In my last post I had began to tell about my classes this semester, but a thought distracted me, which I shared and what I wrote seemed to be sufficient.

This semester I am taking an online Southwest studies class. So far, so good.

I have an art studio class--Beginning Print Making, so far I am struggling.

And I have a have a Strat Comm class--Media Theory & Research. My brain is struggling to grasp the concepts.

I dropped the Algebra class and another strat comm online class. I think three classes is about all I can handle at this time. Which means that graduation will need to be put off for one more semester. Hopefully, I will graduate at the end of Summer semester 2014, but most likely Fall of that year. :-( I am not sure I will make it. I really am tired of this rut called education.

My first project in my print-making class is due next week. We had an in-work critique.I wanted to do something very basic, simple. This is something I have never done. I thought of when I have taught beginning quilting. I often start with one of the most basic patterns, the 9-patch-square.I started with trying to carve wood. We were given a cheap plywood and it was so hard to carve. Instead of a 9-patch, I had decided to draw a square within a square, but then I added diagonal lines. My initial print reminded me of the house on Teal Ave. It used a similar motif on the outside of the house. Perhaps, that truly took me back to basics, since that was the first house I ever lived in? Then, I decided to use some of the found objects I had brought to try in relief printing. I added a small foam heart to the block. The first print had too much pink pink. The 2nd too little. With practice, I hope to get the hang of this.

This is the wood block I carved. I didn't wash the ink off. I decided that I liked my simple block as it was. Maybe not something I would hang and display or put the prints from this in my portfolio, but THIS is a beginning attempt to learn something new. i am sharing this, because I want to document my progress.

Note Taking 101. Or perhaps, Tina's Sketch Book. Since I was in 4th grade (???) I have drawn mazes during classes. My girl type of ADD means trouble focusing and I discovered that drawing mazes helped me to focus on what the lecture was about. When i do take real notes, like copying from the board, I retain more info when I write them backwards. Sometime, I will share a sample of those "notes."

The mazes and the mirror writing are part of why I decided to choose this class. People ask me WHY I make them?  I have notebooks with page after page of mazes. People ask if I sell them, or planned to make a book. I've been told they would work well printed, like in Intaglio or lithographs....  I needed to take one more art studio class. It could be any art class. I, also had childhood memories of art project that fall into the category of print-making. Maybe I'll share those as this class progresses. Or Not.