Rickshaw

Hope everyone has a great 2012! I’m excited and anxious for what this year will bring. Changes are ahead, but I’m excited to take a leap of faith and actively work toward a dream!

We never really did resolutions, but, this year, it seems to come up more so here are some things I/we hope to do:

• Actually put money into our savings account and stick to a budget
• Plan healthy meals together + eat out only once a week (we’re bad at this!)
• Make more thoughtful, “intentional” purchases
• Stay in better touch with family and friends near and far
• Take a walk in Hermann Park everyday
• Be more patient—on the road, in the class room, everywhere
• Set aside the computer, and aimless internet wanderlust, earlier in the evening
• Constantly create. Going to work on 100 patterns, in order to get into the habit of creating. All of them (good, bad, and eh) ones will be posted here, so I’ll be more accountable.

Got a new watercolor pad, and I’m going to start doodling more for fun…

Things I’ve been reaching for in the bathroom cabinet:

1. Face Stockholm nail polish: It was about time I replace the chipped nail polish that have been on my fingers for over a month now.
2. Mario Badesco Enzyme Cleansing Gel: One of the few face washes that doesn’t leave my skin dry, has few ingredients, and it smells good!
3. Malin + Goetz Face Moisturizer: Originally bought for BJ but I stole it. Super moisturizing without being greasy

Every year, BJ is in charge of making the holiday card for his work. This one is my favorite so far.

This week has gone by quickly. I served on a jury for the first time which was at times illuminating but also can be very draining. Those leather cushioned chairs in the juror box are deceiving- totally uncomfortable and it sounds like you fart every time you move – which I did a LOT (move not fart). It was also interesting to track which way I leaned after hearing each lawyer present , but in the end, looking at both sides, this was a clear situation in which you learn not to make snap judgements.

Looking forward to a free weekend. I need to get started on some gifts!

My demo pieces for my class last week. They learned how to use basic shapes to create illustrations and then had to pick a theme to create a piece on afterwards. I did my favorite tools and things to eat.

Time flies! I can’t believe I took these before Thuy went back to school and she’ll already be back from SCAD next week. I’m excited to see what she’s been working on. One of my most worst faults is I am awful at keeping in touch with my siblings, friends, and family. I hate using phones and have never even skyped. But enough is enough: I do want to save up to visit you guys, and in the mean time I’m going to make a more concerted effort to catch up and stay in contact.

At the end of the summer, I had the opportunity to work on 4 portraits of NYU doctors for the school’s fall medical issue. Each face is filled with imagery related to research and studies over obesity in young children. One of the challenges was to capture all the information without overcrowding the space- the final size was only a few inches. This was one of my first freelance pieces and definitely a learning experience!

I still feel like everything has been in fast pace mode since the start of the school year even though we’ve officially made it through one grading period. Last weekend was suppose to be a breather – no traveling, no major grading- but then I got sick, and it took a while to get back to 100%.

Looking ahead, this month includes lots of cleaning, simplifying, and packing for our move . The place is closer in town so BJ can walk to work. Only downside is my commute may take an hour, but I think it’s in our best interest. I look forward to the day we’re in a place for longer than 1-2 years.

Right now, I’m struggling to find time to do my own work, but I guess I should know by now that there will always be something coming up and busy schedules to manage. Just gotta sit down and do it! Here’s something the both of us are working on for a friend …

Guess who? I always find BJ’s sketches of different figures laying around the house – and always on the back of articles/scraps. This one was on the closet floor, staring up at me when I flipped the lights.  I wonder if I can convince him to do these in a sketchbook so I don’t miss any of them.

My Saturday was all about football and food. Seriously from the moment I woke up until 9pm. Longest game ever!  I felt like I needed to do something else before calling it a day. So I did this small piece and used a collograph plate as inspiration. I’m not quite satisfied and  feel a bit rusty, but I think I’ll explore idea a little more.

Gotta go record BJ snoring since he swears up and down that he never does!