Reflections on Beauty

Painted Music: International Arts Movement Encounter in NYC

click the images to see them bigger!

A performance collaboration and panel discussion at IAM Gathering '08 at TriBeCa Performance Center. Performance by: Jerzy Sapieyevski (pianist), Mako Fujimura (painter), and Miguel Sanchez Romera (Goumet Chef, and Neulologist) Panel: Valerie Dillon, Muguel Sanchez Romera, Jerzy Sapieyevski, Mako Fujimura and Terry Teachout.

some conference doodlies

All the Blog that's Fit to Post

Through a very wonderful connection, we were able to be taken through the New York Times building on 8th Avenue. They are in a new building now, which is really cool because it's "smart" and "green". (meaning the blinds adjust to where the sun is automatically and they use solar panels). Our group of 3 illustrators, 1 writer, and 2 photographers were especially excited to be there because we are all students looking into paths to follow once we've graduated. Josh Penrod, the Lead News Designer and Sports writer took us through several floors, the cafeteria, meeting rooms and the Op-Ed floor.

Original Illustrations!!!
ohhh my goshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I almost cried.

We came across this in one of the hallways of the Times. It's a sculpture/wall piece of old blockprint letters! It was awesome to see these in person because I have been studying the history of printing at Winthrop and these were the real thing- this is how it all began! I especially loved seeing the unmistakable 'New York Times' script and the famous box that reads "All the News That's Fit to Print"

We got to hear from Brian Rea, the Art Director from the Op-Ed page. He explained the process of how illustrators were hired and the time frame that illustrations needed to be turned around by for them to be printed. He gave us his card and told us to send him some of our work!

The Op-Ed floor has nice furniture, too. We made sure.

[Cam you guess who was Photoshopped into this picture?]

Society of Illustrators

After visiting the American Girl Place, we grabbed lunch and headed over to the Society of Illustrators. There was all new work up and the new Society of Illustrators annual was out. I tried to resist peeking at the annuals because I am ordering mine through school and it really helps me to trudge through finals week if I promise myself I can look at it when everything is finished and turned in.

Okay, people. Hold on to your seats because this is not fake! Lou Romano- the voice of Linguini in Ratatouille and an amazing artist- was at the Society of Illustrators just the day before us! Some of my favorite works of his include the cover of the New Yorker and his gouache paintings of Monstropolis in the Monsters Inc. concept art collection. Lou creates a feeling of the world around the illustration- it's not just a picture, but it's almost as if you could just walk into his images and be part of them. His art is very inspiring-
If only we had been there a day earlier!

[the lower level of the Society of Illustrators]


[Next to an original John Hendrix!]


[this is one of my favorites from downstairs. By Betsy Snyder.]

Little did I know, my dreams were about to come true

Metropolitan Museum of Art

On Wednesday, we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[click that picture to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website]

Here are we. At the Met. I think I should let you know that Cameron was there too- but he was taking the picture.

We just talked about the invention of cylinder seals in my History of Graphic Design and Illustration Class. There was a photo in our book, but at the Met I got to see the real thing. Cylinder seals were some of the first steps towards the world of printmaking.

Did I mention how awesome it was to see this stuff in real life rather than a history book? Jessica and I were walking around with our jaws open- we knew the names of some of the art before we even got close enough to read the plaques.... I just couldn't believe that we were standing in front of history- that the art we have today developed because somebody create these first.

I had extra appreciation for their collections of costumes in the Costume Institute due to my Costume Shop class. We just finished constructing civil war time period correct costumes for Shiloh Rules. It took a long time, but they looked amazing- especially when there were bodies inside of them acting out lines and making the fabric move as they walked, spun, fought, and bled from war wounds.

Towards the end of the Egyptian Art section, we came into this room to find a group of students drawing from observation. I was very jealous that they used their class time by drawing historical artifacts and that I draw tricycles and plastic flamingos on a regular basis. (we do draw really obscure and unusual animal skulls though and that's fun)

I almost went up and talked to them but then I chickened out. Lame.

ROWS and rows of American paintings! Not having enough room for thousands of paintings is a good problem to have.



I believe this is the entrance to the European Sculpture section. By this time, I had realized that there was only 2 hours left to see the entire history of every art ever, so I was bolting.




Modern Art. Flashback to last semester. Amazing.

I'm goin' to Noo Yawrk!

Sometimes, on cold and beautiful Wednesday mornings, I like to wake up early and hop aboard an airplane to New York City. Haha! I'm just kidding about that. I mean, I do love to wake up early and fly to NYC, but I'm WAY too excited to just say it like I do it all the time.

This will be my second time going to NYC , the first being last June, where artists from around the country lived and made art in Manhattan, and showed the art in a gallery on the fifth and final week of the project. I've been so lucky to have these really awesome opportunities to travel and learn about art. I learned more about life and art last summer than I think I ever had in my 18 year lifetime. (hey- it's a big deal to me)

This NY trip will be a week of reunion between the city and my heart- one week doesn't seem like enough! I am completely and irreversibly in love with New York City- not because of the city itself, but because of the people, the pace, the smells, the art... the lost and the unloved. In complete honesty, I often find myself daydreaming about the city- sometimes in a way in which I put New York on a pedestal and only think about the subways or the glamor, when really the truth is that all of the good things about New York are there because God made it so- and not because the City made it so. I need to be reminded of that sometimes.


I'm flying up with 9 other people from the Charlotte are, 8 of which are artists from Winthrop University. We will be attending a conference put on by the International Arts Movement (IAM). We're heading up a day early so we can spend time touristing a bit, and then we'll delve into a world of art and questions and sketchbook(ed) lectures. Oh I'm excited.

[from journal entry 2/27/08 morning]

"Alas, we but chase feathers flying in the air, and tire our own spirits, for the froth and over-gilded clay of a dying life. One sight of what my Lord hath let me see within this short time, is worth a world of worlds."

Samuel Rutherford (1600-1664)

Shiloh Rules- Johnson Theatre

Before I left for NYC, I had the opportunity to photograph Winthrop's Theatre department performing Shiloh Rules. So, here they are!

Shiloh Rules-
In Doris Baizley’s comedy, the Civil War rages again. Meet six very different women as they gather on the eve of a re-enactment of the Battle of Shiloh. Two southern, two northern, one self-professed “re-enactment profiteer” whip up a hornet’s nest of trouble while a National Parks Ranger just tries to keep order. The play takes a humorous look at the serious subject of culture and history in the contemporary world. (Synopsis from Winthrop Theatre 2007-2008 Season Productions website.)