All Work and No Play

I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. While I enjoyed the week off of school for Spring Break, I'm dying for something more substantial-a real vacation or maybe just some days off where I don't actually have any obligations or errands to tend to. I spent most of my break playing catch up on things for class and working at the Morgan. I indulged in a little reading for pleasure, a rarity these days, as I'm usually stuck with my nose in a textbook, and I even got a few workouts in, hoping that more regular exercise will give me the extra energy that I so desperately need.

Even though I got a lot done, if I'm being completely honest, I procrastinated on a few things as well, namely, my research paper for the Dada and Surrealism class I'm taking. In fact, I'm putting off working on my paper in favor of writing this blog instead. I hate writing research papers. Not because of the writing part, that part is usually pretty easy for me, but I'm terrible at the length part. I'm better at saying what I want to say in as few words as possible than I am at reaching some pre-set page limit. Anyway, the deadline for this paper is rapidly approaching and there is only a little more than a month left of the semester, which means I'm starting to really feel the pressure. I'd like to just buckle down and get some serious work done on this paper and on my pieces that will be due when I have final critique, but in order to settle in for a good long chunk of productive work, one needs free time. I don't have free time, so I'm trying to squeeze everything in during the couple of hours I might have in the morning if I get up early enough or in the evening, after I'm already mentally a physically exhausted from work, school, the apprenticeship, life in general, etc. Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Probably. Am I going to make it through? Absolutely. Because there is no other choice. I'd cry about it, but that would just take too much time. In the meantime, I'm just going to have to deal with feeling overwhelmed and fighting the growing urge to blow everything off and quit these responsibilities in favor of napping on the couch with the dog, eating chips and watching television in my pajamas.

Working With My Hands

I'm officially on Spring break, and not a moment too soon. I don't know if it's this never ending Winter or the fact that I'm over-committed and overwhelmed, but I can never seem to get enough sleep. I'm planning on catching up over break, as well as attempting to finish some projects for class. Hopefully, productivity won't get overlooked in favor of nap time.

Even though it's officially Spring according to the calendar, the snow still falls and I feel like I'll be wearing my giant down parka forever. We've had a few nice days, though. On Tuesday Ivey and I took our lunch out on the stoop at the Morgan and ate with the wonderfully warm sun shining on our faces. It's important to enjoy each nice day as it comes.

After lunch, we started planting Tororo-Aoi seeds. Tororo can be used as a formation aid in Eastern papermaking. A formation aid is necessary in order to keep the fibers suspended evenly in the vat so that uniform sheets can be pulled without having to constantly stir. We've been using PMP, a synthetic formation aid, thus far, but the Tororo seeds should eventually turn into something we can use as a natural formation aid.

Ivey and I also worked on gluing, plugging, sanding, and varnishing the papermaking frames that Tom made. All the sawdust and elbow grease made me feel very industrious. It also reminded me of my grandpa, who was an amazing, self-taught woodworker and enthusiastic gardener. I feel like I'm following in his footsteps, and I'm learning how much I really love working with my hands. There's something wholly satisfying about putting your hands in the dirt or making something that serves a purpose. It makes one feel self-sufficient and able, something I think I lost along the way while working at a desk all the time, staring at a computer. I love every bit of working at the Morgan because I'm always learning something new and I'm using both my brains and body. I can feel myself growing stronger from lifting buckets full of water and loading the hydraulic presses with heavy wooden boards. My body feels functional in a way that it hasn't since I had back surgery two years ago. Sitting all day at a desk like I do for my regular job makes my lower back ache. Physical labor makes me feel competent, empowered, and healthy. I even have a smile on my face while I'm scrubbing out vats and cleaning the pots we cook fiber in. Honestly, I could do this kind of work all day, every day and never tire of it.

Student Annual

 I am pleased to say that a piece I made was accepted into this year's student annual exhibition. The opening was last Thursday evening, so I drove out to Kent just to see it. I have to say, I was both impressed and humbled by the pieces I saw in the show. The work of my fellow students is absolutely amazing and I'm honored to be studying amongst such talent. Best in show went to my studio mate, Liz Debellis, and I couldn't be happier for her. Her weavings are gorgeous and it was so nice to see her work in the gallery. I get so used to seeing everyone's work hanging in the studio for critique, that it's kind of shocking to see it in another environment. It gives new life to the piece. I wish I could say the same for my piece. Seeing it in the gallery made it look so small and insignificant. It made me realize that I have a lot of work to do in order to keep up with my peers. While I don't like feeling badly about my work, I do appreciate the renewed sense of drive and dedication that comes from seeing what others around me are making. Besides, I don't have time to mope. I'm too busy trying to improve my work and giving it my all. The show will be up until the 20th of this month, so if you find yourself in the Kent area, stop by the School of Art Gallery and see all the wonderful work on display.

Friday morning, I headed to school early because we had a vising artist coming for a lecture, as well as generously giving us individual critiques. The artist is Andrea Donnelly, from Richmond, Virginia. She's an incredibly gifted weaver and such a nice person. She had a lot of great things to say about my work, as well as giving me some really spot on insight about it. After her lecture, all the textile students had a potluck for Andrea back at the studio, where we stuffed our faces and asked Andrea all kinds of questions about what it's like to be a working, professional artist. It was a really valuable experience and a great way to end a busy, stressful school week.

Letterpress

I can't believe I've been at my Eastern Papermaking apprenticeship for a full month now. The time is flying by and each day brings something new. Aimee has been an incredibly helpful and patient mentor and my papermaking skills are getting better all the time. Even from one day to the next, I can see myself improving. And by this point, I've scraped so much fiber that I'm pretty much an expert.

This Thursday morning, Ivey (my apprenticeship counterpart) and I got to come in before our shifts started so that Mason (studio assistant extraordinaire) could give us an orientation on the letterpress studio. While there was obviously a lot to cover, and printmaking has a whole vocabulary of its own, Mason was a good teacher and offered to help us with our projects when we're ready to actually print something. I just hope I can come up with an idea that's worthy of all the time and effort it takes to make a good print. Certainly, I'd like to start making books again soon, and the letterpress would be a great tool to actually make a printed book instead of just the blank books I've made in the past. Last summer I took a woodcut class at the Morgan with artist Andrij Maday, so I'll have to put my woodcut skills to use in order to make something to use on the press. That's probably more of a summer project, though, as I'm already over-committed with my current classes and projects.

Anyway, I think the most fun part of the letterpress orientation was getting to go through all the drawers of old wooden letters, etched illustrations, and stamps. This could definitely be the start of a whole new obsession for me.