baby cookout

So ESnipes is having a baby.  ESnipes is our painting/drawing professor and she's amazing.  Great painter, great person and soon to be a great mom.  Our close knit department has been very excited for her this entire academic year and everyone wanted to do something special for her and Wes before she disappeared into maternity leave.  

The idea of a baby shower seemed great as long as we could NOT call it a baby shower.  So we invited our entire department over to Singletary's house and had a baby cookout.  No actual babies were cooked at this event.

 Everyone arrived and took over the back yard.  There was a corn hole game, a badminton game and croquet.  Everyone seemed to know corn hole, but we had to make up our own rules for the high class games.  

 Gifts were not encouraged but we did sneak a little and get everyone involved to create a book for ESnipes and Wes.  Everyone took a small piece of paper and drew, painted, wrote or otherwise decorated it.  Then all the pages were assembled into the book Singletary is holding in the photo above.  That's Wes and ESnipes beside Singletary.  Wes is the one who is decidedly not pregnant.  

 And of course it got weird fast.  After we ran out of ideas for making badminton a dangerous contact sport the students got bored and started doing something they called "dancing".

 And since I'm old and not gifted in the dancing arts, I stood back and took blackmail photos.  My favorite part was catching awkward faces.  Those faces belong to Cessquatch and Slagle.

 That blurry macarena face belongs to Tylan.

 And that's Sean creepy smiling and Nich making the face he makes pretty much every time he sees me.

 And that's Chloe's face.

 I stole this photo from Laura.  This was when Slagle and I juggled the croquet balls.

And I stole this photo from Paige.  Laura and I were on the same team but we don't always see eye to eye.

It was great weather for our first cookout of the season.  The next cookout will be the senior cookout and it's going to be a tough one.  The seniors at this cookout were already getting a little sad about leaving in May.  We may have to drag a few of them across the stage at graduation.

last week was a busy one

My two 3D Design classes scrambled to get their cardboard molds built for the big plaster pouring.  Plaster pouring day is probably my favorite day of the spring semester.  If you've done this project, you know how much I enjoy it.  If not, let's just say that I've built some great surprises into this project and some of those surprises are apparent on this day.  It's also the day that brings the students together into a much more tight family unit.  At Lander, we pride ourselves on our Art Family and the plaster pouring really forces people to work together in ways they've never imagined before.

It starts out innocent enough.  The black plastic and neatly stacked bags of plaster are the calm before the storm.  Only 5 minutes elapsed between the image above and the image below.

 Each student gets a chance to get nice and dirty by sticking their arm in the mixing bucket to mix the plaster.  Some hate it and have to be forced to do it.  Others volunteer to mix a second time.  

 And once the plaster starts flowing into the forms (and back out of the forms) the apprehension the students feel begins to melt away.  The fear turns to panic as their forms usually leak at least a little.  The panic turns to dismay as they realize they only have two hands and they cant do this by themselves.  Then as everyone else jumps in to assist in damage control, the dismay turns to a strange giddy sort of laughter as they see that this whole thing is way beyond their control.  That's Olivia, Molly, Preston, Devin, Megan, Braden, Drinkwater and Da'mycha all working together in the image above.

 The next day brought in the other class and everything followed according to my evil plan.  In the top right of the photo above you'll notice Caitlin who came in to spectate after suffering through this ordeal last spring.  

 Some of these got a little messy, even by plaster day standards.

 It's always fun to see how much the compositions change, even before the cardboard mold comes off.  It's also fun to see how the students try to deal with the mess.  Many listened to my instructions and opted for old, crappy clothes.  Some ditched their shoes and barefooted it.  

 Dom went a bit further and wore latex gloves, surgical mask, lab coat and homemade paper shoes.

 My job is to assess each situation and keep the plaster flowing in a timely manner.  I usually hover just over the heads of the people trying to stop the trickle of plaster as it finds it way out of the molds.  It's really nice to see people helping each other.  It's also sometimes nice to accidentally splash plaster on the nice people below.

And of course, I stop and take photos of the fun as it happens.  Between cursing me and my project ideas, the students are usually good humored enough to smile for the camera.  That's Liza, Dara, Sebastian, Kayla, Tasha, James, Dom, Marie, Ashley and Ramey in the photo above.

 After a couple of hours of the mess and chaos, it's nice to get the room back in order again.  I like to see them working together, but I love to see them cleaning.  Cleaning is the best.

After plaster pouring day there's often a nice weekend to let everyone gather their wits again before removing the cardboard forms and seeing what they actually have to work with.  The apprehension builds again.  Then the panic, dismay and giddy laughter.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

 After scrubbing all the plaster off of my head, ears, eye lids and hands, I got up just before dawn on Friday and put my life in the hands of the Cessquatch.  I don't exactly live near campus and since I needed to travel with Cessquatch and Mia (Queen of Sculpture) to the SC State Museum for College Art Day, they picked me up for a crazy carpool with Rhonda the Honda (Cessquatch's car).  Actually, they debated for a few days over whether or not they could stand me for the trip and finally drew up a contract to make me behave myself before they consented to pick me up on the way.

Cessquatch (Brandy) actually drives pretty well and got us through Columbia morning traffic safely and about 5 minutes early.  We got our table set up and practiced smiling.

 A couple of big groups of students came through along with some individual families.  I think everyone came by our table and got some of our supercool giveaways.  We had cool cups and sketchbooks with the new Lander Visual Art logo and even the other colleges were coming by to get free things and take our postcards.

 Paul Matheny (the tiny dude at the podium) put this whole thing together and arranged to have a presentation by a great local design firm along with two Skype interviews with other art professionals.  That's Im Chan Skyping in on the big screen with Paul.  I had a couple of drawing classes with Im at Winthrop while I was in grad school.  Paul is also a Winthrop grad.

 I guess you know I'm not exactly the most professional person to send to something like this.  Sitting at a table is not where I excel as a human.  I get bored easy and that's usually when I try to find ways to entertain myself.  Whatever professional persona I've managed to maintain up to that point drains away quickly.  During the first museum tour the students vanished and it was mostly just the college students and faculty hanging around.  I stacked a couple of cups up and Cessquatch and Mia provoked me to build it taller.  Actually the whole thing was their idea.  They get all the blame.  I stopped after a bit to take a photo in case it fell.  

 Like the great art students they are, they had to build their own.  They put my business cards to good use.

 Then I stood in my chair to reach the tower of cups again.  At this point, the other colleges were cheering us on and clapping.  When I couldn't reach any higher, I declared it finished and it still didn't fall.  The student groups came back in and the tower drew them over to pick up more information about where the crazy fun people go to school.  Paul decided not to kick us out and even suggested that each college could build some sort of installation for College Day next year.  

  

 Since we were in Columbia, we had to try to see Anne, one of our recent graduates.  After the ladies yelled at the backseat driver a little, we killed some time at a Starbucks talking about art theory and modern sculptural practices until Anne got off work and met us at Pawleys Front Porch.  Turns out this was her last shift at her old college job.  She just got hired as a designer at a Lexington design company.  Congratulations to her!  Anne, Cessquatch and Mia all traveled to Italy together last summer so they're pretty tight.

 Our people know how to eat.  After those great big burgers for an early dinner, the next stop had to be Krispy Kreme.  We trudged through tailgating traffic and we rejoiced when we saw the "Hot Now" sign lit up on the horizon.  Watching the fried bread rings transformed into hot glazed doughnuts is nothing short of a religious experience.  *If you look closely you'll see a few mis-formed doughnuts.  We wondered what happens to those doughnuts.  Do the employees get to eat them?  Is that a perk of the job?  Is there a quality control inspector at each location who weights 900 pounds?  Then we decided we wanted that job.  We like food way too much.  Or perhaps we had spent way too much time together at that point and were delirious.

The drive home was interesting.  Cessquatch was sleepy so Mia decided that this crazy "music" was the solution for keeping her alert.  Some of the sounds I heard from the speakers and some of the dancing I saw in the car will certainly haunt me all the days of my life.  I can not speak of these things.  There are no words.

I started the day telling them I needed to be home before dark so I could run without falling down, running into trees or being mauled by deer.  I reminded them several times and yet, somehow, they dropped me off well after dark and left me to take my chances in the shadows.  Thanks to them, this was my view while I ran.  

Seriously, Lander has the best people.  Administrators, staff, faculty, students...everyone around makes this the best place to work.  Brandy and Mia represented our department perfectly and I honestly think the other art departments were jealous.  Everyone can teach you something and allow you to earn a degree, but at Lander you'll be a part of something really great that exists just beyond what you can explain or touch.  There's a magic here and if you get to be a part of it, you're just a lucky, lucky soul.  And if you don't believe me, come see.  

another snow

After days of hearing that there was another chance of snow coming our way, I started to pay attention to the forecast.  This one was billed as a huge storm.  "One for the record books" they kept saying.  The threat was so bad that on Monday night they called off school for Blue on Tuesday.  While he rejoiced, G was less happy about the approaching storm.  She has to be at work regardless of weather, so the days of mess that were predicted meant she was going to be dropping the kids off and camping out in her office for the week.  

 Tuesday morning they drove that way and I drove this way.  It snowed steadily on my drive and when I arrived at school this is what I saw.

 And within minutes of being on campus, I got the official email stating that the school would close at 11:30 and remain closed for the next few days.  That meant that we had about half of our Advanced Sculpture class to work before leaving.  After allowing for getting everything out, putting everything up and cleaning up the studio, we would have accomplished very little.  So instead of working on our current projects, we all went out on the front lawn for a little snow sculpting.  The students came up with the idea for what to make and they were pretty excited to get to use the chainsaw.

 They created a bowing alley with a ball and 6 bowling pins.  That's the class in the photo with a couple of extra helpers included (Sean, Laura, Cessquatch, Katertot, Caitlin, Tyler, Oscar & Andrew).  And of course, they hit me with snowballs the whole time.

 When we were done, I started for home but stopped when I saw Professor Liu sitting out in the snow painting.  He's a visiting scholar from China and he's having an exhibit of his stunning work in our gallery in a couple of months.  

 The snow was still coming down pretty good, but was not sticking to the roads.  

 When I got home I got my run in before the snow got any deeper.  The weather people told us that this was just the first round of light precipitation before the main storm arrived.  I prepared myself for complete and utter boredom knowing that the wife and kids would not be home until the storm was gone and the roads were clear.

 The first round of snow was the good kind...it was wet enough to stick together.  I had plenty of drawing, sculpting and school work to do, but I couldn't resist the chance to get out in the snow and play a little.  That's a 5 foot tall chihuahua head in the front yard.

Wednesday brought more snow through most of the morning.  I did draw a little, but I also got out and walked, took photos and rode the 4 wheeler in the snow.

 The morning snow was followed by some sleet and freezing rain.  The roads were white and despite the state of emergency, it seemed everyone in town was determined to get out and drive.  A guy across the road was four wheeling in his pasture but everyone else was driving on the icy road.  I stuck to the 4 wheeler.  By this point I was so bored I was carrying on conversations with the dogs.  They mostly seemed confused.

 The wind kept blowing the snow off the roof of the house.  When I tried to go out this morning I met some resistance from the 20 inch snow drift on the back deck.  

 After a nice hot breakfast and coffee I discovered that the 2 inches of snow on top of the layer of ice was perfect for sculpting.  I set out to make a more traditional snowman for the kids to enjoy when they got home.  I was bored by the time I got to the head, so I got a little weird there.

 By the time I finished that one, I was warm so I shed my jacket and hat and started on another snow project.  My back was hurting from rolling up snowballs but I couldn't miss the chance to make snow sculptures.  It's not every day we get to do this hear in the south.  I ended up making a giant molar to complete the snow sculpture park in the front yard.

 Not everyone was having fun.  G was trying unsuccessfully to sleep in her office, Zeke had cabin fever and the chihuahua couldn't figure out where the grass went or why her feet were so cold.  

 After the sun came out and cleared the roads, the family came home to play with me.  Violet and I did some 4 wheeler doughnuts and I pulled them on the sled through the melting snow.

 Blue started a snowman of his own but then realized how fun it would be to balance on it and then jump off.

I even took a shot at being dragged behind the 4 wheeler.  It was a slow start and just as was thinking I was too heavy, G took off and slung me around the field as I held on for dear life.  

Next week the temperatures are predicted to be in the 70s and I'm thrilled.  I've enjoyed the very cold winter and the snow and now I'm ready for a warm beach and a cool breeze.

snow

So, it snowed here.

It snowed 1-2 inches in our area and you know what?  It was a big deal.  The northern transplants love to make the jokes about how an inch of snow shuts down a southern city.  They love to trash talk our snow driving and our Department of Transportation's inability to keep the roads dry and ice free.  They even laugh at us for calling such an event a "storm".

Here's the thing:  It snows here maybe once a year.  I'm talking about a notable snow event being more than just a "dusting" of snowflakes.  With such infrequency, of course we do not know how to drive in the snow, of course our DOT doesn't spend much on de-icing and of course we're going to get excited about such a rare and beautiful event.

Yes, we are aware that it took 10 feet of snow to cancel school wherever you emigrated from, but think about why you relocated here.  Because the weather is better!  We actually have 4 seasons here in the south, even if summer lasts for about 6 months.  And when we get our annual or biannual snow event, it gets us a holiday from work or school and lets us act like children for a whole day.  Perhaps best of all, the temperatures often return to 60 degrees 24-48 hours after the snowpocalypse and life gets back to normal.  These miniature winter vacations are reason enough for us to go a little crazy and binge on milk and bread.  (And just as a side note, not a single one of your southern friends and neighbors enjoy hearing about how silly we are in the snow or how much bigger the snow was "up there".  We are only smiling and nodding because we are kind and hospitable here.  We just want you to be quiet and hold on to the rope while we pull your sled with our four wheel drive pickup truck.)

 Last Tuesday, the tiniest little specks of flurries started falling when my 1:15 pm class was getting ready to start.  I tried to distract my students from the flakes and the possibility of what was to come but soon the school sent everyone text messages about closing school at 3:00 pm.  Snow was not accumulating at all at this point and while the teacher in me was pushing my students to work, the Southerner in me was thrilled to be heading home early to enjoy the chance of weather.  

After a stop at Ingles (for hamburger meat, not milk or bread) everything started to change.  As I filled up with gas in the bitter cold I noticed the crazy guy in the Statue of Liberty costume who normally violently tries to draw attention to the local tax place across the street.  Instead of waving and jumping he looked around at the falling snow, tucked his sign under his arm and headed for the warmth of the storefront lobby.  That's pretty much when I knew that this storm was happening.

Once I was home the Plantation looked like the photo above.  I put on my warmest running clothes and enjoyed a scenic run in the snow.  The couple next door arrived at their driveway separately while this old idiot was running in the falling snow and I'm pretty sure they both laughed at me as they drove by.

 The next morning the snow had stopped but the bitter cold remained.  Schools were canceled and schedules cleared.  After my coffee the kids were ready to get outside.  I reached deep down in my heritage and put together an idea they would love.  G bundled them up tight and I hitched them to the four wheeler for some level ground sledding.

 We were careful and safe and all that.  I stayed away from trees and things and made sure they had plenty of room to skid through the turns.  We churned up all the snow in the back yard and the kids stored some of it inside their boots and pants.  It was so cold, there wasn't much melting so their clothes stayed dry.  

 As soon as the fun started, G had to leave.  It seems that nurses have to report to work regardless of weather.  I guess we need the nurses there because crazy people pull others around in the snow on four wheelers, huh?

 A couple of inches of snow makes everything more beautiful.  The kids were blown away with the redneck sledding and when they started to get cold we took a ride on the four wheeler where they were ecstatic about how pretty everything was.  

 They were right, though.  Everything looked different and more beautiful than it did the day before.  The absolute joy of a southern snow.

 Even my cold and forbidding "no trespassing" sign looked nicer in the snow.

 Soon we had to go inside to thaw out.  Clothes were changed, hot chocolate was served and "Coraline" was requested on the TV.  Blue and Violet were tired and they stayed almost completely still for the duration of the movie.

While they were entertained, I worked to finish a silly drawing of Honey Boo Boo.  

Later I got everyone back outside for a snow hike.  You have to enjoy the snow here while you can.  You never know when you'll see it again.


As soon as it starts to melt every single one of us starts checking that extended forecast to see if John is gonna give us another chance at a winter vacation.  G says next weekend is looking promising.