Friday, November 5, 2010

Flies should not be breeding in my Pumpkin





a few of my recent ceramic adventures and glaze experiments

My dear rotting pumpkin. He got more and more sinister as the days went by. This is him at his freshest.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Zig Zag Road

An Aerial shot from my plane window on one of my numerous flights to and from Chicago
  
Sometimes I forget that I have been essentially living out of a suitcase for the past 2 years. It can be liberating realizing that the huge pile of stuff I have in storage is not necessary for my everyday life.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

He Wanted Wings Too

an illustration from Leo Lionni's Fish is Fish

As a wee little Nessa, I adored this book. I vividly remember tracing my fingers over the illustrations trying to feel the deceptively rich, chalky textures that were absent on the glossy pages. When I eventually saw the animated version of it, I would watch it over and over. Sitting far too close to the television set, the glow of the images painted my face in a rainbow color as I would watch, rewind, and repeat the ritual over and over.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Like a Slap in the Behind


Woooooweeeeee. My butt has been majorly kicked this month. Sore just thinkin' about it.

For a whirlwind update of some random things I have done in the past 4 weeks: I attended a wedding in Lake Tahoe, parasailed way up on a 1200 ft rope under a skull n' bones parachute, toured around the old west town Virginia City(where our dear friend in the picture up above was spotted, around the corner from a place where I bought some petrified dinosaur poop the color of a rasberry creamsicle), had my car's AC, headlight, and convertible top all go defunct while stuck out in Big Basin Redwood forest (which I macgyvered the shit out of to get the top working again using some duct tape, a piece of string, and a bungee cord - no joke), planted an apricot tree, went on a safari, moved out of one house and into another, made 10 bowls in ceramics class, memorized 60 scientific names for an assortment of animals from their Phylum down to their species, and sang copious amounts of Disney songs(on repeat) on the way to school while simultaneously trying to ignore the check engine light displayed so politely on my dashboard.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Fish Bowls and Dusty Pants



      As I type this, my nails are rimmed with Red Ceramic Stain and chipped in all sorts of unevenness that would lead you to believe I have been clawing my way up a cliffside. This is my current excuse for being a very negligent blogger. 20 hours of ceramic class a week. 

Monday, June 7, 2010

Bodie Ghost Town, Beautiful Decay Pt. 2

There is something special about Bodie. "Enchanting" and "Haunting" don't really do it justice.


Sunday, May 30, 2010

Peeps on Pumpkins, Beautiful Decay Pt.1



     One of my biggest inspirations has always been a beautifully decaying object. Paint peeling on doors, vines overtaking an abandoned house... all extremely satisfying to me. There is a bit of rebellion in it, like mother nature is saying "yeah, you tried to beat time, but that just isn't how things work, and you are gonna like it... move on."  

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Fish is Fish

     Anyone remember that lovely Leo Lionni book/animation from back in the day? I love fish. I think they are beautiful and alien and magical. You may think I am excluding those ugly carp found in Lake Michigan and other, similarly bleak, species... But don't underestimate how full of awesome a fish can be to make up for a lack of visual charm. 

Corsets with Sneakers - Adventures at the Renaissance Faire


Yes, it is that time of year again... I can't resist a Renaissance Faire.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Semester Over, I love Port and Cheese

I have had a busy week with finals and my brother's 21st birthday(which led to copious amounts of delicious food and a trip to Los Olivos Wine Country).

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Kitty paw prints on dirty car windows


Hi, my name is Vanessa, and I love kitties. Even when they look demonic.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Little Worlds Encased In Globes of Glass



     I have always had a love affair with plants. Actually, love affair implies that the plants loved me back... and that would be, sadly, untrue. Not a single plant that I have ever cared for has lasted longer than a few months(and those were ivy and ferns... only gross abuse can kill those.. I still swear it was the space heater that did them in).

Monday, April 5, 2010

Pollen all over my shoes - Carrizo National Plains, California



Decided to go on an impromptu trip up to the Carrizo National Plain for Easter to peek at some wildflowers. All romantically, I thought it would be a glorious idea to take my car so we could have the top down and stroll through the fields. I didn't quite take into account that it was hours away. To add insult to injury, hours of driving on a horrendously bumpy roads full of rocks and dirt were what awaited us once we arrived. 

Friday, April 2, 2010

My village just got a little bit smaller



I just found out a few days ago that my bestie is moving back to California after moving to DC since we both parted ways with Chicago almost two years ago. This fills me with the greatest joy! Ever since the first day we met in the 9th grade we have been inseparable. She sat behind me in English class. She had blue lipstick on. We both said "here!" when the teacher called roll for "Vanessa". It was all set from there. 

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Ceramics!

                             
I finally got around to taking some pictures of the ceramics I have been getting back... it has been a mildly frustrating experience(colors don't come out the way I expect... too much glaze, too little glaze, cracking, etc...) and yet an extremely gratifying experience.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Underwood Farms


Mature is overrated, lets knock down all the ceiling popcorn!

This is why I have been with my boyfriend for almost 9 years and love him just as much as I did when I was a giddy 15 year old girl....

When I got home from a late shift a few nights ago, smelling like stale popcorn and preserved Sheep Brains(more on that later), he was waiting in the driveway with a look of glee on his face and said to me....

"Wanna go look for frogs?"

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I have Crayfish guts in my hair, and a kitten in my lap

Not much to say. When things are going really well, I usually don't have too much to comment on. I did get my first two sad little shrunken bowls back from ceramics. While the colors came out nicely, they were not what I had intended for, and the glaze was too thin in a bunch of parts.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Microscopic hunting adventures and Whooping Gibbons

Yes I know that is not a Gibbon. Turns out that more than one Ape will be mentioned in this post.

I have had oodles of juicy goodness to write here, but seeing as I have taken on another freelance project I have been a tad M.I.A.... well, when I haven't been frolicking at Disneyland or the LA Zoo(Annual passes, huzzah).

Friday, January 15, 2010

On Pond Scum and Failed Pottery


I must say, I am only a week into Project Let's See if Vanessa Can Handle Class and Homework After over a Year and A Half of Trying to Be an Adult, but I am already overjoyed to be back in school. If last Thursday is any indicator of what my days will be like for the next 5 months, I will be the happiest little clam around.