Project2218 {The Hoedown}

Sweet friends. BBQ. Great music. And a little dancing too. My church puts on a good ol' fashioned Hoedown each fall, and it is all the rage here in Houston. Everyone talks about it! Of course, I had to see for myself what it was all about. So me and some friends piled in the car and headed to Sealy, Texas...home of the famous Liedertafel Hall. What a beautifully, classsic place. I didn't have my camera so I will give you a brief description. Imagine a white, wooden dance hall in the shape of an octagon and people filling the dance floor and the grass outside. All in the middle of smalltown USA. I also got to wear some real boots and I felt authentically Texan for the night. Great weather. Beautiful stars. Good night.

Project2217 {I Love Color}

I have a bizarre fascination with color. A lot of you already know that I like things that are bright or unique, but beyond that I love the idea of color. Colors always surprise me! Whether I am cutting up a grapefruit or mixing ink in my studio, I am amazed by the pure and vibrant colors that seem to find me. If you have ever tried to make the same color twice, you understand that it is extremely difficult. Color has become a way that I connect with my Creator. He not only mixes colors, he creates them! It sounds crazy that I interact with God through a delightful experience of eating fruit or painting a canvas, but I am so aware of His magnificene and wonder as I discover some of the most pure colors I have ever seen.

Project2216 {The Pink Chair}

As I walk down the stairs to my printmaking studio every Tuesday and Thursday, I see this pink, wooden chair. It sits among this scene that looks very industrial and I cannot seem to figure out what is has been used for. However, I am fascinated by it's simplicity and the vibrant color makes me smile everytime that I see it. The space that it sits in is a courtyard that is actually below the entire campus, but it still gets wonderful sunlight. It actually reminds me of the courtyard outside of our study center in Italy and brings back some great memories of living in Tuscany. This is a dynamic space because all of the art studios have garage doors or huge windows that open up. So at any time there could be a total of 5-10 classes using the space. I think it's every art students dream and people love to walk by and see what's happening below. The pink chair hasn't moved all semster and I have yet to see anyone sit on it. But I always wonder...

Project2215 {From Where I Sit}

Welcome to the Rice Gallery! This is one of the awesome places that I get to work. The gallery is an installation space and therefore it gets a new work every semester. I think this installation is beautiful in its simplicity, but it also has a bunch of small complexities that fascinate me. My goal for the semester is trying to master this piece of art from sketching. When there is no one in the gallery I try to sketch this intricate form, but it's deceivingly difficult. My favorite part about working here is talking to people about art, and particularly this piece. I love to ask people's first impressions and you get everything from 'blah' to 'what a complex interaction of planes and light.' I love the way that people light up when they finally understand the artist's intention for this space after we have had a conversation. I think art is an incredible way to not only connect to people but also reach out, and I think that I am so lucky to have this chance.