I Am Woman. Hear Me Scream.

As a female, your purpose is to carry life. Biologically speaking, it is what you are made for. Our religion has expectations for marriage, and to ignore them is to damn yourself. Add to that the desires of your family, and not being a mother is entirely unacceptable. Your opinions on the matter are inconsequential.
You are not in control of your life or your body. That control belongs to every young man you associate with. If none of them choose to marry you, you will be a disappointment to everyone.
The time spent preparing your hair and covering your face with makeup each morning is not a luxury. You have to make yourself seem appealing. You need to hide anything that makes you less than perfect.
Every month you fail to be in a relationship is a waste. It’s a waste of pain and a waste of potential. After all, that thing you just threw in the garbage could have grown to be a child.

That's my Artist's Statement. The only differences between what's above and what's hanging above the comment book are the font and the punctuation. In the version that's hanging in the gallery, I used a font that capitalized every letter, and I made all the periods red. As far as Artist's Statements go, I think it's just dandy.

And these were the pieces:

2 things: Alt-Space and No Make-up week

Hi, internet. I have some things to share. It's been a while.
You like my artwork, yes? Of course you do. Otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. So, first off, here's a picture.

Summertime

Summer is typically an unproductive time for me. Hopefully, when I get out of school and don't have these months designated as vacation/time to work at a real job and get money, this will change. For now though, all art is pretty much in the idea stage. Big ideas, but nothing tangible to show. I haven't done much visible stuff other than a bit of sketching.
Admittedly, June was busy. There was lots of living done, and personal things to try and deal with. Demons are still being fought, but I'm hoping for news in that area in the next week or so. Cross your fingers for me. July looks like it will be busy in a different way. Family things are on the horizon. Many wonderful, and even more wonderfully boring family things.
Anyway, the real reason I'm finally getting around to posting this is that a little over three weeks ago I finished my books. One has been given to my printmaking teacher. I'm waiting to find out what J.R. Goldberg's address is so I can send one her way. I will most defiantly keep one for shows and things. That leaves two to trade or, possibly, sell. I'm thinking about selling one on etsy to get money for my Send Trishelle To New York For The Spring Art Trip Fund or possibly the Give Trishelle Money So She Can Eat Because It's Healthy To Do That Every Once In A While And Sometimes She Gets Sick of Being So Skinny Fund.
This means I need to get my etsy store running. Which means I need to figure out what I'd really like to sell. I'd like to do some little, less expensive artworks. So cheap that my college attending friends might be able to get some of my art. I'm thinking of zines, but if you have any suggestions, comment and let me know, Peeps.
Also, my little brother said he'd help me get my website running. We'll see if that happens. I have a domain name, at least.
Okay. Fewer words now, more pictures. Here's the books.

Books

What went wrong, book? I tried to finish you. I pulled quite a few all-nighters. I worked very very hard. Why did everything go wrong? If the ink I used had dried, I would perhaps be finished with all 6 of you. But no. You had to make it difficult.
Okay. Admittedly, by the end I was thinking I'd be cutting it close. I just didn't figure that after a whole extra week in Ephraim working on printmaking and just printmaking that I'd only get one book done and because the ink was still wet it would be a piece of crap.
You suck, book. But by this time next month, you will be finished. Even if it will only be an edition of 5. You will be awesome when I'm finished with you.
More pictures of the crap book with the ink rubbing off all over the place after the jump.

One thing down.

Just a quick post to say I've finished carving all the keyblocks and letters for my Artists' Book. Excitement! It's all sintra again. The black is sharpie marker. I take a big chisel tipped one and see what kind of lines I just made right after I carve things. We'll see how well they print. Hopefully there's not too much unwanted noise.

I'm either making art or I'm a homicidal maniac. You can't tell from the pictures on this one.

You know what? Forget what I said about not having time to blog this month. I'm doing interesting stuff, and you need to see it. Also, after today, I'm either writing a blog or going to sleep, and it's only 9:30, so I'm going for the first option. Paper making is fun, but boy is it tiring! So, I'll tell you what I did today and yesterday. Yesterday, my day was devoted to this monotype.

Uploading

I know I said I wouldn't update again until the end of the semester, but it was all a filthy lie. (I do have about a million other things to do, so it'll be quick.)
On sunday, J.R. Goldberg talked to me on twitter, and long story short, we're gonna do a print trade. It seems wierd to say that so matter of factly, because usually I start to squeal and jump up and down a little when I talk about it. I must be getting tired.
To help her decide which piece of mine she wants to have, I took a bunch of pictures of my art. I'm not sure I'm quite done taking pictures, buts here's what I've taken so far. Not all of it's prints, since I figured I'd do this whole updating thing. So plug in your brains and prepare for the upload.

Art and a Chicken

It's that time of year. The weather's getting beautiful, and I don't have time to enjoy it. It's Finals Time!
On the left is today's progress on my maquette for my final in Printmaking 2, an Artists' Book. I still have quite a lot to do, and about 2 weeks to do it in.
I don't think I'll be able to update this again until I'm through with the semester, but it's only because I'm hard at work.

Oh, also, I forgot to mention, the student show is up in the main gallery in the school's humanities building right now. I submitted 5 pieces. All 5 made it in. I was, and am, very very happy about that. One of the pieces is the print that was in my first blog.


The chicken doesn't have to do with anything, but it was in my pictures and I figured I'd post it because it's funny. I got back from spring break and there was a chicken at our apartment complex. It was there for two days, until the R.A.s figured out who it belonged to. Then some kid came and grabbed it and took it home. I miss that chicken.

See you later, internet.

Funny Misshappen Body

Comic reviews, here I come! I have a million other things to do right now, so it may not be long, but I really do want to talk about this one. You'll probably have to keep in mind, I'm no professional at this. Just an Art student talking about what they dig.
This was the first book I bought in Seattle, and it was also the first comic I finished reading that I got. I had it with me in line for ECCC, so I'd have something to do while we waited. I did read a little of it, but I was so excited for my first con, I didn't get very far. That being said, waiting in that line was probably the only time I wouldn't want to read this thing. It's the first book by Jeffrey Brown I've ever read, and I'm sure it will not be the last.
It's so genuine. The story is human, and real. This is what I love about indie comics. It made me laugh aloud as much as Deadpool can, and it also made me think, and even to tear up a little. I hesitate in my own work to do straight up autobiographical stuff, because I worry that it's boring. But this is defiantly not boring. It's these kind of stories that show what we are as humans.
As an artist that wants to go into comics, there was lots of stuff in here for me to think about. I love seeing things I have in common with other artist, especially good ones. I don't know how anyone else would have reacted to the line "I tend to make the expressions I'm drawing" but I kind of jumped up in my seat, thinking "He does that too?" That wasn't the biggest one, though. Right off in the introduction, I knew I had something in common with Jeffrey Brown, more than that my last name was almost his first. The one constant desire in life was to be an artist. The first things remembered are drawing. Although most things I had in common with him were art related, it made me happy.
My favorite moment was what I have pictured here on the left, his depiction of when it all "clicked". The book is mostly about his evolution as an artist, and it's moments like this that make it all worthwhile. It helped me to realize that the good stuff is coming, whether I've figured out exactly what I want to do or not. I think for me personally, that click came a little sooner, but I'm still not exactly sure. Once again, I find something in common with him when it comes to art, and it makes the book something wondrous for me.
I don't know how anyone that doesn't do art would read this book. It's great for artists. I would think it would be fairly entertaining for others, but I just don't know. That sort of commonality is what really made the book for me. I guess a former binge drinker, or someone who had dealt with Crohn's Disease, or someone who wasn't attractive as a kid, or someone who was kind of obsessed with the opposite sex could get a similar sort of joy in finding someone else like them, I can't really say. All I can be sure of is that I absolutely loved it, and whether you're an artist or not, I'd recommend giving these book a shot. It's an impressive and unique beauty.
I haven't even talked about the art yet! It may seem crude or messy to some, and I'll admit that was my first reaction to Jeffrey Brown's drawings, but the more I look at it the more I love it. Knowing the process helps. I can't imagine doing an entire book like this without penciling things out. Now I look at the art and think it's really one of the best things about the book. I esspecially love the drawings of things I recognize, the Art History pieces and comics on the shelf have such an exciting feel when recreated in this style. He says it's for the immediacy, and it certainly feels that way. It's not overworked or glossy the way so much comic book artwork today is. It's a little funny looking and misshapen, and that's what makes it so beautiful.

Seattle

I just drew a little autobiographical comic. It covered the entire front and back of a sheet of paper, whereas they usually take up two lines of panels or so for me. It missed some stuff. So, I have discovered, there is no way on earth I can cover everything I did in Seattle in one blog post. The highlight was ComiCon, and that's kinda been covered. But I know that I have way too much to talk about to get to all of it, so I'll just cover a few things.

(lots of pictures and words after the jump)

Emerald City

I'm in Seattle with other art department in my school for a trip they take every spring break. Last year I went to Chicago with them. Next year their going to New York, but I don't think I'll be able to afford that trip. For this one, I found out a week or so before we left that I would have the chance to meet two of my favorite artists, get things signed by them and others, and just nerd out at my first comic convention.
By a very lucky coincidence, I happened to be in town at the same time as the Emerald City ComiCon. Jhonen Vasquez (the guy who's work got me into comics) was there for a signing, as was the illustrator for his most recent work, Jellyfist, J.R. Goldberg. She was really super nice. I think I freaked out Jhonen a bit because I couldn't wrap my tongue around what I wanted to tell him and just sounded a bit like a confused idiot. Oh well. I got a hug from Jenny, anyway.

I moved, so I'm a bit blurry. But here I am, acting like a geek next to my favorite artist. Before reading Johnny The Homicidal Maniac, I thought comics were just Sunday funnies, superheros, and Manga. I read it during a little goth phase in high school, and it just opened my eyes to a whole world of art I'd never noticed. I kept thinking "I want to do THIS." So now, that's the plan. Kinda. A Mormon-friendly version, perhaps. That's what I tried to say, and I failed. But it's okay. I was just happy to get Jellyfist and a Zim DVD signed. I got two other people to buy a copy of Jellyfist, too.


I got a moleskin and some buttons from her, and got to actually stand and talk for a few minutes. I guess there's a plus to not having cash and having to go to an ATM and come back. I only got in a few words while the line was still moving. I think Jenny was quite possibly the coolest person at ECCC, and she most defiantly had the coolest hair. She mixes up the color herself.

I'll post more pictures of the crazy people and my load of stuff I bought later. I'll also try to do justice in blog form to this whole week long trip and the drive here and back. For now though, I'm off.

Today

Hello, internet. This is Trishelle. And this is what I did today.

I'm currently taking a Printmaking 2 class. It's pretty great. We needed an edition of 6 0n this piece, and I finished printing them this afternoon. One of the nice things about Snow is that we have 24 access to all the studios as art majors. So from before noon until about 7:30 this evening, I was printing nonstop. Saturdays are good workdays.
A couple of papers tore when I was printing the wood matrix (the color under everything), but only one of them made me upset, since the second time it happened it was practically as soon as I touched the barren to the paper, so there wasn't too much time wasted. I also managed to get in one print of the keyblock alone before heading out.
A roommate was in a thing at 8, so I went to support her, and didn't have time to pull an extra proof with the woodblock. I'm really slow at printing by hand. I kept eying the printing press, wishing I could use it.
I really like the keyblock on this one. I may do a different edition of it, seeing as I really dig the keyblock but don't care too much for the wood. All the bras, the sort of horror of it all. You can tell the girl is a complete stick, too, which was important. It's meant to be a sort of self portrait of me at a young age. I had the grandma glasses, and I had no boobs.
Next, we have close ups and progress shots. Yay.