Experimental Painting

I had to make a music video for my media production class. When I first learned this, I was shocked. I'm a grown a** person, and I have to make an amateur music video? Well, it wasn't so bad. I actually enjoyed it, and I got to do something I don't think I would have done otherwise.

I'll try to upload the full edited video after I transfer it to a flash drive. I did this crazy mess that was even messier than I imagined to the music of an obscure artist I really enjoy. Findlay hasn't been out too long, but it is definitely a part of the alternative, non-commercial music scene.

I wasn't sure what to expect result-wise with the painting. I did a lot of flicking and throwing of paint. It ran down the poster board in globs. I actually really like it though! I know why people love contemporary work now. It's fun. I also feel like I could do a much better job with something a bit more planned out. This was absolutely an experiment. I have better expectations now. Also, I think I could do something better without having to worry about filming myself.

Not too terrible in my opinion! I used so much paint that the paper feels like it has a thick plastic film on it. It feels cool. I'm excited to try more contemporary things. I've been wanting my work to get looser for a while now. Maybe this is an extreme step, but something I need to learn.

Oh Christmas, You've crept up on me Once Again.

It's finals week for me. I have projects due, tests to take. Work as a hairdresser picks up full-steam this time of year. None of this, though, has prevented my holiday happy daughter from being super ready to put up the Christmas tree. Thank goodness we got it up tonight!

 

Granted, I'm not falling too behind this holiday season for all I have going on. I have a few presents bought already, which is impressive for me.

I really didn't have the time to put this tree up tonight, but it made Sophia so happy. After it was all up, she said, "the tree just gives me a happy feeling for some reason," It was definitely time well spent.

I used to love decorating for Christmas. The pressure of the holidays as an adult has taken some of the joy away. I'm so lucky I have Sophia to look towards to remember that happy holiday place.

I drove to Colorado Springs with my daughter over Thanksgiving break to visit my niece and great-nephew. It was a good nine-hour drive, but very worth it. We had an awesome Thanksgiving and got to see Colorado for the first time.

 

The minute we hit Colorado from the south I was amazed by how beautiful the landscape was. I've always seen photographs and paintings of mountain scenery, but I was never particularly impressed or amazed by them. Now I know why! A photograph does not do any justice to the raw beauty and majesty of the Colorado landscape. The magnitude of the mountains and vastness of the landscape left me in awe. The billions of years it took to create such beauty  made me reflect on how tiny each and every one of us are, yet it was invigorating at the same time. If this breath-taking landscape can be created, anything can be created. It's magic.

 



 I took a ton of pictures of the scenery! This was simply because I was trying to capture what my eyes were seeing, but none of the pictures captured it. This solidifies my belief in painting, because a camera will never see things like our eyes see them. A painting can also capture the emotions involved in an image with different brushstrokes, colors, and exaggerations. A photograph can't do that, and I think this is also the reason why I don't like the super realistic paintings of mountain scenery. It's devoid of feeling. As I was snapping as many pictures as I could in Colorado, Sophia said, "I have a feeling you're going to be painting this soon." Maybe Sophia, maybe I will.