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thinking spot

09.30.2012

by psaugust

To say that I’ve been busy might be an understatement these days. It’s already October, I can’t believe how quickly time flies by. Autumn is my favorite season, because, aside from the beautiful weather, there are so many things that I always have planned around this time. It’s been hectic for sure trying to juggle work and play and work again, but I think things are settling down a bit so that I have a clear routine of what to do. A few images from my classroom. It’s still a work in progress, but the classroom has been one of my favorite spots to think and work lately, especially when the day is over and the kids have gone home, and I have the room to myself to work for an hour after school. A few students have been using my little thinking spot under the clouds this past week also.

Old Yellow

08.30.2012

by psaugust

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35MM

More from the film camera. These are from my first time visiting Yellowstone National Park. No bear sightings, but we managed to (literally) run into a few elk families as they were heading towards the hot springs. One female elk was running so fast, my aunt was so close to being knocked over. The park is such a beautiful and expansive place. I just wish I had more time to spend there. Maybe next time…

a break, a pause, the calm before the storm…

08.24.2012

by psaugust

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I am officially worn out. These past two weeks have been spent meeting, discussing, networking, and most importantly, prepping for the new school year starting next Monday. Throw in a photo shoot too and I think I’ve got both my hands full in this juggling act. After Monday, I think everything will fall into place…hopefully. I’m excited for the new year with lots of lesson plans running through my head. Today, I finally picked up those rolls of film I shot during my trip to Salt Lake City and Yellowstone. A few highlights from the trip include, hanging out with the kids, swimming everyday, cooking and eating fresh ingredients from my Aunt’s backyard (her peaches and green tomatoes are amazing!), Cynthia’s rock collection that I’ve been dying to see (it did not disappoint), exploring downtown Salt Lake City by train and visiting my favorite German diner, Siegfried’s; rummaging through old collections of Alice in Wonderland and other wonderful editions at a local bookshop, art festivals in Park City and climbing almost 7,000 ft up to Timpanogos Cave with my Uncle Thai, and spending evenings at his diner with the family enjoying super ice cream sundaes (with custom durian/chocolate flavored concoctions).

With things piling up so quickly lately , I’ve been taking a few quiet moments to myself each day to just breathe and embrace that calm before the storm. I’m grateful that I’m able to do what I love and have such an awesome support system with my family and friends. Can’t wait for what the future holds…

Wednesday workshops

07.27.2012

by psaugust

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art / Workshops

Images from a teaching workshop I participated in yesterday at the Glassell School of Art along with Chau (from Rckshw). I think, with more practice and experimentation, that chain could be turned into something really interesting. I was trying to go for the ombre effect below. The batik fabric dying workshop was really fun, also. I’m always kind of a dunce when it comes to layering on colors, especially in printing techniques like this one, so I may have overdone it with the colored dyes. Chau’s design was a a bit more successful, but overall, this is something I would definitely try out with my students later on.

I’m glad I was able to get out of the house and immerse myself into an art environment yesterday, even if traffic was a pain in the ass in the morning. The Glassell School had some wonderful student pieces on display and I didn’t hesitate to document a few pieces for inspiration and ideas for lesson plans. I’m particularly drawn to the color study below using old paintings. This would be something the students might be interested in rather than mixing color wheels again.

One more week of sleeping in, then I’m off on vacation, and possibly a visit to Yellowstone! And then it’s definitely crunch time. The summer has come and gone too fast and I have yet to begun on my lesson plans!

une grande ouverture…

07.08.2012

by psaugust

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weekends

Last night I celebrated the grand opening of Myth & Symbol, the new boutique and creative child of four of my good friends. Friends and family all showed up for support and to participate in a little mingling and late night shopping. The store offers an array of high and low end items from house goods to clothes and jewelry and shoes. The clothes are minimal and constructed beautifully. From Ace & Jig linen and cotton tanks and shorts to Samantha Pleet cosmic asymmetrical dresses and Baggu canvas backpacks, each piece is reminiscent of Chau and Trang’s effortless style. Along with this, the store also carries beautifully crafted jewelry pieces from various American designers like Odette NY, Fay Andrada, and Dream Collective. I’m sorely tempted to grab a few pieces for myself even though I’m on a strict shopping diet. I think what I’m really excited for, though, is browsing through all the zines and a magazines that they’ve curated. The store will also feature art workshops in the future, which I’m really excited for also. (more pics here)

And even though Houston has been relentless in its high temperatures this past month, many friends came out last night to celebrate. I even ran into a several of my high school mates. I can’t believe September will be ten years already. Time has really flown by.

P.S. I gave in and bought the Samantha Pleet dress I’ve been eyeing at Anthropologie. No shopping for the rest of the month! But I really want that cat dress. 😦