SA Painting

This Saturday I helped paint the floor and chairs for Metropolitan State University of Denver's production of Spring Awakening. The main stage is a giant tree stump. We added grain lines/tree rings with cut up paint brushes:

Then I painted on thinned down brown paint onto Ikea chairs and wiped off the excess:

Between waiting for paint to dry and waking around in circles, I spent 5 hours in the theatre this time.

Bring on the Demon!

I am in charge of Costume Crafts for Metropolitan State University of Denver's production of She Kills Monsters. What this mean in practice is that I am assistant designing the outfit for Orcus and constructing most of the pieces. We are going for a 90's metal look. I convinced the designer, Nichole Harrison, that I can make a sleeveless chainmail shirt. We also decided on thermoplastic, spiked paldrons, spiked boots, a codpiece, and possibly spiked bracers. Here are some of my sketches:

 

 

 Nichole likes a chainmail shirt that covers the belly, and especially the butt. And she likes the "V" look down front. We are still figuring out how the belt will go over or connect to the shirt. We have some time set aside to experiment with Warbla and other thermoplastics this coming Wednesday. Looking at my basic paldrons I drew, I want to add details or "carvings" to them. Maybe even adjust the silhouette. I'm excited to mold fingers, talons, and bones for his necklace! The horns will be attached to a leather mask constructed by Klara Wilson.

More to come soon!

 

In between rain showers this got to happen: In Denver this weekend was the Larimer Arts Association’s Annual La Piazza Chalk Art Festival.
Their website offers:
The event follows street painting traditions that originated in 16th century Renaissance Italy when artists began transforming asphalt into canvas using chalk. The artists were called “madonnari,” after their customary practice of recreating chalk paintings of the Madonna. Historically, madonnari were known for their life of travel and freedom, making their living from coins received from passers-by.
La Piazza, Larimer Square’s Italian street-painting festival, is a two day-street closing-pavement painting-event on Larimer Square. More than 200 artists come down to turn the streets of Larimer Square into a museum of chalk art. Artists, sponsors and spectators find it difficult to describe in words the splendid experience that La Piazza creates.Some very exceptional original and reproduced artworks chalked out on the asphalt. (Only to be washed away that night by rain.) Towns need more festivals of all kinds.

I have found interesting

1. random true stories from This American Life on NPR. The best episodes are the funny ones (recently they've had serious talk of the economy). An old one is about the "greatest phone message" ever http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=203. Try this one Babysitting. The last story in this show, about two teenagers who ended up babysitting children who didn't exist, is one of the most popular things we've ever put on the air, and even won an international prize.

2. webfiction of a tongue-in-cheek adventure/quest of a turnip farmer's son. Art the Wanderer by Jason Janicki began on the artist's comments of the webcomic Wayfarer's Moon - good art, slow story. It's such a laugh. The first installment is at http://singleedgestudios.blogspot.com/2009/03/bold-new-plan.html.

3. modern day Alice in Wonderland movie: MirrorMask. Kind of trippy. I'm glad I saw it twice to mostly get it. I'm so inspired to draw and draw and draw and ...

Don't Blow It Off

This is me sticking my head out into the world of blogs. Don't bite or blow it off, huh?

This weekend is a new beginning. Maybe not my beginning - I celebrated the graduation of my friends who I've been missing since by break from university began. They've completed something. Watching all those robed figures process in, fling their caps, and file back out made me feel a bit left behind. But no one excluded me. I had come to congratulate and celebrate with friends and I got all smiles. Thanks for being true friends - even the new ones.