I have been back from spring break for just about a week now. I was right thinking that the last six weeks back would be hard. All classes work towards finals. Next week all my studio classes are moving onto final projects. On top of that is all the end of the year stuff; plans to get back home, registering for new classes and finding a place to live. *Sigh*In 3D we have been working on the book project. I really have not talked about this too much but basically we are required to do something involving a book – and we are using book in the loosest sense of the word, it has to have a minimum of eight pages, and that’s about it. One girl made a fan with eight leafs and someone else is making eight boxes – I don’t know what they will present, but since critique for this project is first thing Monday morning I am sure I will find out. I took a book of Shakespeare plays and found seven common phrases that were made up, or at least first appear in writing, in the plays. Then I did something with the phrase on the page where it appears, framing it in copper and writing about the phrase on the back of the page. I think my favorite part of the whole thing is the book mark that I made for each page. I will post a few photos of it after the critique. I like it better then the last project I did in this class (that was the found tools project). The final in the class, which we start after Monday, is the chair project. We are just asked to do something with a chair. I already have my chair but I don’t know what I’m going to do with it. I would also kind of like the chair to still work as a chair when I’m done (not something that is required for the project) but something I really want it to be able to do seeing as it’s a chair… In 2D we have moved on to our final already. I don’t like my 2D teacher and he does not like me, I find him disorganized, and wish-e-washy. He has no idea what he’s doing teaching this class. He might have props at whatever else he does, but not this. So our final project which we will have six weeks (now five) to do is an imaginary self portrait. I have several problems with this, the first is that I don’t really like self portraits, they have their place but I feel that every good piece of art reveals something about the artist. My second is his definition of a self portrait. A self – portrait is about you it’s a reflection of you, not some fake you that involves making up a character. My last problem with the project is that he is assuming that we have some drawing skills – he would say he’s not but he is. I just can’t seem to get a good handle of what he wants and I have no good ideas. I have wasted a week trying to come up with a good idea because, (here’s a really really important point!!) If you start off with a bad idea it will never, no matter how much work you put into it, make up for that crappy idea. So that sucks but on a brighter note my casting class is going very well. We have a little half project between our last project (what I’m now calling the gear rings, that I really enjoyed), and our final. We are casting natural or non wax things. I was planning to cast two things – what I think are some type of sea anemone shells and plastic topographical map. However, my teacher forgot that most of us would not be on campus over spring break, and so we only have two weeks, which when casting is really not that much time. So I had to cut back and am only doing the anemone shells, but I’m keeping the map on the back burner for now.
Here are the shells all ready to cast:
I think they will cast out really cool but I just want to move onto the final. Over the weekends I have been checking out and hunting down possible places to rent. I want to stay in Rockridge or Berkley for several reasons. They seem the safest areas and they are also the closest. However I seem to be looking too early because I don’t need the place over the summer, but that’s really frustrating because I don’t want to have to come back down to find a place in the middle of the summer, and I would like to know where I’m going to be living, it’s very stressful. Last but not least, we register for classes next week. According to webadviser I am going to register next Monday, and of the classes I have drawn up I will have at least one class in SF next year. I’m exciting for that. I’m also excited that I have five weeks until I’m back in Seattle!!!