Monday, November 15, 2010

Glass and Gardens

Beautiful Fall
Saturday morning my friends Mike and Jessica and I got up bright and early (9am) and headed out for a delicious breakfast at Eggs in the City and a morning at the Gardens (Red Butte Gardens that is). 
The night before I had seen the movie "Waiting for Superman" so we had a riveting discussion of the US school system throughout our breakfast.  Our conversation was so enthroning I hardly noticed how delicious my eggs benedict were.  The discussion got really intense.  We each had our opinions which didn't always agree, but I have to admit it was one of my favorite conversations.  I never felt like anyone was attacking the other person, we were just having a really interesting discussion of the point of the movie, our opinions on the school system, teacher unions (and unions in general) and areas we see for improvement.  I'm going to see that movie again this week with my mom who has been a teacher and school administrator since I was in Kindergarten, I am sure that will lead to further discussion and changing of my opinions.
Eventually, we did stop talking about it (at least for a few minutes, I have been talking about all weekend).  The entire purpose of our outing was not breakfast but to see the glass art show at Red Butte Gardens.  I got a membership to the Gardens earlier this year so I could buy early discounted tickets to the concert series which resulted in of course one of my favorite concerts in my favorite venue.  I decided I needed to get some use out of it and use up my guest tickets.  The glass art show was presented by the Utah Guild of Glass Artist.  The work was really interesting and we were curious how some of it was created. 
After perusing the art we headed outside for the gardens.  We let our inner child escape and we had a great time running around and enjoy the beautiful fall garden.

My favorite glass piece
Jess loves crazy reindeer mummy bushes
Why?  Because they were there
We feed the fish...
...looked creepy...
...and carefully explored our surroundings. 
It was a good day.


Friday, November 5, 2010

Art Project #5: Collage in Motion

My latest design is a collage in motion. My concept was text, action words, in motion.  I learned that I have a very narrow view of what a collage is and how to use it.  I really had to LEAP out of my comfort zone and relay on wiser designers (Ashley).  I also experienced the disappointment of waiting too late to start a project. I was 2/3 into it with very little time left when I opened it up for critique.  The critique was spot on and provided me with really good feedback and help to visual the strengths and weaknesses with the design.  Unfortunately, I was too far into it with too little time to make some of the recommended changes, but the critique helped me finish with something I am at least happy with. 


I was so nervous for my class to see it.  I liked it, but was afraid that it wasn't "collage" enough.  Most people in my class did a traditional collage with some slight variations to how things were laid out.  I think they liked my design, but it was a mixed response whether it was a collage or an illustration.  I guess it is good to stretch my perceptions of design a little and risk that they don't like it or disagree with it.  I learned a lot and have new ideas for how I would do it next time to make it more collage without looking collage.
A huge THANK YOU goes to Dan in my InDesign class who helped me figure out how to distort the text streams.  Jeff (also in InDesign) and Talena for helping me come up with ideas for my project.  And BIGGEST thanks to Ashley who is a design genius.  She is really great at communicating design.  I learn something more about design every time she critiques my work.  She is much better than some of my professors.

P.S. Still working on the patience in art thing.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Concert Time O Year

It is that time again, where some how I end up going to a lot of concerts.  I love concerts and I usually hit one a month, but with school I haven't been to as many. 
This time I hit 2 bands I was only slightly familiar with and one of my all time favs.  Two weeks ago I went with some friends to The Weepies concert at the State Room.  I love the State Room.  Never disappointed in the shows they have.  The Weepies were no exception.  I knew their stuff and liked it, but couldn't say I was big fan.  The show was great and may have changed the lives of some of my fellow concert goers (ahem you know who you are).  Instead of doing my week before music saturation where I listen to everything I can get my hands on, I have been doing more of a post concert saturation.  Since the concert I have been listening to The Weepies intensely.  The more I listen the more I like.  I think The Weepies is a band that grows on you.  It grew on me.  And the concert sparked my interest more (this is why I go to shows for bands I don't know).


Can't get enough of this song

Ingrid Michaelson.  That is all that needs to be said, but for the sake of this post I will expound.  I wish I were as cool as Ingrid.  She is always amazing.  We went to her show last year and I am still talking about it. Maybe it is just her SLC shows, but she is so funny and so easy to talk with.  Not that I talked to her.  It is just the way she talks to the audience from the stage, makes you feel like you could hang out and talk for hours (not in that way...friends).  She played some of my favorites and a few of new stuff.  Check out her parachute song (acoustic is awesome).


Simply wonderful

Lastly, I went to the Sufjan Stevens show on Monday at Kingsbury Hall.  What an interesting venue for a concert like this.  It was a little awkward when you wanted to get up and dance, but people are seating behind you.  The show was complete with awesome choreography and Halloween costumes. 
I like Sufjan's music.  His older stuff is more my speed than his new stuff, but I still like it.  But I am not hipster enough for a Sufjan concert.  It was a sea of skinny jeans, old sweaters and ballet flats (not that these are exclusively bad or hipster, but you know the hipster look I am talking about).

If you are a huge Sufjan fan stop reading here if you want to be friends. You may not like me for what I am about to say.

This was one show I could have missed.   My take on the show.  Introduce Sufjan Stevens, great musical artist who thinks very highly of himself and hipster religious leader.  Sufjan talked about the cosmos, shared a long story of some crazy dude who inspired his new music and generally talked like he was on some higher spiritual level.  Whoa buddy.  We just meet.  This is awkward.  But the hipsters seemed to eat it up, maybe it is in the skinny jeans (which I can't joke about too  much, I have skinny jeans). 
I will continue to listen to his music.  The concert actually helped me like his new stuff more than I would have if I had only listened to it.  But as far as drinking his kool-aid, I'll stick to my sticker covered Nalgene water bottle (my type of crunchy).

Give me my classic Sufjan Stevens

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Zombie Polygamists

Yeah we went there.  Ashley came up with our costume idea and luckily our friend Steve was willing to be wed to three ladies for the evening (who are we kidding he LOVED it).
Best part of the costume...the bump (hair, although Ashley is sporting a great zombie in womb look). What polygamist costume would be complete without the bump? 
Check out the zombie babies