Ireland 2008

Burren Players Theater Group

2008-04-11T16:14:00.010-05:00

The performances of, A Series of One Act Plays, went wonderful. Three other students and I volunteered as the stage crew for the Burren Players Theater group. It was a lot of fun and all the nights of the performances went great. The set changes went smooth and everything was in working order. So much even that the director had asked us if we would be back for the next year.

The audiences were full of laughs and the cast did a really great job. It was a lot of work, but it all paid off. Every night after each performance we all hung out at the pub, had a drink and ate pizza and sandwiches.

As a surprise the assistant director had asked me to photograph the performances and behind the scenes, so that we could burn Cd's for the whole cast and crew as a present. It was a lot of fun photographing each play. On the last performance Suzanne (the assistant director) passed out all the Cd's to the director and the cast. I also made prints for them as well as a nice memento. It was exciting because they all seemed to like the photos. I also took groups photo.

Everyone was so nice and they passed out cards signed with all the actors names for us. We made so many friends and it was such a good time. It was a little sad when it was over. Our stage manager, even got a little teary eyed. We invited them all to the student exhibition on Sat. the 19th, so I'm excited to see them again. I'm really contemplating coming back next year to work with the Burren Players on their next performance. It was a great experience.

Art Work

2008-04-11T10:10:00.013-05:00

Here are a few recent examples of new work. There are some new photographs and also documentation on my studio wall installation of mixed media pieces.

Italy

2008-04-11T09:09:00.015-05:00

I took a weekend and spent four days in Italy. I visited some friends studying abroad and got a chance to see a little of Venice and Florence. Italy is unlike any other place I've been too. It was a great time. I flew into Venice where I walked around exploring the streets and taking in the sights of canals and architecture, before taking a train to Florence.

While in Florence, Jen and James showed me around the city. The first night we went out dancing , which was a lot fun. Then on Saturday, they walked me around the city and we went to the Ponte Vecchio, which is a really old bridge in Florence with a bunch of fancy jewelry shops on it. Then we hung out on another bridge, drank beer and I smoked my first cigar, which actually was really good. We also had gelato everyday, so good.

After that we got ready to go out because their Italian advisor, Francesca, her husband Antonio and friend Laura had us over for dinner. I ate so much! The food was delicious. The conversation was good and it was fun to listen to everyone speak Italian. Sometimes I wasn't sure what they were saying, but Laura and Antonio knew some English and were able to translate to Francesca. It was a late dinner. We drank wine and listened to music before heading back to James and Jen's place. Then Sunday we had lunch and we to the Piazza Michelangelo at sunset and watched the the sun fall over Florence. It was beautiful.

My final day I went to the Duomo, a cathedral in Florence. It was such a beautiful building on the outside and huge. We went to the top and got to see all of the city and mountains. I also walked around Florence early in the morning then Jen and James made lunch before I had to catch the train back to Venice. While on the train to the airport I meet this really nice Italian couple who hardly spoke any English, but started to ask me where I was going. With lots of hand gestures and broken language, they had asked if I wanted a lift to the airport instead of having to take the bus. They were wonderful and very nice to drop me off at the airport.

It was a really great time despite being there for such a short. Both cities were gorgeous and the architecture was very old, grand and wonderful. I enjoyed walking through the small streets, between buildings and seeing cloths drying in the sun on lines outside of windows.

When I got back to Ireland and looked at the pictures I had taken, the whole trip seemed like a dream. The weather was warm and beautiful. It was definitely an experience and a very fun one at that.

Away we go

2008-04-03T09:26:00.004-05:00

The weather is beautiful today, but unfortunately it's time to move out of our studios. The end of the semester is coming up fast and we only have two weeks left. Everyone around school, undergrads and graduates, are buzzing. We are all setting up our spaces for the student exhibition we are having April 12th. So, I've been working on setting my installation of mixed media pieces, plus photographs, and possibly a sound installation of readings from questions I have asked other students in an earlier project. I'm really excited for the opening and am having a lot of fun setting up my show^_^!

Other then that I'm going to Italy from Friday the 4th to Monday 7th to visit some friends who are studying abroad there. I've been jumping off the walls and dancing because I'm so excited about getting to see Italy. I will be flying into Venice, but staying in Florence where my friends are studying.

So, after this weekend I will have lots of new photos to post and a lot of new work to show for you all!

Catching up

2008-03-20T16:34:00.019-05:00

Sorry it's been a while since I've last posted. Things have been pretty busy here. To catch up I have continued working in my studio and am making photographs. Our final student exhibition is on April 12th and coming up fast. We had a group critique last wed. and I have been meeting with my teachers on projects and preparing for the end of the semester.

Also, I volunteered as a stage hand for the Burren Players, an acting group that is putting on a series of one act plays in a town called, Lisdonvarna. It has been really fun helping them. Three other students and I are working on set changes, costumes, props and I just found out that I will be doing the lighting for the play. The people are fun and it's been a really good time working on the play. The dean of our school, Mary plays a nun and a countess. Next week are the performances and we are trying to coordinate a bus for the other students to go.

Oh yes, can't forget St. Patrick's Day! We went to a parade in Fanore to celebrate. It was a good time. We got to the parade early and ran around at the beach for a while. It was a really beautiful afternoon. I got to take my shoes off and run around the shore, play in the water and watch the surfers. Then the parade started and so did the rain. We followed the trail of horses, clubs and tractors to the only pub in Fanore. Once there we had a pint and watched rugby to warm up and dry off. Then set dancing started and some of us joined in while others watched. There was also an auction for a donkey (they actually had brought him into the dance hall), so a group of us got raffle tickets to win him for our friend Laura, who works in the cafe at school. She lives on a farm and her donkey had passed away, so we all pitched in for a ticket, but didn't win. My friend Annie and I won two bottles of wine though from the local pub, though. It was a really good time^_^.

I also have been exploring the beach a lot more and got lost the other day while photographing along the shore. I trekked through water, over rocks, in mud and was surrounded by a bunch of goats in the woods before I got stuck in some hazel and thorn bushes, then found a trail back to the main road. The weather was really nice and it was a lot of fun to explore.

Other then that I've been slowly making a website, sending postcards and I did shave my beard, but had a moustache for a week, shaved and realized how much I miss having scruff. Enjoy the photos and I hope you all had a fun St. Patrick's Day!

Berlin

2008-03-01T08:22:00.014-06:00

The last three days I have spent in Berlin, Germany. It was such an amazing trip. I didn't sleep a wink and we spent everyday wondering around the city going to art galleries, museums, historical sites, artist studios, and thrift stores. Berlin is a massive city! Three days is not enough time to even scratch the surface of the city. We constantly walked around the city and there was always something going on.

We flew in on Tuesday and got into Berlin around 4:3o pm. The first night we were there we went on a three hour walking tour to get to know the city. I got to see Checkpoint Charlie, the capital building and a memorial to the Holocaust. While along the way we were told the history of the Berlin wall that separated east and west Germany and of the Holocaust. After that we went to dinner and met up with three other MCAD students who are studying in Italy, but came to Berlin. Later that night my friends, Annie, Jen, Beth, James and I went out to find a dance club. We ended up running all around the city till three in the morning, taking the underground train from spot to spot, but never made it to the club. It was so much fun getting to know my way around the city.

Wed. was an early morning tour of the museums around the city. We went to the Hamburger-Banhof museum full of contemporary art from artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Raushenburg, Mathew Barney and various other artists. Then we moved on to a street full of smaller galleries, where we got to go out on our own and visit. Some of us went to this huge building covered in graffiti that happened to be taken over by artists and turned into studios. The place was amazing, there was art all over the place. The walls were covered with posters, paintings, drawings, and graffiti art. Every inch of the place was covered with something, the staircases and hallways. Even the backyard of the place had buses covered with paint, sculptures of animals and figures, plus small sitting areas to hang out. There were also rooms inside the building that were artist studio, where you could see finished paintings for sale of work in progress pieces. Some of the rooms had collections of found objects littered everywhere and other had handmade clothing hanging from the ceiling. The rest of the day we went to thrift stores and a few other galleries. Later that night we found ourselves back at the graffiti building having a few drinks at the bar, then moving on to a dance club, where we stayed for a while before heading back to our hotel. It was another late night and we didn't get back till about three or 3:30 in the morning.

Then on Thursday, we split into three groups and had a few different options of where we could go and visit in terms of galleries. Some went to the New National Gallery, while some of us went to this artist residency building that used to be a hospital, but was turned into a place where artist could live, make and show work. It was such a great place. We learned a little bit of history about the place before we got to meet and visit a few of the artists. They showed us there studios and talked about their work. After that my friends Annie, Carra and I went on our own to find the Jewish Museum and the Guggenheim. While on the way we ate and got lost and it took us forever to find either of the places. The Jewish museum was amazing was definitely an experience. I was really glad we found it. Then we walked around, window shopping as we made our way to the Guggenheim to see an exhibition of seven contemporary media artists. It was a really great show. I got to see some Roni Horn prints and the other pieces in the show were really good. It was a small and intimate show and definitely worth seeing. After that we made our way back to the hotel to rest and check in with other people were doing. A group of us decided to go out and find a dance club. We found this really fun underground club. At first they were playing really bad music, but it got better as the night went on. We all danced the night away and such a good time. So good that we didn't make it back to the hotel until almost 6:00 in the morning.

The last day was Friday. We had to check out of the hotel at noon, so the last morning was free time, so I just walked around the city taking everything in before we had to head back. There wasn't much time to really do anything, so I just spent the time enjoying the weather and the city. I miss Berlin and wish we would have at least one more day in the city to explore. We did so much and it was all crammed into such a short amount of time that it wold have been nice to have an extra day of going to a few more galleries and museums. It was such a fun trip and I saw so much. I'm glad I got the chance to visit such a large city full of new sights and experiences. I was completely exhausted and inspired once I got back and was looking forward to getting rest in preparation to working in my sketchbook and in my studio.

Sketchbook work

2008-02-19T09:13:00.020-06:00

One class I'm taking here through my adviser, Rebecca, is a three credit sketchbook class. In this class we are keeping a detailed sketchbook, whether it's visually through drawings or through writings on our experiences during this trip. Receipts from purchases, letters from home, ticket stubs, luggage tags, photographs, newspapers or anything else we collect or find on our adventures and trips have all found a place in my sketchbook. This has been a great place for ideas, documentation and even reference for larger projects. Here are some examples of work from my sketchbook that document my time here.

Mountain top and music festival

2008-02-19T07:03:00.011-06:00

This past weekend was the Irish music festival. It took place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It was so much fun. We went out every night, from one pub to the next listening to groups play instruments and others sing. Every place we went to was packed. There would be twenty or more people in a small pub playing violins, drums, flutes, squeeze box accordions and more. The music was wonderful and everyone was having a good time.

At this other pub we went too they had singing. The floor was open to everyone and people would just start singing alone, in pairs and even together in bigs groups. My friend Becky sang a really beautiful song in Icelandic and my friends Elizabeth and Gina both sang as well. It was such a great time, everyone was really nice and welcoming. There were these two people from France that sang together and they sounded so good. They had the whole pub tapping their feet and clapping. At one point we all started singing and everyone stood up and held hands around the small room and just sang. It was something I hadn't ever seen before. It was such an enlightening experience. It would be worth coming back next year just for this festival. The beer was good, the people amazing and it was a genuinely fun time. It was definitely an experience different from back home. I also have some video of the singing and will add when I have a better connection to the internet.

Also, I climbed the mountain behind my school this weekend, it was jaw-dropping. The view was outstanding. The mountain is a lot bigger once you are climbing it then when you look at it from far away. There are cows that just hang out at the top of the mountain. My friend Annie and I were going to try to get to the top and we were so close, but we decided to save that for another day, when we had more daylight and could pack a picinic. The weather was beautiful and I could have stayed up there all day. This was an exciting weekend and I hope you all enjoy the pictures^_^!

Independent Study

2008-02-14T11:00:00.022-06:00

Here is some new work that I have been making for my independent study project. I have been working with various materials to make mixed media pieces based on landscapes from around the places we have been visiting in Ireland. My Irish Studies class has been very inspirational for this project. Wood panels, watercolor, acrylic, paper, fabric, wire mesh, gold wrappings and found objects have been used in the making of these pieces. There are 24 paintings so far ranging anywhere from 2 in. by 3.5 in. to 10 in. by 15.5 in, making them small scale. All the pieces have been made on scrap wood of various sizes from the shop at school. I have been putting them up on my studios walls stacking them, changing orientations and even painting new elements onto some of them. They are becoming very precious as objects, but very inpermanent in terms of how I have been changing some even after I put then on the wall. Space, color, abstraction, minimalism, texture, and materials are all issues that I'm dealing with in my experimental investigation and thought process of how I am learning to handle or manipulate these materials, to create new pieces. This work has been extremely fun and enjoyable to make and I'm learning a lot from working this way^_^! Please, please, please comment and tell me what you see or think.

New Photographs

2008-02-14T10:23:00.023-06:00

These are some photographs from my advanced photography class that I have been working on. The idea was to do a series of portraits, but I asked the person I was photographing a question and told them to think about the answer as I photographed them. Then after I asked them to write down their thoughts in my sketchbook and paired the text with the portrait. I have been experimenting with text and how to pair it with the photograph. From this I'm learning how different ways of pairing the two together can change the meaning of the photograph more then I had expected. Playing around with the two together started to form ideas and question themes such as identity, human experience, memory, and interpretation. I am still working with this series and figuring out the issues raised by this work. These are four of the nine photographs all of which I still consider works in progress. This project has been very challenging, informing and thought provoking. I'm learning so much about a lot of issues and subjects I have never dealt with before in my earlier work and am still figuring how to deal with these issues. Don't be afraid to comment. I want to know what you think or feel when you see these.

Horse Races

2008-02-14T09:40:00.023-06:00

This past Sunday we got the chance to go to a point to point horse race. It was cold, the ground muddy, and the bets were on! I didn't bet, but my friend Gina did and she won four euro on the first race. It was really fun to watch the races, they had a track set up and a few obstacles the horses had to jump over. Some of the horses looked liked they were having a hard time jumping over them and one horse didn't quite make the leap. The horse flipped over and the rider was thrown from the horse. It was really scary, I just saw a pair of horse leg up in the air. The rider was okay, but the horse laid on the ground for a few minutes as this lady slapped it's neck. Then the horse came too, so that was good. Other then that it was a really good time.

Drew and I found where they kept the horses, when they weren't racing. All the trailers were at the bottom of this hill on the other side of the road. Owners and jockys were walking around keeping the horses warmed up by walking them in circles. They surprised me because sometimes they would walk the horses right up next to you, really close. The horses were really beautiful and big. I found this to be just as fun if not more then the actual races. After a while of walking around all the trailers and watching everyone taking care of the horses, we went back to the races. There was one left, so we decided to walk to the pub where everyone else had gone to be picked up. Being at the races and watching the horses made me want to be one of the riders. It looks really fun, but also kind of scary. It was a really enjoyable time and I got some really good photos!

Irish Studies

2008-02-02T06:26:00.001-06:00

My Irish Studies class is so amazing! Once I think I had scene Ireland, I see or find something new that blows my mind. We go on fields trips every Friday around Ireland and Gordon (our teacher) shows us historical sights, such as stone tombs, and as we are on the bus he tells us about the history of Ireland's landscape as he tells us his own personal stories. He explains the purpose of the stone walls that have been standing four thousands of years and are now used to mark off land and fence in cows or sheep. He explains how the Burren landscape was made by glaciers and describes plant and animal life, some examples of which are only native to Ireland. We learn about rocks and the stone tombs where human bones have been found. We walk up hills and down trails, around fairy forts and through fields of cows and sheep. I actually was chased by three male rams because Noah was teasing them. It was also about time for the lady sheep to give birth so they were only protecting them, but let's just say they are a lot bigger up close. I was later told that the story became town gossip, but it had changed through word of mouth that Drew was chased by me or something, haha.

With every trip I find new inspiration whether it's for a painting or a photograph. This last trip gave me a bunch of new ideas for paintings and when I came back to school after class I started collecting more wood panels and went to painting. It was a great class, we walked up this huge hill of rocks and hazel to get to the tombs at the top. We were so high up that we could look down on everything. It was wonderful. The clouds seemed so low. Then we found a wedge tomb that was built halfway under ground and we got to climb in it. It was so neat! Then we moved on because the weather was really crazy that day and it looked as if it was going to rain. That day it snowed, rained, hailed and the sun came out in between all the shifts of weather. It was a short day because we got back to school around 3:30 or so.

It's been such a great class and I love being outside, learning, and walking through the landscape of Ireland, so I thought that this class deserved an article for itself. On the way back the clouds were so gloomy, but there was one spot where the sun was shining from behind a hill, light up the clouds in one spot. It was such a great sight. Here are some pictures from the trips we have gone on. Take a look, comment and I hope you enjoy the pictures^_^!

Dublin

2008-01-29T06:58:00.000-06:00

This was a really great weekend, we took a trip to Dublin and stayed in the city for three days from Thursday to Saturday. During this time there was tons of things to do such as a farmers market, a music festival and a bunch of art museums and art galleries to check out.

It was an early morning and we left at about seven a.m. to get on the bus for our four hour trip. The dean of our school, Tim along with Aine (one of the instructors) took us on a tour of all the different galleries around Dublin. We went to a few photo galleries, some national museums of Ireland (including a natural history museum) and some smaller, but really prestigious art galleries. It was great to see all the artwork. Some of the work we saw was by the artists that are going to be visiting our school, which will be awesome to get to hear about their work more. It was such a huge range from contemporary and modern art to natural and more renaissance art.

I got to see an exhibition on Polish paintings, which was really neat. They were some really, really good pieces in that show as well as at many of the other galleries. I don't think I have seen so much art in my life as I did those two days, Thursday and Friday. On Friday, we went to two museums and one gallery called the Hugh Lane, where they had Francis Bacon's studio on display. I didn't know much about that artist, but later researched him and his paintings are really great. He also has the messiest studio I have ever seen in my life. It was defiantly a lot to take in, but totally worth trekking around the city to see such great art.

After the museums on Friday night, I went to see the band, Stars play at a venue called, Tripod. It was such a great show! I love that band and listened to them back home, so when I came to Dublin and found out they were playing I had to go. I met with some of the other students that wanted to go there, but I thought I was going to miss the show because I got lost in the city trying to find the venue. I made it just in time though and we all enjoyed the show. Then it was off to the pub where with met up with some more friends and had a few drinks.

Then Friday night we walked around after the museums and saw a bunch of live music on the streets. People were playing banjos and accordions, violins, harmonicas sometimes alone or in a group. Then we met up again at this pub called, The Palace where some of our friends were hanging out. A traditional Irish band came and played in the really crowded pub. I didn't think the band was going to be able fit in the small room with all the people. They were so good! At one point the women sang for one of their songs and her voice was beautiful. She start to sing in Gaelic, which is the native language to Ireland. I wasn't sure what she was singing, but some of the people in the pub said she was singing about the sea and a daughter. After that we walked around the city a bit more taking in all that was going on, with the street performers and all the club goers.

While on Saturday, Hilary, Carra and I went and had breakfast and did some shopping for things we needed and I got a set of brushes from the 2Euro store, where everything is only 2 euros. Then we found a farmers market where they were selling vegetable, chocolates, and pastries. I also got some hot apple cider with brandy in it which was really good. We also bumped into a few other students at the market and went around stopping at a few charity shops (one was in the basement of a pink and purple building) and listened to more music before we had to catch the bus back to Galway, then to the Burren.

Overall, it was a great time. I definitely want to go back to Dublin because I feel that we just scratched the surface of the city, despite all the things we had already done. The city was so busy, nothing like I have seen back in Minneapolis. Streets were packed shoulder to shoulder and people walk so fast, I sometimes thought one of us was going to get lost or separated. There was something going on 24/7 and despite constantly walking around with sore feet, it was a great experience. The art was amazing, the food was good and it was an overall fun time! Hope you all enjoy the photos and are having a great time back in the states^_^!

Art opening, abandoned village and dance party!

2008-01-23T11:12:00.001-06:00

Lately I have been working in my studio a lot more since classes have officially started since last week and despite the constant rain have ventured outside to find abandoned villages and have roamed through muddy cattle fields.

This past weekend was really fun, it was my first whole weekend staying in the Burren since I have been here, which was a nice change of pace.

Well, to start off there was a gallery opening at the School on Friday, which was really good. They had free cheese and crackers plus lots of wine and beer. I had a few glasses of wine then a few beers. It was nice to look at the art and quite a few people came, mostly teachers and students from the school, but the dean and president were there as well and the artists represented in the opening. After everyone started filtering out of the gallery, a group of us went to the local pub and had a pint or two and passed around the word about the dance party on Saturday at the Limestone for Laura's half birthday party, she's one of the really nice ladies that works in the cafeteria at school.

On Saturday some friends I live with (Sam, Elizabeth and Annie) and I went to this abandoned village hidden away in a bunch hazel, on a hill in the middle of a cow field. To get there faster we asked this really nice women, named Heidi, who owned the field if we could cut through here property. She didn't mind and told us just to close the gates behind us as to not let the cattle out.

Before we left for the field she told us she had some baby lambs that were about three weeks old. She let us play with them and hold them, it was really adorable because they would nibble on your fingers, but they just gummed them, so it was kind of wet and slimy. There was a really cute white one with spots on his head that kept jumping up and down in circles. We thanked Heidi for letting us play with her lambs and for letting cross through her field and went on our way. She said we were welcome to stop by anytime if we wanted, which would be fun to check up on the baby lambs and to see how much they grow.

So, after trekking through the soggy field and being stared down by a bunch of cows we made it to the village. It was really neat, there were so many trees, all the rocks were covered with moss and there was some stone walls built creating paths along them that we could walk on. Annie and I found this little, bright red fungus that was sticking out of the ground and later found that it's called the scarlet elf cup in one of the books at the library. We also saw a hare in an open part of the hazel and the view, looking down on the Burren, was amazing, it was so open and we were so high up, almost to the edge of the mountain behind the school. We were soaking wet and our shoes covered in mood but it was totally worth it and a lot of fun. After hanging out in the village we walked back to get ready for the dance party, woot, woot!

At Limestone, one of the many local pubs, they were having a deals on drinks so my friend Annie slip one, then two, and then three pitchers later were busting out the moves on the dance floor. The pub was the busiest I had seen during the few times I have gone. I got to hang out with a few of the graduate students from the Burren. The music was live and the guy, Daniel played his guitar and did some really good covers. Everyone looked like they enjoyed themselves. Around two we decided to head out to one of the houses to hang out. Annie and I ended staying the night at the Connolly house (one of the cottages that some of the students live in) in the extra bed instead of walking home in almost pitch dark. It's really nice here at night, you can see all the stars when there are no clouds and it so quiet. We do need to wear reflective vests and carry flashlights when out at night, so the cars can see us. Then Sunday was definitely a Sunday, it was cloudy, raining and a good day to get lots of work done.

So, that was my first weekend staying in town for the entire weekend which was really relaxing and enjoyable to get to know the Burren and Ballyvaughan more. But, this weekend on the other hand starts early and we will be going to Dublin on Thursday and Friday to get tours of the galleries and museums there, plus some of us are going to see a band called, Stars play in the city, which will make for a great evening in the city after walking around and experiencing all the art^_^. I'm really looking forward the the weekend and all the things I will be able to write and draw in my sketchbook. I will be posting all the goods from the trip as soon as I get back, for ya'll!

Joe Keane

2008-01-14T06:06:00.000-06:00

While in Galway, Morgan and I met a man named Joe Keane. He invited us to his place for some tea and biscuits. He lived on the edge of the city in a small apartment that smelled like salmon. He was a

n old man with glasses that were held together by wax and wire. When we asked what he did for a living, he said he was a traveler and had live in Africa and Australia.

His place was full of stuff. A cloths line with rags on it hung from the ceiling. He had a boomer rang on the wall that he said he couldn't ever get to come back and paintings he had made were all over the his living room. He talked to us about his travels of which some of his paintings were from and also the state of Ireland. We listened to the news on his radio and told him that we were studying at the

Burren. He told us about Ballyvaughan during the summer and pointed out some paintings that were landscapes of the place. He told us how good it was to have company since there wasn't a whole lot of people around. He offered me tea two times before I had finished one cup. He was the kind of person that could talk for hours and hours. After tea Morgan and I got the courage to ask him for a painting. He signed them and we left him some euros on the table in return, which had a beautiful cloth from India on it. Before we headed out he gave us his address and told us to send him something from the states when we get back. He got his bike and took us to a good shopping center where we could get groceries. He then went on with the rest of his day.

This experience was the most rewarding part of staying in the city because of the way he lived and what he talked about. It was completely different once we stepped out of his place. I will be writing about him in my journal.

Thank you Joe Keane.

Bright lights, big city

2008-01-14T05:16:00.000-06:00

This weekend I spent the night in Galway. It's about a two hour bus ride from Ballyvaughan and is the closet big city. The place was wonderful (despite being expensive). Of course, it was full of shops and every place was having a sale. There was a bunch of different food stands, at one I got the best and biggest fallefel I've ever had. I spent the day hanging out with some of the other students and we picked up things we need here and there, stopping in shops, browsing, window shopping and such. I got a new waterproof coat to fight off the rain.

The cathedrals in Galway were beautiful, you could hear them ringing the bells from the other side of the city. Street performers were all over the place. I saw people playing violins, electric guitars, saxophones and some groups singing. I tipped the women playing the violin. At one pub a group of men were playing banjos and guitars as they sang, which was really fun to see them stomping their feet to the beat of the music and listen too.

Later in the evening we went out for pints (of which I found that adding black currant juice to a Guinness is really, really good) at a pub called, The King's Head and listened to some music before we left to go to a club, which was really fun dancing. After a full night we head

ed back to the hostel, which was called Barnacles^_^.

The rest of the day on Sunday was great. We hit up a few thrift stores and my friend Morgan and I went exploring the docks, saw boats houses and walked to the beach. We collected green seashells and orange stones to bring back, plus I saw the most swans I have ever scene in my life on the way to the beach. They were huge! I got really, really close to one as this girl and her father were feeding it. We walked around the city all day just taking everything in. I felt that I had been in Galway for a week rather then just two days and once I got back to Ballyvaughan I was exhausted.

It was a great experience spending the whole weekend in the city and worth the money I spent. More pictures to come^_^!

Let's try this again

2008-01-08T07:09:00.001-06:00

So, three planes rides later and now I'm here Ballyvaghaun, Ireland. The flights went well only that I missed my connecting flight to Shannon and had to fly from NY to Dublin and Dublin to Shannon. They also lost my tripod, but it's safe now. I'm got caught up on sleep and am over jet lag and it's good to be here^_^!

(Dublin Airport: Sunrise)

(Tomb)

It's been so wonderful, the people are so nice and we have had a tour of the Burren and the place is beautiful. The other students are great, the school is so awesome and our house is huge since I'm living with 12 other people. On the tour I got to see so much of the landscape including the Cliffs of Moher (the picture doesn't even begin to describe the size of these cliffs) along the Atlantic coast which was breathtaking not only the view but also standing on the top of a 700 foot drop cliff in windy weather was scary, but thrilling! I have been collecting rocks and shells from each different place. I can't even explain in words how naturally inspiring Ireland is.

(Hail storm)

The weather is crazy. There has been ice cold rain, hail, sunshine, windstorms that blow so strong you walk in place, power outages and snow which was strange even for the natives because they told us it never snows. The sun doesn't rise until about 8:00 am and sets at 4:30 pm, which makes the days feel short, but the overall time seem very long.

The town is really great, too! They have tiny hatchback cars that drive really fast. All the houses are cozy and have their doors painted to match. There are sheep, cattle, badgers, hares and goats in the mountians.

The rest of this week is registration, moving into my new studio, meetings with advisors, and getting to know my way around town until this weekend when we have a

trip to Galway, where we get to spend the night and experience the city.

Hope all is well and enjoy the photos^_^!

Alive and well!

2008-01-07T09:51:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I made it to Ireland. Just so you all know my phone doesn't work and internet isn't always reliable, so I will post when I can. Right now the week is pretty much planned out for us so I won't be able to write as much as I would like at the moment, but in due time I will. Be patient with me.

I have so many stories and photos to share already and it has only been three days!!!Publish Post

No better time then now!

2007-12-19T20:23:00.001-06:00

Welcome!

So, here we go! This is my first blog ever so bear with me. After being recommended by a friend (thanks Jade <3) to start a blog while studying abroad in Ireland, I thought it would be a great chance to stay connected with friends and family.

To catch up, I'm a photography major at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I'm in my senior year and for my Spring 2008 semester I will be studying abroad in Ballyvaughan, Ireland at the Burren College of Art and Design for four months from January to April. This school happens to be in the middle of nowhere, placed amongst the beautiful landscape of Ireland along the coast of the Atlantic.

So, this page will be a link in a place where cellphones don't work. A way for me to stay connected. This blog will be a way to make new friends while staying in touch with old ones, a place to inform, post, document, comment, share, express, discuss, explore and communicate with friends and family. I will be posting new articles and photos on my daily life and travels while in Ireland along with new artwork such as photographs and sketchbook work, so let me know if I'm doing a good job!

Be ready for run on sentences, lots of happy faces^_^ and tons of photos! Oh yes, don't be afraid to comment, to let me know what you think because that is what this is here for!

Keep in touch <3<3<3