Wrap me in a bolt of lightening

Tomorrow I'm heading to the University of Maine to start school!
Once I get settled in there, I can start posting more frequently again, and do a great glacier post :D.
In the meantime, my dad and I made a video out of pictures and movie clips from the NCGCP's 28th field season! Also, my dad made me a little vid of me working on a field sketch out there, and some of my work from the surrounding area!

Back to the snow

I have been away most of the summer, either in Maine or Michigan, and I'm leaving for the North Cascades for my third field season with the North Cascades Glacier Climate Project early tomorrow morning! After that, I only have a little over a week until I will go up to Maine for school :-)

some type of water-snake in Lake Dennison

Macatawa, MI

Long Lake, ME

Niagra Falls

a wet walkway in Niagra

Sunset over Lake Michigan

the pit

Niagra

Sand Dune right off of Lake Michigan

Sail boat race on Lake Michigan

Me and Megan on the red right-hand pier "tower"

Baby otters playing

Kvothe

For quite a while I've wanted to create a drawing of Kvothe from Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles. I want to use this summer as an opportunity to simply create what ever I feel like for fun. Not for class, and with no time restraints. I put a lot of thought into how I wanted to try to portray Kvothe: a portrait, a scene? I decided to use his entrance line "my name is Kvothe... you may have heard of me". He summarizes various myths and legends about himself in the "...". I decided to create a piece that was a portrait, but also had a scene. I thought about choosing a scene from the book, but decided against it. Instead, he is walking into a dark forest, looking back at you, while the blue flame of the Chandrian shines between the trees. I'm using colored pencil, and so far I have been working on his head, and outlining the lettering.

Some other interpretations of Kvothe...

http://thetwirlingdragon.blogspot.com/

http://toki-kuragari.deviantart.com/

http://nameofthewind.wikia.com/wiki/Kvothe

There is another shore, you know

"What matters it how far we go?"
His scaly friend replied, 
"There is another shore, you know,
Upon the other side. 
The further off from England
The nearer is to France - 
Then turn not pale, beloved snail,
But come and join the dance."


Franz Ferdinand's version of the Lobster Quadrille


My sister and I finally graduated from West Boylston High on June 3rd, it's great to finally be done! I have my orientation at the University of Maine soon: June 19-20. After that I will be away for the majority of the summer, first staying on Long Lake in Maine, then Lake Michigan, and finally heading out for my third season on the glaciers in the North Cascades. I'll have just about a week to pack and head off for college when I return!
Tomorrow at 9 am, I am running in my town's 5k around the Wachusett Reservoir!
I was amazed that both my sister and I received the Elton & Kathleen Drew Scholarship for Continued Study in the Arts ($5000!) and I also received the Mass. Foreign Language Association Board of Directors Award, which I believe will be $500.
Yesterday I went on my final art trip with the NAHS. This year we went to Boston and visited the MFA, Faneuil Hall, and saw the Blue Man Group. We saw actress Rachel McAdams at the MFA which I thought was pretty cool!

Wachusett and Breadth Part 2

The route

I ran in the Mt. Wachusett race last Saturday on the 28th. Last year I was participating in Art All State and I wasn't able to run it, so it wasn't until just before the race I found out that the course was different now. The old course was entirely on the road, 4.3 miles up to the summit. It was a tough race, all uphill - some especially tough climbs - and on pavement. I've always been a trail runner, and I certainly wouldn't call it a fun race, it was about the challenge. Now, the route covers 4.7 miles and the majority of it is on trails. Some areas were tricky because the trails were narrow, and it was hard to pass/ be passed. The steep uphill section about halfway through was the worst. It's very narrow with a lot of rocks and roots, the type of trail I often run on, but a lot of people decided it wasn't worth putting in the effort. I got stuck behind a large group of walkers, and I barely had the breath or strength to pass them. I managed to pass at least 20 people on that section. Many of them were obviously better runners than me - but they didn't even try to keep running, which confuses me. Sure, it's really tough, but it's a race, and you have to endure it and do your best to keep running!

Portrait of Inspiration
I created this for the assignment "create a self-portrait without your face." I chose to represent myself through challenges, and the "swirl" of inspiration I get from these challenges.

Salmon Boy
I created this illustration originally as part of my concentration when I was considering veering into the negative effects of glaciers' recession. People around the world depend on the melt-water from glaciers. A Chinese boy is watching, saddened by what he sees. The stream he depends on has retreated, leaving dry stream-bed exposed. The salmon that he also relies on are struggling with the lower waters, and some have died where the stream once was. 

Transforming
I created this piece in Studio Art, under the instruction to create a "self-warped-trait." I chose to illustrate my face mid-transformation into a creature. I actually went back to add more tentacles on the right later on, and I definitely like how it looks better than before.

Vases
I created this in Studio Art from observation. I chose a cropped view of a still-life my art teacher, Mrs. Tetler, set up. The floral background is actually a larger Chinese-flower print vase.

Violet Baudelaire
I created this portrait of Violet Baudelaire based off of the third book in A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Wide Window. Growing up, these were some of my absolute favorite books, I read and re-read them!