hi again...it's me,

michelle...your long lost blogging friend. by demand of my uncle (or as he put it- "you're conditioning me NOT to look at your blog") here i am. just to say hi. much more fun postings to come...christmas pictures, artwork and other lovlies. i miss this...and you.

and i'm sure a post about the new year will be coming soon as well!

cheers!

my twenty page thesis paper

is not my favorite. i can't find enough sources to back up my ideas and thoughts. but i'm trying. here's my working thesis..."working" mind you!

"There is a trend in contemporary art today of artists using nostalgia in their work. The advancements in technology and industrialization in our society have caused some to long for the past. Artists working with this idea, portraying nostalgia of some sort through their work, are sending a powerful message to the viewer that things of the past still hold value."

(very beginning stages) although my intro has come along nicely. if you don't care much about this topic, please forgive this boring post. i just have to put down my ideas somewhere...so why not here.

in this paper i will be talking about specific artist working with this theme, mostly female artists and their calling back to domestic ways...if i can find enough info. i will also be addressing my own artwork and how it fits into this particular theme as well.

any thoughts???

michelle

a twig, a bird and a flower

scanner art. all you need are: objects to scan, a decent scanner, and photoshop. these three images are made completely from scanned items which i basically cut and pasted together. much more complicated than that, but you don't need those details. my idea was to take people from vintage advertisements and give them an environment. i started out really simplistic and like the way the images were turning out that i just added a bit of texture with some patterned paper, a vignette and called it a night. hope you like them :)

it's me again!

hi! how are you? i'm glad you've found your way back. i know i was gone for a while.

as i was submitting some artwork to a show this evening, i thought i would share it with you. some of you might have seen this from a distance last semester, but here it is, nice and up-close :) it's from my domestic etching series.

"pin cushion"
3" x 3"

a few things about the print for those of you who care: it is a hard ground etching with chine colle and a surface roll. the chine colle is handmade japanese paper i tinted and applied to the inked/wiped plate before printing. the surface roll is the yellow ocher and muddy brown colors applied to the top of the plate after the sepia ink has been pushed into the lines and the plate wiped clean. feel free to ask questions, as i may not have explained it very well, or if you just want more detail :)

now back to some digital imaging. i'm turning myself into a 50s housewife...let's hope it works!

cheers!
michelle

back to school

so, i'm back in school this semester. it's been quite busy and the weeks are already running together. i always have such high hopes for myself...updating my blog every other day or so...and just let myself down, but i will continue to be optimistic that i will update more :)

my semester goes as follows:
mondays and fridays are dedicated to work
tuesdays and thursdays i have a digital imaging class in the morning and a rockin' history of photography class in the evening
tuesday afternoons and wednesday mornings i am interning at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art
and saturdays are dedicated to sometimes work and always homework.
i also have an independent study for art history, which i'm formulating a thesis and writing a very long paper for.
busy. plus i like to see my family and jacques at least once and a while. hah.

anyway, this set of photos is from my digital imaging class. we had to take an old photograph and restore it. luckily i found one of my beautiful mother when she was just a young girl to work with. this was supposed to be one of the "easier," less time consuming projects, but since i'm a perfectionist, it took me way longer than expected, but i sure like how it turned out.

hope you all are doing well! i miss you!
michelle

on camping and canoeing...

this weekend jacques and i, along with seven other friends went camping and canoeing in mongo, IN. i've never heard of mongo before. i knew, going into the weekend, that we would be "roughing" it. no electricity, no biggie. we stayed in tents...although i did bring an air mattress, cooked food over an open fire, and paid little attention to personal appearance (no blow-dryer, minimal makeup...i'm quite partial too my mascara, and clothing to suit the very hot weather). and it was lovely. we drove up to trading post, canoe, kayak and campground after work on friday and set up camp. after an enjoyable evening around the fire, decompressing from the work week, and a not-so-enjoyable night's rest (our neighbors were obnoxiously loud and crazy until 5am) we awoke, made eggs, sausage and oatmeal for breakfast, put on our water shoes and gear and headed to the pigeon river to embark on our 13 mile canoe trip.

an average time of completing the trip is about 4.5 hours. jacques and i took 5 hours, due to the consistent half hour stops of those in our group. after a while we got ahead a bit and were just about to stop and wait up for the group when the never ending corridor of lily pads came upon us. no place to pull over and stop. no banks, no nothin'. so we (at times me) just paddled on, against the wind and made it through to the end of the trip. it was quite an enjoyable excursion. the outdoors, the exercise, the company, the challenge. i would do it again tomorrow...or next weekend :)

after the rest of the group got back and cleaned up a bit, we ate dinner, played corn hole, and chatted the night away. enjoyable weekend for sure. when jacques and i were driving back home, he looked over and said to me, "thanks for roughing it with me this weekend, babe." and to that i should have said, "thanks for not minding that i still wanted to wear mascara." haha.

all in all, it was a great weekend. a much needed weekend away from the everyday.

and here's to a week that is hopefully just as great!
cheers!
michelle

p.s. sorry for the lack of photographic evidence of the weekend. i really did not want to bring my only good piece of digital equipment on the trip with me for fear of water damage. maybe next time, if i have a "back up."

hi...

i'm back.

i guess i took a leave of absence at the beginning of the summer...thinking it would be nice and relaxing and care-free and such. well, it has, but i have missed blogging and keeping my friends and family and other on-lookers up on what i've been up to.

summer 2010 download:
as you know, i went to FL at the beginning of the summer. since then, i've been working quite a bit at the frame shop, slowly (ssssssssloooooooooowly) re-doing my room, grabbing coffee with friends, watching lots of movies with jacques, crocheting baby blankets for my numerous pregnant friends, hanging out with my niece and nephew, as well as jacques' niece and nephew, attempting to read a book, and other randomities. and it's been really nice.

now...all of the sudden...i feel like i need to be super-productive and have even started stressing a bit (not necessary). school is coming soon. my last full semester of undergrad for art history. which means i need to find an internship...my advisor is crazier than i am and couldn't quite possibly remember everything she needs to do (and for this i could never fault her, as i am somewhat similar to her). therefore, i am on my own, embarking on this internship inquiry on my lonesome. the FWMOA (Fort Wayne Museum of Art) seems to be somewhat promising though :) I am to hear back from them this week for a possible interview. hooray. a little productivity. check. but don't let that fool you. i'm behind in my foreign language. i really should have taken a class or two this summer, but couldn't ready myself for that while trying to graduate last semester. i will be attempting later this month to celp out of two spanish classes at IPFW and then register for another for the fall...let's pray this works! IPFW because it's cheaper and St. Francis doesn't offer many foreign language classes, especially the right one at the right time.

other than that, i should be formulating a thesis for my 25ish paper i will be writing this semester...haven't quite gotten that far. and now i'm kind of stressing about paying back student loans and getting all of that jargon in order. hooray for getting older.

in rebellion to that, i will be going camping/canoeing this weekend. bought myself an enamel mug today...pretty exciting! i will be able to use a very lovely gift from my friend andrea (a single cup coffee brewer which requires no electricity or gas, just heated water and grounds) which i am super excited about as well :) i just can't help myself.

and on one last note, i am attempting to stay tuned into the world of art. i have a cyanotype of a suitcase in the three rivers invitational show currently up at St. Francis and i also have a mordancage image of a vintage iron at Artlink. go and check them out in person. you'll like them...maybe. and i will be talking to Becky at the firefly about selling my small recycled envelope books there.



here's to being creative!
michelle

finally! some pictures from...

florida

five days old

is this litttle aislinn claire. well, now she's eight weeks or so, but i was able to capture her on her fifth day of existence in this big world. adorable, as are her parents. this is just one of the things keeping me busy thus far this summer. way.....way more to post. let's see if i can keep up!

michelle

so i'm a bad

blogger. i need more time in the day...or maybe i need to just not work and do all things creative...then i would have a rockin' blog...but probably no money. humm...dilemma.

so here's what's up:

*i graduated...with my BA in Studio Art (concentrations in Photography & Printmaking, minor in Art History) and was able to do so with highest honors :) all of that stressing paid off i guess.

*i spent the week after graduation working and getting ready for vacation! which did not allow much time to do anything else but find a swimsuit (5th store was the charm).

*i went on a lovely family vacation to Ft. Meyers Beach, FL...amazing!

*i'm editing photos of a really cute baby i took a few weeks ago for some friends.

*and now i'm working on my room again...IT IS GOING TO GET DONE!!! and look beautiful!

so...pictures of many of these events to come.

much love!
michelle

i'm in the thick

of finals. yuck. and guess what? i'm procrastinating, and you're reaping the benefits of it.

i just finished editing the first of two photo series for a final critique tomorrow morning. this project was an experiment for me...and i REALLY like the way it has turned out. i usually work with a feminine subject matter, but thought i would try to compliment an earlier series with a male version of similar feel. i rigged up my own studio here at home with a sheet and some harsh aluminum reflector clamp lights that my dad had in the garage. horray for being inventive! i dug around for some old-ish looking tools and items most specifically related to men: hankies, an old razor, work gloves, suspenders, a pipe, a handful of change, etc. i then used my favorite man as my hand model and clicked the shutter...a few hundred times.

and here's the result. let me know what you think!

back to the eye twitching,
michelle

senior project: printmaking

hello again. so sorry for the lack of posting. that seems to be a trend, unfortunately. i'm hoping that when i'm out of school the story will be a little different. the last few weeks my attention has been focused on my senior project. i've been etching and filing small 3x3" zinc plates, hand tinting japanese paper, and printing my little lovelies. i chose my favorites and framed them in a shadow box where I attached them to a clothesline i conjured up with the cutest little clothespins! then off to the student show they went with six other alternative process photographs i made previous to this project. if you would like to view these works of art, they are currently hanging in the gallery at st. francis.

so glad this part is over...now two more photo projects to start (and finish) as well as a lengthy art history project. then this crazy semester is over. whew!

now back to some homework.
thanks for stopping by.
michelle

STREeeeeeeeee...............

ssssED!

crazy with school projects that just don't want to get done. but i hope they do. but i'm not sure if they will. but they always do. but i'm just stressing.

20 + change

it's been 25 years since I exited my mother's womb and entered this world. this world full of creativity, of love, of hatred, of variety, of conformity, of community. this beautifully ugly world. i've enjoyed much, i've laughed often, i've loved many, i've experienced some of the world's imperfections, and i've experienced some of God's perfection. i'm glad to be alive and intend to enjoy 25 very much...even though i feel just a tad old :) thank you for being a part of my existence. i have nothing but love for you.

now i must go and enjoy the rest of this day with my amazing family.
your young(ish) friend,
michelle

waiting

out of my reflections came inspiration.

i just wasn't "feeling" the photo project i proposed for the first half of the semester. therefore it was not being worked on, and i felt like a failure. enter bad week. i can now clearly see that my "rut" was partially put in place so that i could gain new inspiration for my work. not my first choice for motivation, but cause for deeper meaning and more personal artwork. clever.

i'm changing my photo proposal from the norm of my domestic objects to a series on waiting. fitting, really. (REALLY)

i wasn't sure why i was taking these images last semester, but i now realize they were a prelude to this particular project...and my life. i'm still working out some of the ideas i have and the specific photos i want to create. lots of sketching and brainstorming to be documented.

above are a few of the digital negatives of images i took last semester for a process called gum bichromate, which will be the same process in which i will develop my new series. glad to have some sort of direction. now it's time to get serious.

waiting (with some inspiration),
michelle

my mantra

lately i've been in a rut. i'm not quite sure what to do to get out of this rut. maybe i'm feeling this way because my room still is not done and is only partially organized. maybe it is because i can't seem to just blow off my academic classes and only be a creative genius 24/7. maybe it's because i'm turning 20-old (that's code for 25...sorry to those of who who have surpassed me in this area) and i'm still living in my parent's house with no hope of moving out anytime soon. and maybe it's a culmination of all of these things and maybe some others. i don't know. i just wish i weren't over here, in this rut.


so what am i going to do to combat this problem i seem to be having? i'm certainly not going to give up. i can't. i have way too much to do for that. i can't blame this on anyone...and wouldn't want to anyway.

i'm just going to be happy. i'm not a "debbie downer" by nature. i'm cheerful michelle (i can't seem to think of a good alliteration for my name except for maybe "merry" and i'm not quite fond of that). i'm going to live joyously and be thankful for my days. a few months ago i wrote a "mantra" of sorts for myself. kate at work and i both did one to try and live purposefully. here's what i came up with:



michelle's mantra

i will use my fun-loving, eco-conscious and domestic ways
along with my creativity
through loving others (with a Christ-like, genuine love),
through reducing, reusing and recycling,
through making baked goodies for those i love
and through my photography and other creative art-forms
to create a world (community) that is organically tasteful, eco-friendly, ever-loving and aware of the beauty which surrounds us.

i've recently pulled this out again to help with my rut. it's good to re-assess and re-group once and a while. in fact, i think it's necessary. maybe this is the reason for the rut...to look at my life and make sure i'm living how i should be.

thanks for reading.
i think i'm going to clear my bookshelf and "craft station" so that i can get a move on my room this weekend.

with love,
michelle

happy

valentine's day. no, i'm not overly gushy when it comes to this particular holiday, but i love to love and therefore am extending some of it to you :) feel special.

speaking of love, i absolutely love robert indiana's love. Have seen one of his paintings in Indy and studied him in my contemporary art class. love!


he's also captured my favorite number: 5

so here's to robert indiana, the number five and love!

goodlove for now, i heart you.
michelle

happy monday

to you all. you viewing this blog is evidence that i survived last week. amazing. i was able to get all of my reading done for class, assignments for senior project turned in, programs for joel and amanda's wedding re-programed, printed, punched and ribbon-ed, somehow got through karen's memorial service, and was able to enjoy a beautiful wedding weekend with a few of my favorite people.


today's tasks will be (in order of priority) COFFEE, an online assignment, LUNCH, reading of art history articles (on the baroque master painter caravaggio), reading of environmental history, tweaking of my CV (artist's resume), and writing my photography proposal. lots o' work to do. here's to a great day!

cheers!
michelle

this week

is ridiculous. i don't like it...and it's only tuesday evening. yuck.

i'm currently putting together proposals for my senior project (of the printmaking sort) and my photography class (of the alternative photographic process sort), as well as writing my revised artist statement and CV (or resume). thus the yuck.

in addition to these school-y sort of things, i'm finishing up joel (my cousin) & amanda's (my bff) wedding programs, which i realized today didn't save properly and now have to start from scratch, and putting together a short speech for karen's (see older post) memorial service thursday as well as a small write up for the school newspaper later this week.

so what am i doing? i'm procrastinating a wee bit so that my faithful readers/viewers do not get bored with my unchanging blog. too late? sorry!

i decided to share with you this week a few digital images i turned into polariod (using the fuji fp100-c film) lifts and transfers for my latest photo project. they turned out beautifully! maybe i'll post those images later...maybe not. just be thankful you get to see the digital versions of a few. hah. i must be in an obnoxious mood :)

anyway, i hope you like. maybe you can tell me if you like them...or hate them...or just feel indifferent towards them. (i do have four prints already matted/framed and ready to sell if anyone is interested).

and now i must get back to the previously mentioned week of yuck.
thanks for stopping by.
michelle

a few of my favorites

from Christmas. Enjoy.

soooooooooo...

...my computer apparently does not have any more "scratch space," or so it keeps telling me. this pretty much means i cannot save anything to my hard drive at the current moment. thankfully (!muchas gracias! dank U wel! merci! vielen dank! mahalo! toda raba! mille grazie! arigato! kam ouen! cheers!) my favorite man gifted me an external hard drive (of the pterodactyl, i mean terebyte kind) for Christmas. let's just say i could hardly believe it...and oh how much it is needed! he even programed everything before he gave it to me...amazing. but, i'm a little scared to install it by my lonesome, for fear of ruining something. i'm pretty computer-savvy. not. this is my lame-o excuse for not blogging as of late. i haven't been able to edit anything, and don't want to expose you to un-cropped images of my work from last semester. remember: presentation is everything, err, very important to me.

let's hope that by this weekend i'll have some goods up to share with you, my friends. sorry for being such a terrible blogger. i'm determined to at least write you about my goings-on this semester, even if i don't have a whole lot to show you. fair enough?

that's all for now. Christmas pictures and work from last semester to come. promise.

until i'm "installed,"
michelle



(that's my favorite man, by the way.)