so.. it's been a while. everything is crazy, and i'm in my last few weeks of my last semester of school as an undergrad. can you believe that? i can't. i've finished my thesis!

Religion

Nuclear Warfare

Starvation

Defectors

Military

small-scale

another small painting. it's two separate sheets of watercolor paper, & the background one is 3.5" x 4.75"

i set up an etsy store here. this one is listed there, as well as some of my trading cards from the last post. one of them sold!

"An" (natural light)

"An" (artificial light)

detail

detail

i am unstoppable

i did well this semester. i've come to set very high standards for myself, & i'm pleased to say that i virtually always meet them. my education (& thus my future) are extremely important to me. i don't ever let myself forget that. a 3.974 GPA for four years of college so far isn't bad. i just hope i can maintain that for my final year next year. i'm a little worried though, considering i've got two online classes this summer that certainly won't be a cake walk as well as seven classes again next semester. we'll see how it goes.

anyway, i've started making some artist trading cards (more accurately, ACEOs) to sell because it's virtually impossible for me to find an extra summer job. i've posted some of them on eBay (click here for the listings).

하나

Jia

I'm just tired

What if?

that's what i've got so far! i had no idea how to price them, so i started them between $7-$10 each. once i know how much they sell for (if they sell at all, for that matter), i might try to sell some on etsy. i'm a little disappointed with how they photographed, though.

more instagram

deal with it

i'm trying really hard to be productive this summer. we'll see how that goes.

break time

today was the first official day of my summer vacation. no more classes or meetings to go to. it was pretty nice. it was really not unlike any other saturday, but just knowing i don't currently have a ton of work hanging over my head was sheer bliss, quite honestly. i spent the day playing the sims & doing other silly little things.

as of tonight, though, i was back to work. did this little painting, inspired by Meng Jia of Miss A:

ps. i'm addicted to instagram & I REGRET NOTHING.

deviant art / art show success!

so, all three of the pieces i submitted to the student show were accepted, and two of them placed! i won best painting for the 3rd year in a row, and honorable mention for sculpture.

비 - best in painting

Rats - honorable mention in sculpture

becoming hua mulan

anyway, i had to set up a site featuring my portfolio for my senior seminar, so i got myself a deviant art account. check it out! it's got photos i haven't posted here: http://kaliwallace.deviantart.com/

late night painting session

accompanied by:

t-minus 10 more days

the semester is rapidly coming to a close, and once again i find myself wishing my professors hadn't waited until the last minute to assign massive amounts of work. why do they do that? because that's what they do in movies, so everyone assumes it should be so? it would be much better for everyone if things were more spread out.

anyway.. no point in harping on things i can't control, so i have to work with the cards i've been dealt. i really should be sleeping, seeing as i've got a ton of work ahead of me again for tomorrow both in class and homework afterwards. you can tell it's around finals time because i've got various projects of all typed strewn all over my usual workplaces at home. i've got a textiles project drying in the kitchen, hanging from a beam in the doorway. my ceramics projects are all stacked up in the living room, waiting to be painted (along with my actual paintings from painting studio class).

this weekend was dedicated to curating & hanging the student show at school, for which i was extremely happy to have help from my family & a few friends. it's sad how few people care about helping out. of course, everyone wants their work in the show but no one's willing to do the dirty work of setting everything up.

assuming everything works out (since my dad getting laid off a week ago has been no picnic) & i can come back to school in the summer & next semester, these are the classes i've got lined up for myself:

looks like another busy semester is headed my way... hopefully.

i've been working on this mulan triptych for a little while now.. hoping to finish tonight!

times are changing

unfortunately, my father got laid off yesterday after twenty-seven years of working in his field because his company has outsourced to places like china and india. at this point, nothing is certain. we've got an appointment with a real estate agent tomorrow. my dad lost not only his job, but our family's health insurance & any benefits, not to mention (on a selfish level) both the upcoming opportunities i had to study abroad this/next year. i'm going to try to find a job so i can have my own health insurance & help my family out, but the deposits for my china & italy study abroad programs are due in less than a week & i don't think i've got much of a shot at those. honestly, i don't even know why i'm worrying about it. there's a strong chance i may not even be going back to school next semester if i can't get a new scholarship or renew the one i have now. sure, i could take out loans, but i think i'd rather use them to keep the house.

i'm scared.