This week was extremely busy, crazy and rather stressful, but I think I'm mostly recovered from it.
Monday: Monday was the beginning of Assessment Week at NBCCD (this week is their March Break).
When I got to school that afternoon, Keven, NSCAD's daytime security guard, told me that the reason why NS' "spring" break is at the time that it is is because that's the week in which students where committing suicide the most. So while it makes sense to have the break during that week, universities (including NSCAD) are still in midterm mode, so students come back with a few more exams or midterm projects to do. I like NB's break schedule a lot better.
We watched another movie during class: Blade Runner (I can't remember which version).
Tuesday: I spent the day tweaking the first project for Graphics, coming up with ideas for the second one and doing the readings for Obsolescence. I finished the afternoon by taking the files to Staples and getting them printed (which was an adventure).
We had another GA that evening. FUNSCAD I (the teachers' union) could go on strike on Wednesday. If they go on strike, SUNSCAD will hold a rally on Friday. One of the issues that FUNSCAD I is fighting is the fact that the administration is trying to prevent part-time and regular part-time faculty (part-time has three different levels, and from there it gets rather complex) from being on-campus outside the regular semester, which doesn't bode well for students who want to meet with a part-timer in the summer. If this is anything like FUNSCAD II's almost-strike, Tuesday night is going to be a sleepless one for me: I, like my fellow students and the faculty, don't want the strike to happen.
Wednesday: I went to school early to put my book together (Jeff wanted them bound).
He met with us individually to critique our first projects and discuss our ideas for the second project. My crit went very well.
Thursday: Thursday was a working class, which made me very happy because I wasn't as far along with the project as I would've liked.
I finally finished my homework for Friday that night (the usual readings for Obsolescence--this week's set was the last for that course--and writing for Writing for the Arts).
Friday: The usual discussion of the week's readings. At the end of class, Bob went over our proposals for the final focus essay (two thousand words, which will make this essay the longest I've written for a college or university assignment--bring it) and suggested ways in which we could take the essay further.
I did my presentation for Writing for the Arts, and I think it was one of my best presentations at either NBCCD or NSCAD. My theme was Marcel Duchamp and readymades. I gave a biography of him and then branched out, talking about the Fountain, his paintings, and artists who do similar work: Gene Nichols (who'll use just about anything to create rhythm: "I am addicted to sound, all sound. That's what gets me to thinking about everything as music.") and Andy Warhol (who used cheap, readily-available techniques to churn out multiples of his works). I couldn't help but get excited: this is the kind of thing that I live for. This is why I'm an artist.
After class, I discussed my idea for the WftA show with Anna. My idea was to take a bunch of photos around NSCAD, print them, arrange the prints with an envelope and take a photo of that. Title: Love Letters to NSCAD. While my idea was good, Anna felt it could be a bit stronger. She suggested actually mailing the photos to the Board of Governors (BoG) and NSCAD's acting president. We both got rather excited about the project, and Anna was thrilled that I was taking on a project like that: it couldn't be more timely.
That evening, I posted on the SUNSCAD Facebook group, explaining my idea, asking who's on the BoG and how I could contact them. I got the info, and then another comment suggesting that I send photos to the HFX Chamber of Commerce, as business organizations would be negatively affected in a big way if the university went under and the municipal government, as they have been silent throughout the whole mess at NSCAD.
One of the things I love about NSCAD is how they encourage students to be political. To quote the manifesto, "NSCAD's ability to nurture critical, political and philosophical thought continually sets us apart. It cultivates the artists and critical thinkers needed in today's society." I noticed that atmosphere right away, and while I soaked it up last semester, it was only in my finals that it really started to worm its way into my art. My approach to my education at NSCAD was always as another set of tools in my creative toolbox, and as someone who's become more political in the last four or so years, I appreciate the university's contributions to my art practice. Thanks, NSCAD!
Saturday: After such a crazy week (I was up to my eyeballs in homework every evening and stressing about whether I'd be able to get it all done on time), I tried to take the day as slowly as possible while still getting work done--and listening to Parsifal. By the way, the Met's current production was directed by Fraçois Girard, who directed The Red Violin. Oh, and he's a Canuck!
Sunday: I spent the afternoon working on my Graphics homework.
The BSO played a concert today. Feels like they just did one, but it was back in January. You know you've been busy when... Today's concert was the one that, if I lived in or around Bangor, I would've gone to (the cheap tickets are fairly affordable on a student budget--and yes, I'd put up with the crappiest seats in the world if it meant a couple hours of listening to one of my favourite orchestras). They played Vaughan-Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (one of my favourite pieces), Suite No. 1 from Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances and Vivaldi's Four Seasons (another favourite). All three pieces are rather strings-heavy, which makes me happy. I love a full orchestra--and when the BSO is going full-tilt, they can knock my socks off--but there's just something about a beautiful string section. The fact that the BSO's violin section is beyond awesome, reminds me why that instrument is one of my favourites and makes me proud to play the violin doesn't hurt, either. Long story short: BSO, I love you!
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Monday, March 4, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
busybusybusy
This week was one of those weeks that disappeared before I knew what to do with it.
Monday: Bob was sick, so class was cancelled. I didn't find out until I got to school and found a note on the classroom door. I spent the afternoon in the Photo Dept.'s computer lab doing homework that I'd planned to do on Tuesday.
Tuesday: I finally paid the fees at the school where I'm staying. I spent the day doing homework and then went to a GA that evening. The GA ended up morphing into an info session about the school's current situation (for example, when the loan on the Port Campus is paid off, NSCAD won't own the campus--if I remember correctly, the Halifax Port Authority will own it--and also NSCAD was pushed by the NS government to build the campus), and the executive members gave us an update on the previous week's action (after the action, SUNSCAD's president, Sarah Trower, spoke with the BoG folks who stayed about passing the manifesto--a lot left when the students started reading said manifesto). Before the GA, I asked one of the Photo Dept. techs about some of the things that I'd read in an email from the school that day that I wasn't clear about.
Wednesday: Once again, I spent the day doing homework.
We each met with Jeff and discussed our ideas and how they were coming along. We also split into groups and critiqued each others' work.
Thursday: Crit Day. Finally. We spent the class critiquing each others' work (mine went well). Because The Reconfigured Image is an intermediate course (which I didn't realize until I read the course description on the first day of class) and I use Photoshop at an advanced level, I've decided to use the course to push myself and challenge myself to use the program in ways that I haven't explored before, and I will continue to do this for the rest of the semester.
Friday: We discussed the readings, six of the students (one of whom was supposed to present last week but didn't) presented--same old, same old.
I somehow ended up at the Port Campus earlier than usual. I used the time to check out the Seeds Gallery--NSCAD's commercial gallery.
Anna did a workshop on grammar. Although most of it wasn't new, I did learn a couple of things (it's vs. its). Afterward, I had a few questions for her, and it morphed into a long conversation about my background--she knew that I was a transfer student and that I'd already taken a foundation-level writing course at NBCCD, but that was about it.
Saturday: I spent the better part of the day doing homework while listening to Le Comte Ory.
Sunday: Once I got going, I headed over to Staples and got paper for my Graphics project. I spent the rest of the afternoon in the Photo Dept. computer lab doing homework for Graphics (and wrestled a bit with Illustrator, which I ended up using to add text to the cover and title page because InDesign refused to accept the Photoshop file that I'd saved--I'm using Illustrator to add text because it and InDesign are vector programs whereas Photoshop is pixel-based), and I'm thisclose to being done. I then went home--and did more homework. I'm very happy with how much I got done yesterday and today.
Check this guy out. He's Trond's nephew, and he's about as awesome. Oh, and he's only two years older than me. His playing just about makes me cry, it's so beautiful.
Monday: Bob was sick, so class was cancelled. I didn't find out until I got to school and found a note on the classroom door. I spent the afternoon in the Photo Dept.'s computer lab doing homework that I'd planned to do on Tuesday.
Tuesday: I finally paid the fees at the school where I'm staying. I spent the day doing homework and then went to a GA that evening. The GA ended up morphing into an info session about the school's current situation (for example, when the loan on the Port Campus is paid off, NSCAD won't own the campus--if I remember correctly, the Halifax Port Authority will own it--and also NSCAD was pushed by the NS government to build the campus), and the executive members gave us an update on the previous week's action (after the action, SUNSCAD's president, Sarah Trower, spoke with the BoG folks who stayed about passing the manifesto--a lot left when the students started reading said manifesto). Before the GA, I asked one of the Photo Dept. techs about some of the things that I'd read in an email from the school that day that I wasn't clear about.
Wednesday: Once again, I spent the day doing homework.
We each met with Jeff and discussed our ideas and how they were coming along. We also split into groups and critiqued each others' work.
Thursday: Crit Day. Finally. We spent the class critiquing each others' work (mine went well). Because The Reconfigured Image is an intermediate course (which I didn't realize until I read the course description on the first day of class) and I use Photoshop at an advanced level, I've decided to use the course to push myself and challenge myself to use the program in ways that I haven't explored before, and I will continue to do this for the rest of the semester.
Friday: We discussed the readings, six of the students (one of whom was supposed to present last week but didn't) presented--same old, same old.
I somehow ended up at the Port Campus earlier than usual. I used the time to check out the Seeds Gallery--NSCAD's commercial gallery.
Anna did a workshop on grammar. Although most of it wasn't new, I did learn a couple of things (it's vs. its). Afterward, I had a few questions for her, and it morphed into a long conversation about my background--she knew that I was a transfer student and that I'd already taken a foundation-level writing course at NBCCD, but that was about it.
Saturday: I spent the better part of the day doing homework while listening to Le Comte Ory.
Sunday: Once I got going, I headed over to Staples and got paper for my Graphics project. I spent the rest of the afternoon in the Photo Dept. computer lab doing homework for Graphics (and wrestled a bit with Illustrator, which I ended up using to add text to the cover and title page because InDesign refused to accept the Photoshop file that I'd saved--I'm using Illustrator to add text because it and InDesign are vector programs whereas Photoshop is pixel-based), and I'm thisclose to being done. I then went home--and did more homework. I'm very happy with how much I got done yesterday and today.
Check this guy out. He's Trond's nephew, and he's about as awesome. Oh, and he's only two years older than me. His playing just about makes me cry, it's so beautiful.
Monday, November 19, 2012
it's going to be an intense month...
We're officially in Finals Mode. **gulp** But other than that, this week has been fairly uneventful.
Monday: I have no idea what happened, but that day was one of my most productive all semester. I got a lot of work done for my project for Beyond the Frame and skyped with my parents.
Tuesday: As per usual, this week we had a work-in-progress critique, which went well.
Wednesday: I started the next project, which is way easier. It's another book, and I got fairly close to finishing it--I just have to attach the cover. I spent the rest of the day working on my project for Beyond the Frame and printing for Intro Photo.
Thursday: I finally presented my project for Beyond the Frame (that critique also went well). We talked about what we're doing for our final projects, and Bob gave us a "how to survive and pay the bills after NSCAD" lecture (always helpful).
I spent the evening in the printshop, working on my box, and I'm close to finishing that as well. In the process I found out that the Letterpress Gang (a group in Halifax comprised of NSCAD faculty and students and people from the wider community) will be having a Christmas market in a couple weeks. Hello, handmade cards!
Friday: The final critique for the second-to-last(!) assignment. Mine went fairly well: I could've brought the tones up a bit, but other than that I did a good job.
Like Beyond the Frame, the final assignment for Intro Photo is an independent project. Adrian talked about it, and it's the most intense and involved project of the semester (which is typical of finals). We were given the choice of either working in the darkroom or scanning our negatives and working with them in Photoshop, and I chose the latter.
Saturday: I spent waaayyyy too much time procrastinating, but eventually buckled down and got some work done on my Beyond the Frame project.
Sunday: Workworkwork. I shot a roll for my Intro Photo project, developed it and wanted to get it scanned, but by that point it was too late and I needed to get back to my place. Before I left, I developed a contact sheet so that I could see what I had and start to choose images that I wanted to use. I finished the evening by working on the Beyond the Frame project and submitting a photo to Free Coffee, which is an annual publication by NSCAD of student work. Another addition to my CV!
Because the PBSO played one of my favourite pieces this past weekend, and I wish I could've gone to the concert:
Monday: I have no idea what happened, but that day was one of my most productive all semester. I got a lot of work done for my project for Beyond the Frame and skyped with my parents.
Tuesday: As per usual, this week we had a work-in-progress critique, which went well.
Wednesday: I started the next project, which is way easier. It's another book, and I got fairly close to finishing it--I just have to attach the cover. I spent the rest of the day working on my project for Beyond the Frame and printing for Intro Photo.
Thursday: I finally presented my project for Beyond the Frame (that critique also went well). We talked about what we're doing for our final projects, and Bob gave us a "how to survive and pay the bills after NSCAD" lecture (always helpful).
I spent the evening in the printshop, working on my box, and I'm close to finishing that as well. In the process I found out that the Letterpress Gang (a group in Halifax comprised of NSCAD faculty and students and people from the wider community) will be having a Christmas market in a couple weeks. Hello, handmade cards!
Friday: The final critique for the second-to-last(!) assignment. Mine went fairly well: I could've brought the tones up a bit, but other than that I did a good job.
Like Beyond the Frame, the final assignment for Intro Photo is an independent project. Adrian talked about it, and it's the most intense and involved project of the semester (which is typical of finals). We were given the choice of either working in the darkroom or scanning our negatives and working with them in Photoshop, and I chose the latter.
Saturday: I spent waaayyyy too much time procrastinating, but eventually buckled down and got some work done on my Beyond the Frame project.
Sunday: Workworkwork. I shot a roll for my Intro Photo project, developed it and wanted to get it scanned, but by that point it was too late and I needed to get back to my place. Before I left, I developed a contact sheet so that I could see what I had and start to choose images that I wanted to use. I finished the evening by working on the Beyond the Frame project and submitting a photo to Free Coffee, which is an annual publication by NSCAD of student work. Another addition to my CV!
Because the PBSO played one of my favourite pieces this past weekend, and I wish I could've gone to the concert:
Sunday, September 23, 2012
here's to another 125 years!
Just when I thought I couldn't fall any more in love with NSCAD--I have. This school is amazing, not just because it's one of the best art schools in Canada, but because it also has a great atmosphere and a "get off your butt and get involved in your community" attitude. And the school knows how to have fun. NSCAD, I love you!
Monday: So far, I've been doing a lot of work at the place where I'm living, rather than going to NSCAD to work on stuff. Partly it's because I live an hour's walk from the Granville campus. But on Monday, SUNSCAD had a teach-in about the school's financial situation, so I ended up at school on my day off. Right now NSCAD is in debt and has a significant deficit, which was largely caused by people who were supposed to be in charge not doing their jobs. And also the Nova Scotia government (NDP, though they could pass for Conservative) doesn't see why NSCAD is so important, why the arts are so important, and that contributed to the current situation. Last year it was so bad that NSCAD could've closed it's doors for good. But SUNSCAD has fought hard to keep the school open and to kick out the staff who were being irresponsible, including the last president, who was anything but available during this whole ordeal. Two members of CLASSE--the student organization behind the Canadian Spring strike--also spoke. They talked about the events leading up to the strike, and how it happened. The premier at the time, Jean Charest, proposed the tuition hikes way back in '10, and the students tried every possible method of making their voices heard--going on strike was a last resort. When they took questions, I asked what was next for the students, what with a new premier, Pauline Marois (Parti Québécois), who was elected earlier this month. I knew that the tuition hikes have been cancelled for now, but I wanted to know what else was happening and what CLASSE was up to. Marois and her government are going to negotiate with the students, and try to find a solution that both the students and the provincial government can agree to.
Afterward, I talked with one of the students who's actively involved in SUNSCAD because I want to be more involved than I am right now. Simply being a member of SUNSCAD isn't enough for me, now that I know about all the awesome stuff that they do, whether it's teach-ins or days of protest, and I want to be involved. Also, I'll only be here for a year: if I don't run, I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life.
I spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework for Intro Photo.
Tuesday: This week, we were introduced to that awesome camera known as a twin-lens reflex or TLR, and NSCAD's lighting studio and hot lights. Although I've logged about ten gazillion hours in NBCCD's photo studio, I'm starting from rock bottom again. But since it's a different school, with a different lighting studio setup, I think it's a good thing. Even their hot lights are a different brand and shape. And they're terracotta coloured, rather than black. And whereas the black and white backdrops were secured to the floor at NBCCD, at NSCAD they're stored close to the ceiling and you pull whichever one you want down with a chain. The best part: their product table is very sturdy and isn't held together with tape. And it has wheels on the back legs!!!!!!!! You know you're a photographer when you get excited about wheels on product tables. However, NSCAD's lighting studio has the same issue that NBCCD's does: the ceiling is too low, and I won't be doing any jumping shots anytime soon.
That evening, I shot the first half of the assignment. Another thing about NSCAD's lighting studio is that it's always booked. Working with the TLR is a bit different than with an SLR because everything is backwards in the viewfinder, and I found it a bit disorienting.
Wednesday: We started a larger project this week: making a book using Coptic binding. This week we just made the covers.
After class, I processed the roll that I'd shot the night before.
Thursday: This week, we critiqued each others' projects, which were due. However, we ran out of time, and will finish the crit this coming Thursday.
One of the things I love about art school is that there's art in places where you'd least expect it. NBCCD's photo studio has a photo from a contact sheet stuck to a random beam, and in the classroom where Photography Beyond the Frame is, there are several drawings of Ethernet sockets pinned to the wall, high enough that whoever pulled the stunt off would've needed a ladder to do it. I asked Bob about them, and according to him those drawings have been there for several decades.
Friday: Some of us (including yours truly) hadn't done that week's reading (I'd completely forgotten about it), so we read it in class and then discussed it. We also watched Koyaanisqatsi, and then discussed that. The movie completely blew me away and overwhelmed me. It's beautiful, thrilling, contemplative, and even a bit sad. The word "koyaanisqatsi" means "life out of balance" in Hopi, and that's exactly what the film depicts. The music is by Philip Glass, and it also contributes to the feeling of being overwhelmed by the movie. There's no dialog. A few of my classmates said that the movie depicted humanity as bad and nature as good, and I also got that feeling. It's something that I believe, anyway. To quote the alien in Contact, "You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares."
Saturday: ANNAversary Weekend! And another one of those "I'll only be at NSCAD for a year--so I should immerse myself in as much NSCAD culture as I can" situations. So I volunteered for ANNAmotion LOGOmotion, which recreated Robert Harris' portrait of Anna Leonowens and NSCAD's "125" logo using large painted boards. I arrived at Citadel Hill, where the performance was to take place, around eleven--about half an hour before I was supposed to, and walked around the hill (which is big) looking for people who looked like they may be involved in the flash mob. Eventually, I spotted a familiar face, got crossed off the list of people who'd signed up, given a sticker with a number (137 M) on it and a pixel. After standing around for a while, wondering what to do next, I found my row, and waited some more. I also practised flipping the pixel with my row.
Shortly after noon, we walked and squelched our way (it was very foggy, as you can see in the video) to the Duke St. side of the Hill. We then did several variations of raising the pixels and flipping them. After that, we paraded single-file on the sidewalk over to the Granville Campus, where we assembled in the plaza outside the university and did the pixel flip, as Bob calls it, again. We then chanted "NOVA SCOTIA NEEDS NSCAD!" and "ONE, TWO, FIVE!" After that, we posed for a group photo. Steve Farmer, who teaches part-time at NSCAD and took all the faculty and staff photos for the website, took the still photos at both locations.
Throughout the event, there were several moments where I felt like crying because I was so proud to be affiliated with NSCAD, and proud to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Eventually I couldn't hold it in any longer, and I cried a bit.
By the way, I'm the woman in the bright yellow raincoat. In ANNAmotion LOGOmotion I'm in the front row.
After the event, I headed home, stopping at a patisserie that I'd discovered while parading over to Granville. I spent the rest of the day doing homework and other things that needed to get done.
Sunday: I spent today finishing the reading for Intro Photo, skyping with my parents (including discussing with Tom whether to migrate or do a clean install of my stuff when my new computer comes. We decided to migrate some things, e.g., iPhoto and Firefox, and do a clean install of others), catching up on my podcasts and YouTube subscriptions and writing this post.
Tomorrow I'm going to start on my next project for Beyond the Frame. The theme this time is documents and documentary photography, so I've decided to do a piece documenting my NSCAD experience so far.
Monday: So far, I've been doing a lot of work at the place where I'm living, rather than going to NSCAD to work on stuff. Partly it's because I live an hour's walk from the Granville campus. But on Monday, SUNSCAD had a teach-in about the school's financial situation, so I ended up at school on my day off. Right now NSCAD is in debt and has a significant deficit, which was largely caused by people who were supposed to be in charge not doing their jobs. And also the Nova Scotia government (NDP, though they could pass for Conservative) doesn't see why NSCAD is so important, why the arts are so important, and that contributed to the current situation. Last year it was so bad that NSCAD could've closed it's doors for good. But SUNSCAD has fought hard to keep the school open and to kick out the staff who were being irresponsible, including the last president, who was anything but available during this whole ordeal. Two members of CLASSE--the student organization behind the Canadian Spring strike--also spoke. They talked about the events leading up to the strike, and how it happened. The premier at the time, Jean Charest, proposed the tuition hikes way back in '10, and the students tried every possible method of making their voices heard--going on strike was a last resort. When they took questions, I asked what was next for the students, what with a new premier, Pauline Marois (Parti Québécois), who was elected earlier this month. I knew that the tuition hikes have been cancelled for now, but I wanted to know what else was happening and what CLASSE was up to. Marois and her government are going to negotiate with the students, and try to find a solution that both the students and the provincial government can agree to.
Afterward, I talked with one of the students who's actively involved in SUNSCAD because I want to be more involved than I am right now. Simply being a member of SUNSCAD isn't enough for me, now that I know about all the awesome stuff that they do, whether it's teach-ins or days of protest, and I want to be involved. Also, I'll only be here for a year: if I don't run, I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life.
I spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework for Intro Photo.
Tuesday: This week, we were introduced to that awesome camera known as a twin-lens reflex or TLR, and NSCAD's lighting studio and hot lights. Although I've logged about ten gazillion hours in NBCCD's photo studio, I'm starting from rock bottom again. But since it's a different school, with a different lighting studio setup, I think it's a good thing. Even their hot lights are a different brand and shape. And they're terracotta coloured, rather than black. And whereas the black and white backdrops were secured to the floor at NBCCD, at NSCAD they're stored close to the ceiling and you pull whichever one you want down with a chain. The best part: their product table is very sturdy and isn't held together with tape. And it has wheels on the back legs!!!!!!!! You know you're a photographer when you get excited about wheels on product tables. However, NSCAD's lighting studio has the same issue that NBCCD's does: the ceiling is too low, and I won't be doing any jumping shots anytime soon.
That evening, I shot the first half of the assignment. Another thing about NSCAD's lighting studio is that it's always booked. Working with the TLR is a bit different than with an SLR because everything is backwards in the viewfinder, and I found it a bit disorienting.
Wednesday: We started a larger project this week: making a book using Coptic binding. This week we just made the covers.
After class, I processed the roll that I'd shot the night before.
Thursday: This week, we critiqued each others' projects, which were due. However, we ran out of time, and will finish the crit this coming Thursday.
One of the things I love about art school is that there's art in places where you'd least expect it. NBCCD's photo studio has a photo from a contact sheet stuck to a random beam, and in the classroom where Photography Beyond the Frame is, there are several drawings of Ethernet sockets pinned to the wall, high enough that whoever pulled the stunt off would've needed a ladder to do it. I asked Bob about them, and according to him those drawings have been there for several decades.
Friday: Some of us (including yours truly) hadn't done that week's reading (I'd completely forgotten about it), so we read it in class and then discussed it. We also watched Koyaanisqatsi, and then discussed that. The movie completely blew me away and overwhelmed me. It's beautiful, thrilling, contemplative, and even a bit sad. The word "koyaanisqatsi" means "life out of balance" in Hopi, and that's exactly what the film depicts. The music is by Philip Glass, and it also contributes to the feeling of being overwhelmed by the movie. There's no dialog. A few of my classmates said that the movie depicted humanity as bad and nature as good, and I also got that feeling. It's something that I believe, anyway. To quote the alien in Contact, "You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares."
Saturday: ANNAversary Weekend! And another one of those "I'll only be at NSCAD for a year--so I should immerse myself in as much NSCAD culture as I can" situations. So I volunteered for ANNAmotion LOGOmotion, which recreated Robert Harris' portrait of Anna Leonowens and NSCAD's "125" logo using large painted boards. I arrived at Citadel Hill, where the performance was to take place, around eleven--about half an hour before I was supposed to, and walked around the hill (which is big) looking for people who looked like they may be involved in the flash mob. Eventually, I spotted a familiar face, got crossed off the list of people who'd signed up, given a sticker with a number (137 M) on it and a pixel. After standing around for a while, wondering what to do next, I found my row, and waited some more. I also practised flipping the pixel with my row.
Shortly after noon, we walked and squelched our way (it was very foggy, as you can see in the video) to the Duke St. side of the Hill. We then did several variations of raising the pixels and flipping them. After that, we paraded single-file on the sidewalk over to the Granville Campus, where we assembled in the plaza outside the university and did the pixel flip, as Bob calls it, again. We then chanted "NOVA SCOTIA NEEDS NSCAD!" and "ONE, TWO, FIVE!" After that, we posed for a group photo. Steve Farmer, who teaches part-time at NSCAD and took all the faculty and staff photos for the website, took the still photos at both locations.
Throughout the event, there were several moments where I felt like crying because I was so proud to be affiliated with NSCAD, and proud to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Eventually I couldn't hold it in any longer, and I cried a bit.
By the way, I'm the woman in the bright yellow raincoat. In ANNAmotion LOGOmotion I'm in the front row.
After the event, I headed home, stopping at a patisserie that I'd discovered while parading over to Granville. I spent the rest of the day doing homework and other things that needed to get done.
Sunday: I spent today finishing the reading for Intro Photo, skyping with my parents (including discussing with Tom whether to migrate or do a clean install of my stuff when my new computer comes. We decided to migrate some things, e.g., iPhoto and Firefox, and do a clean install of others), catching up on my podcasts and YouTube subscriptions and writing this post.
Tomorrow I'm going to start on my next project for Beyond the Frame. The theme this time is documents and documentary photography, so I've decided to do a piece documenting my NSCAD experience so far.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
stress? what's that?
NBCCD has officially entered Finals Season. But for the first time ever, I'm not stressed. Usually by this point I'm stressed about final assignments, and (in the case of FVA) exams. But not this time. I know what I'm doing. And I don't have much homework.
Monday: This week, the overall feeling from the teachers was, "you've learned all I have to teach you for this course," and it was especially prevalent in the Monday classes. This weeks' assignments are to tweak the business plan and write an update on our mentors. Next week we'll hand in the final version of the B. plan, and by that point it should be good enough that we could walk down the street to somewhere like the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and apply for a loan.
In Output, our final assignment is to pick a wall in the NBCCD gallery and lay out a show on that wall. That includes a heck of a lot of measuring, and dealing with the fact that the floor in that gallery isn't even. I've done the assignment already (it isn't due until next week, a.k.a. the end of term), and it wasn't the evenness (or lack thereof) of the floor that drove me nuts--it was the amount of space between each photo. I wanted to get them exactly even, so I positioned the two end-photos--and then did battle with the ones in between, moving them back and forth and using the Ruler Tool to measure the distance between each one. Grrr... I finally got the measurements to be the same, and then started in on the distance between the floor and the photos, which only took a couple minutes.
One of the things I love about NBCCD is how much the college focuses on the "real world". If I apply for a show (and I will at some point), this is what I'm going to have to deal with.
Tuesday: That day was one of my laziest ever. I don't know how I did it, but somehow I managed to get off my butt at about five that evening and over to the college, where I did some work (starting the final report for my current independent study project, getting the last model release from Dance Fredericton, and starting the mentor update for the business class) before heading back to my dorm.
Wednesday: We're pretty much done in Photoshop, and I spent most of the three hours working on my independent study project for that class. We have another week in which to work on the projects, but I'm pretty much done. I'm going to show mine to Drew this week, and see if he has any suggestions on how to make it better. I admit that I'm loving this project--and it's a good way to put some of the anger that I feel towards the current government to use. And get school credit for it.
And we're pretty much done in Lighting, too. We spent part of the class having our work critiqued--and then Drew spent the rest of it untangling a box of cords and random stuff that's usually in the studio, and putting it all to rights.
Thursday: Thursdays and Fridays are usually my most productive days of the week, and this week was no different. Preparing for Professional Life homework: done. Output homework: done.
I also went to the first of two openings: Rooted/Uprooted by Linda Kelly, and Miramichi, 1953 by Rachael Flett. Both were in the Annex Gallery in the Playhouse, and both were amazing. Linda was my History Tutorial teacher in first semester FVA, and Rachael graduated from the photography program this past June. Rachael's now living in Calgary, AB, so she couldn't be at the opening. Karen and Peter spoke in the wing where Rachael's show is hanging. And then we all went across to the other wing, where Linda spoke about her work.
Friday: Another ridiculously productive day. I began preparing to print my independent study project, and stocked up on print credits and got a portfolio for the final photos.
And I did yet more homework.
And went to another opening. This one was at NBCCD's gallery. It's an alumni show, titled Illusion, and it's centred around fashion. Miniaturized fashion.
I also said good-bye to Tom's Nikon. I'm probably going to go with Canon for my next camera (better optics and sensor, and as I don't put my cameras through a lot, I don't need the best-sealed cam on the block), but I got a taste of life with a higher-quality camera than mine. And I loved it.
Saturday: The first Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast of the year! Which meant that I planned my entire day around the performance. And that meant that I had to be at the school by 1:30 PM (12:30 EST) at the latest. CBC's over-the-air reception is the pits here in NB, so I usually listen to the broadcast on my computer.
The first broadcast was Rodelinda by Handel, with Renée Fleming in the title role. I'm not the biggest fan of Baroque opera, but this one wasn't bad. I liked it a lot better than Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck). Next week's opera is Faust, by Charles Gounod, which I'm really looking forward to.
And I found out that Maestro Levine will not be conducting some of the performances of the Ring Cycle this season, due to a fall while on vacation. He'll be back on the podium starting next month, but the Met's principal guest conductor, Maestro Fabio Luisi, was elevated to principal conductor and has taken on some of Maestro Levine's performances. Maestro Levine will conduct one performance of Götterdämmerung (April twenty-fourth), though he's conducting the other three Ring operas.
For those who don't know, James Levine has conducted every single performance of every single Ring opera since 1989. That's almost my entire life (I was born in '88)! He's conducted over 2,000 performances with the Met.
In amongst all this opera, I also managed to do a shoot for my last independent lighting assignment. This time, I worked with everything that I had yet to use. Or almost everything--as the Speedatrons and I are enemies right now (they still refuse to slave), and the snoot that the school's studio has is meant for that system, I wasn't able to try it out. However, even just turning on the modelling light taught me a lot: turns out, the snoot focuses the light on one spot.
Sunday: I'd hoped to print a test for my big independent project (the dance one) today, but the printer's loaded with matte paper, and I have no idea where the lustre paper's disappeared to. I've decided to move printing to Tuesday.
Right now, I don't have much homework, so I haven't done much that could pass for "productive" today. However, I went through the photos that I shot yesterday, and picked out the ten best. I'll probably put my notes in a Word document later this evening or tomorrow evening.
And I have to print off stuff for Preparing for Professional Life, which can be a minor pain when you're used to submitting everything digitally (thanks, Photo Studio!).
I can't believe tomorrow will be the last three-class day of the year. I love all three classes, but still--YIPPEEEEEE for the fact that tomorrow is the last time I have to slog through nine hours of classes this year!
Monday: This week, the overall feeling from the teachers was, "you've learned all I have to teach you for this course," and it was especially prevalent in the Monday classes. This weeks' assignments are to tweak the business plan and write an update on our mentors. Next week we'll hand in the final version of the B. plan, and by that point it should be good enough that we could walk down the street to somewhere like the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and apply for a loan.
In Output, our final assignment is to pick a wall in the NBCCD gallery and lay out a show on that wall. That includes a heck of a lot of measuring, and dealing with the fact that the floor in that gallery isn't even. I've done the assignment already (it isn't due until next week, a.k.a. the end of term), and it wasn't the evenness (or lack thereof) of the floor that drove me nuts--it was the amount of space between each photo. I wanted to get them exactly even, so I positioned the two end-photos--and then did battle with the ones in between, moving them back and forth and using the Ruler Tool to measure the distance between each one. Grrr... I finally got the measurements to be the same, and then started in on the distance between the floor and the photos, which only took a couple minutes.
One of the things I love about NBCCD is how much the college focuses on the "real world". If I apply for a show (and I will at some point), this is what I'm going to have to deal with.
Tuesday: That day was one of my laziest ever. I don't know how I did it, but somehow I managed to get off my butt at about five that evening and over to the college, where I did some work (starting the final report for my current independent study project, getting the last model release from Dance Fredericton, and starting the mentor update for the business class) before heading back to my dorm.
Wednesday: We're pretty much done in Photoshop, and I spent most of the three hours working on my independent study project for that class. We have another week in which to work on the projects, but I'm pretty much done. I'm going to show mine to Drew this week, and see if he has any suggestions on how to make it better. I admit that I'm loving this project--and it's a good way to put some of the anger that I feel towards the current government to use. And get school credit for it.
And we're pretty much done in Lighting, too. We spent part of the class having our work critiqued--and then Drew spent the rest of it untangling a box of cords and random stuff that's usually in the studio, and putting it all to rights.
Thursday: Thursdays and Fridays are usually my most productive days of the week, and this week was no different. Preparing for Professional Life homework: done. Output homework: done.
I also went to the first of two openings: Rooted/Uprooted by Linda Kelly, and Miramichi, 1953 by Rachael Flett. Both were in the Annex Gallery in the Playhouse, and both were amazing. Linda was my History Tutorial teacher in first semester FVA, and Rachael graduated from the photography program this past June. Rachael's now living in Calgary, AB, so she couldn't be at the opening. Karen and Peter spoke in the wing where Rachael's show is hanging. And then we all went across to the other wing, where Linda spoke about her work.
Friday: Another ridiculously productive day. I began preparing to print my independent study project, and stocked up on print credits and got a portfolio for the final photos.
And I did yet more homework.
And went to another opening. This one was at NBCCD's gallery. It's an alumni show, titled Illusion, and it's centred around fashion. Miniaturized fashion.
I also said good-bye to Tom's Nikon. I'm probably going to go with Canon for my next camera (better optics and sensor, and as I don't put my cameras through a lot, I don't need the best-sealed cam on the block), but I got a taste of life with a higher-quality camera than mine. And I loved it.
Saturday: The first Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast of the year! Which meant that I planned my entire day around the performance. And that meant that I had to be at the school by 1:30 PM (12:30 EST) at the latest. CBC's over-the-air reception is the pits here in NB, so I usually listen to the broadcast on my computer.
The first broadcast was Rodelinda by Handel, with Renée Fleming in the title role. I'm not the biggest fan of Baroque opera, but this one wasn't bad. I liked it a lot better than Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck). Next week's opera is Faust, by Charles Gounod, which I'm really looking forward to.
And I found out that Maestro Levine will not be conducting some of the performances of the Ring Cycle this season, due to a fall while on vacation. He'll be back on the podium starting next month, but the Met's principal guest conductor, Maestro Fabio Luisi, was elevated to principal conductor and has taken on some of Maestro Levine's performances. Maestro Levine will conduct one performance of Götterdämmerung (April twenty-fourth), though he's conducting the other three Ring operas.
For those who don't know, James Levine has conducted every single performance of every single Ring opera since 1989. That's almost my entire life (I was born in '88)! He's conducted over 2,000 performances with the Met.
In amongst all this opera, I also managed to do a shoot for my last independent lighting assignment. This time, I worked with everything that I had yet to use. Or almost everything--as the Speedatrons and I are enemies right now (they still refuse to slave), and the snoot that the school's studio has is meant for that system, I wasn't able to try it out. However, even just turning on the modelling light taught me a lot: turns out, the snoot focuses the light on one spot.
Sunday: I'd hoped to print a test for my big independent project (the dance one) today, but the printer's loaded with matte paper, and I have no idea where the lustre paper's disappeared to. I've decided to move printing to Tuesday.
Right now, I don't have much homework, so I haven't done much that could pass for "productive" today. However, I went through the photos that I shot yesterday, and picked out the ten best. I'll probably put my notes in a Word document later this evening or tomorrow evening.
And I have to print off stuff for Preparing for Professional Life, which can be a minor pain when you're used to submitting everything digitally (thanks, Photo Studio!).
I can't believe tomorrow will be the last three-class day of the year. I love all three classes, but still--YIPPEEEEEE for the fact that tomorrow is the last time I have to slog through nine hours of classes this year!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
class is cancelled. NNOOOOOOO!
Welcome to the homestretch. As of today, I only have SIX CLASS DAYS until Assessment Week, for a grand total of twelve school days when A. Week is included. Say whaaaa?! As I always end up asking at the end of every semester: where the heck did the time go?? I demand to know what you've done with it, NBCCD!
Monday: This week, two of my classes were cancelled due to teachers being sick, starting with Drawing. Although I like that class, I didn't mind the cancellation, as it gave me time to do some homework on a Monday for once.
Tuesday: That day was my last shoot at Dance Fredericton, and I went all-out. I'm really happy with the photos that I took that evening, and after spending Tuesday evenings there four times in the last five weeks, this coming Tuesday will feel really weird. I spent most of the day doing homework.
Wednesday: Drew handed out the final Photoshop assignment that day. It's also an independent-study project, but it's an even bigger one than the last one that we did. This one isn't due until Assessment Week. That, and it's worth a whopping twenty-five per cent of the final mark. There were several suggestions in the hand-out, and I decided to design three billboard ads, which was one of the suggestions. The ads could be on anything I wanted, and I chose Bill C-10. I've done two already (they still need some tweaking, and I'm not done masking Billboard #2), and I'm really happy with them.
That afternoon, we had the first major snowstorm of the season. I heard via Facebook status updates from some of my UNB friends that eight profs at the university cancelled class. Not so at NBCCD: we kept right on going as though white stuff wasn't falling from the sky as we worked.
Thursday: Class cancellation #2. This time it was Advanced Digital Projects--Peter was sick. And this time I got up early for no reason. Because Digital Projects is a morning class, I was up at my usual time (7:30/6:30 EST). As usual, I checked Facebook first thing--and there was a status update from one of my classmates, letting those of us who don't check our college email know that class was cancelled (I checked my email afterward). Well. There went my plans for the morning. But... I'm already up, I'm dressed--I'M GOING TO SCHOOL TO GET STUFF DONE! I took a bit longer to get from my back door (which, unlike the front door, opens directly onto the street that connects to the street that NBCCD's on) to campus because, due to a lack of classes and the first real snowfall of the year, I took a few photos on the way with my point 'n' shoot.
I spent the day getting homework done.
Friday: Another day of getting stuff done. And gritting my teeth at Black Friday, which I've hated for several years, and every year it seems to get worse (both B.F. and my hatred of it). Especially when Walmart is involved. I started to become aware of the problem in '08, when a thirtysomething Walmart employee was trampled to death when the store opened: people just wanted to get to the deals as fast as they could, and the life of the employee didn't matter. When he didn't get out of the way, they trampled him.
This year, Black Friday invaded Canada. I first noticed it in a SportChek.ca ad in the sidebar on Facebook, and on the day itself I saw that the Kings Place Mall had a sign outside, announcing the mall-wide sales. But that wasn't the worst of it. At a Walmart in L.A., a woman used pepper spray to disperse her fellow shoppers just so that she could get her hands on some electronics--the effects of the pepper spray could be felt throughout the store, and as usual Walmart employees did nothing. There was also a shooting at a Walmart in the San Francisco Bay Area.
What has this world come to? Is the acquisition of more "things" now more important than the lives of your fellow human beings? And what is it about Walmart that brings out the worst of the worst in us humans?
Yet more proof of how twisted our society is.
This year, I decided to make a point of participating in Buy Nothing Day (which includes buying local rather than from a big-box chain store, and paying with cash rather than with your debit/credit card--especially if you have an account at a big bank like RBC or ScotiaBank). Success.
I also went to NBCCD's craft sale and bought a couple things there. And I shot my second independent lighting project. This week, I focused on using the Speedatron lights because I don't have much experience with them. Until just a few weeks ago, I was scared to even touch the power pack, but after I went over the ins and outs of how to use it with Drew, I felt a lot less scared. And I don't want to lose that lack of fear. But although I'm no longer scared of the power pack, I am frustrated, as the slave mechanism for those things is finicky as heck.
I was doing fine until I switched lights. I started out using a Speedatron with an umbrella, plus a WhiteLightning with a grid (secondary light), but then wanted to switch to a Speedatron that had a giant softbox attached. When I switched to the softbox, the slave mechanism wouldn't work, and only the WhiteLightning fired. It still refused to work when I tried switching back to the light that I'd been using before. I tried several times to get it to work, but then gave up. I'm definitely more suited for lights like the AlienBees and WhiteLightnings: if the transmitter (which is battery-powered) doesn't work, just switch it out for a new one.
In case you're wondering what I mean when I talk about flashes being "slaved", here's the definition from Paul C. Buff (the company that makes the WhiteLightnings and AlienBees): "A flash unit is said to be a slave flash when it is set to fire by detecting the flash from another (master) flash unit in a multi-light setup. This allows multiple flash units to be operated with only one light synchronized (hardwired) to the camera. As many slaves as necessary can be used in a setup."
Black Friday 2011: The Violence Continues
Black Friday 2011: Shoppers Fight Over $2 Waffle Makers at Walmart [Video]
Saturday: Open-house day at NBCCD. On Wednesday I was approached by Barb (she used to be the studio tech for the Fashion Design studio, but she now works in administration, in marketing), who asked me if I'd be interested in guiding people around the studio and answering questions. I said yes, even though it meant that I'd have to get up early on Saturday.
However, the open house was a lot of fun, and worth getting up early for. And I thoroughly enjoyed giving tours. In between, I managed to get some homework done for my Photoshop project. Take that, Harper!
I was the only person in the studio until about two, when Drew showed up (he was leading some of the tours through the school that afternoon). I told him about my frustrations with the Speedatrons, and turns out that problems like mine aren't uncommon with those lights: they are finicky, period.
That night, I discovered a new piece of music--and immediately fell in love. Or in infatuation, which will probably turn into love. I'm currently working on choreography for it, and the music is challenging me to go beyond what I usually do, and to experiment, and I love it when that happens. The choreography is closer to modern dance than anything else (I dance a combination of ballet, jazz and modern, all rolled up into one). Check it out--The Ballad of Revolt, by Harald Saeverud (Trond's grandfather):
Sunday: Today's been a standard weekend day: I stayed up late on Saturday, so I slept in this morning. I did laundry and then headed over to the school. I printed stuff off for tomorrow, as well as my traditional check-list of all that I have to do between now and the end of term (with blank spaces, which will be filled in as Finals Season progresses) which will be taped to my dorm-room door when I get home. I also skyped with my parents and my mentor (we all have to have a mentor for business class), and edited photos for my independent study project for Peter's class (this week I've decided to focus on really whipping them into shape and fine-tuning the editing before I start printing next week).
Monday: This week, two of my classes were cancelled due to teachers being sick, starting with Drawing. Although I like that class, I didn't mind the cancellation, as it gave me time to do some homework on a Monday for once.
Tuesday: That day was my last shoot at Dance Fredericton, and I went all-out. I'm really happy with the photos that I took that evening, and after spending Tuesday evenings there four times in the last five weeks, this coming Tuesday will feel really weird. I spent most of the day doing homework.
Wednesday: Drew handed out the final Photoshop assignment that day. It's also an independent-study project, but it's an even bigger one than the last one that we did. This one isn't due until Assessment Week. That, and it's worth a whopping twenty-five per cent of the final mark. There were several suggestions in the hand-out, and I decided to design three billboard ads, which was one of the suggestions. The ads could be on anything I wanted, and I chose Bill C-10. I've done two already (they still need some tweaking, and I'm not done masking Billboard #2), and I'm really happy with them.
That afternoon, we had the first major snowstorm of the season. I heard via Facebook status updates from some of my UNB friends that eight profs at the university cancelled class. Not so at NBCCD: we kept right on going as though white stuff wasn't falling from the sky as we worked.
Thursday: Class cancellation #2. This time it was Advanced Digital Projects--Peter was sick. And this time I got up early for no reason. Because Digital Projects is a morning class, I was up at my usual time (7:30/6:30 EST). As usual, I checked Facebook first thing--and there was a status update from one of my classmates, letting those of us who don't check our college email know that class was cancelled (I checked my email afterward). Well. There went my plans for the morning. But... I'm already up, I'm dressed--I'M GOING TO SCHOOL TO GET STUFF DONE! I took a bit longer to get from my back door (which, unlike the front door, opens directly onto the street that connects to the street that NBCCD's on) to campus because, due to a lack of classes and the first real snowfall of the year, I took a few photos on the way with my point 'n' shoot.
I spent the day getting homework done.
Friday: Another day of getting stuff done. And gritting my teeth at Black Friday, which I've hated for several years, and every year it seems to get worse (both B.F. and my hatred of it). Especially when Walmart is involved. I started to become aware of the problem in '08, when a thirtysomething Walmart employee was trampled to death when the store opened: people just wanted to get to the deals as fast as they could, and the life of the employee didn't matter. When he didn't get out of the way, they trampled him.
This year, Black Friday invaded Canada. I first noticed it in a SportChek.ca ad in the sidebar on Facebook, and on the day itself I saw that the Kings Place Mall had a sign outside, announcing the mall-wide sales. But that wasn't the worst of it. At a Walmart in L.A., a woman used pepper spray to disperse her fellow shoppers just so that she could get her hands on some electronics--the effects of the pepper spray could be felt throughout the store, and as usual Walmart employees did nothing. There was also a shooting at a Walmart in the San Francisco Bay Area.
What has this world come to? Is the acquisition of more "things" now more important than the lives of your fellow human beings? And what is it about Walmart that brings out the worst of the worst in us humans?
Yet more proof of how twisted our society is.
This year, I decided to make a point of participating in Buy Nothing Day (which includes buying local rather than from a big-box chain store, and paying with cash rather than with your debit/credit card--especially if you have an account at a big bank like RBC or ScotiaBank). Success.
I also went to NBCCD's craft sale and bought a couple things there. And I shot my second independent lighting project. This week, I focused on using the Speedatron lights because I don't have much experience with them. Until just a few weeks ago, I was scared to even touch the power pack, but after I went over the ins and outs of how to use it with Drew, I felt a lot less scared. And I don't want to lose that lack of fear. But although I'm no longer scared of the power pack, I am frustrated, as the slave mechanism for those things is finicky as heck.
I was doing fine until I switched lights. I started out using a Speedatron with an umbrella, plus a WhiteLightning with a grid (secondary light), but then wanted to switch to a Speedatron that had a giant softbox attached. When I switched to the softbox, the slave mechanism wouldn't work, and only the WhiteLightning fired. It still refused to work when I tried switching back to the light that I'd been using before. I tried several times to get it to work, but then gave up. I'm definitely more suited for lights like the AlienBees and WhiteLightnings: if the transmitter (which is battery-powered) doesn't work, just switch it out for a new one.
In case you're wondering what I mean when I talk about flashes being "slaved", here's the definition from Paul C. Buff (the company that makes the WhiteLightnings and AlienBees): "A flash unit is said to be a slave flash when it is set to fire by detecting the flash from another (master) flash unit in a multi-light setup. This allows multiple flash units to be operated with only one light synchronized (hardwired) to the camera. As many slaves as necessary can be used in a setup."
Black Friday 2011: The Violence Continues
Black Friday 2011: Shoppers Fight Over $2 Waffle Makers at Walmart [Video]
Saturday: Open-house day at NBCCD. On Wednesday I was approached by Barb (she used to be the studio tech for the Fashion Design studio, but she now works in administration, in marketing), who asked me if I'd be interested in guiding people around the studio and answering questions. I said yes, even though it meant that I'd have to get up early on Saturday.
However, the open house was a lot of fun, and worth getting up early for. And I thoroughly enjoyed giving tours. In between, I managed to get some homework done for my Photoshop project. Take that, Harper!
I was the only person in the studio until about two, when Drew showed up (he was leading some of the tours through the school that afternoon). I told him about my frustrations with the Speedatrons, and turns out that problems like mine aren't uncommon with those lights: they are finicky, period.
That night, I discovered a new piece of music--and immediately fell in love. Or in infatuation, which will probably turn into love. I'm currently working on choreography for it, and the music is challenging me to go beyond what I usually do, and to experiment, and I love it when that happens. The choreography is closer to modern dance than anything else (I dance a combination of ballet, jazz and modern, all rolled up into one). Check it out--The Ballad of Revolt, by Harald Saeverud (Trond's grandfather):
 |
| From my battles--er, I mean, shoot--with the Speedatron. |
Sunday, November 20, 2011
two weeks until the Met's radio broadcast season, two weeks until finals season...
I can't believe how productive I've been since Thursday afternoon. It's to the point that I'm actually ahead on most things, and I've been able to start a blog post on Saturday night, rather than dashing one off on Sunday night.
Monday: We finally had a class where we went through the business plan section-by-section with Trudy--which should've been done in the first class.
Output was more of a work period than anything else. Which was good, because I needed to do some serious work on the website assignment, which I'd let slide. I finished the website, but since it's not due until December fifth, I won't hand it in just yet. Maybe I'll add a few more portfolios, or tweak the colours in the layout...
Tuesday: On Sunday, I printed two photos for a show at Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, Inc., and I spent part of Tuesday afternoon cutting them (I'd printed them on the roll paper) and then taking them to the Canada Post down the street. I also checked out a favourite book for my photography project. Although I've read it a couple gazillion times, I wanted to look at it again, and note what sorts of techniques Jill Krementz used.
I'd planned to do a shoot at Dance Fredericton, but the classes that I was photographing were cancelled that week. Because I didn't want the week to be a waste, I decided to experiment with different ways of processing. I did four photos: one slightly desaturated, one converted to B&W and lightened, one with a magenta colour cast, and one with an out-of-focus background (doing the mask for that took forever--that idea is officially off the list).
As of that day, I'll be home in a month--yaaaayyyy!
Wednesday: Like Output, Photoshop was a work period. I mostly worked on finishing the masking. We also talked/unleashed frustration about the business class. Drew said that the Photo Studio used to have a business class (I'm assuming that that was Gross 500--the students had to gross $500 in order to pass the course. Gross 500 was actually the nickname, and it was also a pun, as it was taught by Peter Gross)--and that maybe they should bring it back. Pretty-pretty-please, Photo Studio!
An entire course devoted to independent study projects: check. Photoshop independent study project: check. Lighting independent study projects: as of this week, check! The last three assignments for the Lighting course are week-long independent study assignments. This week, I decided to focus on using the gels, since I'd never used them before (gels are pieces of coloured polymer plastic that are used to change the colour of the light coming out of the flash).
Thursday: We talked some more about business, and presented the info we'd got from our undercover calls/emails. Peter noted that one very important thing that all but one of the photographers contacted left out of the total cost was processing time. Ouch. Note to non-photogs: when you hire a photographer, the photos aren't handed to you as they appear straight out of the camera (SOOC). Those images are edited and tweaked and processed, and that takes time and should be included in the total cost. Photoshop and/or Lightroom are a photographer's best friend beside his/her camera, lenses and tripod.
We also talked about next semester's electives. I really wanted to get into the book-binding one, but the woman who taught it, Linda Brine, isn't at NBCCD anymore. However, I think the watercolour course taught by Linda Kelly (my old first-semester FVA History Tutorial teacher) could be fun. I think there are one or two other courses that I thought could be cool, but I can't remember. There are four or five different options, and Peter will keep us posted on any updates for the electives. We aren't able to sign up yet.
Except for a meeting with Peter, I spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework. The meeting went well: I have some issues to work out, but I know what those issues are and how to resolve them. I'd hoped to put what I'd learned in the critiques into practice this week and take advantage of a full set of signed model releases, but got derailed due to the schedule change. Next week.
Friday: On days when I don't have class, I usually don't show up at the school until about two in the afternoon. This time I had to be there by 11:45 AM (10:45 EST) because I wanted to go over the ins and outs of using the gels with Drew, and one of my classmates had the studio booked at noon. I also told him about the fact that I want to continue working on the portfolio book throughout the year (it's due tomorrow)--and then I'll buy it after school's out as a souvenir of my time at NBCCD.
That day, I finally started writing the essay for the archiving assignment--and finished it in an hour. Two pages (double-spaced, twelve-point Times New Roman). Done. I am good at this writing thing. And I finally used up the $5,000 ($4,865.23 USD--we were to come up with a backup system that cost around that number. In the beginning, I found it rather hard.).
After finishing at school, I went to the Christmas craft market at the Boyce Farmers Market. I didn't buy any presents (bummer), but I did buy some treats, including mince pies (the kind without suet). Check out these recipes: Quick Mincemeat and Traditional Mincemeat, both from David Lebovitz. Even if you're a vegetarian, like me (or you hate the idea of kidney fat used in a dessert--how about five pounds of the stuff, 4 3/4 pounds of which didn't get used in the recipe?!), please read the story about the Traditional Mincemeat. It'll make you laugh. Promise. The Quick Mincemeat also has a story, but it's not as funny.
Saturday: Another day of getting stuff done. As I stated at the beginning of this post, I can't believe how much I've accomplished since Thursday. Most of what I had to do yesterday was finishing stuff up and getting it ready for Monday. Again, I spent the day getting stuff done, including shooting the independent lighting project, which was fun.
Sunday: I spent today doing more work on my business and marketing plans for Preparing for Professional Life, and printing them out as well as printing out the essay for Output (I also tossed it on the server, which is how we normally submit stuff for Drew's classes). As of right now (5:51 PM AST/4:51 EST), all I have to do is finish the painting for Drawing, which is a simple matter of adding white to a couple spots that shouldn't take too long (maybe ten or fifteen minutes) because I didn't have white paint with me yesterday.
PS: As of yesterday, there are exactly TWO WEEKS until the Met's first radio broadcast of the season! The opera in question will be Handel's Rodelinda, starring one of my favourite sopranos, who's also one of the best sopranos in the world: Renée Fleming. Four hours of Renée (well, three, due to two half-hour intermissions)? Yes, please!
Monday: We finally had a class where we went through the business plan section-by-section with Trudy--which should've been done in the first class.
Output was more of a work period than anything else. Which was good, because I needed to do some serious work on the website assignment, which I'd let slide. I finished the website, but since it's not due until December fifth, I won't hand it in just yet. Maybe I'll add a few more portfolios, or tweak the colours in the layout...
Tuesday: On Sunday, I printed two photos for a show at Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, Inc., and I spent part of Tuesday afternoon cutting them (I'd printed them on the roll paper) and then taking them to the Canada Post down the street. I also checked out a favourite book for my photography project. Although I've read it a couple gazillion times, I wanted to look at it again, and note what sorts of techniques Jill Krementz used.
I'd planned to do a shoot at Dance Fredericton, but the classes that I was photographing were cancelled that week. Because I didn't want the week to be a waste, I decided to experiment with different ways of processing. I did four photos: one slightly desaturated, one converted to B&W and lightened, one with a magenta colour cast, and one with an out-of-focus background (doing the mask for that took forever--that idea is officially off the list).
As of that day, I'll be home in a month--yaaaayyyy!
Wednesday: Like Output, Photoshop was a work period. I mostly worked on finishing the masking. We also talked/unleashed frustration about the business class. Drew said that the Photo Studio used to have a business class (I'm assuming that that was Gross 500--the students had to gross $500 in order to pass the course. Gross 500 was actually the nickname, and it was also a pun, as it was taught by Peter Gross)--and that maybe they should bring it back. Pretty-pretty-please, Photo Studio!
An entire course devoted to independent study projects: check. Photoshop independent study project: check. Lighting independent study projects: as of this week, check! The last three assignments for the Lighting course are week-long independent study assignments. This week, I decided to focus on using the gels, since I'd never used them before (gels are pieces of coloured polymer plastic that are used to change the colour of the light coming out of the flash).
Thursday: We talked some more about business, and presented the info we'd got from our undercover calls/emails. Peter noted that one very important thing that all but one of the photographers contacted left out of the total cost was processing time. Ouch. Note to non-photogs: when you hire a photographer, the photos aren't handed to you as they appear straight out of the camera (SOOC). Those images are edited and tweaked and processed, and that takes time and should be included in the total cost. Photoshop and/or Lightroom are a photographer's best friend beside his/her camera, lenses and tripod.
We also talked about next semester's electives. I really wanted to get into the book-binding one, but the woman who taught it, Linda Brine, isn't at NBCCD anymore. However, I think the watercolour course taught by Linda Kelly (my old first-semester FVA History Tutorial teacher) could be fun. I think there are one or two other courses that I thought could be cool, but I can't remember. There are four or five different options, and Peter will keep us posted on any updates for the electives. We aren't able to sign up yet.
Except for a meeting with Peter, I spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework. The meeting went well: I have some issues to work out, but I know what those issues are and how to resolve them. I'd hoped to put what I'd learned in the critiques into practice this week and take advantage of a full set of signed model releases, but got derailed due to the schedule change. Next week.
Friday: On days when I don't have class, I usually don't show up at the school until about two in the afternoon. This time I had to be there by 11:45 AM (10:45 EST) because I wanted to go over the ins and outs of using the gels with Drew, and one of my classmates had the studio booked at noon. I also told him about the fact that I want to continue working on the portfolio book throughout the year (it's due tomorrow)--and then I'll buy it after school's out as a souvenir of my time at NBCCD.
That day, I finally started writing the essay for the archiving assignment--and finished it in an hour. Two pages (double-spaced, twelve-point Times New Roman). Done. I am good at this writing thing. And I finally used up the $5,000 ($4,865.23 USD--we were to come up with a backup system that cost around that number. In the beginning, I found it rather hard.).
After finishing at school, I went to the Christmas craft market at the Boyce Farmers Market. I didn't buy any presents (bummer), but I did buy some treats, including mince pies (the kind without suet). Check out these recipes: Quick Mincemeat and Traditional Mincemeat, both from David Lebovitz. Even if you're a vegetarian, like me (or you hate the idea of kidney fat used in a dessert--how about five pounds of the stuff, 4 3/4 pounds of which didn't get used in the recipe?!), please read the story about the Traditional Mincemeat. It'll make you laugh. Promise. The Quick Mincemeat also has a story, but it's not as funny.
Saturday: Another day of getting stuff done. As I stated at the beginning of this post, I can't believe how much I've accomplished since Thursday. Most of what I had to do yesterday was finishing stuff up and getting it ready for Monday. Again, I spent the day getting stuff done, including shooting the independent lighting project, which was fun.
 |
| From my lighting project. |
PS: As of yesterday, there are exactly TWO WEEKS until the Met's first radio broadcast of the season! The opera in question will be Handel's Rodelinda, starring one of my favourite sopranos, who's also one of the best sopranos in the world: Renée Fleming. Four hours of Renée (well, three, due to two half-hour intermissions)? Yes, please!
Monday, November 14, 2011
retouching? no problem!
The Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony Orchestra performed in St. Andrews this afternoon. And once again, I had to miss the concert. That's one of the things that I don't like about having class on Mondays: I have to miss concerts by one of my favourite orchestras. But I'm sure the PBSO understands--when you're a college or university student, classes and homework are your life.
Monday: In Output, we're currently doing two assignments: one is a portfolio book, and the other is researching archiving strategies. My book is of photos from the last two-and-a-half years, telling the story of my years at NBCCD through the assignments, with an artist statement on the first page.
The archiving assignment is making me realize just how badly I need to come up with some sort of system--now. At least for my RAW photos: those are my most valuable and important files. If I lost them, I'd be in serious trouble. For that assignment, we're to research archiving techniques and come up with a system that costs no more than $5,000. And we are to also come up with an organizing system for our files, which I admit I could use. My school assignments are neatly organized into their own folders ("Photoshop", "Lighting", "Advanced Digital Projects", etc.), but my RAW files--and the corresponding XML files--are just sitting there in two folders: "ORF photos" and "NEF photos". Though I'm forced to do better than I have been because the DNG Converter forces me to sort each shoot into folders so that I process just those files, rather than every single NEF file over and over again because it does whatever is in a folder. Frustrating, but a good kick in the butt. Thanks, Adobe!
Tuesday: I spent most of the afternoon reworking the model release for my project. The mom of one of the dancers had contacted me with concerns regarding the release that I'd given the girls the week before, and I'd emailed her back several times, each time with more info. I also emailed with Karen, Peter and Rod, as they have more experience with releases. That day, I ditched the current release, and, after talking it through with Peter, put together a new release, tailoring it to fit my project and what I intended to do with the photos afterward.
Before heading over to the dance studio, I paid a surprise visit to Karen in her office. She commented on how professionally I'd handled the situation. As I said to her, I try to do that: I try to treat almost everyone--friends, relatives, teachers, etc., how I want to be treated. I say "almost" because I don't know if I could extend that sort of attitude to someone like Harper, Bush or Cheney--or even Finance Minister Flaherty.
In my emails, I'd offered to meet with the mom before pointe class on Tuesday. We met, talked, she signed the release, and I was happy--until I found out that she was the only parent who'd signed a release. AAARRRRGH!!! However, the dance mistress, Leslie, and I sent the rest of the girls home after class with copies of the new release, and Leslie told the girls to bring the signed forms back the next day.
Wednesday: We're each doing a two-week-long independent study project in Photoshop. Mine is on photo manipulation, like what you see in ads and fashion spreads. Yes, all that photoshopping distorts our sense of 'beauty' and how people (especially women) 'should' look, but to me, there's a beauty to the process. Retouching is an art, and to make the model look like she popped into the world looking like that (even though we know she didn't) takes skill. But I will give you a hint: the Liquify filter is your best friend when changing the shape of the face.
Thursday: Business class is starting to invade Advanced Digital Projects! YIKES! Not really. This is useful stuff--and has made me realize that I really am going to have to get a better camera ASAP (I've been thinking about it for a year or so, anyway, as I've outgrown my current camera). And nice known' ya, kit lenses--sadly, you're not professional. Just as a pro violinist wouldn't use a student-quality violin (which is what my current camera, my Baby, is equal to), as I'm slowly going pro, I really should upgrade my equipment. I decided that day that if I land a summer job, I'm putting most, if not all, the money toward a new camera, wireless remote (I'd get one for my Olympus, but I don't see the point because I'm going to replace it at the first chance that I get), extra battery, and at least one GOOD lens.
...and then I'll replace my computer a couple years after that. As for my iPod Nano (second generation, meaning it's four or five years old--about the same age as my laptop), I'll replace it when it starts to really show signs of age. It's slowly getting there, developing a few more quirks, so I wouldn't be surprised if I get a new computer and iPod at the same time.
As part of the business component of the class, each of us is calling (or, in the case of one of my victims who doesn't list her phone number, emailing) a photographer in F'ton and asking them about pricing. However, we're undercover, and Peter gave us all a story ("I have [event] coming up...", etc.). Because this is a public blog, I won't give any details on the story.
After my meeting with Peter, I went up to the UNB campus to hand in my dorm extension application (which allows me to stay past December seventh, which is when NBCC, NBCCD, UNB law and grad, and STU students have to be out of their dorms if they don't fill out a form and provide evidence, e.g., exam schedule, school's list of important dates--which is what I use--note from instructor, etc.) and pay a fee that was overdue.
Once I was back on the NBCCD campus, I threw myself into homework and didn't emerge until that evening.
Friday (Remembrance Day/Veterans' Day): Unlike last year and the year before, I didn't go to the service--I was just getting up at that point. However, I observed the minute of silence at 11:00, and listened to CBC Radio 2's morning classical music program, Tempo, which had a special Remembrance Day show that morning (click on 'Tempo' or the plus sign to see the playlist).
I did some homework that afternoon, and put together a playlist for a celebration this December. This year marks my twentieth year dancing (I started when I was three), and I want to celebrate in style over Christmas break. Bangor Symphony, Andé Rieu, Met Opera Orchestra, Green Day, Celtic Woman, Royal Philharmonic, Ronan Hardiman, Lynn Brubaker, Gene Nichols--oh, my!
In order to be included in the playlist, each track had to have played an important role in my life (like The Medley, which is present at every personal celebration, big or small), or been a major turning point (like East Jesus Nowhere, which was my first time doing floor-work successfully).
Saturday: That afternoon, I met with a friend and shot my lighting assignment (creative portraiture). Because I hadn't used a hot light since last year, I decided to use the one that's in the photo studio classroom. Bonus: because it's already outside the studio and I was using it in the school, I didn't need to worry about signing it out. Which is a major perk on the weekend, when the faculty is nowhere to be seen.
Afterward, I finally started my independent study project.
Sunday: I finally made time to go over photos, and pick out a couple to edit and print for Sunbury Shores' Deck the Walls Christmas sale. I printed them that afternoon.
I also started work on the portfolio book for Output, and went over the marketing plan for Preparing for Professional Life one last time, printed it out and stapled it. Yay for not having to run around like a crazywoman this morning!
Monday: In Output, we're currently doing two assignments: one is a portfolio book, and the other is researching archiving strategies. My book is of photos from the last two-and-a-half years, telling the story of my years at NBCCD through the assignments, with an artist statement on the first page.
The archiving assignment is making me realize just how badly I need to come up with some sort of system--now. At least for my RAW photos: those are my most valuable and important files. If I lost them, I'd be in serious trouble. For that assignment, we're to research archiving techniques and come up with a system that costs no more than $5,000. And we are to also come up with an organizing system for our files, which I admit I could use. My school assignments are neatly organized into their own folders ("Photoshop", "Lighting", "Advanced Digital Projects", etc.), but my RAW files--and the corresponding XML files--are just sitting there in two folders: "ORF photos" and "NEF photos". Though I'm forced to do better than I have been because the DNG Converter forces me to sort each shoot into folders so that I process just those files, rather than every single NEF file over and over again because it does whatever is in a folder. Frustrating, but a good kick in the butt. Thanks, Adobe!
Tuesday: I spent most of the afternoon reworking the model release for my project. The mom of one of the dancers had contacted me with concerns regarding the release that I'd given the girls the week before, and I'd emailed her back several times, each time with more info. I also emailed with Karen, Peter and Rod, as they have more experience with releases. That day, I ditched the current release, and, after talking it through with Peter, put together a new release, tailoring it to fit my project and what I intended to do with the photos afterward.
Before heading over to the dance studio, I paid a surprise visit to Karen in her office. She commented on how professionally I'd handled the situation. As I said to her, I try to do that: I try to treat almost everyone--friends, relatives, teachers, etc., how I want to be treated. I say "almost" because I don't know if I could extend that sort of attitude to someone like Harper, Bush or Cheney--or even Finance Minister Flaherty.
In my emails, I'd offered to meet with the mom before pointe class on Tuesday. We met, talked, she signed the release, and I was happy--until I found out that she was the only parent who'd signed a release. AAARRRRGH!!! However, the dance mistress, Leslie, and I sent the rest of the girls home after class with copies of the new release, and Leslie told the girls to bring the signed forms back the next day.
Wednesday: We're each doing a two-week-long independent study project in Photoshop. Mine is on photo manipulation, like what you see in ads and fashion spreads. Yes, all that photoshopping distorts our sense of 'beauty' and how people (especially women) 'should' look, but to me, there's a beauty to the process. Retouching is an art, and to make the model look like she popped into the world looking like that (even though we know she didn't) takes skill. But I will give you a hint: the Liquify filter is your best friend when changing the shape of the face.
 |
| The original photo, from a homework folder for Photoshop. |
 |
| The retouched version. I still want to do more work on it. |
Thursday: Business class is starting to invade Advanced Digital Projects! YIKES! Not really. This is useful stuff--and has made me realize that I really am going to have to get a better camera ASAP (I've been thinking about it for a year or so, anyway, as I've outgrown my current camera). And nice known' ya, kit lenses--sadly, you're not professional. Just as a pro violinist wouldn't use a student-quality violin (which is what my current camera, my Baby, is equal to), as I'm slowly going pro, I really should upgrade my equipment. I decided that day that if I land a summer job, I'm putting most, if not all, the money toward a new camera, wireless remote (I'd get one for my Olympus, but I don't see the point because I'm going to replace it at the first chance that I get), extra battery, and at least one GOOD lens.
...and then I'll replace my computer a couple years after that. As for my iPod Nano (second generation, meaning it's four or five years old--about the same age as my laptop), I'll replace it when it starts to really show signs of age. It's slowly getting there, developing a few more quirks, so I wouldn't be surprised if I get a new computer and iPod at the same time.
As part of the business component of the class, each of us is calling (or, in the case of one of my victims who doesn't list her phone number, emailing) a photographer in F'ton and asking them about pricing. However, we're undercover, and Peter gave us all a story ("I have [event] coming up...", etc.). Because this is a public blog, I won't give any details on the story.
After my meeting with Peter, I went up to the UNB campus to hand in my dorm extension application (which allows me to stay past December seventh, which is when NBCC, NBCCD, UNB law and grad, and STU students have to be out of their dorms if they don't fill out a form and provide evidence, e.g., exam schedule, school's list of important dates--which is what I use--note from instructor, etc.) and pay a fee that was overdue.
Once I was back on the NBCCD campus, I threw myself into homework and didn't emerge until that evening.
Friday (Remembrance Day/Veterans' Day): Unlike last year and the year before, I didn't go to the service--I was just getting up at that point. However, I observed the minute of silence at 11:00, and listened to CBC Radio 2's morning classical music program, Tempo, which had a special Remembrance Day show that morning (click on 'Tempo' or the plus sign to see the playlist).
I did some homework that afternoon, and put together a playlist for a celebration this December. This year marks my twentieth year dancing (I started when I was three), and I want to celebrate in style over Christmas break. Bangor Symphony, Andé Rieu, Met Opera Orchestra, Green Day, Celtic Woman, Royal Philharmonic, Ronan Hardiman, Lynn Brubaker, Gene Nichols--oh, my!
 |
| Chinese Piece is just a nickname. Because I didn't keep the online program from that concert, I have no idea what the original title is. March is from The Nutcracker. |
Saturday: That afternoon, I met with a friend and shot my lighting assignment (creative portraiture). Because I hadn't used a hot light since last year, I decided to use the one that's in the photo studio classroom. Bonus: because it's already outside the studio and I was using it in the school, I didn't need to worry about signing it out. Which is a major perk on the weekend, when the faculty is nowhere to be seen.
Afterward, I finally started my independent study project.
Sunday: I finally made time to go over photos, and pick out a couple to edit and print for Sunbury Shores' Deck the Walls Christmas sale. I printed them that afternoon.
I also started work on the portfolio book for Output, and went over the marketing plan for Preparing for Professional Life one last time, printed it out and stapled it. Yay for not having to run around like a crazywoman this morning!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
school = love; school politics = ugh
Yay, Trudy's back!
Monday: We spent most of the morning class getting caught up, and sorting out what had and hadn't been done, and where everyone was in the course.
Output was the shortest it's ever been: "here's your next assignment, please hand in almost everything that's due today (minus the draft website because Drew forgot that it was due this week. I told him, and he decided to let it go for now.)--now go do whatever you have to do for this, or any other class." I spent it doing and handing in the workflow assignment that was due that day, but that I'd forgotten about, and writing my critique of a classmate's business plan.
I got my marks back for my first two drawing assignments, and they are the best marks I've ever had in NBCCD drawing courses. We're talking at least an 82%. Nice--especially when you consider the fact that in FVA drawing, I finished with a C+ in the first semester, and a B- in the second semester.
Tuesday: That evening, I did the first shoot for my independent study project, which went well. I also handed out model releases for the girls to take home (they're all minors).
Wednesday: That morning, the server decided to give the school hell. No one could log on. However, Drew and the rest of the Photoshop class persevered, working on so-called 'local' (admin) accounts (if we hadn't brought our own laptops to class), and saving everything to external hard drives or jump drives.
Our assignment that day was to do photo essay montages: putting together multiple images on one "canvas" to tell a story. And because of Drew's battles with the server that morning, the in-class ones were about him 1. coming into the computer lab, finding out that he couldn't log on, taking a look at the server box in said computer lab; 2. taking the elevator down to the basement with the store manager; 3. walking down the hall to do some more work with the server in the basement; and finally, 4. doing that work. Homework was to shoot and put together one of our own.
Thursday: One of the nice things about having class with Peter is that because he's the studio head, and our academic adviser, our classes usually double as a group meeting with him. We not only discuss what we're working on, but also general school stuff, which is what we did this week: about a third of the morning session was taken up with discussing the fact that the administration was considering compensating the studios for the expenses of the haunted studio. And then in the next sentence, admin back-tracked, saying that that wasn't a good idea (this was all in an email sent out to the teachers). Ah, school politics...
That afternoon, I did my Photoshop homework, and submitted it, along with my lighting homework, which I'd shot the day before (congratulate me, guys--I'm no longer intimidated by the Speedatron power-pack). FYI, the image isn't of the same model that the school has--but it's no less intimidating.
And then who should show up, but Mom. I was originally supposed to go home this weekend, but because I'd made plans to go to the Occupy F'ton rally against Bill C-10, I wanted to stay in F'ton. Due to the fact that this is the last time that Mom will be in F'ton until she comes to get me for Christmas break, that means that I'll be here until December fifteenth.
Friday: That day, the realization of what my decision to stay in the city meant hit me full in the face, and I spent much of the afternoon crying, and feeling incredibly homesick. Eventually, I calmed down enough to go to school and do homework.
Saturday: RALLY DAY! However, due to a lack of interest, said rally didn't go. Which sucks, because I despise Bill C-10 about as much as I love my studio. I don't want my country to start giving people long prison sentences for minor offences. Canada is known for it's openness and kindness--or at least it was. Oh, and we don't need supersized prisons--even the US has started to abandon that tactic, and is now warning Canada that, hey, those things don't work. Bonus: the crime rate in Canada is at it's lowest since '73. It's lowest. Since 1973. Do I need to repeat that, Harper?
I did some homework: picking out photos for a portfolio book assignment, finishing off the drawing that's due tomorrow, and editing and fine-tuning the business plan critique.
This afternoon/evening, I'm going to start work on my next drawing assignment. The theme for this one is the future, and I'm going to do a city street, with skyscrapers going off into the distance and no trees whatsoever. I'll also have made-up news headlines about things like major population growth, the US defaulting, oil being insanely expensive, etc. As I wrote when I described my concept in an email to Mom, "although I'm reasonably confident about the future, there's also a part of me that's really scared."
Monday: We spent most of the morning class getting caught up, and sorting out what had and hadn't been done, and where everyone was in the course.
Output was the shortest it's ever been: "here's your next assignment, please hand in almost everything that's due today (minus the draft website because Drew forgot that it was due this week. I told him, and he decided to let it go for now.)--now go do whatever you have to do for this, or any other class." I spent it doing and handing in the workflow assignment that was due that day, but that I'd forgotten about, and writing my critique of a classmate's business plan.
I got my marks back for my first two drawing assignments, and they are the best marks I've ever had in NBCCD drawing courses. We're talking at least an 82%. Nice--especially when you consider the fact that in FVA drawing, I finished with a C+ in the first semester, and a B- in the second semester.
Tuesday: That evening, I did the first shoot for my independent study project, which went well. I also handed out model releases for the girls to take home (they're all minors).
Wednesday: That morning, the server decided to give the school hell. No one could log on. However, Drew and the rest of the Photoshop class persevered, working on so-called 'local' (admin) accounts (if we hadn't brought our own laptops to class), and saving everything to external hard drives or jump drives.
Our assignment that day was to do photo essay montages: putting together multiple images on one "canvas" to tell a story. And because of Drew's battles with the server that morning, the in-class ones were about him 1. coming into the computer lab, finding out that he couldn't log on, taking a look at the server box in said computer lab; 2. taking the elevator down to the basement with the store manager; 3. walking down the hall to do some more work with the server in the basement; and finally, 4. doing that work. Homework was to shoot and put together one of our own.
Thursday: One of the nice things about having class with Peter is that because he's the studio head, and our academic adviser, our classes usually double as a group meeting with him. We not only discuss what we're working on, but also general school stuff, which is what we did this week: about a third of the morning session was taken up with discussing the fact that the administration was considering compensating the studios for the expenses of the haunted studio. And then in the next sentence, admin back-tracked, saying that that wasn't a good idea (this was all in an email sent out to the teachers). Ah, school politics...
That afternoon, I did my Photoshop homework, and submitted it, along with my lighting homework, which I'd shot the day before (congratulate me, guys--I'm no longer intimidated by the Speedatron power-pack). FYI, the image isn't of the same model that the school has--but it's no less intimidating.
And then who should show up, but Mom. I was originally supposed to go home this weekend, but because I'd made plans to go to the Occupy F'ton rally against Bill C-10, I wanted to stay in F'ton. Due to the fact that this is the last time that Mom will be in F'ton until she comes to get me for Christmas break, that means that I'll be here until December fifteenth.
Friday: That day, the realization of what my decision to stay in the city meant hit me full in the face, and I spent much of the afternoon crying, and feeling incredibly homesick. Eventually, I calmed down enough to go to school and do homework.
Saturday: RALLY DAY! However, due to a lack of interest, said rally didn't go. Which sucks, because I despise Bill C-10 about as much as I love my studio. I don't want my country to start giving people long prison sentences for minor offences. Canada is known for it's openness and kindness--or at least it was. Oh, and we don't need supersized prisons--even the US has started to abandon that tactic, and is now warning Canada that, hey, those things don't work. Bonus: the crime rate in Canada is at it's lowest since '73. It's lowest. Since 1973. Do I need to repeat that, Harper?
I did some homework: picking out photos for a portfolio book assignment, finishing off the drawing that's due tomorrow, and editing and fine-tuning the business plan critique.
This afternoon/evening, I'm going to start work on my next drawing assignment. The theme for this one is the future, and I'm going to do a city street, with skyscrapers going off into the distance and no trees whatsoever. I'll also have made-up news headlines about things like major population growth, the US defaulting, oil being insanely expensive, etc. As I wrote when I described my concept in an email to Mom, "although I'm reasonably confident about the future, there's also a part of me that's really scared."
Sunday, October 23, 2011
I am the 99%
One independent study project is on the way out, another is about to begin...
Monday: That day I finally bought a portfolio (13" x 19") for my project, after planning to get one on Friday.
When I walked into the drawing studio, I took one look at the things that we were to draw, and made a face. This week, we were drawing cloth that was draped over chairs and stools, and it brought back memories of a similar assignment in FVA. For that assignment, we were just to draw fabric that was tacked to the walls so that it hung loosely. We used charcoal, and to do shading, we used a reductive technique, where we erased the sections that we wanted to be lighter. I ended up not finishing mine.
This time, however, I was determined to finish it (and this time I used my usual additive technique). And I did--while rocking out to Adam's iTunes. Let's just say that the guy has good taste. I worked on it until around nine that night. Good thing I didn't have class the next day. Later, we were to take that drawing and turn it into something else.
Tuesday: I spent the day running around, trying to get stuff done, and started the process of putting my project together in the portfolio.
Wednesday: Turns out, that day was Drew's birthday--we all wished him a happy birthday.
This week and next week, we're doing location lighting, which Drew said can be as simple as taking the studio flashes to another room in the college. He's happy as long as it isn't in the lighting studio. This week we're looking for locations where we might like to shoot, and taking photos of said locations. Next week we'll go back and actually shoot.
This week's Photoshop assignment brought back childhood memories: Drew gave us an illustration which we were to colour in in Photoshop. He said that to do the whole thing would probably take about four hours--he just wanted us to spend an hour on it. And he said that it would "probably succeed in making [the class] never want to be illustrators."
The assignment reminded me of when I was five or six, when I would happily "paint" in Photoshop for most of my allotted computer time (which I believe was fifteen minutes a day)--when I wasn't playing around with fonts and pictures in The Writing Center. This was one of those times where I couldn't believe that I was getting college credit for doing this: it was just too awesome.
After class, I visited Occupy Fredericton, which is camped outside City Hall. I probably spent an hour there, talking with the occupiers. Although I'm very aware and well-informed about the inequality in the world, the Occupy movement has really opened my eyes to how North America is run, and to how unequal and rigged our system is. While chatting with one of the protesters, I found out that NB's wealth is tied up in five families. Five families. How nuts is that?!
Not only that, but I've begun to find out just how much unethical and unacceptable stuff Canadian and American banks support: TD sponsored former VP Cheney's book tour in BC, which basically says that torture is perfectly acceptable (The Globe and Mail was also a sponsor--glad I only read that paper for a few months); and I just found out that RBC supports the Alberta tar sands. The tar sands--one of the most environmentally unfriendly things my species has created. I'm crying as I write this, because I have always seen my friendly local RBC branch as fairly benign: they wouldn't do anything that has the potential to ruin the earth, would they? But by supporting the tar sands, they are. I was fooled. We all have been. Wonder what Scotia Bank's track record is like--or BMO's or CIBC's, for that matter...
And don't get me started on the fact that the richest of the rich don't have to worry about taxes. In the US, they don't have to pay 'em (not unless Warren Buffett has his way--YIPPEE!), and in Canada, the so-called Economic Recovery favoured the 1% and left the 99% to fend for themselves. "Harper's economic 'recovery' favoured the extremely wealthy. Over 321,000 Canadians lost their jobs in 2008 and Canadians' average wages fell. Meanwhile Canada's 100 wealthiest persons became richer, reaching an average net worth of $1.7 billion each, up almost 5 per cent from 2008."--shitharperdid.com, with a link to an article in The Tyee
Sickening, isn't it? While you're at it, check out this infographic.
As one of the many slogans goes,
And then there was the time when the police kindly led the protesters onto the Brooklyn Bridge, and helped them out--and then turned around and arrested them for no reason at all.
Okay, I think I'm done.
Thursday: Back in the classroom. YYYYESSSS!!! Due to the fact that I had to do some stuff outside the school during class time in preparation for my next independent study project, Peter had me present my project first.
That "stuff" was a visit to Dance Fredericton, to ask the dance mistress about photographing some of the dancers there. She was totally cool with it, and even asked me to do some work with their logo. She also said that it was okay to bring flashes into the studio (the kids would love it). SA-WEEEET!!
By the time I got back to class, I had a huge grin on my face. As I took off my raincoat, I told Peter what had happened. I'd talked with him a couple of weeks prior, and he'd prepared me for the worst, due to parents not wanting their little kids photographed by a strange person (two words: MODEL RELEASES). So being prepared for the worst made me that much more excited. The giddiness didn't wear off until the next day.
Friday (FVA Panel Assessment Day): I wrote a letter to this year's crop of FVAs, which you can read here. It felt so weird not having the studio crawling with first-years.
I spent the first part of the afternoon running around, doing things for Preparing for Professional Life, and then settled down to work on my drawing that's due tomorrow.
Saturday: Major work-day: I finished the final report for the project that I'm currently working on, and wrote the proposal for the dance project. I also skyped with Mom, and drew. I finished the day by doing my Photoshop homework.
Sunday: Yet another major work-day. I spent most of the afternoon in the darkroom, developing the last three photos for the project. After I emerged from the semi-darkness (yay, safe-lights), I proofread the proposal and final report and emailed them to Peter (deadline: noon ADT/11:00 EDT tomorrow), put the finishing touches on the drawing, came home, did Kitchen Duty, and watched part of Hocus Pocus until this blog post started screaming my name.
Monday: That day I finally bought a portfolio (13" x 19") for my project, after planning to get one on Friday.
When I walked into the drawing studio, I took one look at the things that we were to draw, and made a face. This week, we were drawing cloth that was draped over chairs and stools, and it brought back memories of a similar assignment in FVA. For that assignment, we were just to draw fabric that was tacked to the walls so that it hung loosely. We used charcoal, and to do shading, we used a reductive technique, where we erased the sections that we wanted to be lighter. I ended up not finishing mine.
This time, however, I was determined to finish it (and this time I used my usual additive technique). And I did--while rocking out to Adam's iTunes. Let's just say that the guy has good taste. I worked on it until around nine that night. Good thing I didn't have class the next day. Later, we were to take that drawing and turn it into something else.
Tuesday: I spent the day running around, trying to get stuff done, and started the process of putting my project together in the portfolio.
Wednesday: Turns out, that day was Drew's birthday--we all wished him a happy birthday.
This week and next week, we're doing location lighting, which Drew said can be as simple as taking the studio flashes to another room in the college. He's happy as long as it isn't in the lighting studio. This week we're looking for locations where we might like to shoot, and taking photos of said locations. Next week we'll go back and actually shoot.
This week's Photoshop assignment brought back childhood memories: Drew gave us an illustration which we were to colour in in Photoshop. He said that to do the whole thing would probably take about four hours--he just wanted us to spend an hour on it. And he said that it would "probably succeed in making [the class] never want to be illustrators."
The assignment reminded me of when I was five or six, when I would happily "paint" in Photoshop for most of my allotted computer time (which I believe was fifteen minutes a day)--when I wasn't playing around with fonts and pictures in The Writing Center. This was one of those times where I couldn't believe that I was getting college credit for doing this: it was just too awesome.
After class, I visited Occupy Fredericton, which is camped outside City Hall. I probably spent an hour there, talking with the occupiers. Although I'm very aware and well-informed about the inequality in the world, the Occupy movement has really opened my eyes to how North America is run, and to how unequal and rigged our system is. While chatting with one of the protesters, I found out that NB's wealth is tied up in five families. Five families. How nuts is that?!
Not only that, but I've begun to find out just how much unethical and unacceptable stuff Canadian and American banks support: TD sponsored former VP Cheney's book tour in BC, which basically says that torture is perfectly acceptable (The Globe and Mail was also a sponsor--glad I only read that paper for a few months); and I just found out that RBC supports the Alberta tar sands. The tar sands--one of the most environmentally unfriendly things my species has created. I'm crying as I write this, because I have always seen my friendly local RBC branch as fairly benign: they wouldn't do anything that has the potential to ruin the earth, would they? But by supporting the tar sands, they are. I was fooled. We all have been. Wonder what Scotia Bank's track record is like--or BMO's or CIBC's, for that matter...
And don't get me started on the fact that the richest of the rich don't have to worry about taxes. In the US, they don't have to pay 'em (not unless Warren Buffett has his way--YIPPEE!), and in Canada, the so-called Economic Recovery favoured the 1% and left the 99% to fend for themselves. "Harper's economic 'recovery' favoured the extremely wealthy. Over 321,000 Canadians lost their jobs in 2008 and Canadians' average wages fell. Meanwhile Canada's 100 wealthiest persons became richer, reaching an average net worth of $1.7 billion each, up almost 5 per cent from 2008."--shitharperdid.com, with a link to an article in The Tyee
Sickening, isn't it? While you're at it, check out this infographic.
As one of the many slogans goes,
"Dear 1%,Naturally, once the mainstream media finally realized what was going on, they painted the protest as violent and something that should be stopped, and the people as dirty, law-breaking, window-smashing, looting hippies who couldn't decide what they were protesting, and who didn't have a leader (all decisions, both at Occupy Wall St. and at Occupy F'ton, are made at general assemblies where all the Occupiers have a say in the decision-making). At OWS, the police have been more violent than the people--a certain Anthony Bologna comes to mind. For the few who don't know, Anthony pepper-sprayed two women, and his "punishment" is the loss of ten vacation days.
"We fell asleep for a while. Just woke up.
"Sincerely, The 99%"
And then there was the time when the police kindly led the protesters onto the Brooklyn Bridge, and helped them out--and then turned around and arrested them for no reason at all.
Okay, I think I'm done.
Thursday: Back in the classroom. YYYYESSSS!!! Due to the fact that I had to do some stuff outside the school during class time in preparation for my next independent study project, Peter had me present my project first.
That "stuff" was a visit to Dance Fredericton, to ask the dance mistress about photographing some of the dancers there. She was totally cool with it, and even asked me to do some work with their logo. She also said that it was okay to bring flashes into the studio (the kids would love it). SA-WEEEET!!
By the time I got back to class, I had a huge grin on my face. As I took off my raincoat, I told Peter what had happened. I'd talked with him a couple of weeks prior, and he'd prepared me for the worst, due to parents not wanting their little kids photographed by a strange person (two words: MODEL RELEASES). So being prepared for the worst made me that much more excited. The giddiness didn't wear off until the next day.
Friday (FVA Panel Assessment Day): I wrote a letter to this year's crop of FVAs, which you can read here. It felt so weird not having the studio crawling with first-years.
I spent the first part of the afternoon running around, doing things for Preparing for Professional Life, and then settled down to work on my drawing that's due tomorrow.
Saturday: Major work-day: I finished the final report for the project that I'm currently working on, and wrote the proposal for the dance project. I also skyped with Mom, and drew. I finished the day by doing my Photoshop homework.
Sunday: Yet another major work-day. I spent most of the afternoon in the darkroom, developing the last three photos for the project. After I emerged from the semi-darkness (yay, safe-lights), I proofread the proposal and final report and emailed them to Peter (deadline: noon ADT/11:00 EDT tomorrow), put the finishing touches on the drawing, came home, did Kitchen Duty, and watched part of Hocus Pocus until this blog post started screaming my name.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
work, work, work--with a bit of fun every now and then
Brace yourself: this is a long post.
It seems like the stress comes in waves this year: I think I'm doing okay, getting stuff done, handing it in--and then all of a sudden I realize that this, this, and this are due on this day and this day, and there's still work to be done on the majority of those assignments. And all of a sudden I feel like I'm hydroplaning, spinning out of control. That's what the last few days have been like for me--which is really frustrating when you consider that my time-management skills were really good last year...
Monday (Thanksgiving): I spent most of the day doing homework, and enjoying my last full day at home. 'Nuff said.
Tuesday: Mom and I drove back to F'ton, and I spent the better part of the afternoon putting stuff away. I planned to do homework, but didn't get around to it.
Wednesday: Back to Earth with a bUmP. This week's Photoshop class was all about animation and video: we made a short video that was shot by Drew--there were several to choose from, shot in various locations in the school--appear as though it were playing on a TV. Although there were several TVs to choose from in the homework folder, I wanted to find a photo of a TV like the one that my family used to have. The TV was a Sony cathode-ray tube (CRT) TV, which Tom's parents bought in '68. It was then passed down to my parents, and we had it until a few years ago--I can't remember when that thing bit the dust (the screen started going wonky, though I can't remember what it did--I keep confusing it with the TV that we got afterwards, which didn't live long). After much googling, I finally found a photo on Flickr. I think the TV in the photo is a few years older or younger: the RGB icon is in a different place than it was on my family's TV, and I seem to remember that the bars in the speaker grille were horizontal rather than vertical. But it was close enough, so I used it.
The video that I chose was one that Drew shot last year in the Design Studio. There were a couple shot in that studio, and of course I had to choose the one that had one of my projects in it.
At noon, the Student Representative Council (SRC) had a meet-and-greet in the Design Studio. I went, and let's just say that this year's going to be the best year ever: while NBCCD is one of the best art schools in Canada, for as long as I've been a student here, it's kinda sucked in terms of events and a feeling of community outside your own studio. Which really sucks if you're an FVA student: since you haven't yet chosen a studio, you don't have anywhere in the school to call home. Also, this year there will be several student-run committees, and each studio will have two student representatives, and each FVA group will have one rep (I think--I don't think it's two). As someone who's wanted to get involved in making her school awesome, but who's never had any interest in running for SRC, I think this is the best thing since art school. Some of the committees are: yearbook (yes, really--we're finally going to have a yearbook again!), student life, events (which I signed up for), and orientation, which won't truly take effect until next September--but we need to start planning now.
Orientation is another thing that NBCCD has kind of sucked at: while it's great to spend Orientation Day with your academic adviser (yay Adam and Blue Group '09!), that one day is all you get. Up to now, NBCCD's attitude has been, "here's where everything is, here's your academic adviser, here's the registrar, here's Endeavours ArtStuff, here's Read's Newsstand, here's some barbecue--now get to class!" Which isn't the most welcoming experience. Yes, it's welcoming to an extent, but it pales in comparison to UNB's Orientation Week! UNB takes a whole week to not only show freshmen around the campus, but to host events to make them feel welcome in the university community. Corn boils, and Shinerama, and Movie on the Hill--oh, my!
Thursday: As I said last week, I wasn't "to show my face in class." I spent all day in the darkroom (minus a meeting with Trudy in the morning) overdosing on opera--if that's possible--and cranking out the photos. And singing along in Italiano e/et Français. By the time I was done, I was hungry, my legs were protesting, and I was physically exhausted: once I got started after downing a couple of muffins for breakfast (I sipped my coffee throughout the morning), I hadn't stopped for one second that day. But my work was done.
That evening was the official opening of the college's new expansion in the Barracks. So just before the festivities began at seven (six EDT), I walked across the courtyard from the main building to the Barracks. As I walked over, my excitement and happiness welled up inside me, and I swallowed back a couple of big sobs: the Barracks was thisclose to being officially complete, after two-and-a-bit school years. While the building isn't totally finished, it's finished enough that students who don't have classes there can go over--for example, if they need to check something out of the college's library, which has moved from the room across from the Design Studio to the Barracks--I think it's on the third floor.
As with any snazzy event, there were speeches: F'ton Mayor Brad Woodside and UNB Art Education prof (and Mom's and my friend) Mary Blatherwick being the most notable. There were one or two others, but I can't remember their names. Of course, NBCCD's principle, Michael Maynard, was there. Picaroons Traditional Ales sponsored the event, so that meant free beer--Picaroons Blonde Ale, to be exact, which is similar in taste to a Keith's India Pale Ale, but with a bit more oomph and complexity. The school usually prohibits alcohol on campus, so this was an exception.
When we'd had enough of the loudness and the crowd, Karen and I and a couple of other people explored the rest of the building.
The crowd and I finished the evening in the new library, browsing the shelves, and admiring the library's impressive collection of National Film Board of Canada (NFB) videos and DVDs. When it was across from the Design Studio, the college's library was full beyond capacity. In it's current incarnation the library is full, yes, but there's lots of space for more books, DVDs, journals and magazines. The librarian, Julie McDonald, was at the opening, and when we all headed up to the library, she did, too, and while everyone was browsing and talking, she walked in and sat down behind her desk. She looked totally at home in the new location.
I eventually went back to the main building via the gallery, which also had a show opening that evening. Since the darkroom hadn't been cleaned up, I took care of it: dumping the developer, pouring the stop bath back in it's jug, pouring the first fix (fresh) into a jug, dumping the second (used once before), and washing the plastic tubs and the tongs. After doing homework for an hour or so, I started thinking about going home. Karen stopped by the studio, and offered me a ride back to my place since she was headed home, too--and it was pouring outside. After I packed up and turned off the studio lights, I met Karen downstairs (she had to lock up the gallery) and she drove me home.
And in case you're wondering, I pulled a twelve-hour day that day. **whew!** There's a reason why I don't have a job during the school year: school is a full-time job in itself, and I do a lot of overtime as well. Only thing is, I don't get paid in money--I get paid in credits, which count towards my diploma, and eventually will count toward my BFA.
Friday: I was back at it again that afternoon, doing everything from printing off my ticket for the simulcast, to profiling the printer--though I want to do it again, because I used Enhanced Matte paper, and I usually use Premium Luster when I print my photos--finishing my Photoshop homework, paying back Peter (when I did my darkroom blitz on Thursday, I ran out of paper and borrowed some from Peter, with a promise to pay him back when I bought a new pack of paper), and working on the business plan.
Saturday (Simulcast Day): I didn't get any homework done. Instead, I wrote part of this blog post (which I started on Friday, BTW), and got ready for the opera.
And this time I was actually well-rested: the night before both Turandot ('09) and Das Rheingold ('10), I was so excited that I barely slept the night before the opera. It might have had to do with the fact that I was completely exhausted after Friday's excitement.
This was my first time attending a performance with a friend: Liz, who is a fellow Met fan. This was her first simulcast, and I think she's hooked now.
We met up at the bus stop a few minutes from my place. I was way early, but after waiting for what felt like forever (excitement does that), I saw someone who looked like Liz coming from the direction of UNB. I didn't want to get excited, just in case it wasn't her, but as she got closer, I saw that it was her, and I started running towards her. She started running to me, and we almost crashed into each other, which turned into a gigantic hug. We chatted and filled each other in on our lives as we waited.
The buses in F'ton are fairly reliable: if they say that they're going to be at one of the bus stops at 12:15, they mean 12:15--not 12:14, not 12:16. So it surprised both of us when the bus was early. And because we were in the convenience store across from the bus stop at the time, it sped by without stopping. We both tore out of the store and ran for the next stop, but it was too late. There went the bus up the hill to the UNB campus--without us. So Liz called a cab, and we talked some more as we waited--again. Finally, the cab arrived and in a few minutes we were pulling up to the food court entrance of the Regent Mall.
Since we were going to an Italian opera, we both opted for Italian food. And we chatted some more as we waited for our food, and then chatted some more as we ate lunch.
Afterward, we walked to the Chapters store across from the theatre and spent a few minutes there, and then went to the movie theatre. And yes, we chatted even more as we waited for the transmission to start.
This simulcast was almost flawless: there were a couple of blips, but nothing like the issues that I experienced at my first simulcast (Turandot). As to the production itself, I both liked and disliked it. The whole thing (sets, costumes) is very dark, plain and drab, with the exception of some of Anne Boleyn's costumes--one of which is a beautiful deep red, almost maroon--and while I understand why producer David McVicar, set designer Robert Jones, costume designer Jenny Tiramani, and lighting designer Paule Constable did it that way--to set the mood, and also to recreate what people wore back then (a lot of dark clothes)--the production came off as boring.
However, the music was anything but. The role of Anna Bolena (Anne Boleyn) is one of the most difficult and demanding soprano roles: it requires the singer to sing--or, in Anna Netrebko's words, "shout"--in the lower register "for half the opera. [Donezetti] wants that nasty, chesty voice--he wants it to sound uncomfortable!" Here's an example, as sung by Beverly Sills. Watch out for the lines "manca solo a compire / il delitto d'Anna il sangue / e vesato sara," which Anna (the soprano) refers to in the article.
This performance was the first simulcast in Anna's home country of Russia.
And it was sold out at the opera house.
After the performance, Liz and I consulted the bus schedule and groaned about the fact that the next bus wouldn't arrive for over an hour. So since Liz's dad was in town for a conference, she called him for a ride and we got a ride back to our respective dorm/apartment, and I spent the rest of the evening writing this post in spurts.
This afternoon, after I take a shower, I'm going to the college to get some serious work done. I'm also going to skype with Mom and Tom at some point.
It seems like the stress comes in waves this year: I think I'm doing okay, getting stuff done, handing it in--and then all of a sudden I realize that this, this, and this are due on this day and this day, and there's still work to be done on the majority of those assignments. And all of a sudden I feel like I'm hydroplaning, spinning out of control. That's what the last few days have been like for me--which is really frustrating when you consider that my time-management skills were really good last year...
Monday (Thanksgiving): I spent most of the day doing homework, and enjoying my last full day at home. 'Nuff said.
Tuesday: Mom and I drove back to F'ton, and I spent the better part of the afternoon putting stuff away. I planned to do homework, but didn't get around to it.
Wednesday: Back to Earth with a bUmP. This week's Photoshop class was all about animation and video: we made a short video that was shot by Drew--there were several to choose from, shot in various locations in the school--appear as though it were playing on a TV. Although there were several TVs to choose from in the homework folder, I wanted to find a photo of a TV like the one that my family used to have. The TV was a Sony cathode-ray tube (CRT) TV, which Tom's parents bought in '68. It was then passed down to my parents, and we had it until a few years ago--I can't remember when that thing bit the dust (the screen started going wonky, though I can't remember what it did--I keep confusing it with the TV that we got afterwards, which didn't live long). After much googling, I finally found a photo on Flickr. I think the TV in the photo is a few years older or younger: the RGB icon is in a different place than it was on my family's TV, and I seem to remember that the bars in the speaker grille were horizontal rather than vertical. But it was close enough, so I used it.
The video that I chose was one that Drew shot last year in the Design Studio. There were a couple shot in that studio, and of course I had to choose the one that had one of my projects in it.
At noon, the Student Representative Council (SRC) had a meet-and-greet in the Design Studio. I went, and let's just say that this year's going to be the best year ever: while NBCCD is one of the best art schools in Canada, for as long as I've been a student here, it's kinda sucked in terms of events and a feeling of community outside your own studio. Which really sucks if you're an FVA student: since you haven't yet chosen a studio, you don't have anywhere in the school to call home. Also, this year there will be several student-run committees, and each studio will have two student representatives, and each FVA group will have one rep (I think--I don't think it's two). As someone who's wanted to get involved in making her school awesome, but who's never had any interest in running for SRC, I think this is the best thing since art school. Some of the committees are: yearbook (yes, really--we're finally going to have a yearbook again!), student life, events (which I signed up for), and orientation, which won't truly take effect until next September--but we need to start planning now.
Orientation is another thing that NBCCD has kind of sucked at: while it's great to spend Orientation Day with your academic adviser (yay Adam and Blue Group '09!), that one day is all you get. Up to now, NBCCD's attitude has been, "here's where everything is, here's your academic adviser, here's the registrar, here's Endeavours ArtStuff, here's Read's Newsstand, here's some barbecue--now get to class!" Which isn't the most welcoming experience. Yes, it's welcoming to an extent, but it pales in comparison to UNB's Orientation Week! UNB takes a whole week to not only show freshmen around the campus, but to host events to make them feel welcome in the university community. Corn boils, and Shinerama, and Movie on the Hill--oh, my!
Thursday: As I said last week, I wasn't "to show my face in class." I spent all day in the darkroom (minus a meeting with Trudy in the morning) overdosing on opera--if that's possible--and cranking out the photos. And singing along in Italiano e/et Français. By the time I was done, I was hungry, my legs were protesting, and I was physically exhausted: once I got started after downing a couple of muffins for breakfast (I sipped my coffee throughout the morning), I hadn't stopped for one second that day. But my work was done.
That evening was the official opening of the college's new expansion in the Barracks. So just before the festivities began at seven (six EDT), I walked across the courtyard from the main building to the Barracks. As I walked over, my excitement and happiness welled up inside me, and I swallowed back a couple of big sobs: the Barracks was thisclose to being officially complete, after two-and-a-bit school years. While the building isn't totally finished, it's finished enough that students who don't have classes there can go over--for example, if they need to check something out of the college's library, which has moved from the room across from the Design Studio to the Barracks--I think it's on the third floor.
As with any snazzy event, there were speeches: F'ton Mayor Brad Woodside and UNB Art Education prof (and Mom's and my friend) Mary Blatherwick being the most notable. There were one or two others, but I can't remember their names. Of course, NBCCD's principle, Michael Maynard, was there. Picaroons Traditional Ales sponsored the event, so that meant free beer--Picaroons Blonde Ale, to be exact, which is similar in taste to a Keith's India Pale Ale, but with a bit more oomph and complexity. The school usually prohibits alcohol on campus, so this was an exception.
When we'd had enough of the loudness and the crowd, Karen and I and a couple of other people explored the rest of the building.
 |
| The view from the upper deck (third floor) of the Barracks, shot the day after the opening. |
 |
| The upper deck (third floor) of the Barracks, and NBCCD, shot the day after the opening. |
I eventually went back to the main building via the gallery, which also had a show opening that evening. Since the darkroom hadn't been cleaned up, I took care of it: dumping the developer, pouring the stop bath back in it's jug, pouring the first fix (fresh) into a jug, dumping the second (used once before), and washing the plastic tubs and the tongs. After doing homework for an hour or so, I started thinking about going home. Karen stopped by the studio, and offered me a ride back to my place since she was headed home, too--and it was pouring outside. After I packed up and turned off the studio lights, I met Karen downstairs (she had to lock up the gallery) and she drove me home.
And in case you're wondering, I pulled a twelve-hour day that day. **whew!** There's a reason why I don't have a job during the school year: school is a full-time job in itself, and I do a lot of overtime as well. Only thing is, I don't get paid in money--I get paid in credits, which count towards my diploma, and eventually will count toward my BFA.
Friday: I was back at it again that afternoon, doing everything from printing off my ticket for the simulcast, to profiling the printer--though I want to do it again, because I used Enhanced Matte paper, and I usually use Premium Luster when I print my photos--finishing my Photoshop homework, paying back Peter (when I did my darkroom blitz on Thursday, I ran out of paper and borrowed some from Peter, with a promise to pay him back when I bought a new pack of paper), and working on the business plan.
Saturday (Simulcast Day): I didn't get any homework done. Instead, I wrote part of this blog post (which I started on Friday, BTW), and got ready for the opera.
And this time I was actually well-rested: the night before both Turandot ('09) and Das Rheingold ('10), I was so excited that I barely slept the night before the opera. It might have had to do with the fact that I was completely exhausted after Friday's excitement.
This was my first time attending a performance with a friend: Liz, who is a fellow Met fan. This was her first simulcast, and I think she's hooked now.
We met up at the bus stop a few minutes from my place. I was way early, but after waiting for what felt like forever (excitement does that), I saw someone who looked like Liz coming from the direction of UNB. I didn't want to get excited, just in case it wasn't her, but as she got closer, I saw that it was her, and I started running towards her. She started running to me, and we almost crashed into each other, which turned into a gigantic hug. We chatted and filled each other in on our lives as we waited.
The buses in F'ton are fairly reliable: if they say that they're going to be at one of the bus stops at 12:15, they mean 12:15--not 12:14, not 12:16. So it surprised both of us when the bus was early. And because we were in the convenience store across from the bus stop at the time, it sped by without stopping. We both tore out of the store and ran for the next stop, but it was too late. There went the bus up the hill to the UNB campus--without us. So Liz called a cab, and we talked some more as we waited--again. Finally, the cab arrived and in a few minutes we were pulling up to the food court entrance of the Regent Mall.
Since we were going to an Italian opera, we both opted for Italian food. And we chatted some more as we waited for our food, and then chatted some more as we ate lunch.
Afterward, we walked to the Chapters store across from the theatre and spent a few minutes there, and then went to the movie theatre. And yes, we chatted even more as we waited for the transmission to start.
This simulcast was almost flawless: there were a couple of blips, but nothing like the issues that I experienced at my first simulcast (Turandot). As to the production itself, I both liked and disliked it. The whole thing (sets, costumes) is very dark, plain and drab, with the exception of some of Anne Boleyn's costumes--one of which is a beautiful deep red, almost maroon--and while I understand why producer David McVicar, set designer Robert Jones, costume designer Jenny Tiramani, and lighting designer Paule Constable did it that way--to set the mood, and also to recreate what people wore back then (a lot of dark clothes)--the production came off as boring.
However, the music was anything but. The role of Anna Bolena (Anne Boleyn) is one of the most difficult and demanding soprano roles: it requires the singer to sing--or, in Anna Netrebko's words, "shout"--in the lower register "for half the opera. [Donezetti] wants that nasty, chesty voice--he wants it to sound uncomfortable!" Here's an example, as sung by Beverly Sills. Watch out for the lines "manca solo a compire / il delitto d'Anna il sangue / e vesato sara," which Anna (the soprano) refers to in the article.
This performance was the first simulcast in Anna's home country of Russia.
And it was sold out at the opera house.
After the performance, Liz and I consulted the bus schedule and groaned about the fact that the next bus wouldn't arrive for over an hour. So since Liz's dad was in town for a conference, she called him for a ride and we got a ride back to our respective dorm/apartment, and I spent the rest of the evening writing this post in spurts.
This afternoon, after I take a shower, I'm going to the college to get some serious work done. I'm also going to skype with Mom and Tom at some point.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
there's no place like home
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, everyone! I'm home for the first time this year, and I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it feels.
Monday: This Monday was the first time that I was reasonably well-rested at the beginning of the week, which was nothing short of amazing.
We spent a fair amount of time going over our websites in Output (the final sites are due on December fifth). We also talked about the next assignment, calibrating a printer, which won't be due until a week from Monday, and shouldn't be too hard.
Although I'd started a drawing for my Drawing class (theme: surreal), when I read the handout that the class got that evening, I realized that I'd have to start over. Thankfully, Plainfield paper is just over 30¢, including tax. I wish the photo paper that I use in the darkroom was that cheap...
Tuesday: For Preparing for Professional Life, we're to find a mentor, and talk/email/go out for coffee with them a couple times a month throughout the course. My choice was a family friend and fellow artist: Helen Opie. I almost mentioned this last week, but because Helen reads this blog, I wanted to keep it on the down-low until I'd contacted her. I called Helen on Tuesday afternoon, and asked her--she said yes. And because we're friends, the conversation drifted from mentors to NSCAD (Helen lives in Nova Scotia) to the difficulties of making it as an artist--especially as a female artist.
Wednesday: Due to the fact that many of us were headed home for Thanksgiving, and wouldn't be able to do lighting homework that required a studio and flash units, umbrellas/softboxes/grids, etc., for several days, Drew decided to do a class on posing. We were to pick a bunch of poses from books that he handed out, and when we went down to the studio, we chose one of our poses (each classmate labelled the poses that he/she chose with their name), and directed Drew into that pose. Funfunfun!
That evening, there was a show opening at the City Hall Gallery, but I didn't go. Jeff Crawford (the technician for the Photo Studio, and a graduate of NBCCD) had submitted a piece, but due to a so-called "ghost" policy that the gallery has, the photo was censored. The policy in question concerns depictions of nudity in art--but you won't ever see it in print, hence it being a "ghost" policy. And that bugs me even more than censorship (if that's possible). If a gallery (not just the one in City Hall) doesn't want to display a certain kind of art, they should make that absolutely clear.
Click here to see the offending photo. And just so you know, there's nothing really shocking--Jeff's work is always very tasteful.
Thursday: Brace yourself. This week was the first time that I had actual prints to show for my project, so Peter and my fellow classmates critiqued them. In addition to 8" x 10" prints, I'd also taped thumbnails that I'd cut out of the contact sheets to a piece of paper that I'd torn from my notebook, showing which photos I'd like to pair together.
In our meeting that afternoon, Peter had some rather harsh words for me: this coming Thursday, I'm not to show my face in class. I'm to crank out the prints in the darkroom instead. And I'm going to have to work my butt off if my project is to succeed.
...which makes me very disappointed in myself: I can do a thousand times better than this. Although I'm responsible for getting myself into this mess, I still can't believe it's come to this. This is not FVA, which I finished with a 2.43 GPA (pass is 2.0, by the way). I can do better. MUCH better.
After class, Mom picked me up in the studio, and we drove to the residence, grabbed my bags, and drove home for the weekend.
Friday and Saturday: I've spent the weekend hanging out with my parents, doing homework, watching movies, dancing, staying up late, sleeping in...
Next Saturday is the simulcast of Anna Bolena! After working my butt off in the darkroom forty-eight hours prior, I'll need it. Once again, thank you, Metropolitan Opera, for being an important part of my life. GO FRENCH HORNS!
And now, the annual Thanksgiving List:
Monday: This Monday was the first time that I was reasonably well-rested at the beginning of the week, which was nothing short of amazing.
We spent a fair amount of time going over our websites in Output (the final sites are due on December fifth). We also talked about the next assignment, calibrating a printer, which won't be due until a week from Monday, and shouldn't be too hard.
Although I'd started a drawing for my Drawing class (theme: surreal), when I read the handout that the class got that evening, I realized that I'd have to start over. Thankfully, Plainfield paper is just over 30¢, including tax. I wish the photo paper that I use in the darkroom was that cheap...
Tuesday: For Preparing for Professional Life, we're to find a mentor, and talk/email/go out for coffee with them a couple times a month throughout the course. My choice was a family friend and fellow artist: Helen Opie. I almost mentioned this last week, but because Helen reads this blog, I wanted to keep it on the down-low until I'd contacted her. I called Helen on Tuesday afternoon, and asked her--she said yes. And because we're friends, the conversation drifted from mentors to NSCAD (Helen lives in Nova Scotia) to the difficulties of making it as an artist--especially as a female artist.
Wednesday: Due to the fact that many of us were headed home for Thanksgiving, and wouldn't be able to do lighting homework that required a studio and flash units, umbrellas/softboxes/grids, etc., for several days, Drew decided to do a class on posing. We were to pick a bunch of poses from books that he handed out, and when we went down to the studio, we chose one of our poses (each classmate labelled the poses that he/she chose with their name), and directed Drew into that pose. Funfunfun!
That evening, there was a show opening at the City Hall Gallery, but I didn't go. Jeff Crawford (the technician for the Photo Studio, and a graduate of NBCCD) had submitted a piece, but due to a so-called "ghost" policy that the gallery has, the photo was censored. The policy in question concerns depictions of nudity in art--but you won't ever see it in print, hence it being a "ghost" policy. And that bugs me even more than censorship (if that's possible). If a gallery (not just the one in City Hall) doesn't want to display a certain kind of art, they should make that absolutely clear.
Click here to see the offending photo. And just so you know, there's nothing really shocking--Jeff's work is always very tasteful.
Thursday: Brace yourself. This week was the first time that I had actual prints to show for my project, so Peter and my fellow classmates critiqued them. In addition to 8" x 10" prints, I'd also taped thumbnails that I'd cut out of the contact sheets to a piece of paper that I'd torn from my notebook, showing which photos I'd like to pair together.
In our meeting that afternoon, Peter had some rather harsh words for me: this coming Thursday, I'm not to show my face in class. I'm to crank out the prints in the darkroom instead. And I'm going to have to work my butt off if my project is to succeed.
...which makes me very disappointed in myself: I can do a thousand times better than this. Although I'm responsible for getting myself into this mess, I still can't believe it's come to this. This is not FVA, which I finished with a 2.43 GPA (pass is 2.0, by the way). I can do better. MUCH better.
After class, Mom picked me up in the studio, and we drove to the residence, grabbed my bags, and drove home for the weekend.
Friday and Saturday: I've spent the weekend hanging out with my parents, doing homework, watching movies, dancing, staying up late, sleeping in...
Next Saturday is the simulcast of Anna Bolena! After working my butt off in the darkroom forty-eight hours prior, I'll need it. Once again, thank you, Metropolitan Opera, for being an important part of my life. GO FRENCH HORNS!
And now, the annual Thanksgiving List:
- NBCCD--especially the Photo Studio
- Teachers who give you a good, solid wake-up call when needed (yes, Peter, I'm talking about you)
- Occupy Wall St., and similar protests around the world, like Occupy Fredericton
- Indescribably beautiful music
- Art that twists my brain and makes me say or think, "whoa!" (that one's for you, Adam)
- The fact that I voted NDP in a federal election during Jack Layton's lifetime
- The NDP Opposition--finally: a party that will hold Harper accountable for his actions, like it or not
- The fact that I'm finally interested in politics (thanks, NDP)
- My love of writing
- The Metropolitan Opera and the MOO (especially their horn section)
- ...and the Saturday matinées (less than two months to go!)
- Twelve years of getting excited about the latest Harry Potter book or movie
- My home and family
Sunday, October 2, 2011
confessions of an art addict
After the non-weekend that was last weekend, this week I made a point of getting as much work as possible done between Tuesday and Thursday. I knew I'd have stuff that I needed to work on over the weekend (for example, my drawing assignment, which isn't due until the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend), but I didn't want to be doing homework all day for three days straight, crashing into bed every night, and waking up exhausted every morning. Mission accomplished.
Monday: This time Adam took us outside--to the Loyalist Cemetery (between George and Brunswick Sts., with Carleton St. stopping at the south end of the cemetery and picking up again at the north end). I couldn't resist taking off my sandals (a pair of Tevas that have probably been through everything except snow), having worn them since about eight (seven EDT) that morning.
As that night was the Met Opera's Opening Night (the Met premiere of Anna Bolena, with Anna Netrebko in the title role and Marco Armiliato conducting a certain favourite orchestra), I listened to the last few minutes of the second--and final--act of the opera when I got home. For the first time in several years, the Met pretty much nailed the opening night performance (in '09, the director, producer, and the rest of the team were booed when they appeared onstage after the performance; and opera-philes are still iffy about Robert Lepage's production of the Ring Cycle). And that brings me to...
Tuesday: Drum-roll please: I ordered my ticket to the Met's Live in HD simulcast of Anna Bolena!!! I'd originally planned to order the ticket last weekend, but they weren't on sale at the time. Time to start counting down to October fifteenth (by the way, that performance is completely sold out at the opera house)! And this time I'm going with a friend who's a fellow Met fan (I went to the other simulcasts alone)!
I also calibrated my MacBook Pro's screen. This is the second time that I've done that, but it's the first time that I've done a really good, thorough job. The screen has more of a magenta tone to it now, but the blues are noticeably richer.
That day I decided that next weekend (this weekend) wouldn't be another non-weekend weekend, and I dug into my homework that afternoon.
Bonus: I was well-rested for the first time since the Thursday before the non-weekend weekend (September twenty-second). And as a result, I felt like the happiest woman in Southside F'ton.
Wednesday: I started the day bright and early by rolling film before Photoshop class. I considered developing it, but realized that I didn't have enough time. So I stuck the canister (which is light-proof) in my locker, to be developed after lighting class.
Thursday: That afternoon I finally finished the reading for Output--as I believe I said before, one of the textbooks that Drew has us reading from, Fine Art Printing for Photographers, 2nd edition, is fond of long chapters. I've been reading each chapter all in one go, but I've found that that's a bit much for me, especially when I have a bunch of other assignments bouncing up and down and trying to get my attention: "pick me! I'm due on Thursday!," "pick me! I'm due on Monday!" So this week, I decided to split it up into at least two readings: half the chapter on Tuesday, the other half later in the week. Done.
My independent study project is starting to come together even more: Peter had me bang out a bunch of quick 'n' dirty prints that might work for the project, and I'm glad I did that. It renewed my excitement for the project, and helped to give me some ideas as to where I might like to take said project in the coming weeks.
That evening was the first of two show openings that I went to this week, both of which feature work by one or other of my teachers: Obscura: Confessions of a Pinhole Photographer opened at the Campus Gallery. Obscura is a show of photos (both black and white and colour) taken with pinhole cameras by Drew Gilbert, who's my Digital Output, Lighting, and Photoshop teacher. Here's a PDF version of the poster.
The show also features some of his camera obscura photos. For the last decade or so, Drew has built a camera obscura in every single place that he's lived--sometimes he's moved just to make a camera obscura at that location.
In addition to Drew's work, one of my classmates, Erin, who's also into pinhole photography, showed a few of her photos on two of the walls. Some of the photos were straight-up pinhole photos, but some of them were taken using a technique called solargraphy. Solargraphy is when you use a pinhole camera to track the sun's path over the course of a month or more. The sun is recorded as bands (either white or coloured) across the paper. After X number of months, you cover the hole, take the whole thing into a darkroom, and scan the image (no developing). Because the photo isn't fixed, you have one chance and only one chance to scan the image. Drew and Erin had to work on that a bit...
As a special touch to the opening, Karen had some of Drew's students talk about what they like about Drew. I spoke, but right now I can't remember what my exact point was. I think it was that Drew is really approachable.
After the show, I went back to the photo studio--specifically, the darkroom--and cranked out those photos for the independent study project.
Friday: That day was primarily a work day, and I spent most of it working on stuff for Preparing for Professional Life. However, I also shot my Lighting assignment (shiny objects).
But that evening, there was another show opening: Boneyard Blues by Adam MacDonald (yes, my drawing teacher), and Funcrush by Jean Rooney at Ingrid Mueller Art + Concepts. I met Karen and one of her friends in the NBCCD gallery that afternoon, and we walked over to Art + Concepts (on Regent St., just up from King St.).
As usual, Adam's work sent my head for a spin, and I felt like there was something more to it that my brain just wasn't grasping. But that's what I love about his work: I want my brain to be stretched, twisted and spun. I might go back at some point between now and the eighteenth, which is when the show comes down. Neither of the artists spoke, but I was cool with that: until I started going to show openings in F'ton, I hadn't been to an opening where the artists spoke, so it was a new, and even foreign, experience for me. It's still rather new.
Boneyard Blues was also a milestone for me: after being a student at NBCCD for two-and-a-bit school years, and knowing Adam as my academic adviser, teacher, and favourite artist, and hearing about his shows at Art + Concepts (this one is his fourth there, and the third since I started at NBCCD), I finally made it to one of his openings (I'm not counting Journey into WHATEVER, because that one was super-easy to get to because it was at the college gallery)! The first one that I heard about (in the spring of '10), I would've gone to if I hadn't been going home that weekend. The second one I knew about, but the wording on the Art + Concepts website was a bit confusing as to where and when the show was to take place, so I didn't make it to that one. This time, it was very clear as to where and when the show was, and since I had yet to make it to the opening of one of Adam's shows, I decided that I would make a point of going. No ifs, ands, or buts--I. would. be there.
Saturday: Yesterday was the second annual Guess Who? fundraiser, put on by Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, Inc. Just like last year, the event was sold out, and all 119 canvases (created by 104 artists, including Mom and me) went to good homes (you can tell that I've had too much exposure to cat rescuing and adoption). The event raised $13,200.00 for the centre.
Next weekend is Thanksgiving weekend, so I'll be going home for the first time this year. Yippee! Home on Thursday before Thanksgiving, and back to F'ton on Tuesday!
PS: In case you're wondering, yes, the title of this post is a play on the title of the show that's currently hanging in the NBCCD Gallery. ;-)
Monday: This time Adam took us outside--to the Loyalist Cemetery (between George and Brunswick Sts., with Carleton St. stopping at the south end of the cemetery and picking up again at the north end). I couldn't resist taking off my sandals (a pair of Tevas that have probably been through everything except snow), having worn them since about eight (seven EDT) that morning.
As that night was the Met Opera's Opening Night (the Met premiere of Anna Bolena, with Anna Netrebko in the title role and Marco Armiliato conducting a certain favourite orchestra), I listened to the last few minutes of the second--and final--act of the opera when I got home. For the first time in several years, the Met pretty much nailed the opening night performance (in '09, the director, producer, and the rest of the team were booed when they appeared onstage after the performance; and opera-philes are still iffy about Robert Lepage's production of the Ring Cycle). And that brings me to...
Tuesday: Drum-roll please: I ordered my ticket to the Met's Live in HD simulcast of Anna Bolena!!! I'd originally planned to order the ticket last weekend, but they weren't on sale at the time. Time to start counting down to October fifteenth (by the way, that performance is completely sold out at the opera house)! And this time I'm going with a friend who's a fellow Met fan (I went to the other simulcasts alone)!
I also calibrated my MacBook Pro's screen. This is the second time that I've done that, but it's the first time that I've done a really good, thorough job. The screen has more of a magenta tone to it now, but the blues are noticeably richer.
That day I decided that next weekend (this weekend) wouldn't be another non-weekend weekend, and I dug into my homework that afternoon.
Bonus: I was well-rested for the first time since the Thursday before the non-weekend weekend (September twenty-second). And as a result, I felt like the happiest woman in Southside F'ton.
Wednesday: I started the day bright and early by rolling film before Photoshop class. I considered developing it, but realized that I didn't have enough time. So I stuck the canister (which is light-proof) in my locker, to be developed after lighting class.
Thursday: That afternoon I finally finished the reading for Output--as I believe I said before, one of the textbooks that Drew has us reading from, Fine Art Printing for Photographers, 2nd edition, is fond of long chapters. I've been reading each chapter all in one go, but I've found that that's a bit much for me, especially when I have a bunch of other assignments bouncing up and down and trying to get my attention: "pick me! I'm due on Thursday!," "pick me! I'm due on Monday!" So this week, I decided to split it up into at least two readings: half the chapter on Tuesday, the other half later in the week. Done.
My independent study project is starting to come together even more: Peter had me bang out a bunch of quick 'n' dirty prints that might work for the project, and I'm glad I did that. It renewed my excitement for the project, and helped to give me some ideas as to where I might like to take said project in the coming weeks.
That evening was the first of two show openings that I went to this week, both of which feature work by one or other of my teachers: Obscura: Confessions of a Pinhole Photographer opened at the Campus Gallery. Obscura is a show of photos (both black and white and colour) taken with pinhole cameras by Drew Gilbert, who's my Digital Output, Lighting, and Photoshop teacher. Here's a PDF version of the poster.
The show also features some of his camera obscura photos. For the last decade or so, Drew has built a camera obscura in every single place that he's lived--sometimes he's moved just to make a camera obscura at that location.
In addition to Drew's work, one of my classmates, Erin, who's also into pinhole photography, showed a few of her photos on two of the walls. Some of the photos were straight-up pinhole photos, but some of them were taken using a technique called solargraphy. Solargraphy is when you use a pinhole camera to track the sun's path over the course of a month or more. The sun is recorded as bands (either white or coloured) across the paper. After X number of months, you cover the hole, take the whole thing into a darkroom, and scan the image (no developing). Because the photo isn't fixed, you have one chance and only one chance to scan the image. Drew and Erin had to work on that a bit...
As a special touch to the opening, Karen had some of Drew's students talk about what they like about Drew. I spoke, but right now I can't remember what my exact point was. I think it was that Drew is really approachable.
After the show, I went back to the photo studio--specifically, the darkroom--and cranked out those photos for the independent study project.
Friday: That day was primarily a work day, and I spent most of it working on stuff for Preparing for Professional Life. However, I also shot my Lighting assignment (shiny objects).
But that evening, there was another show opening: Boneyard Blues by Adam MacDonald (yes, my drawing teacher), and Funcrush by Jean Rooney at Ingrid Mueller Art + Concepts. I met Karen and one of her friends in the NBCCD gallery that afternoon, and we walked over to Art + Concepts (on Regent St., just up from King St.).
As usual, Adam's work sent my head for a spin, and I felt like there was something more to it that my brain just wasn't grasping. But that's what I love about his work: I want my brain to be stretched, twisted and spun. I might go back at some point between now and the eighteenth, which is when the show comes down. Neither of the artists spoke, but I was cool with that: until I started going to show openings in F'ton, I hadn't been to an opening where the artists spoke, so it was a new, and even foreign, experience for me. It's still rather new.
Boneyard Blues was also a milestone for me: after being a student at NBCCD for two-and-a-bit school years, and knowing Adam as my academic adviser, teacher, and favourite artist, and hearing about his shows at Art + Concepts (this one is his fourth there, and the third since I started at NBCCD), I finally made it to one of his openings (I'm not counting Journey into WHATEVER, because that one was super-easy to get to because it was at the college gallery)! The first one that I heard about (in the spring of '10), I would've gone to if I hadn't been going home that weekend. The second one I knew about, but the wording on the Art + Concepts website was a bit confusing as to where and when the show was to take place, so I didn't make it to that one. This time, it was very clear as to where and when the show was, and since I had yet to make it to the opening of one of Adam's shows, I decided that I would make a point of going. No ifs, ands, or buts--I. would. be there.
Saturday: Yesterday was the second annual Guess Who? fundraiser, put on by Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, Inc. Just like last year, the event was sold out, and all 119 canvases (created by 104 artists, including Mom and me) went to good homes (you can tell that I've had too much exposure to cat rescuing and adoption). The event raised $13,200.00 for the centre.
Next weekend is Thanksgiving weekend, so I'll be going home for the first time this year. Yippee! Home on Thursday before Thanksgiving, and back to F'ton on Tuesday!
PS: In case you're wondering, yes, the title of this post is a play on the title of the show that's currently hanging in the NBCCD Gallery. ;-)
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| In the Hall of the Mountain King, inspired by Grieg's piece by the same name. This was my creation for Guess Who? |
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