the sublime

I have been thinking a lot lately on the sublime.

What qualifies something as sublime?

There are many different definitions. Some believe that the sublime invokes fear through the supreme power of God. Others believe that the sublime is more subtle hinting at the natural and awe-inspiring beauty of untouched land. There are other things in this world besides the landscape that can invoke the sublime but landscape painting is what I have been focussing a lot of my energy on in the last few months. I have been heavily researching and writing on this subject as well as striving to achieve the sublime in my own way through my artwork.

But boy is it hard.

I always seem to strive for the "impossible" in my work causing me to labor intensely in order to feel satisfied.

Often I never reach that satisfaction.

I guess art making for me (and I assume for many others as well) is one heckuva long journey in which there may be no end.

Sign me up for that punishment!

In reality, it is no punishment at all. I find my greatest joy while I am making art. I am on a journey of discovery. I am searching for the sublime in this corrupt and imperfect world and ultimately true long-lasting happiness.

Finals are almost over and I am hanging by a thread of brain cells. I cannot wait to clear my head of all of the little things I have been stressing about for the past 4 months. 

I am extra excited to celebrate the end of finals with this event. I hope you will come too, they are some of my dearest friends. 

New York Trip: Part 2 "Artsy Fartsy"

 This was my second time going to NYC to see the art. This time around, I was happy just to enjoy with my eyes. I did not worry about documenting everything I saw but I did manage to pull my phone out a few times for pictures. 

Above are two pieces by Barry McGee. They were for sale on the gray market. There were many other  famous pieces there too. I thought I was neat to see the price tag on his artwork. 

P.S.1 is one of my favorite galleries to see in New York. It is an old school building that is now home to many contemporary art pieces. One of my favorites is an installation by James Turrell that is absolutely breathtaking. I pretty much go crazy for the building itself let alone for the art that is inside.

The Met and the MOMA never disappoint. Andrew and I had many deep conversations about the art that we saw in these two museums. It was so fun to have him there with me this time. I loved hearing his thoughts and learning from him.

On Saturday, we took a train ride out of the city to the small town of Beacon. This is something that I opted out of last year but I am so glad that we got the chance to go this time around. It was by far my favorite day. The scenery on the train ride was so beautiful and when we arrived and got off the train the first thing I noticed was how quiet it was. There was no hustle and bustle of busy Manhattan. It was so peaceful and beautiful there. 

The Dia: Beacon Museum is now on the top of my list. It is well worth the time that it takes to get there. There was no photography allowed inside so I could not document any of the pieces we saw but many of them have left an imprint in my memory. 

Overall, I was inspired by what we saw and experienced on this trip. I came back with a renewed desire to work work work and get all of my ideas and thoughts down in visual form. Unfortunately, school and work sometimes gets in the way of doing exactly what I want to do, but I will be painting like crazy over this Thanksgiving Break with nothing to distract me. 

..weekend preview..

This is going to be a wild goose chase kind of weekend!

Thursday:

• Go to school and work 
• Pull an all-nighter to get ready for Bijou Market

Friday:

•  6:00am -wake up and get ready
• 7:00am -load car and drive to Bijou Market
• 8:00am -set up our booth
• 10:00am -volunteer at Bijou Market. Stop by and come see me :)
• 3:00pm -go to work
• 7:00pm -go back to Bijou and check up on our booth. 
• I'll probably crash into bed this night from pure exhaustion!

Saturday:

• 8:00am -wake up and get ready
• 10:00am -do cleaning checks for Moon Apartments (work.)
• 1:00pm -go check up on our booth at Bijou Market
• 2:00pm -maybe get started on the slew of paintings that I need to get finished for finals that are fast approaching (three weeks. eek.)
• 5:00pm -clean up Bijou Market. I'm always sad when this amazing event is over.
• 7:00pm -get together with friends to eat elk steak and play games. (I have never had elk steak. Is this something I should be looking forward to..?)

 Sunday:

• 9:00am -wake up and get ready
• 11:00am -go to church
• 2:00pm -eat a yummy snack and take an amazing nap
• 5:00pm -go to family dinner
• 7:00pm -get some painting done while watching a good show with my honey

There you have it. It may not seem like a packed weekend but it sure feels like it to me. I can bet I'll be running around every single minute in my usual way. When does life slow down? Does it ever? Thanksgiving Break is coming up and boy you better believe that I am looking forward to that. I hope you have some fun plans for the weekend too. Let me know what they are, maybe we can swap good date ideas for the Provo area.

Here is a painting by one of my professors Sunny Belliston Taylor for your eyes to rest happily upon. I adore her work and I always love to see it in the process.

New York Trip: Part One of Many

I made it a huge priority to stop by my favorite little donut place while we were in NYC. It did not disappoint. My stomach told me we ate way too many donuts but my mouth was craving more.

I absolutely love the way they decorated their walls. These are sewn donut pillows. I am now so tempted to make some of these to decorate our couches.

Our Spoils

I highly recommend you give this place a visit the next time you are in Manhattan. More pictures are to come from our trip but for now I must get ready for Bijou Market that is just two days away. I blogged the details here so you can check it out. 

..Holiday Markets..

Since they are coming up quickly, I want to announce the Holiday Markets that Lou Lou & Company will be selling at. Come see the new things that we are selling for the holidays including fun home decor and gifts for all ages. There will be amazing vendors at each market! You won't want to miss these opportunities to get your holiday shopping done early. Come support the local talent and have a good time while you're at it!

..here we go..

At this very moment Andrew and I are on a red-eye flight to this lovely place. (Although I highly doubt it will look this pretty after Hurricane Sandy had her way with the city, I am still going to imagine it just like this.) 

We are going with a group of art students and professors for 5 days. I am so excited to soak in a lot of art! We will try and hit up all of the major museums and some of the galleries that New York has to offer. Andrew informed me that his main reasons for going are for the food and to see a Broadway play. So...I guess we will be squeezing in other things besides art and I am okay with that. I have to say that I have a whole list of food places that I want to revisit or visit for the first time around. Mostly I am excited to have Andrew there with me this year. I have to say, the hardest part about going to NYC last year was leaving him home.

I can't wait to walk the crowded, dirty, smelly, but magical streets of NYC tomorrow morning! I am sure I'll have plenty of pictures to share when we get back. (be excited!)

..weekend preview..

I can't believe it is the weekend again already! Here are our plans:

Friday:

• 8:00am -wake up slow.
• 10:00am -read for my research presentation coming up soon.
• 12:00pm -last meeting for NYC trip with the art program. I can't believe we leave on Tuesday. I have so much to get done before we go, don't even get me started.
• 1:00pm -run a few errands like going to the bank and getting gas.
• 2:00pm -start setting up and getting ready for the little party going on at my sister's house. I blogged the info here if you are interested in coming. All are welcome.
• 4:00pm -party starts
• 7:00pm -double date with my husband and his little brother and my best friend. I am excited to spend time with them. The boys planned something a little different for this date. Maybe I'll share later.

Saturday:

• 8:00am -I really should wake up at this time, hopefully I will have the self-control to get myself out of bed.
• 9:00am -buckle down and study for my Art History exam that I have been avoiding for the last few days.
• 12:00pm -break from studying and work on my painting that is due Monday.
• 3:30pm -go the study group for above said Art History exam. I'm really hoping people come and that this will be helpful.
• 6:00pm -probably work on my painting some more...who knows how long it will take to actually finish it.

Sunday:

• 9:30am -wake up
• 11:00am -church
• Rest of the Day -relax. My favorite thing about Sundays is that I get to spend time with my husband and our families and the Lord. 

This piece is by Lisa Congdon always helps me maintain a good mindset plus I just love her hand lettering. Check out more of Lisa's work here.

..Exciting Event..

Hey Friends! I wanted to let you know about a fun party going on tomorrow afternoon. My sister Melissa is hosting at her home and there will be a few awesome vendors. Come check it out! Among other great things being sold here, you will receive a small preview of what Lou Lou and Company has to offer for the Holidays. We will be selling at a couple other Holiday Markets but I'll announce that another time. Hope to see you there tomorrow. You won't want to miss out on all the fun!

..weekend preview..

I can't even express to you how good it feels to have my weekends back. I have probably already mentioned my old job in which I worked every Friday and Saturday for two whole years. Give me a break. I loved my job but I guess I never knew what I was missing. Suddenly having a weekend opens up so much more time in my life. 
Time with my husband. 
Time to paint. 
Time to relax. 
Time to clean. 
Time to plan Young Women's lessons. 
Time for me. 
And I love it. 

I tend to make plans. Whether it is for 5 years in the future or just the next day. I like to know what lies ahead. Here is a little peak into my weekend plans. I have never planned things out quite like this before so who knows how strictly we will stick to this but I continue to make plans anyway.

Friday

• 9:00am -wake up. Gotta cut myself some slack on the weekend.
• 10:00am - get to work on my systems painting for class. I usually put on a TV show or movie while I work (that's the best part.)
• 2:00pm -take a shower and make myself look semi-decent.
• 3:00pm -head to work, gotta keep those tenants happy!
• 3:30pm -read/study art history at work. this is the only time I can focus on boring textbook reading and even then it usually only lasts for an hour or so.
• 7:00pm -work ends, date begins. We have plans for sushi and going to the movies. I can't wait.

Saturday

• 9:00am -wake up.
• 10:00am -study and practice for my sign language midterm
• 12:00pm -attend the temple with my sweetheart
• 2:00pm -maybe go to lunch with that same sweetheart. just for fun.
• 5:00pm -ward trunk-or-treat. I'm excited to see all the clever costumes. Come to think of it...I need to come up with some for Andrew and I.

Sunday

• 11:00am -attend church
• 2:00pm -go visiting teaching
• 3:30pm -my visiting teachers come to see me
• 5:00pm -family dinner (hopefully Salmon this week. Yum.)
• Rest of the day--->Lounge!

Here is a piece by Deedee Cheriel, an artist who I cannot get enough of. I could look at her work all day everyday. Enjoy.

..assembling..

 

These are just a few photos of the assembling and installing process of my show. Pretty sure, for about the last three weeks my parent's house has looked like a disaster zone. My parents are so patient with me. I love how awesome they are about letting me come in and take over every counter space in the house. I can create quite the mess, I mean functional work area. 

My husband is also very patient. He willingly went over to their house with me every night to do his homework and watch movies, never complaining.He was indispensable when it came time to hang the pieces. Lets just say that I am quite dysfunctional at using a measuring tape. Somehow I always manage to do everything wrong when it comes to measuring anything. He just quietly chuckles and then proceeds to measure everything perfectly in about a quarter of the time it would have taken me. 

I love that guy. 

..NOW|HERE..

I am pleased to announce my first solo art show. 

Wow, what a relief that this is finally happening.

 I started working on this series of works in March and for the past 8 months I have carted at least one of these pieces everywhere I have gone. 

No lie.

Just ask all my family and friends. 

At the end of this journey similar questions to these below have come into my head:

Did I almost kill myself in order to finish them all on time?

Yes

Is it crazy that in 8 long months I only finished 12 pieces?

Yes

Is it pathetic how much time I poored into each piece?

Maybe

Do I regret any minute that I spent working on them?

No way

Despite the trials that came with working on this show, I am finished with them and pleasantly surprised at how each of the works evolved and ended up. I loved the portability of working on paper and by hand-stitching all the line work in these paintings that meant lots of intense physical labor has gone into each piece. I have grown so much from this project. It has made me feel more like a "real full-time working artist" than anything I have worked on thus far. 

Any and all are welcome to come to the Opening Reception for this show on Friday from 6-9pm. I would love to see you there. There will be other show openings on the same night and light refreshments will be served. If you cannot make it Friday night, the show will be up for two whole weeks so stop by the HFAC on BYU campus to take a gander. There are many other impressive shows up throughout the building that fellow students are displaying. 

I want to thank all those who gave me input, opinions, thoughts, time, and support throughout this whole project and especially at the end when I was utterly exhausted.

(p.s. because all of my time has been dedicated to finishing this show on time, I have not been so dedicated to this blog. I want to apologize and let you know that I plan to get back on track this next week and post more often. Hopefully.)

..Enriched..

This past weekend was enriching. I feel renewed. 

..Life Lately..

Sorry it's been so quiet around here lately. Hours and days and weeks have been escaping me as I spend 10+ hours on BYU campus everyday. Despite my post the day before school filled with lots of woes, this semester feels hopeful. I'm excited to be doing lots and lots of art and the few book classes that I have will only help balance me out.

These are a few photos that describe our life as of late:

-sewing my little heart out on my paintings
-cupcakes to thank former coworkers/bosses for treating me so well
-dinner to celebrate my transition of jobs
-me prepared for the flood of tenants on move-in week
-us on the first (actually second) day of Fall Semester
-cutest baby chicks in the whole wide world
-us in our Sabbath get-up
-a ginormous strawberry that I enjoyed eating
-farewell photo of lovely Sister Christianson who left for Italy
-capturing a moment in the studio
-cute and funny nephews playing in my office at work
-Zundel boys in their Eagle Scout gear to support Jacob at his Court of Honor
-delicious night out at Mongolian Grill
-new decor in our house that I love

I am keeping my instagram feed up to date. You can follow me at @lauragzundel if you're interested.