Media crash

Of course your electronics die while on vacation and you need them most. Until this trip I had no idea that my MacBook Air had anything wrong with it until I used a classmates. It is a small computer so I assumed you could not run much on it so the constant freezing is normal. Apparently, this little book has fans which have not been working since I bought it. This has brought on a new mess of problems during this trip I never had to deal with at home. I rarely use my digital camera at home so I did not anticipate my computer crashing if I try t upload more than 5 photos at a time. Once during this crash iPhoto lost my entire organized library and I had to search the depths of my computer to find the masters. That being said, this was only a few days ago so it will be a bit of time before I have renewed stamina to organize photos and then post. It is a great reminder to backup my photos so I don't lose them and the hours I put into organizing them. Wish me luck! In the mean time you can check out the blog our class has been taking turns posting on, artinspain.wordpress.com. This week was my turn to post so you can find 7 posts of what I have done in the last week.

I was here, here, here, here, here....

The Secret Garden

Between cathedrals and storm clouds we ventured up what seemed to be a small patch of green grass. The first level offered a labyrinth of knee height hedges. The second has fountains and old arches. The last level was a steep hill of trees leading to a shabby gate. Through the gate and across the street we saw a pea patch that seemed okay to venture. On the peak of the pea patch we looked down on the clouded city and enjoyed a few minutes of oasis from the city.

Here comes the sun

All it takes is some sun and some very powdery almond cake to get the art students excited.

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral

Pouring rain and thunderstorm tour of the cathedral which ended on the roof with a view of the entire city. At the end of the tour the bells rang while fireworks went off. Very excited we asked the tour guide about the fireworks. She said someone in the neighborhood is having a party and letting everyone know. Oh, Spain.

Camino de Santiago

I'm with this guy who's with this guy who's walking the camino...

Cooking class with Montserrat

I think our cooking class has been the most intense experience of culture difference we have had in Spain so far. The class is taught entirely in Spanish and we are lead to believe she does not speak English though we all believe she knows much more than she lets on. It is expected to eat together and allergies or dislikes are not a topic of conversation. After being told "buscar tres pies al gato" we all quickly realized that our cultural assimilation was not as strong as we thought. After class I love to look at the photos I took and see our faces change from skeptical to shocked to pleased as the cooking process goes from ingredients to edibles.

Palacio de Conde Luna

It is pretty challenging not to be inspired when your classrooms are in the palace where the king and queen resided in Leon. Granted it is also where the Spanish Inquisition took place but damn don't we have a view!

Door Knockers

We become so accustomed to everyday objects that we don't expect to see a different abroad. All door handles for front doors are in the direct center of the door. I have found this incredibly challenging to pull, and not slam, to lock our door in the morning on the way to school. There are not many door bells on houses, primarily just the buzzers for apartments. The older buildings instead has these door knockers shaped like a draping hand with a ball inside the palm. Most hands also have rings which must hold a higher level of significance than marriage alone. Regardless we all love them and stop to photograph them constantly.

Santa Semana

Santa Semana is a series of religious processions during easter week. Entering Leon for the first time to a completely shut down city only to be flooded in the streets by bands and hooded figures was an incredible culture shock. Leon has a population of 337,000. Every grocery store, department store, butcher, etc. were closed for multiple days in a row. Being unprepared for this we all scrounged for food, stuck consuming the bread, cheese and candy from the candy stores that were open. They dot every corner and are the only stores open on Sundays as well as holy days. The high level of consumption of sugar here is staggering. Though overwhelming the parades were also breathtaking, as everything has seemed to be in Spain. The horns and drums echoed down streets. The mix of adults and small children in hoods and cloaks showed how deep religion runs as a tradition. At the end of the procession people began to remove hoods and some had tattoos and piercings. This deeply religious procession is still held by younger generations who may not have the same beliefs. Another marker of strong familial ties and respect.

Piecing Land

A continuing theme in my work and this blog is how people piece land. There is a notable difference in Spain, lacking the suburban sprawl and having centrally focused cities. I am going to attempt to use this palette and make a giant piece, interactive by allowing viewers to walk on it, showing the difference in land here compared to what we are used to. The difference in perspective will illustrate the removal we experience from the towns as an outsider behind a map.

Tapestries

Fibers of course is always a three dimensional object but raised stitching to this degree is something I have not considered. I am excited to explore it further in my upcoming piece when I build the cities.

Holy Toledo!

Our day began cold and rainy walking for 20 minutes up hill and over 7 flights of stairs to enter Toledo. We came to an unassuming cathedral that was simply breathtaking once we entered. It was giant with room after room of sculpture, tapestries, gilded sculptures and frescos. I have never been speechless in my life until that moment. After hours in the cathedral we wandered the streets in search of food and synagogues. The phrase "Holy Toledo!" comes from this city because of the wealth of religious buildings in such a small area. This small walled city has been a highlight of the trip.

Buscar tres pies al gato

There are always those phrases that don't quite translate. After being yelled at by our cooking teacher we learned this means we are always looking for the problem, being difficult. Apparently, in Spain even if you are sick you still share plates.

Nosotros estamos en periodico!

Monotype Printmaking

Our studio time begins with a series of demo, bookbinding, printmaking, pinhole cameras and watercolors. I was thrilled to begin with bookbinding as that is something I enjoy and feel very confidant in. I have an elaborate book in process that has inner boards for cribbage and a hollow second half of the book to store the cards and pegs. Cribbage is something I have become increasingly obsessed with over the past year. I love the formality of the rules and game play. It is very clearly a British game as my friends complain.

These books are to be used to document our time in Spain in some manner. I was drawn to creating a book that has half the space for the writing and the other half consumed by a game. Travel games are something you grow up with trying to entertain yourself in the car. Travelling as an adult I find myself doing similar things for distraction. This lost travel time is what we are trying to log. I am working on an artist statement to put in the beginning of my book that I will share later with photos.

Our second demo is making monotypes. I have never done printmaking so this was all very intimidating. I do not enjoy drawing or painting so I expected an immediate distaste for it. As I told my professor, I was pleasantly surprised at what I could do feeling so limited by my drawing abilities.

This trip requires a final project that may begin at any time. Most students will be beginning after our trip to Bilbao but I find myself needing much more time. My initial interest in this trip was to continue my work and thoughts about maps, how people piece land and maybe even our notions of home. I am in the initial sketches of the project and that same theme came out in my printmaking. There might need to be more so I can experiment sewing on them. I also might try using watercolors to transform these maps to resemble all the incredible stained glass we have been seeing.