Just Perfect.

Along with my crazy photo project, I am diligently sketching for new paintings. If only I were diligently making money to buy canvas for said paintings. Nothing says “starving artist” like searching through older works to see which one isn’t that great so I can paint over it. I found one on chipboard that Utretch failed to cut to anything resembling a frame size. I was able to get two smaller pieces for two new paintings! I’m recycling!

This drawing may turn into a painting for a series of works, or not. I was thinking about the concept of being “perfect.” I was thinking about how media and society dictate what the “perfect woman” is or isn’t. What does that look like? What message is that dictating to women and young girls?

This is the career woman, she “wears the pants.” She is also walking a fine line, you don’t want to be a “bitch” for being “too aggressive” or the “slut” who sleeps her way to the top either literally or assumed.  However, this woman may be successful, yet she is completely helpless. She is faceless, and therefore without a mouth to speak up for herself. Also, she lacks arms to defend herself or help herself. In the eyes of some, she is “perfect” she can’t speak up and be a “bitch”and she lacks arms to do anything that may otherwise compromise her “perfect” image/perception.

Best Face Forward (part 2)

When one goes to an online dating site they may have certain expectations or preconceived ideas. Maybe we form preconceived ideas and expectations the instant we see the person’s profile picture – maybe in viewing this image we suddenly form an idea of what this person’s personality. 

Online dating is about selling oneself. And that “sale” starts with ones’ profile picture. And here is where my crazy photo project begins…

Today’s suitor is a butch throwing up what appears to be gangsta signs, along with ridiculous facial expressions. I look like a combination of my uncle, Brian, and my cousin, Matt, neither of which have been known to throw up gangsta signs.

It took me an absurd amount of time to edit through all the photos and come up with only three… every photo was so silly, between shots I was laughing and trying not to laugh while posing.

Best Face Forward.

Today I was looking through my journal in search of an “art idea” that I had written down a month or so ago. I eventually found it and remembered why I hadn’t gone through with the idea, because it wasn’t that great. But I did come across this poem that I wrote about online dating. The poem needs serious work, however…

In the poem,  I talk about how one goes to an online dating site with these expectations or preconceived ideas. And it is entirely possible that I or others will not fulfill someone’s grand expectations.  Maybe we form preconceived ideas and expectations the instant we see the person’s profile picture – maybe in viewing this image we suddenly form an idea of what this person is like. We combine this with whatever other information they may or may not provide in their profile. And that is what we go on… do we add information in our heads based on this image and profile information?

Online dating is about selling oneself. And that “sale” starts with ones’ profile picture. May sites just show you this page full of avatars with a brief summary of the person. This is your marketability – does that image sell?

And here is where my crazy photo project begins… I decided to create three different personae. I chose to make myself as unmarketable as possible – because we’ve all seen those profile pictures that make us wonder – what were they thinking posting this?!  We begin with the girl trying to be pouty and sexy. 

I also chose to make some photos slightly out of focus, grainy, underdeveloped and/or have horrible backgrounds… like this set that I shot in my bathroom – I’ve seen it done, I don’t understand why.

Next the girl who is “quirky” and “unique” and wears black framed glasses and makes weird faces.

“Not only am I unique, but I read classic literature…”

Next rockabilly, goth-esque girl. She is probably too cool and sassy for this.

Lost Words and Swimsuits

I meant to post the above image when I finished it last week, but I was busy painting.

The image Stuck Inside is about how sometimes I want to say something, but don’t because it doesn’t seem like the right time, place, or the other person is talking so much that I end up not getting a word in. Later it just seems silly to bring up the subject again, just so I can say what I think, so I don’t bother to say anything.

New Collage!

I finished this the other day and haven’t had a chance to post it.

Its as if these two people have all this other extraneous stuff swirling inside their heads – that would be the abstract weird part. However, they are about to kiss and that should be the thing they are thinking of… but they are not.

Temptress

What does “mixed media” imply? I used hand-made paper (that I made), paper I bought at the recycling center, oil pastel, acrylic and gloss medium.

The Temptress is every hottie who makes unsuspecting people melt into a puddle on the floor – that is why she is faceless. She is wearing this mask that is almost animal like in shape – we’re all animals not just the attractive woman, who may or may not know it. I also covered her mask with the tissue thin paper and her breasts – so she is even more mysterious and… tempting.

Fighting the Clouds

“1,2,3…1,2,3 i don’t care//i don’t care//i don’t care//I wanted you to know I didn’t care…” Drive by Throwing Muses

I think the Throwing Muses sum up my feelings about my denied application to a part-time sales associate position at H&M…

On a positive note, I started a new painting. And while I won’t be able to enter this one or any for that matter into the RI PRIDE art show like I had hoped because I can’t swing the $20 entry fee … there is always Q@X at Gallery X… and the sheer hope of someone actually liking my work and letting me exhibit my work minus the $20-60 entry fee. Feel free to start banging down my door at any time in the near future.

Head in the Sand.

I should feel like celebrating and shouting out loud. Instead I got in my car after I finished working in the sculpture studio and cried. Not because my sculpture turned out badly… it was something far stupider. I seen this cute couple and it just made me so sad that I wasn’t in a relationship or had a date in… a very long time. (Its also finals week – meaning I have worked a lot and slept very little)

I think my cat Lily really sums it up here…

Did I mention I finished my sculpture that I was working on in the sculpture studio, prior to feeling bad about myself…

DIY Style…

This is the last week of classes which means I spent a good 12-ish hours yesterday doing schoolwork for the two classes that I have: Sculpture and Art Education Practicum. I am neither crying nor pulling out my own hair in the above photo.

Here’s the sculpture I’ve been working on… one of these days before, my final critique, I’m going to get to finish it and hang it on the wall.

In the spirit of DYI (and poverty) I made my parents’ anniversary card this year. Walmart is charging almost $4 for anniversary cards and I still wanted to give my parents something besides a card.

Which reminds me: can someone please buy my artwork, or something, I’d really like to pay bills, afford art supplies, gas for my car, live life, pay my bills and such like normal people do.

Sculpture-licious

Its not finished but at least it stays on the wall!

As I was making some adjustments, I overheard some guy say, “Whoa, I didn’t expect there to be 90 degree angles sticking out of the wall!” Little did he know I really wanted to make it so people had no choice but to walk around it. I chose to not make it obstruct the hallway for fear some smartass would knock it off the wall or take it off the wall.