Back Message (get it? like...back massage?)

No, mom, I'm not dead, sick, kidnapped, paralyzed or depressed. I am an artist...one that traps herself in the recesses of her creative consciousness and refuses to emerge until inspiration has surfaced like a tampon on the shores of Long Island sound.

Apparently you miss my blogging about everything I'm eating (right now, a roasted eggplant with tahini) my bowl movements (normal, chunkysmooth), my kvetching (I was harassed at the Arab shuk yesterday), my bargains (haggled a Druze kippah from 220 sheckles to 70), etcetera.

Well, I'm back.

If the real purpose of this gap year is to eat, pray, and club, then you can just watch Julia Roberts take a bite out of Europe and Asia with that big mouth of hers. I'm here to do art. It's becoming less and less stressful and a bit more comfortable. I can navigate my way through the Bezalel library, I know how turpentine and linseed oil affect the application of paint, I know how to center a mound of clay on the wheel, and stretch it to make cups and bowls, I can measure an angle for perspective drawing by squinting one eye and sticking out my pencil , I know the shortcut to get to the piano rooms in Hebrew University, I know where to get a 2-sheckel, vanilla, soft serve cone (McDonalds. It tastes like drive thru with dad).

So, I'm feeling a bit more Sabra/artsy and a little less American. Especially since Thanksgiving is approaching. Though, apparently, Israel consumes the most turkey per capita in the world. I regret being here a little bit...missing out on the eating, the family gathering, and the traffic-congested car ride. But I'm here to live like an israeli...which means, I get to gawk at the menorah light fixtures the municipality recently put on all the light posts on Mount Scopus, it's still warm enough to wear shorts, and I haven't seen a Christmas ad on TV (granted, I don't own a TV).

The synergy of art and Israel creates a new element of its own, and it feels authentic. Overall, I'm living the Chai life.

Below are some pictures of my pictures...

bear in mind, that these are all practice, and I haven't had time to work on anything more than a class period. I am still a student. I posted the good and bad. Enough disclaimers.

In painting class today (less than 3 hours ago) we did painting "sketches" meaning we didn't have more than 20 minutes to work on these. This one is a theater.
Still wet. This one's a kitchen.
The Tree of Art in our studio. I did the apples.
Me priming my "canvas" for class today. I binder clipped a sheet of canvas to the piece of plywood I use for drawing.
Amichai, our nude model for One-Arm's class

Contour drawing...meaning you only get one chance to make one straight line in order to define the shape of the model.
Nudette. check out those Rainbow Brite pubes.
Big ass.
Nude dude.

Still life of green vegetables on red canvas
Perspective drawing (I hated this class)
Monochrome exercise (I hated this class, too)
Perspective exercise drawing a tower of desks and chairs.

AND shout out to mom and dad. Happy 26th Anniversary! You guys are hot.