GJ Willis' Art Notes

courthousecanon, originally uploaded by willisgirl.

The above photo was taken on the grounds of the Towson Courthouse in Towson, Maryland.

Yesterday, I only got about 3-4 hours of sleep. I was surprised how quickly I perked up after drinking the SoBe Energy drink. Ordinarily, after getting such a small amount of sleep I would have been fighting to stay awake. SoBe is incredible!

Anyway, since yesterday we are now all caught up at work. So right now there is nothing left for me to do but relax and take it easy. Ahhhh, the joys of a relaxing three day weekend await me!

gallerycrab, originally uploaded by willisgirl.

This is another photgraph of one of the many crab sculptures that has invaded BaItimore this summer. This crab was photographed in front of the Inner Harbor's upscale Gallery shopping mall. On with the blog.....

It was nice to see this morning another woman carrying a SoBe Energy drink. Oh, no could it be that I’m at the start of a trendy?! OK, the woman didn’t look the slightest bit trendy. Heck, neither do I. She was however, a female construction worker.......

WHAT I’M WEARING:
Today, I have on a bib overall mini-dress. Under the bib overall mini dress I have on a short sleeve pink and orange striped top.

At work today the higher-ups gave the OK for us to wear shorts for our annual labor day cook out. I don’t believe in wearing shorts to work. I feel that that would be mixing business with pleasure. Also they rarely serve anything I’m interested in. So this year like all the other ones, I’ve skipped the free barbecue meal.

energy, originally uploaded by willisgirl.

SoBe Energy drink tastes great! Over all it has a nice sweet fruity flavour to it. I thought that maybe I’d be wired all day and find it difficult to sleep at night. I was pleased to find that this was not the case. I think I have found my new beverage of choice. However, I’m not entirely giving up on my first love, Mountain Dew.

Yesterday, after work I was hanging with the Quakers. I went over to The American Friends Service Committee on York Road because they were holding a forum on the application of the death penalty in Maryland. I learned about the meeting from a flyer that came with Sunday’s church service handout.

I have always been against the death penalty and I thought that it might be interesting to participate in something for a change. When I got to the meeting I was surprised to find that the room was packed. The only place left for me to sit was in the first row. So there I sat feeling uncomfortable with no one in front of me.

From the forum I learned that there are were many steps involved in over turning a death sentence. I also learned about the significance of the analysis of Maryland’s death penalty that was done by University of Maryland’s Dr. Paternoster. The results of the Paternoster study succinctly proved race and geography determined who got the death the death penalty in Maryland.

The forum seemed to be taking the cause of overturning Vernon Evans death sentence. I was looking around the web to find more information about his case. I was surprised to find that he has a blog. OK, he doesn’t maintain the blog himself. After all he’s a prisoner on death row and does not have internet access. The blog is maintained by a woman named, Ginny Simmons. You type in questions on the blog while while Ms. Simmons prints them out for Vernon to answer at a later date.

The next meeting for the Committee To Save Vernon Evans will be held on October 4, 2005 at the AFSC on 4806 York Road at 7PM. I think I’ll go there as well as be a part of the vigil that they hold every Monday to abolish the death penalty. The vigils are held from 5-6 pm outside the prison complex on the corner of Madison and Fallsway.

WHAT I’M WEARING:
Today, I have on a white t-shirt and a black mini skirt that has a design of beige circles on it The shoes I have on are black slides.

nearlibrarycrab, originally uploaded by willisgirl.

This is a crab sculpture I saw in front of what I believe was an advertising agency a couple of blocks from the Enoch Pratt Library

This morning for the first time ever I bought an energy drink! I bought SoBe’s Energy drink. I got it because after a second careful observation of the energy drinks that my 7 -ELEVEN carries I noticed that it’s the only one that comes in a clear bottle and not a silvery beer like can. The darn thing looks absolutely female user friendly! It has two lizards on the bottle behind a red triangle. I can take SoBe’s Energy beverage to work and not feel as if I’ve written myself up a one way trip to the human resources office. I also like that on the bottle it says that it’s citrus flavoured and it has this nice orange colour to it.

Right now I’m wondering what it will taste like? Will it be sweet or tart? Will it really give me extra energy? Will it help me to be better able to pull in extra overtime hours this week without crashing? Is it all just a scam? More answers to these burning questions and more when we tune in tomorrow to.... GJ Willis Trys Sobe Energy beverage For The First Time!

WHAT I’M WEARING:
Today, I have on a sky blue v-neck top and a dark blue skirt with beige and brown slides.

nearwalterscrab, originally uploaded by willisgirl.

This a crab sculpture I saw across the street from The Walters Art Gallery in my hometown of Baltimore, MD.

This morning I attempted to buy an energy drink at the 7-ELEVEN but chickened out at the last minute.

You see ever since someone left a comment on one of my entries explaining that Red Bull was not an alcoholic beverage I thought I’d give it a try. This week would have been a perfect opportunity to give it a try because at work just for this week only they have offered us extra overtime.

The one thing that made me uncomfortable in purchasing a drink was the design on almost all of the cans of energy drinks. To my eyes the design and packaging was just too reminiscent of booze even though it’s not booze.

I would have felt uncomfortable all day at work wondering if my brand new supervisor or co-workers seeing just a silvery can on my desk would assume that I was boozing it up in my cubicle. I could just imagine them sadly shaking there heads as they passed by. Then before you know it I’d be called into Dave’s office (my supervisor’s supervisor) and then having to explain to him, “No sir, I don’t have a drinking problem. Yes, I know the company provides for free confidential counseling.”

I just couldn’t bring myself to risk the possibility of looking as if I were doing something improper even though what I was doing would have been on the up and up. Damn, those makers of energy drinks for making them all look like cans of malt liquor! I suppose I’ll never find out if energy drinks truly give you energy....

WHAT I’M WEARING:
Today, I have on a royal blue short sleeve top and a paisley skirt with black slides.

penguin, originally uploaded by willisgirl.

The only penguin I ever liked was Opus from cartoonist Berke Breathed's Bloom County. I can't wait until Opus the Penguin, the movie, comes out.

Yesterday, I went to Church as usual. The husband and wife Co-Ministers of the Church I attend returned back from their Summer vacation. You see with Unitarian Churches they run on a school like schedule. From late June to late August the Ministers have off. During the time they are off services are run by lay people.

Anyway, it was nice to see the Reverends Hubbell and Manwell back. It appears that they are eagerly awaiting the birth of a new grandchild. You know I couldn’t quiet put my finger on it, but Reverend Hubbell looked different. I’m not sure if she coloured her hair, lost weight, or was sporting an entirely new hairstyle.

Also yesterday as per usual I went to the movies after church. Here’s my Quick Review of....MARCH OF THE PENGUINS

I was feeling daring and adventurous after Church so I decided to see what ever movie the elderly couple standing in front of me was going to see. The movie they chose to see was, March of the Penguins. Luckily, this was a movie that I haven’t seen before. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. So I bought my ticket for March of the Penguins not knowing exactly what to expect. The only thing I knew about the movie was that it was a documentary that involved penguins.

I wish to God/Goddess that I could take back the hour or so of my life that I spent watching that movie!!! March of the Penguins was the most boring documentary that I have ever sat through!!! I was literally fighting to stay awake.

I, for the life of me after watching this movie can not understand why it’s so well liked and beloved by people who’ve seen it. It was clearly a movie that was best suited to be viewed on the Nature Channel and not on the big screen. The only good thing about this movie was that it was narrated by Morgan Freeman.

My advice is that if you are going to the movies to be entertained, March of the Penguins is not it. March of the Penguins is best viewed by rabid penguin enthusiast, the sleep deprived, or people with masochistic tendencies.

WHAT I’M WEARING
Today, I have on a tan skirt with a turquiose tie dyed like short sleeve shirt that has an ecru and tan flower design on it. I also have on tan leather flip flops.

wallman, originally uploaded by willisgirl.

This is a watercolour painting I've been working on, on and off for the past year. I thought today, I'd post it as well as the other paintings I've been working on but have become stuck as to what to do next. I'm posting them so that I can possible get a better idea as to how to finish them. I feel that sometimes looking at something through a diffferent media allows you to see things from a fresh point of view.

My sticking point with this one as well as the others is whether to add an expression on the face or keep it blank. One part of me feels that it's perfectly ok to have do a figurative painting without visible facial features. Then another part of me feels that if I left a painting without a facial expression then I would be copping out. Then a third part of me feels that if I did a figurative painting without an expression I would be blatenly copying the style of Annie Lee. As you can see with this painting and the ones that followed I'm wracked with indecision as to what to do next...

One sticking point with this painting in particular is whether or not I should add more detail to the background buildings? Also I can't decide if I should continue on with the background brick pattern or leave it be.

streetpainting, originally uploaded by willisgirl.

My indecisiveness on this one is all based on sizing. I really like the look of the man in the door. However, I can't decide if I made the buildings too large or too small in proportion to him. When it's finished...if it will ever be finished.... I've been staring at this canvas in indecision since 2002. Anyway, it's supposed to be of a street parade passing by. I can't even bring myself to add additional people or fix the slant on the sidewalk and street because I'm worried about proportion and sizing.

galleryman, originally uploaded by willisgirl.

With this one I can't quiet decide what to do with the background. I think I might change it back to a street scene where he's sitting on a fire hydrant. Then again the art gallery makes it look a little more classy and gives it a more interesting juxtiposition. Street wise urban man in an art gallery.