Les Visages

So i have this weakness...it's unlike other weaknesses in that it's something i can fall prey to in almost any place or time or situation...

i love love looking at peoples faces...the turn of a cheekbone, the wrinkles around the eyes, the curve of the nose in a profile, the way lips make little dimples in the corners of the mouth...
it usually isn't too awkward...until i find myself staring at an individual so intently i don't realize they are looking back at me...often looking a bit uncomfortable...he he...
This fascination with studying faces is ony surpassed by my utter delight in drawing them. There is something about the challenge of capturing the spark that makes a person not only physically unique and believable, but alive, like you can tell what kind of a personality they'd have or what they would sound like if they spoke to you.


I know i haven't posted much of my artwork here but i hope to remedy that. i have this weird thing about not liking to show people my stuff...but then i have to ask myself why i do it if no one ever sees it.
i don't know. it drives my friends at school crazy. :P

Plus, drawing (and painting) plays such a huge part in what i think and love to do...it's just kind of natural i'd put some of it on my blog. so voila. These are just some of my figure studies...i'll put up more things later. This one is a wee bit crooked...oh well.


So, i like drawing the figure. It's one of the most beautiful expressions of God's handiwork i have ever come across...it almost makes one afraid to attempt to interpret it into a few smears of graphite on paper! But i treat my drawings as almost an act of worship...that searching for beauty and care in even the old and unattractive (which i actually prefer sometimes to just a pretty girl) never ceases to ignite a fire within me.

And i always start with the face...i must get the face right or the entire drawing will bother me...no matter how nice he hands look or how well-rendered the knees are. Sometimes that drives my teachers crazy ;)

Anyway, that's my little rant for today. My spring break is over as of tomorrow and i'm driving back this evening. Homework all day tomorrow! hooray!

Oh, and congrats to Ariel over at

BitterSweetLife

on the birth of his new son! Everyone go see!

colleen

Je m'appelle...

My 3 favorite girls names...

Elanor (<<< Tolkien's spelling)

Madeleine

Olivia

If i'm ever blessed with children, marriage, etc. etc...
Don't you dare steal them.

Haven't really decided on boys yet...i like the name Nicodemus. (:

SNOW!

Today my lovely friend Katie dropped by for a visit while i was at home this weekend. While she was showing me pictures from her recent trip to Spain, her cell phone rang...
Katie: "What? No way! Seriously?" etc...
She hung up and looked at me.
"It's snowing in Montrose!!"
My mouth dropped open in surprise..."What?!"
Montrose is about 5 minutes west of where i live...so we excitedly grabbed our jackets and cameras and ran out to drive in search of this rare phenomenon.

About 10 minutes later, we were squealing at sight of the opaque greyness hovering over the hills ahead of us. It was snow falling!

Literally on the edge of our seats, we searched for the main thoroughfare cutting up into the mountains, and upon finding it, began our ascent.
It started raining. "Well that's a good sign," i said.
about a half minute later, the rain got harder.
"Is it hail?" said Katie. It wasn't.
I must admit, i was a bit skeptical. I had never seen snow in our area in all my life. I was about to voice my doubt when suddenly i noticed that the rain was no longer...rain...
It was snow.
The Innocence Mission played out of my car stereo as we drove further up into the hills, adding to the mysterious beauty emerging around us as lawns, trees, cars and rooftops were blanketed with a pure whiteness virtually alien to my Southern Californian mentality. It got harder to steer, as the street was covered with slush, and after a few minutes i pulled over and we got out.
It was quiet. I'm completely unaccustomed to water in any form falling from the sky...and not making a sound. It was incredible...it was magical.


We drove until the road ended, and looked into a deep ravine swirling with millions of peices of white. There were 4 ecstatic children out throwing snowballs in jeans, cheerleading skirts and jackets. It crunched under my feet.
I picked it up...it was soft.

We returned shortly to the house and picked up my sister to get some hot chocolate and drive back up again so she could see it. But alas...
It was gone. It had literally melted away. As quickly as snow in Southern California.
wait...

When Katie and i were driving down the hill earlier after our excursion, we gazed clear out over the city, at the mountains, the whiteness and the light and the clouds and she said,
"What a beautiful world God made."
He did.

It makes me wonder what it must have been like before humanity fell, that there can be such magnificence and glory in such a bent (as the Malacandrians would put it) version of creation. I feel like i see little peices of paradise all around me...cherry blossoms, clouds, sparkling blue ocean, gnarled trees, hot drinks on cold days, rolling mountains, the smell of grass, hummingbirds, singing, stars, the touch of a hug, snow...

What could possibly await us when this life is over that is INFINITELY better than all these things?


That's what hope is. That's what love is...
i don't know. I know i'm not as eloquent as some people when it comes to expressing my own thoughts and often i don't even fully understand exactly what it is i'm trying to say.
I guess it just makes me happy. Just purely joyful. I don't feel that enough...and today i did. how lovely...

This was a lot longer than i thought it would be...! i'm going to bed now...

thank you thank you Lord, i don't deserve it

Glorious...

This is where i go to school...isn't that crazy??
Actually LCAD is about 3 minutes inland...but still. I'm so blessed. It has been gorgeous here the last few weeks, and i've thouroughly enjoyed many a chilly sunny windy day eating lunch and reading on top of the cliffs by the ocean...right where i took that picture, actually.
I should paint it.

The Lord is good...