Far TOO Long

Yikes- 2.5 months later I am finally getting my butt in gear to recognize my lack of attention to my blog.

I will write more I promise. Just not tonight as I am growing very tired.

Where did February GO- Slow down 2008

It went swimming by WAY too quickly! I love the beginnings of new months- it is just a time to set new goals, new aspirations and a new focus. Maybe my rhythm is starting to settle again, or the fact that tomorrow starts another week of aughghghghgh! Not going there- just going to FEEL the sweetness of newness, and refreshment. I have a heap of fresh clean laundry to start the week and an empty calendar - mmmm I love an empty calendar to fill with my "to Do" list items.

I can feel change happening in my life- I am unclear yet as to what the outcome will be from it- but it is happening and I Love IT. Go week!

Moving slowly

Do you ever feel as though everyone is moving faster than you? That they are more capable to manage all that life has- and you wonder if they are on a 30 hour day instead of the standard 24 hours that you have. I do not know how to pack more into my life... every day i fall a little more behind. I want to fit everything in but it doesn't work and well---- it isn't good. My list grows longer, and my anxiety heightens to the point of being so overwelmed that I can't think straight because there is just too much jamming my airwaves at once. They are all jocking for position and importance and blocking the way.

So, yes I feel very much as though others are moving EXTREMELY faster than I. And in this case, the steady do not win. Maybe I need a new strategy! I should pull the "to Do's" the bossy little twirps that they are from a hat...that way they don't fight for attention- disasterous if I spend the night mending my hole ridden socks instead of applying for a job- so no a hat won't work.

Maybe a new calendar to prioritize on- well I've now got 3! One more and I'll need a suitcase to carry all my items. BAH! Another twirpy "to do"- figure out how to manage the "to do's". TOooo much for this night!

New School

This is S. Bruce Smith... i took this picture the first time i saw it. I live here 8am till approx. 4ish pm everyday with 10 art classes, leadership class and homeroom....in total the school has 700 students and i teach 400 through the course of a week.

Junior High students are so different than 15 years ago when i was a student there- and they are different from me. Everyday i tell myself that they are precious, they are just children and it is a honor to teach another's child. By end of day, these thoughts are harder to retain, but luckily at that point the children go home and i go to the gym to work out my anxious energies on a treadmill.

i still worry about the future of education, of children and of their precious lives. i know there is much i can teach them however getting them to listen is the first challenge. The lessons i wish to teach them are endless- i need to find their rhythm and their "what works" and then FIT IT.

Is Art a Luxury or a NEED?

This is a piece from Harold Klunder - a past University Professor of mine.

Is ART a LUXURY or a NEED?

For the last two years, art has been a luxury- - - a luxury of time, of space, of thought, of life… The last couple years have been HARD and months ago, I set it into survival mode. And yet looking back, the times when I was happiest, I had some form of art going on whether in community class, CRAFT creativity - - - some way of a personal creative outlet. I should have clued in that survival for me is having a voice of creativity- - - when did I forget? What am I going to do now to change my current path? It is a NEED.

On a global sense, is art a need or luxury?

How do different societies view art? I grew up with academics, attendance and sports being the recognizable accomplishments. What about art? Why do some struggle to take it seriously?

Is there a way to teach appreciation or enhance the NEED of art in society?

What LENSE are you LOOKING through?

Do you really SEE? I was in superstore the yesterday standing in the “10 items or less line”. There was a very European woman (my own stereotypical judgment) probably 55-65 yrs old. Behind her was a man in his 30’s form an African background although he was wearing an oversized baseball/toque color striped cap. I was standing behind him. The woman placed her items on the counter but did not remove her basket from the shelf. The man then asked her to move the basket so that he had somewhere to place his while he unloaded. She first ignored him, and then looked him up and down giving him a disgusted look of despise. I watched the whole thing- and then wondered how many looks a day he gets? I moved the basket, watched the European woman leave and saw this young man’s daughter of 10 years old come bouncing over. Does she experience the same as her father? What makes us so ignorant and make these judgments? Is it our right to judge one another? How do we change it?

Such a long long time

It has been weeks since a post- not much has changed but the moments are great! I have completed another semester of school, started student teaching, and have been attending the YMCA for gym time! It is time to find a new rhythm again. To be a teacher, to be an exerciser, to be a student, to be a designer, to be a roommate.....so many roles and not enough time in the day for it all. Where does one start to find balance?

Busy Work

Another day of busy work of checking off more on my "to do" list. I am starting to prepare for seeking, once again, WORK--- a life outside of being a university student to a working member of society. It is coming along though....

I am also watching documentaries of artist --- an assignment for art class! Friday night of laundry, art movies and ice cream for dinner! It is certainly a day and an evening of GO--- and definately tomorrow too.

Sculpture in a Built Environment

Today two peer partners and myself presented this "BRIGHT IDEA for TEACHERS" (aka. BITs) to our university class. The intent was to complete 5 BITs and "create" one that we could then visual present to the class. The BITs was to fit the Alberta art curriculum of 11, 21, 31 which "complements the Art 10-20-30 course in high school. It examines the role art plays inpeople's lives, how it comes into being, and how people respond to it. The curriculum sets three major components of learning in visual art of Function, Creation, and Appreciation."

This is what I wrote on our proposal sheet for the BITs....
Project Description: The figurative subject is evidently important as many of the worlds’ cultural societies depict its form in various mediums. As with any sculpture, a consideration must be made on who the audience maybe and where the piece will be installed in juxtaposition with its environment. An automatic relationship is generated when the piece is installed due to the proximity and position of the work in relation to the architecture, built and natural environment, and the surrounding geography. Students will work through the art problem of a subtractive sculpture with a concern for the whole environment in which the form is to be set. It, therefore, must be conceived as a whole rather than individual part and to engage the culture and nature of the set environment.

Project Art Exploration*: Movement, figure and sculpture are essential elements in any artists learning experience; therefore this project examines a figure in motion, abstraction in reduced simplified form, and placement within a built environment. The teacher will select a built environment in which students will analyses, discuss and design a 3 dimensional sculpture. The sculpture will be completed by implementing the subtractive sculpting method.

Each member of our group then took the project description and "created" a three dimensional sculpture for the quad on the University campus between the Arts buiding, Business buiding, HUB mall and follage in front of the Rutherford library. We made the sculptures from a 5" x 5" x 5" block of white floral foam purchased at a local craft store using a subtract method similar to a sculptor who would carve a block of stone. Today as we saw each other's sculptures for the first time, it was amazing that all three were completely different. I carved the foam block using an exacto and then plastered the surface----i now understand why the suggested lesson plan online recommended 50 hours----Everything takes time to dry, to sand smooth and to paint.

My piece is called the culmination of minds...she did get her head glued on prior to presenting but not prior to taking the pictures. She had lost her mind---- i lost mine at midnight when I was sanding the plaster bodies. Overall, the piece was exceptional with many "best practices" learned for when presenting to students.

Notebook for {Artist} Teachers

The last several nights, I have been working on a assigned notebook/ reflection journal/ sketch book for my art course in university. I have experimented with watercolor, mixed mediums, and gel. I have just loved the creative nature, however now I must spend more time on the reflective context of the book. I have one week tomorrow to complete the booklet with one art gallery visit, 10 researched canadian artists (including female and aboriginal) and an artist movie---- plus all the reflective assignments from our professor and notes of personal meaning.... YIKES! Here are some images of where I am at.

The first entry::: Our first reflection was to determine "what is ART"

{A watercolor of a juice bottle that has now become my paint brush container}

{Watercolor--- a flower on a poster above my bed that I decided to interpret to a painting}



{Watercolor--- This piece speaks to my personal identity in art}


{Watercolor--- I am always an artist FIRST}



{Watercolor with Gel--- I do not like the texture of my sketchbook paper
so I paint, write and then gel to smooth the finish}


{Watercolor---a second piece of watercolor, pen and gel...it speaks to the ART curriculum that embraces the experience of the student and broadens it further}

{Watercolor with mixed media and gel----we were assigned to visit an

art gallery so here is the page with reflection}

I am working all weekend so more will follow! Stay tuned!

Alternative Representation (aka... a research paper)

As posted previously, in my university class I was asked to do an alternative representation on an article. I have reposted a picture of my completed piece with various lighting and contrast changes done on a photographic program. I have also include a number of peer work to demonstrate the wide interpretation of the project.

Brrr....it's cold outside

It is cold, and I am moving slowly----well at least on my blog. I have a lot to post but it will have to wait till Thursday when my course assignment is done. Enjoy the cartoon for now!

A fun little saying!

He's fat and he's soft,

And he's wearing your clothes,

And he's gotten too old,

And he was born on your Birthday,

And you're afraid if you stop running

he'll catch up with you!

Just do it!

Media/Visual Literacy Art Education: Sexism in Hip-Hop Music Videos

{all done!}

{The evolution- almost there}

{to look through the eyes of a teenager}

{The Background}

{The blank canvas}

We were asked to do an artist statement for the piece- I for some weird reason, maybe just because it was fun, I wrote it in 3rd person.

Artist Statement
Amber Ortlieb is a practicing artist who in but a few short weeks will be a teacher of art. For the past 5 years, her focus has been the artistry and design of interior spaces and the elements within. Through this focus, she has become an observer and scientist of humanity- reading the needs, wants and desires into their interior spaces.

In seeking a scholarly article, she set her sights on the visual media and culture that influences the students she will instruct. Sheng Kuan Chung, in Art Education May 2007, wrote an article titled “Media/Visual Literacy Art Education: Sexism in Hip-Hop Music Videos” that excited and inspired Amber for her alternative representational piece. The article explores the influence of the visual culture on today’s female teen identity, and specifically in the musical genre of hip-hop. It is here that females are sexualized, stereotyped, and suppressed. In exploring gender issues, Amber was struck by the impact and reality of this article and has therefore created this striking art piece to expose, heighten awareness and illustrate the female’s struggle of healthy identity.

The alternative representation is a combination of acrylic paint, collage, mixed media, oil pastel, gel transfer, chip board, stamping, pen, and pencil on canvas. Through the varied mediums, she was able to capture the depth and complicated nature of a female teen’s path through their discovery of an identity in society. The canvas speaks to the visual culture specifically of hip hop’s advertising, media, and female sexism's gender roles in the various background images. The partial face and eye is seeing all of the visual culture and looking out as if to determine if this is the identity in which she wishes to adopt. The image hears words of identity, cultural diversity and acceptance, gender equality and is told to develop critical knowledge but is bombarded with the visual culture that does not support all that is heard. It is confusing, changing and challenging.

Initially, the audience for this piece is Amber’s University teachers’ course peers; however after completing the work, she intends to use it within her classroom to spark dialogue with her students of democratic equal society. Similar to the author of the article, Amber believes in the “importance of art education for fostering critical media/visual literacy in young viewers to help them recognize what hip-hop’s sexism (and all visual culture) presents to a democratic society that strives for gender equality.”

What's to be done with snow + ICE?

It is winter! There is no doubt- there is snow, ice and snow plows. This is a picture from yesterday as I left the Education after a library search class. Big white snow flakes were falling covering the ground in a fresh white blanket- but not as warm.

{In the maze at the ICE Sculptures}

Tonight, Friday, a few of us went to the annual Edmonton ICE Sculpture thingy... The city brings in hundreds of blocks of ice to a part just north of Whyte Ave. where several artists, and some 300man hours later a castle, slide, maze, movie screen with benches and several competition pieces go on display for several weeks. Tonight the competitors were busy working on their entries and Polar Express was playing on the big screen.

{Right: In the castle trying to reach down to our handsome shining Knights in armor}

{Below: The Ice Slide of Terror, Laughter, and Yippeeeeeees!}

{The Brave Slide Riders}

The slide is so fast that I could not capture them ----- below my friend had much better success. GO Friend- Super Photographer! After the Ice Sculptures we went for Hot Chocolate at Second Cup---- hmmmmm....white hot chocolate! A wonderful way to spend a Friday evening- friends, warm drinks, and laughter!

{Here I go- Yippeeeee}

Unfortunately, my car did not have such a great evening. As I turned onto my friend's street, my car started to sound funny. I thought at first that it was just the uneven roads from all the snow and ice we had received, but once I got a few more blocks along- I knew it was more than the roads. Poor car- FLAT TIRE.
Thank goodness for AMA! In -10 degrees Celsius being my first flat tire, I wasn't going to trial and error in the dark trying to change it myself. I am adventurous, and had it been a spring afternoon with fresh sun beating down - I would have tried it myself. But not tonight! They were at my house in 20 minutes, and had it changed in another 10minutes. Something that could have been a huge set back or sadness was a cinch. Thanks Richard for being a great AMA service member. My first flat tire wasn't so bad - essentially cause Richard came prepared!

Done, Done and {GO} to the next

She is wonderfully done! Yeah! Here are the final pictures of OctoMermaid named Pisces! The details, especially her eyes soften and create an inviting image. Enjoy!

Angles of her tentacles! Ping pong balls were used as the suction cups!

Three other groups designed, and made critters- these are there products! A bug like thing, a green monster thing, and a weird thing! Ours is just pretty!

Today: It was amazing! Successful! I went for a walk! Yeah, GO! I had no expectation other than to just GO. And that is what I did with my ipod in pocket! I did it. We went to visit Victoria Performing Arts School today finishing at 11am- so I zipped over to work for the rest of the day.

Work is a comforting environment with 4 exceptional gals. At first I thought I would need to run off and find another job, but not so- Wendy is willing to provide me with as much work as I'd like, continuing into a possible full-time position just for the summer. Right now, 5 months feels like a long way away- so I'm not going to worry about summer. Although it is half way through January! Where did the month go? GO.... GO.... GO.....

Yesterday: After an amazing day at school- Yes, amazing! I am so impressed with my art class, not as much for the professor or the material, but for the peer relations. The individuals in the class are just like me- interested in environmental impact, save EVERYTHING because it has potential for the next GREAT project, have cats {but mine is the only one not here- so sad}, think about where the world is going, what an individuals artist representation of their narrative life may be, just everything....we can chat for hours. This is the first time since starting the University of Alberta that I have found this type of community. The other oddity is that my professor is REAL. She has real GO- and realistic views of us as students, as teachers, and especially as artists.

Last night, Kya and I jetted off to West Edmonton Mall for dinner, a walk {in the mall to stay out of the cold} and then to a movie. We saw Dan in Real Life, and both of us enjoyed the romantic comedy. We were tired following our adventure, but good to be out and doing. Go Girls!

Three strong days in a row and it is only Wednesday! Go week!

{OCTOMERMAID} might be done!

I had to leave early today while my group finished OctMermaid....but a wonderful member e-mailed me the following images. She has received a number of details to complete the look of such a crazy critter. I will take photos of the other group's critter and more detailed photos of OCTOMERMAID...Enjoy!

Today was busy, but full. I think the motivation of GO is changing my mornings- I am waking up better and brighter and remarkably making it to the bus on time! Just a small beginning, but if it will ripple to the rest of the day and month and year.....this will be the best year ever! GO 2008.

UPDATE {Octmermaid Lady}

I promised to post more pictures of our life size OctMermaid Lady who is forming over night. This was last Thursday, and more work will be done on Monday. She is coming along nicely- and hopefully all her parts will still be attached!

{2008} is the YEAR of the GO!

GO is my 2008 inspirational word. Go where? Go anywhere. Just GO! I've been contemplating my 2008 resolutions, goals, themes, measureable changes, and just the day to day rhythm of my 2008 life. I have determined that GO is the simplest and poinent word to mean motivate, do, empower, change, energize...just GO.

Go:
.......days
..........experiences
.............creativity
...............fitness + health
..................art + craft
....................studies + learning
......................teach + learn
........................spirit + testimony
...........................love + love + love
.............................companionship
.................................family + friends + pets
....................................fun + joy + laughter
.......................................change


As I said, 2008 is the year of GO. It will be a year of activity, strength, life, challenge, health, family, surrender and indeed spirit. What does this all mean? How does it translate into living, into daily - hour by hour, minute to minute experiences of life? Well, I have yet to get that far. But I am excited and ready and desperately in need of the new rhythm to life. So whether out of desire or need- it will be done. Hopefully, through triumph and achievement than scraping through clinging on with my nails teeth grit....survival through 2008 is not the option -------Only success, fun and great passion will do.

The images are the start to my GO collection of art. I thought no better way than with the inspiration word, collaged with zine poetry of words of passion, encouragement and desire. GO GO GO 2008!