Victorian times and now

After a research intensive weekend, I came to my studio today with lots to do. I was looking into Victoriana, art/craft movements in England and America, patterns of domesticity from the Victorian times and now, generations, family, memory, sentimentality, and I can keep on going. The idea with all this research is that something that I read about will gel with my process, work, etc... I'm trying to work outside of painting right now and see what happens.

Today:
Using photographs that I took of things I found in my parents house, mostly to do with my mother (family pics, my grandmother's tea set, my mother's sewing kit), I traced authentic Victorian wallpaper patterns that I found in this amazing online archive. I then cut the patterns out with my handy little xacto blade. These are 11" x 17". I am hoping to go really big with these, but not before I learn how to use the Rapid Prototyping machine at school.

These are broken teacups with text transferred from a Victorian newspaper on how to be a lady.

Alright, its Friday!

Wait, that doesn't mean anything--I still have to do work!
Well, its not that bad. Its been a full week and I am really excited about my classes, teachers, future projects, research. I met with one of my advisors yesterday. It was an interesting and informative hour and 15 minutes. I felt immediately comfortable with him, which made me feel good. However, upon his departure, I felt a little bewildered, confused, and overwhelmed. He said that I need to slow down. I have jumped ahead and need to return back to the research phase. I'm to put my panels and paints away.....for now. So, as of last night I have been researching away. I'm having a great time looking through tons of archives available on ancestry.co.uk (a very interesting resource!) and I found an old Victorian wallpaper archive. I've been busy with some watercolors and cutting china patterns outs of maps/wallpaper/and photographs. I will post some pictures on Monday.

I also went to my first class "The Capp Street Project" with a fascintaing artist from Mexico, Abraham CruzVillegas. The class, and what we would be doing is going to be challenging, but I'm looking forward to it. Our collaborative project, which will culminate in a show, is to build a vehicle (bike, cart, scooter, car, etc....) that responds to need/scarcity to race around the streets that encircle our school! This girl Allison and I are thinking of creating a Trojan Horse, of sorts, that doubles as a transportable, travelling art/toxic materials trailer . This is something that the grad students will be able to use in the grad center courtyard, but move out of the way if necessary. It will also be an interesting social practice piece, if we send it out in the community so the public can participate. It might make for an interesting dialogue. Anyway, more on that later. Its obviously still in discussion.

My new studio!!!! Yay!

I am now officially moved in. Got my key card, my ID (with a ridiculous look on my face), and I am ready to get to work. I have been doing some research on what I want to be investigating.

So far, this is what I am thinking....

I want to create a visual vocabulary that pulls from craft items, trinkets, knick-knacks, patterns found on china or old wallpaper, vintage photos, and aged personal possessions that are collaged, assembled, or recontextualized in ways that expose the dark, sad, or lonely side of domesticity, decoration, and ornamentation.

I am interested in questioning how we create memories and consider the passage of time.

Now on to making art out of this!

meltdown

ok, suffered a mini meltdown this evening. Crying session lasted only a few minutes, but I think I have gained composure. I feel there are a lot of brilliant people in the program and am trying to feel like I belong here.(?) I am happy with the people I have met and excited for potential future collaborations
So, I have only completed 2 days of "orientation" and thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?"
I am happy, however, with my advisors selection: 2 really interesting artists and 1 writer with a PhD in theory from Princeton. We were given a little insight as to how they are assigned to us. Our main advisor had some part in our admittance, the 2nd advisor may have something in common with our work in particular, and the third advisor proves challenging to us. I gather the guy from Princeton will be challenging. I don't know what this guy's going to make me do!

Anyway, I am looking forward to setting up my studio. I was able to choose it from a lottery. I was 5th and got my third choice!

Pictures tomorrow!

The countdown begins!

I have a couple of weeks to go before I start my masters program at CCA. I have many feelings of anticipation, nerves, excitement, and being overwhelmed. I am looking forward to it tremendously! My plan is to keep the blog updated regularly, so that I will have a log of my progress. I am anticipating a crazy roller coaster ride of stress, emotional craziness, creative blocks, and hopefully lots of "a-ha moments", as I balance life as a mom to a three year old and being an artist back in school. I'm eager to see my art work change and the progress I make in these next 2 short years.