Just another Sunday

This is where I work. Welcome to Big City Bread Cafe. Google us. We're delish!

Gosh I'm bored. I wanna be in grad school....in Japan. Like right now. I need to find my slides. I wish I hadn't moved 53 times and lost them. I hope Christmas doesn't blow this year. I'm happy they're leaving me the dog to keep me company. I love Gracie.

More more more

I've been busy.

Roxelle LOVES X-mas

This one goes out to Gillian...

This is the cover of a book Alan and I found in the good ol' B&N that left me with both chills and dry heaves.

Now all I want you to do is picture a monkey face on it for me.

There.

Now we all have more to give thanks for than family.

:D

MMM....I love the smell of fire in the fall...

Life has been good. Christmas happened in Good Dirt studios. By Christmas I mean a firing in which my pieces were finished.
To walk in and see all your hard work shining before you on a canvas covered table well,.....there are no words.
Here's a little taste of what's to come.

It was big..

I mean BIG.



I am still in awe at the sheer BIGness of this taco-Beast.
(It was also delicious.)



((Mmmmmmmmmmmmm......))

Ahhh...

I finally moved in. It feels so nice to have roof over my head again. Not just A roof, but MY roof.

Yeah. I like this.

I'm so over that.

I finally got a job interview...and for REAL job to. I just wish this REAL job didn't make me feel so dirty inside. I don't know exactly what it was that gave me this feeling of ickyness. Maybe it was the way the Vice President of the company was flashing around his cell phone, saying he liked it when it vibrates in his pants, or taking out his car keys to say what an expensive car he drives--all trying to impress upon us how rich this company was and how much of a hideous amount of money it had made him. I didn't really feel like shaking his hand. In the one on one part he told me to give up the silly notion of "Grad School for potting" (he also told me that since I was a potter I must be making pot), and simply make selling life insurance (at high premiums to people who can't afford it but don't know any better)my career (i.e. make making money my life.)

Thank you God I am so over that.

Yeah,...I didn't go in for the 10 AM meeting today. I hope they shred all my paperwork.

I love

Life. Well, God mostly, because He is blessing mine so much right now. I am about to go to Sherwin Williams and get 2 gallons of Plum Brown for my large and oddly shaped new walls. I should create a few playlists for the occasion. I wish I had my bed here already. I wish my little crappy car would transform into the truck I need on the weekends. Yeah. I would indeed enjoy it if my 94' Dodge Shadow were a Transformer and could also morph into like---a big Sabertooth Tiger. Or something like that. Anyway, I am buying a studio space tomorrow at Good Dirt downtown. You should check it out. www.gooddirt.net Hopefully I will be able to crank out enough work that I can sell to help pay for rent or gas. If not, I am still doing what I love and getting to meet and work alongside other potters in the community. I do so want to do well with my life and not just be drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the world. I know I have to grow up and concern myself with making money and paying bills and making sure I have food to eat but I want to enjoy my life. I'm only here for a short time. Yet still, I'm so ready to leave.

No, not now anyway. I've got things and friends to make. And as God's laid it on my heart, enemies to love.

I love you too.

She got the job!

Melissa is now the proud owner of a brand new Graphic Design job in Jacksonville Florida. Yay!!! She searched for the perfect job for 5 months and in one 5 minute interview she got it.---And a complimentary cup of Starbucks coffee on her first day of work just because the barista that morning overheard the excitement and decided to be a gem.
As we were leaving the skies opened up and let a flood spew through. I hope Melissa doesn't ever get washed away!

Birthdays of the Finest Kind

Besides all that malicious hooey was a beautiful wedding and sweet time of reunion with friends. It was also Mandy's birthday--which we spent in the Greenwood K-mart. Yay!!

Stupid Jerk!!

Okay, so, my dear friend since I was five, Nealy, has this wedding, right? And guess what happens? Yeah, the wedding was beautiful, and Tara caught the bouquet, and over 1000 pictures were taken, but you know what else was taken? Everybody's cash. Yep. I hope we catch the creep that made Nealy cry.

So, who else is still waiting?

I'm still not all the way settled in here. (Here being the brand new town of Athens.) I wonder why I haven't kicked myself harder in the butt to get going and get out of my friend's apartment. I have to, and let me make this clear, HAVE TO get an apartment this week and at least one job by the next. I do hope I can make it. September will be my "hell month" I'm sure. This sounds all melodramatic, I know, and I KNOW it won't be bad. The worst will be the anxiety in my head. This whole experience has taught me that I am such a wuss! Unless things are handed to me or my hand is held as I'm led to whatever is already pre-planned for me, I am too scared to make a move. I realize that most of what my life has been has been handed to me. I guess these past weeks I was almost waiting for the same thing to happen. Realizing this makes me feel like a brat. I know I should be spending this time delving deeper into the Word and praying for God to guide me, but I have been slacking in that area. I know there is a connection with the anxiety I feel and my lack of trust that God will place me where He wants me.
And when I look back on it, this time hasn't been a total waste. I have had much fun these past days. I got to see alot of old school peeps, enjoy a bachelorette party, AND I pet a shark!
Not a bad way to spend an August I say.

New City? New Job? New Life?

Well I up and moved to Athens in the middle of the night. When I look back on my life I realize that most of my major decisions have been made in an instant, and seeing as I have loved my life so far perhaps my immediate decision isn't such a rash one. I spent today doing two things. One: Driving around the city and figuring out where my bank was and other establishments. And Two: Freaking out. I don't know why not having an agenda frightens me so! Dustin came back from his Philosophy class with a syllabus and I wanted so much to take it from him and begin lessons or plead to him, "Let me do your homework!" I never wanted to graduate. I never got to the point of saying, "gosh I hate this place. I can't wait till it is all over and I am outta here." I loved college. I think this further reassures me that grad school is supposed to be in my future. (I yearn for it so much that I have felt physically sick for the lack of structure in my life.) I am glad that I have such good friends to put up with my sorry self right now. At the moment I am a free-loading bum, and it is okay with them. Joel is my hero of the week, giving up a key, beeper thing for the gate to the apartments, and his own bed so that I can feel comfortable whilst searching for purpose in Athens. Thank you Lord for Joel. Also, thank you for the awesomeness that is Dustin. He has been calming me down and giving me encouragement all day. I love that he doesn't refer to me as a homeless, jobless, leech on society, but rather uses the term, "free-spirit."
I know God is moving and I know it will all be okay. I just have to get my body to believe that before I have to be taken to the hospital.

Last Call

I feel so very strange right now. Bittersweet is the word of the day. Goodbye Winshape Camps For Boys. You've been fun. And smelly.

One Last Session

I love camp. I get an endless supply of coffee, trail mix, happy kids, and brothers. I have a great roommate who makes me work out (which is GREAT because I mean I eat ALOT of trail mix!) My boyfriend comes back from the trail today and even though it's nasty rainy outside, my disposition is quite sunny. :D I'm such a nerd.
I miss my old roomie. She's all up in Peru now. I gotta look for tickets soon. I made a new friend last night named Rachel who is my organizational angel. She made me sit down and make a list of all the things I need to accomplish to get to my goal of getting my masters in ceramics at UGA. I am so excited about potentially studying in Japan for a semester!!
Okay, time to steal Debbie and have her make a pot! Yay for pottery!

YAY!!!! I finally got my internet to start working! Praise Jesus! I didn't realize how much of a computer junkie I was till I had to go cold turkey for a while.
Well, not much art has been made, except the 800+ pieces that I assisted in for 3 pottery sessions. I'm about to go throw tonight and make the Sioux TL a tea cup with carved leaves on it and a saucer. I think I might make me one as well--and 4 mugs for the working mothers here. They've all been so nice. Somehow Bob Skelton wants me to whip out 40 mugs with crosses on them, but won't tell me how he's going to pay for the clay and which clay I can use. Sorry Bob, I may not be doing you a favor today. I think I might be going rock climbing this Saturday with my boo and Jessica Gibbler (I LOVE that girl!). I hope I don't wear myself out to much like I did last weekend by going with the Sioux to Six Flags (and burning the heck out of my upper half). My bad!

Heh heh...yeah

Haha!! Truett Cathy,...my word. That man has opened my eyes---and dropped my jaw with what he said today in church! I wish I had a pic of him, but instead here's a little of this....

Shweet!

So Council Ring happened for the boys of the Winshape Nation. Seems like my only artwork has been on my body this summer. Oh well. I'm havin a good time. :D

Campy McCamp

Camp, camp. I love camp. Once I go through those Berry gates I enter a whole new world where regular rules and appropriate conduct don't apply. I find myself becoming less and less lady-like every day---and considering I didn't have much of that in me to begin with says alot. I miss my roomie. She's all Peru bound now. The good thing is at least I don't work at girls camp. These guys may smell, but they are WAY more fun. I love returning because so many returned with me and it's like I got all my brothers back. The kids love pottery and have been calling it "Extreme Pottery", which makes me blush and say "yessssssss..." to myself. I haven't gotten to make much yet, but I am pretty psyched about working my own studio efficiently and getting some RAKU firings in in the process.
Welp, my rest time is over. Back to the kids.

Gillian, this one's for you

Poppies are pretty on the side of the road.
Today there is a word that stands out to me. I love the word persnickety. There, say it. See? You do too. :D

Grad School Alert!

Today was a beautiful and wet day spent in the gorgeous mountains of Cullowee, NC. Nestled in this mountain area is Western Carolina University. It is possible that I will go here for grad school. Rick and Marshal Whitten drove me all over NC today and we ate at the cutest little roadside cottage. While we were looking in the art gallery there was a production of the Wizard of Oz in the theater beside it. We were just minding our own business when all of a sudden the doors shut on us and lights and piercing alarms go off. Apparently a bored little child thought this would be a great way to get home early and pulled the fire alarm. Well, it was a site to see all the Oz players and audience filing out the door into the rain. We slipped out and was let into the brand new fine arts building by a hippie, (yes hippie), who was alone "guarding" the photo lab. He was nice though, and showed us all the rooms. This is a hippie-mountain town. I feel I might do well here. The only problem is housing. Plus every home I saw that had people visible were the same. Shirtless man next to woman in ragged tank. Hmmmm....How will I live in a mountain town knowing NO ONE around and not be too paranoid?---or more importanly, afford rent? Hmmmm....

It's almost Mother's Day

I love the mulch guys on 81 in Anderson.
They've really got somethin'. Today was spent entirely by wasting time. I met my friend at Mimi's Cafe on Woodruff road and had a delicious salad accompanied by one heck of an amazing muffin. Then I spent nearly the entire day wandering about looking for free WiFi. I found out my brother got married. Yep. Crazy huh? Not too many are excited about it though. Sad really. Ah well, Mama Karen helped me move my paintings out of the gallery today and then we all chatted about how she handles her job at the women's prison. I've got some tremendous respect for that lady. Welp, I guess I better run.....err sleep. Gotta go get various shots tomorrow morning. Weeeeeee!

I can't wait to be crotchety

I love this lady. My Nanny is so freaking cool. She doesn't care who you are, you are not to lofty for her. And watch out fellas, she is currently on the prowl for a new boyfriend. Please, no losers apply.

I guess it really happened...

I think it still hasn't hit that I graduated yet. I watched my room mate drive away to Colorado today and fooled myself into thinking she would just come back to our room over the weekend. I've been back to Anderson every day this week. The reason why I have yet to cry may be because I haven't really left. Nate Dog and I loaded "Roxelle" into the kiln today with minor breakage. I haven't felt that nervous in a long time. I guess one good thing about not being a student anymore is that I no longer have to be on my best behavior as a grade grubbing Pollyanna. (Like I EVER was on my best behavior in ceramics!) Now Nathan is my friend. And so are all the other art faculty. Gosh I will miss them.---If any of you are reading this MAKE SURE ART ALUMNI STAY IN TOUCH. Oh, and have an annual potluck-cookout at Nathan's house. I'm sure you can work it into the budget. ;)
For all my homies out there, I'd take two to the chest fo ya.
Peace~

So,...I graduated yesterday. I feel weird.

It's OVER!

Soooo, this is my last post for drawing, BUT not for art or for me! SO those of you that actually read this should keep coming back cause there'll be much more to come!

Time....goes by so fast

Total: 11 hours

I've been getting some more material and photos today at Artisphere. I love my camera's mute button.
Also,...we had a party. :D Yay seniors!

TIME

Just about 10 hours spent this week. Most of my time has been spent tending to "Roxelle".
<------

Work Work Work...

I took some pics of the stages my little carvings go through. Not too intresting. Perhaps I'll put some glaze ones in here too.

A lil more...

A creepy work in progress.

TIME

Time: 10 hours

DANG

Again I forget to take pictures of what I'm doing in this class and instead take pics of everything else. GAH! Well fine! I'm just going to post those. I put three if my pieces for drawing in the kiln today and lit the burners. Good golly it was cold outside! I am so excited for the turnout of my pieces though I'm not really bothered. I hope everything works out. At least now we'l know if I should just paint them after they are bisqued. Weeee!

TIME

11.5 hours. It has been a busy week! I took pictures of pretty much everything but my finished drawing pieces so yeah,...I'm dumb.

TIME

Total hours: 11.

Not too much more other than the usual drawing, rolling slabs, though I did find a mold I can use for some of my "frames". I'm toying with the idea of mounting them within real wooden frames to make them lighter, but the issue of fit after shrinkage would be a big deal...unless I made frames after it was all fired and glazed. I don't think there's time for that though seeing how the firings will go till the last day. Dang.

TIME

TIME: 10 hours of drawing and shooting and cropping and rolling slabs

TIME

10 hours total of scattered prep work, writing, talking out sketchy situations and photographing them and drawing the results. This is one of my roomates in the response to one of our friends lying to us about being married for four months.

TIME

Total Time : 6 hours. :(

This has been a productive week in most everything other than art. I've had 3 papers and read 4 books and reviewed 2 films for classes. I have been taking more candid pictures for my private conversations pieces and brainstorming more over what quotes should be on them.

TIME

This week has been super busy in the ceramics room! Total of 12 hours this week but no pictures yet.

Pilot

TIME: 15 hours of writing, searching for images, going out and taking photos, set up and exacuting the carving.

This is kinda my pilot for the series I want to do. I want to do about 10 of these "framed" private conversations and have been spending much time in thought and sneaking pictures of unsuspecting people. I threw a slab, let it stiffen for a few days, and used some carving and trimming tools to get the relief look I want. I used stamps for the words, but still am not sure about how it looks. It's hard to get the letters to match up right and you have to press down with just the right force. Good thing I want all my phrases to be short for these things!

TIME

I threw another 5 hours of time into the piece and am counting our time we met as an hour. We can round up, right? :D

Time : 9 hours and 10 minutes, but I know I'll work another 3 tomorrow.

So I've been working on two ideas and because of time am going with this one, though if you'd let me I'd like to do the other one two just because I think it would be an interesting piece. I have a sketch of it so far and it will be completed tomorrow.

Hmm... Non-traditional art?

This is my last work I did for the non-traditional art. I just love clay and felt like drawing on it. This is a self-portrait from something I did in sculpture. I find I work better from direct sources or photographs. I don't do art from my head well.

Whew~! Long day....so my total of hours is around 11.5 of figuring out what I'm going to do, then executing, then reading up on what my later project will be, along with throwing slabs to carve.

I did a lot of work with food. Maybe it was because I was just hungry and wanted to stay in the kitchen? Anywho, this is peanut butter licked, then carved into something that resembles Monet's haystack......errr.....or at least that's what I was goin for. :)

So I have this sign on our bathroom door of a "No doggie pooping" sign I found in England and I felt it was appropriate to draw this in toothpaste on the tongue of my friend Sophie.

The toothpaste began to melt on her tongue as I was trying to get a good pic.

I just had to try it out. Here's me and a slow shutter speed on my camera and my headlamp.

This was probably my best attempt at making something recognizable. It's a star!

Eww. Chocolate spread with a knife on toilet paper. Then wetted.

Mmmm. Such a clean landscape. This is two colors of Dawn dish detergent and chocolate and parsley on a paper towel.

Can you see the lower part of a man's face? Melted chocolate squeezed out of a plastic bag and then smeared on a white cutting board.

And this is a magical unicorn made of melted chocolate and peanut butter swirled chips on FATZ wax paper. Mmm delicious.

This is a bird on a branch done in Peanut butter swirled chocolate chips on a coffee filter.

So this is something I made for ceramics. It's the only picture I have of my art on my camera now so I thought, why not? This is the first of a series of displays (this one is technically a cake stand) that I'll use to house my scultures. It's kinda like interactive art. Lift the cover and see something inside unexpectedly.