chguise

visual artist and illustrator

recent posts

  • Single Digit Days

    August is approaching its end and I grow closer to the day graduate school starts. I never realized how apprehensive I would be about this being the right choice or my ability to earn a degree in painting, but the last few days have been lived almost fully inside my head. And let me tell you, that is a dank and lonely place at times filled with monsters I’ve become accustomed to, but lurk about in the rooms I don’t wish to visit anymore.

    I am looking forward to this challenge. The prospect of school was just a dream for longer than I can remember. Now as a reality, I am elated. Lists have become my friend, allowing me to organize my thoughts, my goals, my responsibilities. My planner is filled with them – yes, I am an analogue planner person. It’s a little overwhelming. I’ll manage though. I refuse to put forth anything but my best. Often, I’ll leave a space if I can’t.

    I’m attending Academy of Art University in San Francisco. It offered what looks to be the strongest online program I could find and the faculty worked diligently to get me set up for success. Yesterday was a new student orientation, meeting heads of departments and such. Rather fun and well organized considering my husband’s school is struggling keeping their online program working smoothly.

    My first classes are Chiaroscuro, Color Theory, and Drawing. The silliest part about my class schedule was seeing they are all designated 600 classes and that made my day. It’s really happened.

    I’m actually going to graduate school. It’s a dream, but I won’t wake up and find it’s not real.

  • Graduate School at 55

    Years and years (and years) ago, I graduated from Bowling Green State University with a BFA in Ceramics and Printmaking. The plan had been to go on to graduate school right away. But, for good or bad, plans don’t often go as imagined. For a long time physically attending an MFA program, which is studio based, was out of reach. I had a family, responsibility, and we were never within driving distance of a college that offered what I needed.

    Life went on as it does. I set up my ceramics studio twice in two states (I may write about this later, it’s a thing), had a marginally successful career as a potter for about twenty years. Things changed. I had some ups, some downs, some life changing injuries, and eventually landed where I am now with a long weird resume and a laundry list of skills that could choke a medium sized tyrannosaur.

    I never let go of the resentment and anger and disappointment in not going to grad school (again, may write about this later, old wounds and such). As I often do, I pretended I didn’t really want it anyways (stupid dog). But again, life likes to smack you in the face.

    A couple of weeks ago, I had an ad for a school roll across a social media feed of mine offering an online MFA. What? Fully online? There is started. It was available, it was real, it was attainable. The research started and as of today, I am six weeks away from starting classes for my MFA in painting. Class supplies are arriving in boxes and I’m rearranging my studio for long term still life setups the cats can’t access. It still doesn’t seem real.

    Come with me.

    If you’ve ever thought “I’m too old” or “it’s too late”, come with me. I’ll be 58 when I graduate with the degree I wanted when I was 28. It’s not too late.

    It’s never too late.

  • Adventures in Graduate School…

    Somehow, I’ve gone ahead and dedicated my life back to school. Back to art. I’m thrilled. Terrified. Excited. Apprehensive… feelings are fun, aren’t they?

    Have a photo dump of all the stuff I put in my portfolio plus some of the pieces that didn’t fit.

  • My Dragon

    24 X 18, Watercolor, gouache, ink on watercolor paper