"Bed of Roses" ~Bon Jovi

The Arboretum

 

           









     
             So, as you may know yes I am a towny ( and if you didn't read my "About Me" page :P ). "The Arboretum" is almost legendary to me. In high school everyone talked about it I'd hear "Oh we need to take pictures at The Arboretum," I'd shrug it off. I drove by that beautiful architectural fountain almost everyday of my life. I remember wondering what that fountain was, it evoked a sort of curiosity and adventure but I never brought myself to go. I've see Prom pictures by the hundreds on facebook, but I never consciously understood that behind them was this beautiful treasure right here in State College. I honestly never knew where The Arboretum was until this year, the morning I moved into East Halls at Penn State. The fountain, caught in my memory, enticed me to go to it. The first night I was close to the gardens was with my friend Taliya.
 

         We earlier that day picked up audition forms for one of the accapella groups at Penn State. We were anxious to practice. But where could we go at 9 o'clock at night and sing our lungs out without  hurting others ears? I suggested the fountain. Granted it was quite the walk, but once I stood in front of the it, I was speechless. I stood completely still staring at it for probably a good 2 minutes. Which is along time for me to be speechless :P. It had some kind of beauty, some kind of wonder and it was in my reach. I was tempted to jump in, sadly with one dip of my foot I realized the water was too cold. As we focused and searched for the perfect songs we sat around the illuminated fountain when, a couple, dressed nicely walked around the water holding hands. We quickly stopped our loud singing and tried to not act embarrassed of the singing they heard. Like a typical nosy teenage I veered around the fountain to see what they were up too. The man slowly released the grip of his hand from hers. And quickly wrapped his left arm around her waste and brought his right hand up to meet her left. With a slow rocking back and forth, they smiled and looked into each others eyes. OK, so this may seem alittle creepy, I promise I didn't mean to be watching so much! But this moment is caught in my mind, this garden to me holds an element of fantasy and romance. 

         

          So basically before this past trip I'd only ever been to the fountain once. I went on Saturday this past weekend. This was the first weekend in five weeks I got to spend time with my boyfriend Justin (who goes to school in Pittsburgh). The weather that day was slightly grey, and cold. But the romance of the garden still gripped my being. From the breath taking flowers, to the slightly strange, peculiar flowers, to the bushes and trees and interesting architecture The Arboretum is absolutely perfect. I have never spent so much time looking at nature. Understanding nature and loving nature. One good point Justin had brought up as we were walking was the perfect symmetry of the flowers. It's amazing that something can be so perfect. Every single petal molded and constructed to match. Granted nature can have its flaws just as anything can. But people hold nature and flowers to such a standard, one of perfection and beauty. It was interesting to see flowers that had little wrinkles , creases and imperfections. The abundance of flowers was impressive but the variety of the flowers impressed me more. The colors of flowers pop with such brilliance and beauty. They are bold and beautiful and yet extremely delicate.

 

 

 

        As Justin and I walked through the Arboretum it began to rain, so of course we ran for cover. We sat on the pebbled ground under the beautiful entrance canopy spot. Not one made of  flowers but one with beautiful, white curtains. We looked at the view of the land stretched out in front of us. He said " This is what I miss the most." The amount of beauty that is around us State Collegians every single day is so enormous :P . Going there has made me appreciate the beauty of my surroundings more. It gives me chills. It makes me fall in love with nature, the colors, the smells, the symmetry, the beauty and ultimately life. I hope people appreciate it as much as I have and will for the rest of my life.
 

 







    



" Night at the Museum "

Harunobu Suzuki

Japanese Woodblock Printing (1725- 1770)

                Before exploring this piece in particular I thought I'd give you some background information on this classic Japanese art form. Woodblock Printing is actually renowned for being extremely challenging to complete. The production of these pieces usually includes the help and work of multiple people. To achieve the finished beautiful ending product the artists and specialists would have to first undergo multiple steps to finalize production. The first roles of the publisher and the artist and the crucial roles of the project. The artist runs every step by the publisher, the artist also sketches the first preliminary outline for the woodblock pattern and then traces it in black and white ink just to solidify the outlines of the image then he passes it on the the carver. The carvers role in this process is to put the white mountain cherry wood ( one specifically chosen so it would no warp) underneath the outlined paper (with the image), once the wood was underneath the image the carver would then apply some kind of oil to reveal the desired black lines of the design made by the artist. Once the e first block for the black ink was done, one block had to be made for every other color remaining color of the design ( this step of the process takes days to complete). After the carver finished extensive work on the piece the printers would handle the finishing touches. The printers actually made the ink (homemade!) for every printing after this they would use the ink they made and apply it to the block with brushes. Keep in mind these printers are the ones who gave depth and shading to the art.

                   After this extensive artistic process is finished much of the art comes out as pristine examples of the Japanese culture. With delicate colors and fine black lines these Woodblock Printings become representations of their culture, the artists and society as a whole during the era they were made. One example of this artistic for is the Woodblock Printing that caught my eye at the Palmer Museum ( towards the west end of Penn State Campus) its title is Ishiyamadera Shugetsu. This particular Woodblock representation caught my eye amidst a room fully devoted to Japanese Woodblock Printing. This printing is a depiction of a Japanese writer Marasoni Shikibu sitting in the temple Ishiyama to write the famous and classic Japanese romance The Tale of Genji. This tale not only is renowned for its complex story line and language,  but it is also considered the worlds first legitimate novel and by many people the worlds first psychological novel. Marasoni Shikibu during her time a thousand years ago as a lady of Heian Court of Japan used and adapted the complex language and the poetic conversation of the time for the story's main purpose was to entertain the court. During Shikibu's time Japanese literature mostly consisted of collections of poetry maybe including some select memoirs of the time.
                    During the ear of the Heian Court ( A.D. 794-1185) the so called "courtiers" of the court system were never seen or heard from. They were allowed to be seen by two people in their lives their father and their husband. However on normal days where the men would carry on duties for the court the women were kept in confined rooms away from society and unseen by the public. For very much of their lives the courtiers of this era had no idea what was going on within their own society. These women were judged on their script, writing of poetry and breeding potential. So as these women were kept from society and kept from the "living" aspect of life they found escapes through novels, through stories and poetry about crazy romance where the woman was literally swept away by  her night in shining armour through the bleak and cold nights. These stories of passion and life would keep them from struggles within their own life. Who doesn't like a good story once in a while to distract you from your life? Everyone uses novels such as this one to forget the unforgettable for at least a few minutes of our day.
                       So now today we have this representation of Shikibu sitting and beginning her novel. A woman who once within society was shielded from the public, not see by anyone is now seen by thousands ( probably even more) people around the world every single year. This piece to me represents this unfolding of Japanese courtier women onto society. These rare gems ( women ) were once kept from society and hidden not allowed to show their true beauty or collect their worth. This block printing represents the times changing, women are today becoming gradually equal members of society, we are able to hold our own. This piece marks the beginning of a change and the beginning of influential women in history.  
              This piece's claim for me as a woman of the twenty first century plays on both logos and pathos. This printing displays logos because it historically in known as the beginning of influential women in history and the first defiance of ones "status quo" position. This is the start of a very long timeline for women around the world not only in Asia. This crucial moment in history has been kept from my mind my entire life until this very day. Personally I feel inspired that a woman of a sexist court about a thousand years ago wrote what has come to be known as the first psychological novel written. The most interesting part of this Woodblock printing in particular for my eyes was the soft peach color pallet and the dark wash green. It set itself apart from the other printings (that were harsh and bright in color). That coincides with the statement it secretly makes, women can be soft and pretty, women can be pleasant to the eye, women can stand out and women can also go down in history. Even through the outlines of the painting are faint and hard to see the image remains credible (it isn't supposed to be an exact portrait of the writer). This classic printing's message will clearly and boldly go down in history for many years to come.
             The Palmer Museum is and interesting place to look at art. It's a culture mixed of residents of State College (that probably make a ritual visit every week), new Penn State students just finding something to fill their time between classes and devoted Art viewers from across the country. The atmosphere is nice and calm and quiet. The paintings are as grand and pottery as diverse as they would get in say a New York museum or ones in Philadelphia with no cost to the appreciative audience. Of course I'd go again! This was one of many visits of mine! I remember in seventh grade going on a field trip to the Plamer to sketch the museums architecture to learn about landscape and perspective(then of course we took a look inside the museum as well)! All in all I'd say this little quaint museum has its perks its easy and low key to enjoy. My personal favorite aspect of the museum is the collection of pottery from around the world and throughout different eras. For me these "unknown artist" works have a sort of romance to them. You can imagine these vases in someones living room full of bloomed flowers they just picked from their own garden. Or heavy and full of all the grain they have for the rest of the season. My point is they are relatable, they are examples of real art that has lived, they are imaginable in your own kitchen back home, or on a shelf in your grandmothers living room. That's the art I truly appreciate and that's what the Plamer can give me. Sure the huge paintings are beautiful and breath taking but I'll I think when I see them is "Fudge I'd never be able to paint that even if my life depended on it!" Sure once in a while seeing some bigger then life portraits of some old man with a really strange mustache is just what I need but who finds that extremely relatable?
 



References:

http://mercury.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/prints/process.html
http://www.taleofgenji.org/background.html



 

"Lets Get it Started"- Black Eyed Peas

Title: The title of my blog "Sweet Concoctions" is more versatile then people think of at first glance. Originally I had intended for it to represent my love for sugar of any kind. As I continued to think of other titles I discovered more meaning within this title, the one I originally started with. According to dictionary.com the word "Concoction" is a synonym for the words “medley, mixture and blend”. This title not only represents what I love but it also represents the subject this blog will address, the arts at Penn State. A mixture of art will be expressed and analyzed throughout this blog. There will be a concoction of thoughts, responses and emotions intermixed during my exploration of the university. The definition of a Blog to me is now defined as a “concoction”. The word “sweet” within my title reflects my personal outlook on the arts. The arts as a whole are very much a part of my life and always will be. Over time I have found the arts to be low pressure, expressive, distressing and very fun. Therefore “Sweet Concoctions” is the exact translation of “The Arts at Penn State” in my mind, and continues to define every day of my life.  

 
Font: The font of my blog varies according to the spot you are looking at. The font of my title and my page titles is called “Pacific”. It is a bold, thick and swirly font that portrays the “Sweet” aspect of my blog with a bold kick. This font shows my opinion of the arts positive influence on society and my belief of the arts impact on society. The thickness of the font (because I did bold it) is to show the reader that I am making bold, blunt and clear points about the arts within my posts, just as art does everyday within t he community. The font of my posts is black with a white blog post background. I first did this for contrast as you can see my background it pretty busy so I needed to simplify an area so the reader can see the posts clearly. Along with this idea I thought a white background would pop against the intense color allow my writing to stand out even more. The font of the posts is called “Verdana” it is clean, easy to read and very straight forward for the reader.


Template/ Background: The template and arrangement of my blog was simply strategic with the reader in mind. You can clearly see the pages of my blog on the right side of the screen (and they are white so they are also easily located!). The middle section is for my posts, leaving the center of the page for the most important aspect of my blog ( will draw peoples attention to the center of the page). I placed my title in the upper left hand corner of the page so the readers can clearly identify the title and what my blog may contain. The background of my blog is actually a picture I took myself. It's not only a photograph of beautifully concocted fireworks and colors, it represents a concoction of community efforts. It’s a picture of the local and annual State College Fourth Fest fireworks. Rightfully one of the best fireworks shows in the country. I have been born and raised in this very town and seen it through thick and thin. When I hear the words “State College” my brain doesn’t automatically think of Penn State or the Nittany Lions or Sandusky, I simply think of the word home. These fireworks I have seen every single year since I was three years old, sitting in my dad’s lap fidgeting and eating a pop-sickle. Now see I didn’t know how much work went into the Fourth Fest, how many people get involved in it and how many people came from across the country to spend their holiday weekend here in my State College until two years ago. Two years ago I started volunteered to help out with face painting at a children’s booth at the Fourth Fest. As my day at the fest went on I slowly learned about the Penn State community's involvement in the renound community celebration. Students and organizations specifically came back to State College to help out run the Fest. I didn’t realize how much Penn State was a part of my community until then, later that night as I layed in the grass of the V.I.P. section, front row I got chills as fireworks exploded in the air above my head. For the first time in my heart I clumped the phrase Penn State with State College and my home. These fire works are what I consider to be my first exposure to the very diverse very interest world of arts and Penn State University.


Color: The colors of my font and text are white and black to keep things clean and nice and easy to read. The background colors and specifically the colors of the fireworks (red, white and blue) instill pride in my blog and reflect the pride I have for my community.  


Miscellaneous: The extra page I added called “Fun Fact of the Day” is to expand the mind of my audience, well also I love to look up fun facts so I figured why not share my hobby with the world? The purpose of this blog is to expand my audience’s mind, to show the reader a variety of point of views. The fun facts will first of all be a fun read for my followers and will also expand their knowledge of things that may be deemed as “insignificant” or “random”. Maybe after reading these fun facts these topics will not be seen in such a light, maybe by reading my posts and my fun facts my audience will gradually realize the important role small, random and quote “insignificant” things can play in their life. Maybe just maybe society’s view of the arts will sway maybe society will realize the importance of art within a person, a childhood, a community and even a university.