New Year Resolutions!

(I've never really made a new years resolution before...but this year I might give it a try). This year I would really like to....
1. Look for more ways to help others whether it be through volunteering, or missions, or spending time with people that are sick or lonely... I think this is something I really need to start doing more often
2. Spend more time with the people that I love and less time at work
3. Run more! I want to run at least a half marathon this summer
4. I want to start eating better (definately need to start eating more greens :/ )
5. I want to finish reading the new testament and read the whole old testament by next January
6. I want to conquer my fear of fish : )

... I'm sure I will think of more things that I want to work on... but this seems to be a pretty good chunk of things to start out with.

I wish I could paint like this!

These painting are among my favorites from the

"Student Work" collection of the New York Academy of Art

They are selected paintings from the Cafe Gallery

Ali Banisadr

Richard Scott and Jee Lew

(painting from the MFA Exhibition 2006)
I love this painting... one because it is identical to the room I stayed in while I was in New York and two... i love the way the carpet is painted (Jee must have lived... or known someone who lived in the St. George)

"Je ne suis pas sûr..."

presque fait...

Christmas Break! 3 days away!

I am so excited for 4:00 Wednesday afternoon to roll around. That is when this semester will finally come to a close for me. (No more art history or linguistics ever again! whoo hoo!) My last final happens to be "Sleep, Surrender, and Sabbath"... which unluckily for me falls into the very last time-slot for finals :/
I am really looking forward to packing my bags, and driving home to spend the remainder of the week in Savage with my family and friends! I am really really looking forward to the day after my finals, when I finally was able to schedule an appointment for the hour-long massage my mom gave me for my birthday! (It's my motivation for studying hard and getting through this week!) I don't really know how many late night/all-nighters I can handle at this point... my sleep schedule is so thrown off right now (yesterday I accidentally slept in til 3 pm!!!!... i think that's a new record for me)

I tried to take off as much time from work over break as possible... so I could relax a bit before J-term starts up (I'm kind of excited to take Forensics and Self Defense) ... but it looks like I'm still going to be driving back and forth a bit between Roseville and Burnsville to cover some shifts at the hotel. (the nice part will be that my shifts all seem to fall on the weekends... that way I can just stay at my place over the weekends.

I can't wait to go home and snuggle with Bria! I wish she was still this little!

making some changes..

this painting is going to be my final project for this semester's painting class
... adding some blurring strokes and more dark tones

song that I love (jon foreman)

Heavenly Father, you always amaze me...
let your kingdom come in my world and in my life
give me the food I need to live through today...
and forgive me as I forgive the people that wrong me
lead me far from temptation... deliver me from the evil one
I look out the window, the birds are composing
not a note is out of tune or out of place
I walk to the meadow and stare at the flowers
better dressed than any girl on her wedding day
so why do I worry? ... why do I freak out?
God knows what I need ...You know what I need

Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong

the kingdom of heaven is now advancing...
invade my heart, invade this broken town
the kingdom of the Heavens is buried treasure...
would you sell yourself to buy the one you've found?
two things you told me... that You are strong
and You love me....yes, you love me

Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong
Your love is... Your love is
Your love is strong

our God in heaven
hallowed be thy name
above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
forgive us weary sinners
keep us far away from our vices
and deliver us from these prisons.

Some good news and some weight off my shoulders!

So.... I got my exegesis paper today and.... I got an "A" on it! Whoot whoot! I'm glad that working my buns off trying to research it and write it paid off :) While it was a lot of work, I actually really enjoyed doing the research! I feel like I have a much better undertanding of the book of Psalms and about the different styles of poetry used by the authors. I chose to write my paper on Psalm 46 and since then I've kinda been "camping out" in that book. I really enjoy reading through the Psalms, there are a lot of really encouraging and inspiring passages. Now.... if only I could keep on track with my goal to finish reading the old testament... I've been really slow about making my way through it (but according to the tortoise and the hare fable... being slow isn't always a terrible thing... it's the consistancy that I really think I need to focus on)

Also in regards to relief and reduced stress! I also had my last critique of the semester for my sculpture class today and it went really well! My professor seems to like the materials I am working with and says he is excited to see what I will come up with in the Sculpture II class andSenior Sem class that I am taking from him this spring.

I also just finished writing my 2nd to last really big paper of the semester! One left to go! I am so excited for Christmas break! I am really just focusing on getting everything taken care of one day at a time until then ... It is going to be so nice to sleep in! to see my family and to cut back on work for bit!

fabric or metal...

... new sculpture I am working of for this week's critique

sculpture is held together by: pop rivets, welding, plasma-cut holes, wiring and stick pins

scultpure materials: cupcake pans, stainless steel bowls, cake pans,
a cookie sheet, a strainer, vegetable steamers, glass jars,
antique platters, aluminum, parafin wax, silver, candle stick holders,
and a wine glass, mesh/netting fabric, sheer oranza fabric

a little bit closer... sculpture is approximately 3ft x 4ft

Adventures in welding....

... and using the plasma cutter

Today I spent the afternoon using the plasma cutter and trying to figure out how to weld... (So far I still have all of my fingers... and toes) Check back later this week if you would like to see photos of the scultpure I'm working on...
I love these sweet goggles.. haha

Some good news

... in order of occurence

Friday night was my first night as a WyldLife Leader for Breck students, my good friend Jon Abrahamson is another leader with my old youth group pastor Andy Swanda, the other female leader is Cathy .... I don't know her very well yet, but I love her sense of humor so far : )
The group seems great, the kids were fun and seemed to be excited to be there. We only meet once or twice a month (which means it will take a while to really get to know any of the kids, but is nice because then it's not too overwhelming of a time-commitment with school)

(This isn't where I nanny... just an example of one of the really cute houses in Edina)

the second piece of good news is.....

I had my first day nannying for a family living in Edina. I spent the whole morning with their cute little 10-month old girl! (she's so cute and really funny). They have the coolest house I've ever seen and a maid! I actually am going back again later tonight on my way back up to school to watch all 4 kids... im pretty excited!

(one of Monique L'huillier's designs)

and last but not least...

After nannying today, I stopped by the Monique L'Huillier salon off of France and talked a little with one of the women that work there. She seemed really nice, she gave me some contact information for some of the higher-ups and told me I should bring in my resumé sometime before Christmas. She also said she would have the general manager give me a call sometime this week to talk about a potential internship.... kinda of exciting... but I'm nervous about the phone call (haha... it's not even that great of news because nothing really happened, but I'm just pretty excited about talking to anyone that works there.)

Trying out an idea....

kind of a different spin on painting for me...
this one was fun to make ....
... i just kind of poured the paint on and then used my hands to move it around and overlap the colors... It started out as just red and black but when the colors mixed ... and after adding some water to thin out some areas... the red started to pull some really nice purple tones out of the black which was kind of surprising...
(I ended up with a spectrum of tones from blackish maroon to bitter violet )


I want to come back and add more layers to see if I can give it some more depth... but for now this is what it looks like... I think the most successful part is the texture but I think the painting itself needs more balance

Painting Something Bigger Than Myself....

... takes a really loooooooong time
Here's what I have so far
this canvas is approximately 4ft x 6ft

... a step further.... (size comparison with everything else in my studio)


Done for the night.... taking a break!