Blog #1

Hi all, my name's Kelli Swenson and I'm in my third year at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park, and I'm taking this class because I need a couple more GE units this semester and I love these on-line classes.
For my first two pieces of art, I chose a couple of my own paintings that I painted in high school. They both mean a lot to me and I have them hanging on the wall above my bed in my apartment.

The first one is of a face from a magazine, I started out using dots, and I mixed all of the colors on my own. This painting took a really long time for me to finish, but it's my personal favorite. I think it shows a great deal about my personality because it shows my determination to finish what I start. I apologize for the quality of the photos, I was standing on my bed trying to take the pictures which left them kind of uneven and you can see a reflection of the rest of my bedroom.

My next painting is of a flower, I think I got the original photograph from a calendar in my art class. This painting is a good representation of my improvement as an artist. The face was my first legitimate piece of art and the flower was a later piece, and it was so much easier and took so much less time. Having my paintings hanging in my "home away from home" has really helped me settle in and gives me a sense of comfort every time I enter my room.

As my third piece of art, I chose this photo of a silly antique owl that I bought at a vintage store in my hometown. I am a pretty quirky, silly, and sometimes ridiculous girl, and I have a new obsession with vintage owl stuff and this is the first owl in my collection.

For my fourth piece of art, I took a picture of a postcard a friend gave me when I was having a rough time a few years back. The quote on it is something I think about almost daily, and is definitely something I think of whenever the idea of faith is mentioned. I believe that everything works out the way it's supposed to, I guess I'm a que sera sera kind of girl. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants most of the time, and so this quote is reassuring when I'm not exactly sure what the outcome of my latest decision will be. I think the postcard may be hard to read, it says:

" 'Faith is believing that one of two things will happen.' She said, 'That there will be something solid for you to stand on- Or that you will be taught to fly.' "

For my final piece of art I chose a local newspaper. The "North Bay Bohemian" comes out weekly and I search for it at local coffee shops and newsstands. The Bohemian is free, and it always has the most up to date news on the local culture and art scene. It lets me know when and where new art shows are opening, and where live bands will be playing. It has movie, restaurant, and play reviews and I tend to make my weekend plans based on what I find in the paper that week. I also love the Bohemian because its articles, which are very left-wing, give an interesting perspective on what's going on in the world. The Bohemian represents my personality because it covers all of the bases when it comes to my hobbies and interests.