Oh, what a world

Oh, what a world that this is.

I am hours away from completing my last exam of my college career. Then onwards to commencement.

The past two months has been colored by pop-up shops, college events, geese, weddings, coordinating, moving, portfolios, and looking ahead.

Where do I even begin?

I have a job. There's a start. As a Wedding Coordinator. A job perfectly tailored for me, the event planner extraordinaire, with the ability to bring in all my creative efforts and desire to be around people.  The Willowdale Estate is beautiful and I already love working there.

As a Gordon College student, my time here (now that it is on the road to completion) has been colored by desiring to learn how to bring my vocation and my faith into one place. How to use the skills and lessons from CCC Freshman Seminar, or Design 3, or even Management into real life. Extracarriculars such as leading Campus Events Council, working in the Barrington Art Gallery, even leading a couple backpacking trips; all of these things have completely worked themselves into my life after college.

To plan a campus wide event with a time line and schedule and 50 people to coordinate taught me how to wrangle a wedding party for their reception announcements. Organizing a vendor list and time line for a April wedding taught me how to understand and work well with a team.

I guess this epitomizes what Gordon wants to teach its students. The cross over between student and adult, between learning and acting. I must say that I have never been more excited about the prospect of using these small tidbits from chapel services or convocation in my "real" life. Real Life.

Winter Wedding, Send-N-Seal option

This is a send-n-seal wedding option. It is quite lovely, designed for a winter wedding. The pluses of this type of style is that it is all inclusive. The invite, tear off RSVP postcard and envelope are all in itself! It folds very well and can be mailed with less cost!

  

 

Wedding season!

I have finally gotten around to taking photos of the invites that I have done in the past year.

So no more computer images!

Take a look.

I am quite pleased with with all of them thus far.

Only more to come.

 

 

 

Thank you to all the brides that trust me to work with them. It is always such a pleasure for me!

Persuaded

What is it about Jane Austen and her novels? (Which luckily have been recreated as PBS Masterpiece Collection films)
Novels about headstrong women (mostly brunettes, I might add), frivolous sisters, and shallow families who seek only money and a name. The wealthy Baroness is somehow thrown into the mix as well.
Yet these novels, and short films on PBS (for me that is) hit something so much more real than "When In Rome" or even "Win A Date with Tad Hamilton." There is something about life and love and loss that Miss Austen has been able to so successfully weave into her stories of Anne (Persuasion), Emma (Emma), and Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice), that I cannot help but hope. 


To receive a letter saying:


"I can bear this no longer, you pierce my soul, in half agony and half hope, I have loved none but you...For you alone I think and plan, do you not see this? I must go uncertain of my fate. A word, a look, would be enough. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever."


With the beautiful piano composition building and building as I run through the cobblestone streets of Bath with the letter half ripped apart in my hands, frantically searching for the author.
I have convinced myself that his scene is more of a reality then a magical coin from an Italian fountain. Maybe I am wrong.


I would consider myself blessed to live 'Persuasion.' In half the sense. That I wouldn't have to lose that love. For the other half-of the pain and punishment that Anne had to face for 8 years, I don't want that. But tit for tat I guess.

Montreal

When the trees meet the sky.

Printmaking continued.

These are examples of Intaglio printing, using engraving marks to dig into plexiglass. Ink is then rubbed and brushed into the marks, and pressed into soaked paper so the fibers lift the ink out of the marks. A very much involved process, but extremely rewarding!

 

"Childhood II"

Intaglio with Chine Colle

 

"Sky"

Intaglio

based off the poem by Wislawa Szymborska

Printmaking, a passion

Printmaking became a passion of mine. Recently, so recently in fact that I won't even consider myself a print-maker, oh but how I wish I were!

Here are some of the works that I did this past fall. Anyone know of any classes offered on the subject? I would love to learn learn learn. I also want to build my own studio. That is a far off dream, but a dream nonetheless.

 

Color linoleum key block 

 

color linoleum reduction

 

wood block

More to come.

Photography Work with Redeem&Record

In the fall, I had the pleasure of photographing a friend who set out to create a podcast and blog featuring interviews with songwriters at Gordon College.

He successfully did both, with now more than ten interviews and live recordings, Tony Papia has provided a space for student musicians to talk about and play their music.

It has created a buzz around campus, allowing the student body to see who is writing and seeking music out.

As a student myself, the music scene is one that has been covered and thought to be dead, but many thanks to the writers coming out hiding with the help of Tony and Redeem. I have heard such a cropping of talented kids and hope to keep listening to them!

Visit Redeem&Record here. Join the conversation.

 

He chose a lovely image of him playing the guitar.

Currently used as the album cover for the iTunes U podcast