xoelle » art

sneak peek

admin — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:54:57 +0000

ssshhh! Don’t tell anyone! These are the test prints for the 2009 Hawker family Hoopfest shirts. I adore test printing, mostly because I like printing on “scrap” paper and hugely because I really love my subject.

We are leaving shortly for Spokane via New Orleans/Salt Lake City. Garth is doing the dishes and I am packing and we should be on the road within the hour. I hope to be able to update from Spokane, but if I don’t, know that I’ll spill when I get back!

lots o’ love.
laura. =)

observation

admin — Mon, 29 May 2006 18:55:04 +0000

I know that I’m different. It must be on my mind lately as I’ve written about it a few times here. I feel normal and right within myself, but I don’t fit in with the rest of the world. I notice things. I see the way that the spily milkshake makes an intersting pattern on the floor at work. I can hear the conversation of the students across the room, even as I’m reading my book. I can sense the connections between individuals as they walk next to each other into a store. Mostly, the things that I observe in detail are visual. You can find me mesmerized by a pattern that others would find meaningless. I am intensly curious about how things are made, how things have come to be. What materials made this? How are those materials manipulated? Who refined the technique? What circumstances is it now manufactured under? Every question leads to another question until the thing I know the best is that I don’t know very much. This is the preface to my story, or maybe the explanation as to why this event seemed so strange to me.
I got off work at Red Robin last night and stopped by Wal*Mart to pick up some photos. I was in full Red Robin regalia: dark jeans, non-slip black shoes, dark blue embroidered polo with the Red Robin logo loud and proud, nametag, buttons, and apron. So imagine me, and the unbelief that comes over me when not one, but two people ask me to help them locate items, within a five minute period. It shouldn’t surprise me. It happens almost everytime I’m at Wal*Mart in my Red Robin uniform. I am just amazed how the powers of observation have failed my fellow shoppers. Surely, if the large Red Robin logo and nametage didn’t do it, the handful of purchases, car keys, and wallet in my hand would be enough to let anyone know that I was not in fact working there. The first time it happened a lady actually stopped me in my long, fast-walking stride to ask me where the photoalbums were. When I told her that I didn’t work here, she looked confused. A minute or two later, while I was browsing the hair color section a man kept staring at me, and when I looked his direction he asked me where the sunscreen was. I did my best to look baffled and exasperated, but he continued to stand, open mouth in front of me. So I sighed, told him that I thought they were in the seasonal aisle, pointed him in the right direction and continued by saying, “but I’m not sure since I don’t work here”. He was gone before I finished uttering these words.

It is minute meetings like this that remind me that my everyday wonder and observation is not universal. Maybe it’s this lack of observation that makes people ask my sister and I if we’re twins. We are asked so often that now it’s a joke between us. The better part of the joke comes when we tell people that we are seven years apart and they gasp and then ask, “which one of you is older?” This has happened more times than I can count.
If anyone ever asked me why I teach art…I’d probably tell them that I do it so that I can make money, so that I can make my own art. But why teaching art when there are other ways to make money? It’s because I have found such wonder through observation, through noticing detail, intricacies, patterns. It is these observations that make my own work more interesting. I think they make everything more intersteing and theirin lies the answer to the original question, if asked by the principal of a school and answered by me trying to secure a job. “I teach art, Mr. Shiny-Desk-Man because I believe that first observation, and then expression makes the experinece of life more enjoyable. I teach art because it is the way that we communicate the best parts about being human. I teach art because it can enrich every moment of one’s life…even the idle moments spent looking at the milkshake spilt on the floor”. By the time I have finished this impassioned little speech however, Mr Shiny-Desk-Man will understand that we are vastly different and the interview will effectively be over.

=) elle!

Robots and Mrs. Darcy

admin — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 05:14:16 +0000

This is a portion of the painting that I finished for Nate today. =) He’ll receive it shortly. =) It’ll make his head swirly. What you can’t see is that this painting is “packaged” in vinyl.
Something about today was renewing to me. I’m not sure if it was the long run, the short day at work, the hot shower, or the cookie-making and chick movie with my Mom. (ok..we watched “Pride and Prejudice”… and they stole one of my fantasies at the end…maybe it’s a common one. I’ve always thought of how sweet it would be to hear myself called after the name of my husband, especially in his voice. The guys in charge of this movie got the moment just right! =)
Spring is around the corner! I love this time of year, it fuels me. =)
*hugs*
laura. =)

I’m not married to my Dad

admin — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 03:56:40 +0000

I’ll tell you a secret. I’m an art teacher. *grin* that’s not the secret! The secret is that I can’t draw very well! I made my way through college (and a BFA program) without having to draw too much by claiming a style that didn’t require too much precision. =) These are my drawings from student teaching today. They are items from Mr. Tyler-Babkirk’s desk.
I appreciate that in 2006 we retain the distinction between Miss, Mrs. and Ms. I like that I’m a MIss. I like that can state my marriage situation by adding a few letters to the front of my name. I love that I am still called after my Father’s name. It drives me nuts when students call me, “Mrs. Hawker”. I can handle, “Miss… Um….what’s your name?”, and “Miss Haewl…”, but calling me the name that my Mother earned when she married my Dad is just not right. It always makes the students laugh when I point out that I am, in fact, not married to my Dad.
While I dearly love being a Miss, and pride myself on graduating from BYU-Idaho with only an AA dregree, and not an MRS degree… it’s time. I think. Do you think it’s time?
There’s something romatic about taking the name of the man that you love. I am old-fashioned. I’m eager to start stitching my Monograms. Who’s initial shall I add?
I’ve always liked B…and tomorrow, I’ll prove it. =)
love all y’all. Really.

*heart*
elle!

Mr B’s wisdom

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 02:52:05 +0000

I was a newbie teacher, and he was the outspoken English teacher across the hall. We were both new to the school. Our frequent and lengthy conversations in my classroom interested the students, who seemed to enjoy pretending to be embarrased if they caught us together during lunch. His name was Douglass Broulliard. He was for me a mentor and friend. He appeared in my life at the right time. In our conversations he placed several bits of wisdom in my head and heart but one was so timely that I took it home and spray-painted it on the wall of my studio: “be here”. Doug knew that my mind and heart were not in Everett. He could sense the weight and depth of my spirit and knew that most of me was far away. His encouragement to pour myself into my students and new life in Everett was just what I needed to hear…and somehow, I still need to hear it.
I left Everett and Mariner High School, and Douglass Broulliard and followed my head and heart to San Diego. I couldn’t stay. I’m back in Spokane…but most of me is still in San Diego. I somehow imagine that if I were there things would be different…I would be more fulfilled, I would be less frustrated…
I know that line of thinking is wrong. Geography won’t change my situation. My life is lived where I breathe. The distance that I feel separates me from where I want to be cannot be measured in miles. It’s not about miles. It’s never been about miles. I love flying. If I could bridge the distance by hopping on a plane…I would do it as often as neccesary. *grin* It’s good to remind myself of that. I’m willing to go the distance, whatever the distance.
Be here. Bloom where you’re planted.
Thanks Doug. *sends cookies through students* You made my year warmer. Even now, your words are making me smile and keeping me diligent.

This detail, btw, is from a painting that I just finished entitled, “so far away”. Painting it kinda got my mind thinking about these things (and teaching my first primary lesson today!- yup! I’m a primary teacher!).
love you folks!
*hugs*
elle

twentyfour

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 07:24:02 +0000

I am a freak about record-keeping. I’ve been keeping paper journals daily since I was about 13. I have tons of them. I’m afraid of losing memories, I’m afraid that by not documenting in some way, it will be forgotten. I also take photos and video like crazy. I wanted to do something special for the millenial year…2001. What I chose to do was a kind of strange journal-keeping ritual. I videotaped myself for about 4 minutes a day, doing whatever I was doing. I did this everyday at a specified time. I started on Jan 1st, 2001 at 12:00:00 and ended on December 31, 2001 at 11:59:59. Everyday in between followed the previous day at the time that it stopped. So, at the end of the year, I had 24 hours of videotape documenting an entire day of my life…taken from everyday of the entire year. It was such a fun project. I’ve done others…a photograph of myself as I leave the house every morning, taped into my journal with the time of departure, and my destination…and there will be more. I’m working on one right now actually. =)
I’m posting that project from 2001 here….the twentyfour hours crammed into about 6 minutes (thanks Josh for getting it into this format!)…just for fun. I’ve been thinking about this lately because one of the themes of my life is everyday. I believe that the biggest things that we do as human beings are the things that we consistantly do over and over, not the one time courageous acts. Anyone who’s married can tell you that a marriage is everyday, not wedding day. Getting married is a big thing yes…. but loving your spouse and staying commited to him or her happens daily, and it happens hundereds of more times than your wedding day. By small and simple things, great things are brought to pass (10 points if you can tell me who said that!).
The other theme word that I like is today. If I learned one thing while doing this project, it was that you can’t capture the best memories. I was proposed to on May 16th, 2001. The four minutes that I filmed that day didn’t coincide with the two minutes that I spent staring at a beautiful man, down on one knee, asking me to marry him. I couldn’t dictate when the best parts of my life were going to happen, and I couldn’t videotape them all. So I learned to live today. I learned to enjoy the moments that used to seem mundane…I learned to simply cherish extra special times when they arrived, and I learned to hold on dearly to those few people in this world who, when I’m with them, always seem to create magic. It’s all in you.
Thanks for listening. =) Y’all rock.
xoxo
elle

in progress

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 20:25:15 +0000

How precious is the time that I get to create! My focus right now is on other things, but I’m making this piece for a friend, and it’s such a wonderful fun break for me to work on! He gave me the word “robots” to start from…and soon you shall see the final!
great days! I’m off to a really long shift at Red Robin!
lauraelizabethhawker. =)