Yesterday was a stressful day. I'm pretty sure I drove my colleagues crazy with my popping stars, but the day ended on a much better note *literally*! Once a month I volunteer at a nursing home and sing/laugh/forget-the-words-to-their-songs-making-them-mad-but-still-having-fun to the elderly. It's a really awesome project, but sometimes it can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to learning all the hits from the 1920's, 30's, 40's, and on. Well, last night I had help and it was great! We traded off on the guitar and song leading, and I was able to lead the residents in dancing with the egg shakers. "Left, right, up, down" all to the tune of Sidewalks of New York. Needless to say, volunteering lifted my spirits.On my way home, I skipped and danced through the snow...
Left little reminders of love... (i gave every car on 96 street a heart!)
Considered sitting in this lovely throne...
But decided I'd rather snuggle with the kitty..
We stayed in and watched the snow globe...
**On my morning commute, I thanked the guy that made a path..
And the guy with the snow blower! (I have not seen one of these since the cornland!)
Looked at the pretty trees..
And decided to leave more reminders of love..
Happy Friday!
today has been stressfulbut i found these in my purse..and am feeling better. :)
Lately, I have had lots of thoughts running through my mind.Needless to say, it brings up a bit of stress.Or maybe I just wish we had nicer weather..Whenever I feel "stressed, annoyed, bla, insert-your-word-here" I find that doing stuff with my fingers helps me relax.A few weeks ago, one of my colleagues gave me an air pack. It has been sitting on my desk for the perfect moment..ready to be popped.
I am waiting for the perfect moment to pop this, but until then I thought it would be fun to pop some other things.So I've been cutting out shapes of bubble wrap for my popping pleasure and giving them to friends.
Take that gray day!I'll pop you away!
Ahh, feeling better already!
Ahh Monday. I am exhausted. I think we walked 100 blocks, literally.This weekend, our adventures started in Central Park..We did a lot of walking and a lot of talking.In catching up, we realized that we've come a long way since the days of chasing cats, sneaking into old "haunted" houses, and climbing mulberry trees.But, some things never change, like our adventurous spirits and love of looking at pretty things.Like sparkly chandeliers..
Which I will totally own one of these someday!As children, we used to believe in magic..and we still do.
I think strangers were a little scared..
In reality, we were just playing with trash.
We connected with my Asian roots..
But I'm still a little confused.. Germasian?
Since my family is always changing, it's important to take family portraits.
The rest of the night was a little blurry...but I believe we did dancing.
The morning after, I found my earrings on my fan.
AJ got me some coffee..and Lavi gave me kisses.
We sat on the fire escape and saw pretty shadows.
We were both too tired to walk around, so we did lots of sitting.
Enjoyed an interesting dance show...
and found some love in Times Square.
Sadly, this morning he had to leave.
We had a wonderful time and it was just so nice to catch up. I am really lucky to have such a special friend! Life is so chaotic, but I think that at the end of the day, all you really need is love. (hooray Beatles!)If my life were a painting, it would be very bright. Full of color, and full of life. One of the reasons I love painting is because adding that extra tint of yellow or pink can really make something breathe. Imagine a dull flower and adding a highlight to it. All of a sudden it has life. The people that come in and out of our lives are constantly bring new breath to us.Haven't you ever met a person that is like a breath of fresh air?I have, lots of them.And I seriously hope that those I've met will be there for the next chapter of my life.But it's good to know, that I'll always have someone there to catch me.
xoxoxox
us
My childhood best friend, AJ, is visiting me for the weekend.high school prom..Well, we've had an adventure like the Oregon trail...To start, he was supposed to be here at 3:35 pm and I was going to get leave work early, sadly his flight was canceled forcing him to wait for 9 hours. During his 9 hour wait period, he hopped from gate to gate trying to get a standby flight until a nice lady told him he had no chance.
You'd think that with having 9 hours to figure out how to pick him up in the zipcar, I'd have planned a route. Actually, I live quite close to LGA, but managed to get lost. In fact, I saw both Yankee Stadium AND the new Citi field. You can view the map above: the green shows you how simple it would have been to get there. I did the pink. It was ridiculous.
We finally got together after 9 hours and had some drinks..maybe too many..and some morning bagels..took a walk in central park..saw some people sledding...and...
(from aj's point of view) -
"kim got into sled, asked girl as she was sitting in sled, if she could use the sled"
(from my point of view) -
asked lovingly if i could take the sled for a spin..they let me..i'm not a good sledder...
we made some new friends..have had lots of smiles...and now we are off to see the rest of the city!
this weekend was fun.**had some fun with the color green.
saw some pretty light..
ate some blood oranges..
walked into the chinese new year.
saw the girlies...but got a little too tipsy..
and i lost my phone!
i bought another..:( but, i have 30 days to return it, so hopefully some miracle happens and my other is returned.**i was in a foul mood for awhile, but i made a mess and it cheered me up.
and of course, lavi helped.
last night we decided to have a snowball fight.we met at the park by the rink. (sheeps meadow was closed)
i wanted to make a snow angel, but the snow was too hard! oh well.
so we started preparing for the fight..to start, you have to have your arsenal..and a little bit of booze helps keep you warm.
and kristen made a new hat..then the fight began...
look at the mess we made!
we were leaving the park when we found this awesome fort! which anthony thought would be a good idea to play in..shirtless. he reminds me of gaston.
The sketchbook project tour has begun!
Books were meant to be touched. The exhibitions will be treated "library-style", complete with library cards for each visitor who can check books out and view them while in the galleries. There are no frames hanging on a wall. This is a purely tactile experience.
**My sketchbook is a little different. It is pretty, sweet, ugly, awful, human, pure emotion, and the rawest piece of art I have ever done.
It is 100% complete honest.
I don't expect anyone to read the whole thing, but if they did, they would see what exactly what I felt in overcoming a broken heart.
Anytime I felt anything; I wrote, sketched, drew, scribbled, tore paper. I used my art to help me get through the worst of it. It honestly helped. I realized this when I wasn't writing in it every five seconds. I think I took a break on day 14. That was when it started to get better.
I don't have a copy of the book, but I do have some photos. I planned on scanning the whole book, but never did. I wasn't even sure that I would send it. But on the last day of the second extension, I sent it. I am a different person than when I wrote the book. I even start the book with that disclaimer. Who knows if anyone will even pick it up?
That said, the schedule of the book's tour is above.
Cheers to emotion and using art to release!
I love my new camera.
I love taking pictures, but it's better when it's nice outside!
Last night Johanna and I thought it would a good idea to run around the city and shoot some pictures.
NOT.
I think we got about two blocks away from her apartment before she said, "My feet are freezing and wet. I'm not sure this was a good idea."
I almost died laughing, since I was a bit skeptical of the idea earlier in the day. Needless to say, we basically walked around the block--at least it was in good company! :)
Here is one picture I managed to take in the snow. Not the greatest, but I'm learning! :)
I also took some photos at home. I was doing some research and learned this cool technique which changes the shapes of the bokeh (photo blur).
I wish my apartment would always be lined with hearts!
Or that they'd be reflecting in my wine!
Luckily, I have Lavi to remind me that she loves me!
I am in a NYC snow globe! :) It's hard to believe how much it is snowing here, but being from the cornland I don't mind.
Strangers-- "Oh this is the worst snow ever!"
My thoughts-- "Snow..psh..this is nothing!" :)
**I did something stupid/exciting/smart/foolish/but-oh-i-don't-care-i-am-so-happy-i-know-i-won't-regret-this-and-i'm-in-a-better-financial-place-anyway last night.
I bought a camera! I was recently inspired by this awesome local artist to get back into photography (well, learning it!). I really love how bright her work is and the fact that she is bringing smiles to random strangers in this city!I was headed to work the other day when I came across these and I couldn't help but smile.
Thank you stranger, for writing these words and reminding me that love and peace are still around.
**Lately I am just so excited about making art and just creating. I love, love, looove color and applying it to canvas, journals, scraps of paper, etc. but I also love finding little treasures that are all around me and New York is full of them! I really enjoy sharing what I find with people (hence lots of picture messages), which is why I'm getting back into photography (well trying!). As much as I enjoy my film camera, it can be harder to capture these moments...and you can end up with lots of undeveloped film.
I have a whole box of rolls at home and I have absolutely no idea what is on them! Maybe one day I will find out. :) Until then, I'm excited to play with my new camera and share how I really see the world.
hayden and i had a great work day. i painted, he wrote, we exchanged ideas, and grooved to florence and the machine. i am feeling super excited about art! i have some new ideas floating around my head, i just need an entire month of weekends to do them!
process and flow-this piece has taken me a few months. it started off as something completely different, but after leaving it on my wall for 5 months (literally), i finally figured what i wanted to do with it. i think one day i woke up saw something new and/or different and i've been working on it every chance i can since then.
this is usually how i work with my paintings. i start something because i feel like doing art, but i realize it's not quite good enough. so i put it on my wall and stare at it until i figure it out.in other cases (the new pieces in my head) i will sketch it out until i have the layout, and go from there. (the prom dress piece was also very planned)sometimes (rare cases), i can just paint what i'm feeling/thinking/realizing about a person/moment and after a bit, i can step back and the piece is done. there was one time, i did a piece in a few hours and it's been one of my favorites ever since. my friend asked me to do a piece for her family as a moving present for their new house. they had gone through some difficult times which i could relate to, and the piece just came naturally. to this day, the family still loves it!so here are some pictures of this piece and it's transition. it's not quite finished, but it's almost there. i was just excited about it and had to share!
Last night we introduced the project to the students and they loved it! It was well received by the volunteers and the students! I'm really excited to see how the final piece will look. It will be much different from the original.
The students have asked that I create individual murals for them all to take home. They loved the fact that it was already painted out and that they could just add elements on top. We will also be stringing beads to wire, which I will add once the mural is stitched together. These will be used for the bridge.
//
full mural - stayed up til 4 finishing this!and cutting it...oh man, i hope this works..price said to "smile"-- i said i was gross..me and one of the best team leaders!
okay, good thing we numbered the back...
times square and sheeps meadow, with buttons
zoo and buildings
bridge and boat
playground with sandbox
coney island!
//
I love the creativity the students have!
Here's the latest on the Visions Mural!
My original plan changed a bit. I actually decided to paint out the entire mural on the canvas and outline everything in puffy paint. This way, it's easier for the volunteers to help the students with adding the colored tactile material on top.
I was up until 4:00 painting this out, in my shoebox room (under the quilt is a full size piano, and my bed is rolled up against my clothing rack). The cat helped, you can't see it, but there are paw prints everywhere! I'll take some better pics soon.
The plan *modified*-
Paint the mural out on canvas with color and puffy paint
Cut up sketched mural into squares (this will be a large mural, probably 3 x 5 feet)
Number the squares, so we know how to piece it together again
Give each student individual squares with guidelines on colors to paint
Students can add tactile objects on top with the same colors (beads, ceramic pieces, fabric, sand, etc)
When the mural is completed, I will sew it together
Final mural will be sewn onto a bar so it can be easily hung
They get to see the piece tonight! hopefully they like it!
I am lucky enough to do some awesome volunteer projects. For those in New York, NY Cares is one of the best volunteer organizations! You can practically do anything you want--from walking dogs to knitting for homeless. I am currently actively involved with three projects:
1. Monthly music with elderly
2. Weekly art with blind
3. *coming soon* monthly recycled art/environmental education with kids! which I'll be team leading!
Friends, if you're interested in any of these projects let me know! Sorry for the shameless plug, but I love getting people involved!
**In any case, I really enjoy doing the art class with the blind. The class meets weekly and students get to work on projects. While they may not be able to "see" they still enjoy working on art. :)
Class favorites include:
Trivets - ceramic tiles placed inside gray goo that hardens into a nice square
Wooden Boxes -painted baskets which can be decorated with anything
Leather impression things - a really loud project in which the students take a hammer and stamp and smash the stamp to make impressions into the leather. did i mention this is a really LOUD project? bad if you have a headache!
Place mats - sewing, gluing, painting onto fabric to make a place setting. or a small hanging piece.
When the team leaders found out I did murals for NY Cares Day, they asked me if I could help design a tactile mural for Visions. So this spring semester the class will continue with the craft projects, but we'll also be working on this fine art piece.
Inspiration- Last semester I worked on a lovely place mat with one of the students and made it as tactile as possible. She wanted a scene with a tree and fruit. We went through and picked out fabric for the background of the scene, the birds, and the fruit. The whole class loved the piece and they were able to feel and imagine each different element of the piece. This was a bit of inspiration for the larger mural we'll do this semester.
New York Tactile Mural- We asked the students what they would like to have as a mural and they asked for elements of New York. Here is an unfinished painting of the mural design, but keep in mind it will be tactile. I'm also going to add in some animals and the students will have creative control of adding in any elements they wish to.
The plan-
Sketch the mural out on canvas with puffy paint
Cut up sketched mural into squares (this will be a large mural, probably 3 x 5 feet)
Number the squares, so we know how to piece it together again
Give each student individual squares with guidelines on colors to paint
Students can fill in the colors with various tactile objects. (beads, ceramic pieces, fabric, sand, etc)
When the mural is completed, I will sew it together
Final mural will be sewn onto a bar so it can be easily hung
We start tomorrow, and I'm really excited! I've never done something like this, so I look forward to seeing the finished piece. I'm also happy with the design and think that the students will like the challenge. It's my typical "scene" with trees and a cityscape, but I've tried to "enhance" it. I tried incorporating things inside overall elements. I plan on finishing the sketch tonight and will add it. I'll also try to post pictures as we work on the mural and I'll also add the finished piece!
My friend sent this open call for artists, and I got in! Now, I just have to recreate the piece!
Hooray!
Attend the event!
turkey day with ht and kk =turkey pot pie + dried cranberries + movies + silliness = fun.**i am okay with this year's holiday season. :)
*source* (lovely photos here!)
it's been 11 years
today
i'm alright
it's been 11 years
so hard to believe
be----lieve........live
life just keeps on going
it doesn't stop
even when it ends abruptly for others
11 years today
i was planning a balloon release or something
i wanted to mark the occasion
and even more that i understand
i get it now
i'm who i am because of her
i'm who i am because i've been alone
i understand my fears
i've been able to face them
fall is the hardest for me
it always hits me out of .. ... ...nowhere
but this fall, i'm alright
despite all the change
some moments are reeling, turbulent..some moments are vivid, full of beauty...
i've
found
the
middle
1am
a1:r1gh1
***even today
11:11
11:11
make a wish
It was an awesome weekend, full of painting!
A few weeks ago, I signed up to be a mural artist for NY Cares. I went to the school and was asked to do a huge list of things...
Mural paintings and re painting on throughout the halls of school and stairwell (done in panels)
Mural paintings in the cafeteria
Mural painting and re painting in Main Office
Mural painting in Computer Room
Mural paintings on Doors of 2nd Floor
Mural re painting of exterior of exterior school walls
Painting of Line games numbering at least 3 (Scully, Hopscotch and Shuffleboard)
Painting of Walk path in playground and painting of educational quotes
Re painting of Playground and re painting of Murals in playground
Oh, and Friday, I got another request to paint 4 more panels.
Friday night I realized I had bit off a little more than I could chew....thankfully, Julian helped me come up with 4 more designs for the panels.
Saturday came and was gone as fast as it started.
The school started off very institutional with lots of blue and safety green.
But by the time 3:00 rolled around, that school had a makeover better than trading spaces.
We left the school bright and beautiful, and full of Kim colors and swirls. :) and butterflies.
