From the annals of IB Art: Tree abstractions

In the dredges of my hard drive I found these gems. These are pieces I created in high school and were part of my portfolio when I applied to art school.

It started out with a simple idea: draw the view of the trees out the windows on one façade of the house. Combined the different perspectives on one sheet of paper. Below are the windows from the third, second and first floors of my house facing the backyard.

From there I kind of realized that it wasn’t the different perspectives that I was really fascinated with, it was the thin douglas fir trees that cut vertical lines through the sky. (sketchbook page below)

I cut out and combined smaller pieces of paper to mirror the lines of the trees. I like how this looks almost like a bar code: Then I started abstracting. Below are variations on the same idea.

I wanted to try and incorporate a sort of Klimt style ornamentation but It kind of just ended up like a multicolored quilt.

I ended up with three large skinny canvas panels with tree trunks that jut up like tentacles. The branches ended up looking more like clouds than foliage but I like the otherworldly feel of the sky and how it could easily pass as an ocean.

Paintings inspired by Alhambra patterns

Right now my life is awash with uncertainty and marked by a pure lack of structure. To combat a future that I feel I have little control over and the compulsive urge to check my email every 5 minutes, I have returned to the safe decisive world of math.

Well, art that involves math. Behold:

It’s wonderfully cathartic to meticulously grid and draw patterns. It’s a way for me to have complete control over something, even if it is just a 12 x 16 cm place. At first I started just directly replicating patterns I saw at the Alhambra.

All I had to do was crack the pattern and copy it, re-creating them was almost hypnotic. I even made a poorly crafted stop-motion video out of one. I took about 400 photos while I was at the Alhambra, so I have a lot of material to work from.

Alejandro suggested I branch out and create my own patterns––and maybe I will––but for now I am content extrapolating and exploring the linear planes of Moorish Spain.

Day 10: Back to the park; Yosemite falls; picnic at the tunnel view; Alejandro relaxes for once

Fortunately,  the only thing that tried to attack us in the middle of the night was a gang of kids with flashlights. We leisurely made breakfast and headed back into Yosemite.

This time we actually wanted to walk around a bit on the valley floor and decided on an easy paved loop up to Lower Yosemite Falls. It was probably not the best the park has to offer but, to be honest, weren’t in the mood for extreme hiking.

We then ate lunch up at tunnel point overlook. Highlights included were watching families with young uncooperative children try to get a good family photo and a kid puking in the parking lot. (I gave him a telepathic nod of solidarity though since I throw-up everywhere I go).

I did a watercolor sketch and tried to deflect the countless people approaching me. (For some reason you pull out a paint brush and everyone thinks it is an open invitation to talk).

At this point in the trip we were all hiked out, camped out, and in general really just wanted to get home. We went back to the campsite to hang loose.

Alejandro listened to music and drank beer. I ate about five S’mores and read my book.

Life was good.

I walked to the bathroom and saw a little tent themed like the vacuum cleaner from Teletubbies, life was even better.

The next day we were heading for San Francisco … I looked around for a flower to put in my hair.

Day 7: Bright Angel Trail head; Apprehensive descent; Mile 3 rest house attack of the squirrels; Rash ascent; Victory Burgers

Waking as ice cubes once again, we decided to drive to the Bright Angel Trail head armed with water, salty snacks, sunscreen, lunch and layers.

They should really rename this elevation dropping, switch-backing trail into the canyon to Bright Angle Trail because it is steee … eeep, sorry I got out of breath just thinking about it.

People die on this trail every year because they simply just underestimate the trail, are unprepared and over-extend themselves. The parks service strongly advises people to start hiking early and stop hiking between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. so you’re out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day.

And since the Grand Canyon is so X-treme not only are you supposed to drink a ton of water, but every time you drink you need to eat something salty. Basically you can either die of drinking too little or die of drinking too much and sweating out all your salt.

Despite the danger, we made it down to the 3 mile rest house intact and decided to rest until after 4. We ate our lunch while some very vicious outgoing squirrels attacked us. I got out my watercolors, Alejandro read some of his book and fell asleep. A terrifying friendly squirrel woke him up by jumping on his head.

We still had a long time to wait until 4 p.m. rolled around. And none of the other hikers were paying attention to the time. Even overnight campers with heavy gear were stopping for a few minutes and continuing up and down the trail.

So we made a rash decision: to hike back up before noon.

We soaked our shirts with water and hiked, slowly, up the canyon wall.  About a mile in, our clothes were dry again. We made it to the 1st rest house and ran into a lot of tourists that had woken up later than we did.

They were in flip-flops and tube tops. Some weren’t even carrying water.

The closer we got to the top the more unprepared hikers we ran into. One woman with a perfectly made-up face was wearing a mini skirt. I did not envy the park service that day.

Tried and hungry we reached the top. We feasted on victory bacon cheeseburgers and redemption cheesecake hoping we’d be able to move the next day.

(Just in case you were beginning to get confused this is a very extended recap of the road trip Alejandro and I went on to get back to Oregon from Savannah, Ga. I made a few posts during the drive, but most of the time I was too busy/exhausted/without internet. We took 12 days to drive across the country starting June 3.)

Kinich Ahau and Ix Chei

A little post card for my dear Aunt Suzie.  Sun and the Moon.  Ix Chei is traditionally a guy…so let’s pretend he’s in drag?

‘Thank you’s to Grand Women Relatives

Another batch of thank you cards for my very wonderful and loving grandmothers.  The top one is for Yia-Yia Fran Palmer and the bottom one is for Grammy Betty Wells.  I’m not sure if I’m digging the muted colors all that much but in the eyes of my Grandmas I can do no wrong.

A snake on a plane and a pack animal

Leandra’s non-pack animal: Snake. The type that lives on the wing of a plane.

Lauren’s water buffalo: not a bison.

Elizabeth dances with wolves

Another one in the mail:

Soon to come, a snake on a plane and whatever Lauren approves of.

Leena turned 20 on the 22nd of July

She didn’t receive these until mid-august.  

Silver Foxxxes

jean luc picard <3

El Silver Foxxx

Watercolor postcards for A.Johnson and B.Krstic for their 20th birthdays.