THERE SHE GOES....(THERE SHE GOES AGAIN)

Look out Guatemala, here comes some Southern Lovin'...

So one of my closest friends is going to be in Guatemala for the next six months.  Her name is Cody and she has been a complete Godsend in my life for the last four(ish) years.  I will gush about her existence in my life in a later post.  Right now there are more pressing announcements to make.

You see, one of her particularly spectacular attributes is that she loves to love people!  This is currently taking the form of a trip to Guatemala.  Now, due to some amazingly peculiar and frustrating discoveries that arose about a month ago, the means by which she was planning to work and inhabit Guatemala have changed.  However, this did not stymie her plans or what she is setting out to do,  though it did do a marvelous job of confusing the stuffing out of me.

So, as far as details on what she is doing once she gets there, I am at a loss.  All I can say for certain is that: 1) God's love will be touching lives.  2) Medical, physical and spiritual needs will be met.  3) Friends will be made.  4) Little foreign children will be in danger of asphyxiation via hugs and/or spontaneous adoption.

(She [hopefully] will be documenting her ventures via her blog throughout the course of the trip.  The frequency/existence of her posts will depend on the availability of wireless where she will be staying. )

Obviously, this trip will be an awesome tool for honing Cody's spirit and her relationship with God.  Things will happen on this trip, that can be assured.  I ask anyone who happens to read this to pray for Cody and the people she will encounter during her stay.  Pray that she is given an unfathomable vigor and confidence in serving those Christ came to save;  that she be floored by God's power and love unfolding in front of her eyes.  Pray that the people of the villages she frequents are touched by God's Spirit;  that they can come to know the God that loves them.  Pray for healing and prosperity in the country and in the hearts of its citizens. 

P.Y.S.R.S. (Parenthetical Yet Super-Related Statement) - She just took her NCLEX (for nursing license) not 24 hours ago.  She will know her results two days from taking it.  Pray that she passes with flying colors!

GO HARRISON FA-MI-LY GO!

So, you might be all like:

"Yo,  Mikey! (No one calls me Mikey)  What up wit' the schmaltzy space silhouettes and obviously unoriginal backdrop biz?"  (Thanks, gamesandwallpapers.amazing-planet.net!)

Then I'd be all like:

"It's my family, bub!  And I'm a'celebrating their existence!  People tend to associate existence with space for some reason and silhouettes serve well to protect my fam' from creepies and the like!" 

You see, both my sister and father have had birthdays in the past week(ish).  So, I thought I would post about the wonderful family God has blessed me with!  (Throwing Mom in the mix, too.  Though her birthday is half a year away, she is still loved!)

So, lets get this love fest underway! *

Dad - (Divinely Appointed Demonstrator)
This man has been a role model from the start!  Be it shoe tying or tie tying, math or history,  driving stick or riding a bike, he has been there to show me how.  And sports.  Oh, the things I have learned about sports!  A most manly of bonds that has grown stronger throughout the progression of our relationship.  How I cherish the times we spend on the couch watching and conversing about sports!

He has also been paramount in developing my character throughout my life.  Honesty, integrity, perseverance, patience, hard work and love; these he has cultivated in me as I began to grow into who I am meant to be.  I see my dad's passion for the things he loves and it strikes something in me, and his encouragement toward a path of righteousness was a catalyst for my passion to serve God today! 

Mom - (Maturity Ordinance Manager)
She's the great encourager!  Her delight at the site of my success was crucial to my confidence.  Things like being there to provide a PB 'n' J after a long day at school and waking me up in time to go to said school, speak volumes of her love.  A shoulder to cry on and a word of direction, she helped me realize that I should not and cannot do life alone.

Her strength and desire to uphold a stable and loving environment for my sister and I to grow up in still amazes me today.  I am coming to realize more and more, her often under-appreciated willingness to get her hands dirty, both literally and figuratively.  One of the greatest lessons I've seen taught through her life is the fact that we still can love and serve those around us, regardless of our current predicament and struggles.

Sister - (Stunning Intellectual Slash Teenage Experience Reciprocator)
She is my partner in all that is awesome!  Lets face it, I have more inside jokes and shared humor traits with this girl than anyone else.  She is just downright fun to be around.  I love playing N64 and going on photo excursions with her, and I can't wait to hang out every time I come home.  Oh, and we will soon be reunited, as we will be attending the same college next year!  Which is doubly amazing, considering she blends seamlessly into my group of friend, and they think she is a blast!

Now, she is more than just a buddy to pal around with.  Over the years, I have seen her grow into a BEAUTIFUL woman.  (It's a weird feeling!)  And she has the intelligence and wit to match.  When she talks about her web classes, I feel so out of the loop.  I mean, she, a recent high school grad, can code circles around me!  Now, she is going to be in a metropolitan area.  With her looks and mental sharpness, you will hear this girl's name sometime in the near future!

* Love fest characteristics expressed in each section may also be transferable to other family members :)

Happy Birthday Guys!
Love you!

BACK TO THE CLICHE-AVOIDANCE BOARD

Grab your extra large newsprint pad and gird your lungs for charcoal filtration! 

It's that time again.  Time to bust out your semi-blind contour power stance and reflect on how you never thought you would end up being sore from drawing.  This time, however, I have the rather scarce luxury of both knowing what to expect, and having no idea what to expect the same time.  You see, I am taking Drawing II at Valencia Community College (rather than UCF) this summer.

Now, I have mixed feelings about this.  I really like the quality and style of instruction provided by UCF's professors.  In the basic drawing classes, they work almost exclusively in blind and semi-blind contour drawing with spatial reasoning techniques  such as descending inter-cross.  You are asked to respond to the object instinctively and draw what you see, not what you think you see.  Exploration of and communication with the subject is done almost exclusively with the eyes; the hand and pencil just document that interaction.  Having, no background in more traditional art forms and very little experience with a skill such as drawing, I feel this style of teaching levels the playing field, so to speak.  It teaches you how to see rather than how to stylize.  I hope that the Valencia drawing classes provide the same teaching style.

However, as beneficial as Drawing I was, it is a ton of work!  This is where I am hoping that the Valencia class differs.  In UCF's Drawing I, you would average about 10hrs of drawing outside of class and 6hrs in class each week.  Around the weeks of midterms and finals, that work outside of class turns to about 20hrs.  Drawing II is supposed to require even more work.  Now, if that trend carries over to Valencia, combined with the 2x accelerated pace of a summer session with class M-TH, I could be looking at a maddening amount of work!

The other unknown is the class content.  UCF's Drawing II is figure drawing, and in order for this class to transfer credit, I figure that Valencia's version would cover the same content.  However, I have not been able to find a description of the class on their website.  I guess if I walk in to someone in a robe looking all sheepish or peculiarly confident, I'll get my answer.  (Yes, this is potentially one of those type of classes).

Side note:  I wish the models could just wear those spandex body suits.  It would really help ease my conscience, though I do not expect to find myself lusting, considering most of the models will forty-somethings and/or dudes.  Also, per the nature of drawing, we are expected to view the model as a form, rather than a human being.  (i.e.  I HAVE A CLASS THAT REQUIRES ME TO OBJECTIFY WOMEN!)

Joking aside, I do ask that you pray for me and my classmates.  Pray that I can put in the work for this class without getting burnt out.  Pray that I can abstain from unwholesome thoughts and attitudes toward the models and nature of this class.  Pray that I can connect with my classmates and even my teacher, and that opportunities to share Christ will be provided and capitalized on.

P.S. - Check out the 'EVENTS' tab to see what you could be doing this weekend!

WHAT I LEARNED IN BOATING SCHOOL IS...

My thoughts upon finishing the art blocks:

This was a very rewarding project.  There were definitely some pleasant surprises and expected frustrations.  Though there was the constant struggle of setting aside time and creating when I didn't feel like it, each block presented a unique set of challenges.  For the sake of compartmentalization, I will break the experience into three categories: the frustrations, the challenges and the takeaways.


The Frustrations
The main source of frustrations over the course of the week came from the mediums and tools.  The top echelon of these miscreants had to be the glues.  Their ringleader: the spray adhesive.  It was great for adhering delicate and moisture sensitive materials such as paper and thread, but it loved to vomit little white confetti of glue, giving black surfaces a bad case of dandruff.  It also remained tacky indefinitely and produced noxious fumes.  The super glue was kinda a jerk as well.

Other culprits were misaligned and sloppy cuts, mystery splotches on my clean white paper and cutting wood.  Ah, the wood.  I was expecting a nice soft particle wood block that could be punched through like cookie dough.  Little did I know, getting the clockworks set in the block would turn into a 2 hour ordeal.   (Thanks for the help, Tyler!)  And cutting that little red block with a PVC hand saw was rough as well.  Getting a straight and level cut with a hand saw, not once, but twice, was a nightmare.  Also, as I would reach the end of my cut, the wood would chip off and splinter.  Sorry, had to vent a little.

The Challenges
Besides making sure to set aside the hours and creating when I don't feel like it, I'd say refraining from thinking ahead was one of my biggest challenges.  Since I wanted each block, from conception to actualization, to be created in one day, I attempted to keep from thinking about concepts for future blocks.  I did come into the project with some materials and concepts in mind, however; but the forms those concepts took were realized in the day of their creation.  The challenge was when I would get an idea and discover that I did not have enough time to produce it that particular day.  I couldn't reserve that idea for another day. 

The other main challenge was letting myself be vulnerable.  I see all the "flaws" in each piece and immediately focus on that.  I see times where I lost control of the mediums.  I see the simplicity of each piece and feel that I need to be doing more.  I see the repetition in style and feel like I need to expand my spectrum.   It's putting it out there anyway, for others to see.  It's realizing that its not about me that helps me overcome my own criticisms.  In fact, recoiling from revealing God's truths out of fear of personal inadequacies is the very thing this project is combating.

The Takeaways 
Besides simply getting some experience with various mediums, I've learned quite a few things from this project.  One of the greatest benefits of this project was touched on in the previous paragraph.  It's putting something out there that I may not feel confident about and seeing what happens.  If it depended on my skill and talent to put ears to God's Word and change hearts, then this project would be for naught.  Rather, it's the fact that God chooses to reveal Himself through our tinpot creations that makes projects like this so beautiful.

Another thing I have gleaned from this project is the fact that every piece does not need to contain a deep or obscure concept.  Who are we to determine what is deep or obscure anyway?  In fact, it is the simple messages, the pivotal messages, that need to be proclaimed first.  It's fine to dive deep into characteristics of God's character and Biblical themes that may not be addressed as often, but I need to remember my audience.  These pieces will be seen by a large gamut of both believers and non-believers.   For the sake of the non-believers, the most basic form of the Gospel needs to be portrayed through at least one of my pieces.  It may be a message that I have heard countless times, but I cannot treat it as commonplace nor can I treat it as if it has lost it's power.

PIECE #7 - SANCTUARY

Title :  "Sanctuary"

Date :  06/06/11

Materials:  acrylic, wood

 

This one is very clean and simple, just like its message.

Come to the Lord and you will find peace and security.  In fact, it is only in Him where we can truly find these. 

Since there are only three element on this block, I'll just break them down individually.

The Black
Represents any type of suffering or blight.  Anything that is a result of sin.  The fallen world and the consequences we are, as a race, sentenced to endure. 

The White Path
Jesus.  The Light of the World.  It is through Him, and only through Him, we can reach reconciliation and therefore peace.  He is the Way, the path to eternal salvation and peace.

The Red Block
The stronghold of God's Covenant.  The immovable security for those that are in Christ Jesus.  While we still remain in the sin filled world and endure it's suffering until we are called home, we are now cloaked in Christ's blood.  We are afforded the peace of knowing our salvation is assured.

It is just that simple.  No gray area.  You are either in this sanctuary or you are not.  This is why I feel that this piece needed to be simple.

Well, there you have it. It's been a challengingly great experience!  I will be posting a synopsis about the whole week in the next couple of day.  For now, I'm gonna have some food and watch a little T.V.

PIECE #6 - (TITLE TO BE REVEALED LATER)

Title :  (To be revealed later)

Date :  06/05/11

Materials: matte black card stock, white charcoal

For this one, I will be withholding the explanation behind it.  Considering I did not figure out what it meant until after I had finished it, I feel a little ambiguity would serve the audience well.   I want to hear your interpretations!

(If you really want to know what my take on the piece is,  feel free to ask me.)

Thanks again for the prayers! One more block to go!

PIECE #5 - CONTINUUM

Title :  "Continuum"

Date :  06/04/11

Materials: matte photo paper, India ink, acrylic, working clock mechanism

 

So, this piece is obviously about time. 

(Trust me, I thought about using the movement of the hands to portray many other concepts, but I figured the radial movement and tell-tale ticking sound would trigger 'clock' in the audiences' minds no matter how hard I tried to mask it.  Besides, that little motor in there has almost no torque, so I couldn't really add anything to the hands or replace them with other objects like I wanted to.  Oh well, problem solving is a crucial part of the artistic process anyway.)

Now as far as the concept, I decided to express something I have heard mentioned multiple times by a pastor named Isaac Hunter (Summit Church).  It really stuck with me.  It's the fact that:

"the only time we can interact with God is in the present.  Not because that's the only place He exists, but it's the only place that we exist."

I love that!  Our only chance to pursue God, obey God, worship God, serve God and have a relationship with God is in the present.  Our existence, at least here on earth, is linear and we are right on the precipice. We create a heritage of moments, each one lived in at one point or another, but now uninhabitable, for we can only inhabit one moment at a time.  Our next moment here on earth is not guaranteed and we cannot retro-navigate our lineage.  We are stuck in the present.  Due to this, God, existing outside of the jurisdiction of time, in his immeasurable love and compassion, meets us in the only place we can.

This block asks a question knowing the answer, but begs another:  Do we know when we exist?

PIECE #4 - THOROUGHFARES

Title :  "Thoroughfares"

Date :  06/03/11

Materials:  Acrylic

The result of this one really struck me.  It really has moved me in the most beautiful manner.

I was struggling for ideas throughout most of the day.  I had read Ephesians 4 this morning, so I decided that unity in Christ was going to be my concept, but I really had no idea about the vessel in which to convey the message.  I hadn't even decided on a medium or technique. 

So, I just began by painting my block white.  While I was painting, I glanced over at a box of push-pins on the table.  After a little experimentation, I decided I was going to use the push-pins to scratch through the semi-wet acrylic, revealing the red-stained wood underneath.  I began in the center of the block and would swipe the pin out to the edge, repeating until the entire block was covered.  I did this five or six times, each time painting back over the scratches in order to build up a history.  The last time through, I left the scratches open and the paint scraps untouched.

As for reading into this piece, this was one of those pieces where I just start working, not knowing where the rhetoric may lie.  I'm just along for the ride.  With this piece in particular, I did not know what this piece was saying until after I had finished working on it.  In fact, my perspective changed quite a bit over the course of making this one.  I really like when that happens; when it leaves the overall message in tack but the form is dynamic enough to take on a multitude of projections from the audience.

At first, I viewed it as a bunch of paths leading into a central point; that was my intention upon starting the piece at least. They were representing lifetimes; linear, at least as far as our time on earth goes.  Each one unique but united with the same end. The ones faded by the paint were the lives of those who have already left earth.  All meeting at the epicenter that is God. 

I also viewed them as veins, our lives united by the well of blood that is Christ's that was spilled.  Veins, life giving, providing for the entire body.

Then, a few layers of paint in, I began noticing the violent nature of the center and how each scratch has so much energy as it shoots outward from the center.  Outward, that was surely different from the previous interpretations.  The more I looked at it, though, the more it looked like the aftermath of a great impact.  I began thinking of the word impact.  Christ's impact on humanity surely had some force behind it, maybe this was a representation of His impact upon coming to earth.  Then the scratches would be those sent out by his impact, not cast out, but sent; sent out on missions to bring people back to Him.  Bring people back?  If this is a site of impact, how is the act of bringing people back portrayed in this piece?  This caused another change.

As I was checking to see if the last coat was dry, I held the piece vertically to see if the paint scraps would remain on the block.  As I looked down the face of the piece, I was taken aback.  The landscape had totally changed!  It was vast!  It was intricate! An entire nation appeared before my eyes!  It was a densely populated city with countless tributaries feeding the central hub!  The scratches became roads on which people could enter the city and its inhabitants could be sent out to reach the outside world.  A system of imports and exports! A necessity for a city to thrive!  And the paint scraps, they were the people!  They were the cars, they were the buildings and they were the people!  Countless in number, all on the move!  And with my desk lamp casting golden light and long shadows over this kingdom, it looked as though dawn had just broke!   

This is what I mean when I mention the paint scraps.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  You will just have to see it in person.

PIECE #3 - CHECKING THE MAP

Title :  "Checking the Map"

Date :  06/02/11

Materials:  matte photo paper

 

So today I caught myself in a rather troubling state of thinking.  It is something I have occasionally found myself doing lately when I am deeply involved with something that I am passionate about.  I get into this habit of appeasing God, be it by abstaining from sin or making an effort to perform good works, in hopes that he might bless my work.  Now I do believe that God rewards faithfulness and can and will withhold blessings in order to reveal wickedness in hopes of repentance, but this mindset I find myself in is downright selfish.

This way of thinking that I sometimes slip into, attempts to shift my motivation (to do good and refrain from sin) from a sense of duty and gratitude out of the unconditional grace provided to me, to that of obtaining a certain level of success and accomplishment.  I am in danger of placing my success over that of God's kingdom. I am in danger of labeling God's blessings as "conditional."  I am in danger of serving the blessing instead of the Blesser.

-  So this block is a statement to myself and to anyone who finds themselves in the aforementioned situation.

When I create a piece of artwork, in any form, it cannot be for the purpose of serving art itself.  It needs to be in service of God, a service with His Kingdom as the benefactors.  This concept got me thinking.  What is making art for art's sake anyway?

Creating art for art's sake is just as futile as creating food for food's sake.  Food will not consume itself, nor will it benefit from itself.  Food requires a client.  The client receives nourishment from the food and the food is fulfilled as a service.  Without someone to eat the food, the food cannot be considered food.  This is the same with art. 

If art was to be created for itself then it would serve no use to anyone or anything.  It would be self sufficient, requiring no participation on our part; art would just be, void of any interaction.  Rather, it is that interaction that creates art.  Communication is what makes art possible.  Transaction from artist to patron is necessary for anything to be considered art, even if the artist is the sole patron, interaction will still be involved.

So if art requires a producer and a benefactor, then it is considered a service.  Art is created with an intent to serve an audience.  Now that service can provide many things, both in and out of our control; but for that part we can control, lets make sure it is serving God by providing an audience with His truths.  He is the one who created the notion after all.  He is the original artist, isn't he?

PIECE #2 - THROUGH THE SEDIMENTARY

Title :  "Through the Sedimentary"

Date :  06/01/11

Materials:  gesso, matte photo paper, white foam core, assorted figurines, red pencil  

 

What if I'm not strong enough? 
What if I'm not good enough?
What if I don't know?
Maybe I should wait. 

Someone else is more qualified. 
Someone else will do it. 
I might mess it up. 
I don't know enough.
What difference would it really make? 

How can I be sure? 
What if I do more harm than good?
What if? 

Enough


These are the phrases that are found on this block.  Oddly enough, I had no intention of them having such great rhythm, but hey, gives me confidence that I'm not the only one at work here. 

Doubt, in the form of the assorted questions and statements, are seen as numerous and piling up to the point where each phrase begins to loose its uniqueness and instead, mixes with the other phrases forming more of a single entity.  This form, however is not an arbitrarily conceived, ill-structured sediment, easily cast aside with the flick of a shovel.  Rather, it is a front as hard as granite.  Organized like a platoon of infantry; atoms aligned in tightly squared rows, all for the purpose of bending your spade.

The Spirit has equipped us with the tools, however, to excavate these treacherous grounds.  We are armed with a passion to seek the truth.  We know its down there, buried by our own weakness.  We can feel its pulse like magma veins, waiting for the light of day.  We are also armed with confidence; not in ourselves or even what the truth might look like, but that it will be good, that it will be true.  For if we have no faith that the truth we find will actually be true, then all this toil will be for naught. 

And when we do find what we've been seeking, that stedfast well of truth, we discover what has been true all along.  It is enough.