Cleaning out...

Love quote of the day:

He is not a lover who does not love forever
-- Euripides

I've been cleaning out some 'old stuff' I've had hanging around for a year or so now.

Once upon a time ago, I'd high, maybe even 'forever' hopes for it.

But.

You know what they say about time - it tells!
And shit smells -
and that's a fact, Jack.

I think old Euripides is spot on with his time table - one sure fire way to separate out the pure heart from the pretender izzant it?

Did it? Will it? Does it - stand the test of time?

Business Math

Easiest course of the entire semester.
Last classroom session & testing were this morning.
I didn't get any sleep last night...
I think I ran into a wicked batch of chiggers cutting across the green zones from parking lots to classrooms.
I was up at 4am googling for remedies!
Still... I passed the semester in this class with a 99%.
I'm estatic about that, as I'd missed a test, back in February.
(I was mind-numbingly sick, so I didn't call the Teach. in advance of my absence. I just laid-in that moring, waiting to die.)
Then I find out - The teacher's policy: no make up tests!
She did provide "bonus" work for those wanting to improve their GPAs.
I did every one of those dang bonus assignments.
What a deal.
Miss one whole test and I still made it to one tick off of 100%.
I'm way happy right now.
{BEAM!} =)
Ok.
I got the tough classes to study for now and 3 labor intensive "final projects" to sweat out.
I got resumes to get out, too.
Luckily, I' ve just a few scant updates to add to what I've already got there.
(I will not have a job past May 4, unless someone hires me real quick!)
Head up - armed and ready...
Here I go again.

dP- back2basic design

I went back to the basics.
I RARELY, if ever sign my work with my full name.
I have always used my initials.
I've signed art pieces this way for over 30 years now.
This reverse logo sizes nicely and is as easily recognized at a miniscule size, 1/4 inch or less.
Looks just as well (I think) at full page size.

The one with the rainbow gradients doesn't size down as well.
But -
I like the little bit of pizzaz those gradients give it.
.
God has given me various blessing over the years.
One of the best was the bow he hung in a cloudless, pure, blue sky - the day I was baptised, full emersion, in his Son's name. Let me know 3 things that day:
1 - He keeps His promises. (I've been lied to alot.)
and
2 - He was well pleased with my entry into His kingdom through that watery gate.
and
3 - So long as the children of men will exercise their faith, miracles will never cease. (I, for one, am Hap-hap-happy 'bout that!)
.
P.S.: If you are interested, I edited the 'Snitch in Time' post below. You can grab a print from the jpeg - if you want it.
=) Cheerios2U!

A Snitch in Time

*Edit: I jumped a version compatible to blogger. Just look at that variance in RGB (color mode!) from a jpeg to a scanned printing. Quite a bit of compromise in quality, isn't there?
Feel free, btw to copy / print the cleaner version here. You might change color mode to CMYK before you print, but then again, you might not. ;) Cheerios, people!
.
The assignment: Create a clock using Adobe Illustrator program. Illustrator has a 3D tool that we were also instructed to apply to the design.

I apologize for the image quality here. I forgot to jump a version out of .ai and into another file assignment compatible with Blogger. So I scanned the test print I brought home with me and we see here a little dithering around the halos. I got those cool things using something called the sparks tool. I also hand drew the key line, which was a nice after thought, that I intend to keep- on the saved version at the Mac Lab.

I took my inspiration from where we 'get time' in the first place. Time as we know it, being derived from the movements of the cosmosphere. Circles & Sphere's being my favorite shapes... I felt I should give it a feeling of movement. And, it needed wings so it could fly - like my time so often does. That's what I used the 3D extruder on, btw, wings. I liked the effect I got out of it. I alos fell in love with those halos. An amazing effect, thankyou sparks tool. I know this scan doesn't do them justice. Trust me. behind the black face, is a gleaming orb, as brilliant as our own dear sun. This thing originally started as an abstracted pull from JKRowling's Snitches. The fast flying orb in Harry Potter's Quibbage matches. They're so fanciful, elusive, and highly prized. (Worth 150 points whom ever catches the snitch wins the game for their house.) I added the black face because I wanted the time (lines & circle markers) to show up better. I wanted to give the face numbers, but then numbers are limiting - aren't they? And, well, your time is not my time is not their time is not THE time etc... I didn't want to put any limiting factors on this time piece, rather I wanted it to feel expansive.

I played a little, to try to get rid of the dithers, something which goes away almost entirely when you use a dutone filter like "old photo". I liked this effect so I saved a version of it too.

May time forever be on your side, my friends!
Love and (fierce) Hugs,
D.~

(It's Friday. Time is always shorter than what we think it is. Who doesn't want a fierce hug?)

Adobe - PE2

We got to play with Adobe Photoshop Elements 2, today in Desktop Publishing class. =)

Holy Mother of Pearl, Batman, I think I'm gonna name this one "Splatter"!

Li'l Scavengers

Nice.
Big time nice.
Seriously.
I couldn't have asked for - nor planned, a better Easter day than yesterday.

Mild temperature - almost hot towards the late afternoon.
Everybody came to my house.

I declared pot-luck so we all shared in the joy of bringing something to the table.

Favorite family members gathered around, (including that new baby!).
EVERYone getting along well, enjoying each other's company.
And the kids? Perfect blends of courtesy, curiosity, and cuteness!

I wanted to give my niece a set of those story eggs I blogged about last Easter. I didn't have time, with all the other preparations, to gather everything together for them. Then I thought, "Why not make a game out of it with the kids?" soooo that's exactly what we did! And they really seemed to enjoy the scavenger hunt with me.
That's 'our scavenger list' I've thrown up here, as my reminder, and now, memento, of some of what we did together, yesterday.
Of course, it was during the outdoor portion of this scavenger hunt that my nephew insisted upon introducing me and his little cousin, to a newly captured snake and lizard he and his elder brother had plans in taking back to Minnesota. The reptiles were comfortably confined to plastic containers, thoughtfully arranged with habitat, and stashed under the pine tree windbreak bordering the northern side of the house. I reckon they were about as 'nice' a snake and lizard couple as one could find in the wilds of Nebraska. =)
Once we'd found all the things to go inside the dozen Easter eggs I signed the inside of the carton and asked every one else to sign it too. I wanted the little one to have a keepsake to cart home with her. Then I suggested they look inside the eggs once more, as I read to all, the "story", which goes with them.
After that, my sister boiled up some eggs and set up a couple coloring stations at my table with papercups and cupcake tins to keep them from tipping over. <-(an ingenious grandma suggestion!) They had the best time doing that!
Then when their handiwork was dried and pass around for all to see, it was out to the side yards to play that old hide-n-seek game with the artsy eggs. They went a couple of rounds with my sister and brother - in - law attending.
I don't know if the queenofpanic! ever dug up any of those flowers she'd talked to me about? This place, being origially our grandmothers', I kinda thought she should take any and all that she wants. Someday they'll sell it off. "First one to come up with the money"- is what my Uncle says, because managing it just gets to be too much after so many years accumulation of responsibilities and difficulties. I rent the place from my Mom and her siblings.
I was rocking a sweet little baby to sleep while the hunt for bright eggs was on. I swiped my sister's camera and popped off some photos of the kids. Hope those turn out. I'd just love to do a pencil profile of that baby and image it with her sister, too.

...

=)

Click on the picture ^ for a more traditional Easter sentiment from me 2U!

Good Friday Thoughts…

Cognitive Dissonance is a term used in psychology when something is not ringing ‘true’.

I ran across the term, again, last week while preparing a persuasive speaking assignment, for a business communications class. (it’s been a couple years now, but I did, truly, love my Psychology 101 class!) My topic was on Organization. The pursuasion would be for turning chaos to calm. I found boo-coo information by googling those key words. I drew a lot of my supporting informatin from, lifeorganizers.com, which listed '5 Rules for Life Organization'. Rule # 4, the one that brought this term back to my rememberance - hit home with me. It said:

• Your life should be consistent in make up
• What’s called “Cognitive Dissonanceâ€� in psychology, can be a bad thing if you don't recognize it for what it is and take action to resolve the dissonance.
• Example - If you're living somewhere that you don't want to live, with someone that you don't want to live with, doing something you don't want to do - well do you need to go any farther to find out why you feel miserable most of the time?
• Another, more personal, example: I worked for manager that wanted me to lie to my team members, other employees and customers. I don't lie. I can't stand it. It makes me feel sick inside. That manager consistantly broke the rules of operation given, in this firm's employee handbook. I filed reports and ... ultimately I quit that job. I was in a lead position myself. I could not sustain that kind of leadership. Staying meant that's exactly what I would be doing. Some people might have been too afraid of the unknown (how will I pay my bills with out this job?) to walk away, but I absolutely knew I was doing the right thing and all would work out eventually. Instead of feeling trapped in something I knew was wrong for me - I saw opportunity to be FREE to find what was the RIGHT thing for me! I was rewarded with many great blessings I'd have never enjoyed otherwise. It still stands as one of the best life decisions I’ve made to this day. That was a couple years ago, and I'm still reaping the rewards!

This term, cognitive dissonance, came to mind again, in Relief Society last Sunday, in the form of a thought provoking question, introduced during our classroom discussion. AND!!!! -> it's come to mind, several times, throughout this passing week... doh! -> I'm digressing... back to the Sunday meeting & discussion: The lesson we were reviewing was on The Atonement of Jesus Christ.

The question was… did Christ have a choice… ?

• What if Christ had decided, in Gethsemane, NOT to seek His Father’s will?
• Not to put God first, at that point in His life?
• He could have ‘cut and run’!
• What if Christ had decided to pass, on the bitter cup, and say, in His heart, to His Heavenly Father, “I don’t care what Your will is! I just can’t do this!â€�
• Surely He had that choice???

As I said, since I’d just worked with it, this term, Cognitive Dissonance came to mind – and I mentioned it to our group, saying, that I figure by the time Christ got to Gethsemane, He didn’t have it in Him to be turned in His course, nor did I feel He had it in him to make any other choice. The ‘Cognitive dissonance’ would have been too dissuasive for Him! – nothing else would have rang true to His being. Still the scriptures say, it crossed his mind...(see ST. MARK 14:36)

How can one walk so perfectly close, in obedience with God, and then turn fearfully away? – in the very moment in time, when that relationship is THE ONLY thing you have to bare you up, and see you through it all? It doesn’t ring true does it? Christ, then, immediately defers to what he understands to be, His Father's will, for Him.

And, to all who would ponder the Atonement of Jesus Christ, how poignant an example, to NOT just have a belief, but truly to have obtained to a perfect faith, complete trust, and a sure knowledge of God. And in relationship, we see then - God's love and majesty, magnified, working in, through, and 'round about this 'Only Begotten' one.

A lesser choice does not ring true in our hearts when we study the gospels about the Lord, Jesus Christ and His life’s work, up to that point of total commitment. (which is what I see when I look into Gethsemane’s Garden; the remainder ordeal of betrayals, trials, beatings, ridicules, stress, and distresses, up to and including, crucifixion – all seemingly more like follow through, to me. IMHO) AND, opting a lesser choice, doesn’t bear sway, for Saints of yore, nor in these latter days, in what we’ve found true, in the risen Lord – hence.

Cognitive dissonance. . . indicator, perhaps, in lessons to be learned for progression. Can one obtain a to a full measure of what they were meant to be - without it?

I feel that my God, who is love, would want us to ponder and pay close attention to that term in relationship to how we might best live out our lives. I know now, that I certainly need to - in order to be of better service to Him.

I’ve known this disquiet. That feeling of disharmony, and mismatch in relationship to spirit, personality and endeavors. I'm not always as brave as I'd like to be. Tisk. I have not always recognized it for what it is - I've sometimes seen it as the road to chaos. When often times it's been the Fog Horn to calm. It’s my heart of hearts signaling, warning, that I'm in dangerous waters giving allowances to direction that’s contrary to what God would have me go and do. =)

How important is Christ's Atonement in my life? I have a testimony. Faith, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit [including personal revelation], testing -for surety, stregnth and endurance, redeemtion, service, transfiguration...sweet communion through prayer. There is no cognitive dissonance in that, for me. . . - just in the way my shortcomings and transgressions play off against eternal truths.

I aint what I'm gonna be. I aint what I oughta be. But, thank God, I aint what I used to be!

In closing, some scriptures from ST JOHN Chapter 14 come to mind:

• Verse 1 – Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
• …vs. 6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
• …vs. 15 – If ye love me, keep my commandments. <-(emphasis added. lol!)
• …vs. 21 – He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. And…
• … vs 27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

And at parting – a way to keep cognitive dissonance firmly at bay, perhaps, outlined in this scripture from the Book of Mormon:

• Mosiah 2:41 – And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

This Good Friday, I’d be remiss if I did not stand by my covenants & testimony – unashamed, and in all soberness -I bear, a solemn witness, to all who pass this way - of the Lord, Jesus. He is the Christ. He LIVES! And through His great love, He has done so very much for me! He is my Master, and my Commander, He is my brave Redeemer, in whom I know and fully trust. He is my Prophet, Priest and King. He is my ever living Head. (He's the one 'running the show' - in my life - at any rate! Big smile!)
I leave these things with you, my witness, and my testimony of His divinity, in His holy name, even the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen ~

Classic...

Found this little test on Miranda's blog.
Big smile.
EZ rider.
Heh.
I could use some EZ Rider gas mileage right about now!
*Whimper*
**sigh**

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Final Submission

Thought I'd re-submit the poster mock-up, here, in blogland.
I got some great advice since printing this off yesterday (in a whole nuther class for xtra credit - but that's a whole nuther story...).
I did some fine tuning.
Little changes often make the biggest differences, or didja already know that - fer sure?!
lol!

Poster

The assignment: Design & create a (12x18') poster for the (upcoming) student art exhibit at the Wrightstone Fine Arts Building.

I used the building's construction as my inspiration. Brick and Block and a skylight that runs the main length of the building. The skylight is made up of rectangular panels over rectangular framing. "Rectangular framing" - being a repeated pattern in most art exhibits, I thought it would work out ok.
What do ya think?
I just finished this design - but have not taken it to print yet...
I left it open to tweakage. ;)
The blessed event is open to the public.
Drop on by if you're in the neighborhood!
lol!

Design Process

As promissed here are a few of the images I went through in the design process...

Logos

The assignment: Come up with a name and logo for your own design firm.
- (Should you manage to complete the course offerings, and, brave out on your own, in the business world, this might be something you'd actually use!) -

My original thumbnail shows a classic column with a blue line in an asymetrical arch to the right of the column with the black retangle reflecting the 'Design Paradigms' name.
(I liked it, because it rhymes [Paradigms is pronounced 'para-dimes' <- like someone just gave you 20 cents!] and, it also carries on the 'dP' signature I've always used for my art)

I also liked what Steven Covey had to say about Paradigms in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
Covey made me want to understand them better when he said:

"Before we can understand these Seven Habits we need to understand our own "paradigms" and how to make a "paradigm shift".
Both the Character Ethic and the Personality
Ethic are examples of social paradigms. The word paradigm comes from
the Greek. It was originally a scientific term, and is more commonly used today
to mean a model, theory, perception, assumption, or frame of reference. In the
more general sense, it's the way we "see" the world -- not in terms of our
visual sense of sight, but in terms of perceiving, understanding, interpreting.
For our purposes, a simple way to understand
paradigms is to see them as maps. We all know that "the map is not the
territory." A map is simply an explanation of certain aspects of the territory.
That's exactly what a paradigm is. It is a theory, an explanation, or model of
something else." - end quote.

I took the original through a bunch of applications before coming up with this version.
I rather like the addition of the spiral line element topping the column - don't you? I think it adds even more symbolism and interest to the design.

I'm putting a few of the images I worked through on here to show you a bit of my work process.

PLEASE, please, please feel free to state honest opinion, thought, critique in your comments...
Next time, I post I'll tell you all the elements, symbolisms, and meaningful references I see in this design.

Just for fun, why don't you tell me what you "see", "perceive", "understand", "interpret" - from this logo design??? I'd be curious and grateful to know and have your input!
Cheerios2U!
D~

Burnin' down dah trailer...

Little did I know, when I posted the exploded Happy Face last Saturday (April Fool's!) how prophetic the little guy would be...
After posting I:

• Finished up the housework scheduled for that day.
• Went into work (@ the college Cafeteria).
• Helped pack a dozen or so huge roasters, filled with baked beans, sloppy Joe, and cole slaw to the gym, along with brownies for 400, the super huge beverage coolers marked "ice tea" and "lemonade", and all the assorted trappings right down to the latex gloves - all because that's where we were serving din-din - special event, don'cha know? MCC's "Homerun Weekend". We began serving at 6. That, coincidently is the same time that we normally quit serving. (I should have known then it would be a long night) The deal wasn't all that bad. Lots of familiar faces. Live entertainment - a young woman and her guitar playing for her supper so to speak and asking for requests. I leaned in to one young man, a ball player, passing by my section of serving table, (I had the cole-slaw and brownie detail) and said, "Hey! Go up there and tell her we'd like to hear some Frances Scott Key." He says, "Oh. Gee, I'm not sure who that is." I smiled at him - big smile. "He wrote the Star-Spangled Banner," I replied. "Oh!" Was about all he could manage, back to me, and he hurried on to the beverages. *twinkle* Children there seemed to be having fun! I notice one of those go fish booths set up in a corner - the ones where you throw your line over the blue curtain and go fishin' for a prize. Hadn't thought about that experience in decades. Looked to me like there were an awful lot of Troll-dolls living at the bottom of that 'lake'. That's mostly what they were all catching =) . At any rate, packing up and moving equipment from the cafeteria means one thing in the end; packing up and moving everything back - and THEN cleaning up. OY! I was tired.
• Went back out to home
• Chatted with Opie
• Thought, "Gosh, I'm tired... I... should... go... in... to... b....e....d......." That was the last thought before being rudely nudged to consciousness by 1) the cat & 2) this obnoxious noise, behind me and just outside the place - in the drive way by my car... what the ???
• Pulled up mini-blind to see a Fire Truck(s) with Firemen in the drive, hosing down the trailer house just right south of my house house, said trailer being completely engulfed in flame and merrily burning to da ground!!! 5 a.m. - including the daylight savings time change. Now I'd like to say April Fool's here but I'm not fooling.

See? It made the front page of the local Gazette. Strange weekend, that last one. That suspicious fire (no one living in that trailer - no power even hooked up to it - water lines even, all disconnected...) wasn't the only sensational, and terrible happening. There were a couple more sharing the front page lime-light, too. Jeepers-creepers.

Exploded!

The assignment: Computer generate, using the Adobe Illustrator program, an exploded view of a simple object.

The point was, to demonstrate to all, how much easier computers have made this type of work, for those of us endeavoring.

Ha!

This took, an excruciatingly long amount of time for me, to complete. Partly because, well, I am just learning. So, a fair amount of trial and error went into putting this together. - and - I'm building a portfolio here. So, I'm picky about details you may not even notice, but that, I can see, and that, I know are there. Lastly, this was not the 'simple object' I originally thought it was going to be! The 2 rings with the eight 'teeth' which normally hold the little Happy Face Air Freshener together were a major source of frustration! (Grrr!)

I spent hours and hours and hours at maximum magnification levels lining things up, (losing my place!), grouping shapes and gradients together, (undoing bad stuff!), creating subtle color variations, (ect, ect, ect,...), and, in the end, I printed twice - because, I realized I'd forgotten to add my little signature 'dP'. It's on this version. (Just another detail that most won't see. But I know it's there.)

I do like the end result.

The hours spent become a small matter in gathering and reviewing the lessons I learned in the doing.

Screw the stress of, well, everything that's stressful in my life right now! (I'll not bore you with livid detail, lol!)

Being satisfied with a job well done?
THAT makes me a happy girl!
(even if my semester and my 'id', are looking and feeling more and more, like this particular little drawing!!! =) lol!

Happy weekend to you all!
Love and Hugs- D.~

P.S. I scaled this copy down so it would load up faster. If any of you would like a "nice" copy to print I did save one, complete with printer's marks in a .pdf format. Cheerios!

P.S.S.: Happy (wedding) Anniversary to 'The Queen of Panic!" and her hubby, 'The King of R.E.M.!" LOVE YOU BOTH - BUNCHES!!! And I ain't April foolin' about that!