The Lonely Writer

Young Woman Reading, Mary Cassatt 1876

I've heard the stories/read about the method: retreats, workshops, cabins in the woods, hotel rooms, unplugging, uninstalling...all the means of self-imposed isolation in attempts to create art.

In fact, I watched a short documentary last night and learned that Van Gogh stayed in an asylum for a year because he was able to paint daily without much interruption (and it was cheaper than staying in a hotel).

Being in a (mostly) empty college town for several weeks is not the same thing--this isolation is not self-imposed, it has been forced upon me.

At least that's my non-writing excuse. Sure, there are notecards with my character names, birth and death years now in existence. Yes, I have a strong idea for the second story in my thesis...BUT...

Why am I NOT writing?

boredom? lack of stimulation? loneliness? no schedule? no deadlines?

A combination of ALL OF THE ABOVE?

Or better yet, do I have no clue as to what I am doing? Am I lacking ideas, motivation, (gulp) talent? (Only "an artist" would say such a thing, I think I'm okay.)

I'll be back in the bluff city soon enough. Maybe the Mississippi River is more responsible for my mystical arts than I realized (Mark Twain would agree).

Then I can "force" myself into isolation--which is completely different than being bored to tears...believe me.

~~J

EDIT: All I can think about now after titling this post is THIS POEM by Anne Sexton...which means you have to go read it too.

Reading?

(No, but I've got the "knitting" down)

(knit knit knit purl purl purl)

Books read since I've been home? Zero

(Although I have managed to digest a combination of five or so pages)

Scarves completed (knitted)? Four

(I can't tell you the last time I actually finished something I started)

So much for those reading goals...I have managed to visit a couple bookstores though--including the one I lamented about last month. It was a bit depressing to see the "We Will Be Closing Dec 31 at 6pm, Thank You for Your Business" sign out front.

I've been a little obsessed with the Salvador Dalí exhibit I visited last Sunday. Especially the huge painting-- Santiago El Grande. It's the largest work of art I have ever seen in person. You can go HERE to see what it looked like when it arrived in Atlanta and how they were able to "hang" it.

Local beers tasted/consumed:

Boscos Original Alt
"Alt" means "old" in German. The reference is to the days when Germany brewed ales before the invention of lagers. Still brewed in the area around Dusseldorf you can think of this beer as Germany's version of England's brown ale. Facts: O.G. 1054, I.B.U. 25

Pilsner Pale Ale
The name Pils Pale Ale is an oxymoron. Pils is a lager style and Pale Ale is, of course, an ale. What we have done here is brew our usual pale ale formula but add the hop varieties that would typically be found in a Czech style pilsner. If you ever wondered what Saaz hops really taste like, this is your chance. Facts: O.G. 1055, I.B.U. 35

In addition to time spent at Boscos, I've also "hit up" Fino's (most favorite lunchtime place) and la baguette --I believe the almond-crusted croissants are going to be a coffee time staple.

I guess I have been busy....too busy to read? I gotta get on that.

~~J

Forms of Poetry (week 6):

Today we studied the ballad/lyrical ballad...including this treasure by William Wordsworth:

A slumber did my spirit seal;
I had no human fears:
She seem'd a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.

No motion has she now, no force;
She neither hears nor sees;
Roll'd round in earth's diurnal course
With rocks, and stones, and trees.
(1800)

Even though it is only two quatrains long, it is jam-packed with a myriad of emotion and skill. It literally blows my mind.

Typical rhyme scheme(s) of the ballad stanza:
abab or abcb

Also studied:
"I heard a Fly buzz" (Dickinson)
"Ballad of Birmingham" (Randall)
"Bagpipe Music" (MacNeice)

~~J

Forms of Poetry (week 3):

Villanelles! A French verse form derived from an earlier Italian folk song; retains a circular pattern of a peasant dance.

five tercets rhyming aba
followed by a quatrain rhyming abaa
(19 lines)

studied:
"The Waking" (Roethke)
"Missing Dates" (Empson)
"One Art" (Bishop)
"Villanelle for the Middle of the Night" (Osherow)

~~J

Forms of Poetry (week two):

Sonnets! Traditionally a poem of 14 lines, linked by an intricate rhyme scheme.

Italian
broken into one octave and a sestet;
rhyme scheme abba/abba/cdecde

versus

English
broken into quatrain, quatrain, quatrain, couplet;
rhyme scheme abab/cdcd/efef/gg

studied:
"Sonnet 60" (Shakespeare)
"On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" (Keats)
"Yet Do I Marvel" (Cullen)
"The Forge" (Heaney)

~~J

Beauty in Everything:

(from our March snow fall)

Michelle Stone Photography

I've been lucky enough to call Michelle a friend for almost exactly 10 years now. We've made more than one concert road trip during our friendship!

Although she specializes in maternity, baby, and child portraiture (and does a great job)--my favorite shots of hers (oddly enough) are the "nonliving ones" (both natural and man made). She has a great eye and can find beauty in just about everything.

We went to Nashville last autumn and I got to watch her work. She wandered around, camera in hand noticing unusual ways of looking at things and finding peaceful moments in a very bustling downtown.

If you are searching for someone to capture your special moments, visit her site--you can see her client work and check her availablity.

~~J

A Tangled Web*

One of the challenges of being a college student is the ability to balance everything accordingly. It's something I had difficulty with the first time around and thus I am trying to keep it all together now.

This weekend has been spent immersed in Art. Two chapters of Art (one chapter is "make-up") and one major paper about a work of art. See that lovely piece? It's La Mariée by Marc Chagall.

I love, love, love, love, LOVE it!

I thought about doing a different piece and artist, but when I found myself drawn to holiday cards last week featuring work by Chagall, I knew it was a sign to go a different way. This different way includes more research. But that's how I roll.

Due Date? MONDAY MONDAY MONDAY. Yes, Tomorrow.

I went back to Barnes & Noble last night to meet with my Film study group. Our final is Wednesday night. I will miss my fellow "old" students very much! We bonded immediately and apparently make a fabulous team.

Next to us in the cafe, was a professor at the University of Memphis. I know this, because she inquired about our discussion and said we worked so well together. We were "the perfect example of a study group."

insert AWWWWWWWWs here

The model study group shall meet again--tonight. If I ever finish my paper (half way through!) and last Art chapter. THEN I can start worrying about my Bio II final (Thursday). I still have to meet with a classmate and get some information.

*Oh I weave it well.

~~J

Day One:

(or day three on the Advent Calendar--yummo!)

So aside from "not working" yesterday and spending quality family time (putting out the appropriate seasonal decorations) I did a little bit of studying for one of my two exams tonight.

7 Little PHOTOG snippets to memorize:
(or facts to impress your friends with)

1) Photography literally means "Light Writing"
2) Edwin Land developed the first Polaroid instant camera
3) forerunner of the modern camera? the camera obscura
4) Alfred Stieglitz is the Father of Modern Photography (he was also married to artist Georgia O'Keeffe and took hundreds of portraits of her)
5) Margaret Bourke-White created the "Photo Essay"
6) Sociologist Lewis Hine photographed children working in coal mines in the early 1900s. His pictures helped to bring about Child Labor Laws.
7) In 1932, the Eastman Kodak Company started making color film

So the next chapter is calling my name (of course). Now I will also spend time looking over material for my Bio Lab Practical tomorrow morning (especially tonight after Art).

I've already made plans to spend a couple hours "group" studying for my last Bio II Exam (on Thursday, this is before our Final next week) after we take the Practical tomorrow.

Is it all making sense to you? Remember, I had to make a chart and or write everything down so I wouldn't forget something. But I still have that feeling of forgetting something.

~~J

p.s. I almost forgot to say: LSU LSU LSU!!!!

it's the final Countdown...

(I bet you're already rocking out with your imaginary blond mane a la Joey Tempest)

or maybe that's just me!

So last night while at work I made out a little "list" of what I have to do to finish out the semester (I was on break). My list consists of 7 exams and one "big" paper. Get out a brown paper bag, because I could start hyperventilating at any moment.

SEVEN? Have I even taken SEVEN total exams over the entire semester? SEVEN? I can come up with maybe NINE exams (plus 6 quizzes), 2 "big" papers & 2 "mini" papers and now I have SEVEN to worry about over the course of SEVEN more class periods?

GET ME THE BROWN PAPER BAG!

I tried to make out a "plan of attack" and or study schedule as well (because the madness needs to be under control) & we also did a little group chanting of "one day at a time, one day at a time" (thanks for indulging me, co-workers).

Tonight (after work): Chapter 9: Camera Arts and Digital Imaging
Tomorrow (during & after work): see above moving into Chapter 19: Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

(these two exams are Monday night)

That's as far as I am planning before my brain explodes. ONE DAY AT A TIME....wasn't that a soap opera at some point?

*insert synthesizer solo here*

~~J

The Convergence:

If in the World of Janet Art=Love & Music=Love & Film=Love,
then you can say that Art + Music + Film= Love (to the third power)

(I just turned myself into a simple algebraic expression, give me a moment of realization because I don't like math...okay, I do. WHAT?)

So last night in Film we watched Un Chien Andalou. It's a 16-minute experimental (surrealism) short film made in France in 1928. If you've ever taken a Film Class, you've probably seen it. If you are a Film buff, you've probably seen it. It's one of the most famous short films EVER made.

Cue the cuckoo bird calls or whatever else you like to use when referring to something as "nuts" or "crazy"...this film is OUT THERE and I really liked it.

Salvador Dali (yes, the artist) was part of the writing team & he is in the film. So in this case Art + Film = (?) Genius? Brilliance? The most horrible thing ever made? I'll let fill in the equation for yourself.

We also watched the opening of 8 1/2 by Fellini. LOVED IT! I have to Netflix the film when I get a chance. And the music is just fantastic (help me out here--is it the Flight of the Valkyries by Wagner)...Film + Music = (?) I'll let you fill in the equation again.

I'll have to get back to this beginning theory or what have you about myself.

Work calls.

Job + School + Finals Week = TIRED!

~~J

The Beat Goes On...

*insert a super cheesy duet by Sonny & Cher here*

So it's Tuesday and I already feel as if I've run out of time...on Tuesday.

Art last night was pretty interesting and eye-opening. We added another chapter under our belt (Africa, Oceania, and the Americas). I didn't realize the Pyramid of the Sun built in Teotihuacan (South America) is actually wider than anything in Egypt. It blows my mind when seeing the expert but functional art which is soooooooooo old.

In Bio II this morning we actually looked at specimens of Cartilaginous and Bony Fishes along with many members of the Rodentia family. It was a far cry from our last Lab (don't get me started)!

Fun Facts from Lab:
*If a shark swims up on you...hold absolutely still!
*if you must, and only if you must KNOCK it in the nose as hard as possible

*Rodents encompass the largest single group of mammals and their teeth NEVER stop growing!
*members of Rodentia include: Rats, Mice, Squirrels, Beavers
*Rabbits are NOT Rodents, they have extra pair of incisors

Don't ask me about that paper due tomorrow, that's what the hours from 9pm to midnight are for tonight...FINISHING IT!

~~J

Cross Dressing for Art's Sake:

The Picture Book by Renoir (circa 1895), has captured my undivided attention today. I did some un-required research trying to find out WHO exactly this little girl is...guess what?

It very well might not be a little "girl" at all!

I discovered that Renoir was famous for using his sons as models and feminizing them in his work (he never had any daughters).

This particular piece was painted one year after his second son was born. There are several known paintings in which Jean was the model and he is in a similar pose. I wonder if this little “girl” could actually be Renoir’s son, Jean.

I made sure to include my hunch in the single page paper for Art. I am always doing extra research for papers (and usually get caught up in something completely unrelated to the original idea).

I still like the painting for it's use of fast, deliberate brush strokes and the blurring edges. Any depiction of reading is always near and dear to my heart.

This extra "thirst" for knowledge and the constant "Who? What? When? Where? Why?" questions I always seem to form shall come in handy one day.

~~J

(stating the obvious)

It's difficult to catch up when you've gotten behind.

So I've returned from the Island of Misfit Sick (or toys, right? name THAT seasonal flick!). I feel very close to "normal" and it seems as if it's been ages since I last updated my blog.

Let me catch you up:

Saturday: I worked
Sunday: I worked on school work (I even decided upon and watched a film for my final paper for film class: Pan's Labyrinth)
Monday: went to Nashville, saw a show
Tuesday: came back home, went to work

Tonight in Film we watched Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman) and discussed "classic Hollywood cinema" and various film theories. Thank goodness for the Film Theory discuss because now I'll be able to think about Pan's Labyrinth more effectively.

I disagree with about 97% of the population who has actually seen the movie. Yeah, I'm odd.

Biology Update: Placoza =Trichoplax, Porifera = Sponges, Ctenophora = comb jellies (invertebrates, baby!)

Art Update: I am writing about Renoir's The Picture Book for my second Gallery visit paper. It's available for viewing locally at The Dixon (as I've mentioned a million times in this blog).

Finals are in less than a month!

~~J

p.s. Did I mention the dream in which Oprah was my boss? Yeah. I'll save it for a rainy day.

"Mona Lisa of the North"

aka

The Girl with the Pearl Earring (as pictured here in its most current restorative state) is one of Jan Vermeer's masterworks. So little is actually known about this painting and the artist, the mystery has inspired both a novel and a movie (based on the novel).

It's one of the pieces and artists I am going to discuss tonight while "teaching" the Baroque Art period.

Also up for discussion is Caravaggio, Rubens, and two sculptures by Bernini (David and The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa). But after some research, my favorite artist of the period has got to be Vermeer.

I didn't know I would be so interested in this particular period when it was first assigned to me. All I thought was the paintings were very dark with rich, jewel toned colors.

Now I can see the light and shadow techniques and both understand & appreciate the movement.

Wow! What a perfectly wonderful GEEK OUT!


~~J

It keeps you running...

I feel completely lazy this morning for two good reasons:

1) "Falling back" via the big, happy clock that seems to run our lives...

&

2) I'm not one of the thousands upon thousands of people running in the ING New York City Marathon

BUT...and get this:

I have a friend (check her training blog) who is participating in the Marathon today! She is so inspirational on so many levels, so I will be thinking of her until she reaches the FINISH line.

Update: Maureen has pasted the 15K (9.321 mile) mark! You can track individual athlete's progress on the site, because they wear electronic chips in their shoes. Go Maureen, GO!

I have to study the Baroque Art period today and hopefully write my second "Gallery" paper (based on one of the permanent works in the Dixon Gallery). Fun Times!

I finished the second season of The Office last night and I love Jim even more! WOW! (It's so much fun to be caught up in a television show again)


~~J

The Door on the Left or on the Right?

November? Is it really November? Wow! So time flies when you spend all of your waking in hours in two places—school & work or work & school.

*throws confetti*

But seriously, I’ve been a bit of a procrastinator lately. Instead of watching the film I am going to be doing my “very big” Film paper (Il Postino) on, I’ve been watching a couple episodes of The Office EVERY single night this week.

Now I will tell you this: I never, ever “got” the absolute hysteria surrounding this show…until now. Thank you Netflix and the “watch now” feature. I can stream episodes instead of having to wait for them to ship to my house.

I finished Season 1 and now find myself halfway through Season 2. (and I totally have a crush on Jim--okay!)

Lets see--study for Bio II Lab exam? Watch film for Film? Get ready to teach Baroque Art period to class? Chose work of art to write about? OR...WATCH THE OFFICE? Feel my pain? Very, very tough choices...

And I might want to work out the details for my upcoming overnight trip to Nashville (where not only do I get to see one of my favorite singer-songwriters but I get to see one of my favorite buildings too!)


~~J

Legend has it...

So there is one Monday night I will not be able to attend Art class. Guess what? That's the night I am scheduled to give a presentation on part of a chapter! Ack! I'll be in Nashville attending a concert (Tori Amos) I bought tickets for...MONTHS ago!

This is the part where I get to try out my mad "oral communication" skills! The professor is cool and so I'll be presenting the Baroque Art section NEXT Monday (1 week before it's due)...so even if it is Baroque, I can fix it! *insert laughter*

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'll be here all week...

Another Reason I love October:

28/29) Legends. Spooky legends, actually. In 1820, Washington Irving published a collection of short stories entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon. That title might mean nothing now, but you don't have to look very far to find one of our most chilling stories lurking inside: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

I was first introduced to Ichabod Crane and "Brom Bones" as a child, through a Disney short narrated by Bing Crosby. I can't tell you how many years I watched it at various Halloween parties. The sound of the Headless Horseman's hooves clapping across the covered bridge still makes me shiver.

Most people are familiar with Sleepy Hollow (1999) directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. I saw it in the theater and rented it from Netflix last Halloween. If you get a chance to watch "The Making Of..." included on the DVD, I highly recommend it. I was completely blown away!

I did some research and yes, there is a Sleepy Hollow in New York--it officially changed it's name from Tarrytown not too long ago. There are several famous people buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, including the author, Mr. Washington Irving.

Locally, the Bell Witch has always interested me. I even went on a little trip to Adams, Tennessee, not too long after moving to the state. I was a freshmen in high school and now after everything I have read--I don't plan on making a return visit!

Spooooooooooky!

~~J

It's close to midnight and...

Today: The Bio II exam was taken...Finally!

The plants are done...but honestly, I love our little green friends (who doesn't like oxygen). It's just time to move on to something else now....invertebrates, anyone?

Last night in Art we went over 3 chapters...I have a new respect for anything "etched" because that's a hardcore process. Also, who knew that Tempera paint was (originally) made from egg yolks? I didn't. Oil, Acrylic...Gesso. Wow. Not only are artists talented, they are even more creative for finding ways to get there "idea" onto paper (wood, plaster, etc.)!

Another Reason I love October:

22/23) Spooky music! We all love Music...a lot of people even use it to express and define themselves. Yesterday at work, THRILLER (by Michael Jackson) came on the radio and we were all singing along and doing pseudo-moves from the video.

No matter what you think of MJ the person, MJ the singer and dancer cira 1983 was really onto something with this video (directed by John Landis). I don't know anyone who hasn't seen it. Of course, it is perfectly appropriate this time of year! I know it scared the bejeezus out of me when I was 5!

I'm trying to come up with a list of songs that are very "October-centric":

01) Thriller by Michael Jackson
02) Witchy Woman by the Eagles
03) The Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett
04) Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell
05) Nightmare on My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
06) Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.
07) Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
08) Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon
09) I Put a Spell On You by CCR (there are a lot of versions)
10) Halloween Theme by John Carpenter (I know, no words--it's from the movie)

Be sure to tell me what I've missed!

~~J

The Principles of Design:

Tonight we focused on 2 chapters (chiefly one) in Art Appreciation. The Principles of Design.

The Holy Family on Steps by Poussin (oil on canvas, 1648) is a great example of asymmetrical and symmetrical elements. It's a classic example of balance in Western art. Do you see the triangle form by the bodies?

Now look at the light hitting Joseph's foot (on the right) and draw a light to the top of Mary's head and you might see it better. I can't imagine the time and planning that goes into some pieces. Artist might be perceived as being "less" compared to lawyers or doctors (for example) but they are pretty "genius" in my book.

There are actually seven principles of design and I hope to have them down before our next chapter(s) test.

Another Reason I love October:

08) The Boys of Summer become the Men of October aka the World Series. Now don't hate me, but baseball is probably one my least favorite sports. Although I can become a rather appreciative fan in October. It really won't get super interesting for me until the end of the month, but just the idea of Andy Pettitte pitching Wednesday night has me rather excited (if the Yankees can pull it out tonight)!

Now, back to my Film paper. (I know, I need to get it done!)

~~J

Beauty in the Breakdown:

I am firmly in the writing process of my scene analysis paper for Film.

Did you know there are at least 35 cuts in the final 4 minutes of Garden State? Yes, I watched & counted & wrote & then counted some more. There was another scene ("good luck exploring the infinite abyss") I thought about doing and it only had 17 cuts--but I couldn't get away from the last scene.

Let Go by Frou Frou is just too powerful, especially since it made me run out and by the soundtrack the minute after the movie ended the first time I saw it!

The Art Student in me was sadden to hear about the Monet painting damaged by drunken intruders in Paris last night. According to reports they left a 4-inch gash in Le Pont d'Argenteuil. It can be repaired, but it's sad nevertheless.

It all happened during my
*New* Reason why I love October:

07) Nuit Blanche. It's an annual cultural festival that takes places during the first weekend in October, originally beginning in Paris--but has caught on in other cities across the world (Berlin, Chicago, and Toronto just to name a few). It literally means "White Night" or "All-Nighter" in French and the cities have their public and private art galleries, museums open to the public for free. HOW COOL IS THAT? I have got to attend one in the years to come.

Back to the Garden State paper.

~~J