First painting by an amature

So this is my first painting. I love Frida Kahlo and so I chose to recreate "Dos Fridas" for my Color Theory class. It was done in Achromatic/Monchromatic. Opinions are welcome:)







On another note, a few months ago I came across a new album by one of my favorite artists Gavin DeGraw. I didn't even know this album existed but what a find! Thank you Itunes:) He has an amazing voice and stellar piano skills! With this album he wanted to focus more on the lyrics by eliminating a lot of instrumental elements. What emerged is a very intimate listening experience, with beautiful and often haunting melodies. Gavin's raw talent and amazing song writing ability make this one of my finds of the year! I highly recommend this album. You will not be disappointed. Jump on over to the itunes store or amazon and get a copy. Or you can head on over to his official website and listen for Free, which just so happens to be the title of the album. Just follow the link below, and happy listening!

http://www.gavindegraw.com/music

Art and Life

I went back to college...again, to upgrade my associates degree to a B.A. and in doing so have expanded my creative mind to a new level. I go to art school. I am artsy! Hear me roar!!

But seriously, I was under the impression that I was an open book of creativity when it came to photography and art, and well, maybe I was, it was just a really short book is all. Actually I don't think this book will ever be finished. With that I mean the world of photography and art is constantly changing and well, there is always something new to learn. This is the essential part of why I love photography! I am one of those people who constantly craves knowledge and thrives on learning new and different ways to view the world around me. Since returning to school I have discovered that I can draw, kind of. It's a process and I'm learning more all the time, just like with my photography. While attending the Ohio Institute of Photography and Technology I absorbed so much knowledge about photography, I was prepared to jump in with both feet and thought it would be simple to find a place in the profession. I was wrong. Yes, I said it, wrong. It's so very difficult to get your foot in the door in the world of photography, and trust me I tried for 2 years before I finally decided that I was done with working for $6 and hour and come hell or high water I was going to have a damn job that pays me what I'm worth!! And yes fellow photographers we are worth more than minimum wage!! Way more.

So here I am, with a ton of homework, a schedule that leaves little time for anything else, and I'm as happy as a pig in sh*t!

I have to add that my first school OIP&T was an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. That school is amazing and the instructors there seriously know their stuff! I miss most of them and try to stay in touch with a a few. Mark, Paula, Dave, Doug and Todd were my go to people. If I needed anything they were always there to answer my questions or show me a new technique with lighting, or photoshop. *sigh...you guys rock! I'm not sure I will be learning anything more than I already learned from you. Seriously, I could never put a price on what I learned at OIP&T.

So far my this new college is cool, I'm learning a ton about art and drawing (Mark was right, they are teaching me how to draw). I have decided that I love drawing, with graphite pencils being my media of choice. I also find myself cruising the art aisle a lot now and actually know what I'm looking at. It's great!

This was shot in my home, lit with daylight. Equipment used...my camera and a reflector. This was an image for one of my photo classes.



I took this while on my first hike of the year and actually printed it out for a friend for a birthday gift.









So on another note I got a new tattoo!! The quote is from the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. Fantastic book!!

Life is a trip...and more

I have become a busy lady since starting back to school January 11th. With the drive to and from and full days at school, not to mention all the assignments, I have had little to no time for much else. However, I do occasionally find myself discovering new music/books.

I recently had the chance to acquire a copy of the new Mr. Hudson album Straight No Chaser and of course have had plenty of time in the car to give it a thorough listen. The first song I had heard previous to having the actual album was Supernova, featuring Kanye West and I had decided that "hey, this is kind of alright".

Let me explain a little about that last comment. You see, I have a very special place in my heart for Mr. Hudson & The Library, which is his old band. Having gone solo and adopting a new sound, I was a little cautious and I can say it, a little biased, and was sure he would never be the same without The Library. I was sad and afraid that the "sound" that had so lovingly entranced me, couldn't possibly be found on the new album.

That being said, I can say that my reservations were unfounded. The new album does have a different vibe, but it's definitely a good thing. The new beat and feel of the music is awesome! The more I listen to it, the more I "need" to listen to it. Does that make sense? Mr. Hudson's talent has grown so much, and although I will miss "The Library" they did collaborate with Ben(Mr. Hudson) on the song "There Will Be Tears". So I got my "throwback" song, and I'm satisfied with that.

Mr. Hudson's new sound comes from working with Kanye West (genius). Kanye's musical sense for melody is no doubt what attracted him to Ben. On, A Tale of Two Cities, the melodies will entrance you, as the must have done to Kanye.

If you have yet to catch the Mr. Hudson wave, I would highly recommend grabbing a copy of A Tale of Two Cities first, and then the new album. I think that artists like Mr. Hudson should be experienced from the beginning.

A Tale of Two Cities

So a good friend of mine turned me onto this album, and I say "thank you friend, thank you". This band is AMAZING! I highly recommend this one! Head on over to amazon for a preview of tunes on this album. It's about $.50 cheaper than itunes.


Check out his website here...

www.mrhudson.com

or visit his myspace here...

www.myspace.com/mrhudson


Since this album Mr. Hudson has actually went solo and has a new album out called Straight No Chaser unfortunately is currently only available as import. The first single which is available for download on itunes is titled Supernova---->> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlWuaqJ_APE and features one of my favorite artists, Kanya West. Their voices compliment each other perfectly. Mr. Hudson also accompanied Kanye on his 808's and Heartbreaks album on the the song Paranoid. You can listen to it here-----> www.kanyeuniversecity.com

Check it out, no really check it out.

Talent

I found this kid while surfing around the net for photographers. He is self taught and a phenomenal artist. I urge you to have a look at his site, and if like me, your a photographer, you will appreciate his extraordinary talent.


www.joeyl.com

Another image

In April of this year I visited Chicago to see my favorite band. My best friend and I took a drive downtown and around Navy Pier. I took this while driving and holding my camera out of the sunroof. I know, I'm a really safe driver!

My 50 books for 2009

I took on a 50 book challenge this year on my book club website, Shelfari. I managed to accomplish my goal and am starting a new one already. Here are the 50 books that I read along with a short review of sorts and whether or not it is still on my shelf to be red again.


1. Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins~ I absolutely loved this book. So many good lessons about life and love in this one. On my keeper shelf

2. Old Yeller by Fred Gibson~ I always meant to read this when I was younger but just got around to it. Great story about loyalty, between a boy and his dog, a sad but worthwhile book.

3. The Object of My Affection by Steven McCauley~ WOW I didn't think when my best friend suggested this one that I would actually enjoy it, but everything he's ever suggested has been good so I don't know why this would have been any different. Fun read. On my keeper shelf

4. Planet of The Apes by Pierre Boulle~ One of the best books I have read to date. I finished it in one day. On my keeper shelf.

5. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury~ This was my first experience at science fiction and my oh my I'm hooked! A lot about societies and taking things for granted. I love Ray Bradbury!! On my keeper shelf.

6. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury~ This book was very different from anything I have ever read, but I loved it. The way Ray B. details the scenes and characters in his writing amazes me. You can almost hear and smell the places. On my keeper shelf.

7. Mama Day by Gloria Naylor~ Good book. Not what I was expecting and I was pleased. On my keeper shelf.

8. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk~ What can I say? I love this author:0) On my keeper shelf.

9. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk~ Refer to the last review:0)

10. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho~ A philosophical book full of inspiration. On my keeper shelf.

11.Duma Key by Stephen King~One of the best from this author. Creepy just like a King book is expected to be. On my keeper shelf.

12. Cujo by Stephen King~ A psychological mind trip. Keeper shelf.

13. Pet Semetary by Stephen King~ Disturbing in all the right ways. Keeper shelf.

14. The Green Mile in 6 Parts by Stephen King~ I enjoyed reading this in the six different parts. They did a good job adapting it to the big screen.

15. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown~ Amazing, kept me in suspense the whole time. Couldn't put this one down. Keeper shelf.

16. The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin~ Hilarious! Love his writing:) Keeper shelf.

17. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory~ My first historical read. Very much enjoyed it, and have since acquired more books by the author. Keeper shelf.

18. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hossini~ One of my top 10 books I've ever read! Love love love this book! Keeper shelf.

19. 1000 Splendid Suns by Khaled Hossini~ Disappointing. Was expecting more after reading his first book.

20. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding~ Bleh! Hated it. Struggled to get through it. I did however learn a new word that I kind of enjoy...F**KWITTAGE!

21. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach~ A feelgood, inspirational story. Keeper shelf.

22. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan~ What? Torture getting through this. This book caused me to set a new rule of "if I don't like it within 50 pages, I put it down.

23. Sphere by Michael Crichton~Disappointing because he's one of my favorite authors.

24. IT by Stephen King~Fantastically and thoroughly Steven King!

25.Interview With The Vampire by Ann Rice~Huge Louis fan~Keeper

26. Snow Flower and The Secret Fan by Lisa See~ absolutely loved it. On my keeper shelf:)

27. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman~ I wasn't prepared for how good this book would be. I had read conflicting reviews, but enjoyed the movie and was delighted at the differences in the book. So score another for the "book better than the movie list". On my keeper shelf.


28. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer~ Good book

29. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer~ Not as good as Twilight but still worth the time to read.

30. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove~ Hilariously written! I laughed all the way through it:o) Love love loved it!~ On my keeper shelf.

31 Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix~ Of course I loved it!!~ Keeper shelf

32.Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince~Refer to #31 review~Keeper

33. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows~ Ditto.

34. The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories~Tim Burton~ What can I say about this book, except that it couldn't have been written by anyone else:o)

35. Bloodsucking Fiends ~ Christopher Moore~ Fun story with some great offbeat characters. A comical story of a vampire, love CM.~keeper.

36. The Constant Princess~by Philippa Gregory~ This book was just o.k. Definitely not as good as The Other Boleyn Girl.

37. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery~ Lovely lovely book! Brilliantly written and full of eye opening lessons about us as "grown ups".~ Keeper shelf~:o)

38. Bag of Bones by~Stephen King~Good book, but not my favorite SK, and it took me too long to read it.

39. You Suck~ Christopher Moore~ Funny funny funny! I laughed my a** off. Vampires have never been so funny:o) Great characters, he's so right on!~Keeper shelf:o)

40. Siddhartha~Hermann Hesse~ Heavy read but good stuff~ Keeper shelf

41. Dandelion Wine~Ray Bradbury~Amazing book! [3 Ray Bradbury~ Keeper

42. The Wizard of Oz~ L. Frank Baum~ Wonderful book, and I wasn't expecting to find it vastly different than the movie. A delightful read~Keeper

43. First They Killed My Father~Loung Ung~ Heart wrenching! Well written story that resurrects the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge and the suffering of millions of Cambodians.~ Keeper

44. Survivor~Chuck Palahniuk~ Good book, but not quite my favorite by this author. I did like the cult storyline though.

45. The Stand~Stephen King~ AMAZING book, excellent story with great characters!~ Keeper

46. Lamb~Christopher Moore~Funny! Not my favorite C.M. book, but definitely worth reading

47. Harry Potter & the Sorcerers Stone~J.K. Rowling~re-read.~keeper of course

48. The Stupidest Angel~Christopher Moore~Hilarious, weird, and fantastically written. Just the way I like my CM books!~keeper

49. Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets~Re-read~keeper

50. Flaming Iguanas~Erika Lopez~I laughed from beginning to end! Uniquely written, loved it!~Keeper