Aesthetically Disturbing Conceptualized and Juxtaposed Barbie-Art

I strongly dislike certain big art words... like juxtaposition, rendering, aesthetic and other fancy-schmancy words... (I've probably already mentioned my love-hate relationship with "aesthetic".)

I was completely joking with a studio assistant and I told him how for an anti-beauty painting, I wanted to pick up dead cicadas and glue them to a piece of glass.... He said "Don't do that... EVERYONE is going to do that." I thought he was also kidding... not so much. I said "seriously?" and he said "Yep" ... he was so serious, that he might as well have said, "DUH!" So, that wasn't as "cool" of a gross idea as I thought.... am I really that unoriginal? 

The cicadas are still everywhere, and really loud. One flew and hit me in the eye the other day... it was gross and messy. They are the stupidest bugs ever. I actually got into a debate with someone tonight about which bugs are dumber: cicadas or june bugs? I'd go with cicadas.

Today my emotions were unstable. I almost got a bit teary... but didn't. I hope I'm not getting sick. I continued with the wax mold excavation... and almost threw it. I'll never make it as an archeologist... I'm all about instant gratification when it comes to art. 

I then made plaster molds around the wax molds. That also took a long time... and was really messy. They will be one-part molds. First, the wax needs to be steamed out and then I'll just pour hot glass into them. 

T. gave me a vase and told me to paint on it... he didn't say what, he actually said anything. So, tonight I painted two fish (one is swimming upside down) and music notes (actually from an old song that I can't remember the name of). Someone said it reminded them of Billy Big-Mouthed Bass (the singing fish)... I agree. I wonder if it's going in T's show (quite possibly), and if it is, it will probably sell for a lot... that's kinda funny. 

Painting on a glass vase is not easy... the paint doesn't go on very easily (just acrylic on sandblasted glass)... and the light hits it all funky. And when I paint a cylinder, I only can see a little part of it at a time. 

One of the guys in my class had a head-less Barbie. He did strange things to it and left it on my table (see photo)... he also did a sand casting where it looks like a crucified head-less Barbie. What was funny is that one didn't bother my instructors, but the one he in the photo did... but all they said to him was, "wow, that's great that you made something that bothered both of us." and then T. said, "why couldn't you have done that with a Ken doll? Why did it have to be a Barbie?" Because he had a Barbie and no Ken doll. 

Until today, I never realized how disturbing Barbie really is, even when she has a head, and clothes on and is driving a fancy 

Barbie car. She's completely disproportionate, and can't even stand up or keep shoes on.

I sound sarcastic... but I'm just thinking back on my day... and the funny things that I remember. I really love Penland... I'm starting to meet more people... and Kel's old friends have gotten her email and come up and said hello. I was going to go back to Beech on Friday... but I think I'll stay here until Sat. If I have a place to stay here, I'd rather stay here, and then have my 3 days at Beech... rather than staying there 3 days and having to find a place to stay. 

I'm really glad I'm coming back for another session. I'm going to start to try and look into a fall concentration.