# 50. Breaking the Rules

Normally for the challenge you are suppose to create new artwork for each them. But hey, what better day to break the rules than your own birthday! This is a drawing I did for my final in my drawing II class my sophomore year working on my art degree. It is also my most favorite drawing I’ve ever done. The hands were drawn completely in a cross hatch style. Basically the hands are made of small lines crossing each other rather than traditional shading. 

Someone recently asked me “Why don’t do sell your artwork?” well personally the ones that I think people would actually want to buy, like this one, I feel personally attached to. There were several night that I stayed up til 4:00am meticulously working on this drawing. I guess I finally understand why some painting cost ridiculous amounts of money. When you put a lot of time and effort into something and then it comes out better than you originally thought, it's really hard to let it go.  

# 47. Creation

This is my 3D collage creation I made for my art therapy midterm. It’s awesome that I had a midterm that wasn’t actually an exam.  The assignment was to create a 3D collage about yourself. I think mine was the best in the class = ) most people just took an object and collaged magazine pictures on it.

Ingredients and Symbolism of this piece:

Books – represent the collection of my education. I was asked in class if they were specific books or just random. They are just random. They were some old books that my mom didn’t want anymore. I think one of them was a book on cats and another was a self inspiration book.

Newspaper – I wrapped the books in newspaper mainly because I didn’t like the color on the covers of the books… or the random titles. So wrapping them in newspaper made them more uniform.

Cog wheel – represents my automotive back ground. Although it was kind of funny the guy that sits next to me in Art therapy was like “What is that? Is it a saw blade?”

Playing Cards – most people don’t know this but I actually collect playing cards. I have about 100 different decks from all over the country.

# 51. Sport

This is a flier I made for my business fraternity’s golf tournament that will be hosted later this year in April.

I created the graphics using photoshop. I love that program you can really do anything if you just know how. I have to admit I photoshopped a picture of a golf ball rather than creating one from scratch. I worked on a tutorial the other day about creating a letter. It looks like someone took a picture of a stamped letter when actually it was made from scratch (beginning with a rectangle on a blank background).  From what I have seen from other photoshop artists a letter is just puppy play.

# 81. Pen and Paper

I’m still enjoying messing with collages. This one is really simple but every time I tried placing something else into it I decided it looked better before. It makes some sense though a pencil and a piece of paper can create something simple or something extremely complex.

I learned in my art therapy class that sometimes it not all about just creating something visually aesthetic, sometimes it just about the process of creating. Yesterday in class we did a calming exercise and used crayons to color mandalas while listening to James Taylor. I was one of two people who actually knew who he was. Anyway, it was actually a really nice experience. My mandala looks like something an 8 year old did, but it was really relaxing and helped bring back some piece of mind I’ve lost this week. I love my art therapy class!

# 89. Through the Fire

I received an ASQ magazine today. (American Society for Quality and yes I’m a member) They had an article in there about the bright side of failure. It talks about how failure is the best identifier for improvements.

“The natural reaction to failure is to distance yourself from it. After all, nobody wants to be associated with a project that fell short of expectations. But, as any good quality professional knows, failed projects can provide a mechanism for continuous improvement.” – Sheffery

Anyway I thought it was interesting and it helped me create my newest collage. It doesn’t nail the theme on the dot but the concept is kind of the same. The way I see it “Through the fire” is a time when you look back at a previous situation and are just glad you got through it. My artwork really just adds on to the theme with a “How can I learn from this situation?”

# 66. Change

“Ch Ch Ch Changes” Ever listen to a song and sing it over and over in your head and then one day out of curiosity look up the lyrics and realize the words you’ve sang with the song were wrong? I watched a video once about the band Fallout Boy and all the crazy interpretive lyrics people come up with it was rather funny. But anyway I found myself in that situation earlier this week and as I worked on this collage I thought to myself “well sorry Mr. David Bowie I like the lyrics I sang in my head better”…..  at least for this piece of art.

I know this piece seems to scream a political theme but it’s not really all about Obama. Or at least that’s not was I was thinking while I was creating it. The main thought that came of my mind was “Wow, things really have changed.” Politically have things changed? Or are they still in need of change? I would think a little bit of both. I’ll spare the rant.

Point redirection and back to me and my artwork!  I love collages! Personally I like looking through magazines and cutting out weird advertisements and then forcing them together with different media and just see where it takes me. I’m kind of been thinking about doing a whole series of collages. Here is the material that made this possible:

1.       Random pictures from the free BusinessWeek magazine I get in the mail. I read 

         some articles here and there but I’m glad I could finally put it to good use.

2.       Scrapbook Paper

3.       Pens and Sharpies

4.       Paint

5.       Newspaper (even the free buyers guide that shows up on my doorstep came in handy)

# 87. Food

It’s really just a rough sketch but it’s not too bad.

I was thinking today about how awesome it was as a kid to have snow days although to get almost a whole week off well that never happened to me. Yet, although I have many fond memories of snow days as a kid today I have a heavy heart. It’s sad to think that some kids aren’t as excited to have snow days and not go to school. Not that they really want to be in class but because school is the major provider if not the only provider of food for them, which leads me to the topic of my theme of the day:  Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

Here’s a few interesting fact you might not know about our regional food bank:

·         500,000 Oklahomans are at risk of hunger every day  including 1 in every 5 children in the state

·         The food bank helps feed 77,000 Oklahomans each week

·         96% of all donations go to providing food to the hungry

·         8% of donated food go to the homeless while 70% go to the working core (they are not unemployed)

·         For every $1 donated, the Regional Food Bank provides seven meals

·         The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma has more volunteers on average than any other food bank in the country! (There are 205 food banks nationally)

·         On average 1 volunteer is worth $14 an hour to the food bank

·         The slowest times of the year for volunteers is in May and August

·         Their staff force is only 75 people strong (40 of which work on distributing the food)

·         99% of all food from the food bank are delivered by trucks owned and operated by the food bank.

·         During fiscal year 2010, the Regional Food Bank distributed 36.5 million pounds of food and products to hungry Oklahomans in 53 central and western counties

Backpacks for kids Program:

One of the best parts about our food bank. The program started in 2003 when several teachers in inner city elementary school noticed a trend in certain students as being inattentive and sluggish. One boy passed out right before the lunch bell and it was confirmed as the result of having nothing to eat since his school lunch the previous Friday. Another child admitted to having nothing but a single Oscar mire wiener over the weekend. The backpack for kids program provides these students with a backpack full of needed nutritional food every Friday so that they have something to eat over the weekend. On Monday the students return the backpacks and volunteers refill them during the week to be redistributed. To insure the kids get nutritious meals the food in the back packs are bought, not donated. The program serves 305 elementary schools in 42 counties across central and western Oklahoma, providing backpacks to nearly 8,000 chronically hungry children each week during the 2009-2010 school year.

For more information you can visit the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma's website (you can even sign up to volunteer on there!) Not only were schools forced to close this week but also our Regional Food Bank which could possibly lead to some of those children not getting their food backpacks.