Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Two Thousand Ten
The Pinders
After leaving Purchase, I chose to take time off before deciding where I wanted to go to school. To stay supported and inspired, I called my dad's first cousin's family in Harrisburg, PA. The Pinders are dedicated to serving the community through the episcopal church and have a son Rhys and a daughter Kristina, adopted from Russia. I managed to keep above my post Purchase funk by becoming temporarily apart of and helping the family. I volunteered as an art teacher's assistant for the church school. Churchill and Sally encouraged me to find a job and establish my own independence while staying with them. Sally suggested doing portraits at Hershey Park because it's close to the area. I looked online, made a phone call, and before i knew it I was going through some training classes to learn the technique of the portraits.
Oma
My mom and I intended to stay a week in Naples, Florida in March during my mom's spring break to visit my grandmother. I left Pennsylvania a lot more stable than I arrived. I finally made the decision to go to the Maryland Institute College of Art and felt confident with my choice. I had my accepted application from the previous year reopened and managed to get in my scholarship applications just before we left for Florida. The beach was exactly what I needed to pull out from under the weather (there were actually several feet of snow and ten snow days in Baltimore this year). My grandmother (Oma) is the ninety five year old mother of five (my mom is the youngest), grandmother of say twenty five (I'm the youngest), and great grandmother of about a dozen (the oldest is three years older than me). While her ninety year old sister lived ten minutes away at a fancy retirement home called Moorings Park, Oma lived in the same house she's always rented six months of the year alone. Everyone encouraged her to live at Moorings with her sister but she continued to make excuses about money, which clearly was not the issue. A retirement home was too regimental for Oma, she preferred her independence. Oma living alone concerned my mother. What if she fell? We discussed assisted living, the possibility of a roommate, etc. To me these options sounded expensive and impersonal. Once we left, Oma would be alone until she went back to Pittsburgh at the beginning of May. As the week sadly came closer to an end, we noticed Oma's knee, which she had surgery on thirty years ago, had swelled up. We took her to the hospital and the nurse detected a fever. The doctor had to remove the fluid and she stayed for three nights. As we were checking out, the doctor said Oma could not live alone and must either find somebody or go to a nursing home. She looked shocked and upset. "Hey, Oma, why don't I just stay with you?" I offered. "Besides, I'm currently out of school and have the time. I'll stay with you until you go back to Pittsburgh. I can drive you where you need go, check your blood pressure, and help you remember where, what and who. Most of all I can just keep you company." I'm impatient, and she did not look ready to give me an answer right away. I said, "interview Thursday at five?" She laughed and said "first lets see how well you drive."
And so I stayed. My mom flew back to Baltimore and shipped me some more clothes and art supplies. My uncle called to check in on Oma as he usually does. I answered the phone and happily told him I'd be staying with her. I wasn't too concerned that he didn't seem to share my excitement until my mom told me he was worried this wasn't a good idea. I would get bored, tired of old ladies and sick of Oma and her somewhat judgemental comments. My mom was more worried I wasn't mature enough for this responsibility. I immediately got defensive and took all of this into consideration. Oma took me shopping for items to keep me busy: new running shoes, painting materials and books. I gathered the courage to knock on the neighbor's door and ask for his WiFi password, which he graciously offered. Taking care of Oma was easier yet more exhausting than I predicted. Checking her blood pressure and pills was no big deal, but constantly reminding her and keeping her updated with what was going on with our schedule kept me busy. She dwelled on her calendar, which consisted mostly of dinner dates with her sister at Moorings Park and upcoming doctor and dentist apointments.
After a few weeks and more than a month left I realized that my mom and uncle were right. If I wanted to last in an environment dedicated to old people, I had to find someone closer to my age to spend time with. So, on the beach one day, I met Matt.
After leaving Purchase, I chose to take time off before deciding where I wanted to go to school. To stay supported and inspired, I called my dad's first cousin's family in Harrisburg, PA. The Pinders are dedicated to serving the community through the episcopal church and have a son Rhys and a daughter Kristina, adopted from Russia. I managed to keep above my post Purchase funk by becoming temporarily apart of and helping the family. I volunteered as an art teacher's assistant for the church school. Churchill and Sally encouraged me to find a job and establish my own independence while staying with them. Sally suggested doing portraits at Hershey Park because it's close to the area. I looked online, made a phone call, and before i knew it I was going through some training classes to learn the technique of the portraits.
Oma
My mom and I intended to stay a week in Naples, Florida in March during my mom's spring break to visit my grandmother. I left Pennsylvania a lot more stable than I arrived. I finally made the decision to go to the Maryland Institute College of Art and felt confident with my choice. I had my accepted application from the previous year reopened and managed to get in my scholarship applications just before we left for Florida. The beach was exactly what I needed to pull out from under the weather (there were actually several feet of snow and ten snow days in Baltimore this year). My grandmother (Oma) is the ninety five year old mother of five (my mom is the youngest), grandmother of say twenty five (I'm the youngest), and great grandmother of about a dozen (the oldest is three years older than me). While her ninety year old sister lived ten minutes away at a fancy retirement home called Moorings Park, Oma lived in the same house she's always rented six months of the year alone. Everyone encouraged her to live at Moorings with her sister but she continued to make excuses about money, which clearly was not the issue. A retirement home was too regimental for Oma, she preferred her independence. Oma living alone concerned my mother. What if she fell? We discussed assisted living, the possibility of a roommate, etc. To me these options sounded expensive and impersonal. Once we left, Oma would be alone until she went back to Pittsburgh at the beginning of May. As the week sadly came closer to an end, we noticed Oma's knee, which she had surgery on thirty years ago, had swelled up. We took her to the hospital and the nurse detected a fever. The doctor had to remove the fluid and she stayed for three nights. As we were checking out, the doctor said Oma could not live alone and must either find somebody or go to a nursing home. She looked shocked and upset. "Hey, Oma, why don't I just stay with you?" I offered. "Besides, I'm currently out of school and have the time. I'll stay with you until you go back to Pittsburgh. I can drive you where you need go, check your blood pressure, and help you remember where, what and who. Most of all I can just keep you company." I'm impatient, and she did not look ready to give me an answer right away. I said, "interview Thursday at five?" She laughed and said "first lets see how well you drive."
And so I stayed. My mom flew back to Baltimore and shipped me some more clothes and art supplies. My uncle called to check in on Oma as he usually does. I answered the phone and happily told him I'd be staying with her. I wasn't too concerned that he didn't seem to share my excitement until my mom told me he was worried this wasn't a good idea. I would get bored, tired of old ladies and sick of Oma and her somewhat judgemental comments. My mom was more worried I wasn't mature enough for this responsibility. I immediately got defensive and took all of this into consideration. Oma took me shopping for items to keep me busy: new running shoes, painting materials and books. I gathered the courage to knock on the neighbor's door and ask for his WiFi password, which he graciously offered. Taking care of Oma was easier yet more exhausting than I predicted. Checking her blood pressure and pills was no big deal, but constantly reminding her and keeping her updated with what was going on with our schedule kept me busy. She dwelled on her calendar, which consisted mostly of dinner dates with her sister at Moorings Park and upcoming doctor and dentist apointments.
After a few weeks and more than a month left I realized that my mom and uncle were right. If I wanted to last in an environment dedicated to old people, I had to find someone closer to my age to spend time with. So, on the beach one day, I met Matt.
Not Yet Posted
1. "Caution"
2009, 60" x 36," oil
My final painting for Carver.
2. "Carl"
2009, 24" x 22," acrylic
3. "Simple Forms"
2009, 8" x 7" x 13.5," plaster cast
done for sculpture 1 at SUNY Purchase
Fall, SUNY Purchase
I started my freshman year at SUNY Purchase College in White Plains, New York. I left two weeks shy of the first semester's end. Here is the work I produced during this time.
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