Diane’s World

I was actually going to put a rap song as the song of the week, but I came to a sad realization that rap music has terrible lyrics. And I don’t mean terrible as in dirty (well, some of the time), but terrible as in… stupid.

So this week is Nickel Creek… this song brings back high school memories. It’s a good band, and This Side has phenomenal lyrics.

Anyways, my mom requested an update. SO here it goes:

What else do I do but A WHOLE TON OF ART! (I know you are all getting uber excited about art… right? I’m just hoping that someday somehow I can manage to influence somebody to be interested in art…I hope.)
1) I’m learning how to weld. Not going so great so far - all I managed to do is get a bunch of melted sautering metal and a few burns on my hands. Urg.

2) This painting:

turned into this painting.

yes there are changes. They are subtle - but this painting is all about subtleties. And there are about an hour of work from the first painting to the second. I know - you think it’s crazy.
I understand that most people who haven’t studied art/contemporary art history don’t understand this painting.

Let me give you a few hints how to look at it:

I asked you this earlier: if this painting were 3D, which part would be the closest to you? My sister Sarah answered very well:

-The warmer colors (red, yellow, orange) phsychologially pop out at you, and the cool colors recede.

But that’s not all. Here are other factors to take into consideration:

-Solid blocks of color compared to layered/multi colored ones

- Straight edges compared to fuzzy/diffused edges

- The brightness/mudiness of the color

- Contrasting two similar colors compared to contrasting to opposite colors (red next to green will pop at you much more than red next to orange.)

-What happens to the depth when one layer overlaps another?

There are many other things that I thought about while creating this piece, and if you want to, you should spend some time looking at the painting and try to figure out how your brain translates the colors. Think of it as a playground for your eyes.
One of my missions is to help people understand non-representational artwork, and all the wonderful things it can do. I don’t dismiss realistic art - it definitely has it’s place - but I want people to start being able to look at modern art in a way that they feel they can understand it.

If you would like to start understanding modern art better, come and talk to me. I would love to answer any questions and help you learn how you are to look at abstract art.

3) I worked more on my large-scale painting!

This sucker:

Turned into THIS:

I’m very excited for this painting to progress… you have no idea. It’s going to look amazing - even non-art majors will appreciate it. Or at least I hope so?

4) I made a video for my dad on a very short notice. Click here to see the video. This video is in attempt to recruit people to go to the World Journalism Institute - what I did last summer. If you are interested in Journalism - especially how to be a christian journalist in a secular news room, you should definitely check it out. This institute changed my life.

5) Along with welding, I’m experimenting with the wonderful media of plaster. You have no idea how entertaining a little bit of plaster can be! I plan to mess around with it a lot this semester, so be prepared!

OK I know you are all getting sick of art.

Sorry about that - what else can you expect from an art major with extreme passion for what she does?
My mom probably wants to know how real life for me is.

Well lots have been happening.

1) I’m getting really good at baking/cooking. Good thing I work out 3-5 times a week… or else I’d look like the venus of Womeldorf:

(ha! i just made an art joke!)

I hope I have a family someday so I can have a reason for making lots of food. Too bad a woman has to chose between a career and a family these days. Arg.

I make some pretty mean sticky rolls - yup, completely from scratch - which is always the best. Infact, I just took a batch out of the oven and they look nummy. If you want one, come over to C7 before they all get eaten by my other friends.

2) I recieved news today that “Cow”, my beloved Siamese fighting fish, is dying. I’m very sad to hear this news. Poor Cow - he  won’t even live to see his first birthday. You were a great fish, Cow (even though I know you aren’t dead yet).

Sarah, make sure he gets the best darn toilet-bowl funeral you can give.

3) We had the equality riders stop by Dordt’s campus today. The equality riders are a troupe of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, and Transgender people and supporters.  They drive around in a tour bus, visiting Christian colleges all around the country that have a policy against practicing homosexuals.

Some stupid Dordt kids vandalized thier bus - telling them that God doesn’t love them, and putting crude language all around it. Honestly, I am losing faith in Christians these days. Act mature you dumbos! Of course God loves Homosexual people!
I went to the talk and I definitely changed some of my views on homosexual people. (If you disagree with me on anything, go ahead and tell me - I’m still formulating my views. Also a lot of what i’m saying is a repeat of of what Pastor Aaron Bart said)

What I decided is that we tend to be extra disgusted by homosexuality because it’s a sin that most of us can’t even imagine wanting to commit. However, is homosexuality much worse than some other sins that we tend to be neutral about.

1st Corinthians 6:9-10 says:

9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Isn’t it interesting that homosexuality is on the same list as slanders, drunkards, swindlers, theves, idolaters, and sexually immoral people?

I don’t think the question is if we are too harsh on Homosexuality, but rather, are we too apathetic about the other sins? Sure we think homosexuality is disgusting - perhaps because we don’t experience it, perhaps because we aren’t exposed to it as much. But shouldn’t drunkedness, theivery, greed and slander be just as disgusting to us?

I think we Christians need to work on being more consistant. We need to embrace our homosexual brothers/sisters just as we evil and filthy sinners want to be embraced by the church. Pastor Bart made a good point - shouldn’t the church be the first people opening our arms to the homosexuals? If Jesus came to earth again, those would be the first people he would hang out with. So why are we so easy to condemn them, and so easy to pass off the sins that are more often around us?

The equality riders did try to argue that Homosexuality isn’t a sin. I’m not even going to touch that one… what does a bible have to say to make ANYTHING concrete?

Leviticus 18:22 say:

“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”

Ok? Response? How is that not a command?

OK… I’m off my soapbox. Tell me if you agree/disagree. I’m open to anything.

Wow that was a long wordy post. Chances that you read everything all the way down to this point are very slim. Props to people who did read it all (I love you mom)/

Anyways, I have a killer weekend staring at me in the face. I plan to make a lot of art. Lots of it. So much of it, that maybe I’ll hate it by Sunday. Ha! like that’s possible.

Ok I must go to bed.

Have a good weekend y’all.

Diane Marie