pre-emptive defense

we miss you, katie! hope you're having fun with your fam! loves.

fambly

gotta love that face.
my cousin Hathaway was at our house this year for christmas. it was the most delightful little present to have. she is the cutest, and smartest little girl ever. she made us laugh, she made us nap and she had us eating out of the palm of her hand. classic twenty-one month old. anyway, christmas was wonderful, and now my oldest bro from NY is here. we got errrbody. and werr gettin tipss.

up at 5:37 and a little hungry actually

so, i've been packing and cleaning literally all day. i am sorta past the i'm-so-tired-everything-is-funny phase, and moving onto the what-on-earth-have-i-done phase. all day drive tomorrow. and by tomorrow i mean in about 30 minutes.

i'll be home for a while. leaving provo is most definitely bittersweet. i can't stand the thought of leaving lauren here all by her lonesome. hence neither of us have slept tonight. and my dearest chelsey cried in our hug. tears have been integrated into my finals week. pretty much broke down when i had to write about the prompt i didn't study for in art history. but, thats not the point. the point is, i only have control over my life. i get to put my life on hold for a year and a half, and nobody else has to. thats not fair. but its also not fair to miss someone's wedding. that someone you've told about every crush, that someone you planned your crushes and weddings with at 13, that someone who has always always been around and willing to hear you vent, that someone who is in every one of your good memories from the last 8 years. its not fair to miss those kinds of stepping stones in other people's lives. not at all fair.

but LIFE isn't fair. but it is adventurous. and i am about to set off for what is quite possibly the most adventurous thing i've ever done. i look forward to a lot, and i'm nervous about a lot. but i know that i'll have company, and i'll learn more than i possibly could in a year and a half at school. so, here's to the Christmas season and being thankful. thank you for the sweet goodbyes. i have to say, provo will miss me. 18 months isn't THAT long anyway...

believe it or not

i have cut yet another of my fingers. yeah, i am a little slow. i was feeling the edge of my friend jeremy's pots with my pointer finger on my right hand, and i felt a sharp pain. i looked at my finger and said, "oh you've got to be kidding me. seriously?!" i cut right into the pad of my pointer finger. i couldn't believe it. it was no where near the magnitude of my previous cuts. however, it stings like mad. and seeing as my whole life revolves around the use of my hands, i feel a little useless. BUT! i am on the mend. i just find it ridiculous that my last 3 posts have been about my studio mis-haps. i will be writing something about the temple later i think. but i really want to sit down and think about that one first. too busy finishing my last week of school for a year and a half. booya.

dumb thumb dumb thumb

yeah, i cut it again. it was really really dumb. i was headed down a set of stairs and the first step came sooner than anticipated. therefore i was surprised and grabbed the banister. which was unfortunately covered in chicken wire and it cut my thumb right open. yes it was painful, again. and yes it was bleeding. not quite as bad as before though. just very upsetting. because my nerves are again exposed and they hurt like a mother. good-bye use of right thumb for the next week and a half.

happy t-givins

loud loud families are the best. i love mine. my little sister is loving college apparently and it was great to just be at home. poor josh had to put up with a decibel level he was not accustomed to. and we have officially learned that we do not deal with empty stomachs very well. the missing fuddruckers was quite upsetting. but always good memories for me! my family is affectionately coo coo in the ko ko.

ps- my dad is a riot. video coming soon.

my thumb got chopped off.

okay so, i haven't been telling the story over the phone to anyone, but here's what happened. i was in the studio late saturday night with my roomie lauren. i was fixing up the slip and there was one bowl that was being stubborn. it was essentially just a big mound of dried clay, and it wasn't coming out of the bowl. i guess i just don't know my own strength. i was holding the bowl with my right hand and pulling on the clay with my right. the bowl broke and i was really surprised, then i took a look at my hand that was probably going to be sore or something, i wasn't expecting much. there was just blood everywhere. i had caught a blood vessel. i had mikey hold the paper towels on it while i sat on the floor getting my head on straight and lauren called the paramedics. they told me not to go to the emergency room cus they wouldn't do anything. and there wasn't anything to stitch seeing as mikey had kindly thrown away the piece of my thumb left sitting in the bowl of clay. i'm now missing about a quarter of the pad on my right thumb. quite the night. its on the mend i guess. its going to get ugly so they tell me. and i will be half as productive in the studio now. wo to me. but i guess i've got my pride.

my vice

i don't know why, but i am addicted to looking at wedding invitations.

i am nowhere near getting married, nor do i run an invitation business. but finding websites like this make me want to start one! i absolutely cannot help myself. it could be my sister-in-law's obsession with stationary. but it could also just be my desire to look at pretty things. let me just say, there are some fugly invitations out there. and let me follow that up with, "don't be that guy!"

here is my advice, as an aesthetic snob:

-the simpler, the better
-earthy/muted colors only, do not go bright, you will damage eyes
-be reasonable with size, nobody likes getting a 6 by 6 inch square with someone else's name on it
-stick with one-two fonts, if you don't, people with start thinking they're dyslexic.
--fonts: not too loopy, make it legible
-put your parent's[or whoever raised you] name on there okay? they deserve some sort of recognition.
-be classy, do the double envelope.

nuff sed.

what the hey!?

opened my mission call tonight. get the whole story here, she writes better than i do. i'm calling the church office building in the morning to see whatsup. i'll be sure to keep everything updated. basics are as such: i thought i was going to cleveland ohio, then i realized i was actually going to new jersey. now i'm trying to figure out what language i'm speaking... CRAZYTOWN, USA! i leave february 11, 2009. its gonna rock. i am out of my mind excited.

may he rest in peace

though i did not know him well, sam fogleman was an intricate part of my elementary school life. and became more so in high school when i became friends with his sister shayna. Sam had a degenerative muscle disease and passed away this week. my heart and prayers are with the fogleman family and especially with shayna for the difficulty of what may come. i love you forever, shayna. sam will not be forgotten.

as i said...

as promised. the pics of the bronze casting. just so you are aware, bronze is liquid at about 2500 degrees. it was blazing!!!

lifting the bronze out of the kiln. setting it down in order to pick it up with the other tools.

locking it in place. making sure we don't kill anyone by spilling yellow hot bronze on them.


actually pouring the bronze. i had the stable end, brian did the aiming. thank heavens.


finished sprews with cooling bronze. they should be ready in a couple hours or so.
note the boots, chaps, jacket, mittens and face shield mentioned in prior post.

fambly times

i was looking at pictures on my hard-drive and found these. some old trout lake pics that are pretty great. a good one of brad and liza [pre-liam].
is this not classic jojo[sitting on my lap]?! how great is that? and abby[far right with little H on her lap] is just sorta funny with her little chubby face.

and i like playing with my cousins. H and i had a good time playing airplane.
note: these pictures are about 4 years old. crazy town.

every girl likes a wink

so, at work today...
this guy came in and bought a bunch of paper. seemed to be stocking up. he said he was traveling and needed a box. so i offered the boxes we get our shipments in. they are massive. anyway, i took him and his friend back to take a look at them. they seemed pretty excited about the box and they decided to take it. i, trying to be nice, turned and gave them the box, the one buying the paper then turned and WINKED at me! SWOON! getting a wink is maybe the highlight of anyone's day. thank you ridiculously handsome artist man for winking at me today. i needed it.
ps- i was maybe a little starry eyed afterwards. just ask brittney...

my fave

i knew i liked this movie before. but i recently re-watched "run lola run" for my international cinema class. it is truly an amazing film. i love it. and this picture of franke potente just happens to be on my ic button. officially an ic addict everyone. don't love it til you try it.

ps- german is surprisingly easy to understand.

i am awesome.

we did bronze casting in my sculpture fundamentals class. i volunteered on the first day to help "pour". whatever that meant. on thursday he told us if i screw up, people die. yeah. so, i got all dressed up yesterday in my welding jacket, thermal jacket, thermal chaps, brian draper's old leather boots[one size too big] and tied my hair back with angela's extra hair-tie[shout out to you angela]. i then put on my face shield, and big leather mittens. with brian's help, lifted the liquid hot bronze out of the kiln, and we poured it into the sprews* everyone made for their pieces. needless to say, i have the COOLEST major on the planet! i love my classes.


*for those of you unfamiliar with casting, you create your piece out of wax, then you attach it to a "sprew" in which there is a cup and ventilation system so you can actually pour the bronze in. you then cover all the wax up with "slurry" and roll it in sand. repeat multiple times. then you melt out the wax and paper cup in another kiln, and you're ready to pour. oh jargon.

as it were

i'm in the market for a new template. i like colors. but i don't want any stupid graphics. i want to make my own and put em on there myself. help!

The [Big] Reach

so, this is already on the top of my little list of links. but people, seriously. you have an obligation to the world to check this out. we are growing so fast. 1023 in the mail, upcoming official tax form saying we are a non-profit. go to thebigreach.org and help us out. 3 bucks per net guys. nothin. help us save some kids in uganda. it will make you feel better. if you know people, want to donate, or just want to get involved, get in touch. my excitement for The Big Reach is just under my control. tell your friends, tell your enemies. WE ARE HERE!

did i tell you i talked to a real life GURU?!

yep. saw an indian drum concert on saturday night. AND i loved it. AND i talked to him after. AND it was awesome. AND they're famous in India. AND his daughter had the coolest bracelet ever[featured behind him in the first of the triptic].

made my life.

fall oh eight

art history 202
english 311
sculpture 217
ceramics 359
religion C 393
religion C 130
art seminar 395
international cinema 215

YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
life is good.

new design

my recent lack of blog contribution is atrocious. abb, damon and i went to SLO[san luis obispo] today and pismo beach. pics are a comin'. as soon as i get back to p-town. things are going to be different.

cardboard boxes

moving. yuck.

nicknames

my dear sis-in-law and i were goog chatting this morning. nicknames became the topic of discussion. here are the faves:

madeline-
madelones pantalones[pantalones for short]
mad-dog
maddy
mad-woman
mads
madelini
mademoyzl[phonetic of modemoiselle]
maderine

kathryn mcneil-
katie
k-k-k-katie
katie j
kate
snates

julie-
jules
jooge
jujugee[counter part of tortati-the sister]

lauren-
lorena
rauren
lori[with a hispanic accent]

cameron-
cam
cameronay

abby-
abb
abbs
abby-dabby doo

jed-
jeddy
mack
dred
papa
dad

daniel-
dan
dan the man
poopy face

laurel-
ada-B
lalo
daado
mama

overall a good list. of course i could think of the most for myself. i'm the one who hears them.

ps- i don't actually ever call daniel poopy face. i wish i did though...

a call to arms

my beloved brother and sister-in-law.

i wish upon wish that i could post the pictures of our wonderful times in minnersota. because i was a lazy lazy bum, i have none. you two, however, are fanatics, and i want your pictures. please send me them. i love you both.

-pantalones

summra times indeed

upcoming vacay to minnersota. pics for sure. but until then, here's whats been going on.

provo sunset. top of the wells fargo parking lot.














i love us!















definite battle wound from the provo river.















love this girl...




















manti temple. not 5 minutes from the central utah art center.















i fell in love with this temple.




















we love manti!




















perfect timing. perfect sunset.
















so there you go. i'll be out for the next little while. tons of prints due this week and then i'm off to the midwest. mads out.

which NGO is right for me?

i'm looking into volunteer programs for winter semester as a fallback for not serving a mission right now. either would be good. as i have quickly learned, the volunteering world is a strange and misleading place. i want to help people in need, not teach little rich kids english. i want to give aid to others, not just "have the time of my life". GVN- global volunteer network- looks fairly promising. but my apologies to ILP, i'm afraid i won't be joining you anytime soon...

its okay! its okay! I'm holding it with my ARM!

there was a near emergency on university parkway. we were driving behind an suv with a NEW, QUEEN SIZE mattress tied to the top of their car. and as we were coming down the hill to the sight of places like cozy clothing, 24 hour fitness and pudding on the rice, the mattress bent where the back up string was tied. due to the front string breaking. the mattress was almost free when the driver managed to notice, hazard lights that sucker and pull over. for starters, really?! could that thing really not fit into your car? isn't that what those things are for?!? also, what were you thinking tying it down with two strings? what in the history of the world makes you think that will work? i was just amazed at the sight and thought i would share...

sum fun

this weekend was crazy awesome. rach, ren, doug and jackie and i went down to zions for some camping and junk. jackies already got her stuff up, but here's what i got. i have some mad battle wounds. my chocos and i were fighting, so my feet are a little torn up, but it was totally worth it.

this just in

originallymad.com
madeline-art.com
mudmade.com

i've narrowed things down a bit. i will be taking votes, and deciding this week what it shall be. thanks cam, for getting me started.

web design

my bro wants to start my website. here are the front runners....

maddamarts.com
mademoiselleart.com
mademoiselart.com
maddam-art.com
madelinehands.com

my favorite:
madelinefingers.com
i think i may change my blog name to this anyway. i like it...

let me know what you think. i need help.

dribble

all the boys favorite for some reason.

my favorite

ceramic art

bowl

cups

self-portrait

whistling vessel

half-moon vessel

stomach

tea cup and saucer

piano fingers

ashtray??

some art

hannah.

conceptual collages.

wrigley gum strip study.

hands.

so jo

juj and i went to visit b-ritt in south jordan last weekend. it was much much fun. trampoline action photos coming soon. we made chicken delicious and amazing pancake breakfast. good times with little mckay too. fun memorial day for us.

by proxy

i've been listening to a lot of npr lately, and today there was a segment on the issue of the Catholics and the Mormons. The Catholic church recently issued a letter to all bishops in the united states, advising them not to allow the Mormon church to take deceased members records for geneology purposes. the issue was that of proxy baptism. baptism for the dead. if Catholics don't believe in Mormon baptism, what does it matter? a bunch of Catholics that called in were butt-hurt about their ancestors being baptised. honestly, i can understand. sort of. but wouldn't you want your loved ones to have options? IF your church is wrong, and mine HAPPENS to be right, wouldn't you want your family to be in good standing? we are not trying to offend anyone, we are not trying to question other people's beliefs. all we are doing is what we know as the work of the Lord. Don't judge. Don't hate. Your dead ancestors know more than you do so just let us do our thing and we'll let you do yours.

thomas kitsch-kade

ever heard of kitsch? we talked about it during printmaking today. good ol' painter of light pulls through as the number one kitsch example in the history of the world. literally. just take a gander and compare kinkade and mondrian.whatcha think?