Doodling in the parlor

Every now and then, when I am really frustrated (which is often), I organize everything in my immediate environment, and then I usually feel better. Yesterday, I did just that, and while fumbling through old things I came across my old sketch book. It is no surprise that I found this drawing, which I sort of wish was an etching.

This is how I have been feeling these days. The stress of my commissioned painting (still in progress), getting prepared to go back to New York, finding an apartment (still in progress), and getting ready for next semester's workload. Agghhhh!!! My head should not be on my neck in this photo, but it is. I wonder if I am really ready for this thing called life. 

Ice sculpture

Sometimes I feel that I once lived in a fairy tale. Somehow, this feeling of nostalgia always finds its way into my artwork. I made this sculpture at the end of my last semester and nearly forgot it was collecting dust in a storage room. The process of making this sculpture was painful, and transporting it from New York to Chicago was even more painful. It's also not exactly complete. I initially planned to wire it and it would be functional. But now looking at it, I can't feel any other way than how I feel about most of the art I create. It's so beautiful to me, not because I created it, but because it now exists without all of my intentions and expectations. I planned for it to be one thing and it ended up being another. Not all art should necessarily be this way, but it is nice when it happens.