Gee How Quaint

Here ends my year of teaching

Tomorrow is my last day of teaching.  I cannot even begin to explain how sad this makes me.  Although I have only been with this group of kids for a year, they have left quite an impression on me.  I say to my replacement (who, incidentally, is a rather delightful man and will do a top job teaching this lot) that these kids will change his life.  I don't mean this to be sentimental or to be over dramatic. 

When I was first asked to assist at this school, I was very hesitant because this school is specifically a special needs school.  My hesitation was due to the fact that I did not think I would cope well in that environment.  Looking back on what I had previously assumed, I am so happy that I took the chance and made the leap from main stream to special needs. 

I am floored by their achievements, their zest for life, their willingness to try to do things that are terribly frightening to them, their individuality, their excitement for adventure, and sometimes their timidity. I feel honoured to have been able to spend so much time watching them overcome various physical or sometimes social obstacles.  I will miss helping to prepare the seniors with their GCSE projects.  I will miss Leslie's USA (pronounced U-suh) cheer and Luke checking up on me to ensure I had made it into school for the day.  I will miss the Drama class and Dan and my dramatic interpretation of an Indiana Jones adventure scene.  I will miss Daniel's Daleks and Marissa's need to open all of the windows in the art room.  

It's been a great year and I hope for many good and wonderful things to happen for both the children and the staff at that terrific little school in Gateshead. 

nara + graf = happiness

I have seen one of the most delightful art exhibitions of the year.  Well, to say that I have 'seen' it is not doing the exhibition justice.  Rather than seeing it, you actually get to walk through, around, inside, outside, along a wooden walkway, into rooms, through small passageways...it's very interactive and wonderful.  This exhibition is called Nara + graf and can be seen in the Baltic by the Tyne, Gateshead side.  When I entered the exhibition space, I was delighted by a small village of wonkily made wooden structures.  Drawings adorn one wall, but the rest is very much about the wooden buildings and what is to be seen inside. 

On BBC this morning, the presenters were talking about Happiness and what causes it.  A bit of a fluff piece, but sometimes it is nice to have a bit of fluffy 'news' first thing in the morning.  A very obvious question was asked:  How do you rate happiness?  And the completely unexciting answer way by asking a person where they rate their happiness on a scale of 1 to 10.  I would have to say that yesterday was a big fat 9 for me as I did many of my favourite things: ate breakfast with my husband at Belle and Herbs, leafed through the Sunday papers, went to the nara + graf exhition, played with my gocco printer and hung out with some very lovely friends.  It was practically heaven.

Design a Swim Bag Contest Winner!

Last month, during my little demo at The Art Works Galleries, I had visitors to the event enter their design ideas for a new swim bag fabric.  This month during the First Thursday event, the public voted on their favourite design and a winner has been chosen.  Suffice it to say, it is super cool, a little bit funky, a little bit fun and I think it will be a smashing addition to the Bohemian Boutique at the gallery.  The new offering will be on display in time for the August event.

And because I believe all good artists should be promoted, if you are a little bit curious about the winner, then hop to www.myspace.com/videonicies and be amazed.

Not sure what the heck a swim bag is?  It's Gee How Quaint's (www.geehowquaint.com) waterproof solution to drippy wet swimwear.  No more plastic bags....they are so 1980's.  The swim bag is patent protected and created exclusively by Gee How Quaint. 

Applying myself

I possibly should not admit this, but I am currently applying for a spot at a universtiy for a Masters in Textiles.  I should not admit this because if I don't get in then I will have to admit this to the world and would subsequently feel mightily stupid.

Stumped and at a loss for words, I have begun to write my Letter of Introduction.  This is how it goes:

Dear You,

 

My name is Cassandra and I am applying to the MA Textiles programme because I think that I should simply die if you do not let me play in your facilities.

I somehow don't think this is going to impress them.  What do you expect from a girl who graduated from a High School that misspelled Education wrong on the Graduation Programme?  The Board of Eduaction is very pleased with us all.

Can you spot the difference?

You're in your what?!

 

On July 6th, this little spindly tornado was spotted by several people in Lancashire.  It just so happens that Husband and I had driven through that area about an hour before the swirling beastie was seen poking down from the heavens.

Of course, the prospect of tornado action in the UK is thrilling to me as I come from a land where tornadoes sweep through several times a year.  I hopped onto the BBC news website to try to find some photographs and this, dear readers, is from a man named Joe.  Caption under photo reads "Me and my family got a great display of the clouds from my attic."

To which I gasped in shock "From your what?? Are you nuts?!"  Because every little midwestern girl from the states knows that you do not go to the attic when there is a tornado lurking nearby! I'm sorry, but at the very whisper of a possible tornado sighting, I would be dashing around the lower levels, finding a windowless closet to fearfully hunker down into.  I would not go gawking out of a window attic.  Tornadoes are unpredictable and like to hop around a bit.  And even though that sucker had not yet touched the earth, within a matter of seconds it could have done and then there may not have been time to run for cover.

Exhibition opening

So.  There they are.  Four little mixed media pieces sitting in a row.  I have to say, I nearly missed them as they are rather dwarfed within the BIG space in which they are hanging.  No matter.  I am still thrilled.  Although, the next time I exhibit I will have to do something very large and interesting to hopefully entice people to walk the many steps across the room to look at the tiny details in each piece.

I was at the opening night of the exhibit and met a nice young Irish lass who has work hanging to the right of mine.  She was rather lovely and I hope to become friends with her someday soon.

On art and being made to make.  Today I had a very serious chat with my husband.  We had spent the weekend with his 'rents, met his brother's new girl, blah blah blah.  This family...I love them.  But I am so different and usually do feel like the dark wine stain on an otherwise white pristine table cloth.  It's a bit late in the game to feel like I don't fit it, but as we sat there eating our breakfasts this morning, I looked around the table and named them by their jobs: Engineer, HR Management, Finance, Holder of Animal Science Degree, Finance.  Me: strange, outsider, American, artist.  It isn't that I am feeling sorry for myself at the moment (or is it?!?!?!) it is more about coming to a realisation that I am a bit alone here.  A bit...not understood.  And I wonder, is this the way it is always going to be?  Perhaps I should resign myself to the fact that I will never fit in to the things that are considered important.  Perhaps I should get comfy in my corner and play my role as the watcher, and note the cleverness of others whilst I doodle on my notepad.

The next day

Okay, I have been giving this latest post much thought.  I cannot leave it at this depressing stage, so will now mention a few things that I actually do have in common with my family.  So, here they are: love of labradors, Poker, walks on the beach, wine, good food, knitting, Eccles cakes and a hunger for them, walks in the countryside, an appreciation for the Statue of David and his backside. 

The promised picture

badges, badges, badges

I have recently purchased a badge making machine.  Oh, boy, fun is being had by me and my hands rummaging through the house trying to create badges from scraps of cloth.  I am making a set of badges to complement the artwork I have created for the gallery exhibition.  As I am already selling my Gee How Quaint travel accessories in their Bohemian Boutique, I think adding an element that refers to the eye level art is rather a fun idea.  I will add a pretty picture once I have something worth showing. 

Mixed Media Exhibition at the art works galleries

Invite reads:

... The Mixed Media Collection welcomes new collages by Katy Crebbin and the works of emerging artists Victoria MacDonald and Cassandra Harrison (that's me!).

Date and Time:

Thursday 3rd July 2008

18:30pm - 21:00pm.  Free entry.

For more information visit www.theartworksgalleries.com