Someday I’ll Have Cable Again.

Hello All!

I’m sorry for the serious infrequency of posts lately, but this gal has been very busy MOVING!

FINALLY!

That’s right folks I made it out of North Philly Alive.

Lots of pictures to come as my new house comes together!

But I wanted to share about one of my recent artistic endeavors. Although, my primary focus in painting and drawing, I also poke around in photography. I have the privilege to do my Aunt and Uncle’s family portraits while we were at the beach last month.

It was such a blast to dust off my old photoshop skills.

It’s pretty easy to take great photos when you have such good looking family 🙂

 

So, hopefully my posting will get back to normal. Unfortunately I feel like I’ve been living the “Little House on the Prairie” lifestyle for the past couple weeks without cable. I think we all know moving is fun for about 5 minutes then it just gets old. For instance, my dear friend got me a coffee maker for the new house, which was incredibly sweet. As we were sitting around unpacking my room, I thought I would make some coffee. In my excitement over new and shiny things I over looked one small detail… we had not moved the kitchen things from the old house yet. So here we were… with a full pot of coffee… and no cups. Luckily, my brilliant friend Elena came up with the idea of drinking it out of empty beer bottles (because we had plenty of those).

Lots of pictures and updates to come!

Jen

Can I Borrow Some Phillies Swag?

Everyone I know makes fun of me for how little I know about any Philadelphia sports team. I honestly couldn’t tell you anything about the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, 76ers, anyone! But when I have the opportunity to get together with friends, I’ll be there.

I truly love these guys.

A bunch of my friends from my new job packed up their cars and tailgated a Phillies game yesterday. It was a blast! I honestly couldn’t tell you who won the game, just that we played the Nationals. I’m pretty sure the Phillies won because everyone was in a really good mood.

We were pretty sloppy, but it was a great time!

Jen

 

The Barnes Foundation: I Think He Had a Man- Crush on Renoir

My summer session Art History class, “Picasso and the Modern Masters” brought me on my first trip to the Barnes Foundation.

Which is actually pretty funny considering I’ve been living in this city for years, and have visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art a million times, yet I have not made it to the Barnes which right down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from the PMA.

I actually work at the PMA once a month with the Family Programs Department, but that’s another story.

The story behind the Barnes Foundation is strange. Dr. Albert Barnes was a Philadelphia native who became immensely wealthy at a very young age. As a chemist he discovered a remedy for infants contracting gonorrhea from their mothers, his method is still used today. So he used his riches to collect art, LOTS of it. It’s actually fairly obnoxious.

He covered the walls of his home in famous works by Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, and particularly Renoir. Everywhere you look there is more and more Pierre Auguste Renoir. I mean, I’m not complaining, he is one of my favorites, but after 3 floors of it, it becomes a little much.

I do love me some Renoir.

Dr. Barnes made himself the artist by arranging his art. So when the museum moved from Chestnut Hill to Center City Philly, it was most important to leave the displays as Barnes had.

It’s 3 floors of this, see what I mean by a little much?

With all of these priceless works squished together with no room to breathe, none of them really get the respect they deserve. But I guess when you’re a gazillionaire you can hang your art however you want.

All that being said, getting lost in the Barnes is a lovely way to spend an afternoon, especially if you have a crush on Renoir like me and Dr. Barnes!

 

Jen

 

 

Let’s Go See Some Art Shall We?

Moving to Philadelphia was a strategic decision for me 3 years ago. I come from rural Pennsylvania where their idea of art is barn decoration. So, in an attempt to become more cultured, I moved to mega- city full of museums, galleries, artists, and opportunities. To be honest, I had NO idea what I was getting myself into. And sometimes, I still feel like I know nothing about my city. The art scene is an ever- evolving enigma to me. Once you grasp one thing there is something new to see.

So last week James and I took a trip to see an opening at a Gallery run by our professor, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, in center city Philly. Like most awesome places in Philly, it is particularly unassuming from the outside, just an old warehouse. But open the door and you’re entering the artistic “speak- easy” of Philly; the most cutting edge sculpture, video work, printmaking, photos, and paintings.

I feel so “Sex and the City” at things like this.

I enjoy a good night out, seeing lots of art with a good friend. But While scanning the rooms of highly politically charged and abstract work, I feel pretty lost. As an artist myself, it is particularly frustrating to feel as if the concept of a work is totally lost on me. I wander the galleries and formally analyze work, but 95% of the time, I have no idea what it means.

James always seems to understand everything… or so he says.

I’m beginning to question if I even want to be part of the “fine art conversation” to begin with. I feel as though my brain is more wired towards an educational standpoint, and the goal of my work is to always remain accessible and approachable to anyone. I never want my work to appear pretentious or exclusive to any audience.

Which is why I am so excited to be shifting gears from painting (which I will always continue to do) to a larger focus on functional pottery. My biggest complement is someone choosing to incorporate my art into their daily life; hanging my painting in their kitchen, using my mug for their morning coffee, anything. I have no desire to gain artistic recognition for this work, I just wish to quietly add beauty to the ordinary.

I’m working on researching different clay bodies, functional forms, and glaze techniques. And I’m hoping to get myself into the studio next week. Wish me luck!

Jen

3 Finals and a New Job

Hello All!

Happy Monday! Things are wrapping up on my Junior year of college and it could not have come soon enough. I have 3 pieces of exciting news that I have been meaning to share:

1. I am 99% finished my Junior year at Temple U

2. I switched my major from painting to ceramics last week, and I am still graduating on time!

3. I got a new job working for the Spirit of Philadelphia cruise ship!

So my summer is shaping up to be pretty interesting. It is so funny to see how much can change in just one year.

This is the heap I left my painting finals in last night at 4 AM after a 6 hour shift on the boat and another 5 hours of schoolwork. Critique is today!

On my second day of training with the Spirit we did a lovely afternoon of wine and specialty drink tasting on the bow of the boat… life is good.

This boat is NOT the spirit of Philadelphia, it is the Moshulu which neighbors us in the Penn’s Landing harbor. What a lovely view!

I am so excited about this new job, I will be working lots of big events like weddings, charity benefits, and children’s educational cruises. I’ve only been there for 3 days and I’ve already watched/ helped with 2 proposals! It’s insane!

I’m a little worried that working here is going to make me hate proposals, and weddings, and the cha cha slide… let’s hope not!

Wish me luck on my final critique of Junior year today! Hopefully everyone has a creative monday!

Let’s Go Phils!

Happy Wednesday! 

It’s a gorgeous day in Philadelphia and of course I left all of my shorts at my parent’s house. So looks like it’s skirts all week for me! This beautiful weather is also becoming a serious problem, I can’t get myself to care about anything. All I want to do is lay in the grass and get sunburnt. But, life goes on and I still have classes and papers due tomorrow. But I thought I’d take a break from pretending to care about school today to blog about my first  Phillies game! 

I know, it’s pathetic that it took me 3 years of living in Philly to get to a game. 

But it was awesome! Not only did I get to spend the day with my friends BUT it was also dollar dog night! I ain’t mad at that. I know the Phillies won and that they played the mets, I have no idea what the score was though, I wasn’t really paying that much attention. There’s a lot to take in at the ball park! 

like the beautiful view! 

And truly great friends. 

By the time I got home, I was so exhausted I passed out and slept like a rock. Which I also think is contributing to my lack of cares today. I’m usually sleep deprived and wired on coffee. 

Well, back to the grind! 

Jen

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

Hello all!

Yes, slowly but surely, spring is beginning to shine through in Philadelphia. And spirits are subsequently brightening.

I wish I could say I had a lovely Easter, but my weekend was packed with a photo shoot, canvas priming, of course food, and maybe even a little love. You know what they say about Spring after all.

I’m making surprising progress on my most recent endeavor! I’m beginning to actually come through on some of my crazy schemes. Most of the time my brain pattern goes something like this.

THOUGHTS:

“I’m so fat… I should be skinnier… I should totally start running more… I know! I’ll get up at 6 AM every morning and run 3 miles and only eat salads! I’m gonna be one skinny minnie by June.”

REALITY:

(June rolls around)… “I feel so fat… I should’ve been exercising all year… cake.”

So the fact that this extra- curricular painting is even in existence in the middle of the semester is nothing short of a miracle (Maybe I’m in the Easter spirit?)

I’ll try and post pictures of my progress tonight , but to be honest with you, I’m looking at a couple of all nighters ahead of me.

But I do have some fun pictures from the photoshoot!

Me and my best best best friend Tori!

(clearly, our photoshoot did not take place in a disgusting locker room)

She also has a pretty cool blog, you can find it here:

yourgirlyguide.wordpress.com

Here’s a really horrendous cell phone picture of the team!

AND! I finally got to meet baby Layla!

I don’t think she hates her red- headed step- aunt 🙂

Like my fake eyelashes?!

Alright well, back to the grind! I’ll see you all on the other side, hopefully with a new painting!

Jen