Week In Review

A multi-subject post, for those of you that actually visit wanting to know about my life and my personal thoughts.

The Artist, The Scientist, and The Dork

For the past five days, I've been logging in studio time in the sculpture rooms. The reason is because of how complicated my pieces are going to be for this and the next project. I am doing several pieces in metal. The first ones for this current assignment is a pair of fantasy swords. One made of ice and one made of fire.

Each one has their own problems, but neither one of them I have quit on. Unlike the last project, where I wanted to quit, I never had that feeling once during the whole process. It seemed rather strange, but yet enjoyable.

I got to be a bit of a scientist during the week too. After finding out if those 3 hour starter logs that they sell at the grocery store are cutible without setting the building on fire (which they are, surprisingly), I set them up in the sand pit to see how they would burn for presentation reasons. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with how they were performing. It should be interesting come critique time, because I can see how a lot of things could go wrong right now with that project.

During this past week, I saw Jason again. He was looking for Terry, probably to ask him something on the professional level. Artist to artist, you know? I talked to him about his next show and his Senior Gallery that will be coming down at the end of next week. The entire time, I noticed that the twinkle in his eyes that I noticed during The Metrosexual Tent Revival wasn't there. Stress? Doubt it. Boyfriend? Yeah, that's probably it. He found himself someone or he isn't looking. Either way, he's out of the running from what I observed (but, then again, what do I know?). I felt like a complete dork when he left, however. I lost my chance to get his number and all the other connections I could have gotten given the five minute chat.

Surprisingly, he let on that he knew a lot about me. He knew I was in Terry's Sculpture class and that I am more of a 2-D kind of artist. I think what sent me for a loop was the fact he said that he's been sending me cards of all of his shows. He said that he's been using the student directory, and my name was first on the list. At least he knows who I am by name, which makes me smile. I just wish I knew him on a more personal level.

Model Needed - Requirements: I must KNOW you!

My next assignment in Figure Study is to draw the bust of someone I know from life. In other words, I'll be drawing a portraits of something I know while they are sitting there in front of me.

My family is out of the question. They are all too busy doing other things to even sit down for however-long-it-will-take-me just so I can complete an assignment.

That's when I had an idea!

I fired off an e-mail earlier in the week to James's e-mail addy. Surprisingly, he kept it and has been passing it on to David and Sam and anyone else that wants to talk to me. I titled the e-mail the way I usually do so that they know it is me and not some spammer. I told them the project and asked if they were interested. As payment, I am offering the original drawing after it has been graded. I mean, it wouldn't be smart of me to hand them the drawing as soon as I was done with it before it was graded, right?

A few days passed, and I fired off a more detailed e-mail to them. They didn't send me any kind of reply, so that e-mail was more of a follow up. You know, just to see if they actually got it. I told them that I would like a response by the end of the week, but so far I haven't gotten any.

It's times like these I wish I had more friends. James, David, Sam, and everyone else I talk online with can travel. That's not a problem. It's just, they are my last hope. If they don't reply back, I can only assume that they don't want to be a part of my project.

Which means I might as well draw the dog and fail the assignment because a dog is not a human figure.

Tennessee and Gays

This is for you, Shem.

This past week has been rather strange given several of the laws and bills the local government has passed or killed. Two big ones came to my attention.

The first one is a bill that was killed that would ban gay people from adopting children. This is a good thing. The opposition said that gay people can't provide a stable lifestyle for most children up for adoption. Social Service says otherwise. In the end, most of the politicians knew that these kids deserve a home, so the bill was given the axe 11-9.

Then, just yesterday, the very same body of government passed a State Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriages. The state already has a law on the books defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, so why the amendment? Just to solidify it. The opposition said that passing this is being discriminating and bigoted. Frankly, I do agree, but I live in the Bible South. For all I know, these people don't object to the Ten Commandments being displayed in Government Court Houses.

I don't know what the deal is with this state. I mean, they allow gay people to adopt kids, but they don't allow them to marry. It's like Tennessee is saying you can't have a family if you are gay, but this is the best we can offer. You won't get tax breaks or any kind of inheritance rights or anything a "normal" family would have, but that's because you're gay!

This from a state where it is legal to eat road kill provided you call the state's Wildlife and Game Board reporting where you hit the deer and if you are going to take it home to cook.