Spring, please come quickly

It's late January and I'm already aching for springtime. I am dreaming about camping in the warm weather and splashing around in the ocean, or river or lake; I'm none too picky at this point, I just want to smell the freshness of the water and warm rocks beneath my feet.

In the winter all you can smell is the cold. I've been opening the window at night to let some fresh air in and feel the breeze on my skin. I think the house gets so stagnant in winter and sometimes it's nice to fill up the house with the sharp smell of the cold. I don't mind the shivers too much but I'd rather be basking in the sun.

For the time being, I am immersing myself in images.

Ho Ho Holidays

I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever. Sometimes time just gets away from you without even realizing it.

I have been so busy this holiday season, cooking, baking, entertaining family, shopping, wrapping gifts, decorating.

I absolutely love my parents' house at Christmas time. All of our decorations are delightfully outdated. My parents aren't really into vintage but everything Christmas-related at are house is from the 50's-70's. The majority of our ornaments are vintage 50's glass ornaments which were hand-me-downs from my grandparents when my parents first got married. So, they've been in use since as long as I can remember and they even have their original paper boxes.

We've got a dopey, vintage, plastic light-up yard Santa and snowman and light-up ceramic Christmas trees. We still top our tree with a cheesey tinsel star. I'm so glad they still make them so that when I have my own family we can have the same.

Plus, this vintage german weinachtspyramide, which is just a tiered nativity with a windmill on top. You'd light candles around it and the heat from the flames would cause the the windmill to spin and make the nativity scene spin as well. When I was a child I thought this was just magical. Magical!

My brother and I circa 1987, visiting with a super sketchy Santa

Not ours, but we have the exact same ceramic tree.

My favourites have always been the kind with the indented tummies.

I hope you all have wonderful holidays filled with delicious food and baked goods and happy memories.

ephemera memories

Recently I came across the work of Jen Blazina and fell in love. She makes beautiful pieces combining print and reclaimed objects. On her website she writes than some of her work "recalls the significance of ephemera of time and portrait".
I feel at home looking at these installations, mimicking personal shapes of lockets, pocket watches, and elaborate portrait frames.

Been photographing some of my old work so I can put together a good portfolio so I can possibly get into some places like Montserrat, to finish up my undergrad.
These are some of the stuff I have documented so far. Will add some more observational drawings and about 6 more prints. But, I'd like some impartial feedback about whether you think these are good pieces to submit.

Collections

Right now, I am in love with these installations by Daniella Woolf. Such beautiful pieces and a total inspiration to me; such a lovely interpretation of how to display and work with amassed collected objects. I love their simplicity and how when they are combined they form something intricate and strong. They become something that feels personal, though it may not be our own.

Collected rolodex cards

collected tea tags

collected tea bags

personal checks

found paper

drawings

Sometimes I'm guilty of just throwing drawings together, I start with a plan but somewhere along the way I'm simply just putting pencil to paper and seeing what comes out of it. I don't normally draw with color, I'm not sure why, so this was a bit of an experiment to begin with but now it's derailed and ended up here.

I don't know where to take it. Right now I'm thinking about sewing some forms on top of these drawn ones, in white. Who knows. I just keep staring at it, unsure about where to go.

Little trinket drawings, which I love.

I love this guy. He's big and beautiful and I stabbed myself a million times trying to sew through this thick paper. I made a makeshift awl using a large needle wrapped in scotch tape so that I could puncture it first.

I feel like they're little stained glass windows of my collected objects and special little bits. I love it's imperfection and soft staining and chine colle components.