sampling whitman

eatin' oranges

2012-01-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

Well, hi there!

I think it's time to start revamping this old blog. I just started a new semester here at Whitman, and am taking three art classes (beginning ceramics and printmaking and intermediate book arts), along with Art Since 1945 and Spanish. I'm also continuing with my jobs at Kdub (the radio station), WCTS (tech services), and doing graphic design for college events.

My boyfriend and I are also hosting a radio show together, called Manifiesta! We read a different manifesto on air each week, integrating music inspired by said manifesto. If the manifesto is short enough, we may go into historical anecdotes, yada yada. Monday night was our first show, and we drew Dada from the hat. Yess! The Dada Manifesto is awesome, and we were able to incorporate some suitably avant-garde music (namely "Hypnotic Sounds," by Neutral Milk Hotel) between paragraphs. Manifiesta is in addition to my other radio show, hosted with Nathan Liechty, On Rotation.

It's going to be a cray-zee semester, but I'm really enthusiastic about all my classes and am actually excited to do my homework most days!

Speaking of homework, my upcoming project deadline is to make a pop-up book! My theme is oranges, and the art of peeling them. I'm hoping to fully integrate this theme into the form of the book... so far it's going really well (knock on wood). So, part of the process has been photographing oranges. Here are some of the photos, or random in-progress screenshots:

book arts + printmaking + hey, man

2011-11-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

It's be so long! So much has happened since my last posts... but I really won't get into any personal narratives. There's too much art to go over! This semester I'm taking Beginning Book Arts, and these are the finished products I've created so far:

A box! The top flap ends right about where my thumb is, and the tab that keeps it closed is the middle flower/leaf. Cool, I know. I AM SO PROUD OF THIS BOX.

And inside the box you'll find some awesome Zombie prints! This was our first printmaking assignment, and the theme was dreams. Recently a ton of my dreams have involved zombies, undoubtedly influenced by The Walking Dead. So I made this little Grindhouse postcard. It took three press runs: once for the silver-grey-black background, once for the silver lead type, once for the red-gold zombie linocut.

And here's the linoleum cut.

This is my first box attempt... it has the same dimensions of the one above, but it was a little flimsy and the fabric was coming up off the paper in spots. Blech. Plus, no cool tab action here.

This is a previous project for book arts, although this photo is in the process of editing the cover. But yeah, bound the cover with fabric, made a little hand stickin' out of the front, yada yada.

The book itself is Japanese-style accordion, and is about an experience in Florida. This is the inner book cover.

I did the illustrations as if I was ten-ish, coloring them with Prismacolor pencils, mounting them on red paper and glue-sticking them in. I also used the handwriting I had in elementary school throughout the book.

And finally, the latest installment of Hey, Man! This is my favorite issue to date. We're moving publication down to quarterly, which means each issue is more precious. I spent way longer than usual laying it out, really getting into the graphic design of the thing. And Sam Alden's cover is even more awesome than usual. So good!

MD Elements

2011-10-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition repetition

designs

2011-09-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

School's back! Which means my arty-skillz have new-found purpose. Mostly revolving around events, jobs, and biff. Here are three:

My house does fun things!

My biff does fun things!

I like fun things!

Lips

2011-08-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

Yowza!

Here's a new design. This band, Lips, was one of the openers for Princess Chelsea, whose poster is below. They were kind enough to ask me to design their West Coast tour flier! ...I kinda got into it. I'm all about sloppy psychedelia.

princess chelsea

2011-08-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

YES!

Design. Back in biznaz.

This is a poster I made for a concert in Brooklyn. A large portion of my job as Kdub summer manager is talking to music promoters. Which can be really cool; they're all pretty chill people who dig music. I wouldn't mind becoming a promoter myself, actually! Anyways, Jenn the Band Mom hooked me up with a gig designing this poster for some of the bands she manages. Supah cool. This the result of a lot of playing around in Photoshop. It's totally different than what I had on paper. I switched out the head for a different drawing altogether, replaced hand-drawn typography with real font, blahdy blah. The really fun part was messing around with layering! I won't get into nerdy details...

Here are two other versions (click to make big):

Yuup.

Not much else has been going on. I haven't really been doing any art, besides this. But I have been messing with photography again, and some designy goodness. Possibly my favorite thing to design is album covers. And I've been doing that extensively, for mixes posted on Mix Tape Files, a website I created with my friend Harry, very recently. It's a really awesome site, check it out! But here are some album covers I made, for mixes made and unmade...

smells like curry (it's a pun on my name... and possibly culturally insensitive, ha)

He doesn't know this mix is happening...neither do I, really. I just love the photo.

And here's a design I did for the site in general. The dots are cut outs of a photo I took looking through a glass of water. Plus some saturation. I love, love love this design -- I love that each dot is different (since they're all from different photos), I love that the dots all have different width outlines, and I love that it's slightly psychedelic while remaining clean cut and modern. I'm not bragging... this design just sort of came to me. It might not even be very good, but hey. I'm still allowed to like it.

Other than that, mostly I've just been listening to a lot of music. Pavement is my newest love. And I finished seasons 1 through 5 of Dexter. So good!!

the curry fam!

2011-07-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

I find the white lines on the faces slightly disconcerting, for some reason.

Well, I really haven't been arting around much. I've been pretty well settled, and not doing much. I've been dog sitting every night and morning, which has been fun. And has resulted in a lot less sleep. I've also started up a Dexter marathon which may last several days more. The two, dog sitting and Dexter, don't mix well. Last night I kept dreaming that one of the dogs, Nigel, was trying to insinuate different cops as murderers, but his reasons kept falling through and I began to suspect him of being mentally unstable. Yeah. Who really sounds mentally unstable in that?

I've also been listening to a buttload of music. Michael Jordan Touchdown Pass, tUnE-yArDs, and now PJ Harvey have been filling my ears as of late. I got my music collection all organized last weekend (yesss), and now I'm working to bulk it up some more. Hence, an enormous stack of CDs sitting next to my laptop, waiting to be ripped. Yay!

Anywhos. I'll be heading to Ptown and the coast soon-ish, that is what I am most looking forward to at the moment. Walla Walla is great, but I settle into a lazy, unproductive lull a little too easily. Which is great, for summer livin'.

bailey quotes

2011-07-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

I know, I suck. This blog is pathetically under-posted. When I have so much time for once. And I've even been working on art! I'm actually just too lazy sometimes to transfer and edit photos. Yup. Told you I suck.

So, what have I been doing with all the time I haven't spent on this blog? Not much. I'm always at a loss for what to say at work when promoters call in and ask if I have any big plans for the weekend, or if I did anything exciting recently. Because the truth is, I barely do anything at all. Which suits me just fine. After a school year of constant hectic activity, this summer spent lounging and reading and drawing has been a godsend.

A lot of my excitement these days revolves around the post office. Whether it's getting a letter from my friend who's stuck in the Air Force, or a package from my friend who's volunteering on a hippy organic farm, or getting free CDs from promoters, I am a happy camper many a day. And I also love sending mail: letters to friends, presents to family. Yess. The best.

And I've been binging on music hard core again. This week my obsession has been Michael Jordan Touchdown Pass. I realized after a few listens that it isn't as happy and upbeat as I first thought, fooled by the poppy structures and emphasis on musicality (as opposed to Pat the Bunny's previous lyric-driven punk stuff). MJTP is just as lyrics-driven, his musicality has just grown to complement it better than before. And these lyrics are his absolute best, and absolutely the most depressed. It's actually getting me into a funk, hearing his confessions of helplessness and confusion, his struggle with rehab and the world outside. Ugh. My dad suggested I listen to some Paul McCartney to cheer up, haha.

Anyways, this doodle is from early freshman year. Oh, Bailey. So quotable. Harder to draw, apparently.

new art for salez!

2011-06-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

Check out all I gots at my etsy shop, ginger root.

SOOOOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe it's not professional to gloat about my own creations, but I feel like I didn't even create this little guy; I found him. He's his own creator. I luff him.

He's based off of my little brother's pet rat, whom we affectionately call "Mr. Mousie," despite the fact that 1) she's a rat, and 2) she's a she. I decided that this drawing, though, is a male mousie.

Yesterday I had a fit of creation. I whipped out Mr. Mousie, then set to work on this three-headed goofball of a goat. It's based off of three photos of the same goat that resides a few minutes from my parents' house. A few minutes from my parents' house in Portland suburbia. The fact that goats are just around the corner no matter what seems to be distinctly west-coast. I love it!

And without taking a breath, I drew up my old roommates' pet hermit crab. I love crabs and sea-creatures in general. The shell was a bit of a challenge, but all in all he was pretty fun to draw.

Some older drawings that I finally listed are a donkey and a hand:

Fun stuff! I'm finally jumping back on the art-train. I finished my show (Wire in the Blood) and suddenly have my life back. And, like I said, I was very inspired last night. Partly because of a certain punk-folk band, called Wingnut Dishwashers Union. Which is led by my new favorite person, Pat the Bunny. He's so punk he doesn't look punk. I did a couple of designs based on his lyrics and two photos (one of him, one taken by me of a friend). I won't post them, because it's very possible I will use them for illegal activities. ;)

failure!! (but ultimately, success)

2011-06-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry for failing so hard-core at my resolution to post something every day!!

I got distracted when a friend showed up at my Walla Wallan doorstep. He's traveling around for now, playing music, hopping trains, hitching rides, visiting friends. He isn't trying to be cool with the dirty-hippy-Commie-traveler thing he has going on, but somehow he's managing.

I love people who pursue what makes them happy, despite all the silly judgements of society. I love people that question "the system" (to borrow some stoner vocab), who don't have an office job because it would drain their vitality, who can pack their life in a backpack, who dedicate their time to music, to art, to creativity. I love people that don't dwell on far-off aspirations of adventure, but who go out and find it.

I love these people because they're the sort of person I want to be, who I'm trying to be. This summer has been my first real test, and has been beautiful. After a frantic few weeks, panicking because I don't have a "regular" job, pulling my hair out over financial stress, I calmed down (with my mom's help). I realized that my life goal is to never do something I dislike, especially when the only motive is money. My resolution was strengthened by reading Marx, stereotypically enough. All that alienation-of-labor talk really hit home. My resolution was inspired by my parents, who manage to support a family (not an easy task) by creating art and managing their own from-home business. And my resolution was tested by this summer, by my I-need-a-job panic. I realized that a life goal shouldn't be a resolution set to begin at a certain time in the future. It should be a here-and-now decision, acted on every day. And I realized that if I don't have the courage to do what I want now, why should I expect to have the courage later on?

So, no normal job for Kaity. Sorry if this post is a little incoherent, I'm multitasking; while writing I'm listening to music for my not-so-normal job at a radio station. And later today I'm planning on doing some art for my Etsy shop, where I sell originals. And then maybe I'll read the rest of my book, go for a nice bike ride, eat a bagel that I made from scratch, and hop a train going anywhere. Well, maybe not that last bit. But one day, when I feel like it.

balloon

2011-06-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

(CLICK TO MAKE BIG)

*car dealership

Hey all! So, I have made certain discoveries in the last day or so.

1. Natural brushes in Photoshop, along with preset color swatches.

2. Olive+garlic+ Parmesan bread is delicious and easy to make.

I made this one-pager using natural brushes... I don't think I will ever re-do this process, it took several hours and I think it came out too spray-painty. But I love the texture of this certain natural brush, so hopefully for my next comic I'll have it nice and figured out. I'd like to replicate more of the background texture of this one (the blue-green thing going on).

In other news... oh wait I don't have any.

In artsy news, I scanned a butt-ton of my old drawings from the past year or so that never made it out of my sketchbooks. I'm a-thinkin' of Photoshopping them possibly, making finished products out of them. (Or, if they aren't close to being done but I still like them, just posting them as-is.) My goal is one per day until I run out! So check back tomorrow for some more artsy goodness.

lesson two

2011-06-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

The other day one of my house mates and I made a delicious veggie pasta and roasted asparagus. When making the pasta sauce, I thought Why not add some cinnamon? Sergio says that it brings out flavor! and was shoveling it in, telling MaryAnne, "Yeah, a family friend who's a chef says that you always want to add way more spice than you think is necessary. A rookie move is to only add a little." This may be true of garlic salt or Greek seasoning, but it's not true of cinnamon. You could definitely pick up it's unique flavor with every mouthful. Whatevs. I still thought it was delicious!

Lately I've been binging on comics by Lucy Knisley. She is exactly me; at least, she's who I expect to be at age 25. Anyways, I got all inspired and made a little one-page comic. I still need to Photoshop in some colors, but it'll be up soon!

lesson one

2011-06-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

I've been learning a lot this summer. Mostly pretty dull, adult-logic stuff. Like, make sure to have Band Aids and Neosporin. Or, clean off the bathtub drain every day so it doesn't get clogged. I keep a Google Doc spreadsheet of my weekly budget, I make grocery lists, I do my dishes after every meal. I even occasionally remember to pack a rain jacket with me to work!

Crazy stuff, living on my own. Like I said, I'm learning a lot. It seems like every day gives me another little lesson. Mostly, these lessons have been food-based. I've observed my parents enough, or had enough general experience in high school, to have some adulthood basics down. These basics did not include cooking. Whenever my mom started cooking dinner, requesting my help, I would reluctantly chop vegetables before disappearing off to my room. The few times I attempted to cook dinner, or something easy like cookies or brownies, by myself, I inevitably burnt something. I would get it in the oven or whatever, then wander off. The timer went off, shut up, and it wouldn't be until my mom noticed the slightly smokey aroma that they were salvaged.

So, yeah, cooking for myself. It's been an adventure. I love it, I love cooking, and I especially love eating. Surprising to everyone except my grandpa, who somehow always suspected me a closet foodie. But despite my enthusiasm for it, is hasn't been a breeze. I've made some rookie mistakes, so I thought I might start chronicling them for your viewing pleasure. These lessons might stray from food, but considering the only other things I do nowadays are listen to music and draw, it has the most room for error (and therefore lessons).

Without further adieu, lesson numero uno:

This is a lesson I learned today. I suspected as the bottom of my cart became crowded that it might be a little heavy to lug home... Somehow, I managed to squeeze everything into my normal-sized Jansport and pedal back. Good thing I didn't get that five pound bag of beans... Still, how did I get all of this:

...to fit?? Jeez.

finished products

2011-06-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

Yay! Nothing feels better than to finish some projects. Here's what's been hanging out on my worktable for the past forever, just waiting for me to get off my lazy bum and buy some glue (all I really needed was to glue everything down).

This is "Portrait of an artist," and the artist = me. I mentioned it before in my last post. I just added some more green and a little pencil drawing.

And here's "Panda bear," based on a little ceramic rattle my mom sculpted for me ten years ago (ten?? is that possible??).

And here's adorable little "Shrub," a paper cut/pen drawing/color pencil creation. She's my fave.

Actually, I'm not sure, I'm a big fan of this one, "Every night my teeth are falling out." I added a bit of value to the hands, and some dotties.

Not much going on up here in the high desert. We had one nice day of weather yesterday... but besides that... I've pretty much been holed up this weekend cooking and listening to music. Last night one of my housemates and I made a delicious veggie pasta and roasted asparagus. I had heard that cinnamon brings out flavor in spicy food, so promptly added a bunch of it to the pasta sauce. Hmm. Turns out cinnamon is the exception to the more-is-better spice rule. Ah well. It was really interesting tasting, and definitely delicious. And today I made my trademark molasses cookies. So good, but so bad. They're mostly just brown sugar, veggie shortening, and white flour. But shh, don't tell my metabolism that.

self portrait // every night

2011-06-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

Howdy y'all

Where is summer??? Today I rode my bike to work in ice-pick rain. It's so grey here. So in an attempt to offset the gloom I made a colorful stir fry: asparagus, sweet onion, zucchini, tomato and garlic. Unfortunately I cooked the onions so long they became sticky black things that coated the other veggies... I'm learning. It was delicious nonetheless!

Also, I'm psyched to get the new Arctic Monkeys album, Suck It And See. I love Arctic Monkeys. They're one of the few bands that survived the move from early teen-years to now. Them and Nirvana, who I was joyously listening to while cooking. Nothing like a little "Pennyroyal Tea" to sooth my nerves.

On to art! Here's a little cartoony self-portrait I'm currently working on:

My haircut is circa high school freshman year. Thought I'd give it a shout out. I thought it was pretty awesome, even though my mom called me Flock of Seagulls for a good three months. And then there's my freakin' tedious paper cut/drawing/watercolor, "Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out."

This is inspired by The Antlers' song of the same name, that was stuck in my head for two weeks straight. To get it out, I made this. It worked!
Also, sorry about the color quality of these. My camera and my dimly lit room don't really cut it. But they aren't quite done anyways... I haven't glued any of the teeth down, and this is an old photo...since then I've added some detail and line value to the hands. And I need to do a little background action on the portrait. And she has to be actually drawing something, I think. Anyways, I'll have it all done and nicely scanned soon.

moooovin' in

2011-05-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hey-o interwebs!

Let's start off with some arts, shall we? Here is what I've been working on most recently.

Possibly the creepiest finished product. I want to call it "Spurt," but that just adds another level of grotesque. So maybe just "Growth." It basically depicts the spurt/growth of humanity, rising from slime. Yeah... not sure if I'll be listing this one.

But I love this one! It's not quite finished, still needs some shading. "Shrub." So cute. I based it (and the other one, actually) off of a doodle. This particular doodle was hanging out in my Econ notes from last semester, I believe. It was really funny, while I was drawing this one I kept having to take breaks because the leaves were so tedious. So I'd draw for a bit, and then just lay on my bed listening to music for a good 10 minutes before starting up again. "My life sure is hard," I remember thinking happily-sarcastically.

Alright, now I'll bore you with real-life schtuff. A lot has happened since my last post! On Wednesday my dad drove me up to Walla Walla to move into my summer house. We got there and the house was covered in workers and my landlord and tarps. The dishwasher was in the middle of the kitchen, everything was everywhere, and my bedroom contained a handmade plywood bed and a handmade plywood bookshelf. Both made without nails, I would come to discover. I was completely overwhelmed, thinking that the house would be all ready by the 17th (and it was the 26th)... But I holed myself in my room for a few hours and came out with some actual order! Here's what my room looks like now, only 3 days into my summer stay:

I love it!! It's small but adorable, and there's even some floor-space! And I love my room-mates. Last night we watched Road to El Dorado and Black Swan. Strange combo but it worked out well. And we've been cooking. I'm semi-failing on the vegan front, but everything I've made for myself has been delicious and meat/dairy free...and I've cooked nearly all my own meals, so I'll call that a success!

And a sidenote, on my visit home I dropped by the coast for a day and spent some quality time with my grandma and my friend Harry. Somehow Harry convinced me to record a trance-dubstep song with him and his friend Gavin. You can download it here, but really...it's bad.

ginger root

2011-05-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

Oh em gee I have been arting it up! Two days ago I decided to make my first piece to sell on my etsy shop, ginger root. After half an hour of frustration, I came upon the weird idea to hang things upside down, photograph them, and draw the flipped photographs (so they're right-side-up again). Not many things lend themselves well to this idea, but luckily my mom has a lot of cute dollies lounging about the house. My favorite was this adorable vintage Little Red Riding Hood, probably from the 1920s. Here's the photograph:

Then I made these! I first did a drawing on computer paper, then made 2 photocopies of that, cut those into the cape shape and the skin pieces, used those as patterns, and played with the paper cuts using pen, acrylic, watercolor, pencil, and paint pen.

Looking for inspiration for more pieces, yesterday I went for a walk with my brother and picked out particularly pretty things. Using photographs I took of a buttercup and a little bundle of blossoms, I made these using pen and watercolor:

This is a pretty silly piece, using scraps of heavily patterned fabrics. My Nikon D60 comes to life in full hipster glory.

And here, "gills gone wild." Hahaha, my dad came up with the name. I based these off of Google Images, and used pen, pencil (aaargh those scales killed me), and watercolor. Watercolor is so much fun!

And some old paper cuts that I made into individual pieces. The Portland rose, a typewriter, and a steamboat.

Hooray! Make sure to check out my shop.

dabbles in bloom

2011-05-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hey-o! I'm back, after a long and arduous Finals Week. Actually, I don't feel like I have the right to complain. My Finals Week was far from the stress-infested timeframe of doom a lot of my science-oriented friends went through. I just had a couple of papers (granted, one was 15 pages long) and a Spanish test. I think it all worked out really well. I wrote my final Core paper on how the novels Heart of Darkness and Beloved illustrate Marx's theories of alienated labor. And I wrote my Chicana research paper on the Mexican folktale of La Llorona, about her traditional and modern interpretations and re-interpretations by Chicanas. And my Spanish final went better than expected. Yay! I'm DONE with my first year of college!

Now it's all about transitions (isn't everything?). Moving into my summer home, taking over KWCW (I'm managing the radio station), starting an Etsy shop, facing the desert heat.... It's going to be a lot of work, but I am so excited. I'll be sure to take lots of before and after pictures of the radio station and my new house. The radio station is pretty trashed, it's great. And the house has never been lived in.

It'll be an adventure.

Oh yeah, this poster! I did this one for a Whittie band, Dabbles in Bloom, who are going on a NW tour for the rest of this month. Exciting! I used watercolor, brown Pentel brush pen, brown Faber-Castell pen, and Photoshop. Aren't hedgehogs adorable??

food + Oddjob again

2011-05-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's Finals Week! You know what that means! ...Food?

So much cooking! I don't know, ever since the Walla Walla farmers market re-opened I've been sort of obsessing over cooking. Here are some of my creations!

The taste of this is still lingering in my mouth. A couple days ago I baked my own bread using fresh, locally milled flour from local grains (Walla Walla wheat fields for the win!). I just used the flour, a bit of salt, yeast, and water. The most basic bread ever. But it turned out deliciously! Then, to make this sandwich I made some pesto using leaves from a little sweet basil plant I bought at the market. And a tomato. Result: amazing. But I am stuffed.

This is the end result of a rather large project. Me and my friend Kaitie made corn tortillas from masa harina (corn flour) and water. That part was super easy, but it is difficult shaping them by hand! Later we realized we probably could have flattened them using a book or something (yay, college solutions!), but oh well. It was an experience. Then we sauteed local asparagus, zucchini, acorn squash, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Then we sauteed some jalepeno peppers and heated up black beans. The result was amazing tacos, topped with salsa and chopped avocado. Oh yes. We ate well.

Oh, and my Oddjob design for the Ultimate Frisbee team has been printed! It looks pretty awesome, especially on Ben Harris.

And finally, my zombified muni doll. I haven't done anything with him yet, but soon. I'm thinking of utilizing coffee grounds, ginger, and cloves (all the spices I own, haha). We shall see.

In other news, it is so close to summer. All that's standing between me and that sunshine is the rest of my Core paper, some art reviews, and a 12-page research paper on La Llorona. Then I'll be visiting home, taking over Kdub (the campus radio station), and commencing my first summer away from my parents. I'm nervous and excited!

tallest (and most amazing) man on earth

2011-04-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

photo edition!

Last night The Mumlers and Tallest Man on Earth came to Whitman! This is Tallest Man (Kristian Matsson).

And again. He did an amazing set. I was a bit peeved at the loud people in the back of the room, and drunk people, and one really creepy obsesso girl having a conniption fit, but it didn't really matter. I got there 5 hours before the show (yup), and ended up (really luckily) in the very very front, just left of center. It was amazing. Favorite parts: there was one guy who baked him a pie. At the end of the show Matsson leaned over and gave him a hug (right next to me, might I add). Another: there was one guy (Zach) in the very front of the right side of stage, just looking on emotionless and stock still. He was a fan, but man did he not show it. Matsson was in the middle of a song when he ran over to Zach, leaned over, and put his (probably sweaty) head on Zach's shoulder, kind of nuzzling his neck. It was hilarious. All the people around Zach freaked out. Another (and best): On one of the last songs, a love song, Matsson got his wife on stage with him. They sang in duet, their faces nearly touching by the mic, smiling and looking at each other. It was the most intimate, beautiful moment of love I have ever witnessed. Totally made me tear up. It was perfect.

And here's a member of the crowd rudely donning a cowboy hat. People applauded when he took it off. I just liked this picture.

That's enough of that. The Mumlers were great, too, but I didn't get very stellar photos of them. I really limited myself photo-taking wise. I didn't want to get wrapped up in capturing a good still and miss out on experiencing the concert. Anyways! While we're doing the photo-thing, here are some shots of my desk-area. I think a desk says a lot about a person (for example, right now my desk signifies that I'm a slob).

Some cranes, a panda I got from a party, coolio camera, my parent's art, and La Virgen.

Memories of The Bijou Theatre (the post card), more of my rents' art, and lots and lots of tea bags. Also you can kind of see a Powell's Books postcard. Oh, and a bowtie, from Whitman's president's birthday.

My schedule, a valentine, and Used da Vinci.

More cards and yay! Fight Club and oh! Mucha.

The beautimus view from my window. Spring is here!

stillness

2011-04-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

A poem that I wrote last night! Kind of melodramatic...but I likes it.

kind of a dumb post...

2011-04-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

...that I made from a vintage photo and Illustrator. Yesterday I read a paper about the sociological significance of butts in American society. So interesting! This is sort of inspired by that.

possess

2011-04-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

A couple nights ago I was out of ideas for what to draw... so I decided to draw everything that I call "mine." It was inspired by a quote I read in a Sor Juana letter (although she's quoting the Bible), "Or what hast thou that thou hast not received? And if thou hast received, why doest thou glory as if thou hadst not received it." Although she's referring to a god, this quote really hit me over the head. What do I have that hasn't been given to me? By circumstance, by genetics, by society? And I was drawing, I realized how much my possessions say about me and my material status in society: I own books (sooo many), I have (multiple pairs of) glasses, I have all these things that I completely take for granted. And I take my body for granted, too. So, paying homage to my material and bodily wealth, I drew this!

I had a really hard time with the color scheme for this one... I'm still wishy washy on it.

rollerbladin'

2011-04-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well, the school year is winding down, which is to say big essays are coming up. So what am I up to? Sharpie-decorating a helmet, of course!

I promise I am being productive (a little), but yesterday I seriously needed a break. And so, after an amazing find at Goodwill (rollerblades and a helmet for $15), I decided to doodle. Liven up this brain-case.

Today I'm working on Photoshop coloring a drawing I did last night of all my possessions. I shall post it when I'm done. Also, talked to some prospies at the radio station today... and watched part of a bike race... and am trying to work on an essay about memory in Rashomon. Not quite making headway on that. But oh well, it's dinner time.

i have weird dreams.

2011-04-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

I swear that nothing traumatic has ever happened to me... I just have morbid dreams. I realized recently that a common theme is finding dead bodies. Not sure where that comes from! Probably my brain throwing away all the CSI and Cold Case Files I used to watch. Anyways, rarely are they nightmares, they're just... normal dreams. I don't freak out, don't get scared, just accept it and maybe think, "Wow, where did this dead body come from?" I only started thinking it wasn't normal recently, after I had this one... My brother visited me at Whitman, and we climbed a tree behind Reid. There was a bog there, and we saw two guys shoveling a truckload of corpses into the bog. My dream logic said, Whitman is powered by killing people. Creepy! Then the two guys saw us and I threatened to call the police, and they sort of threatened to kill us. Anyways! I felt like drawing last night.

warped perspective

2011-04-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

Just finished a crazy perspective project for Beginning Drawing. There are some really wonky aspects of mine (my main problem was that I picked too large a subject), but I'm really happy with it!

books

2011-04-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

Cross processed photo of all the books I've had to read this year... although I could now add a couple for the research paper I'm working on! Also, I feel bad about including the Qu'ran and Tanahk, when we barely touched on them. Ah well!

plug in

2011-04-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a potential flier/poster design for Whitman College Technology Services. Pretty creepy. :)

I've been kind of enamored by electrical outlets for a long time, but this is the first time they've made their way into anything more than a doodle.

Looking forward to a hectic week! I have a few big papers coming up (including a 15-20 page research paper), a couple oral/PowerPoint presentations, a video project, plus all my normal homework and design assignments... blaaah. However, I'm (actually) looking forward to the week after next, when my little bro is coming up to visit! Also, next weekend Tallest Man on Earth is performing at Whitman. Whaaat!

Over and out.

charcoal // sticks

2011-04-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hola interwebs,

I finally finally took some photos of charcoal pieces I did ages ago. Here's a tapestry study, which I didn't completely finish because I came down with a 103 degree fever...

And here's a still life that I worked ages on, but once more didn't totally finish. There are a few things wrong with it, but honestly I got super sick of working on it. I really need to work on my patience.

Then some of us climbed on a famous Margaret Butterfield sculpture, who we call Sticks.

I'm so excited that Spring has finally sprung!!

also, spring

2011-04-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

vote fer kayvon

2011-04-05T00:55:00.000-07:00

I'm finally done! Hooray!

new pornographers otros versions fer funzies

2011-04-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

...I'm not sure que lengua I talk NEmorz.

Design minus color.

Design minus Photoshop.

Design minus drawing.

Today has been way too busy for my liking. I didn't get everything done that I needed to (again)... or really anything done. My day was just a compilation of tedious tasks: downloading music, reviewing music, work, KWCW meeting, Fine Arts House dinner, section meeting. Okay, so none of those tasks are terrible (and some even enjoyable), but I don't have time to enjoy myself!! I don't have time at all!!

At the FAH dinner we were asked what super power we would choose... I chose teleportation, because hey! breakfast in Amsterdam! dinner in Paris!, but on second thought... I would control time.

What super power would you choose?

odd jobs

2011-04-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been packed with little projects. Unfortunately, too packed. I didn't get everything done that I needed to, so looks like I'm in for a long week... After getting the New Pornographers poster done, I worked on Hey, Man and got it all laid out and ready for the printing. Today I was supposed to finish a design for friends Ben and Kayvon, but alas, I also found out that I had a proposal due tomorrow that I didn't know about. And a ton of Spanish. Wow this is a lot of writing about homework. You can tell that my brain is just consumed with To Do lists right now.

Moving on, I just photoshopped this little cutie(?). It's Oddjob from James Bond or something, I don't know. I don't really know what it's for...Ultimate Frisbee? All I know is that it will be screenprinted on some jerseys, so that sounds pretty cool to me.

Up next: Kayvon's magic carpet ride over America.

new pornographers

2011-04-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

My latest design, for The New Pornographers. I'm surprised we're getting them to come to Whitman! Psyched.

I have a ton of artiness to get done this weekend; this is only the beginning. Next on my list is to finish laying out the March Issue (yes, I'm aware it's now April) of Hey, Man. Then I'm making a couple simple designs for Ultimate Frisbee or something... Then doing a campaign poster for my friend Kayvon. Then boring one-point and two-point perspective skill builders for art class. Then hopefully I'll have a little time before the weekend is over to work on something for myself.

Last night I saw Whitman's ballet performance of Romeo and Juliet. It was amazing. I'm actually going to go see it again tonight. I realized while I was there that although I've seen dance on TV (I'm a shameless fan of So You Think You Can Dance), I had never seen it in real life. And we were front row center. I could hear them breathing. It was beautiful.

I'll try taking some photos tonight and perhaps posting them. Over and out! :)

spring break photos

2011-03-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well, Spring Break is over! Back to the grind. Although this week is turning out surprisingly relaxed. I've had time to edit all my photos. Here are my favorites:

I had a lot of fun...visited my friend Johanna at Pacific University and went into Portland with her, visited Kaitie in Woodinville and went into Seattle with her, hung out with my family in Sherwood a bunch, and hit the coast with Johanna in Neskowin and Oceanside. Also, I made pirogies from scratch. Whaaat!

I have SO many upcoming drawings and designs, but right now they're all in Unfinished Land! Hoping to get some major artage accomplished this weekend, starting with a poster for The New Pornographers, a design for Ultimate Frisbee, and a campaign poster for Kayvon Behroozian. P-syched.

street artist

2011-03-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

True story...it doesn't really translate well as a short and sweet graphic, but yeah she asked if I would use stencils. Point is, she'd support me and think it was cool. My parents are professional artists themselves, and I think it's funny that they want the exact opposite of the parental stereotype: for me to starve a little bit, and just focus on creating. There will be no med or law school for me!

Also, I have been drawing a lot (especially today), and have some bigger pieces on their way. Most are just in thumbnail mode right now, but I'm working obsessively on one called "College" which should be done in a couple days at most. Huzzah!

maura

2011-03-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

A Photoshopped blind contour of Maura. Hooray!

visual impairment

2011-03-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

My very nice mommy recently compiled a few of my blind contour drawings into these nice pictures!

listen // caterpillar

2011-03-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

This started as a doodle in Chicana class, inspired by the Virgen de Guadalupe mixed with Buddha. This isn't really the Virgen at all, but... yeah. I've also been drawing these highly stylized faces recently, and this is the first time I've made a final product out of them.

And another! This one was inspired by my art class, in which we animated the caterpillar scene from Alice in Wonderland.

And then a blind contour of my good friendsie Kaitie! Edited in Photoshop, o course.

beck's discography

2011-03-11T20:06:00.000-08:00

For the next issue of Hey, Man, we're taking a more personal note: relating music to our lives, exploring the memories associated with certain music, etc. I wrote a short prose piece going through a bit of Beck's discography, certain moments in which Beck played an integral part. Here are two segments of it:

The patio is hot under my feet, so hot I have to take little hopping steps on the way to the pool. “Devil’s Haircut” is blasting out of my dad’s beat up black boom box, the cord stretched tight so the stereo can rest on a plastic chair pulled up close to the pool. My dad is lounging in another faded lawn chair, maybe smoking, definitely lanky and his curly hair cut short. My brother and I splash in the chilly water, a relief from Florida’s summer heat. The smell of chlorine burning our nostrils, the corners of our eyes. Careful not to touch the edges, where the water meets the pool’s walls. There, hundreds of fire ants hang, half-drowned and furious, eager to bite. Cicadas buzz and Beck moves on to “Where It’s At”.

The sky is heavy and grey, weighting down the horizon. It’s sitting on the ocean, a great grey slab of slate with choppy little white waves. “Atmospheric Conditions” crackling out of my car stereo, just the left one -- the other cracks in and out. My brother hits it and Beck fights through for a second before cutting out again. I let out a string of curse words in my head, watching the dirty SUV in front of me slow to a crawl before getting into the turn lane. Without a turn signal. I’m speeding, my tires making hush sounds on the wet pavement, silenced for a second as I drive over grey sand, then shushing again. My brother says this album is depressing. “It’s All in Your Mind” is playing, it starts raining as we pull into the school parking lot.

And here are a couple more altered Beck album covers:

things i love

2011-03-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

For Interest House applications, they asked for "something creative" that tells them something about me. So, after a few lame first tries at crappy self portraits, I drew this:

That's what I turned in. But then I thought, wait! This could be cooler. With color.

I didn't start the drawing with the end result in mind. I just started with the little camera and panda, slowly adding my favorite things, or things of meaning to me. But then I thought, I should add a Shel Silverstein drawing! And found this:

So, I just continued doing what I was doing, then added a little stylized me balancing it all! Although, I feel that "Every Thing On It" really looks like balancing, whereas mine looks more like the objects are floating out of my hands. Anyways!

sound

2011-03-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

Yo,

I should have posted this a while ago but never got around to it.

This was an illustration for our latest issue of Hey, Man. I'm not the hugest fan of it, but ah well! Twas just a doodle... I like my blind contours a lot more. Speaking of doodles! I've been having some epic ones lately during class (you can really tell Spring Break is looming). I should scan those suckers in today and share em on this interweb.

My Hell Week is almost complete. I shouldn't exaggerate, though. So many people are really stressing this week because they have a ton to do, midterms and papers and all that jazz. Me? I'm stressing because what little I have to do, I have no motivation to do it. That is how desperately lazy I've become. I had my two big papers due the week before last, and since then I've just been doing normal homework. Not even a lot of it, either; for three days in Core we didn't have any readings, just to watch Rashomon. And in Chicana there was a guest speaker for two days that I didn't read for. Whaaat? Pero esa manana tuvo un examen de espanol (fue...interesante), and a little later I have to work on our big group art project, then go to work, then go to art class itself (which is just finishing the group work). Work work work. Oh, and at four I'm touring a possible summer home!

Yesterday I took a look at My Pants, an off campus house I might rent this summer. It was pretty cool, a very typical college kid house. Today I'm looking at The Giant Peach, a smaller, one-story house that sounds super promising. I'm so excited to live in Walla Walla this summer. I shall work at Kdub, make many art, and learn to cook!

kdub mixtape love // dirty messy art

2011-03-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

Hey allz,

So, KWCW music directors (which includes me!) recently compiled an awesome mixtape of sweet new music that has come out thus far in the semester.

Download it here.

And be sure to check out kdub's blog. We put up our Top 5 Adds each week with mini reviews. It's pretty sweet!

As far as art goes, I've been having a fun time! Yesterday I showed up to dinner looking nearly this bad:

...I got some looks. Really, though, charcoal is messy stuff. I look super arty (or like a chimney sweeper, either one). This is what my Beginning Drawing class is working on right now:

We're doing Alice in Wonderland stop-motion style. It's a huge project, and I think it could have been really cool if given more time. I think it still will be cool, but a bit rushed. Ah well. It's been a fun process! My hands are destroyed (in such a good way).

Besides that, I've been having all these ideas lately for photo shoots and art projects. Mostly inspired by my Chicana class. So, obviously, they would be about culture and race. But what sort of culture do Americans have? Is there really an American culture? What sort of "racial identity" do I have as a bland white chick, a typical mix of Irish and German blood? And how does my gender fit into my identity? See all these themes and more in upcoming projects by Kaity Curry that probably won't be completed but maybe so, that would be cool, right?

Sigh. I am ready for Spring Break. I just have to get through the rest of today, tomorrow, and Core class Friday morning. And then I'm done! My plans are awesome: Seeing my family, of course. Then I'm visiting my friend Johanna at her college, Pacific University, near Portland, and take a little trip to Ptown. We might possibly visit the studio of Allen Schmertzler. Then I'm heading up to Woodinville to meet my friend Kaitie's family, and we may pop over to Seattle for a Fro-West (our dorm section) reunion. THEN, Johanna and I are going on a road trip to Arches National Park in Moab, Utah!! I am so excited. Also, somewhere in there I'm dreading my hair.

ode to the late white stripes

2011-02-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago Jack White called it quits on The White Stripes, his best band by far. This is incredibly depressing to me. Well, not incredibly depressing. It helps that I haven't liked their last two albums. Still. I thought that the February issue of Hey, Man should address their untimely demise, and composed this little poem.

time with the white stripes

taking a walk
down my winding mountain road
I had walked a million times,
past farms and creeks and that silver
tooth-pick tree.

driving to school
past the casino, the ocean,
the mall and the movie theater,
with the tape deck on
hearing the fuzz in the silences
and the rain on the road.

sitting at home
curled up on the couch
my brother next to me.
he’s playing a worn Gibson acoustic,
my mom smiling, saying,
“monkey, sing the words!”
I get verses mixed up
but it’s fun anyways.

Also, I made this. :)

hey, man reviews by me

2011-02-20T23:26:00.000-08:00

Radiohead King of Limbs
   “Open your mouth wide,” Thom Yorke coos. “A universe inside.” These opening lyrics introduce the incredible complexity that King of Limbs offers. You need to delve into the album in order to find the quiet universe it contains.
   Listening to the album passively, you can immediately recognize the multitude of layers, creating a sound with great depth. Listening to it actively, you notice that each layer is complex in itself, and that some layers are barely audible, adding to the mix almost subconsciously. Bird song, children laughing, feedback, static, and quietly complicated electronic rhythms all play small roles that come together to create a comprehensive sound: which is, in my opinion, the greatest achievement of the album. They are able to pull it all together with such skill that is sounds effortless and natural. Something that must have taken intense editing and mixing, to the lay listener, sounds spontaneous and organic.
   Radiohead has definitely taken a turn with this album toward electronic music-making, less like The Bends or OK Computer and more like Kid A. Even their last album, In Rainbows, created layers using more traditional instruments than King of Limbs’ more experimental synthesized sound. This isn’t to say, though, that King is completely computer-generated. There’s a healthy serving of bass, guitars, and actual drumming, as well as a smattering of piano and horns. Thom Yorke continues singing in his trademark way: with high reverb and barely distinguishable lyrics. His pessimistic mumblings are really the constant between diverse Radiohead albums, tying them neatly together without tethering them to an unalterable sound.
   My main disappointment is that King is so short, with only eight tracks. Each song is satisfyingly long, though, hovering around 4:40 minutes or so. Still, the album is only 37 minutes long, leaving me craving more Radiohead and turning back to Kid A.
   The quiet and beautiful texture of King of Limbs thrills me as a Radiohead fan, but I also feel it won’t translate well to those people who “don’t get” Radiohead. This is an album that needs to be scoured, meditated on, and explored.

Pile magic isn’t real

This album wasn’t even reviewed by Pitchfork, and it’s one of my favorites so far this semester. It has such a raw, masculine energy packed into its blunt power chords and gritty vocals. It’s straight-up rock, leaning toward a ‘90s grunge sound. The vocalist incorporates a bit of well-placed yelling (not quite screamo-screaming) which is very effective. Pile’s sound is dirty and reminds me of cigarettes and crumpled one-dollar bills. It exudes a sort of glamorous poverty. It sounds itchy for a fight, thirsty for a hard drink. Like I said, ‘90s grunge. Maybe I’m just a sucker for that dangerous kind of energy, but man this album has me hooked. Its guitar riffs are so catchy without ever being poppy; I find myself humming “uncle jill” after every listen. Every track is strong. If you’ve been craving something harder than Death Cab, throw some Pile in your playlist.
Recommended tracks: “uncle jill”, “octopus”

The Strokes Under Cover of Darkness

Not as good as their first two albums (Is This It? being their pinnacle), but not as bad as their last (First Impressions of Earth with its clean-cut, un-Strokes sound), this single "Under Cover of Darkness" gives me hope for the future of one of my favorite bands. I wish more than anything that they’d simplify back down to their original, fuzzy recordings, but it helps to have perspective. This single is very good when isolated from The Strokes’ previous success. But with Is This It? and Room on Fire still resonating in my ears, it falls a little short.

The Radio Dept. Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2011
Since Passive Aggressive is a collection of singles released in the span of eight years, I didn’t expect to find an album unified in style or theme. However, The Radio Dept. has apparently maintained a pretty constant sound throughout their career. Their songs are monotonous pop, a chill combination of synths, static-ridden whispery vocals, and guitar. They’re are poppy but seem to lack enthusiasm, which goes back to their recurring theme of disenchantment and fatigue. “This Past Week” encapsulates the themes of Passive Aggressive best: “I'd rather stay in bed / knowing that it won't be pretty / I've wasted a year or so / I lost my will some time ago / frustration comes when friends succeed / in doing things but then again / that's me/ I want to be a good friend / I want to find my best friend / someone who wants to stay / someone who doesn't go away.” Themes of lust, success without fulfillment, questioning self-worth, and disillusionment with rock ’n roll culture run through the album and give it its quietly frustrated mood. Things get political in some of the singles, but retain the isolated theme of the album, like in “This New Improved Hypocrisy”: “And who needs integration / When we’ve got isolation? / It’s the rebirth of a nation / The rebirth of a nation.” Even the cover of the album portrays a depressed American twenty-something (with a killer 'stache). Everything goes back to a monotonous, unsatisfied feeling. The theme does not permeate the music itself, though, which remains thoroughly enjoyable to listen to, upbeat and catchy. The poppy gems "passive-aggressively" transmit their insight to the listener without ever being morose or depressing.

blind contours 2

2011-02-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hooray! I got some blind contours colored in Photoshop for the February issue of Hey, Man. Psyched! Should be hitting Whitman at the end of the week. I'll post my reviews in a bit. For now, Joel and Sophia:

sasquatch!

2011-02-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

What am I most looking forward to today?

Sasquatch!

For those of you who (have been living under a rock cough) don't know, Sasquatch is an annual music festival in The Gorge Amphitheater, Washington. Who will be there? Only everyone! The people I've heard before are: Modest Mouse (who suck now), Bright Eyes (same), Foo Fighters, Death Cab, The Decemberists, Wilco (whoo!), The Flaming Lips, Cold War Kids, Ratatat, Guided by Voices, Deerhunter, Tokyo Police Club, Iron & Wine, Robyn, Flogging Molly, Pink Martini, Local Natives, Smith Westerns, Das Racist, and Foster the People.

But I am MOST EXCITED to see...

Beach House

Best Coast

The Radio Dept.

and Gold Panda!!! I love Gold Panda...so much.

Other than that, not much going on. I recently just got over some flu thing. While confined to bed, I devoured the book Las hijas de Juan, which was very depressing and very amazing. I recommend it to everyone.

Right now I'm writing about depictions of women in Othello. Some feminism spilling over into my Freshman Core class. But check out what Emilia has to say about cheating on lame husbands:

And have not we affections,

Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have?

Then let them use us well; else let them know,

The ills we do, their ills instruct us so. (IV.iii.100-103)

Word.

raj patel

2011-02-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

Not much has been going on here. Another crazy week! During it, I read all of Othello (plus wrote a short essay on it) for Freshman Core, read Canicula for Chicana Lit, dropped my art history class, did a negative space drawing exercise, blah blah blah. My high point was Wednesday night, when Whitman had a special guest lecturer: Raj Patel.

For those of you unfamiliar with Raj Patel, he is the author of The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy, and Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. He makes change sound attainable, he makes revolution seem "cool." That's not to say he lies and says it will be easy; on the contrary, during his lecture he said that "spontaneous" revolutions (such as the one in Egypt) take a whole lot of organization and hard work. But he thinks that it can be done, if people follow the path of civil disobedience and withdraw support from this capitalistic system. He gave me hope, and also fear. I'm excited to try to make a difference in the world, but scared what will happen to me if I try. And that's exactly what we're trained to feel: fear of standing up for ourselves, fear of our government. As V for Vendetta says, The people shouldn't be afraid of their government. The government should be afraid of their people.

So yeah, radical college kid! That is me.

Time for class, but here's a video by Raj Patel summing up what his latest book is about:

blindie girl

2011-01-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

Blind contours in art class! I lurve blind contours. They always have the most interesting results. I did many a skewed portrait of class/section mates along with tons of my left hand. I am so sick of looking at my left hand.

Here's my favorite version of my hand...

Then I decided to give it some color via Photoshop.

By the way, "blindie girl" is one of my mother's many lovely nicknames for me. Yeah, my clinical blindness is really hilarious. It's funny to steal the blind kid's glasses. No big. (I'm joking, I'm not offended. But I am technically blind.)

upstairs

2011-01-23T23:04:00.000-08:00

I've always been morbidly drawn to creationism.... Here's a new idea I had, creating little "grace-based" lessons illustrating real Creationist writings.

an artsy x.mas

2011-01-06T23:57:00.000-08:00

It's a bit late to be doing another Christmas post... But to me, Christmas feels like yesterday! Probably because I've been sleeping ever since. Ah well.

Here are some particularly artsy/etsy gifts I received. :)

twoguitars, monsieuert, botanicalbird

Alright, the books aren't arty, but I just received them in the mail today and got excited.

old // new

2011-01-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

During Thanksgiving Break I had the idea to take some of my childhood drawings and redo them. I had a favorite drawing, which I featured in an earlier post:

A quick hour of drawing and a little Photoshopping gave me this revision:

I love kid art!

Lately I've been very inspired! I'm working on a lot of projects, some for fun, some for pay. My desk is becoming cluttered with creation. Which is how I like it. :) Once I have some finished products I'll post the evolution photos. I decided to try my hand at paper art with the center design, so we'll see how that goes. The pencil faces on the right are me working on my form. I haven't used pencil as a medium in a long while!

Until next time...

my little toy cow

2010-12-28T21:13:00.000-08:00

My little toy cow is very photogenic. I had fun playing with my Nikon 35mm lens, a green lamp, and Photoshop. Hooray for Christmas! My little brother got me this toy, and I got him a moose. The moose may be my next model.

duuuude! Hey, Man is totz legit

2010-12-28T01:11:00.000-08:00

A final installment on KWCW's first issue of our new zine Hey, Man (which I layed out, yes yes).

It's done!

(It has been for a while, I just never got around to updating this blog about it.)

...and you can view it here.

christmas goodness

2010-12-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan of Christmas. I love getting/making people presents, love getting presents to be honest...love being with my family. This Christmas was my first coming home from college, so it was extra-special. My break has been very laid-back and relaxing so far, and Christmas was no exception. But ugh! I woke up at 8:30 a.m. I remember when I considered 4:00 a.m. late, when me and my brother would wake up at two and play Monopoly until it was late enough to emerge (six o'clock or so). Here's my brother, Jimmy, now:

He's gotten a bit too big for two a.m. Monopoly. He's petting our favorite Christmas present, a new cat named Meemurs.

My mom got a jar of little things from my dad. I thought they were ripe for a photoshoot.

A super awesome present was a bunch of Pentel brush pens, which feel just like ink painting. Sooo much fun! Here's a portrait of Meemurs, winking as always. And the obligatory Christmas tree drawing.

Then I decided to get a bit more serious. This was a challenge for me because I went straight to ink without a pencil draft. Scary. Which is why Thomas has quite the chin, and has put on a few years. But I'm still happy with how it came out.

So, to all of you that wished me Happy Christmas, or gave me a gift, or graced me with your presence...

the house

2010-12-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of having a thing with Photoshop. I'd say it's pretty serious, I mean, it's been going on for a few years, now. But I'm not sure how committed he is to me. Oh well, I have enough love for the both of us.

A couple of drawings of my parents' house, and my brother's pet rat Algernon (a.k.a. Mr. Mousies).

winter breakage

2010-12-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

I've realized that my artsy hiatus has really been due to being at Whitman. I'm either busy working, studying, or too exhausted to be creative. But now I'm on Winter Break! Hooray! Thank the gods....

So far I've just hung around my parents' house. I don't know the town very well, but yesterday I managed to drive to Blockbuster all by myself! Mostly I've just spent my time doing what I couldn't at school: drawing, watching YouTube videos (Tales of Mere Existence inspires me so much), knitting, and writing. I get a feeling akin to panic sometimes, like I'm forgetting to go to work or a meeting or class. I have to tell myself No, you're on vacation, it's okay not to be busy. I'm finally managing to calm down and settle into inactivity.

Here's something that I drew during one of my fits of creative production:

Drawn from webcam photos of myself. I'm thinking about going by Curry, my last name, at school. Kaity is just too common.

On a fantastic side-note, my parents just adopted a cat!! He's about 2 years old, black, and named Memur (pronounced mee-murr). My little brother doesn't know, yet. He is so adorable. I love cats...

Also, I don't know if you noticed, but I drew a new banner! Whoo. I hate drawing hands, oy vey. I even wrote a thing about it. I was inspired by some YouTube videos to start creating videos that are audio-drawing mash-ups, like short comics on different topics. I'll post 'em when I make 'em! Right now, though, I'm focusing on Christmas knitting. So much knitting...

finals...and doodles.

2010-12-15T22:30:00.000-08:00

This has been a crazy couple of weeks. Half of my professors thought that they'd be "kind" and give their exams early. I took my Macroeconomics final on Thursday and my Geology final Saturday morning. This was on top of a normal week's homework. It was terrible. On the bright side, I feel like I finally understand Econ. It was a hazy class for me until very recently. Yes, it took nearly a semester for me to catch on. Better late than never, though. I found the class a lot more interesting after reading Marx in Encounters.

I probably studied harder for that exam than for any test ever. I think I did pretty well, too! My Geo final also went well, it was a lot easier than I was anticipating. Studying for that one stressed me out for some reason.

Then my Encounters final project, which was just a paper. We had to pick a theme that ran through three texts that we've read and write about it. Pretty open-ended. I didn't get started until late, due to all my early-bird finals. Eventually I hashed out a thesis. I spent a day re-reading all that we read in Marx, Gandhi, and MLK, and gathered quotes. And I just got buried in them. I had picked a thesis that didn't really work, and couldn't organize anything, especially my thoughts. I went in to talk to my professor and she immediately picked up on the hopelessness of the situation. After a long time of confused Hrmms and Hmms I reverted to an old idea that crossed my mind while brainstorming: Materialism in The New Testament, Marx, and Seneca. I just thought it would be fun to compare Jesus and Marx. Which I did. I whipped out the paper in a night, after re-reading Luke and Seneca. It turned out so well! By far my favorite paper I've written so far.

Now I just have Spanish tomorrow morning. I don't think I'm going to study for it...I feel pretty confident, I just don't care, and I'm sick of studying. I'm ready for it to be Winter Break! Hooray Christmas!

Now for some art:

I doodled these on the job tonight. Everything in Illustrator. I'm a bigger fan on the one above, personally.

a (true) hipster moment

2010-12-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

A friend told me about this conversation he had with a high school friend. I haven't comicked in a very long time (I've been so swamped!), so thought I'd illustrate it. I creatively changed his name to Nate. No one will ever know.

hey, man (fer realz)

2010-12-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's really happening! That was quick...

Next week Hey, Man will be released to Whitman's campus. I am SO EXCITED. Here's what Whitman's webpage has to say about it:

"The first edition of Whitman’s radio magazine will be released this month and feature the staff’s favorite albums of the year. Pending funding from the Associated Students of Whitman College, the magazine will be published monthly throughout the spring 2011 semester. Each magazine release will coincide with a listening party designed to “give students and community members an opportunity to hear the music that we will be writing about,” Bachmann said."

You can read the full article on Kdub's innovative ideas here.

I don't want to give anything away yet... But I think I'll post bits of the zine once it comes out. It looks sweeeeeet.

hey, man

2010-11-27T14:55:00.001-08:00

That's the name of Kdub's new zine! Hurray. I'm really excited to lay that thing out. We have a few things done for it - Sam Alden is doing the cover...actually, that's the only thing I know is done. Besides this:

I was doodling a bit last night. I still have to review three of my top ten albums of 2010 (see below).

my top ten albums of twenty-ten

2010-11-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

...with my reviews.

For more reviews and awesomeness, be sure to check out Kdub's upcoming zine Hey, Man, hitting Whitman campus in December. It's also available digitally here.

Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

Beach House - Teen Dream

The National - High Violet

The National’s music has always been built around depression and anxiety, but High Violet hits new depths of malaise. The band continues in the same vein as their previous four albums, with gorgeous layers of dark sounds supporting cryptic lyrics. This album in particular portrays Matt Berninger’s self-conscious depression and a self-destruction that is simultaneously revealed and concealed by his words. It’s a deeply personal album, and one that’s easy to relate to. These aren’t grand events that drag him down -- they’re things that any sometimes-unhappy guy can relate to. “I still owe money to the money to the money I owe,” in “Bloodbuzz Ohio” worries about something familiar to most adults. High Violet covers a lot of ground in good time, wrapping up plenty of ideas into eleven pristine tracks. Its repetitive and laidback sound, coupled with Berninger’s baritone vocals, makes the perfect soundtrack for a long drive through countryside. What is especially impressive about the album is that although the theme is dark, it serves to lift, rather than crush, your spirits. It’s a beautiful album that can be enjoyed in any state of mind.

Recommended tracks: “Conversation 16”, “Afraid of Everyone”, “Runaway”

No Age - Everything In Between

No Age, an indie rock duo from Los Angeles, has refined their sound to create a more cohesive album than previous attempts. Their aggravated style is still milky with distortion and abrasive guitar squeals, but they’ve managed to package Everything In Between as something more than an angry vomit of frustration. Guitars are treated more like instruments and less like feedback machines (although there is plenty of that, too), and drive the album forward with strong powerchord riffs. The album is riddled with catchy songs like “Chem Trails”, the hit “Glitter”, and “Depletion”. Catchy, though, does not mean poppy. No Age is anything but poppy. Their music calls to mind sweaty basements of local dives, cigarettes, and dirty laundry. It captures the frustration of being mediocre, of having little failures nag at the back of the brain. It’s desperate without being depressing, turning dark emotion into a fun to-hell-with-it album.

Recommended tracks: “Life Prowler”, “Glitter”, “Positive Amputation”, “Shed and Transcend"

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Alessi's Ark - Soul Proprietor [EP]

Four Tet - There is Love in You

Best Coast - Crazy for You

Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner

Menomena - Mines

Menomena’s new album Mines doesn’t hit with the same intensity as their previous two, but it doesn’t need to. The band has settled into its skin, and produced a quiet, subtle album. While they’ve settled into their musical style, though, the theme of the album can be summed up in the line, “I’m not the most cocksure guy,” in “Taos.” The album is about getting older, about losing self-confidence and wit. How ironic that it accompanies such confident recording, a masterful compilation. Mines features complicated arrangements of harmonized vocals, piano clinks, bari-sax blasts, and guitar that “shreds.” The percussion, as always, drives the band. Menomena does it all well enough, though, that they make it sound so simple.

Suggested tracks are “Taos,” “Dirty Cartoons,” and “Five Little Rooms.”

when i was a little tyke...

2010-11-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

Hey,

I'm home for the holiday! Thanksgiving holiday, that is. So I'm at my parents' house in Sherwood and decided to dig through a bunch of my old drawings, that I did when I was just a little tyke. It's so strange, I actually remember drawing some of them. Not so much for these two, but I thought that it would be really cool to transform them into little dioramas. We'll see!

I did this one during my detail kick. It has everything! Me, my friend Charlotte, my brother Jimmy, bees, their beehive, flowers for them to pollinate, a nest, apparently fire-breathing birds, mice, bunnies, an orange tree, an acorn tree, and giant clovers. Oh and hearts. You can tell I lived in Florida by the orange tree and the flowers on that bush to the right.

I love this one!! In both of these you can see shades of Florida, but this one is blatant. Alligators and turtles! It's funny I always took them for granted. You don't see much of them out here in the West.

I think I drew both of these when I was six.

More soon to come! I love kid art.

organisation

2010-11-17T17:51:00.000-08:00

Wow, so I think I'm going insane.

Just spent the last forever making this:

...Yup. Sigh.

reduction

2010-11-17T17:16:00.001-08:00

Hey, I'm back already!

I don't know why, but lately I've become obsessed with words, and transforming letters. My notebooks look obsessive... I have "The White Stripes" change into a bunch of stripes that align themselves and eventually form blocks. I might do that one next in Illustrator. God I'm getting nothing productive done...

Here's something fun I just did with my name, reducing it.

evolution

2010-11-17T16:44:00.000-08:00

Hey howdy,

Things are getting crazy here at Whitman. I have tests in Geology and Spanish tomorrow, and a Core big paper draft due Friday...so what do I do? Make a bazillion playlists on iTunes and play on Illustrator. I'm a little sick (estoy un poco enferma) and not feeling the motivation for study.

On the bright side, I made this!

Until today my theme for next semester's radio show was going to be "post okie: a study of evolution." Each show would document the progression of a single artist, or (if their discography was too short) a few similar bands. But today I realized that since I'm now a Music Director for Kdub, the only stuff I listen to is the latest and greatest of bands I had never heard of, pretty much exclusively what's on rotation. So, new theme! "on rotation: it's pretty obscure, you probably haven't heard of it." Too bad, because I had already doodled a ton of evolution themed stuff like this Beck one in my Geology notebook...

Anyways, for my latest music suggestions of obscure bands you probably haven't heard of (hahah), check out "they're infesting my ears" in the upper right! :)

incessant doodling

2010-11-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

Doodling is my best form of brainstorm...my academic notebooks are the beginnings of most of my designs, and I have a lot of ideas in there that I would still like to develop. I have a hard time concentrating in class when I'm not doodling. I think the visual part of my brain just gets bored when it's a lecture class, and distracts the auditory part. So I have to keep busy in order to focus on a lecture. Except when the lecture is interests me much less than my doodles cough-Macroecon-cough. So here's a bunch of pages from my notebooks, showing how productive I can be!

(Aaargh I can't get it to center!)

k-dub madness

2010-10-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Howdy do!

Things here have been going swimmingly. I've had a very laid-back week and am looking forward to Parents Weekend!

My recent free time has allowed me to indulge my music obsession.... Wednesday I had my radio show, Timeslot. My theme is to do a different decade each week, and this week was '50s. So in preparation I downloaded 3 gigs of it. And none of it was labelled correctly. So I've been organising my iTunes library like crazy yesterday and today. It's a tedious and not-so-fun form of procrastination, but it works.

K-dub is wonderful. I love my job there -- listening to what music promoters send in, decide if it's decent enough to play, and reviewing the albums. I discovered Alessi's Ark that way. I also get brand-new albums! No waiting around for them to pop up on btjunkie. Some albums I got and liked have been:

Soul Proprietor by Alessi's Ark

Bubblegum by Clinic

Sex with an X by The Vaselines

Lonely Avenue by Ben Folds/Nick Hornby

Attack & Release by The Black Keys

Magic Central by Breathe Owl Breathe

How Come I'm Dead? by Hot Panda

Mines by Menomena

High Violet by The National

Tomorrow is Alright by Sonny & The Sunsets

So if you're looking for some good to decent new music, there you are. My favorite by far was Soul Proprietor... Bubblegum is definitely listenable chill indie, as is Magic Central. Sex with an X and Attack & Release are harder and pretty good. I haven't listened to a lot of these enough times to have a solid opinion on them. I'm listening to Tomorrow is Alright for the first time right now, and it's quite good. They're all promising. Also, I haven't actually read the reviews I linked to, but I trust the website alright. I don't even know if they're complimentary or not. Oh well, hahah.

And in the spirit of K-dub, here's a design I made for them a long time ago, my first watercolor! I finally got around to Photoshopping it up a bit. I didn't mess with it, just washed out the texture of the background. :)

I really enjoy water colors. This morning I got inspired by Calvin and Hobbes (the best comic strip ever!!!), so I think there shall be some art happening this weekend.

coffeehouse edition

2010-10-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

So, today's installment shall be dedicated to Coffeehouse. For those who don't know, Coffeehouse has a band every Friday night come perform at Reid Campus Center. Horsefeathers came, which I thought was a bit snoozy to be honest. Here they are, in all their Seattle-folk-scene glory:

The last Coffeehouse I went to I absolutely loved, though. Student band Plateau performed, and they were awesome. Tons of raw energy, and GASP their songs actually had some diversity. Plus they were all pretty pro at their instruments. As a bassist, I particularly enjoyed the bassist's (I believe his name is Matt) style. He was playing chords. Epic.

So basically I really enjoy Coffeeshop, and I really love the posters Sam Alden usually designs for them. But I believe they said he's in Florida, and since I've done some designs for WEB before they asked me to step up and design something. They asked for the design with one day's notice, and I said Hrmm, yeah, well it sort of takes a bit longer than that. Then I did it in a day. I was just really excited about it. And really unexcited about reading Econ and the Bacchae.

I did the drawing in pen, then did a bit of watercolor on a blank page. Scanned them both in, plunked them in Photoshop... Laid the drawing on top and multiplied it, created a color layer sandwiched in the middle, multiplied that, painted in the color... blahdy blah... Yeah. I'm really happy with it! Originally I had the graphic much smaller in the middle, but for fliers it wouldn't be super effective I guess.

This week has been really chill...not a lot of homework, no paper due in Core, not even reading due in Core until Friday! So I've been relaxing and watching Skins Vol. 3 (argh addiction). I think my next design project will be a Section shirt. I'm thinking Smash Bros characters in that Select Your Character screen, with the grabby hands you know? And everyone in the section can choose which one they want, and I'll put their name beneath it. Should be wizard. Oh Skins.

Also! I've discovered an amazing band, Alessi's Ark. They're from London and the leader is this girl my age!! They're amazing. Check out the link in my "infesting my ears" thingie.

s'more posters

2010-10-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

I don't think I can emphasize enough how much I love Illustrator. Sure, it's kind of nerdy to have such a love affair with a computer program, but hey. Some people have Smash Bros; I have Adobe products.

This first one I whipped up tonight for WEB. I used an abolition-era (is that a phrase...?) illustration of an enslaved man as reference...I basically copied it but made him female (pony tail, etc). And super simplified. But now I have designer-headache from staring at a screen for hours. Bah humbug complain complain grumble.

Then I changed this one a bit, for WCTS. I'm so happy I get to go design crazy in college! Without an art class or anything!

Happiest news of my life: My parents are bringing up their Bamboo tablet for me to use and have! Yes yes.

LOTR Security!

2010-10-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Hey errbody,

Well, it's four-day and most people have left Whitman. I remain, and have taken advantage of the free time to get absolutely nothing done. It has been lovely, sleeping constantly. A big accomplishment was definitely watching Brother from Another Planet, a '80s movie about an alien that crash-lands in Harlem. The movie takes some unexpected turns (and by unexpected I mean I was HOPING they wouldn't go there...and then they did), and was chock-full of racist stereotypes. But every race was stereotyped, so it was okay...?

I didn't do much in the way of artiness. Although I did my first watercolor still life! But it's a present so I don't really want to post it online before sending it off. And yeah, I did these posters for Cyber Security:

Lord of the Rings, Kaity? Have you even read the books? Well, no, I haven't. But for some reason a LOTR theme seems pretty amazing for this topic...I don't know why.

And here's a haiku!

It's getting dark now,
becoming evening at three.
Winter approaching.

Here are some haiku / that I write in my free time / and unfree time, too.

2010-10-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

I do the Monkey
and I eat soup with my hands.
(I'm Johnny Bravo.)

Hablo espanol:
escucho, y comprendo
...biblioteca.

(Inspired by the Bhagavad-Gita)
Not fruits of action,
not inaction attachment,
but detached action.

Late night library
reading illegible notes
hopped up on caffeine.

(Inspired by myself)
She wears suspenders,
skinny jeans and golfer caps...
she's such a hipster.

Neutral Milk Hotel,
accordian-filled iPod.
So frickin' indie.

(Inspired by my job as Music Director)
Terrible music
sappy lyrics synthesized,
spewing from earbuds.

(Inspired by Genesis)
We rape the angels
then hey! Let's rape each other!
Then our kids rape us.

(Inspired by Music Directing)
What is it about
synthesizers that suck so?
Torture to listen.

Modeselektor
and Mindless Self Indulgence
are guilty pleasures.

(Inspired by writing haikus)
Composing haiku
in every quiet moment,
miscounting syllables.

Shallow poetry
is kinda funny to read.
It doesn't say much.

2010-10-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hey, I really should be studying Macroeconomics! So here's a design:

And now it's back to the grind. (And by grind I mean adding a "Recently Discovered" section to this blog.)

The CLAW and the JAW

2010-09-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I haven't posted in a while, yet I have so much material!! The problem is that I'm getting sick of faking a Photoshop serial number every time I want to use it on my laptop. So I haven't been editing photos. But soon this blog will be totally revamped! I designed a cool banner and I have sooo many doodles to post, among other things.

What's been going on, you may ask? Pues, my classes are alright. I'm taking Spanish 105 (as "pues" might suggest), Geologic History of the Pacific Northwest, Encounters (freshman Core), and Principles of Macroeconomics. Spanish is super easy so far; I took two years of Spanish in high school and my class is the lowest level. I know it will eventually pick up, though. Geology is really great! The prof, Pat Spencer, is hilarious. I'm also really excited that I can now point out basalt (basically every rock in the PacNW) and figure out what could have caused those curvy deformations in cliff faces. I seriously always wondered...and now I know. Encounters is really cool. It's discussion-based and we're reading great material. We just finished the Bhagavad-Gita and are about to start the graphic novels Maus and Maus II. Macroecon.... Hmm.... Well.... I really enjoy creating graphs in Paint for homework, but class itself makes me take prolonged blinks. Most of my doodles originate in that class.

Enough about classes! Who goes to college for the academics?!

One of the coolest things I'm involved in here is KWCW, the college's radio station. I have a show Wednesdays 1-3:PM called "Timeslot." Each week is a different decade. Although, this week I'm cheating by combining the 20s-40s. But I'll do 3 shows dedicated to them, so it'll be fair. It's great being in the booth. And during my friend Rosemary's show, "Bad Poetry," directly after mine, I stick around to dance and do homework. But mostly dance.

My favorite thing here, though, is definitely my section. I'm a member of Fro-West, a combination of Four and Far West. Basically we're the 34 people on the fourth floor, western wing of Jewett residential hall. It's an all-freshman dorm, and our section is co-ed. I love everyone in it, we're really chill and good god Smash Bros is constantly going on in our lounge (which attracts members of other sections, too). I could go on. If you want to see some photos check out my facebook photo album "Whitman College Freshman Year!" Here's a group shot, although a lot of people are missing:

And yes, we always look like this. Also, check out my new favorite video, which our section now quotes. Pretty often.

Now on to more artsy things (my favorite kind of things!). I love my job with WCTS (Whitman College Technology Services). I work in the IMS (Instructional Mutimedia Services) and the MDL (Multimedia Development Lab). In the IMS I basically sit at a desk and wait for people to come in to rent equipment. I really like the people I work with, and I also like working alone while playing Pandora and drawing. In the MDL I sit in a computer lab and wait for people to come in to print stuff. Actually, right now I have an assignment with the MDL! I'm writing a couple of Photoshop tutorials, which is really cool. And in writing them, and researching them, I've also learned some new things about Photoshop. I'm writing about text in Photoshop...and I never used text in Photoshop before, because I thought you couldn't adjust tracking and leading and such. I always did texty stuff in InDesign. Turns out you can do most anything in Photoshop! Including this cutie drawing:

I always think, "I want to play with your insides!" when I look at this drawing. And actually, I think I drew this in Illustrator to begin with, just the outlines, then took it into Photoshop for a few details and color. I didn't know anything about Illustrator except that the brush tool auto-smoothed lines. Then I made an appointment with a coworker to learn a bit more...I sort of figured out the pen tool, with which I created this:

This was all done in Illustrator. I printed it on a HUGE 42"x60" poster. Pretty epic. I have more, just gotta photograph and edit it!

Posters for no reason...

2010-09-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

So, school's been going well. I started my jobs at IMS (Instructional Multimedia Services) and MDL (Multimedia Development Laboratory). (Most people say lab, but I insist on laboratory.) They're pretty amazing...my bosses are super cool and it's a very chill job in general. Mostly just sitting around. Plus, they're both in the most beautiful building on campus, Hunter Conservatory. I'll post pictures once I take them. Anyways, during my two hours of sitting around I drew a bunch of electrical stuff that is so abundant in IMS, and later made this poster in Photoshop:

I feel so dorky because no one asked me to...I just really like designing posters! And what's the point of a poster if it's not advertising something? So I make ads for fun, basically.

And then I had three hours of sitting around in the MDL, and got to play with Illustrator (which I've never used before). The program is still a mystery to me, but I figured out the brush tool a bit, and made this (also using InDesign):

I'm so excited about my radio show on KWCW! You can listen in live at www.kwcw.net...my show is Wednesdays 1-3. Called "Timeslot." Anyways...I'm off to draw, I do believe!

Four West!

2010-08-30T19:10:00.001-07:00

Living in a triple is pretty awesome. Here are some shots of my new home. :)

Our room on the first day, with my doodle on the white board.

Our door after a few days. I enjoy our section's contributions.

My desk on the first day. It's gotten a bit messier since then.

Colbert is proud of our healthy decision to pick up a fruit (all acquired from the dining halls).

A poster I bought, which at first looks like a pro-life ad. But it isn't.

My closet, with new additions.

Jewett from the outside. Looks pretty standard, but it's awesome. :) My section, 4West, is pretty spectacular.

Wallowa Wagoning...On Foot! (My Scramble)

2010-08-26T17:13:00.001-07:00

My future begins...in The Budget Inn. My first hotel room by myself. I was pretty proud and pretty scared. I had taken a Greyhound from Portland to Walla Walla (which is a long haul), then spent the night in the lovely hotel. Check out was 11 and I didn't meet my Scramblers until 1. Lots of wandering around with this backpack:

I thought it was huge. It isn't. I ended up renting a much bigger one. I'll do another post when more photos pop up on facebook; this is just some of what I took.

I met my fellow Scramblers, and they were awesome. Our first morning together, before we headed up to the forest, began well:

The leaders come. We say, "Yeah we're almost ready to go...but there are some oranges and bananas in the fridge if you want to grab them." Lizzy: "Yeah, okay, I'll grab them." Then pours some milk...we wait...more milk pouring...and bam. Jamey jumps out of the fridge and it's wonderful. She screamed.

Here's us at Dollar Lake. L-R: Sara, Alie, Kerry, Jamey, Claire, me, Lizzy, Fernando, Drew, Caleb.

It's now the second day of orientation. I'm really excited for classes to start (Tuesday?), and to register tomorrow. I'm staying in a triple dorm, which is pretty sweet. It's huge, with a sink and everything. We even have 2 mini-fridges. It's more space than I've had all summer, even though I'm sharing it with 2 other freshman.

Today I met the Head of the Spanish Department, who is a super cool woman from Mexico & Miami. I'm so excited to study abroad, although it may be tough that I'm starting at the lowest level class, Spanish 105. Most prospective Spanish major/minors are starting at a 300-level. Thanks, Taft.

Well, that's all for now...I'll post photos of my dorm and the campus later. :)

My time is shinking-dinking (lamest pun ever)

2010-08-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Tomorrow is my last day un-travelling! Today I'm working on packing everything, which is horribly tedious. Why do I have so much crap? Then tomorrow, more of this, then the next day, Greyhoundin' it from P-town to Walla Walla!

This is what I've been doing besides packing....

My little brother Jimmy is releasing his yet uncut album, self-titled after his band, Boy Howdy. He graciously asked me to design his album cover, which turned out like this:

I also collaborated on the track names, coming up with "Super Salad," "Rural Juror," "Dandruff in Stuff" (originally Dan Druff 'n' Stuff), and "Hey a Doog."

And then my mother was very nice and created this wonderful Kindle case for me! She even figured out how to sew a buttonhole in the process of making it. (I sewed on the button, though.) It's super cute and quilted on the inside.

And then I decided to return to my roots, my medium of choice: Shrinky Dinks.

I think they turned out really well! :) The houses I mostly got offline, but the Tudor-style one is from a photo I took of Anne Hathaway's cottage, and the doors are all from Dublin.

I also went crabbing with my Papa Steve! I commanded the boat, he was my faithful lackey. Won't be posting that unflattering photo.... Also had my last Lincoln Pops performances (a big band I play bass for). I've been a member for 3 years and they embarrassed me by giving me flowers at the last show. It was sweet, though!

I think I'll post a wrap-up documenting my packing process...which is already well underway. Then the day after tomorrow I'm boarding a Greyhound with only a backpack to my name...

sampling whitman

eatin' oranges

book arts + printmaking + hey, man

MD Elements

designs

Lips

princess chelsea

the curry fam!

bailey quotes

new art for salez!

failure!! (but ultimately, success)

balloon

lesson two

lesson one

finished products

self portrait // every night

moooovin' in

ginger root

dabbles in bloom

food + Oddjob again

tallest (and most amazing) man on earth

stillness

kind of a dumb post...

possess

rollerbladin'

i have weird dreams.

warped perspective

books

plug in

charcoal // sticks

also, spring

vote fer kayvon

new pornographers otros versions fer funzies

odd jobs

new pornographers

spring break photos

street artist

maura

visual impairment

listen // caterpillar

beck's discography

things i love

sound

kdub mixtape love // dirty messy art

ode to the late white stripes

hey, man reviews by me

blind contours 2

sasquatch!

raj patel

blindie girl

upstairs

an artsy x.mas

old // new

my little toy cow

duuuude! Hey, Man is totz legit

christmas goodness

the house

winter breakage

finals...and doodles.

a (true) hipster moment

hey, man (fer realz)

hey, man

my top ten albums of twenty-ten

when i was a little tyke...

organisation

reduction

evolution

incessant doodling

k-dub madness

coffeehouse edition

s'more posters

LOTR Security!

It's getting dark now,becoming evening at three.Winter approaching.

Here are some haiku / that I write in my free time / and unfree time, too.

The CLAW and the JAW

Posters for no reason...

Four West!

Wallowa Wagoning...On Foot! (My Scramble)

My time is shinking-dinking (lamest pun ever)

It's getting dark now,
becoming evening at three.
Winter approaching.