Rough and Ready

I have had such great students this quarter, my graduate class set up an exchange project "rough and ready" via Face book with Bucharest School of Art, Romania, nine students from each school worked around a theme of the Mysterious Stranger we swapped sketches and completed each others vision, it was interesting to see personal work being developed by someone else and visa versa. I loved the outcome! I swapped with the Professor from Bucharest . I spent a very happy five hours cutting and collaging and made a piece I really connected with . Scissors are my pencil. We are hoping to make a small publication when the dust settles from the end of term. Collaboration is always a positive way to connect with the world. Much good work has been completed , work that makes your heart sing and some so moving it makes you cry, comments which make you feel you have done something a little right and teaching is worth it. I am just looking forward to a little more me time , reading and drawing without having to worry that assignments are to be written and the deadlines are only mine.

Where did the weeks go?

SCAD Museum of Art re-opened with a new multi million dollar rebuild and opened its door for a preview night for students and staff , it had a real WOW factor once home to the Savannh railway it has been redesigned and houses some incredible pieces.have a peek on http://www.scadmoa.org/. Students were in love with the largest touch screen I have ever seen.
I am astounded that the ten weeks has passed so quickly and I am assessing work and submitting final grades to finish the autumn quarter. Where did all those weeks go? The school is quiet , I have packed all the sketchbooks up filed them on to my desk for collection and realise a little sadly I will not be back here until Spring 2012 as I leave for Lacoste France to teach there for a term. I have an exhibition in Morris Hall where I teach, twenty pieces made over the last ten years I hope to get to see it before we pack and leave for home. As my students here say “Hey Professor we are done !” Yes end of my second quarter I am getting there slowly !

Spooky Savannah

I have been woken by the gentleman across the road mowing his patch of grass outside his house and the passing of time is marked by his change of attire. When we first moved in to Duffy Street in August, he was happily running up and down in shorts sporting a bare chest , now fleecy layers and long trousers abound , the winter chill has arrived in the mornings and I love it .
Halloween came and went Savannah is the place to experience ghostliness and goulies, haunted houses dressed to death, plus the oddest collection of stuffed dummies decapitated brides and robots floating around the town. You can be anything on Halloween! Pumkins galore which are still hanging decorating doorsteps and gardens for Thanksgiving.

Everything in America is bigger !

Halloween is STILL coming its been here forever , women dashing round shops brandishing sprayed ghosts for decorating the porch, its mind blowingly serious........... I have followed ladies round the store collecting pieces to ensure the spirit of Halloween does not fade here in Georgia! I spied this big beast in City Market in the historic District . This pumpkin is a whopper ! I have succumbed , I bought a real one as I would every year at home and am taking delight in trying to carve something strangely creative.

Pompey grey skies for a day

I have made all my students appreciate the beautiful type that litters the wall in Savannah I LOVE it ! Much of it makes me think of the hand painted signs we saw in Liberia when working with Save the Children, there are a lot of talented sign writers out there. Savannah has their fare share and it needs to be recognised.

Its half way through the Winter quarter and I have been wading through paper, portfolios , sketchbooks, ideas and mid term grades, what pressure for everyone, students and staff alike to make the grade. I set my calendar a day early as I was not going to be subjected to the last day dash for grades to be submitted, I felt in my first quarter here teaching. I still feel very much the new girl and yet the old one ! years of experience yet trying to make it all fit in to the jigsaw here in Savannah.
Days seem to roll in to one long week, there is a ritual for the days and by Thursday its celebration night with a cocktail! The weather has shifted from blue skies to full rain clouds, monsoon downfalls and thunderstorms, I welcome the Pompey grey skies a little it suits my autumnal mood and I only wish I was in my studio painting. The one thing that is missing is a good read of the Sunday magazines in bed with a cup of tea!
Mike is always busy ! though I am uncertain what he does do for the six hours I am away at the office! I have seen sneaky packs of fudge being bought and demolished without a bite! the bat smell is subsiding slightly and comes and goes with the change of the wind.

Cats can't keep away .........

Some people say that cats follow me wherever I go, I started to believe it wasn't true when I moved to Savannah, little or none to be seen in my garden despite the large vagrant population around the town, one lady has forty out on an island nearby.
However this morning a lucky white cat was found sunning itself by the grapefruit tree, I tried to not get too excited as I have started to miss my cats in Southsea after listening to them purring on the telephone! The grapefruit are ripening and we are not getting too excited every peach we have had purchased in the county of peaches has been a dry old disgrace.
I am getting notes ready for Monday and realise that preparation has become the name of the game, such a different timetable to
Portsmouth, where ideas were paramount , will this be the way of courses in UK when fees increase, skills are on demand, a balance of the two would be a wonderful place to be in!

Drawing on a Sunday

There is nothing more wonderful than being alone drawing in my studio, it has been a long time coming and I am set up and rearing to go. The thought of an exhibition in Morris Hall Illustration School, has made me very excited to produce a few new pieces which talk about crossing the pond. The humidity has gone, Mike has crept off to the auction house and I have three hours of head space to mull ideas around.