Salt Lake Gallery Stroll

Friday afternoon a group of art students from Snow, myself included, headed up to Salt Lake with some of our professors to attend Salt Lake's monthly Gallery Stroll. We visited three or four galleries in the short three hours we had, including Hope Gallery and Phillips Gallery. I got to see art from tons of artists. Some of the art I really liked was by Scott Roach, Edward Bateman, and Tyson Monson. I'd risk copyright infringement by putting up images of their work, but I strongly encourage you to take a look at their sites and see their work.

I can, however, put up pictures from the ride home, wherein we started some crazy shenanigans for the sake of sluffing off boredom. Like stopping in the highway and making snow angels at random spots. Or visiting a tomb in a little town along the way. I'm still not sure why Scott, my oil painting teacher, isn't a stand-up comedian, at least as a side job...

I hate it when that happens...

So here I was trying to delete one of my two blogs...the one that I wasn't doing anything with. Well, I wasn't paying attention and I deleted the wrong blog! And of course they don't have an undelete feature for people like me...

...Oh well. Two months of my life gone. Okay, not really. Life goes on.

Blender

Lately I've been working in 3D modeling and rendering using Blender, making different things and experimenting with different ideas. You can see a couple things I've thrown together in a day's free time each, both of which could use some refinement but are already well on their way to being solid pieces of artwork.

A little over a week ago I submitted a proposal for a gallery show at the school's gallery to display several pieces made this way. Each week the gallery has a new student show in their AltSpace, and I wanted to get my own work into one of those shows. Although I had just missed out on the slots available this semester, I was accepted for the first show of the fall semester.In many ways that's better than having it as one of the last shows this semester because it'll give me all summer to work on pieces to put in the show, and in addition time to hone my skills on the medium.

At this point I'm really looking into digital artwork as a focus, and considering some career options that I'd previously ruled out. I have a strong sense that teaching art is where I belong. Yet as I examine the diverse fields that I could go into, and particularly the ones I think I'd enjoy most, I have to stop and consider what I'm going to be happiest doing. One of my purposes in life is to teach. But there are a variety of ways that that can apply in my life, and I am starting to consider some different options.

Being an Art Major

I want you to enjoy this week's artwork before you read too far into this. I'm on a soap box today.

It's really frustrating sometimes to be an art major, or even an art appreciator, when you're a Mormon. I recall during my previous year at Snow of a couple of other students talking to one of the professors about their figure drawing class, how they were troubled with having to see and draw nude figures. I don't blame them; I'm troubled about the exact same thing. In fact, I won't be taking that figure drawing class until I transfer to another university, most likely BYU, where the figures aren't nude.

At the end of that same year there was a student art show with works made by a large chunk of the art students (and even a couple non-art-majors). I had a sculpture in that show. I had a very disconcerting experience, however, when I saw a drawing of a classmate. I had heard her mention working as one of the models for the figure class, but it was still very much a shock to see a nude drawing of her.

The art world at large, at least in the United States, doesn't seem to find anything wrong with nudity. In fact, I've heard the oft-repeated claim that the human figure is beautiful and therefore should be shown so freely. I, on the other hand, find the prolific exposure of the human body to be offensive. I understand and appreciate the value of studying the human figure to learn how best to render it, but seeing so many finished products tells me that's not what's going on. Also telltale is the proportion of female to male nudes. As I was researching artists online, I found an inordinate amount of nude figures among the artwork I was browsing.With rare exceptions, they were all female. After an hour of searching for what I felt was good artwork I gave up, frustrated and feeling sick inside. It felt like I had browsed through an adult video store.

It's frustrating that I can't just change the world in one day. What I can do, though, is to be one who adds to the good name of art today. I can set an example of what art is at its best, maybe not in quality, but in value.

First Week of Classes

I am almost through my first week of classes, just back from Drawing II. This is my first drawing of the semester,and my second art assignment. We drew some driftwood pieces, focusing on line quality. Our tools were Sharpie markers, powdered graphite, and kneadable erasers.

This week classes have gotten out early in most cases, which has facilitated running around campus making sure everything is in order - making sure my scholarship really does cover the $190 student fees, for example.

On a side note, although I was not initially pleased that meal cards were mandatory for cooking apartment residents (like yours truly), I am glad to say that the facilities have improved noticeably since my last year at Snow. They have an all-you-can eat buffet laid out most evenings, which for a starving college student is a boon.

In my Institute class today, I also found out that one of my classmates is going to be baptized this Saturday. I always find good things going on, and it amazes me and reminds me that this world isn't all the pits.

Crazy Christmas at the Klinglers'

Christmas at the Klinglers' house this past week has been crazy but good. The whole family was in Utah, with a couple exceptions, for a family reunion. My father wasn't able to leave Oregon because he got stuck in one of the area's worst snowstorms ever, so Michelle and Peter brought their computer with webcam and we had a video call with him Christmas night.

I spent much of the week over at Mike and Megan's house, sleeping on their couch, helping with the kids and cleaning, and enjoying time with my family. Megan and Mike indicated that in many ways having me around was like having less extra people around because I helped them out so much.

When it came time to open Christmas presents, I was momentarily disappointed when I only received one package, but then I remembered
a) All the clothes given to and bought for me since I've arrived home,
b) The fact that my education is pretty much payed for for this next semester, and
c) The greatest (visible) gift this Christmas was being able to see almost all of my family and visit with them, whom I haven't seen for between two and five years.

The Lord has greatly blessed me this Christmas season.

Registering For Classes

When I was preparing to return home from my mission, I fully expected that I would have to work and save up for quite a while to be able to go back to school. Now, a week after flying home, I find myself registering for classes at Snow College. My brother-in-law, Peter, told me that I wouldn't have to worry for now about the financial part of my education, and he's been working to get everything arranged. So I'm already registering for classes, which start January 6th.

Having an education sufficient to support a family is one of the most important things for a young adult to have. I am ever blessed by a loving family (and probably friends...but I don't know who all is taking part) willing to make sacrifices for my benefit.