since i've enjoyed reading like this. and two, for some reason, it made me want to explore the arts deeper and let go of any worries, and go for creativity in everything no matter what people might think or say.
i had always been an active artist and appreciator, but since high school started, i sacrificed my art interests for what i thought were more career-related. so i took online art--which really isn't very art-y at all--instead of an actual arts course, so i could take journalism and video communications. anyway, das' why i luv bloggin'! here's an image i played around with; the simple, rich, pastel colors from 1:14 of this animation video really inspired me.
click images to enlarge
as for clothes, i've been indulging in the urban outfitter's clothes my mom bought me for christmas from their fabulous black friday sale. :]
and the dress i like to call the oreo ice cream dress. (story behind it: i was eating an oreo at church during their snack break (i know, it's pretty awesome), and i was thinking "holy st. francis, this is a good cookie." and "this oreo reminds me of a dress i wear.. ohyeah! but not the actual oreo cookie, but crushed oreo or oreo ice cream" and now i'm thinking i really want some oreos.)
some pictures from my christmas break that i didn't get to upload earlier! i made my family christmas cards and i was really proud of my celophane usage. :D i really wanted to do a 'how to post' but i wanted to make them within the 30 minutes that they were shopping at the grocery.
my brother gave me these "princess shimmer decorating glitter gels" for making cookies! my first time making cookies not from the Pillsbury frozen cookie packages. i know, i am a terrible...human, for not making cookies from scratch before. and even this is technically not making cookies from scratch, but it was exciting enough for me. although they were so burnt and super stale, they tasted kinda good?...
so this was an unexpectedly long and rather legitimate post. i think i broke my new year's resolution on procrastinating less, because i definitely have a lot of homework left and it's past midnight, but i did fulfill the 'blog more' part. :s mmm...
song of the moment - the way Stevie Wonder sings it exudes so much beauty and emotion--love it even when it's not christmas.
price tag - jessie j ft. b.o.b.
ps. class of fashion post coming soon (there's pictures from like months ago, so their fashion might be "out of season" but oh well. hehe)
Although senior year hasn't even started yet, taking my senior photos has really got me pumped for my last year of high school! In a few posts back I posted some pictures of myself as a Rep for Be You Portraits, but now I've got my real senior photos and I like 'em!
Taking senior photos was surprisingly reminscent for me! I can't quite put my finger on why, but taking photos of myself with the knowledge of knowing "these pics will represent my life as a high school kiddo!" was just nostalgic! And I'm not even out of high school yet!
Anyway, enough of my sappiness, Ellen, the photographer for Be You, is the coolest photographer I know - she's like the big sister I've never had! :) She also has an awesome blog that you won't be disappointed by! She really captures a personality well. :)
So, I thought I'd share some pics from my senior photo session with you! I have a couple more, but I didn't want to bombard you with so much ERIN. ;) Any favorites?
Be sure the click the pics to enlarge! They look super cool close-up! :)
If the scenery looks familiar, it's because these photos were taken at the same place as I took the photos in the last post! :) (Thanks Ellen for the site discovery!)
And another reason to celebrate: I started my first paid job yesterday! Wahhaaa! :DD I'm a (part-time) tutor at Kumon! Woot! I get to teach the little 'uns who are just learning to read and can count to 300ish.
I'm already enjoying it there! I would love to work in a career that involves helping children - they're the best in so many ways (although they leave me super fatigued)! This one guy was doing his math drill and all of a sudden says, "Yesterday, I went down stairs and sat down on the potty and then I went potty." He was real serious about it too! :D
I also discovered these amazing prints by Spanish graphic designer and illustrator Bianca Gomez and they are lovely:
(click to enlarge)
(my favorite! i would like the same exact sweater!) :)
song of the moment - arctic monkeys - no buses
PS. I wanted to thank you guys for your lovely comments in my last post! You guys are such loyal readers and I really appreciate every second you spend reading a word on my blog! Every time I see a new comment, I jump an inch off my seat! Your comments made my cry a wittle inside. :)
for my school's art appreciation club, we headed to seattle to watch From Time to Timefor the Seattle International Film Festival. (click the link for a trailer and synopsis). i was sad that i couldn't see the French film, Father of My Children, & i was disappointed that half of the people who said they'd come said they couldn't at the last minute. >:( but i still had an awesome time! :)) i definitely recommend the film! it's actually a bit of a thriller; my friend kept squeezing my arm and hand when the screen got dark or the music got intense. xD maggie smith is such a classy british lady and i love the jewelry and dresses worn in the british film. great movie!
(click pictures to enlarge! they look much better that way!)
this pic is just awesome.
SIFF poster :)
just when you thought that there was nothing special about this picture....
BAM!
afterwards, we ate at Dick's, which was right across the street! it was my first time eating there and it's SOOO good for such a cheap price! their ice cream is rockin' too. :) ahhhh. i sure love food.
then we walked around the block and hung out at easy street records. i love their random stuff. ex: they had "instant afro gum" and "instantly understand your mother chapstick." :]
i love their telephone booth listening station thingies. :)
there was a shelf dedicated to the beatles and their album covers were so lovely. :)
i love the clean, bright colors. :) (mercer street book store)
well that's a wrap! :)
song of the moment - china grove - doobie brothers
