Is a vegan lifestyle natural for humans? #145

This is a video of my friend Harley discussing if a vegan lifestyle is natural for humans.

Check out what i have to say about the subject here.

NEW ZEALAND HERE I COME

I JUST SPONTANEOUSLY BOUGHT A TICKET TO NEW ZEALAND.

I am starting a blog about my travels. Check it out HERE.

I'll be updating daily on my NZ adventures.

STAY TUNED!

recent art

In addition to my most recent painting, I have made some other art too, including a series of prints and dozens and dozens of life drawings from the nude model.

PRINTMAKING:

Last half of the semester, the topic was THE BODY and i focused on the connection between anatomy and botany on a cellular level. The topic in the 2nd half of the semester was THE SPIRIT so I explored auras / energy. It was a very experimental semester as I tried many new mediums including dry point etchings, collagraphs, and lino cut. I also started using color for my first time in printmaking, which is a journey within itself! Here is what I came up with:

collagraph:

3 collagraphs, 2 dry point etchings - best of 2nd half

dry point etching - bad energy is suffocating!

the series

And here is what I have to say about it:

“Only that in you which is me can hear what I am saying.”

-Ram Dass

Einstein proved that everything is made out of energy with his equation, E = mc2. This concept has been around since ancient times. The ancient Chinese call this flow “chi” while the ancient Hindus call it “prana.” Everything is energy and it is vibrating at different frequencies. It is no surprise that humans can feel this energy and use it to connect with other people.

Energy connects all individuals. It is everywhere, in everything, and never stops moving. Every person has their own unique energy yet we are all interconnected.

Have you ever been in a room with someone who is really depressed and negative? Personally, I feed off other people’s energy. In this case, I start to feel negative as well. Yet, when I am in the same area as people who are really positive and optimistic, I start to feel that way as well. It’s no coincidence – I am feeding off their energetic vibrations.

One of my favorite artists, Alex Grey, deals with this topic frequently in his work. He says, “The infinite vibratory levels, the dimensions of interconnectedness are without end. There is nothing independent. All beings and things are residents in your awareness”

LIFE DRAWING:

As you can probably tell from my typical art, I am very much an abstract artist. This semester, I enrolled in a life drawing class, that is, drawing from a nude model. For the first half of the semester I really struggled with this class, as I have never drawn from a life model before nor do i have very good skills when it comes to real life drawing. All it took was practice and a little confidence. Around the 2nd half of the semester, I started "preparing" my own paper (watercoloring/painting/spraying it before i drew on it) and my results were much better. My teacher said I get the award for the most improved!!!!Although i am still no life drawer, I am heaps better than I once was, and I know that if i keep doing it, the better I will get. It was so fun to play around with different mediums over the semester and get a feel for different styles. In the end, my favorite way of drawing was with a prepared background (watercolored or sprayed with ink) with a charcoal figure. I love charcoal. =) I also love doing blind contour drawings. Overall it was a great learning experience and I actually ended up really enjoying the class. Here are a few results:

sprayed ink background, charcoal figure

a purposefully out-of-proportion style figure in space. I like drawing f-ed up sometimes.

sprayed ink background, charcoal figure

graphite pencil

watercolor background (with swirl motif), charcoal figure

blind contour drawings (drawing without looking at the paper nor lifting your pen from the surface.) Color added after. sharpie & colored pencil

watercolor background, charcoal figure

HOPE YOU ENJOYED! I have some big plans in the works in my art life so stay tuned & become a fan on facebook!

DURIAN PARTY!

Today Anne Osborne (well known fruitarian), Cappi and I had a durian party in the park. We shared a few durians in the beautiful warm weather. It was absolutely heavenly!

Here are some pictures:

cappi is a huge durian fan

after eating some durian we walked through this mini forest in south bank:

MMMMMMmmm i love durian parties!!!!

daytrips galore!

Being in art school basically consumed all of my time. I've been in Australia for 5 months and have had the opportunity to travel a bit, but by mid-semester, i was focusing on uni 110% because i wanted to do well in my first semester as an art student and as a study abroad student. My hard work really did pay off and I'm glad i worked as hard as i did. However, now its time for a break!!!

Now my first semester is over and I have 4 months off! The last 2 weeks i've been doing quite a few day trips including The Glass House Mountains, The Sunshine Coast, The Gold Coast, and Stradbroke Island. I've been having a BLAST! Here are a few pics to sum up the last couple weeks:

taking in the beauty at Stradbroke Island

a solo trip to the gold coast:

also, i've been riding my bike around quite a lot lately... here is a recent trip to the market:

the end of uni & a heartwarming story

The end of my first semester in australia was very stressful, as i was trying to finish all my major projects at once. In the last post you saw my huge painting which was seriously time consuming! I also had 3 other classes worth of big projects to finish, because in Australia your whole semester is basically dependent on one or two projects. Needless to say, it was stressful! (But well worth it in the end!)

the gift of pulling an all-nighter:

i've come to the conclusion that people are nice.

In the midst of the stress, this is what happened:

I sat next to a sweet older lady on the train from Sydney to the Blue Mountains last month. She was knitting and i asked her what she was making. She said "teddy bears" and showed me a picture of the teddies she makes. I said they were SO CUTE and at the end of the train ride, she asked for my address and fav colors. Assessment week was one of the most stressful weeks of my life, and in the midst of it all, i received a package in the mail. 2 little teddy bears. They are so special.

What a perfect pick-me-up!

The Rainforest painting

I just finished my big painting. 5 feet tall and 18 feet long. Here is what I have to say about it:

First of all, this painting was truly a journey. There were good days, bad days, and just plain crazy days. Nothing was planned and the canvas truly lived a life of its own. Right when I almost lost all hope, big, bright, solid colored shapes appeared in the painting. In a way, they symbolize an essence of the process of my painting – which is accepting the unexpected.

When first given the topic of “The Politics of Place,” the rainforest was one of the first places that came to mind. I am deeply inspired by the twisted roots in the rainforest, which is what initially attracted me to this place.

I am interested in the idea that that the organic forms found in nature mimic the shapes found in the human body. I found myself drawing cellular shapes as I was interpreting the rainforest, which made me realize that there are many connections between anatomy and botany. Just as roots branch out to find nutrients, neurons branch out to find chemicals. All plants, animals, and humans are made up of the same basic material: cells. Cells are made of molecules; molecules are made of atoms; and atoms are made of energy. We are just energy. Simple.

I am deeply affected by the metaphysical energy of the rainforest. I feel as though everything is vibrating in a very powerful way. Everything feels so alive. Every little piece of the forest seems to be breathing. All the roots in the rainforest mingle into some sort of network...a community. Perhaps they all share some thoughts or feelings in some way – a sort of inner-connectedness. The rainforest is not only just alive but sentient. It’s truly a magical place.

I had to paint on a large canvas because it had to make an impact on the viewer. There is no denying that the rainforest is vast and overwhelming, completely consuming the average person. I feel lost in it. I wanted this piece to absorb the viewer in a similar way that the rainforest captivates me. I did not want to create an artwork that can easily be dismissed. I want the viewer to be compelled to look.

ABC party!

Recently my roommates and I threw an ABC party - that is, an "ANYTHING BUT CLOTHES" party!!! The one rule is that you must come dressed in, well, anything but clothes!

We had a blast and it was so funny and entertaining to see everyone's outfits.

My friend Amanda (a fellow raw vegan) and I both made layered lettuce dresses by duct-taping lettuce to a trash bag. Here is the result:

Here is a picture of my roommates: Lauren, me, Amber, Anna, and Alejandra, all in our creative hand made outfits. =)

ring ring ring ring BANANA PHONE!

A close up of Lauren's straw attire (HOT!):

some of the party-goers

these guys made their clothes out of re-usable bags!

My neighbor truly followed the rules and literally just had a box as clothes:

me. sam. amanda. (Note that sam's costume is made from cosmo mags!)

end of night: stripped down to lettuce bikini

things got spicey towards the end of the night!

so, if you want an idea for a party, i recommend an ABC party. Google it for more ideas. =)

Spring Break - Sydney & The Blue Mountains!

A couple weeks ago was SPRING BREAK here in Australia!!!

Me and Rob, my OZ climbing parter, headed to Sydney to do a little climbing. Let's just say that if you are a climber, you MUST come to Sydney... I could compare it to Chattanooga and say that there is just HEAPS of good quality sandstone climbing!!!! We went to so many areas and completely thrashed our bodies (good training though!). Here are a few pics from the week (more can be found on facebook):Day One: Nowra, an incredible hard climbinga area that has super-quality, humbling climbing!

Nowra

Nowra.

Days 2 & 3: after waking up SOOOO INCREDIBLE SORE from Nowra, we headed to The Balkans, a really cool standstone bouldering area near Sydney. We spent 2 days climbing there and had a blast each day!!! I climbed until 8 of my fingertips were bleeding and then kept climbing. =) Oh, and I nearly stepped on the most deadly snake in the world. Thankfully it was cold/wet outside so it slithered back into it's cave... but still scared the shit out of me!

the balkans

our hands hurt

v5. the balkans

bloody fingers (8 of them)

v5. the balkans

v6. the balkans

one of my many "ouchies" of the trip

v5. the balkans

v10. the balkans

dinner: DURIAN!

THANKS ROB! =)

day 4: Sutherland - we went to 2 different areas in the area, both in or near suburban neighborhoods near Sydney. Pretty cool stuff, for sure.

Sutherland

Day 5 - Rest day (THANK GOD): SYDNEY - the bridge

Checking out the Sydney Opera House on our rest day

duck crossing!

Days 6 & 7 - THE BLUE MOUNTAINS!!!!

Oh my god guys... i can't even tell you in words how amazing the blue mountains are. I am almost embarassed to upload pics because none of them do the place justice. This place is just simply AMAZING. To give you an idea, i CRIED from the pure beauty of the place. I felt like the double rainbows dude... seriously! We had a blast climbing there for a couple days but i am already dying to go back. We just saw one small area and there is so much more. I can't wait to go back!

admiring the view @ the Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains. pics don't do it justice.

this area was FULL OF ENERGY

climbed at the upper section the first day:

Spring Break was AWESOME and it was so cool to climb in Sydney and the Blue Mountains... some of the best climbing i've ever done, for sure.