Quilt-like Building

I’ve blogged about this picture before, but just one more time…

I took this picture in Paris, France because I was fascinated with all the colors in the windows. They were all so different; I could only wonder about how different the people were inside. Here it is:

While I was in Portland, Oregon we spent quite a bit of time in the massive Powell’s Books. As I wandered aimlessly around, I stumbled across the photography section and began looking through some books. I remembered the name Andreas Gursky so I pulled out his one and only book from the shelf. And what do you know…here’s the first page I turned to:

That’s why I knew that name. When someone saw my picture, they mentioned him and said there was a similar photo. His work is great! Check more out here. I love love love it. I was thiiiiis close to buying the book, his architecture book, because you know I love those buildings! ;)

The Meeting of Fences

I really enjoyed my photography class in college (taught by this super talented guy). I miss it and I’m thinking of taking a class at the community college here.

This was one of my favorite pictures I took in the class. It was for the landscape series. I like the different types of fences. I love that they are tangled within one another. I love that the wooden fence peaks just over the line where the grass and trees meet forcing you to take a second look.

My Arty Start

I’ve mentioned on her before that I like artsy things and arty people. Well, I was reminded today of one of the reasons I think I’m like this. My middle school!

My middle school was super artsy. This public school was called Humanities and integrated art into every single class (including math!). We had extended time in our Humanities class which was really similar to Social Studies, but used art the most.

Overall, I LOVED this school. I enjoyed everything I did and I’m thankful I had the experience there. However, I’m sad to say that it no longer exists.

Here are just a couple things I remember doing:

• Mummifying an orange to see what pharoahs did in ancient Egypt
• Becoming Nefertiti in a wax museum
• Designing faberge eggs. I made one like a cow and one like a flower.
• Creating my own version (copy and artwork) of The Odyssey.
• Drawing “Oscar Had A Hairy Old Arm” in math class. It was supposed to help is remember trigonometry methods. It worked, I still remember.
• Interviewing people who were in Beaufort High School when it first integrated. Then we created a magazine to tell all the stories. And I met local author Pat Conroy.
• Being on the web quest team. Yeah, sounds nerdy, it was. But we took first place in Academic Challenge! Basically we took a topic and created an online lesson plan complete with activities, crafts, etc.
• Making a paper-mache Grendel from the book Beowulf.
• Painting underneath tables as to experience a similar situation to Michelangelo when he painted the Sistene Chapel.
• School wide barter day just like they did in the 1800s before a money system developed. I’m not sure what I started with, but my end result was a green button that said “I’m Wild” that I traded with a teacher and an old-school “School of Rock” music CD. Score.

Arty Heart

I’m going to start a new series (because I’ve been so faithful to the one established series I have already…). I’ve been told I have an “arty heart” and I love that. I think I’ve discovered what exactly has caused this and what it’s causing me to do. 

First, what caused it:

• My dad used to play the “who sings this?” game while riding in the car with him. I think I started to appreciate all types of music at that point.
  
• Then, in the 2^nd grade, I decided I wanted to take piano lessons. I did and didn’t stop until I graduated high school. I loved it. I almost majored in it, but after a lot of thought, I discovered playing the piano was something I just did for me (the nauseous stomach before every festival or recital led me to this decision).
  
• My mom always did crafts with me. We had a “make it” closet filled with random items that put together in the right way created something unique. She also planned amazing birthday parties for me that always involved making something and using our creative sides.
  
• I took dance lessons for a couple years. I wasn’t the greatest, but I had fun.
  
• And then, from 6^th to 8^th grade, I attended Humanities Middle School. It was a smaller public school that students had to apply to. It integrated arts into every class. I mummified oranges, made Faberge eggs, became Nefertiti in a wax museum, helped create a magazine, made paper, quilted, created replicas of old historical buildings, painted under tables while laying on our backs just like Michelangelo may have with the Sistine Chapel, etc. I wish I could remember everything that we did there because I think all of it was pretty great.
  

What it has caused me to do:

• Spend hours in art museums. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel and look at some of the masterpiece’s of the world. The Llouve in Paris, the statue of David in Florence, Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, MoMA & MET in NYC, every Smithsonian in DC, and various ones we stumbled across in London.
  
• Love architecture. I love brand new modern buildings. I love old buildings. I love skylines. I’m fascinated with them. I think having a long family history of brick-laying doesn’t hurt this love either.
  
• Became a concert junkie. I love music. I’m obsessed with it. I love finding new bands that haven’t quite hit the big-time yet and telling people about them. I would go to a concert every day if possible.
  
• Interested in photography. I’ve always taken a lot of pictures and posted them everywhere. This past semester I took a photography class, which just fueled the fire. I think I’m decent at it.
  
• Do crafty things. Make a magazine mirror, bracelet, whatever, I’ll do it.
  
• Watch any broadway/dance/musical. I’m a fan. Check out ‘In The Heights.’ It rocks.
  
• Love to travel. Discovering new cultures and the variety of art it brings is pretty exciting for me.

I’m sure that’s not the entire list of what this arty heart has caused me to do, but you get the gist.

So, on to the series. This is what I’m thinking…I don’t have a specific day for it, so it’ll be sporadic. “Arty Heart” entries will contain any type of art that I’ve come across that I want to share with you: A cool building, picture, museum, artist, painting, music (I’ll try to keep this and Tune Tuesday separate), or even a craft. I hope you enjoy it and your heart becomes a little arty in the process.