It is so ridiculous. Teachers for some unknown reason want each student to have their own "theme" for the semester, year, or even all four years. I suppose that they are assuming that all artists are obsessed with a certain topic so this should be easy, to come up with and keep to a theme, that is. Certain people, such as myself, aren't really obsessed with anything in particular. At least not to my own knowledge am I obsessive about anything. I didn't really have a theme last year and my portfolio review committee didn't like that too much either. I am just interested in so many things at certain times in my life. Obsessions for me only last a day or two, usually. Once I have done enough research on the topic to answer the questions I had, I am through with it. So sticking with one topic will be quite a challenge for me. Along with choosing a theme they want concept too. It has to have meaning. I know! They expect way too much. I decided the other day that I would be better off just being a designer instead of an artist. Supposedly the difference between the two is that designers are given their concepts, while artists must come up with their own. Less brain and obsession work for the designers.
Anyways, I think my theme this semester is going to be 'Bugs'. You are probably thinking to yourself, of all things why that. My answer is why not, of all things. Honestly I just happened to make a grasshopper out of foam while in sculpture class and then a catapillar, so I sorta stuck to the bug theme and made a grasshopper stencil for Papermaking. So why not do my theme on bugs? I don't know a whole lot about them, other than what you learn on your own naturally and what school teaches little ones about butterflies. I do enjoy learning.
For Papermaking I have to have this blasted theme. I need to somehow incorporate it into patterns to use as stencils. I also have to come up with concept/meaning. Hopefully I can find some ancient tribe that worships insects or something. I have been thinking about using their migration patterns, mating rituals, process of communication between them, and so on for my patterns. Now which bugs in particular should I use? Maybe some species that reminds me of myself? Or reminds me of my friends/family? That should probably be what I figure out first. I'll do some research and get back to you.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Ernesto Neto
I found this artist in a Fiber Arts magazine and he is so awesome. I wanted to do my research project on him but some skanky freshman was looking over my shoulder while I was showing the magazine to Stephanie and she ran off to our teacher, stealing the artist I wanted to report on. I will forever not like this girl. Well...okay not forever...but for a really long time. Now I have no idea who I am gong to report on and the presentation is this Friday!!! No one compares to this individual, at least none that I can find. Anyways, he is a tad odd but I love his work anyhow. It is all interactive, kid friendly, and fun. Hopefully one day I will have the chance to see his work in person. That would be way cooler than photos, I'm sure.
One of Brazil’s most famous artists, Ernesto Neto creates room-sized environments for the viewer to navigate through and interact with. By using light, stretchable fabrics and organic shapes, filled occasionally with scented spices, Neto’s work allows the viewer to experience the work through all senses, creating a spatial labyrinth for the journey through the passages in the room.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Four Years Later
Today is the four year anniversary of my wonderful grandparents' tragic death. I remember the day like it was yesterday, though I am glad that it wasn't yesterday. I have just gotten to the point that I can control the tears when I bring them up in casual conversations. I love telling others about them because they were two of the best people I've ever known.
The day the tragedy occurred I was in school like any other day. I was staying the weekend at one of my best friend's grandparents house so that they could get me to school. My parents were in Tennessee for the weekend looking at houses. The next day was Saturday so me and my friends had planned on going to the circus that was in town. So it was supposed to be an exciting and eventful weekend. Boy was it eventful....While in biology class kidding around with my lab partners I was called to the front office. I didn't think much of it, just figured I had forgotten something at Nan's and she was bringing it to me. When I got down there it was not Nan but one of my mom's friends. I stayed calm and tried to go through logical reasons for her being her. Maybe something happened at church or my parents wanted to move sooner than expected or casey/kelsey got into trouble at their school. Mom's friend greeted me and asked how my day was. I'm thinking well it was great until you come here and confuse the hell out of me while asking me how my day is casually. She checked me out of school, further confusion. As we walk outside I'm thinking I must have fallen asleep in class and am now in some wacky dream. I ask her what has happened? She just looks at me, I suppose judging my face trying to decipher my question. I'm worried. She spits out that my parents are fine and healthy. I relax a little cause I was worried about that even though I didn't realize it until she confirmed they were okay. We look at each other again. She says Casey, Kelsey, Wes, and Brent are fine too. I relax a little more. But then notice that two siblings are missing from that runoff. We get to the car and before I can ask about Aubrey and Zachary she is on the phone. She hands the phone to me. I put it to my ear and hear my dad on the other end. A huge relief. It is one thing for her to tell me my parents are okay and a whole other thing to hear a voice. My dad says, "Ashley? I have some bad news to tell you. We are fine. Ashley, I need you to sit down....Are you sitting down?" Of course I am not sitting down but it is about damn time that someone is going to give me answers. I tell him I am sitting so he will just get it over with and tell me already."Ashley, it is your grandparents." Okay I can take it, I'm sure nothing too bad has happened...an accident on the farm, maybe a broken bone and the twins need a babysitter.(not too far off on the babysitter). That sort of thing happens on the farm, especially with my somewhat clumsy grandma :) "There was an accident and they didn't make it." Wait!? What?? I don't understand. What is he saying? Did he just say didn't make it? Didn't make it where? Me, "Which grandparents?" Dad pauses. Me, " Your parents or...mom's?" This is probably a horrible question that one should never ask. Cause you should feel equally sad over the loss of either grandparents. But I felt in that moment that if it were to be my dad's parents I could handle it. Yes, I would be upset and sad and probably cry but I felt I could take on that better than the alternative. I was closer to my mother's parents than I am my father's. Dad, "Grandma and Grandpa Mills. There was a head on collision with a school bus and they died on impact. Aubrey and Zachary survived, are injured, but both are in the hospital being taken care of and they are going to make it through. Zachary was life-flighted to a bigger hospital but Aubrey is still in Jasper. Ashley, are you okay?" "Yeah, dad I'm alright," I say. Honestly though I didn't hear much of what he said after he said Mills. My whole world had stopped. It was unreal. I was screaming on the inside. I could no longer see the world around me, it was all a blur. "Ashley, we need you to go to Jasper Memorial, where Aubrey is, check her out and watch her until we get there. One of Grandma's neighbors is going to let ya'll stay with them until family gets there. Can you do that?" Who would say no to that request? Of course I could do that. It was a good distraction/mission to think about rather than the tragedy. "Yeah, I can do that Dad," I say. "Thank You Ashley. We will be down there soon. We are stopping in Beumont to get Zachary and then we will be there with you. Family from Dallas area should be there in a few hours also. Love you!""Love you too."I hand the phone back and Donna, my mom's friend, asks if I'm alright. I tell her we need to get Aubrey. She says she knows and asks if I want to go home to pack a bag. Instead we just go to Nan's, where I was staying the weekend, to pick up that bag. When I opened the door Nan knew something was wrong, since school hadn't let out yet and I looked like a zombie. Worried she blocked me from my belongings and asked what happened. I told her exactly what happened and had a break down right there in her kitchen. She picked me up and hugged me real tight until my sobs subsided. I remember her saying over and over, "This should never happen like this. It isn't fair." She was completely right. People should die of old age or at least some disease that gives the family time to say a proper goodbye. I didn't know that the last hug I gave them was going to be my last when I gave it or I would of hung on a little longer, a little tighter. Nan helped me pack up my things, got the address of where I was going, and told me she would be close behind. At that point I didn't really know what she meant. I put my stuff in the car and Nan buckled me up. Even though I was 15 at the time it didn't seem odd for her to do so. Donna got in and off we went. Jasper was a good 2.5 hours or so away. It was the quitest car ride everm though I didn't really seem bothered by it. I had a lot on my mind, trying to prepare myself for Aubrey. I knew she would be in a worst state than me, she is like me in so many ways. I knew she would know what happened. Even at age four that girl was smart. She would know that two people she loved were gone forever but she would probably be confused as to where they went and why she was alone. I had to be strong and ready to deal with a traumatized, injured four-year-old. On the way there Donna stopped by a Burger King, I think, and asked what I wanted. I told her I wasn't hungry but she ordered me a burger and fries anyhow. She handed it to me and told me to take a bite whether I was hungry or not. As soon as that bite went down my stomach growled. I hadn't had lunch yet, but had totally forgotten about being hungry in all the commotion. Donna smiled and promted me to finish up the meal. She said it is easy to forget about your human needs during all of this. When we got back on the road Donna recieved a phone call from my uncle saying that he already checked Aubrey out of the hospital and dropped her off on the neighbors and is now headed off to check on Zachary. When we got to Kathy's, the neighbor friend, Aubrey was cuddled up in the recliner watching television. Her hair was all tangled up, arm in a sling. She had fractured her collar bone pretty bad. When she saw me she got excited and tried to get up but couldn't and started crying instead. The poor girl was so happy to see someone she knew for the first time since being pulled from the damaged truck that she hurt herself trying to get to me. I went to her and tried to reposition her so she was comfortable again. I noticed safety glass in her and asked why they didn't get it out at the hospital. Kathy said they didn't bathe her but we could now that I was here. It was a long process, even longer for Aubrey who had to endure the pain as we washed all the glass out of her tangled hair and then gently washed her bruise covered body. We put her back into her hospital gown so we wouldn't have to pain her anymore by trying to put on regular clothes and set her back in the recliner with cartoons to distract her. Kathy's husband brought home some pizza and it took alot of encouragement from me to get Aubrey to eat it. Around this point family(aunts, uncles, and cousins) started showing up. Luckily Aubrey had fallen asleep so she wouldn't have the same reaction she had to me showing up, again. We all looked like hell. Puffy eyes, red faces, blind to the world around us. They talked to Kathy for a bit. Suddenly a new face walks in the door, Nan. She asks if she can take me out for a little bit while Aubrey is sleeping. I say yes. When we get to the car my best friend Cady is there to give me a hug. {Just for future reference when a family member of a friend you have dies, the best thing you can do is either hug them or take them out for a bit. Don't ask if they are alright because that is the stupidest question ever. Of course they are not alright. Who is alright when someone they know dies? It doesn't matter how close they were to that person it still affects them in some way. Just try to be understanding and as normal as possible. That is what they need, someone or something to bring them back to reality, even if just for an hour or so.} Nan and Cady drive around as I give them the tour of the small town I grew up in during Elementary School. We stop at the Dairy Queen and eat some ice cream while Nan carefully asks how I am doing and if she can help in any way( Such as informing the school, getting homework, bringing food, watching the house, etc.) I tell her I don't really know so she goes on to other topics, taking my mind off of the situation temporarily as I enjoy my dessert. Cady didn't say much but her presence was enough to comfort me. They dropped me back off, gave me long hugs, asked if there was anything they could do, and left me with my loving family and a little girl who was about to wake up. My family decided that it was unfair to Kathy to house us when there was a perfectly good house next door, my grandparents house. The only issue was did we really want to walk into that empty house. Would it make everything more real than it already was? We all got up the courage and went over. It was weird to be in their house without them, but it did bring a smile to Aubrey's face when she saw her things and I think she felt more comfortable there than at Kathy's. At this point that was all that mattered to me, Aubrey's happiness. My job was to keep her healthy and happy. I spent the next few days entertaining and caring for Aubrey while the family was taking care of the house, sorting through the food, cleaning, and caring for my grandparents' many animals. There were breakdowns at times but we all stuck together and comforted each other. I think Aubrey was a great help to calming people down. She was so happy at times that it radiated to the rest of us, when she was hurting we were all there to comfort her. She became the mood meter for a while. We all wanted her happy so breakdowns were not allowed in front of her. Without her we would have all been a bigger mess than we were. They tried to bring humor into the activities, such as "who can find the oldest can" and "what do you think is in this jar, dare you to smell it." My aunt Dana was the starter of such activities. Me and my cousin Joey ate a ton of brownies during that week and sort of comforted each other through it. Feeding horses, playing with the dogs, chasing the ducks, and coloring with Aubrey were the daytime activities. I think I mowed the front lawn at one point. At night we would bathe and put Aubrey to bed and then sit out on the porch talking to everyone until we were exhausted and went to bed. Mom and Dad arrived at some point but I couldn't say when. I like to think the funeral was Sunday but honestly I can't remember. Time seemed at a standstill that whole week. All I knew was that the sun came up, went down, the moon came up, went down, etc. I ate when they said it was time to do so and tried to distract myself the rest of the time. I think we went shopping before the funeral to get proper clothes but I dont remember that event very well. I do remember that mom said I could wear whatever I wanted because that's what grandma would have wanted for me. I remember that the shirt was striped black and white with a collar but I dont remember if I wore a skirt or pants.I do remember being eaten alive by fire ants and some giggling from a few around me as I smacked myself and danced around while trying to be quite. Tons of people attended the funeral just showing how loved my grandparents were.
The day the tragedy occurred I was in school like any other day. I was staying the weekend at one of my best friend's grandparents house so that they could get me to school. My parents were in Tennessee for the weekend looking at houses. The next day was Saturday so me and my friends had planned on going to the circus that was in town. So it was supposed to be an exciting and eventful weekend. Boy was it eventful....While in biology class kidding around with my lab partners I was called to the front office. I didn't think much of it, just figured I had forgotten something at Nan's and she was bringing it to me. When I got down there it was not Nan but one of my mom's friends. I stayed calm and tried to go through logical reasons for her being her. Maybe something happened at church or my parents wanted to move sooner than expected or casey/kelsey got into trouble at their school. Mom's friend greeted me and asked how my day was. I'm thinking well it was great until you come here and confuse the hell out of me while asking me how my day is casually. She checked me out of school, further confusion. As we walk outside I'm thinking I must have fallen asleep in class and am now in some wacky dream. I ask her what has happened? She just looks at me, I suppose judging my face trying to decipher my question. I'm worried. She spits out that my parents are fine and healthy. I relax a little cause I was worried about that even though I didn't realize it until she confirmed they were okay. We look at each other again. She says Casey, Kelsey, Wes, and Brent are fine too. I relax a little more. But then notice that two siblings are missing from that runoff. We get to the car and before I can ask about Aubrey and Zachary she is on the phone. She hands the phone to me. I put it to my ear and hear my dad on the other end. A huge relief. It is one thing for her to tell me my parents are okay and a whole other thing to hear a voice. My dad says, "Ashley? I have some bad news to tell you. We are fine. Ashley, I need you to sit down....Are you sitting down?" Of course I am not sitting down but it is about damn time that someone is going to give me answers. I tell him I am sitting so he will just get it over with and tell me already."Ashley, it is your grandparents." Okay I can take it, I'm sure nothing too bad has happened...an accident on the farm, maybe a broken bone and the twins need a babysitter.(not too far off on the babysitter). That sort of thing happens on the farm, especially with my somewhat clumsy grandma :) "There was an accident and they didn't make it." Wait!? What?? I don't understand. What is he saying? Did he just say didn't make it? Didn't make it where? Me, "Which grandparents?" Dad pauses. Me, " Your parents or...mom's?" This is probably a horrible question that one should never ask. Cause you should feel equally sad over the loss of either grandparents. But I felt in that moment that if it were to be my dad's parents I could handle it. Yes, I would be upset and sad and probably cry but I felt I could take on that better than the alternative. I was closer to my mother's parents than I am my father's. Dad, "Grandma and Grandpa Mills. There was a head on collision with a school bus and they died on impact. Aubrey and Zachary survived, are injured, but both are in the hospital being taken care of and they are going to make it through. Zachary was life-flighted to a bigger hospital but Aubrey is still in Jasper. Ashley, are you okay?" "Yeah, dad I'm alright," I say. Honestly though I didn't hear much of what he said after he said Mills. My whole world had stopped. It was unreal. I was screaming on the inside. I could no longer see the world around me, it was all a blur. "Ashley, we need you to go to Jasper Memorial, where Aubrey is, check her out and watch her until we get there. One of Grandma's neighbors is going to let ya'll stay with them until family gets there. Can you do that?" Who would say no to that request? Of course I could do that. It was a good distraction/mission to think about rather than the tragedy. "Yeah, I can do that Dad," I say. "Thank You Ashley. We will be down there soon. We are stopping in Beumont to get Zachary and then we will be there with you. Family from Dallas area should be there in a few hours also. Love you!""Love you too."I hand the phone back and Donna, my mom's friend, asks if I'm alright. I tell her we need to get Aubrey. She says she knows and asks if I want to go home to pack a bag. Instead we just go to Nan's, where I was staying the weekend, to pick up that bag. When I opened the door Nan knew something was wrong, since school hadn't let out yet and I looked like a zombie. Worried she blocked me from my belongings and asked what happened. I told her exactly what happened and had a break down right there in her kitchen. She picked me up and hugged me real tight until my sobs subsided. I remember her saying over and over, "This should never happen like this. It isn't fair." She was completely right. People should die of old age or at least some disease that gives the family time to say a proper goodbye. I didn't know that the last hug I gave them was going to be my last when I gave it or I would of hung on a little longer, a little tighter. Nan helped me pack up my things, got the address of where I was going, and told me she would be close behind. At that point I didn't really know what she meant. I put my stuff in the car and Nan buckled me up. Even though I was 15 at the time it didn't seem odd for her to do so. Donna got in and off we went. Jasper was a good 2.5 hours or so away. It was the quitest car ride everm though I didn't really seem bothered by it. I had a lot on my mind, trying to prepare myself for Aubrey. I knew she would be in a worst state than me, she is like me in so many ways. I knew she would know what happened. Even at age four that girl was smart. She would know that two people she loved were gone forever but she would probably be confused as to where they went and why she was alone. I had to be strong and ready to deal with a traumatized, injured four-year-old. On the way there Donna stopped by a Burger King, I think, and asked what I wanted. I told her I wasn't hungry but she ordered me a burger and fries anyhow. She handed it to me and told me to take a bite whether I was hungry or not. As soon as that bite went down my stomach growled. I hadn't had lunch yet, but had totally forgotten about being hungry in all the commotion. Donna smiled and promted me to finish up the meal. She said it is easy to forget about your human needs during all of this. When we got back on the road Donna recieved a phone call from my uncle saying that he already checked Aubrey out of the hospital and dropped her off on the neighbors and is now headed off to check on Zachary. When we got to Kathy's, the neighbor friend, Aubrey was cuddled up in the recliner watching television. Her hair was all tangled up, arm in a sling. She had fractured her collar bone pretty bad. When she saw me she got excited and tried to get up but couldn't and started crying instead. The poor girl was so happy to see someone she knew for the first time since being pulled from the damaged truck that she hurt herself trying to get to me. I went to her and tried to reposition her so she was comfortable again. I noticed safety glass in her and asked why they didn't get it out at the hospital. Kathy said they didn't bathe her but we could now that I was here. It was a long process, even longer for Aubrey who had to endure the pain as we washed all the glass out of her tangled hair and then gently washed her bruise covered body. We put her back into her hospital gown so we wouldn't have to pain her anymore by trying to put on regular clothes and set her back in the recliner with cartoons to distract her. Kathy's husband brought home some pizza and it took alot of encouragement from me to get Aubrey to eat it. Around this point family(aunts, uncles, and cousins) started showing up. Luckily Aubrey had fallen asleep so she wouldn't have the same reaction she had to me showing up, again. We all looked like hell. Puffy eyes, red faces, blind to the world around us. They talked to Kathy for a bit. Suddenly a new face walks in the door, Nan. She asks if she can take me out for a little bit while Aubrey is sleeping. I say yes. When we get to the car my best friend Cady is there to give me a hug. {Just for future reference when a family member of a friend you have dies, the best thing you can do is either hug them or take them out for a bit. Don't ask if they are alright because that is the stupidest question ever. Of course they are not alright. Who is alright when someone they know dies? It doesn't matter how close they were to that person it still affects them in some way. Just try to be understanding and as normal as possible. That is what they need, someone or something to bring them back to reality, even if just for an hour or so.} Nan and Cady drive around as I give them the tour of the small town I grew up in during Elementary School. We stop at the Dairy Queen and eat some ice cream while Nan carefully asks how I am doing and if she can help in any way( Such as informing the school, getting homework, bringing food, watching the house, etc.) I tell her I don't really know so she goes on to other topics, taking my mind off of the situation temporarily as I enjoy my dessert. Cady didn't say much but her presence was enough to comfort me. They dropped me back off, gave me long hugs, asked if there was anything they could do, and left me with my loving family and a little girl who was about to wake up. My family decided that it was unfair to Kathy to house us when there was a perfectly good house next door, my grandparents house. The only issue was did we really want to walk into that empty house. Would it make everything more real than it already was? We all got up the courage and went over. It was weird to be in their house without them, but it did bring a smile to Aubrey's face when she saw her things and I think she felt more comfortable there than at Kathy's. At this point that was all that mattered to me, Aubrey's happiness. My job was to keep her healthy and happy. I spent the next few days entertaining and caring for Aubrey while the family was taking care of the house, sorting through the food, cleaning, and caring for my grandparents' many animals. There were breakdowns at times but we all stuck together and comforted each other. I think Aubrey was a great help to calming people down. She was so happy at times that it radiated to the rest of us, when she was hurting we were all there to comfort her. She became the mood meter for a while. We all wanted her happy so breakdowns were not allowed in front of her. Without her we would have all been a bigger mess than we were. They tried to bring humor into the activities, such as "who can find the oldest can" and "what do you think is in this jar, dare you to smell it." My aunt Dana was the starter of such activities. Me and my cousin Joey ate a ton of brownies during that week and sort of comforted each other through it. Feeding horses, playing with the dogs, chasing the ducks, and coloring with Aubrey were the daytime activities. I think I mowed the front lawn at one point. At night we would bathe and put Aubrey to bed and then sit out on the porch talking to everyone until we were exhausted and went to bed. Mom and Dad arrived at some point but I couldn't say when. I like to think the funeral was Sunday but honestly I can't remember. Time seemed at a standstill that whole week. All I knew was that the sun came up, went down, the moon came up, went down, etc. I ate when they said it was time to do so and tried to distract myself the rest of the time. I think we went shopping before the funeral to get proper clothes but I dont remember that event very well. I do remember that mom said I could wear whatever I wanted because that's what grandma would have wanted for me. I remember that the shirt was striped black and white with a collar but I dont remember if I wore a skirt or pants.I do remember being eaten alive by fire ants and some giggling from a few around me as I smacked myself and danced around while trying to be quite. Tons of people attended the funeral just showing how loved my grandparents were.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Officially a Sophomore
Today is the first day of my 2nd year of college. So far it is pretty swell since I don't have my first class until 6 tonight. hehehe. Move in day went well...we didn't get the attic like we hoped but I kinda like the room we ended up with better. It is in the back corner, there is no walking up and down stairs(except to get to the laundry in the basement), and so far no one has been loud enough to truly wake me up. The room isn't quite big enough for all of mine and emma's things so we now have bunk beds. It is probably better for me that way, seeing as I have the top bed now I can't just go back to sleep during the day. Once I'm out of bed I don't want to climb back up there though there is also the issue of once I'm up there I don't want to get back down. I'm hoping my need to use the bathroom will counteract that in the mornings. My housemates have been great so far. I love Trista and Stephanie. They are living in the room across from ours. They are good friends like me and em. They like to go out, work hard, and have fun. In fact there is a great first week story about them....
Saturday night we had a few people over for some DDR and movie action. Around midnight the guys went home, me and em drove Lexie home, and trista and stephanie went to the Rainbow House party down the street. Apparently I slept through the rest of the story but Steph updated me the next morning... her and trista walked home in the pouring rain around 1:30. On their walk they witnessed several freshmen girls and Tyler streaking around the block. When they got to the house they couldn't open any of the doors because someone had chain locked them as well as key locking them. While trying to get in the house a few guys walking down the street asked them if they would like to smoke some weed with them. Trista and Steph said no thanks. Then the guys asked if they would like a trade-out. Not knowing what a trade-out is they turned that down too. Finally Steph comes up with the idea of knocking on mine and em's window. She has to lean over a fence but manages to knock and yell at us to not be afraid, that it was just her and she would like very much for us to open the front door. I didn't wake up but thankfully Emma did and opened the door for them.
Looking forward to the many adventures that await us this year :)
Saturday night we had a few people over for some DDR and movie action. Around midnight the guys went home, me and em drove Lexie home, and trista and stephanie went to the Rainbow House party down the street. Apparently I slept through the rest of the story but Steph updated me the next morning... her and trista walked home in the pouring rain around 1:30. On their walk they witnessed several freshmen girls and Tyler streaking around the block. When they got to the house they couldn't open any of the doors because someone had chain locked them as well as key locking them. While trying to get in the house a few guys walking down the street asked them if they would like to smoke some weed with them. Trista and Steph said no thanks. Then the guys asked if they would like a trade-out. Not knowing what a trade-out is they turned that down too. Finally Steph comes up with the idea of knocking on mine and em's window. She has to lean over a fence but manages to knock and yell at us to not be afraid, that it was just her and she would like very much for us to open the front door. I didn't wake up but thankfully Emma did and opened the door for them.
Looking forward to the many adventures that await us this year :)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
An idea I had but couldn't quite execute...
At one point during this past school year I had wanted to adhere drawings onto photographs but not by glueing. I wanted the drawings to show what the world could be while the photo showed how the world is. The two pictures would make one full scene together. I just couldn't figure out how to do this without physically gluing or doing photoshop. So I had abandoned the project but took it on a different way by using windows and having the viewer physically interact and draw the world how they saw fit. Anyways, this artist has managed to do what I couldn't and it is pretty awesome. He did use photoshop but still it is cool to see that we had the same idea, he actually could do it though :) His name is Ben Heine and he has a Flickr account.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Organic
So I've been thinking about going all organic, food wise. Since I can't really start growing a garden and killing my own animals for meat in the backyard in the city I need other resources. Luckily Memphis has a Farmers Market ... http://www.memphisfarmersmarket.org/home. Every Saturday they open from 7am to 1pm, there are games, music, and even pet sitters for those who want to bring their dogs! Of course there is also home grown produce and grain fed meat and even local artist exhibitions. The website has lots of other useful information too!
I most likely wont go all organic at once, because well it is expensive and may take me some adjusting to financially and taste wise. But I'm surely going to try to go that first weekend I'm there to check it all out and maybe test a few things out. I would also like to compare the prices to that of kroger. Who knows, maybe I can find a way to make it cheaper or at least get some tips for eating better at cheaper rates while I'm there.
Memphis Farmers Market
S Front St & E GE Patterson Ave
Memphis, TN 38103
Tel. 901-575-0540
Maryanne Lessley
More Information
The Memphis Farmers Market is a weekly non-profit outdoor market featuring local farmers and artisans. The market showcases locally sourced produce and food items and locally produced arts and crafts from the Mid-South region and also serves to educate the community about eating local, nutrition and food choices. Enjoy live music and weekly themed events and programs. Visit every Saturday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. mid-April thru October. Rain or shine! Located in the Pavilion at Central Station in the Historic South Main District of downtown Memphis. Free admission and parking. Pet sitting available.
Cheese
Chicken - Organic, Free Range or Roaming
Eggs
Honey
Lamb - Organic
Pork - Organic, Pasture Raised
Produce - Organic
Specialty Foods
Turkey - Organic
Vegan
Vegetarian
To find a Farmer's Market and other Organic options just type in your zip code at... http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home
I most likely wont go all organic at once, because well it is expensive and may take me some adjusting to financially and taste wise. But I'm surely going to try to go that first weekend I'm there to check it all out and maybe test a few things out. I would also like to compare the prices to that of kroger. Who knows, maybe I can find a way to make it cheaper or at least get some tips for eating better at cheaper rates while I'm there.
Memphis Farmers Market
S Front St & E GE Patterson Ave
Memphis, TN 38103
Tel. 901-575-0540
Maryanne Lessley
More Information
The Memphis Farmers Market is a weekly non-profit outdoor market featuring local farmers and artisans. The market showcases locally sourced produce and food items and locally produced arts and crafts from the Mid-South region and also serves to educate the community about eating local, nutrition and food choices. Enjoy live music and weekly themed events and programs. Visit every Saturday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. mid-April thru October. Rain or shine! Located in the Pavilion at Central Station in the Historic South Main District of downtown Memphis. Free admission and parking. Pet sitting available.
Products and Production Methods:
Beef - Organic, Grass FedCheese
Chicken - Organic, Free Range or Roaming
Eggs
Honey
Lamb - Organic
Pork - Organic, Pasture Raised
Produce - Organic
Specialty Foods
Turkey - Organic
Vegan
Vegetarian
To find a Farmer's Market and other Organic options just type in your zip code at... http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home
An awesome concept I came across on the web..."Living Walls"
A living wall, also referred to as a green wall, vertical garden, or sky farm, is usually part of a building and consists of some sort of vegetation. These types of gardens are sometimes referred to as urban gardening, because they are well-suited for an urban environment where space on the ground is very limited but vertical space is plentiful. These vertical gardens can be quite spectacular in appearance, and in some cases, they even work to filter clean air into the building in which they are growing upon.
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Vertical gardens can be grown on just about any type of wall, with or without the use of soil, and they can be placed both on outdoor and indoor walls. As long as there is not shortage of water for the living wall, no soil is required. These amazing sky farms are able to literally bring life to an old rundown building in the middle of the city and they are becoming increasingly popular inside office buildings, homes, and retail stores because of their outstanding beauty and their natural air purification properties.
Living walls have fast become an art form for many people, and one of the pioneering vertical garden artists is Patrick Blanc. He observed how plants were able to grow vertically without the need for soil in the wild, and soon developed a way to create artistic looking vegetation walls that were both lightweight and needed little maintenance. Since these living walls only weighed approximately 30 kg or less per square-meter, he noticed that just about any type of wall would be able to support the weight of a vertical garden. There are many amazing examples of vertical gardens around the world. Here's our list of some of the most creative and beautiful living walls in the world. We may have missed some of course, but please feel free to drop any we’ve missed in the comments.
Musee du quai Branly, Paris, France
This popular French museum near the Eiffel Tower in Paris is home to one of the best examples of vertical garden work by artist Patrick Blanc. The living wall here is about 200 meters long and 12 meters tall. The museum's living exterior was at one time healthy and vibrant, but today you can see signs of the inadequate support for irrigation and drainage of the garden – although it still remains breathtakingly beautiful.
Photo:Photo:Parabienta Living Wall System, Japan
This living wall is manufactured and marketed by two Japanese companies that have created a product that is lightweight, cheap, and very functional. The living wall is called 'Parabienta', and it costs approximately $60 per square foot. This eco-friendly wall will significantly cool down a building through a naturally occurring cooling process that takes place within the plants – otherwise known as shade.
Photo:Photo:Paris, France – A Vertical Garden Mecca
The 'city of love' is a sort of vertical garden hotspot, and it's becoming increasingly popular and mainstream to 'decorate' a bland wall with a plethora of beautiful plants, whether it be for artistic purposes or for more functional eco-friendly intentions. Much of the reason that Paris is such a vertical garden mecca is the fact that one of the founding fathers of the art form, Patrick Blanc, lives there. He, and other living wall artists have created some amazing vertical gardens in France's capital city.
Foundation Cartier
The plant wall at the entrance of the Foundation Cartier has not been trimmed since it was planted back in 1998. The only maintenance of this beautiful garden involves a gardener coming in about every 2-3 months to remove dead leaves, or whole plants, and replace them with new ones.
Photo:BHV Homme
The vertical garden at this popular Parisian department store literally adds life to the back of BHV Homme in Paris. This artistic living wall almost resembles an abstract painting from afar.
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Photo:Photo:Pershing Hall Hotel
Nestled in the courtyard of the Pershing Hall Hotel is a 30 meter high vertical garden that features over 250 different plant species. It's quite a site, to say the least!
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Photo:Photo:Club Med Champs-Elysees
The small vertical garden at this Club Med in Paris is designed to represent plants from 5 different continents. The addition of the vertical garden at this Club Med location is all part of a plan to create a more upscale feel for the already first-class resort. The garden is visible from outside and is beautifully lit at night.
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Photo:CaixaForum, Madrid, Spain
As the newest museum in Madrid, CaixaForum certainly takes innovation to the next level before you even walk into the place. One of the exterior walls features a huge 24 meter high vertical garden with over 15,000 plants from more than 250 different species. This artistic display is one of the finest examples of living walls anywhere in Spain.
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Photo:Photo:Vertical Gardens, Bangkok, Thailand
The vertical gardening phenomenon is spreading like wild fire across the globe, and it's no different in Bangkok, Thailand. Check out these photos of two great examples of vertical gardening. The first two photos are at the Siam Paragon Shopping Center, and the second is a cool example of how strategically placing plants vertically alongside an elevator shaft at the Emporium Bangkok can add a nice decorative touch.
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Photo:Photo:Photo:Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
In front of the Guggenheim Art Museum you'll find an awesome example of vertical gardening in the depiction of a puppy made entirely out of plants. The artist, Jeff Koons, created this 43-foot tall “plant puppy” in the mid-1990s using a steel substructure and a variety of plants. The detail of this piece is amazing.
Photo:Photo:ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall, Japan
The 100,000 square foot rooftop at the ACROS Fukuoka building is definitely one-of-a-kind. The 18 story building features 15 stepped terraces that can actually be climbed to the top. The terraces are meant to promote a serene and peaceful environment in the middle of the city with lots green plants and even waterfalls and small pools to add to the calming effect of the building's extraordinary exterior.
Photo:Photo:Living Walls, Netherlands
This building is a great example of how you can spice up a boring exterior and turn it into a living and breathing wall. The plants are growing in a thin layer of felt and rock wool material instead of soil. Recycled rain water is pumped through this material to provide nutrients to the root systems of the plants.
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Photo:Future Vertical Sky Farm Designs
The idea of being able to save valuable space on the ground and to farm vertically has intrigued many designers, architects, and government officials. Sky farming saves space on the ground, can provide a year-round crop, and can be placed in the middle of the busiest cities in the world. With overpopulation, rocketing food prices and the migration to cities, traditional farming could soon become obsolete. This poses an interesting question: could these futuristic and green utopic visions become the standard, the new way to farm in the future?
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