I had a great, albeit very quick, time in pennsylvania. I actually didn’t find out until the night before I left (and the last day of exams) that the trip was a go. Since my mind was a little bit more relaxed following the end of exams, my memories revolve more around philosophical conversation and artistic vision than anything else.

One of the most awesome things in the world is the blowing of snowflakes in the crisp winter air. It bounces, floats, and whirls in endlessly complex and unique patterns, taking the form of dry ice, smoke, fog, or steam. The texture was amazing, and made the drive through the country around state college, pa a startlingly surreal experience. I felt like a dazed traveler far from home or civilization. It’s remarkable how the simple vissage of sno colors your view of the ordinary, whether in normal activity or in how you view the objects in the world around you.

Another fascinating milestone was a conversation with dave mcgrew, an intriguing mind and fellow patron of the arts. A parallel was drawn between the idioms of line and color in art and melody and harmony in music. It was one of the most groundbreaking thoughts I’ve had the privilege of witnessing in the realm of art in some time, and hopefully will have ramifications in my future art, both digital and conventional. There are vast implications, both in installed art and the interactive realm. Thinking of the vehicles of sound and visual art moving in tandem is a surprising, and even more exciting thought.

The smoky shapes of hills shrouded by fog are some of the purest, most delicate forms in nature. The gentle, uparching contour, punctuated by a subtle fringe of trees, washed with hues that barely convey their natural coloring. The image is other-worldly, almost monotoned, with sparse nuances of blue and gray-green. I’m reminded of the subtle tonality of Sargent’s portraiture, raising from the backdrop of blacks to the warm flesh tones, in a smooth yet meaningful gradient of hue.

Beyond the 20+ hours of driving, single-digit temperatures, and personal conflict along the way, I’m blessed to have such wonderful friends, and a beautiful view of creation through it all.

and no, I haven’t seen the classic christmas movie lately. classes are finally over for the semester…I don’t think I’ve ever been as glad to see this day come than this semester. Maybe it’s the ridiculous amount of work for 13 credits of classes, or maybe it’s that I’ve been sick and had a paper and a massive project and presentation. Regardless of the answer, it’s over. And even better, I can finally get some money back for the marketing book that’s been standing in as a paperweight all semester.

more on the up side, I have some really great classes next semester I’m really excited about. I’m taking Portfolio, Fiber Arts (Isgett), and Printmaking (Whittington) in the art world, and taking US History and auditing French on the academia side of the world. I’m also taking Hermeneutics, which should be a breeze after this semester in a “preacher boy” Pentateuch class, and I’ve heard it’s really practical as well. I also have my show coming up in March or April, so something else to look forward to–I can see the deadlines coming up already.

In other news, I’m trying to get my application materials together to complete my admission stuff for SCAD. I still have my portfolio, statement of purpose, and recommendations to get together, but I’m getting there. Hopefully I’ll know for sure about my enrollment by late january.

To celebrate the holidays in a bang-up way this year, I’m (tentatively) planning a trip up to PA right after finals, so hopefully that will inspire some rest, relaxation, and creativity that’s been sorely lacking this semester. you can look forward to seeing some portfolio junk and photos on the site soon as well. hope you guys are all having a holly-jolly christmas out there…

well, a little bit of nostalgia for ya… registered for the last time at bj for classes this morning. the feeling is still a bit surreal since I’ve lived my entire life with bob jones as a stabilizing influence. I’m looking forward to being elsewhere next year, but I still have to take a deep breath from time to time and realize who really is in control, because I know I’m not.

In other news, I’ve finished one of my main projects that’s been hanging over my head all semester. It was a historical analysis of Rubens’ religious painting in the seventeenth century, exploring his affiliations with the catholic church, and the effect of the italianate and romanist painting styles and the counter reformation on his paintings. that’s probably waaayy more information than you bargained for, but I’m glad to have it overwith. All I have left project-wise this semester is my massive marketing presentation on thursday. As usual, I’ve overcommitted myself in a group setting, responsible for editing the paper (read: rewrite), design tv, print, and radio ads, and coordinate the presentation. Fortunately, I don’t have to speak, so as of noon tomorrow, it will be out of my hands. That will be a wonderful day.

In the world of grades, my life is sort of unhappy right now. I have borderline grades in Pentateuch (89.5%–ouch), Marketing, Ad. Psychology, and 17th and 18th Century Europe. Oh well, I’ll just have to study a bit more for exams than usual.

Looking beyond all of that mundane school stuff, I’ll hopefully be leaving for N. PA next thursday (yes, with everyone else in the “mass exodus”) to visit one of my good friends up there. On the way, I’ll be dropping Crystal off at the Charlotte airport. Although that day is fast approaching, it still feels very far away. After classes finish up, I’ll feel a bit better about things overall though.

Probably enough rambling, especially this time of night. As the hours wear on, I tend to get more verbose, so you really know I’m tired. If you care about the aforementioned paper, I’ll throw it on the end of this post. Just press the cute little button coming up in just a few words. (more…)

For the benefit of anyone who hasn’t seen me lately, I’ve been a bit sick since thanksgiving. I’ve been getting increasingly behind in final projects coming due this week, and generally feeling a bit out of control. To make everything a bit worse, I’m still missing class and valuable project time.

Well, God has a way of putting things in perspective at just the right time. I was listening to a random selection of music tonight, and this song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean came up. I think the words speak for themselves.

Wonderful, merciful Savior
Precious Redeemer and Friend
Who would have thought that a Lamb
Could rescue the souls of men
Could rescue the souls of men

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper
Spirit we long to embrace
You offer hope when our hearts have
Hopelessly lost the way
Oh, we hopelessly lost the way

You are the One that we praise
You are the One we adore
You give the healing and grace
Our hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for

Almighty, infinite Father
Faithfully loving Your own
Here in our weakness You find us
Falling before Your throne
Oh, we’re falling before Your throne

in conjuction with the holiday season, I thought I would dress up my blog a little bit more, leaving the slightly garish look of neon green behind (blame those silly people who write code for a living). If you’re late to the party, check out the old and nasty look at this address.

I was thoroughly inspired by my recent trip to chicago, and have been so caught up in academia and work that I forgot to make time to design. this frontend is probably the first bit of creative web design I’ve done in some time, so mark this one on your calendar, folks. I’m going to try to finish up the things that are supposed to go in the sidebars (yes, I really didn’t mean to leave them empty, although it looks sort of cool bare…), but that’s another coding project and another day. I’m planning a section for recent photography and upcoming projects, but if you’re the type that reads other people’s code (and you guys are weird and freaky people–I count myself among you), you’d already know that.