"what is art?"... Quality vs. Quantity

First and foremost these are just my thoughts some may not agree and thats ok but here is what I think about the question... What is art? 

Over the last few months I have faced the age old question time and time again..."what is art?" and I now have my answer.

"art is any form of self expression of high quality, consistency, and portrays a clear message (even if that message is to remain unclear) "

qual·i·ty

noun

Character with respect to fineness, or grade of excellence: food of poor quality; silks of fine quality. High grade; superiority; excellence: wood grain of quality.

con·sist·en·cy

noun  

Steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc. There is consistency in his pattern of behavior. Agreement, harmony, or compatibility, especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complexthing: consistency of colors throughout the house.

To me art is any form of self expression... it is not mass produced (even though I thoroughly believe Mr. Warhol's work is art) to gain a profit ie. Chihuly and Kinkade, but rather an outlet for people to express themselves and be understood.

Quality plays a huge role in whether or not something can be called art. To me quality in the everyday sense means it is well built, well designed, and overall well executed. To me the only way to gain good quality in a piece of artwork is TIME and more time. This is how good artwork is weeded out of the crowd. It is plain as day the painting, sculpture, or whatever it may be that has time involved and even an attachment to the artist. Obviously a piece you have worked on for a day versus ten years will look completely different and this fortunately is very clear to any viewer.

I would like to take a moment to recognize art work that I feel deserves the title as such click on the artist name to view more of their information... there is:

Artist Billy Pappas  

Artist Tip Toland

Artist Julia Aristides

Well there you have it just my opinion...

What do you think the definition of art is... post your thoughts...

1 year since "I Do" ... and being married to my best friend

When I was engaged everyone kept telling me their horror stories of marriage, and warning me that it was difficult, telling me to make sure I was ready....

I guess this must not be something one experiences during the first year of marriage because I feel so incredibly blessed and overwhelmingly happy to be married to Paul Eric Miller.

Our first year of marriage has been a whirlwind of incredible changes and although every morning I leave Paul's side and head out into a world of chaos I am filled with an overwhelming sense of love, home, and compassion. I know that there is absolutely nothing that can bring me down because at the end of the day I will always get to return home to Paul. 

Paul and I have actually been together for 4 years and well, I'm assuming if your still reading your going to be interested in our past, so to share a little piece of my happiness with you here it is.

Paul and I went to high school together but we weren't high school sweethearts, in reality we were two band nerds who never spoke to each other until a homecoming game one year after I graduated and the year Paul graduated... yes, I married a younger man.

Our First Date

 Paul and I talked and he mentioned we should hang out eventually he "My Spaced Messaged" me asking if I would like to go to the Seattle Art Museums Roman Art Exhibit of course I said yes! so on March 21st 2008 we headed to Seattle. We had lunch at Lowells in Pikes Place Market, walked through the Olympic Sculpture Park, and checked out the Seattle Library for it's architecture of course. On the way home we had dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in Tacoma and I remember thinking what a great time I had and how sweet Paul was. We literally could talk for hours and it felt like only minutes had passed.

The Years in Between 

The first summer I spent with Paul was a blast we had fun doing absolutely nothing! Driving nowhere listening to the Ting Tings, talking for hours and hours on end, using every last drop of every second we could possibly spend together. Then winter came and what should have been the most exciting trip of my life... spending a month in Paris turned into a looming black cloud on the horizon. I didn't want to leave Paul and I know, I know it was just one month, but really he is just such a source of pure happiness in my life that the thought of leaving was just to sad. I got to France and could not for the life of me figure out how to use my phone card... this had me distraught I literally thought I would not be able to talk to Paul for a month. Then one morning the phone in my little hostel room rang and it was Paul! He figured it out for himself and called me every morning. One day he even sent me a song him and his friend had written whose girlfriend was also out of the country... This was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me.

When I returned home from France my world was right again as soon as I saw Paul's big smile... 

When it comes to our relationship there is literally nothing I would ever keep from Paul in fact when ever anything bad happens in my life the first thing I do to possibly amend it is to go and tell Paul, and just like that everything is perfect again as if by him knowing and supporting me all my troubles are over.

I know I'm going on and on, but if you love someone then you know exactly my feeling and my amazement that there can be so much love and happiness found in one individual it just has to be shared...


I was talking to Paul the other night about college days and how I miss them and he reminded me of all the time he spent in the Ingram (The Art Building at PLU) He reminded me that I used him as a "dummy" for my human cast in sculpture class... he literally laid there on the sculpture table letting me mummify him in wet cast strips. Poor guy I've put him through a lot. 


ok, ok enough about the past...


I just have to say Paul is the one for me and until we have a family of our own he will continue to fill the pages of this blog as he is source of almost all the happiness in my life plus or minus a couple family members...

Dance me to the end of... May:

It's June and almost officially summertime, with that being said here are some of my favorite things from May... Wicked Wahine it's sold at the ABC store in Hawaii so it's not very expensive which is a plus. It smells like plumeria and the beach. love love love it.

This has saved my life! I love my keurig coffee machine but not the expensive k-cups. This way you do not use so much plastic, or waste your favorite ground coffee. 

If you don't know me, then you don't know my absolute hate for TV... it's so distracting and well every time I start watching the next thing I know I've lost an hour of my life.... that being said Paul and I have been watching Top Gear and I'm now addicted. They do the craziest things plus I love their british accents, but we won't tell Paul that.

Shellac nails are heaven... where I work I am not aloud to paint my nails but I got a little braver lately and these are my favorite colors so far... 

Oh and then discovering and loving Madeleine Peyroux I love her clear sultry voice, she will be coming to Seattle on August 29th to the Woodland Park Zoo of all places... and I think I shall be there. 

That sums up Mays favorites... 

Day 3: All in a Days Vacation

Day three of our vacation I realized just how much my amazing husband was going to cram into one day... he is like the Chevy Chase of Hawaii. 

We started off going and getting a couples massage at the Pua Day Spa which was the perfect way to start the perfect day although, massage oil and mosquitos don't mix very well. 

After our spa day, we drove to Smith's Paradise (so not a authentic name I know) here is where we boarded the Walter III Jr lol to head to the Fern Grotto....

Before boarding the river boat Paul and I had about 45 minutes to burn so we walked through "Smith Paradise" which was a giant... creepy bird infested luau ground... we literally were followed by hundreds of birds... I am so glad we didn't buy any feed... I can't imagine.

Then we boarded the boat for the Fern Grotto... the ride out to the grotto was plesant but the scenery was much of the same. When we finally got to the grotto I was surprised that you could not walk up to it. Apparently, a few years back it had rained for 44 straight days and the mountain began to collapse... rocks the size of cars were falling from it so the state cut off access to the small grotto (small being that it could fit 150 people in it) We stood looking at the grotto from a porch like structure with a bunch of other couples and the tour guides also talented musicians, played the Hawaii Wedding Song... at the end we were told to kiss the person we were with... which I did and so did everyone else... and then jokingly the announcer says "now kiss someone you don't know ha ha" which no one did... except this one old lady who made a b-line for me... so weird... only me I swear...

The ferns in the grotto were not as long as they once were, Hurricane Iniki stripped the grotto of them in 1982 however, what is there is what has grown back since then. This really puts into perspective how important it is not to destroy nature, it is so hard for somethings to heal themselves. 

Returning from the fern grotto, Paul and I decided we wanted to find a fruit stand to buy fresh fruit and a beach to enjoy it on. Paul had watched a documentary of the island and discovered that the best fruit stand on the island was near to us... Banana Joe's. We drove and drove trying to find the place and when we did... of course it was closed till June 1st. Then we set off to find a beach which you would think would be easy but when your driver keeps taking "short cuts" you end up at places like this....

No beach just a huge cliff... beautiful huge cliff.

We eventually made it to Salt Pond Beach where we or should I say I laid in the sun and Paul recorded the waves... of course... Paul can't exactly swim so when I looked up and he was gone along with his recording equipment... I panicked, but then I saw what everyone on the beach was staring at.... the guy with the head phones...

Wait... here's a close up... this sexy guy... and his portable audio recorder. Don't even ask how he got it through the airport... lets just say I warned him not to put it in his carry on...

Well that pretty much sums up our third day... 

DAY 4: Our View From The Sky...

Wednesday morning, 7:15am to be exact... I know this because that's super early to be up on your vacation... Paul and I went on a helicopter ride.

Super scary... really... especially when your bus driver taking you to the launching pad divides teams up into two... 1. Johns team... John has 45,000 successful helicopter tours under his belt and 2. Jason's team who has 45,000 successful FLIGHT SIMULATOR tours under his belt... guess who's team I made?

So as we sit waiting for the helicopter to start up I strap on my floatation device and Paul explains why I don't get a parachute which I am not thrilled about... Paul and I were seated next to each other in the very front of the helicopter. We lifted off and started our hour long flight tour of Kauai.

I have to admit next to our hike to Hanakapi'ia falls this was one of the best things we did! we learned so much and saw so many isolated parts of the island impossible to get to on foot. We flew over Barking Sands Missile Launch, along the Na Pali coast line, over the Waimea Canyon, and the Manawaiopuna Falls (AKA Jurassic Parks Waterfall).  The sites of the island are breathtaking and "yes" just as gorgeous as the many screen savers I stared at the week prior to my trip.

I am pretty proud of myself as I am really afraid of heights, but honestly I wouldn't have missed that flight for the world sitting next to my best friend taking in the beautiful island together.

Day 5: The Hike to Hanakapi'ai Falls...and Back

Well we are back and we had the time of our lives but one experience stands out the most in our minds and that is the hike to Hanakapi'ai Falls and back.


Paul and I started out our day going to the "Kountry Kitchen" which is this little restaurant we found near our hotel... it was great! and with the three hour time difference we were actually hungry around breakfast time. The place was packed so we wandered next store while we waited to check out this vintage little furniture store... at this super cute shop the sales lady was really sweet and we got to talking and she mentioned that there was a nice trail at the end of the road... which literally means drive on the highway until it abruptly ends which it does. She told us that there was a waterfall 2 miles into the treck. Paul and I wanting to spend our last day wisely thought this would be a good idea. So, we ate and set off to hike to the falls...


Upon arrival we could see that this was a popular trail there were many hikers around... everyone did look a little over prepared though for this 2 mile hike. I grabbed a walking stick and we set off up the mountain. The trail seemed to never end we just kept hiking up and up and on a very narrow cliff with no side rail... Paul was ok with this so I kept moving. Then we came to an outlook... this was pushing it for me as I really don't like heights, however I tried to be brave as the sites were gorgeous overlooking the Na Pali Coast Line... Then a gust of wind picked up and I thought it was the end dramatic I know but seriously it almost blew me and Paul off the cliff and I panicked. I grabbed my bag and headed for the car... Paul however was not about to give up and he convinced me to keep going...


About another 40 minutes into the hike and we finally reach something worth while although, I was not very happy because we definitely went 2 miles of treacherous terrain and there was NO WATERFALL!


An overlook showed a beautiful beach with caves and crashing waves... so Paul and I ignored all the DANGER signs, climbed across the river and hiked down to it for a while. When we were ready to leave, I mention how disappointed I was that we didn't see the falls. I know Paul felt bad, so I looked around for any sign of direction to the falls and spotted a sign stating we were half way and the falls were another 2 miles.  We looked at each other and decided we came this far we might as well get to the falls...


We started up the next mountain and really it was a very harsh trail, very narrow and crossing small waterfalls that are slippery on a steep cliff... not to mention passing back and forth over a running river multiple times. Hikers kept passing us coming the other directions and we would step aside to let them go by and they would say "almost there"... "just a little more ways to go"... and "it is so worth it!" This encouraged us and we kept going...


Finally, we caught a glimpse of the falls... it was gorgeous and so magical. The fall is 300 feet and runs into a beautiful lagoon like pool. We finally came to the base of the falls and it was like something out of a movie. There were only a few couples that had made it up there so it was really romantic taking in all the sites and sounds of the falls with Paul by my side. We were joking that this was our first big adventure and now we need to make a list of more to go on which we may just do because this was definitely the highlight of our trip.


Then for the trek back... we were starving at this point. We did not plan for a 8 mile all day hike at all so by the end of the trip we sweated off all our bug spray and were covered in bug bites... we had no water only pineapple juice which was almost worse than having nothing at all... and in the back of our mind we knew we needed to get to the car before it got dark and the wind picked up again. 


At last! body aching from the bug bites and treacherous hike we made it to the car! we talked all the way back to the hotel (well take out pizza place first) and then hotel about how beautiful it was and how it was the most amazing thing we had seen or done on this trip...


and so to the lady at the gift store from my husband and I MAHALO for mis telling us about the Hanakapi'ai Waterfall Hike it was by far one of our best memories and one we will cherish forever! 


And now for the pics... 

ART SHOW: Success

Yesterday was my second curated art show. This time the show was for the volunteers and members who run and use the Tacoma Art Place. I am very excited for how the show turned out but I know that the next one will be even better! There was a wide variety of media at the show ranging from fiber arts to ceramics. If your in town stop by the Tacoma Art Place and view these amazing artist work.

Artist: Johanna DiMedice

Artist: Rebz Salter

Artist Johanna DiMedici

                                                               

Artist: Meghan Lancaster, Shari Swanson, and John Bartley

Artist: Cyrus Smith and Susan Blais

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