["Collage" will be added later]-
Has flowers, a scene as an "edge of the world", and a Big Yellow Taxi"

"Don't it always seem to grow..." by Alexis Rand

The lonely white flower sighed as she thought over her recently made mistakes.

She remembered the way she yelled at the yellow flower, and the way she told him to grow somewhere else. She was tired of the same flower always being near her. Everyone needs a change of scenery sometimes, right? She wished she had approached it all better. Wished she had told him that she needed to grow somewhere else, calmly.

She told him she promised to come back. Promised to stay alone and see the sights without any other flower. But she didn't keep that promise.

She became tangled up in the stems of other plants. She saw their pretty colors and thought "Wow! They would compliment my beautiful white and yellow petals and I should keep them around." But they were weeds in disguise. And soon, spending time with them made her petals all fall off, and she started to grow as a weed, too.

She saw the yellow flower from time to time while she sprouted her thick, weed-like petals. She had no clue of her transformation, and so she thought nothing bad was coming of her new friends. But the yellow flower could see right through her. And he didn't like it.

When the white flower was fully coated in thick, dark green fibers, she finally realized what had happened to her. She saw how ugly she had become. And she wanted nothing to do with her new "friends" anymore. She returned to the old patch of grass on the edge of the world, but the yellow flower was no where to be seen.

After some searching, she found her yellow friend, still as beautiful and thriving as ever. But he didn't want to be friends with a weed. He wanted his lovely white petaled friend back. He told her that it was he who didnt need her now. He now knew he was beautiful on his own, and he didn't deserve the way the white flower always yelled at him and put him down. And she began to sob.

She cried and cried and regretted ever leaving his side, here on the beautiful edge of the world. She cried so hard that she started to cry away her green blotches, and her white petals came back. She was now better than ever! She knew what she did wrong, and she wanted to make it right.

But it was too late. The yellow flower knew how easily she could turn in to a weed. He saw her as a whole new flower. He couldn't unsee it, couldn't take it back. It was mortifying.

Slowly, with very much time, the yellow flower grew a little bit closer to his white friend.  (Both figuratively and literally). He saw that maybe, in even more time, they could be close again. She really was sorry, he realized.

She wished he would grow closer still, and though it made her ache inside, she waited patiently, as she had never done before. Her yellow friend was worth waiting until the end of time for, because up there on the edge of the world, he waited for her for so long. He deserved to be treated right by the best kind of friend out there, and that's what she would be from now on.

It still ached, waiting, though. And wait she would do for a very long time. Up on the edge of the world, with her roots in the ground, she stayed and sighed and looked into the sky, wondering just what would happen next.

Piet Mondrian

Our midterm is pretty much the same as last year, a post & in class assignment based on an artist. I think I put this off so much because I didn't enjoy doing it last year, and I'm still tired out from focusing on Edgar Degas. Anyway.

This year, from a list of 50, I have picked Piet Mondrian. I think it's interesting how he made paintings that looked so simple, yet really meant much more, like myself. I think I might regret picking him, seeing as how I have to do a "notetaking page", and I feel Ill use all my ideas on that, rather than in class.

"The Grey Tree", my favorite of his work.

Piet was born in The Netherlands in 1872. Growing up with an artistic father and uncle, art came to him easily and was always an interest of his. As an adult, his career was in education, with painting still being a primary key to his life. He always painted with symbolism and representations. Soon, he felt a passion for cubism developing, and moved to Paris. He dropped an extra "a" from his name (previously Mondriaan), and began to paint less representationally, but with more shapes and figures. While visiting home in 1914, WW1 had begun and he was forced to wait out the duration of it back in The Netherlands. He gained the term "Neoplasticism", his new style, which he is most famous for. Lines & squares, some with primary colors, mostly cover his canvas, and to describe his paintings and feelings, here is a quote of his written in a letter: 

[I construct lines and color combinations on a flat surface, in order to express general beauty with the utmost awareness. Nature (or, that which I see) inspires me, puts me, as with any painter, in an emotional state so that an urge comes about to make something, but I want to come as close as possible to the truth and abstract everything from that, until I reach the foundation (still just an external foundation!) of things… I believe it is possible that, through horizontal and vertical lines constructed with awareness, but not with calculation, led by high intuition, and brought to harmony and rhythm, these basic forms of beauty, supplemented if necessary by other direct lines or curves, can become a work of art, as strong as it is true.]

"New York City"

"Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red"

As a painter, I understand completely the compelling urge he speaks of. I love that he has put this into as basic a  statement as possible while still properly depicting the passionate feeling one gets when they want to paint. 

In 1919 he moved back to Paris, and stayed there for another 19 years. During this time he continued to develop his style and play around with the white/line/color ratio. 

Mondrian left Paris in 1938 in the face of advancing fascism and moved to London. After the Netherlands were invaded and Paris fell in 1940, he left London for Manhattan, where he would remain until his death. **

Before his death, he began to continue his vertical/horizontal line paintings, but rather than have the color of the line always be a black or dark grey, he began to play around more with primary colors, adding depth furthur into his paintings. 

Piet Mondrian died of pneumonia on February 1, 1944 and was interred in the Cypress Hills Cemetary in Brooklyn, Ney York. **
It will be interesting to attempt a "book page" with his influence. Now to work on my "notetaking" page..




** Taken directly from an online source due to lack of better wording. 

Empty Bowls

I'm going to attempt writing this while also helping to write a play for another class. Rad.

We're doing an "Empty Bowls" dinner at school on Feb 9th. Basically it helps support the hungry, and I think it's a wonderful way to help. I'm disgusted by almost all pasta, but apart from that, it's a phenomenal idea. 

A lot of kids that do charitable events help out because it looks good for college purposes, and not much else. I hate that. I don't see why doing things like this is something one can't do on their own.

I love that the bowls are handmade and the meaning behind every aspect of the event.
   It all makes me wish I got off my butt to do more.

Many fall under the poverty line here in Jersey, and something needs to be done to fix that. Hunger shouldn't be existent anywhere, especially with all the resources we have on Earth. Ignorance is the only cause I can see, and I love that at HTHS we're going against that.

Myself

Asked to answer a series of questions about myself, I decided to take it into someone's eyes that weren't my own. I know what I look like to myself. I know who I truly am. I know that I wear what I wear because I like it, I shave my hair because I like it this way, and I got my piercing because I think it looks fantastic. But that's not what everyone else thinks, and I know this, too.

I drew my blind contour drawing in the eyes of an average adult, or the spitting image that their children come out to be. They see me as someone who craves attention and will regret my choices later down the road. I know this is not true.

When someone who does not know me looks in my direction, they notice the flambouyant hair color I tend to have and the lip piercing I wear with confidence. They do not notice my colorful eyes or the freckles I bare. They notice nothing of the real me. My "outstanding features" tell them I am a teenager and I have many problems with myself and those around me. I do, in fact. But my problems have nothing to do with my appearance at all, and I have no clue why someone could see my style as "lashing out against society"...I do that with my words, not my hair. Silly people.

The words flow together, and the colors & arrows direct the viewer to which way I am speaking. I'm not a fan of bright colors, and so the colored in text symbolizes that it is false. The only truth to my drawing is the text that is in pink: I do not care what you say.

Tired.

I've let my personal problems interfere with my productivity, again. I thought I wouldnt do that this year, but that's also because my productivity levels are determined by my mood and (obviously) both are low lately.

I can't even remember what on earth is due for the blog assignments I havent done. I cant remember what homework of mine is due at all. Im dreadfully tired and Im still using this blog as a way to talk about myself, not just my art. I still dont know if thats good or bad but I guess Ill continue anyway.

So so tired..

Governmental Collage

So this year, as you probably already know if you for some reason are on my "Art Blog", the art minions had to do a collage to represent their feelings on a topic relating to the upcoming election. (Politic project).

I care most about Gay Rights and how, of course, they are almost nonexistent with today's (generally) close-minded society.The collage I have made is more symbolism instead of just a pretty picture, as usual. I care very much about this project and topic, and please, excuse me if I go into too much detail or bore you with the length.

Things in my collage, along with the obvious "gay" symbolism (rainbow, male&male symbols, etc.)

-The word "Bizzare" and a definition from an old vocabulary book of mine. The definition reads as, "Weird or fantastic", and that is just what I find homosexuality and coming out to be. Not weird, not fantastic, but a combination of the both.
-The statement, "Find a new adjective", which is extremely important to me, because it is speaking about the use of the word "gay" and how today the word is used to describe something "odd" or "stupid" in a very negative way. "Gay" should not be synonymous with "Crappy". At all, for any reason.
-"The RIGHT to pursue HAPPINESS" in stenciled letters. Marriage is a form of pursuing happiness, and I think it is an abomination that people want to take that away from other people. I thought we lived in a "newer world", but apparently the only discrimination that has been lifted from the law is minorities...and that still exists. What an evolution.
-A giant swirl-like white portion of the paper (I cannot describe it in words), with a peach color on the sides. This is to represent that we are all still flesh and blood, regardless of orientation. The swirl is there as apposed to a straight line, which would represent heterosexuals.
-The "fog" above all these words is to represent the fact that most people ignore all the underlying factors of why all people should be allowed to get married.
-The "dripping" coming off the side was, honestly, just to look pleasant, but within the design are all the principles that build a marriage, and all things everyone hopes to get when in love, such as: acceptance, sympathy, love, desire, compassion, etc.

Stressful as it was, this topic is one of those that matters to me the most, and I'm glad my hard work shows it.

My thoughts

So, I actually managed to do the aforementioned projects within a day, and though they weren't easy, I am proud of myself for accomplishing so much in such little time.
I have no pictures as of right now, for I am typing on a school computer and an SD card slot is not available. I wish you could see my collage, even though it is no where near my favorite artwork of mine.

This post has art in it, but is not necessary, as other posts are. This is a "if you really care enough to read stuff on my blog" exclusive. Hoo-ray.

Ms Hanlon gave me $20 to buy the canvas I need and paint her an abstract work of art. This excites me for I already know what I want to use the $10 profit on. Babies-R-Us called me last night about an interview on Friday. I hope I get a job. I need money to buy my friends Christmas gifts.
 The "Friends Of Rachel" club is handing out lollipops for free sometime soon with cute quotes attached to them about friendship and acceptance. I thought of the idea, and I must say I'm honestly quite proud of it.

My "icon" on blogger is a painting I made over the summer. Here's a picture of it:
I'm calling it: My Purple Painting for a lack of a better name at the time I made it. I don't really name them abnormal things. I haven't signed this one, either. I don't plan to sell it until I'm older, if at all.

I wish more people appreciated paintings/had the money for them.

I want to sell my Green Painting and the Element-esque Painting as well, but they are both my favorites and no one elses, apparently. Oh well. Maybe I'll keep them until I'm older since I love them so much.

I'm not good at drawing or painting pictures of THINGS, I realized, because that's not what I'm interested in. I have no talent in this department.
I love colors and this is why I care about abstract painting. The colors blend and create such wonderful beauty. I have no objection when I paint besides color codes.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do after highschool, lately.

These are all my current thoughts.