sketch of the week

Sharpie and water color paper, "Good Night" 

move-on-in (little philosophies)

Having now lived at the following addresses (not including moves from dorm to dorm to apartment at 501 College Ave):

14 Madrone Ave, CA

75 Park Ave, NY

501 College Ave, IL

St. Anne's Dorm, England

1044 Garner Ave, IL

207 Roosevelt Rd, IL

I have a bit of a system with the cleaning, packing, sorting, unpacking, stacking, sticking, shuffling and sighing that goes with moving all of one's material possessions from A to B. I have found that I must start earlier than is necessary, do one room or area at a time, and make a minimum number of things to get rid of and stick to it. But this is boring, everyone moves in their own way with their own system in order to manage the anxiety-panic-frustration of boxing a life away. Fortunately I have moved in with wonderful, wonderful people and have a cozy bed, two necessities for me. My other necessities being clean sheets, postcards and sketches and photographs stuck with tape to a wall, and piles of glass containers full of my pens and scissors and flowers and coins. 

I am back in the land of wi-fi, and will therefore be dedicated once again to typing up sweet nothings for these semi-creative posts.

sketch of the week

Because spring was here for a week, and has disappeared into a haze of cold rain and gray skies, thunderstorms (not the good, summery kind) and forecasts of snow and sleet. I, however, am ready for warmth and sunshine, green grass and green leaves. I am ready for days so hot I am tempted to pull off the above look.

Is it spring yet where you are?

sketch of the week

Whoah! It has been too long since I did a Sketch of the Week post, but living across campus from a scanner is no longer my Odysseial (probably not a word) challenge. Et puis voila, this is moi, all bundled up for the following forecast:

Today: High 11 F low 1 F
Tuesday: High 13 low  F 8 F
And then snow . . . Which I am happy about, as I haven't seen more than a few flurries and it will be nice to have a beautiful white campus once more. Happy Martin Luther King day, and Happy Inauguration!

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom." Martin Luther King Jr.

sketch of the week

Here's one from last Fall.

sketch of the week

Notes from Franco-Maghrebian relations last semester.

sketch of the week

Finished and turned in and got a wonderful grade on my enormous, lengthy and stressed-me-to-tears Romanticism final paper. Now am facing an additional paper for Shakespeare today, quite lengthy also, and being distracted by the fact that I have packing and cleaning and journaling and blogging and clothes-returning and shopping and espresso to do.

But I am drinking PG Tips tea and plowing through it with the endurance of a girl who has one assignment between her and real summer vacation.

sketch of the week

So, I have no scanner here and therefore the photo quality is not all shiny-black ink on bright-white screen as I like it to be, but pffff. I still had to post a sketch of the week.

Notes: Blazers blazers everywhere, as I said earlier, I almost bought this blue and white striped one cut like the sketch above in a thrift store yesterday, but thankfully realized it was RIDICULOUS and put it back. The danger of thrift stores - sometimes finds are almost amazing and you don't realize they are actually NOT until it is too late. But, as I am slightly broke and not carrying cash, I made the distinction successfully!

It was harder to talk myself out of the full-length aubergine Laura Ashley vintage wool coat with gold silk lining and a fur collar. It would have taken up my ENTIRE suitcase, I probably could not wear it on the plane comfortably, so I shed two tears and put it back. I may go back once more today just to pet it . . .

sketch of the week

sketch of the week

The soft Gucci loafers I have been trodding the streets in, feeling both glamorous and practical.

Both tragically and happily, being in London has reawakened a recently latent deep appreciation for things like Hermes bags, leather jackets, and truly fabulous jeans.

sketch of the week

C'est moi, ready to go to London the day after tomorrow. (The look on my face is wide-eyed desperation as a result of the four papers I have to finish before then). Bien, I am going to do them now.

sketch of the week

sketch of the week

sketch of the week

A few Hafiz quotes (the top is a bit of Hafiz re-writing experimentation of my own) and some doodles from the journal. The bit that I wrote says:

As I kneel on the floor

and wail for you

to recognize The Divine within yourself,

I am comforted by the knowledge

that love covers over a multitude of sins.

It must be so, for otherwise

I would find myself drowning,

lonely in works.

I have put all my cards in on love.

sketch of the week

A clip from a drawing in my journal from class-time daydreams of an apartment in the sunshine in Italy. 

sketch of the week

A few clothing designs sketched on a bench at the Art Institute the other week.

sketch of the week

Musings from the Art Institute the other week when I wandered through with Brie. The little pink dress sketch was a Sandra Backlund from a fabulous exhibit on forward fashion.

sketch of the week

From my notebook, at the Art Institute this past weekend. On the left is the typical female art student, on the right is the Euro- grownup. I could just sit with my coffee and sketch people for hours on the benches in the Modern wing.

sketch of the week

by Torunn Sweers

sketch of the week

by Torunn Sweers