EMU Symposium (2009)

I've been talking about the great opportunity I had to display my artwork every year (and earn money doing it!) for the Undergraduate Symposium at Eastern Michigan University every March and today I'm going to talk about the one I participated in during the 2008-2009 school year, when I was a Junior.

At this point, I switched faculty mentors - not because I no longer wanted to work with my drawing professor, but simply because at that point I had officially changed to a Watercolor concentration, and it made sense to work with my watercolor professor, who I had classes with every week.

As I said yesterday, I went into this school year with the idea that I would use source photographs taken abroad to create watercolor paintings. In July-August 2008 I went on the "Mediterranean Cultural History Tour" which spent a several weeks in Switzerland, Italy, and Greece.

We were in Zurich for two "orientation" days, where were were acclimated to the program and met everyone else on the trip. Then, we headed off to Italy. Three days in Venice, four in Florence, five in Rome, and two in Naples. We then took a night boat to Greece, where we spent one day in Olympia, and one day in Nafplion. We traveled (again by night boat) to the island of Crete, where we stayed for three days. Back on the Grecian mainland, we saw Delphi (one day), Kalambaka and the clifftop monasteries of Meteora (one day), Thessaloniki (two days), and Athens (two days). It was a whirlwind trip, but a lot of fun. Prior to that trip, I had only ever been to France in Europe, so it was my first time visiting many of those locations.

I took a lot of photos during those few weeks, and created several watercolors from them. Some of these watercolors I have already shown in previous posts, but here they are together, as a set.

Because I had a precedent for combining writing with my artwork (as I'd done for the previous two symposiums), I also wrote poetry and included these poems onto my watercolor paintings, to help capture the emotion I had at that time. Some of the poems are written traditionally (one line at a time, straight lines, reading right to left), while others are more a jumble of (illegible) words; the way the words are written was also meant to give an indication of my emotion.

Some of the paintings took on an almost "cartoonish" appeal, when I used markers to define some of the muddier parts of the watercolor paintings. (I had only taken a few watercolor classes and was still learning the craft.)

"Siena" 11x15 watercolor painting (with marker outlines and poem)

"Naples" 11x15 watercolor painting (with marker outlines and poem)

From Rome to Delphi, I was suffering an eye infection. First it was my right eye, which started on our last day in Rome, and continued on to Naples and Greece. By the time our boat docked and we headed toward Olympia, my left eye was also infected. To make matters worse, I (stupidly) forgot to bring my glasses, assuming that my contacts would be sufficient for the duration of the trip. When my eyes were infected, I couldn't wear my contacts - so not only did my eyes look all red and gross, but I also couldn't see very well. I relied on my camera to help me see (I'm near-sighted, so while everything at a distance was blurry, I could at least take a picture of something I wanted to see, or point my camera at it, and then look at the digital screen close-up to see what I was missing).

The infection finally started to clear up on Crete, and when we got to Delphi I was able to put both of my contacts in for the first time in days. It was a relief to be able to see again.

"Delphi" 22x30 watercolor painting (with white paint pen poem, and white acrylic paint in background)

Detail of the "Delphi" poem, which alludes to the eye infection I was battling at this point in the study abroad trip

Besides my eye infection, I also battled some gross foot blisters (so much walking!), and (naturally) self-pity. I couldn't believe I was on this amazing once-in-a-lifetime trip and yet suffering through such physical ailments that made enjoying the moment difficult.

In Olympia in particular, I ended up missing all of the planned sights for the day. I had tried my best to attend everything, even if I couldn't see, up until that point. But when my second eye got infected and I had to go find a pharmacist (again), I had to prioritize my health over seeing the sights. I got more eyedrops, and then stayed in the hotel room all day while everyone else went out to have fun.

Walking around Pompeii in the hot sun was excruciating on my feet, which at that point in the trip had some nasty blisters.

And in Athens, I ended up tripping on a rock walking through the agora, and skinning my knee. Our hotel was also in a sort of shady part of town, where there was a lot of graffiti on our street.

I include these anecdotes so that the next several watercolors make sense. The following paintings were small - "postcard size" to reflect the "travel" theme - but instead of focusing on the beautiful moments, as postcards usually do, the imagery and poems reflect the negative aspects of the trip.

"Sorrento" postcard size watercolor painting (with marker poem)

"Olympia" postcard size watercolor painting (with marker poem)

"Pompeii" postcard size watercolor painting (with marker poem)

"Athens" postcard size watercolor painting (with marker poem)

An article about me and my symposium work for an EMU publication that year

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I participated in the Undergraduate Symposium one last time as a Senior in 2010. There, I displayed my thesis watercolors (which I have already talked about in depth in several blog posts, and therefore won't get into again here). I used my symposium money that year on a nice, new digital camera (to take photographs of the "mutilated flowers") and on custom frames and mats for my large watercolors.

EMU Symposium (2008)

Yesterday, I discussed the lucky circumstances for how I was allowed to, as a college student, basically get paid to create whatever art I wanted to. I also described the theme I adopted for that first Undergraduate Symposium I participated in back in 2007 - self portraits.

The following year, still working with that same drawing faculty member, I took the idea of "self portraits" in a slightly different direction. Instead of depicting my face ad nauseum in different media, I focused on my subconscious - my dreams.

Similarly to how I copied text from my journal onto the poster I displayed next to my wall of self-portraits in 2007, in 2008 I copied text from my dream journal and displayed these fragmented written descriptions of my dreams next to visual depictions of them.

I'll admit - this was the year I put the least thought into the symposium. I was still deciding what I wanted to concentrate in at Eastern Michigan University, and was deciding between drawing and watercolor. I let most of the year go by without any planning, and then, at the last minute, threw some things together. I was a little disappointed in myself - I had all this "free money" in my name in the art department, and I hadn't come up with any good items to purchase with it.

It was precisely because of that 2008 "dud year" that I thought hard about what I wanted to do for 2009. I knew I wanted to study abroad, so I decided to combine that desire with the symposium. In 2009, I would create artwork for the symposium that was inspired by my study abroad trip; in this way, I got my scholarship fund to pay for part of that trip. (I'll show pictures from that symposium tomorrow.)

Here are some images of the art I created for my 2008 "Dream" theme.

I went through my dream journal and found all instances of a brand name that appeared in my dreams. I then created a hand-drawn/painted collage of the logos of those brands.

Drawing/painting

The next image is another drawing - this time a "collage" in metallic gold pen/marker of abstract roses. This was inspired by a terrifying dream I had in which I was attacked by a strange man and woke up in a hospital bed to see that my legs had been tattooed up and down with gold roses that were only visible under certain lights.

Drawing

Finally, this last image is a drawing/painting/collage I created based on another specific dream. There were (adorable) fuzzy little aliens who had landed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, causing a riot. To escape, I had to run from the blazing inferno Ann Arbor had become, across a river (which does not exist in real life), to the safety of my own college campus - Eastern Michigan University, in Ypsilanti. Television screens floated in the air around me as I ran.

Drawing/painting/mixed media collage

In addition to these 18"x24" pieces of artwork, I drew a few smaller (cartoonish) images that were also inspired by dreams, and printed up "flyers" that mimicked flyers found in my "Riots in Ann Arbor Dream."

Fuzzy Alien Poster

"Whale Plane" Watercolor

"Red Monster" Watercolor/Drawing

"Beer Tree" Colored Pencil Drawing

To clarify - when I say 2008 was my "dud" year, I don't mean I had nothing to show at the Symposium. I mean only that I felt I hadn't made the most of my scholarship money, because I hadn't planned anything in advance to spend that money on.

Poems and Song Lyrics

As a kid/pre-teen, I fancied myself a songwriter. I've always liked to sing (even if I'm not naturally great at it), and I've always liked to write, so it seemed obvious to merge the two. I wrote little songs and then went out in the backyard and sat on a swing and sang them. I sang them for myself. I didn't share them with anyone else - except occasionally my best friend (who has legitimate singing talent). A lot of the songs were written on separate pieces of paper, or torn out of journals and then rewritten in again at a later date, but I tried my best to recreate them and put them in a general order.

These are all from middle school and early high school. Some are just me being silly, and some are just being overly dramatic/maudlin, because I was a teenage girl trying to be emo and a songwriter, but others exactly pinpointed how I felt. Some of them even still ring true today.

What I think Heaven Will Be Like

Streets of red carpet lead me to his throne of gold

So many dreams on this silver lining that never get old

My eyes are blinded by his presence

So light, so bright, beautiful essence

Long white robes, with silver sashes

No one smokes here, no trays of ashes

Lavender flowers in my hair

Some people aren’t here – not fair!

But they got a chance

God gave them a gift

If they chose to ignore it

They won’t be lift (ed)

No psychics, freaks, or fortune tellers

No spirits, enemies, or soul sellers

Just the believers

Heaven

Untitled

I’ve been busy

Getting dizzy

All wound up

In the things of this world

I should be telling the Word

‘Til evil’s heard

But I’m bad

So make me a better girl

Change my body

Save my soul

Cleanse my mind

Get on a roll

Fix my life

Help my heart

Lend a hand

And do my part

Attitude adjustment

New testament

Lord, forgive me

I repent

I am free

Breathe

Back up

Break up

What’re you trying to do?

Smother me?

Leave me

Let me breathe

Inhale

Exhale

But you’re in my face

Like a plastic bag

You need a warning label

Keep out of reach from children

This product can cause suffocation

Handle with care

I need a breath of fresh air

For crying out loud

Let me loose

Cut off the leash

Let me go

Let me breathe

You

I’m only human

But I try

To do my best

I’m trusting You

To do the rest

Help me, please

For I am a mere mortal

And You are God

Today Ain’t Like Yesterday

Today ain’t like yesterday at all

Days creep by like school in the fall

The universe’s too big

And we are too small

Today ain’t like yesterday

Today ain’t like yesterday at all

Yesterday the day was full of fun

Yesterday we flew towards the sun

But today is cold and full of dread

And there’s a storm cloud in my head

So today ain’t like yesterday

Vision

A dream will die

No lie

If you don’t feed it

A dream will go

You know

If you don’t need it

Without vision

People perish

Day doesn’t dawn anew

Without vision

People perish

Smoke, flame, ash, too

A Lonely Song

All I ever say is “au revoir”

Sitting here strumming my guitar

All I ever say is “so long”

Singing a song

A lonely song

Mortal

I’m not supposed to feel

I’m not supposed to care

So why am I worrying?

I should be above this stuff

This human emotion

I’m better than this

I can’t possibly have

Stooped down so low

As to love you

Look what you’ve done to me

You’ve changed who I am

You took an uncaring person

And made me mortal

Maybe One Day

Maybe one day I’ll be a star

Maybe one day I’ll play guitar

Maybe one day I’ll go far

Maybe one day I’ll be who you are

But for now I guess I’m stuck being me

Maybe one day that’ll make me happy

Maybe one day I’ll be proud of myself

Maybe one day I’ll like the cards I’ve been dealt

But for now I guess I’m here

Sitting here, hoping that

Maybe that one day is near

From the Outside, Looking In

You’re on the outside, looking in

I’m on the inside, looking out

I don’t know how you perceive me

Can you tell me what this is about?

I can only see myself when I gaze in my mirror

While you can see me from a new perspective

You’re father away, maybe, not as near

But you can see me still, so tell me – I’m no detective

I may see myself one way

But does that show in what I say

How do you see me?

Tell me!

I don’t know what shows

From the outside, looking in…

A Stupid Mistake I’ll Make

Cosine theta times sine two beta is something I can take

But on the last line: two times nine – a stupid mistake I’ll make

A gourmet lunch, a buffet brunch is something I can bake

But I hate to boast, ‘cuz with toast – a stupid mistake I’ll make

Why? Oh why? I cry! I try!

I do my best, but on the rest

I’ll always make a stupid mistake

Instead of a smoothie I’ll make a shake

Instead of a pond I’ll call it a lake

Instead of asleep I’ll stay awake

Instead of a diamond I’ll buy a fake

Instead of a shovel I’ll grab a rake

Instead of the gas I’ll use the brake

Instead of some cookies I’ll make a cake

Instead of Jack I’ll call him Jake

A stupid mistake I’ll make

Purple Phone

I got a purple phone

And it sits all alone

On my table

Hey don’t get up to leave

C’mon you gotta believe

This ain’t a fable

Yeah, it’s true

I dyed it red and blue

And now it’s purple

Oh, oh, it’s purple

I got your number here

But I just can’t dial it

With my phone sitting there

Looking so violet

It’s screaming to me

“It’s not meant to be!

Don’t call Uncle Urple

‘Cuz I’m perfectly PURPLE!”

Try So Hard

Why do I try so hard?

Why do I care so much?

Why do I want this so bad?

When do I know when enough is enough?

This seed I planted years ago

Has decided to start to grow

But it’s taking over every part of me

I can’t have fun without feeling guilty

And this once-happy goal

Is taking over my soul

I’m at a crossroads here

After all these years

I’m sick of beating myself with my fist

I’m tired of being a perfectionist

I try too hard

I care too much

I want this too bad

Enough is enough

Raindrops

These are raindrops

Falling on my face

What do you mean it ain’t raining?

There’s rain all over the place

Can’t you see those dark clouds

Up high in the sky?

‘Cuz it ain’t me. I ain’t gunna cry.

These are God’s tears –

Not mine

So stop asking me how I am

I’m fine

Don’t tell me I’m a basketcase

These are just raindrops

Falling on my face

Momentary

Who I am now, who I am today

Might be different tomorrow

‘Cause each new day brings

New hope and new sorrow

Why can’t I just stop time

And claim this moment as mine?

My life speeds by so fast

The future becomes the past

It’s too quick to make any sense

Can’t I just seize life’s little moments

I don’t want to grow up

I don’t care what people say

I’m happy right now

So can’t I stay this way?

Bittersweet

I feel so elated

No longer second-rated

This is the highest I’ve ever been

But while I’m this high

I could fall from the sky

‘Cause what goes up

Must come down again

Take this moment of clarity

And add my harsh reality

Change a paradise to a parody

Even the best of times

Are bittersweet

Delphi Watercolor

Yesterday I showed you some of my favorite photographs taken in Delphi, Greece, at the Temple of Apollo. Today, I have some images of a large (22"x30"!) watercolor painting that I created in 2009, shortly after returning from that Study Abroad trip.

Here is the source photograph:

Here is the painting:

This painting combines watercolor, acrylic (just a bit of white acrylic in the mountainous background), and white marker-pen, which spells out a poem on the left side.

The story behind the poem is this -

On this study abroad trip, I contracted an eye infection. At this time, I was so used to wearing contact lenses that I didn't even think to bring my eyeglasses as backup - just extra contacts. So when I got an eye infection in Rome and couldn't wear my contacts for a few days while it healed (and then a few more days, once my other eye also got infected), I was basically blind. I would take photographs just so I could see the landscape up close (on my camera screen) where I could see the image. I traveled through Naples, Italy this way, as well as Olympia and Napflion in Greece, and a few days on the island of Crete. When we got back to the mainland, my eyes were finally healed enough to wear my contacts again. Delphi was the first stop I was able to clearly see in several days.

I thought it was fitting that my eyesight should "return" to full strength on the very day that our itinerary had us in Delphi, the very place where ancient oracles were said to divinely See the future.

The response on Instagram has been great! It's gotten lots of positive comments.

This painting is available for purchase on Etsy - and comes included with a mat AND frame. The frame is black metal (custom made to the size of the matted painting), with a plexiglass front. It is ready to hang!