Reaction Face!

My brother and I have totally different schedules this term, so I "returned" his sketchbook by wiring it to his locker! I finally managed to talk to him today, and he went through a wide variety of reactions. First was the fonzi: 

then glowing admiration: 

Finally the coveted "double-thumbs" 

It was awesome to see my brother, an artist I personally admire, enjoy my own artwork that much. 

P.S. Here's a beautiful picture of myself; 

 

I won't be going to class tomorrow, as I have a minor staph infection. Yay. 

polycystic jam

pre gifting: enough years of pissing blood and pus. debilitating pain issuing from the malformed and decrepit. so the story goes. removal of the engorged culprit comes about like the arrest and incarceration of an abusive spouse. this project will be of little consolation and i expect no gratitude.

post gifting: ok, so that went almost exactly as i had predicted. the whole scene disintegrated pretty quickly and then we moved on. here are some samples of dialogue.

me: check it out haggis panties, i made you a replacement kidney out of wire.

jam: oh, is this the project for your little art class?

me: yes, but i made it for you. say something nice, i get graded for this.

jam: great, looks comfortable. i'll try it on just as soon as i am done grinding these broken walnut shells in my twat.


skip forward a little...


me: ok, so what do you think of the ureter?

jam: thats wrong. it's supposed to be lower so that it can drain properly.

me: no, i am pretty sure this is right...

jam: no, you're dumb. its supposed to be lower.



anyway, my best friend jam has polycystic kidney disease and had one of them removed. am i a good friend?

yes.

Free/Inexpensive stuff.

It occurred to me that paint colors don't always come out the way they're supposed to, so I called Miller Paint (I think its cool they're a local company) to ask what they did when the color they mix wasn't quite right. It turns out they sell it for $5 a gallon, as opposed to anywhere from $20 - $40. So if anyone is looking for cheap paint and doesn't mind that its mis-mixed I would suggest going there (maybe it's the color you're looking for!).

Link to their website: www.millerpaint.com

THE RETURN OF THE UNICORN

FINALLY, I HAD A CHANCE today to present the great Brown Wizard Slough with the unicorn head replica I made him a week ago. He was thrilled, to say the least. "This will fit in perfectly with my hand-crafted animal head collection I have in my smoking den!" he exclaimed. "I'll put it right between my cotton ball minotaur and that dragon my son made out of broken glass and peanut butter."

In the end good time was had by everybody. And they all lived happily ever after.

Free Stuff

- by Kayla NG.

I just found out a relevant stuff that everyone can get and I'm sure that they are always available in your home, the toilet paper rolls.

It's very light, the quality is good as well, not so soft or so hard. Thus it's easier for us to make a creative art work, like cutting or folding the way we want to, we also could stick more color papers or paint on it in an attractive look.

As you see, we could make variety of art work by using the toilet rolls, and it depends on how your handy skill and creative mind work together. One thing I know for sure is they're totally free, but you need to collect it from being wasted, therefore don't ever throw it away after you finish using the toilet paper, it's just like a great way to make green crafts while recycling them.

I also found an interesting website of how to make toilet paper roll crafts, like making the beaver, dinosaur, dog ... and plenty of way to playing around with, especially it's a good activity for kids.

http://www.dltk-kids.com/type/tp_roll.htm

Stuff

A good place to get a lot of random cheap stuff is from Oriental Trading Company. They've got a bunch of stuff like party favors, arts and crafts things, little toys, and even candy. It's a good place to get a lot of random crap for pretty cheap. You can get 24 kazoos for 5 bucks! Why you would need 24 kazoos? I don't know, but Oriental Trading has them.




















1. Buy 24 Kazoos
2. ???
3. Profit!!!

Stuff

The cheapest, most easily obtained version of art materials - stuff we already have.  My idea initiated with a dead tree in my front yard.  As soon as my boyfriend and I get around to hiring someone, it's going to be cut down.  A large majority of the wood will become firewood, but, inevitably, there will be pieces that aren't fit for burning, not to mention all the branches and twigs.  I'll likely stash the leftover wood somewhere to be used for art projects down the road.

The green glass I used to complete my wire sculpture ring was from a wine bottle, which I broke on my front porch and picked through to find the most ideal, small pieces.  Looking back, maybe I should have kept the larger broken shards for another project, but I have too much stuff as it is.

Anything already in the recycling can or box is game for art materials.  Old moving boxes and any cardboard, aluminum cans, glass bottles, used paper, old clothes you'll never wear again but couldn't get any money for, etc.  Kids' toys could be used within a piece of art and (hopefully) returned later on.

Along the lines of the dead tree, (we just moved in, so there are lots of issues that need to be addressed) my back yard has an overgrown blackberry bush, which I would gladly butcher and maybe use the pokey branches for some kind of sculpture.  Leaves fallen from a tree, dead flowers - maybe worthless otherwise but totally usable in art.

Another idea that came to mind is hair salons.  I'm getting my hair cut Tuesday, and I might ask my stylist if I could bag up my chopped hair and take it home.  If you're considering a hairy piñata, maybe it's time to get a trim.

-m.

Free/Cheap Stuff- Postal Supplies

If you go to your local Post Office or order online, you can pickup some cardboard boxes for free. I think using USPS boxes for anything other than mailing might be illegal, but hey-- who's gonna know, right? ;)

You can order up to 600 boxes off their site (depending on which box).

So I guess if you ever need cardboard, stop by your post office.

Here's a cardboard coffin some guy made off deviantART named 'Express Service to Hell':



They also have bubble wrap and styrofoam packing peanuts for cheap that you could also pickup to make cool stuff with-- here are a couple of sculptures i found online using those styrofoam packing peanuts:

Returning the wallet:

The day following our class critique on our 'lost object', I shipped out the wallet to my friend Josh. Since I'm also really good friends with him roommate, it was pretty easy to get his mailing address without him knowing. Yesterday night, I got a text message from him asking me if I sent him the wallet, lol:

He said it looked like the grudge hair, hahaha! (A comment similar to someone from the critque, how they said it looked like hair.)

The Grudge movie poster:

Free Stuff by Katie Scoville

I started my search for free stuff on google. I googled: "free stuff Portland OR" and found a direct link to Craigslist, a free sample website for samples of cereals and other random food products. Then I googled: "Where can I find free stuff in Portland OR?" and found the free classified ads for oregonlive.com. I searched around here and realized that the free objects in the classifieds are far and few between and that this website was promoting the free classified ad itself. So, this wasn't working very well and I started thinking about places that recycle and might give away recycled items for free. I thought of Newseasons first, then Fredmeyer and then for some reason Starbucks popped into my head. I know... ha ha... very funny... Starbucks? recycle? I am not a frequenter of Starbucks but once upon a time I was and I clearly remembered the "grounds for your garden." Around this time of year specifically, most starbucks locations will have a pot by the entry door filled with bags of used coffee grounds. They are free and are supposed to help with your compost. Not only are coffee grounds great for your compost I am sure us artists could find other uses for it too. The first example that comes to my mind is that Pinata we heard of in last class that was filled with soil and decorated with leaves and things. The coffee grounds could certainly double as soil or double the amount of soil you need as a filler. Supposedly worms LOVE this stuff.... it would be really interesting to me to see a sculpture built on the foundation of compost in like a clear tank or something with worms making tracks through it. The idea of something living in a sculpture is really fascinating to me.

Stuff overload

STUFF...

I thought about common everyday-ish items that I see all the time, but dont really think about as anything special. I wrote out a list of a few things I plan to bring on Monday. I also used google images to get ideas about how other people use these items that I may have not thought of.

1. Bubble wrap: Obviously fun to pop, step on, put on your friends chair, but I thought about spay paint or glitter- the possibilities are endless.

2. Corks! My grandmother has been using her old wine corks in a vase for decoration. I asked her if she would be willing to part with them- thank goodness she said yes-otherwise I would have to drink a LOT of bottles of wine over the weekend-lol. I have brainstormed a few ideas for how they can be used.. the list is really too long:)

3. Milk Jugs... I work in a coffee shop- so this was not something I would have even considered for an art project before this class. This really got me thinking about art differently-which is very valuable to me. Check out the milk jug lamps I found!!

Marc's watch-found!

Returning the watch was really fun. I know that it was a traumatic experience for Mark(my co-worker pal) having lost it in the first place. I gave it to him Wednesday afternoon. I dropped by work and gave it to him. He was said it made his day(he is recovering from a back injury) I could tell that he felt special-and it totally made his day. I have been thinking about "lost art" a lot, in relation to found items as well and how fun this would be to do again. :)

Peace

P.s

http://www.facebook.com/Linezzz?ref=name

CD

I FOUND this blank CD in CRAIGSLIST web-side 50 blank CD just for $10, and i found another blank cd in amazon web- side in different price like 100 CD for under $20. which i think we can do different idea using these CD
i attach the web side link for each of them.
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-100-Pack-Spindle-Frustration-Free-Packaging/dp/B001TOD7MY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1264747931&sr=8-4
http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/sys/1572138764.html

"stuff"

i spotted this dumpster below me while passing over a bridge ( i think it was the morrison bridge) and it caught my eye. It was located in a very unappealing mundane area. Amongst other dumpsters, and eye-sores was this dumpster full of bottles. The colors were so vibrant that it stood out amongst everything around it. I started thinking how we could fill more plain spaces with dumpsters full of colorful bottles for people to look down on.

I also came across this pile of faucets in the parking lot of the hotel i stayed at this week. It looked like some sort of creature, with snaky things coming out of it. Like an Alien of some sort.

Stuff Finding: IPRC

By: Mike
I just found out about this place from another student in the art program. IPRC stands for Independent Publishing Resource Center. It’s a non-profit organization and offers materials, equipment, and classes if you’re interested in printing just about anything. They specialize with magazine or “zine” printing and have a library of over 6,000 independently made zines. The place is pretty small but if you are into printing your own comics, flyers, catalogs, zines, portfolios, or even a novel you can do it here. They do charge a fee to be part of the organization, but it’s minimal if you use it. The website states that it’s between $45-$100 a year for full access to their equipment, and that includes whatever toner, ink, and paper they have available. They also have computers and graphic software available. I think they offer monthly and hourly rates if you don’t want to sign up for a whole year, but I didn’t see them posted. The information below is taken straight from their website: http://www.iprc.org/ . I attached the video from their website, check it out.


Independent Publishing Resource CenterPost: 917 SW Oak Street #218 Portland, Oregon 97205 USATel/Fax: 503.827.0249 Email:
//
info@iprc.org

The IPRC's open hours are:
Mon 12noon to 10pm
Tue/Wed/Thu 4pm to 10pm
Fri/Sat 12noon to 6pm
Sun 12noon to 5pm (youth only), 5pm to 8pm

Workspace
The IPRC is one of the only nonprofit self-publishing centers of its kind anywhere in the world. We offer access to workspace and tools to aid in the production and distribution of zines, comics, hand-bound books and artwork. This includes computer workstations for writing, scanning, graphic design & desktop publishing, and high-speed internet access for research and networking purposes; two copiers, five table-top letterpresses, three Gocco printers, a YuDu screenprinter, and various other tools for creating, binding, and assembling publications. We also have two art galleries and one of the nation’s largest circulating zine libraries.

Rates
Workspace and equipment is available to any member of the public at either an hourly ($5/hour) or yearly rate (begins at $45-100/year, sliding scale).
Orientation
The IPRC holds two Orientations a month: second Thursdays from 7-8 pm and third Saturdays from 3-4pm at the Center, 917 SW Oak #218. Prospective users and general public who are interested in the Publishing Center are welcome to attend.

Workshops
The IPRC offers educational workshops on a variety of subjects related to publishing. The workshops are designed to give participants technical information and hands-on experience which they can they apply to their individual projects.

Topics Include:
Bookbinding (Basic and Advanced)
Design & Publishing Software (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop)
Comic, Zine, Chapbook and Web publishing
Copyright Law, Editing & Revision, and Distribution & Promotion Seminars
Letterpress Printing, Printmaking Basics, and Gocco Printing

STUFF: Butterfly Needles

The butterfly needle is the most versatile of medical-use needles. Creepily resembling a mosquito, they are constructed for flexible use for numerous types of injections and infusions. Their metal needle allows for stable vein or artery puncture, yet their rubber tubing allows the user to set the syringe down.

Having been a part of my life as far back as I can remember, I've often toyed around with butterfly needles. I've constructed many a form everything from little needlemen to abstract patterns. Usually, I'd create little module-like things by inserting the end of the metal needle to the plastic receptacle at the other end, or inserting the needle into any part of the plastic tubing.

I realize this might sound like a horrific material to handle to most, but I've been so desensitized to needles to the point where handling them freely invokes no sense of dread or discomfort. Not everybody has the easiest access to these, either. However, I have a 60 oz plastic container full of used butterflies (I should probably take it to OHSU and dispose of it properly at some point). Maybe one day I'll make some sort of statement about my life with needles, with actual needles.

P.S. I am not a heroin addict, I have Hemophilia B.

Instant Papier Mache

for those who are looking for another kind of papier mache there is Celluclay. Its a moldable medium made up of finely shredded paper and some sort of binding agent. All you have to do is add water.

Object Returning

I returned home quietly on wed night while my friend was reading and she didn't notice that. Then I poked her, surprisingly I gave the wire basket in front of her face. Wow! She shouted and laughed out loud ... "What the heck is that? Amazing! ... It's for me right, please say yes." She thanked me so much after receiving it. Then I explained to her that it was supposed to be her lost jar, unfortunately it turned out liked that. But she was OK with it and totally loved it, I believed. Later on, she and I together made abundance of origami and put them in the wire basket. Finally, we had a really fun night playing with the basket ^_^

Extra Credit Option #2: Monday Night Lecture Series

The amazing (and nationally acclaimed) PSU Monday Night Lecture Series happens (almost) every Monday night throughout the school year.  Lectures start at 7:30 pm, they are often really packed, so try to get there early!  They are at Shattuck Hall (right across from Neuberger) in Room 212.

For extra credit, attend a lecture and write a 1 - 2 paragraph summary or report on the artist who spoke.  Include images of their work if you want to.  I've pinned-up a few of these lecture posters in our classroom so you can get-up and see the details, otherwise click the poster image to enlarge it!

All extra credit assignments must be completed and posted to the blog by Wednesday, March 10, but get it done early!

Extra Credit Option #1: Tin Foil Sculpture Report

Go to 'Montage' the restaurant 

(http://www.montageportland.com/)
and have the 'resident tin foil artist' wrap your leftovers.  While he does this, try to glean some information about him.  How did he come to start making sculptural tin-foil doggy bags?  Does he make other sculptural work?  Is tin foil his preferred medium?  What was the best tin foil sculpture he ever made?

Post your findings, including a picture of your tin foil leftovers, here (to the blog).

Last day to submit extra credit assignments is Wednesday, March 10, but do it early!!!

The Lost Shoe. By Katie Scoville

When I came home from school on Monday, I arrived as usual to my house before my husband did. I placed the shoes by the door like I did in class and when he walked in he was quite confused. He knew I had been working on a project but he was under the impression I was working on the earrings idea. He laughed pretty hard and we talked about how I planned it out, when I had been working on it and how I kept it a secret. I'm happy I didn't spoil the surprise, I tend to do that. I really enjoyed this project. Not only did I enjoy the materials used, but I also really enjoyed the social aspect, talking to people about lost items and returning the item at the end. Here is a picture of the shoes by my door before my husband walked in.

Return of the Scarf

I "returned" my neighbor Jen's long lost cashmere scarf this evening. I called first and told here that I found something of hers. I think she thought I meant some misplaced mail or something along those lines. I folded up the scarf and put it in a bag with tissue paper, so it would be more of a surprise. Jen remembered the interview as soon as I handed her the bag, and was happy to see the wire scarf replacement.

She knew the project dealt with her lost item, but had no idea I was going to recreate it out of wire and return it to her. Jen seemed very excited about her replacement scarf, and I think she might even display it in her apartment. All in all it was a fun experience.

Cheers,

Mike