19 May 2010

Celebratory Weekend

This last weekend marked the end of the school semester for me and a celebration of my friend Kelley's birthday so to celebrate we went to Seaside, OR and stayed in a cottage. It was really lovely and relaxing after an intense semester and demanding roommates.

But first I will share the end of the semester projects. This is my final piece for my advanced studio thesis class. Sleep Pod #4 to be exact.




I used only raw wool and silk organza. I felted the wool into sheets and then needle felted the sheets together to form the structure (you can this employed in actuality later in this post).

This piece is a documentation of my radishes (there are 30 of varying types and sizes). This was for my Homeland class in which we were instructed to be involved in a 4 x 4' plot of space or to do a community piece. I initially wanted to scatter wild flower seeds along my bike route between my house and school, but I was kindly reminded by my professor that things grow awfully slowly in the Pacific Northwest, due to the long cold spring. So I just watched my already planted radishes and transcribed their process onto paper with ink. Each individual drawing represents a radish in my garden and it shows the progress of each with a series of enlarged lines.



And these are some of the radishes I pulled the next day.





And this is another piece I did for that class. It was in response to reading Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion. In that one of the characters describes the PNW as being suffocatingly green all the time, everywhere you look, which I completely resonate with. I did a hand-pulled linoleum print with green water-soluble ink and underneath the print I hand wrote out each season. This could potentially be a much bigger piece with several more prints made, further pushing the idea of always green.




On to the coast! We got to the cottage in the afternoon on friday and it suited us all pretty well I'd say. Here is Grandma Kelley and Grandpa Brady.



And a happy picture of Joel.



Clara and I then walked to the beach. Here's what the walk looked like.

We started at the house. Its the little one in the middle.



Then this is two houses away, and the entrance to the beach is in between the two houses on the horizon.



Then you walk between those houses and see lovely little sand path in the dune grass.



As you crest the dune you can see the ocean and the beach.




The sand was really warm and the wind made it turn into ripples on the beach.



As I was saying before, Clara and I went to the beach and I installed my Sleep Pod #4. I found three driftwood logs and made holes to sink the poles into. Clara was the lovely documentarian for the majority of these photos.



Photo courtesy of Clara Lee.



I'm thinking of becoming the next Andy Goldsworthy.







This is my version of Rivers and Tides.







I must say I am thoroughly satisfied with how this turned out. Clara was a good sport in helping me carry the heavier log poles and documenting the whole thing.

After we got back we hung around and had dinner. Nick G. barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs (try the housemade all-beef Whole Foods hot dogs -- my and Joel's first since not being vegetarians, delicious!). Most of the weekend was centered around eating, drinking and being merry (or beating Larry if you prefer, or perhaps not). Excuse the poor lighting and white balance...



Clara modeled for us some Grajamas (Grandma + Pajamas = Grajamas) which we all thoroughly enjoyed.






The next morning for breakfast Joel and I made breakfast casserole for everyone.






Then as a team we all walked to the downtown main drag via the beach which was about a mile, not bad at all.



Clara and I walked ahead of everyone so while we waited Clara buried me in the sand, then Kelley came and made me fins and collaboratively, I believe, they made me a very large dick. Which I can't say wasn't thoroughly amusing.



And this is probably the single most embarrassing picture I've ever taken in my entire life. Ecstasy, pain? Who's to know?




Anyways, moving right along. We went into town and found a candy store that had bins and bins of bulk candy and wonderful bottled drinks. I got birch beer which is very similar to root beer but even more delicious. We played the role of tourists very well.

Me, Nick G. and Brady coming out of the candy store.




Then we walked back to the cottage along the beach.



And then sat in the warm grassy sand dunes.







After this Clara, Kelley and I got mats and blankets (even though the sand is warm, the wind is not) and went back out to lie on the beach and nap. In the mean time Brady's friends came to the cottage and started cooking dinner which was truly amazing: thick vegetarian lasagne, barbecued chicken and steak and a salad from their garden (lettuce, water cress and mizuna).

It was just what we needed. Relaxing, no responsibilities, no phones, no computers, and 100% rejuvenating.



1 comment:

Gina T said...

Sounds like a great break!