hello? is this thing on?

I have been a really bad blogger lately. I haven't been posting all that much or commenting as much as I used to. I've been up on my reading though, just you know, lazy bones this one. I'm not really sure as to why, other than I got a little overwhelmed with the end of last semester and things with Princey have been rocky at best.

Most of the time we get along alright, but I have called my mom a couple times in a crying frenzy over something stupid that transpired between the two of us. I keep hoping that things will mend themselves, you know? But really only time will tell. I try to tell myself to take it one day at a time. Either we'll end up together or we won't and no amount of pining or worrying or crying is going to make a difference. Things have been nice lately, and I'm hoping they will stay that way.

So on to brighter and happier things shall we? Oh good.

Now that the semester is over, I'm only taking one class. That means more time for stuff I actually like doing. Like blogging. I promise to be a better blogger. Maybe even post pictures of things that aren't artwork! Can you imagine? It's been a while, I know.

And in addition to promising to get back into the blogging swing, I've discovered that I'm a dab hand in the kitchen, wouldn't you know? I can cook things like hamburgers and spaghetti and tacos. I can make awesome chocolate chip pancakes and fry an egg with the best of them. And my spicy cayenne ranch dip is to die for. And it is spicy, lemme tell you.

Have you been to Applebee's? Poor Moscow, really it's one of the nicest restaurants in town. Definitely on the higher end of the spectrum here in this tiny little podunk place in the middle of nowhere. But I do like their food, especially the Bourbon Street Steak. Please, if you haven't eaten that delectable morsel of meaty goodness you need to go right now. RIGHT NOW!

I am getting way off topic.

I bring up Applee's to you because of this dessert that they have. And let us just agree that chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream drenched in chocolate syrup might just be the best invention ever next to my mother's award winning apple pie (seriously, it's super delicious and I will never be able to top it).

So anyway, I had a craving tonight for delicious vanilla ice cream soaked chocolate chip cookies but I really didn't want to waste precious pennies on something I could make myself. And I did. Because I can be domestic and stuff sometimes. Actually, I really like playing house, but don't tell anyone okay? Okay.

Tell me please, what have you been up to lately? Let's get reacquainted. I feel like we barely know each other anymore!

that one time i made another blog and nobody cared

So remember when I started that other blog and then no body really took an interest in reading it, but that was kind of okay since it was mostly to help me with a ridiculously hard class I was taking? Well, remember how the semester is over now and I'm not in that stupidly hard class anymore?

Yeah.

So I was left with this blog, and I looked at it. Poor pitiful blog without a purpose. And I contemplated ending it's sad little life, but I thought that was too easy. Why, it was just a young thing! It has lots of life left inside it's little html walls. How could I do something so cruel as to behead it before it had even begun to really blossom? I mean, how rude!

I hmmed and hawed and tilted my head for a bit. And then I made some chicken noodle soup, stared at some of my newly created watercolor paintings and it hit me. I've been wondering whether or not I should start an art blog for a while now, since I'm producing a lot of new stuff in a relatively short period of time for all of my classes here at the university.

So I changed this little blog's life and turned it into a place for me to show off the new things I have created. I tried to import some of my art posts from this blog over to that one, but it was way to complicated for my poor little brain to try and sit there and figure out.

I'm tired guys, I mean, I've been sleeping on a couch since I moved out of the dorm. Not exactly a recipe for a good night's rest. Therefore, trying to understand how importing and exporting a blog works, I just decided that it would be a fresh start and that I would just start posting new stuff to that blog instead of this one.

Anyway, I figured that you guys probably weren't really interested in art theory before, but most of you seem to like when I post about the concept behind my art or the technique or just looking at what new stuff channels its way out of my head. Well, here's the place you'll find it. So if you could, just click this link, this one right here, and follow me! See, I just gave you three links! Four! So that's no excuse!

If it helps, there's a cute picture over there right now. It's not watercolor, it's from print making, but still. It's adorable. Don't hurt its feelings. Or the blog's for that matter. It was rather suicidal a little bit ago, and I had to rescue it. And you have to help me!

A joint effort!

I'll give you cookies?

No?

Still not interested?

A pony?

Well okay. I'll quit pushing the issue.

...


please?

I Haven't Used Watercolors Since Elementary School

It's no secret around here that me and painting are just simply not friends. I documented my oil painting class progress, but ultimately I was never really happy with any of my paintings except for my good friend Davy Jones and my final project.

So when I was making my schedule for next fall, you can imagine my disheartened attitude when I decided that intermediate painting was a better fit than intermediate printmaking. Because some of my education classes were only offered at one time and that conflicted with the only section of intermediate printmaking, and well Bloggies, it just wasn't meant to be.

And in addition to my intermediate painting class come the Fall 2011 semester, this summer I have been enrolled into a watercolor painting class. I was actually kind of excited for this class, because it wasn't oil painting, but also I was a bit worried that I would hate it also. Besides my apparent love for mixing colors with a brush, I'd also heard things about my professor. I had heard that a lot of people didn't like him. I already took a class last semester where I hated my professor, and please oh please I didn't want my only summer class to be that way too.

So imagine my surprise when I decided that I actually liked watercolors, and I liked my professor too. Granted, we are only three days into the semester, but it's already less painful than oil painting ever was. We'll see if the fun lasts, but I'm ready for a studio class that I actually enjoy going to again.

This is the first watercolor painting I did this summer. I hadn't used watercolor paints since I was about six, it feels like. Plus, you always give the little kiddies cheap watercolors that don't really work very well anyways. Also, at six you don't really know how to use them correctly anyway - so I actually kind of hated them when I was little too. Anyway, this picture turned out fun and I really like the lamp post.

This was meant to focus on the clouds. It was starting to get stormy out, and the sky was really moody. I kept getting compliments on this painting though. One of the guys in my class took a particular liking to it for reasons that I'm not really sure, but I'm not going to complain. They say you aren't really an artist until someone outside of your family is willing to pay and display your stuff in their house.

This is our painting from today. There is a field of cows on campus, and this building is over by where they graze. It's an old creaky chicken coop looking thing. My favorite part of this painting is the tree though, to be honest.

It wasn't even by the building, I just wanted to paint it. And that's something that I absolutely love about this painting class, is that you can move things around and decide to not paint other things, it's really up to you. That's a freedom I didn't really have in my rigidly structured oil studio class. I wish I could take intermediate watercolor next semester. Maybe they'll let me use watercolors anyway?? You think? Me either.

This Painting Took Forever And I'm Glad I'm Finally Done With It

My latest project.

I have been thinking of selling my artwork. My mom said the other day that someone asked her if I was selling what I made and sent me into "what if" mode. My printmaking instructor last semester even suggested that I sell some of my prints.

I don't know exactly how Etsy works, or really anything about it other than you can sell your handmade products on its website. Also, I have no idea how much money I would list my work for anyway. I mean, I have paintings and prints and drawings that I could potentially sell, but how much do those things go for anyway? 

Besides, I get attached to some of my work and I don't want to let it go! I don't know if I could bring myself to part with some of my artwork, but I suppose maybe if the price was high enough? Who knows. Unless I make it with the idea in mind of giving it away or I end up hating it, generally I don't like to part with my stuff. 

Giving things to family is different though, because I know I'll see it again and that it's going to a good home and that it's loved and cherished and cared for. Not that someone who pays money for it would be any less careful about how they handle my artwork, but really, I would be parting with it forever. 

Who knows what will happen, but maybe someday I will sell my work. Maybe it will be sooner rather than later. At least I'm considering it, right? 

It's Almost Over

There's a week and half left of the semester. My brain is on overload.

You know how it goes.