April 18, 2010

do the math = great day teaching

Great day teaching today Earth Sea and Sky

12 six year olds
2 hours
6 completed projects / concepts:

- the earth:  the earth, its layers, and the temperature of the center of the earth is 5,432 degrees F.
-  drew models of the center of the earth
-  learned to use a compass
-  water bugs and creatures (observed and drawn)
-  crystals made and discussed how they work
-  what is an atom
-  how rocks are made
-  made a terarrium.
-  talked about worms - what they do, how many hearts and how they are both male and female,
- made a kite
and more

The odds are in these kids future's favor

and I got this nice little note - made my day:



 

April 15, 2010

deformed fish from this spring's water in my tanks

I need to make some art

so busy.....

no art.
just work.


teaching has been great lately - my students rock this semester!!! just impressing me at every turn - I am so lucky...

i need to put up a picture.......



this is tomorrow
I've scheduled time to draw

today cost me $0.85 for "lunch"

Target  = $38 on medicine and 3 flower pots

And at the Co-op - something similar


cost of driving.........

April 11, 2010

So a personal note... Why do I make the work I do. I.e: Endocrine Mimmicking Chemicals and me

I've decided to come clean about what my art is about:  Endocrine Mimicking chemicals etc... and my personal connection with them.  Everything I've learned I can thank the book "Our Stolen Future" - a must read for anyone dealing with these affects   (you can read more about its affects here.  Here is a summary from "Our Stolen Future"


"4: Hormone Havoc
Hormone Havoc examines the tragedy of what can go wrong if the hormonal control of development is disrupted. It explores the classic case of diethylstilbestrol, or DES, a synthetic estrogen invented in 1938 and subsequently used by physicians to manage difficult pregnancies. Research ultimately revealed that not only did DES not help pregnancies, it did cause severe damage to individuals exposed to DES when their mother was treated while they were in the womb. Some of the impacts involved rare cancers, deformed fallopian tubes, and increased risk of endometriosis. In most cases, the DES impacts were not detected until after the victim had passed through puberty, even though exposure took place in the womb.
The DES case is particularly instructive because it proved definitively that the human body could mistake a synthetic compound for a hormone, with tragic results. It is also important because it reinforced the value of animal experiments in understanding human vulnerability. Time and again as scientists explored the impacts of DES on animals exposed experimentally in the laboratory, the results of these experiments anticipated human impacts.
Excerpt...  "


You can read more chapter summaries and decide if this is the book for you at: http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/basics/chapters.htm

I am going to use this post as both a personal confession and a collection of information about what's going on:
1)  for my own research. 
and 
2) - for my wonderful caring friends who have been asking "Why were you in radiology?"  My fault for tweeting that - but the bill offended me - I was hoping for some insurance superhero to give me a break.  I don't have $1500.00 - not now, not later.
I hate you insurance company.  I hate you a lot.   But I love my friends...  the universe is balanced.


So I've decided to be very open about my connections with DES  - and it's symptoms that manifest from it.*(I am a 3rd generation affected daughter of Diethylstilbestrol.  My mother is sort of a medical mystery super hero for not only having me, but 2 more children to follow)    One of them - is the one I'm dealing with now:  Endometriosis.   (*click the link for wiki action)

It's not fun.  More than anything it makes me tired, hurts like hell, pushes on all my lower abdomen area (*causing all sorts of yucky issues) and lately....  breaking my heart a little bit.  Feels like everyone's having a baby - and not like I was planning on having any  - but I'd like that to be my choice.  I definitely don't want people thinking I'm not having kids because I don't like them - I love them! - but it's going to be out of the range of possibility for me.  

The Good part of this is I will have more energy to teach, and available for babysitting.  You will know me by my BEST AUNT EVER t-shirt. 

Here are a collection of Videos that will help explain what an endocrine Mimicking chemical is, and you can see pictures of my neighborhood in the videos! WHooopie!


Thank you for the Humanity Disrupted Channel on YouTube for making these videos and explaining what Endocrine Mimicking Chemicals are about.  This is what my art is about - and  it affects us all.


Part 1


part 2



part 3



Part 4


Part 5



part 6


Part 7


Part 8



April 08, 2010

the Door is completed!

Note - There is only one full shot when Sebastio




More camera hog.  Pictures of art = pictures of me!!





April 04, 2010

The door - a day and a half to finish

So I'm close - but my studio is a wreck!


I've got 7 different projects in the works, and if that isn't enough to make you crack - another pledge drive radio show, class to prep for, grades to post, taxes to start and it's my father's birthday in a minute or 2.

The best part of my day EASILY outside walking my faithful steed Seti (the doberman) - is working on this door.  I now know this is a major risk project for me - I.e. - I'm trying something new.   The Screen of the surface easily has 12 layer on each side.  paper and paper died in wine, and acrylic paint...  lots of varnish...  A LOT of MONEY at this point and an insane amount of time.  But all for a good cause


Sometimes I'm super excited, and just can't wait to work, and then I'll have this idea... and freeze.
put it up
live with it, get nervous, want to vomit.
Walk away - come back
vomit,
Elated thinking I'm wonderfully creative  - and then thinking I'm an idiot and everyone will hate me for this idea.

So - I guess it's up to you.
What do you think?

There are a few flying bird drawings that need to go on it

more of the drawings of the paper cranes, and of course, papercranes on the base.  I'm waiting for 3 more birds to dry.

they should all be ready and done by Monday.