Tag Archives: art

Games and Game Development, Personal Blog

pleasantries

Weee! What a first week! It wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it would be, though this weekend will be busy with me preparing my proposal. I think the art society, if Nick and I can get it off the ground, is going to be great fun. We’re going to get the kids to help out with the Anagama kiln this year (which I’m very excited about, I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures!)

Meanwhile, the weather has been overly pleasant this week, and I’ve been in good spirits every day in spite of the busy schedule that faces me. There have been slivers of loneliness here and there, as the absence of my many graduated friends makes itself more and more apparent, but at least I still have D Flo () to save the universe from Covenant aliens with!

In fact, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on my own this week, which is pleasant in its own right. It’s been too long since I could enjoy my own company and inner ponderings. I’m going to paint this term, on my own. I even did the unthinkable, and bought one of those pre-stretched pre-primed canvases instead of stretching my own, Sheldon would be so ashamed!!

In other news, I have floaty ideas about this year’s Halloween costume, but nothing solid yet. Also, this project in my Compilers class is going to be brutal..

*sings* C is for Cookie, it’s good enough for me… *code code code*

Games and Game Development, Personal Blog

C-worthy vessels

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Well, my first day of classes went quite well. I managed to wake up early and get a lot done (a trend I hope to keep).

Operating Systems seems like it’s going to be fun. Dr. Oldham seems to have a very dry, Shannon-esque sense of humor, but I think he’s going to end up being pretty good. I think this class and Compilers will compliment each other nicely (it will be the term of C!)

Northern Mannerist and Baroque art…well…it’s a Dr. Levin class, I fear it will be the same as all the others. I’m hoping to be able to do my research paper on glass in the time and place, but I don’t know yet.

I also met with Nick and Judith (and Augustine came too) about Art Society stuff for the year. Nick Holmes and I have found ourselves to be co-presidents this year, and I’d really like to do some fun stuff, because last year the club was fairly nonexistent. I think we’re going to try and get Art Society kids to join in on the Anagama kiln that we build every year (and I want to get my own pictures this year!).

I also talked with Matthew today, as he wanted to know all about my adventures at BTF this summer. He was very pleased with me, and told me I should be quite proud of myself. I told him about how much I loved making the wolf heads and dead dog, and how I wanted to make puppets and stuff, to which he responded by conspicuously lifting his clipboard and saying “Well look here, I need some props work for The Yellow Boat this winter, and there will probably be some puppetry work too. I’ll get you a script tomorrow.” x_x Well, I hadn’t had anything planned for winter term anyway, so I guess I’ll look into it.

I was planning on playing Ultimate Frisbee today, but when i put on my shoes, I was painfully reminded that my Achilles tendon is not quite done healing yet, thankyouverymuch. Hmph, it’d best get better soon. I probably will sit out on frisbee for the week at least, but I really want to play.

The evening drew to a close with a nice game of Ghost Recon with D Flo (), then a hall meeting, then being image compression wench and Dreamweaver advisor for Carleton ()

Tomorrow will bring me Compilers, and a whole lot of free time which I will hopefully convert into lots of finished work. We shall see.

Personal Blog

Strike

Whew! We’re almost finished with our first big Main Stage strike. We have all the props cleared out, and we’re waiting for the big truck of scenery to get back to see if the carps need help unloading it. Two tech weekends in a row, no days off for awhile.

The good news is, I got to go see that William Morris exhibit at the Berkshire Museum. It was AWESOME. I almost peed myself. There was other contemporary glass there too, so I was all running around with Adam (Master ‘lectrician) and Carleton (Assistant Master ‘lectrician) and rambling my head off. It was great.

Truck is back, gotta go unload, see ya!

Personal Blog

Last Day

Today was awfully busy for being the last day of classes, especially since I only had one class! I was running all around to go to meetings and picnics and blowslots and stuff. The last glass slot of the year is always a bit bittersweet…good because by this point I’m exhausted of the studio in general, bad because I know it won’t be until the fall until I get back in the hot shop. I bought my closers some cookies tonight, because they’ve done such a good job helping me close all year. Last time to close the studio, my hands are free of art barn responsibilities! (Except for finishing my final project, of course).

So, technically, I suppose I should be out frolicking since there are no classes tomorrow, but I’m terribly tired from the day. Plus, everyone seems a bit busy tonight, too busy for fun. I did get on my universal AIM settings today for the first time in like FOREVER. It was nice to have some time to just sit and chat.

I don’t know when I intend on getting out of bed tomorrow. I considered setting the whole day aside for rest, since my first final isn’t until Friday, but I think I have too much work to do. I have a lot of coldworking to do in the studio, and I need to get my materials from classes all organized in preparation for studying. I also need to start packing things…things to go home and things to go to Massachusetts with me this summer. I suppose tomorrow (well…today, technically) will be a work day, and Thursday will be reserved for such fun things as the Matrix and lunar eclipses.

Personal Blog

Ramble

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I tend to think about a lot of things under the delirium of being sick. I got a nasty cold-thing earlier in the week, and I’m just starting to get better. However, under my icky daze, I found time to ponder great questions in life. Who am I? What am I going to do with my future? Why do I have “4 dimensional Mandelbrot set” written on my hand? Being sick induces strange things.

I think I may have found a solution to my art focus problem. On a glass trip to Louisville the other day, I saw some work by Lisabeth Sterling, and was absolutely astounded. She does very detailed and elaborate engravings on glass, and it struck me that if I should try this, it may very well be the perfect combination of 2D and 3D that I’ve been looking for. I’m going to give some engravings a shot for my final project this year, and see how I feel about it.

Needless to say, that is a big relief to me. Consequently, it made room for some other worrisome bits. May is flying out from underneath me, my last classes are this week, and before I know it, graduation will fling my friends out into the real world and punt me into Massachusetts for the summer. I get really clingy at this time of year. My very close friends are going away, and I would like nothing more than to spend time with them before they vanish. However, this time of year is so very busy, it’s hard to do. Excessive clinginess, therefore, is frowned upon.

I spend too much time at Rodes. Brendan assures me otherwise, but would he really come out and tell me if he thought I did? Becoming a near default regular at the place does have its comforts and advantages, but it also means I’m not a guest anymore, so no one’s really obligated to treat me like one. It’s very understandable, everyone is so busy. I feel invasive and in the way a lot of times, but every time I resolve to stay away and in my own space, I have the need to not be alone. I do need to round up all my things from there at some point, and pack them to be sent home. Bleh, I don’t like the end of the year, it’s too exhausting and heavy.

Personal Blog

Frickin decisions

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I have a dilemma.

I’m almost certain I’ve brought this up several times in several different places, but it has come down to crunch time. I have to pick a focus for my art major.

Up until now, I’d been leaning almost 100% towards glass. The reasoning, since I listed out everything I could and realized I love glass and painting EXACTLY the same, was because Nick and Augustine (my fellow art majors) are doing painting, so I figured I’d throw in some variety. However, I talked to Sheldon about it, and a number of issues have brought themselves up.

1. Steve is going on sabbatical in the fall term. Now, I could still do an independent study, and I’m sure Bohack could still help me, but Sheldon was concerned that I wouldn’t get the proper critique I needed to develop work for my show. This is indeed a serious concern, for while my glass is improving, it’s nowhere near where I’d like it to be and I have a long way to go.

2. I explained to Sheldon that another reason I was leaning towards glass was that I felt it was an easier outlet for my cartoony nature than painting. My oil paintings always seem to turn out darker and more serious, and I think I want to do something lighter for my show. However, Sheldon then said, “Well, you have a solid enough foundation in painting that if you’d like to pursue a more humorous route, we could arrange that. I mean, you could bring in a portfolio of your outside work and we could look over it and set something up, I’ve seen your website and the comics you do for The Cento, but I’m sure you have other things.” Basically, that’s Sheldon-speak for “you can do cartoons for your senior show if you want to.” My response..

O.o

This changes EVERYTHING. I’d dismissed the possibility of doing my more illustrative stuff for my senior show in the very beginning, because I didn’t think it’d be appropriate, or thought Sheldon would dismiss the idea. This opens up a whoooooooole new realm of possibilities.

So this swings me right back to dead center regarding the choice between glass and painting. Now, let it be known, that this is not an issue of doing both. A lot of people have noted that “it’s not fair” that I have to pick, or say “why can’t you do mixed media?” That’s not an issue at all. Even if I *had* the option of doing both, I would NOT do it, because…simply enough…I would die. Explode even.

It’s a troubling decision for me. All my glass buddies want me to do glass, and Emil hovers over me when I’m not looking to say I should do painting. I’m hesitant to ask advice from acquaintances, because glass is usually the default answer (because it’s cool). If I had some idea of what I was going to be doing with my art in the future, it could help me decide, but as of yet I have no idea.

I suppose, all in all, it’s a better situation to be in than others. I mean, I love them both, so no matter which I choose, I will be happy doing it. I will just miss not being able to do the other one. This is the first term I haven’t been able to take both glass and painting, and while I miss painting terribly. I know that if the roles were reversed, I would be dying to get into the hot shop. I’m getting no gut feeling about which of these is the better choice, but this matter is too big to let the Coin of Fate decide. Graaaaaaaaaaah!!!

…on a less important, more aesthetic note, I also have to decide whether I want to get a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Sheldon says to pick whichever looks best behind my name, and Dr. Shannon recommends I pick the one corresponding to my preferred color for the hoods. It’s nice to have a less pressing decision to make in addition to the bigger one. What do you think?

Regarding the bigger decision, I just don’t know. I keep hoping I will talk to someone and they will give me the perfect advice, and I’ll be able to decide without hesitation. Maybe I’ll go talk to Judith.

Personal Blog

SMASH

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It’s one of those pacing, puzzling, agitated days. I’m frustrated because the sun is shining, the weather is pleasant, and I am completely out of good or even logical reasons to be down about anything. I have this internal festering that I’ve only had twice before, which makes me want to do nothing more than skip down to the art barn, collect every piece of glass I’ve made, and SMASH them against the concrete. SMASH SMASH SMASH!!!!!!!!

The first time I felt it, I had Andrew with me, and he deterred the mood a bit to where I only smashed things in my “broken box,” so there was no real loss. The second time, I had friends about to hide among, so I would stay safely away from the art barn. Today, however, everyone’s in the usual busy state, and I can’t find anyone. I fear that if I can not find anything to prevent me, the aforementioned SMASHing will ensue (hence the reason for the journal entry, it should delay me a bit before dinner).

This would cause quite a predicament, as the student show is next week, and if I smashed all my stuff, I wouldn’t have anything to put in there. It is strange, this art-destructo feeling isn’t normal for me, not with anything 2-D, and I’m one of those people who is horrified when others tear up their drawings. Of course, the glass smashing isn’t really about my feelings on the quality of my art. I love all my pieces, like little children, which makes it even more disturbing how much I want to hurl them to the ground and watch them explode.

I’m sure there’s some deep, internal metaphor in there somewhere, but I’m tired and grumpy and don’t wish to find it, only the smashing. I think they should be safe, I’ll go to run some errands then go to dinner, maybe some food will make me not want to smash when I go to my glass slot tonight (maybe I’ll fling a wonky cup into the wall, just for good measure).

Personal Blog

The Glass Inferno

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I just got out of a fairly challenging cs theory test, but that had been far out of my mind for the whole week. Why? Because it’s Dante party week!

Dante Marioni is here at Centre, to teach us glass kiddies and to give demos and such, and I have been bounding about in excitement for the past two days.

It’s a bit frustrating, as I’m sure it is with well-known badass people in *any* field of interest, that I flutter around going “Dante’s coming!! Dante’s coming!! It’s gonna be soooo awesome, eeeeeeeeee!!!”, and my friends just sort of half-smile and say “Uh…good!” Oh well, I’m sure it’s that way everywhere else. Whether you’re big into glass, comics, basket-weaving, trashy romance novels, ANYTHING, I’m sure you’ve had the experience of spouting off about some awesome person in the field, only to have the vast majority have no idea what you’re talking about.

So, for those who don’t know, Dante Marioni is a really cool glass guy. That should cover it.

I’ll be in the studio for the bulk of 3 days learning who knows what, it will be awesome. *Swoon* Yaaaaaaaaay!