Chapter 1 & 2 (week 1)

It was quite hard to choose an image that "relates to my everyday world." Many of the images were very interesting and I enjoyed understanding more about how they came in to existence. My favorite image was by far Stonehenge. It fascinates me the precision and effort used to create the monument. However, I think the House Interior at Sakra Brae is the most applicable to my life today.
I am an interior decor addict. I changed the layout of my room a small bit even today as I procrastinated on this assignment. (photo 2) I subscribe to four magazines each month with a variety of renovation themes. I modify and "edit" my house, specifically my bedroom, constantly. This one of seven rooms at Skara Brae reminds me of me:) Though the inhabitants of this dwelling were most likely thinking functionality over decoration, there is no question some design and aesthetics were considered when creating this room. Attention to the placement and functionality of the storage inlets and bookshelves shows care and precision. The rocks used to make the wall, tho varying in sizes, are smoothed down and visually pleasing to the eye.
The placement of the beds seems to show a separation of either sexes or families. Unlike some Native American dwellings I have seen, each bed has a set space. The rocks were most likely used to hold the mattresses in place, but they also provided separation. There was no easy way for a person to "roll" around in their sleep and end up in the other person's bed.
This pre-decided space seems to reflect an individualistic character aspect for the tribes people. I have never taken an anthropology class, but people fascinate me! And I generally tend to think of people "from the olden days" as being family oriented and close knit. Mostly due to the necessity to live in clans and to use other people for support (like parents living with married children to all work together for the common goal of survival). This Image at Sakra Brae eluding to independence, is such a contradiction from my thoughts.
I share my room with my sister. My other sister is home only on holidays and summer when she is not attending school in Southern California. And as three very independent people, conflict often arises. I marvel that people could live in such close quarters with individual personalities and survive!




As a person who has spent a lot of time studying the old testament, I am fascinated to see artifacts from the same time periods. Everything is more real when you can put a picture with some thing you have read about.
This ziggurat is a very interesting "invention." Built like a pyramid with each layer being slightly more narrow, it is very structurally sound and easy to construct. And it can vary in size with out altering the general building plan.
Imagine riding across the desert on your camel from your tribe's tents about half a mile away from this "temple." and suddenly you see it. It blends into the sand from a distance, but stands out like a shark in a fish tank as you approach it. All that man could create architecturally at the time is incorporated in this ziggurat. It was indeed something to marvel at.

Imagine again with me if what the Bible says is true: that God created man and put them on the earth. About 2090 the bible tells the story of Abraham (sound familiar?) and how he left his family and friends in Ur (location of Nanna Ziggurat) and started out into the desert with no set destination because God told him he would lead him. Abraham had tremendous faith in God. He is called the "Father of all Nations" because he was the first person to have faith in God so strongly and all others who also did came from his descendants. Later, when Abraham's offspring rejected God (the old tribe of Israel), God decided to allow the rest of the world to be included in his blessing if they would trust him (which was always his plan). Too bad that Abraham's faith did not remain with all his decedents.

All this Bible history is totally not art history :) But it allows us to better understand what was happening during this time period and what the people may have been thinking.

5 Images about me (week1)

Three years ago I found myself in a deadbeat job that was starting to suck all the creativity out of me. I applied to Starbucks because I loved the atmosphere in which I escaped from the treacherous days at work. Even with all the recent bashing of Starbucks and the constant pressure to defend my job, I still enjoy time spent selling drinks to caffeine addicts. I chose this creative collage of Starbucks not only because it is Starbucks, but because it pays homage to M. C. Escher's "impossible staircases."This painting was hanging in a small art studio in Carmel when I came across it. It is about 34 x 40 inches large. It caught my eye because it appeared to be real for a quick second. The colors are so vibrant and the texture so smooth. I chose this to represent me because I love the windy exhilaration that you get when riding on boats. I am a free spirited person. Sailing combines my quest for adventure and my desire to relax. The coolness of water also soothes me.When I first came to West Valley I was searching for direction in my life. I had spent the past 2.5 years trying to pick a major, pulling my friends out of the messes they had made in their lives, and had just had my car totaled in an accident not my fault. The very first class I took was Intro to drawing. And I loved it. I was able to work at my drawings and not get tired. It allowed me to de-stress and express myself in a new way. This is a tree in the quad in the art area. It is still one of my all time favorite pieces that I have created. I enjoy charcoal drawing and landscape. This tree represents strength and beauty, two things that were added to my life when I embraced art as my major.
I found this photograph online one day when searching for a power point background for lonely. I would not characterize myself now as a lonely person, but I did go through a season of depression a few years back. And I am very individualistic now. I am a strong person who does not allow other people to push me around. Even though this woman seems downcast and in turmoil, I relate to her because she is alone. She stands waiting for the public transportation, yet she knows no one in the sea of other professionals waiting for the same train. It might be a self defense mechanism, but regardless, she pushes on with her life. I want the courage to press on and not let my circumstances get me down.This is a photograph of a building in Minsk, where apparently there is a lot of new architecture and innovation occurring. I chose this because I love new ideas. I wonder at grand displays, I push the limits, and I marvel at buildings. How crazy is this!? Ha, I love it. I wish I could create things like this. Things no one has done before. Be the first to go a new way.