Once upon a time, there were ghosts.

Can this be my thesis statement?

Can I just graduate?

Megamess

in Megastudio.

If you think this is bad, then we won't talk about my bedroom. I'm sure things will be different after I graduate and move closer to the equator and sleep more than 3 hours a night.

Friday night, in between working on silkscreen transparencies (that giant piece of tracing paper with writing all over it) and handmade books, Debbie & I found time to dye these cotton knapsacks we bought at Pat Catan's. I really wanted to dip dye mine, and was hoping for a color in the vicinity of coral, but figured I'd wing it. Apparently, I guessed the right combination of lemon yellow & fuchsia MX dyes! I'm really pleased with how well it turned out!

The repeat patterns I've been drafting are no longer a part of my BFA, unless I decide to print wallpaper, which would be awesome, but unlikely since I looked at a calendar and had a panic attack earlier tonight. Yikes.

This is after finishing another chunk of rotoscope (notice the stack of frames in the pile on the left). Did I mention I live here? That would be a collection of DVDs to keep me entertained while drawing thousands of frames. Oh, and some sandwich ingredients. And gold paint and glitter are always at hand.

My father would kill me.

I probably won't be updating this very much for the next few weeks. That is, unless I magically finish shooting & processing & looping 2 rolls of 16mm film, building 3 pedestals, silkscreening 3 tapestries, writing a paper, writing a proposal, making postcards, binding 20 books by hand, designing the book to be bound, and maybe sleeping a little. But probably not that last part.

More presentations tomorrow. It never ends. What's my art about again?

Right. Ghosts.

To Do:

1. Graduate.

2. Get a pet bunny or two.

3. Paint things gold.

4. Play with glitter.

5. Bedazzle everything.

6. Make awards.

7. Get a job.

Priorities.

Bittersweet

is an understatement. I love art school, but my eyeballs love sleep.

I don't want to make a countdown. But I really want to sleep in, and not have a care in the world, for maybe three days in a row. And maybe pick paint things gold or play with glitter.

Tuesdays are much worse than Mondays.

Where the Wildflowers Are

 I realize I've been posting less and less, but that's because I'm working more and more, which doesn't always seem possible. Yet everyday I find several new messes to make in Megastudio.

 Today, applications for CIA's traveling scholarships were due. Graduating seniors (who meet a required GPA and have no outstanding credits) can apply for one of the six scholarships they announce at the BFA Exhibition reception. These scholarships, from $3,000-$4,500, go to students to further their career and fund their travels.

 To apply, you have to write a one-page proposal explaining what you would like to do with the money, where you would go, and what you might make. It's hard to fit everything in one page, but at the same time, it's a nice limit, and the lack of detail leaves flexibility.

 My proposal, naturally titled Where the Wildflowers Are, explains my wish to travel throughout the American West and use the almost infinite nature as the setting for a short film I want to make integrating a variety of experimental film and animation techniques.

 I made an envelope out of some chipboard, silkscreened my name & title onto it (and of course a couple wildflowers), and created a (wildflower &  string) clasp on the back. I'm a big fan of presenting everything cohesively, so even my DVDs are decorated.

 As dividers between each of the pages, I included pieces of tracing paper with xylene transfers of wildflowers: one of the techniques I want to experiment with, in animated form.

 And, since I had the screen out and my pigments mixed, I figured I might as well title my next sketchbook (since I only have a few pages left in the one I started just a few weeks ago!). I've become a big fan of coptic stitch. For awhile, I thought it was tacky, but I think that's because of the cover designs. The pages open really nicely and stay flat (nice for sketchbooks), and they look really nice as paperback. I'm hooked.

This weekend, my goals include designing another repeat pattern, prepping a screen, possibly silkscreening, hole-punching, and a ton of work on my handmade book project. Next week I'll be drawing until carpal tunnel gets the best of me.