IT'S ABOUT TIME...

So...  It's been a while  (for real this time [inaugural post reference]).

Anyway, here is what I'm thinking.  Blogging has been an adventure of pride/humility for me; as my about page states, (with more eloquence [hopefully]).  Now, the main reasons I haven't been blogging for 2-ish years are time/motivation and lack there of.  Ironically, it is now in a stage of my life in which I can safely say I am busier than I have ever been that I have decided to start blogging again.  God and I have been talking, and I think this is gonna be a good thing.

The motive behind my resurgence is this:  I want people to share in the experience of the butt kicking revelations that God has been dropping on me and the radical change that they tend to instill.  You see, I feel I am doing a disservice to you all if I have this amazing conversation with God and then keep it to myself for fear of pride infiltrating the process and making it about me.  And though I can't say pride doesn't rear its head in things such as this,  I also can't let it have the final say in them.  So, hear I am, trying make this a remotely readable post while worrying too much about being witty and wondering who will actually read this besides Google crawlers.  

I appreciate any and all of you who read this and the future things I post here.  Please feel free to contact me (found on my personal site) if you'd like to discuss something further or if you feel I might be in the wrong on some of my viewpoints.  Really, I want conversation to happen!

Well, that's what I got for now.  Stay tuned for a series all about the crazy, allegorical dreams God's provided for me throughout my walk with Him!  They are amazingly interesting and vivid and odd if I do say so myself!

UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY

This summer, I got a call from my boss/friend Scott.  He asked me if I would be interested in taking some pictures of the closing ceremonies of an art camp his friend (AD) was hosting.  The art camp was for a boys and girls club run by the Homeless Coalition.  I was more than happy to help out.

Now, the coalition's facility is on Paramore, a street smack in the middle of a very rough/impoverished part of town.  I mean, there was a man just straight peein' on the side of the road as I drove by.  I was able to park inside the compound, which was nice, though rough territory really doesn't bother me that much. 

Once inside the compound, I ran into Shawn Welcome, a local [amazing] poet that I know.  He was teaching a poetry/spoken word workshop for the art camp, so he led me to the building where the festivities were being held.  Upon entering the building I was met with a sea of children of varying ages.  Hyper elementary schoolers, stand-offish teens and camp instructors doing their best to maintain order.

One of the first things I noticed was that I was a severe minority.  Of the four white people I can recall seeing, one of the instructors and I were the only white males.  Again, things like that don't bother me, but it is sobering being on that side of the table for once.  I love it.

As soon as I pulled my camera from it's bag, a little boy of about seven or eight, shirt covered in dirt and eyes alight with the glory of God, began a volley of questions, each of which followed with a "Lemme do it!"  As soon as I had my flash on the sync cord, I quickly turned my camera on him and snapped a shot.  As soon as he saw the explosion of the flash, his desire to participate went through the drop ceiling.  So, I showed him the pilot button and he went nuts.  After holding his own little fireworks display and after multiple attempts to flash himself directly in the eyes, (most of which I was able to thwart) I let him hold the flash while I took a few shots.

(I wish I could show you the amazing shot I was able to get of this boy, but many of these kids come from at-risk homes and I do not want to reveal their identities without permission.  However, you can see some of the kids on the program's website.  Seriously, the love of God is spectacularly evident in these kids!)

The events went swimmingly.  Kids took turns displaying the skills they have learned in the various workshops in which they were enrolled.  There was rapping, African drums, poetry/spoken word, painting, guitar playing, even a room-wide rendition of the "Fresh Prince Theme."  With each act ending to a roar of cheers and applause.  (A glimpse of Heaven!)  And at the end, each kid who participated was given an award certificate.

Oh, something I can show:  the kids who participated in the art workshop painted a mural!

After the all the events were through, my little buddy came and found me as we were preparing to take a group photo.  His mantra hadn't changed.  So I draped the camera around his neck and showed him what button to press, and press it he did!  I had left it on continuous shooting, so as long as he press the button, the camera continued to take pictures.  Every time he took a picture, I literally had to pry his finger off the button after 5-7 pictures had fired off.

Once, the group photo was taken, I basically became a school portrait photographer.  Luckily, I had my assistant.  Every child wanted a picture!  Some wanted a full portfolio!  Natural models, they were.  Snap, pose, snap, pose, etc.  it's like they practiced beforehand.  Some of the little guys were already heads and shoulders cooler and suaver than I could even hope to be.

Needless to say, this experience has had an extraordinary impact on me.  I have experienced first hand, the dire needs of this city, and I have seen the Lord at work to fulfill these needs.  I want to give a huge thanks to AD and his staff for letting me be a part of all this and I look forward to what God will be doing through this program in the future, and I would love to be a part of it!

ARTIST'S BLOCKS

Hey guys, sorry it's been a lil' while.  My sister moved in last weekend and it's been a perpetual line of activities since.  Good stuff!  By the way, tomorrow is her and her roommate's first day of college classes.  Pray that it goes well and that they can find interest and motivation in even their driest of Gen. Ed.'s!

Back to the title slide.

If you have ever glanced at my event's page, you'd already know that the evoke365 art show opened last Thursday.  If you have no idea what I am talking about, I suggest following the provided link in order to familiarize yourself with the topic at hand.

Now that we are all on the same page, the event went very smoothly and the turnout was tremendous! Praise God!  It did pour down rain for the first hour upon opening, so the outdoor events such as: break dancing, spoken word and sharing of testimonies did not come to fruition.  This however, was not as debilitating as it sounds.  The gallery was still packed.  I mean, I had a hard time navigating the congestion in the front hallway where our main display was and people were talking!

The main wall in the entrance hallway.

In the Orlando Magic sponsored room.

My pieces.  It tickles me that they were put next to the photography studio.

Also, we had a book of all the pieces in the show, along with descriptions of particular blocks and their intended meaning.  I was blessed with the opportunity to photograph all the panels of blocks for the book.  I am excited to have my photos published in a book for the first time!  The book is available at the gallery for $20.

By the way, if my calculations are correct there are about 1,603 blocks in the gallery.

It gives me immense joy seeing that many people exposed to the message and culture of Christianity in a rather disarming environment.  With the sheer quantity of topics and styles represented, every person had something to relate to.  My hope is that conversations do get started, that Jesus does get talked about in a real manner and that a culture that worships an open mind, applies that notion, even to something they view as antithetical and stale.

DRAWING TOO

Parenthetical Deemed Necessary by the Author
So, I found a force capable of stopping any current train of thought and/or stymieing all productive activity.  The '90s are All That on Teen Nick.  (Case and point: it took me almost ten minutes to write that last sentence. )  I just caught the second half of All That and am now currently watching Kenan & Kel, so this post could take some time.

Now, I love the fact that Teen Nick is showing all the old shows from my peers and mine's youth, but the commercials between the shows are downright unnerving.  Every break, there is a commercial for First Response Pregnancy Tests and I just saw a commercial for a text-in "love calculator" that literally depicted a bride being left sobbing at the altar because she didn't heed the 3% compatibility reading she got from the calculator earlier in her relationship.

Anyway, Drawing II...

In a previous post, I gave a pregame to this Drawing II class that I have been taking for the past 5 weeks.  The aforementioned post acts as a prequel to this current section, so I strongly suggest you skim the archives in order to get the most out of the following paragraphs.

So, this class was completely different than what I experienced in Drawing I.  A MUCH more relaxed environment, that took some getting used to.  Workload was tiny compared to the 100+ hrs I spent drawing in Drawing I.  We were expected to produce finished pieces, which was blasphemy in my previous class.  Much more creative freedom in this class.  Composition and style were also incorporated in critiques.  A lot like a 2D design class.  No figure drawing at all!  This really surprised me, considering Drawing II at UCF is almost strictly figure drawing.

Though, I did get frustrated with the lack of drill sergeant-style reprimands and crazy high expectations that I have come to love(?) about previous art teachers,  (A little masochistic, yes, but it really pushes you to accomplish and learn things at a remarkable pace.)  I did end up enjoying the class.  The teacher was amazingly nice, and you could tell she just loves art and knows her stuff.

It was a self-starter style class, mainly because we were a group of six Drawing II students that were mixed with about 15-20 Drawing I students.  I basically just practiced the contour line drawings I had learned the semester before.  However, the homework assignments required shading, another no-no in my Drawing I.  This is something I really do enjoy, though I have only really attempted to shade a handful of drawings.  The piece below, I just completed yesterday for our final. 

Abstract Realism was the assignment

Note:  I praise God for providing!  I had been frustrated with my work for a while now, but this piece really gave me some confidence, especially since I have very limited experience in traditional mediums.  I look forward seeing what God has in store for my art in the near future!  Just need to keep the correct goal in perspective.

SUMMER PHOTOGRAPHY IN FLORIDA

 

My friend Geoff and I wanted to take some pictures about a week(ish) ago, but as you may or may not know, Florida nights tend to be on par with aquarium hoods when it comes to humidity.  So, instead of sealing our cameras in vacuum food saver bags lined with silica gel, we decided to stay inside my nice, safe, climate controlled apartment. 

So, after a healthy volley of I dunno's and whaddayouwanna do's, we just started shooting. 

First, Geoff discovered that a long exposure combined with rapid panning and tilting can capture the cycling of the T.V.  This lead me to create some rather delightfully abstract compositions. 

 

Next, we took some key light shots on Geoff's camera, Chiaroscuro style.  I do not have those to post, but Geoff has kindly posted them on Facebook.  <- You can view the one's that I'm tagged in.

After that, we goofed around with different makeshift gels.  Anything from plastic bags to Eggo waffles were fair game.  Each providing surprisingly rich additive color.  This particular one was taken with an orange plastic Tupperware lid.  The green bottle, being analogous to orange's complementary color maintains much of it's integrity while everything else is washed with orange.

Lastly, the only technique we planned on using was explored.  They are called physiograms.  I learned about this nifty light trick from an e-book I downloaded a while ago.  You hang a light source from a string and swing it.  Mount or position your camera so that it remains still throughout the duration of the exposure.  Then pick a long exposure, I suggest bulb-ing it.   (Special thanks to Tyler for providing the materials and being the official string swinger.)

Here are the results.

(The center one was kind of a reverse physiogram.  I let the camera spin via it's strap.)

Anyway, I thought I would share my latest photo endeavors.  You can check out the rest of the photos from that particular night on my flickr.

Thanks again for bearing with my rather lengthy posts.
God Bless!

BUSY MONTH FOR EVERYTHING BUT BLOGGING

Hey, sorry I have been so skimpy on the posts this month.  It's been a rather hectic/trying last couple of weeks.

So let's get this recount rolling...

The Grandparents
So, my grandmother was recently diagnosed with cancer.  This came as a rather substantial shock to my family and me.  What started as a simple abnormality in her colon, turned out to be a rather substantial amount of cancer in multiple areas of her body.  This weighs heavy in me.  The thought of either one of my grandparents in pain just wrenches my heart.  That being said, I ask that you pray for healing in my grandma.  Seriously, I believe God heals today, just as He healed in the past.  If believers come together and pray healing, there is no reason we should doubt its fruition. 

Now, regardless of what the future holds, I am comforted by a simple fact: 

No matter the suffering we may endure here on earth, the Promise of God ensures restoration for those that are in Christ Jesus!  And I have the immense joy of saying, that my grandparents fall into that category!


I was able to visit my grandparents this weekend, and every time I am around them, I am awestruck by the love they lavish on others.  Kindness and genuine love just flow from them; you can tell just by looking at their faces.  And the love they have for each other has only grown stronger as they aged.  They really are two people who are madly in love with each other, and work as one to emulate the life of Jesus.  I wish I could explain what it is like to be around them, but it is just one of those things you have to experience.  They show a legitimate interest in you and what you are saying and make you feel like the most special person on the planet.  Pure.... Unadulterated..... Grandma and Grandpa love.


The Cody
Now, a few days after the news about my grandmother, one of my best friends, Cody (more on her in a previous post....scroll down) was admitted to a hospital in Guatemala with internal bleeding.  This was crazy scary considering 1) she was in a third world country and could not be flown back home due to fear of complications, 2) she only has an international phone with very limited minutes and a phone number/country code unbeknownst to me at the time, and 3) I had just talked to her on Skype (she was at an internet cafe) as she was being picked up for the hospital, and we both treated the situation rather flippantly.  

As far as the details of the whole ordeal, I will leave it up to the primary source.  Updates can be found on her blog.

Anyway, her best friend (Christine), my old boss/current friend (Scott) and I went and prayed at a prayer chapel the morning following our reception of the news.  I send out a mass text for prayer, as did Christine.  Cody needed prayer, and fast!

Now, earlier today, after a good five days of radio silence, Christine discovered Cody had updated her blog.  Our prayers have been heard! And God provided!  Cody is doing much better.  Once again, I'll let her blog post explain.

Now, I know there will be plenty more trials both my grandparents and Cody will be facing in the near future, and who knows what is in store for us others, but rest assured that God is a constant.  We can lean on his goodness and are assured of His presence and a future with Him!

Praise the Lord!

MARRIAGE PREP.....ENGAGE!

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

- Colossians 3:16            

So, last weekend my good friend and roommate (Chase) and his beautiful lady (Chloe [she's my friend as well!]) became engaged ...and I helped!™

You see, Chase devised a scheme to pop the question over the Forth of July weekend, while we were all back home in the Florida Panhandle.  Under the guise of your quotidian sunset beach-walk, Chase led Chloe to a predetermined location at which his family had written "Will You Marry Me?" in the sand with a flock of adorably dainty LED candles.  All the while, I was perched behind the dunes, neath the cover of a restaurant's beachfront deck.  

Now, I would have made a rather convincing bid for one of those creepy don't-have-a-relationship-so-I-satisfy-that-desire-vicariously-through-stealthily-observing-the-intimate-moments-of-others kind of guys, but I had camera with a 300mm telephoto lens with me.... yeah..... definitely alleviates the creepiness. 

Anyway, I was blessed with the task of capturing the proposal as it unfolded, unbeknownst to Chloe.  I was like a big, pervy sniper! 

So, here is the juicy part:

Now, I was way out of earshot, but I dabble in body language, and I think she was both surprised and ecstatic, and about 95% says there was a "yes" uttered somewhere in there.  In fact, they must have been two feet off the ground as they continued down the beach to meet with the family; took just short of a full on sprint to catch up with them after I left my hidey-hole.

After catching my breath and explaining mine being there, I did manage to snap off a nice gushy one of the newly betrothed.

 

All snark aside, I want to wish God's blessings over Chase and Chloe's relationship.  

I pray that their future is filled with love, encouragement and support for one another as they begin their journey as two people living as one, in pursuit of the righteousness and holiness bestowed in their lives through the life and love of Christ Jesus.  I pray that the Word of God saturate every facet of their relationship, creating a pouring out of God's love both between themselves and on to those around them.  I pray that God's will be earnestly sought and honored by both parties without hesitation and that God always be at the center of their joy and everything they do.

Congratulations you two!