On literary magazines.

Something I neglected to mention here. Two of my pieces were selected to be published in the newest edition of GUD (Greatest Uncommon Denominator) magazine. I just received my contributor copy in the mail, and it is really quite sweet.

Now, publishing your stuff in magazines really does not pay much. It's really about the exposure, and being involved in something as beautiful and independent as a lit mag like GUD. And so, I am extremely thrilled about this. Really, go check it out. Even if you don't have the extra income to spend on a copy right now, get a peek at the free content. 'Time cat' is an awesome game.

Some considerations.

I have been thinking a lot about this blog lately, and what I want to do with it. See, I have many venues for putting my artwork up online. There's deviantart, and carbonmade, and my future website-which-I-haven't-finished-yet. Yet I am a very opinionated person. I read a great number of science and political blogs, and would like to express my thoughts.

So here is what is going to happen.

I am still going to post my art here, and also bits of my writing. I like having a space that's entirely my own to do that in. Also, I'm going to stop being afraid of letting my opinions come out in a space where they will be connected with my art, person, and career. Mostly, I am no longer going to be afraid of vociferously expressing myself as a feminist.
I know! What could possibly make me afraid of letting possible future employers know that I am in fact an advocate of my own gender? Or, more importantly: I know that this will be a possible put-off to future employers, but I've made the decision to not care. Because I really do not think I would be happy or comfortable working for someone who would penalize me for voicing the opinion that I deserve equal rights to my male coworkers.
Also, I know that my views are going to remain visible in my art and writing anyway.
So there.

I have been posting on feminist blogs for a time, most under the pseudonyms 'L.G.' or 'Algae'. Now I'm using 'Magnetic Crow' as my one and only. We'll see how this goes.

Raining, raining, and cold.  I plan on updating her more regularly again, but today seems like a day for reading 'The Diary of Anaîs Nin' and drinking tea.

Indeed.

"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."
  - Steven Weinberg

Right right, Google.

A crust of ice.

We finally got a little snow here in Maryland, and though it doesn't even approach Cleveland standards I'm willing to feel it's better than nothing. A few inches, total, and shelled by that evening in a crisp layer of ice. This is what I remember best from growing up around here, the days when you awoke to a two-hour-delay because the trees, road, and everything else had been encased in clear ice overnight. The brilliance of sunlight refracting through the ice-covered twigs. The occasional, heartrending gunshot from the forest as a tree broke in half under the ice's added weight.

I took the opportunity of being somewhat stuck inside for the past two days to finish this image. I started work on it in July, lost it among my possessions for a long time and then rediscovered it a few weeks ago. It's probably the most ambitious watercolour I've attempted since entering college five years ago, and I'm still ambivalent regarding the outcome. Any comments are critique would be much appreciated.

9 x 12" on Strathmore. Ballpoint and Watercolour.

Submitting

The deadline on submissions for Spectrum 16 are on the 23rd, and I just mailed off my entry. This feels very big to me. For years I have leafed through Spectrum, ogling the artwork, peering in at an industry I only dreamed of being a part of. Submitting is very, very intimidating to me. But I did it, and now I wait for April and hope for the best.

I submitted a series, including my two prints 'Making Peace' and 'Returning Home', and this image here, 'Diplomacy'. A scratchboard I finished today, but felt belonged to that much earlier sequence.

Happy Winter, All!

A lot has been going on in my life of late, which has prevented me from being fully participatory on the internet. Nevertheless, I make my attempt.
Happy winter all, and best of luck struggling through the hard times the economy is presenting to us. May it improve soon.


Image: Perchta and the Wild Hunt.
My part of Evan and I's joint Winter holiday/New Year card.
Watercolour and ink.

Revivified

I seem to have a pattern. I work feverishly on something for a long period of time. Then I take 'a short break from it' because of other obligations. Then months go by.

I'm back to updating here, now. My newest thing to say is that one of my pieces ('Writing the Harvest', a large graphite drawing that hasn't been on here because it is several years old) is being published in GUD (Greatest Uncommon Denominator) Magazine (which is a pretty awesome literary/art mag all by itself, and should be checked out anyhow). This is the same piece that was nominated for a Chesley award about a year ago.
I'm thinking I need to work large-scale in graphite more often.

Obviously, this is very exciting to me. It's not much money, but publication and subsequent exposure is a very, very good thing for any artist, regardless of the paycheck. It will be in the Spring 2009 edition (volume 4). Good stuff.

In the meantime, I'll try to be updating this more often. The contract I was working on came to an end, and I've been looking for the next job. And moving, from Virginia to Annapolis, Maryland. All a little bit hectic. I still need to update with my BFA work, and intend to do so very soon. It's already uploaded, which should make this easier.

You'll hear more from me soon.

p.s. Some months ago I received a very sweet email from someone who follows me on Deviantart and apparently reads this blog. Before I had the chance to respond to it (I tend to sit on things and think about them for a little bit before getting back to them) it was lost to the depths of my Gmail account. I have not been able to find it, despite all my searching.
To the sender, sir, I did not think the email crazy or off-putting. I simply seem to have an undeveloped understanding of Gmail's 'archive' function, for unlabeled mail. I would be happy to hear from you again, so that I might actually respond to you.

My BFA is coming!

If anyone who reads this wanted "tangible" evidence that I am freaking the hell out of my mind right now, take a gander at the show card for my BFA. As much as I enjoy doing this sort of thing, I would be highly appreciative of not having such a close and stringent deadline for it all.
I would also be appreciative of not having the spring show this week, finals next week and my BFA the week after that.
And on top of all of that, I am attempting to fabricate some more work for a Steampunk show in Texas next month. This is why I am non responsive.

Any and all who are in Cleveland, though, please stop by my BFA while it's up. I'm putting a great deal of effort into it, and payoff would come in the form of impressed 'ooh's and 'aah's from the largest possible audience.

That plus a degree, I want one of those too.

I'm a little behind.

I know I said I'd post as soon as I got back from SGC. My excuse: my BFA is coming up, and the studio closes on the 25th, so I have to get all print and enameling work done by then. Craziness.

So, as if they haven't been already, things are going to be a tad slow on here.
I do want to break the silence a little with this well written and touching review of "For the bible tells me so.", a documentary on the misrepresentation of how homosexuality is portrayed in the bible.

The movie came through the Cinematheque at my school during a particularly grueling week last semester, and I missed it. I'm kicking myself even more for that now. Hopefully I'll be able to find it available in Blockbuster.