Paintings take a long time to finish...

I didn't realize how long I've been working on this piece until I saw the date on the last post. Yikes. At least I'm closer to done now:

This picture was taken 2 weeks ago, and although I have worked on it since then, it doesn't look that much different. The finished product will not have any more additions or subtractions, I've made all the decisions I need to make, now it's just perfection time.

The discussion of pricing art is always an awkward one. Do you want to price it what you think its worth? Based on how many hours it took to complete? How contemporary paintings are priced? Well if I wanted to make a certain dollar amount per hour...it would have to be in the hundreds of thousands...which would be pretty ridiculous (albeit wonderful) to realistically sell at. Maybe once I'm dead and gone? In all seriousness, I don't do it for the money (honestly) so the hundred or so hours I put into a painting is all about educating myself and perfecting something I love to do and want to see.

This piece is the first in the series that will *hopefully* get me into graduate school. 1 (almost) done, 19 to go :)

In Progress

This post is introducing a new integral part of my blog of works in progress. The process of making the art is almost more important to me than the finished product. In fact, after I've completed a piece, it's common for me to hate it for quite some time. I don't always have a plan for the exact look/composition of the piece, major decisions are made along the way. One of the major decisions is color choice. We see flesh color and think...hmm...some kind of tan with pink should work for a flesh color. But think about it. The color of blood is red/blue/purple. Then layers of skin which is not an intense pigment itself, but layers and layers of translucent material. When creating flesh on a painting, in order to achieve the depth and appropriate color/shading, I must use layers. With anything, clothing, sky, trees, etc, there has to be depth of color. For me, using color out of the tube is never appropriate. Black is never just black, there is another tint to it.

The above image is a painting I just started. The concept might be a little too heavy, but I'll do a separate post about that : ) This is just to show the process of layering. I mix a "flesh" color and place it on the canvas where I think the body will go. Then I create the undertone, because that first color I mix will not be deep enough to pass off as skin, and go over the area of skin. For this painting I decided to go predominately violet for the shadows of skin, so that's where I start. Then I add white mixed with turpentine so that it's almost like layers of translucent skin on top. Also, notice that the dress is black, but there are other colors in it too, right? A little green, a little violet. This doesn't let the object get too flat and cartoon-like. More to come as this layer dries and I add another : )

Vegas

"Welcome to 24 hours of sensory overload" is what my taxi driver so accurately pointed out upon my arrival to the city of Las Vegas. That really is the best way to describe it. So many things to look at in a small cramped in place its hard not to run into people as you're shuffling down the strip, so many Ed Hardy t-shirt-ed tools to make fun of, so many stumbling plastic surgery disasters in stilettos, and even the occasional tranny who makes you do a prolonged double take to figure out: boy or girl?! (Usually it was boy, the muscular shoulders always give them away...)

I went to visit my sister, Katrina, who was attending the WPPI Photography conference at the MGM Grand. I was only there a total of 42 hours because of layovers and times of available flights, and I just happened to get sick the day I arrived, so I really only got a snapshot of Vegas, and I must say, I didn't DO Vegas as most do. We stayed at Excalibur, which was affordable, clean and cute. The customer service might have been the worst I have ever experienced. Ever. I guess when you're a destination place, you don't have to worry about making sure your customers are loyal... We got to check out the other casinos and took a drive down the strip to see how all these massive hotels/casinos all fit! The Aria is such an impressive and beautiful complex. The fountains there were probably my favorite. I of course loved the Bellagio. The floral arrangements were amazing as well as the Chihuly glass. Paris was beautiful as well as the Venetian. It really is impressive how the designers really hit the nail on the head of these places while putting a whimsical vegas-y touch to them. I couldn't help but think it'd be a dream to work on one of those casinos!

Major highlights:

-Taking a road trip through the desert to the ghost town of Rhiolyte, NV. We drove through a fluffy snow storm to get there, and despite the 100 mph winds, it was quite beautiful and fun to walk around/take pictures. (My camera is broken, so go to www.stulagu.bigfolioblog.com to see the pics Kat took, they should be up in a couple days.)

-The dinner we had last night at Japonais in the Mirage was wonderful. 2 apps, 1 entree and 1 dessert for $45. Pretty great for Vegas... The food was really great!

-The lion habitat in the MGM was great! I never got to stand below a sleeping lion before! Plus the habitat was large and beautiful, which is always a good thing to see for these beautiful creatures in captivity.

-I won $15 on the slots. High Roller.

-And of course watching Lost. This is always a highlight, no matter where I am.

Major bummers:

-Not being able to see Love. Because of the times/dates of my flights, there were no performances I could actually get to. Major bummer.

-Being sick and not really being able to explore nearly as much as I wanted to!

My overall experience was fun. I enjoyed spending time with my sister and had fun exploring. That being said, Las Vegas really isn't my scene. I'm not a big gambler or drinker and naked girls and trashy marriage don't really get me that excited. And as hilarious as the Hangover was, I don't feel the need to recreate it as so many of the Ed Hardy wearing frat boys walking around did.... BUT, I had a great time and wouldn't mind going back when I have more time/money to go to shows!

Merlin's Rest

Located on 36th Ave S and Lake Street in Minneapolis is Merlin's Rest. While from the outside, it's easy to miss, and if you do notice it, the judgement may be made that its a hole in the wall. Then you are pulled by curiosity or thirst to go inside, and you find an authentic British pub, most likely with a few fiddlers in the corner or possibly an episode of Dr Who projected. It is quite possibly the best British pub in the cities (minus the fact that they won't make my favorite chips and cheese, guess Brit's is good for something). The atmosphere is what makes them. The service is wonderful, friendly, and laid back. If you're looking for a place to get "trashed, man" and rowdy, please go elsewhere. Merlin's Rest is for the groups of friends coming for conversation, the low maintenance date, those looking to be entertained by a talented band and enjoy a delicious Shepherd's Pie and a Guinness.

We have become quite the regulars there, as Jesse lives a few blocks away, so when we read the advertisement for their Valentine's Day special, we made the plans. Not being much of a romantic couple, not really into the pretension of expensive small portions, dozens of roses and other expensive temporary trinkets, this was perfect for us. The special included 3 courses for 2 for $35.00. For the price, you might have been skeptical, but the food was GREAT. The salad was good, the salmon I had was great with the most amazing green beens prepared in almond oil. Jesse had the chicken stuffed with mushrooms, and that was wonderful as well. *for you Veggies, they also offer a completely vegetarian menu option all the time* The tiramisu was homemade, served in a martini glass, and really quite good. The food was wonderful, the service quick and friendly and the price was perfect. I hope more people learn of the charm of Merlin's Rest! *Just not too many, I don't want to have to wait outside for a table....*

Corporation-ation

Being the new girl at work is an interesting experience. It’s like walking into high school, half way through Junior year, and trying to figure out, not only who the popular kids are, but who to avoid, and none of the regular rules apply. The one with all the power could be the tall woman in chunky heels with 80s hair and thick eyeliner, or the somewhat mousey lady with mom like hair and a very unsupportive undergarment. The office biotch usually is the woman who most resembles a nice grandmother, who, once you get to know her looks like she may sprout pointed teeth and bloodshot eyes if you don't say "yes" to her every demand. One must use her best judgement to decide who to kiss up to and who to give crazy attitude to.

In the corporate world, it’s the little things that matter. The little things include: having a comfortable chair, being within arms reach of candy, and learning the art of sly internet searching. Most people wouldn’t think of this, but when you’re sitting at a computer for 8 hours straight (well, ok 2 10 minute breaks and 1 30 minute lunch get to interrupt the 8 hours a bit) your butt better be sitting on something supportive YET plush. I lucked out BIG TIME at my new job, getting to sit on a Herman Miller chair….is like heaven for my tush and back. And when those customers who are either really old or really stupid who just really REALLY try my patience, I lean back in my Herman Miller chair and sigh, wishing that I could hang up on them.

Change

I have not blogged in quite some time. Which, really, is a good thing. No blogging means I have better things to do or that the things I'm doing aren't very interesting. It's been a bit a both.

The news of the time is that I have officially quit my job and have been hired as a full time hotel reservations coordinator in downtown St Paul. Woofreakinghoo. I'm moving home : ) While I already miss the community of road warriors that I have been in, I am excited for this change and can only hope that those relationships I have built this past year will survive. I'm thrilled about the idea of having my own place (working on an artist loft in St Paul...90% sure it'll be mine next week!!!), having a job where I have set hours and expectations, and being close to the people who matter most. I will of course miss the travel. But the silver lining of all this is that the next time I go somewhere it'll be somewhere I really WANT to go to, for the amount of time I want.

Subsequently, from this life change, will come a blog change. This blog will now be more focused on my art and community I will become a part of. Please stay tuned : )

On a side note, not that it has anything to do with this disjointed post, I'm watching the documentary The Rape of Europa. It's quite fascinating how many treasures were destroyed by those evil Germans (I can say that, I'm German) and how many were saved by selfless people. It's very interesting, check it out if you can!

Pop Music

A sleepless night in a hotel room led me to watching VH1's top videos of the year. Popular music is something I have an appreciation for. Sometimes I really dig it. Like Rooney, Norah Jones, Ben Folds, heck even Queen and The Beatles would be considered 'pop' for at least most of their careers. So really, pop music is not bad as a genre. It's actually quite great.

The pop music of today is unfortunately, in my opinion, mostly rap/hip hop these days. I have no problem with rap and hip hop in the broad sense. But the songs that get made sometimes just make me really scratch my head. Like why does the new Rihanna song have a mechanical sounding dog barking for the beat? Why are 17 year olds rapping about bitches and ho's? I'm not the clubbing type, and yet I think I can pick out when it's a good beat/melody and when it's not.

This brings me to a quite embarrassing confession. Most of you who know me know I abhor Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus more than most ridiculous things in this culture. The fact that Taylor Swift won a best artist award really boggles my mind. Miley is a very well marketed quasi talented tool. I actually listened to her song "Party in the USA." Really listened to it. And I can't get it out of my head. It's a FABULOUS pop song. Exactly what pop should be. And in an age of Lohans and Kardashians, I guess Smiley Miley isn't the worst person for kids to look up to. I just hate that I tap my foot and hum along like a fool....

I downloaded the 'top 100 songs of 2009' and gave most a pretty good listen. It makes me wish that these collaborative projects could just be actual songs. For an example the song "Knock You Down" by Keri Hilson, Kanye West and Ne-Yo has a really good chorus. Nice tight harmonies, good melody. But then we get the rapping that goes on for like FOREVER. Same with "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. I absolutely love Alicia's part...but get bored with the rest. I really wish that there could be a little more originality in songwriting these days. Like instead of using tunes from 80s and 90s songs and looping us going "hey, hey, hey, hey" over top while Rihanna whines (I pick on her because she's not a nice person) a chorus over it....I just don't buy that as good music. If you're covering a song, do something original with it. REDO it. Don't just use someone's recording and bastardize it. Jeez.

I really didn't mean for this to be a rant. Just a confession and explanation on why Miley Cyrus is one of the artist categories on my iPod. No Taylor Swift though. I have to draw the line somewhere....