Update

Color theory now has some project updates. More to come later.

Updates

So, I've given the journal a new look.
And! I've added two pages. Color Theory and Photography II.
I have to get the photos ready, but there will be pictures of projects for those classes up soon!

Portfolio Review

[this is a repost from my non-school journal, for those of you who read both]

So, all semester I have been working on my Fine Arts portfolio. Every student wishing to pursue a degree in any studio art must submit a portfolio after so many classes. The portfolio must be accepted for the student to be officially accepted into the Fine Arts department. If the portfolio is rejected, well, you find a new major because you are not accepted to the department. And, the portfolio is not simply work from your specific concentration.. It must include pieces from Drawing I and Design I as well. And other art classes if you wish. But the “foundation” classes for a studio art degree must be in there, no matter what your concentration is.

This is how the review goes: There are reviews scheduled ALL day. You arrive early, so you can set up your pieces by the time your review is scheduled for. Then 3 professors/instructors from the department walk in. This is your review board. You don’t know who is on your board until they walk in. THEY don’t even know who’s board they are on until the morning of review day. So, you introduce yourself to any instructor you don’t know. Hand out your table of contents. Then you leave. For 20-30 minutes. And wait in the lobby area of the Fine Arts floor while they look at your work and talk about your work and decide if they want to accept the portfolio. Then one of them comes to bring you back in and you find out at the decision is and then talk about the good things, the bad things, the things that can be worked on, etc.
All semester I’ve been working on this thing. Late nights at the darkroom. Late nights cuting mats for my photos. Late nights shrink wrapping my drawings. Several meetings with my photo advisor to decide what to put in and what to edit out.

Then yesterday. The day was here. My review was at 11:15am. I got there at 10:45am. A friend of mine, Anita, who is also a photo major, was up for review right before me. When I got there she was sitting in the lobby waiting for them to come and get her. We talked for a while, it helped ease the nerves a bit. Then they came for her and I was left alone. I was so damn nervous. After a while I was called on. I passed Anita in the hall as I was walking to the room. She got in. Congrats!

I get to the room and I’m setting up my portfolio for display and my board walks in. This is who I had:

Mr. Jensen - my photo advisor, I knew he’d be there.

Mr. Fiorentino - haha, my BOSS, I am his ceramics lab assistant, and I took his Ceramics I class last summer.

Mr. Balasis - I’ve never had a class with him. He has never seen my work. He is the graphic design professor. I have met him before though. When I took digital photo, the printer we used was in his office. He always seemed pretty nice.

So, I was pretty happy with who I got for my board. I handed out my table of contents and then I had to leave. Those were the longest 25 minutes of my life. I almost convinced myself that I was out. I was so nervous. Mr. Jensen came to get me when they were done talking and he didn’t say anything. We got to the room and I sat in a chair that was pulled up for me. Until they finally told me.. that I am IN! My portfolio was accepted! I was so relieved. Then each instructor took turns telling me what they liked about my work and then offered advice for things I need to work on. It went very well. I got some great advice. And! We talked about a switch in one of the required classes for me.

Visual Communications I is required for any studio art major. Basically, it’s typography. But, we discussed a switch for me because I want to work more with Photoshop to work on my digital photo skills. So! Instead I will get to take Computer Graphics I! That is exciting. I was already not looking forward to Vis Com I. So, Mr. Jensen and I have to talk and make some changes so I can take Computer Graphics I instead of Vis Com I. We also talked about me doing an Independant Study for a semester in photog. So I can build a project and expand on some of the ideas and suggestions they gave me. It will be a lot of work, but it will be a good thing.

So, I’m incredibly happy that my portfolio was accepted.

busy, busy, busy

I haven't updating in a looong time. I've been incredibly busy with photography and color theory projects. And I've got tons of reading in my other 4 classes. Plus I've been sick quite a bit this semester. So I've got a lot of catching up to do.

I am currently on Spring Break. Staying on campus. Catching up on reading. Working in the darkroom to get my portfolio ready for presentation next Friday. Battling the return of migraines.

Last week I had a ton of papers and midterms. Next week I have more papers and midterms. And Portfolio Review Day on Friday... So, next weekend I'll get some photos up here. I'll try to get to the mac lab and scan some of my photo II film so I can put that up here too. And, I'll have pictures of the color theory assignments.

AMP

You’re invited to join AMP, the Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective, through personal invitation only, for free lifetime membership! Go to the AMP homepage to browse around and get an idea of what it’s all about, tell them you were referred by me! There’s nothing in the world like it. There are other artist communities - but they’re specific to either one art form, one area, or one goal. AMP’s focus is broad - you can connect with any kind of artist, anywhere in the world, for any common purpose - and AMP includes a lodging component as well!

Artists of any sort - painters, dancers, musicians, performance artists, and more - and those who work in the art world, like gallery owners, tour bookers, festival organizers, and more - are welcome to sign up for free, and invite any and all of their artist friends. After AMP opens to the public, new memberships will cost $20 annually, so sign up now so you never have to pay - and pass on this invitation quickly! It takes most people about 5 minutes to fill out the application, though you can go into as much detail as you like in describing yourself. Sign up now to take advantage of this powerful resource. Plug in today!

When it asks who referred you, just put my name: Rebecca Strang

New Work Study Job

Next week I start working for the Ceramics professor as his lab assistant.
I'll be working 3-4 hours on Fridays while he is there working on his personal projects. He also wants me to do some photography for him. So that is exciting.
Tomorrow I have to go get all the paperwork together for the work study stuff.
Exciting!

The end of the first week of Spring 2006 classes

what a long, long week.

I got back on Sat, Jan 14. Over the weekend my roommate and I moved the apartment around so that we each have our own side.. We live in a small studio university apartment. No privacy at all. So this semester we decided to just make our own rooms using our furniture.. I like having more privacy.

As for classes:

Classical Rome: shouldn't be too bad. The prof has never taught this class before, he doesn't have a syllabus or schedule.. The texts are very easy to read.. It's like something I'd have read in 6th grade. The prof is nice. The classroom is very very small. It's in a conference room. Not everyone fits at the table. Some people have to sit in chairs along the wall with nothing to write on. But we can't use a regular classroom because the prof is in a wheelchair and the building we were supposed to be in is not accessible. Oops.

Philosophy: not bad. Prof is a bit of a control freak it seems. He makes us put this name plates on our desk that he made.. But, the class itself should be interesting.

Photo II: I've had this prof for my last photo class. Not worried too much. Some of the projects sounds really interesting. We get to use medium format camera. Fun.

Shakespeare: Nice prof. Good selection of works. HEAVY text.

Art History: BORING prof. Class is a bit of a drag.

Color Theory: Really interesting prof. Very interesting subject. VERY EXPENSIVE. I have to buy this box of paper by Wed. and I cannot afford it. It's between 100-120 dollars. I don't know what I am going to do. We have to start an inclass project with the paper on Wed. And, it's hard to find. It's by a company called Color-Aid. And it's a box of 6inx9in paper. A box of 314 papers, each is a different color. Why must it cost so much?
The art stores in Chicago apparently don't stck it often because Color-Aid can be difficult to work with. So it's like a treasure hunt to find the stuff, and will cost a nice treasure to take home. I found a few art stores that can ship it to me, but until I find 120 dollars, well, I'm out of luck.
I also have to get:
- Winsor & Newton Designer's Gouache paint: Spectrum Yellow, Spectrum Red, Ultramarine Blue, Lamp Black, and Zinc White.
- Illustration Board. white, toothed finish, single weight. 3 sheets of 30x40in.
- 11x14in tracing paper.
- self-healing 12x8.5in cutting pad.
oye.

As for jobs. There is a chance I might be doing some work study as the Ceramics Lab Assistant. But that is still in the air.
I am also still looking for a new outside job since my last job changed hours and no longer works with my schedule.
If anyone needs a photographer, you know where to find me!

I am still on the photo editing team for Diminuendo, the art/lit magazine here at LUC.
AND, I will be working on the other art/lit mag, Cadence, this semester as well. Photo editor.

That's about it for now I think.
Oh, my photo prof let me check out a digital camera, so I'll be able to update the site with photos as well! That will be a little later though. I've got to do some shooting.