Graduation

 

 I did it!  

I stuck it out, I saw it through, I finished college and graduated with a BFA in Fine Art! 

I was a long morning but a fun one.  Having done my degree 100% online I felt a little lonely at times, but the energy in the room was so exciting it was easy for me to find people to talk to.  

The ceremony lasted about 2 hours.  I was so nervous and excited I was shaking! I made it across the stage and down the stairs without tripping thankfully. 

Sitting in the crowd.  Can you find me?  Hint: I have a decorated cap on :)

Outside the arena, after the ceremony

My family and me

So what now?

 That is the question, isnt it?  

The question every college graduate dreads.  

You spent x amount of years on your degree so what are you going to do now?  

My short term goals: 

I plan to work on commissions, 

build my business, 

and grow my portfolio. 

I want to be represented by at least one gallery in the next year. 

There is also a local co-op gallery I want to join and start volunteering at.

I am excited for my future and the good things that it holds :) 

Graduation Cap

9 x 9

acrylic on 100% polyester 

Painted for my graduation.  I figured 1) I am graduating from art school so why wouldnt I paint my hat and 2) I wanted to stand out in the crowd from the other 1,000 graduates who would all be in black caps and gowns.  My family said it was very helpful when they were trying to find me :)

Thistle, Snap Dragon, Poppies, Rose & Last Day

Thistle, Snap Dragon, Poppies, and Rose

11 x 15

tea, watercolor, colored pencil, pen on Reeves BFK

For Mixed Media.  My final project.  Inspired by my Sketchbook Project 2012.   

I love using pen because it forces me to commit to my marks.  No erasing, no going back.  Once a mark is on the paper it is there forever.   

Thistle was suggested by my step brother.  He is studying in Scotland right now and the Thistle is the flower of Scotland.  Snapdragons were my favorite flower when I was a child.  Poppies for my grandfather whose nickname was Poppy and a Rose from my garden.  

I would like to do a series in this style of the state flowers for all 50 states.  I would also like to experiment more with making these pieces even bigger, maybe a whole sheet of Reeves.  

 

On another note 

Today is my very last, last day of school.  I will be attending my graduation from Academy of Art University next week.  I am excited and terrified all at the same time.

I began my college education journey in 2005 at Georgia Military College.  I was working toward my AA in Education.  After a year there I moved on to Valdosta State University where I majored in Art Education with the hopes of one day becoming an art teacher.  In February of 2007 my world was turned upside down when I found out I would be moving to a tiny Portuguese island in the Azores for 2 years.

At this point I had 2 choices.  Quit school and hope to pick it up again when I moved back to the states or find something that worked.  I was afraid that if quit school I would never go back so I decided to find something that worked.  I knew I needed to find a program I could do online as 1) I didnt speak Portugues and 2) there were no art schools on the island.  Many schools offer online programs, most in graphic design, interior design, or photography.  I wanted a fine art program.  After much searching I found the Academy of Art University online program.  I was the perfect fit.  I could continue my studies and pursue my passion.

When I began at AAU I thought I was talented.  I had taken some art classes at VSU and done well, so I thought the classes at AAU would be a breeze.  Boy was I wrong.  My first few semesters I struggled with the workload, finding the necessary supplies while living on a tiny island, and measuring up to my teachers expectations.  It was not easy and sometimes it wasnt very fun but I stuck with it.  I was learning a ton and I began to see a great improvement in my art.  

After our 2 years in the Azores we moved back to California.  The beauty of doing my school online is I didnt have to skip a semester when I moved or traveled nor did I have to find another school and start all over.  I could "go to school" wherever I had an internet connection.

With each 15 week semester at AAU I saw my work improve.  I was amazing.  I was growing and learning every week.  It was hard and challenging and frustrating but in the end it was all worth it.

So here I am.  I have turned in my very last final.  In a week I will don a cap and gown, walk across a stage, and have my Bachelors of Fine Art.  It has been a 7 year journey through 3 schools, across 2  countries, and in 2 states.  It feels so good to have reached the end, reached my goal that I set out to achieve back when I was in high school.

I have had a lot of support though this journey.  My friends, my family all believing in me and reminding me when I was hating my assignments that it would be worth it.  Reminding me of how far I have come.  Of how much my art has grown.  Thank you all.

A special thank to my amazing husband who has been by my side the entire time.  Loving me and supporting me through my lowest most frustrating points, and encouraging me to keep going.  He was always happy to look at my new pieces as I proudly displayed to him what I created.  He was the best critic when something wasnt working and I just couldnt figure it out.  He listened to my frustrations and my worries.  Supported my dreams and my goals.  He hugged me through rejections and reminded me that there would be many more opportunities.  Thank you Adam for being there all of these years.  I know I could not have done this without you.  I love you.  

I know my posts are usually this wordy but I am in a reflective mood.  This is the ending of a very big chapter of my life.  I have been attending school for almost 20 years and now it is all over... It is time for a new unknown chapter to begin.

BRING IT ON!

 

Fern, Quotables; Poppy, Thistle, Snap Dragon, and Sour Grass

 Fern 

12 x 9

venetian plaster, celluclay, found fern, wax, resin on wood

For Mixed Media.  Use multiple media and let the process guide you.  I began with the Venetian Plaster on wood.  I them added the celluclay to the edges creating a berm.  After the celluclay was dry I added the fern and the wax.  I wanted to see how wax and resin reacted so I decided to pour resin on top.  All of the materials are in the natural state.  I really like the play of textures and subtle colors and tones in the piece.  

Quotables: The Traveler's Gift- 7 Decisions of Success

text paper and tape

5.5 x 68

For book making.  Create a book using a leporello format.  I have been reading The Travelers Gift by Andy Andrews and was inspired to create a book highlighting the 7 Decisions of Success described in the book. 

Poppy, Thistle, Snap Dragon, and Sour Grass WIP

11 x 15

tea and watercolor on Reeves BFK

For Mixed Media.  My final project.  Each of these is going to have a flower on it done in a style similar to my Sketchbook Project 2012.  

 

Love Book

Love Book

5.5 x 8.5

davy board, handmade paper, book cloth, cardstock

For Book Arts.  My final project.  A simple pop up book of mine and my husband's love story.  

  Love is a single edition.  Designed, constructed, and written by me. The silhouettes are hand cut and the typeface is Calibri.

-I would like to thank Christine Rolik for her guidance, direction, and positive critiques.- 

You can see a mock up of this book here.  

Moments, Half Clam, Love WIP

Moments

9.5 x 15

ink, gouache, watercolor, charcoal, sanguine on cellucllay

For Mixed Media.  Experiment with additional techniques. This was done on Celluclay, mixed with green tea, and dried in the oven at 200* for 2 hours.  The green tea gave the paper a nice tint and I like the way the tea leaves are embedded in the "paper".

It is super fragile.  As I was peeling off the aluminum foil, the edges cracked off, then as I was painting on the "paper" more of the edges cracked off.  If I was to do this again I would make sure to make the "paper" thicker as it seems to be a bit more sturdy.  My husband thinks it looks like a giant potato chip :) 

The one on the left is thicker.  I painted on the thinner one as the thick one wasn't dry.

Half Clam Tray

3.5 x 2.75 x 2

davy board, decorative paper, glue, book cloth

For Book Making. The case wrapper and liner are done with a decorative marble paper, and the tray is done with a black velvety book cloth. This was surprisingly fun to do.  I really love the way it turned out.  I may make more of these in the future.  

I created it to house my "Me Book"

L<3ve WIP

8.5 x 11

cardstock

For Book Arts.  Mock up #2 for my final project. Here is my first attempt at this project. This one is much more successful then my previous try.   I plan on using the pop up shapes as "bases" and then attaching black paper to add contrast.  The pages will have white card stock behind them.   

Bound, Slip Cover, Love WIP

 

Bound

9x12

wood, wrapping paper, card stock, glitter, modge podge, twine, yarn

For Mixed Media. Experiment with assemblage. Scraps and failures.  The wrapping paper, glitter modge podge, and twine are scraps from various other projects.  The card stock cut out into mine and my husband's silhouettes are from the book making mock up that went wrong. 

Some of the modge podge is still wet.  I really hope it dries clear.  

Slip Cover

5 x 5

davey board, book cloth, handmade paper

For Book Arts.  Create a slip cover for one of your previous projects.  I created a cover for my Leaf Scans book.  

L<3ve WIP

8.5 x 11

cardstock

For Book Arts.  Mock up for my final project.  Thank goodness I did a mock up.  As I was putting it together I realized my structures wouldnt pop the way I wanted them to.  I an going to do another mock up with the pages vertical. 

Hydrangea Collage

Hydrangea Collage

30 x 20

CitraSolv National Geographic on Reeves BFK

For Mixed Media.  My 3rd of 4 projects.  I used green tea to stain the paper so I didnt have a plain white surface. Then each petal, cut from the National Geographic pages, was glued to the Reeves BFK.  I only glued the centers so that I could then fold up the petals to add a 3d element.   Previous step.

A side view so you can see how the petals are folded. 

Before I folded the petals.