Art in Progress

...for those curious about my free time artwork...here are two shots of my work in progress. I'm back to cutting glass...my meditation with sharp objects and repetitive motions. And words from a scrap of paper that I have been carting around to my various apartments in a cigar box full of other scraps of paper for the last seven years. I think I scribbled this one down seven or eight years ago. I'm not sure if I actually dreamed this or read it somewhere and liked it. If I'm plagiarizing someone by all means, let me know! I'll postscript it! See you in the studio soon! B






cut glass on glass

The Party

Hey all. I promised a little visual aid to the party we had a while back and here they are. The first players on the scene are (from left to right)


Mario, Theo, Naomi, and Olga. Somehow, and I don't know how, upbeat music with a shake and shimmy rolled out of the speakers and this is what happened. Mario started the shenanigans with Theo....

Then moved onto Olga...

and Naomi...






...who felt super clean afterwards.



But over on the couch the boys had their own idea of fun. Comparing muscles...














That's my boy on the left. And yes, Theo has some big guns...but I'll take my baby's biking arms any day.

What do you think Mario? Who's guns do you prefer?



Bring it home girls...


And THAT'S how it's done at 93 Underhill. B

Post school

Hi ho! It's your long lost friend Brittan back on the blogging duties. I know you may be wondering what I have been doing since I got back from Harvard and it falls into many categories. First and foremost, I relaxed. I took two weeks and had a summer. And man, did I enjoy it. Franklin and I settled into a real apartment (with a real bed, kitchen and even a bathroom that didn't require a key and a walk down a flight of stairs) and we took advantage of the weather and all that Brooklyn/NY has to offer. Do you want to know about the Red Hook swimming pool? We can tell you. Do you need information about the Circle Line cruises? We've got the 411. Are you debating which summer releases to go see? We'll offer our recommendations. And let me point something out in those last sentences. "We, We've, We'll". Yes, Franklin and I are "going steady" and cohabitating in NY. A month after our return from Boston his bags no longer reside on my living room and/or bedroom floor. Look in the second drawer of my dresser and you will see boy things. Slide back the medicine cabinet door and you will see his mouthwash and shaving cream rubbing shoulders with my deodorant and hair products. And while this is not his permanent residence (he lives in Orlando folks...I know...we'll talk about that one another time) he has a space with me between gigs and visits to Orlando.

On other fronts, I believe last I wrote I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my new found skills in clay modeling and section drawing. As of right now I am not planning to go back to school for Landscape Architecture. I came to the decision for some practical reasons (after three expensive school years I would be in debt beyond my means...assuming a starting salary of 40K a year once I got out) and some not so practical reasons (I really love making things but what I love making the most is art). I am opting to find a different route. I don't know what it is yet but find a route I shall. Because while I am very lucky to freelance in my industry...well, real fulfillment lies elsewhere for me. And I plan to unearth the sleeping fish and make it swim. Look for water to be a prominent theme in the search. Fountains anyone? In the meantime, I am back to art making (pictures to follow soon) and considering other job options to tide me over till the jump is made. I'll let you know what pops up.

There is much more to tell but I'll be back for the rest. If for no other reason than to post photos of an impromptu party that swept through my apartment a couple of weeks ago. Mario, beware the photos I upload! Till then...peace. Brittan

The end....sniff, sniff....

Hi y'all! So guess where I am?! Brooklyn, baby! And man, am I happy to be back. Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't trade my Harvard experience for anything (well, 50K a year for the rest of my life for free....maybe) but it's time had come to an end. Naturally. And really, with a dorm room that looked like this by the time I left....






...can you blame me?









I didn't think so.

Many of you have asked how my final crit went. Well, it was a good crit...a mixed review of accurate assessment which boiled down to...they loved the hill...they yawned at the courtyard....and that was pretty much how I felt too. Who needs that courtyard. My favorite comment was "I think you let the boundaries of the building limit your thinking in the courtyard. I want to see the corten steel supporting your hillside land forms move through the building and into the courtyard. Forget the building. Break it apart." Which is pretty indicative of how the design program at Harvard approaches all challenges. Forget reality. If you can think it, do it. User needs? Fuck 'em. If the design is cool then usage is secondary. Hmmmm....I think I'll digest that one a little further.

Which brings us to the other question y'all have on the tips of your tongues. What am I going to do with all of this information I have gathered over the last six weeks? Well, for the immediate future I am going to relax in Brooklyn and bask in the joys of normalcy. No grueling schedule, no clay, no superglue, no pink panty hose. Just blue skies, yoga, pedicures, and seeing all of you again. After the dust settles a bit I'll see what I think of next steps. But watch out if I show up your house with a little corten steel.

In the meantime, I'm contemplating my next blog. I can't help myself anymore. I'm addicted to blogging. What shall I call it? Back in Brooklyn? Stay tuned.

Peace out Harvard. B

quick and dirty

like me...

Here are some photos of the latest model...now to drawing...but just so Julyne doesn't yell at me again here is the....




before























Here is the after























And here is the "plan" view....or birds eye, top down, whatever you want to call it view.



















At this sleep deprived moment it doesn't matter to me...but please note my lovely flip flop wearing, pedicure needing foot in the lower right hand corner. I think it makes the photo. I tried photographing the model the other day in a skirt and the people in the pod over whistled at the show. All in the line of duty folks. All in the line of duty. One more day to go!!! Yahoo!

B

Crunch time...

Hi all...just wanted to say a quick hello....and not much else. We have final critiques on Thursday and life is pretty much constant model making and drawing from here on out till we present at 2pm that day. Then we will all dribble out of the presentations and drink ourselves to sleep. Which won't take but a sip or two at this point because sleep is not on the agenda for most people. The big game at night is guessing who the security guard will be. Technically everyone gets kicked out at midnight but depending on the security guard and the bribe (I'm not necessarily kidding, though I heard Captain Crunch sufficed for one podmate so we aren't talking rubies here) you might eek out till 1, 2, 3, even 4 am. Some of my more zealous podmates stay until the broom starts brushing their feet away from their desks. Me, I tend to hit the road by 1 am at the latest. So that I can stay till 1 am the next night. Pacing. It's all in the pacing....and right now pacing is telling me to take down my model again and get to work. Today's tasks are replacing some of the plateau I cut away last night and inserting my broom bristle (I mean Bamboo). Ah the tricks of the trade.

I'll try to post photos later. Perhaps of one of the many sleeping figures you come upon at all times of day passed out around the school. Costanza made a cubby under his desk for naps and the GSD is no different. Watch where you step.

See you all soon. B

Kenny Gems

So I couldn't let another day go by without sharing the pearls of wisdom I received from Kenny today. And I quote, "Dude, I am a bad ass! I've been up at 6 every morning until 2 every night for the last four nights! No one is working as hard as I am!" Followed that same evening with this exchange:

ME: Kenny, how did your crit go?

Kenny: (Shaking head) Maybe my schedule wasn't such a good idea after all.

And then the pieste de la resistance:

Kenny: I've been brushing my teeth like six times a day. I catch myself looking in the mirror and thinking, "Dude, you are going crazy!"

What more can I say folks. I did learn what his big issue was with the program. With all of Kenny's energy (did I mention that he likened himself to a Greek god shortly after his morning bad ass pronouncement?) he wanted to construct the final Architecture department project in addition to his own Urban Planning final project and his instructor wouldn't let him. Saying he couldn't focus as it was on the big picture of his own project let alone a second project in a field he hadn't been studying for 5 weeks. Kenny didn't think too highly of his instructors opinion. Now he is obsessively brushing his teeth and watching himself in the mirror. You do the math.

That's it folks. I'm off to bed after my own marathon day in the studio. I will post a new photo of the "mound" I am creating tomorrow. For now, sleep well. Talk soon. B