Snow Day

Juggling was the theme of the afternoon yesterday. We had laid out three juggling sacks on the table to use as a discussion point and interest my brother. He, of course, was intrigued by the juggling sacks, which we said belonged to my grandmother. He proceeded to attempt to juggle in front of us. He was unsuccessful and his fiancee gave it a try. She too was unsuccessful at the task. Acting as though I have never juggled before, I too stepped up to to attempt the task. After struggling with the task for about three tries, I then went into serious juggling mode and completely surprised by brother and his fiancee. His face was absolutely priceless. Needless to say, he spent the rest of the afternoon trying to master the art of juggling with helpful tips from me.

My mother made these gorgeous orange sweet potato fries, with rosemary, salt and oil. They were not only delicious but also great to photograph. I think food photographs can be really great so I decided to take a stab at photographing these fries fresh out of the oven.

We were hit with 6" of snow on saturday, which is the day we were expected to drive to PA from NC. We decided to leave a day early and were lucky we did.

This bouquet was a gift to myself after completing this past semester. The bouquet contains white daisies, white carnations and one other white flower for which the name is unknown. I love white flowers at christmas time. They remind me of snow.

Full Scale Prototype Process

Foam Process Models

These small scale models were created using extruded polystyrene insulation. This was an early process model used to help demonstrate how the object can be rotated and used for numerous uses to accomodate numerous positions.

Renderings of Studio Project

These renderings were created using sketchup and podium. The images depict the use of the object created during my fall graduate studio. This object can be used in numerous educational settings by children, specifically ages 6 to 8.

Current Reading

I have just begun reading The Lost Art of Walking by Geoff Nicholson. The cover is really creative. I enjoy looking at the fine detail in the shoe prints. I will provide a personal review when finished the book.

Paper Whites in bloom

Christmas time means enjoying blooming amaryllis and paper whites. I usually opt for the amaryllis, but this year I went with three bulbs of paper whites. They were planted the day after Thanksgiving and began blooming a few days ago. They have a very lovely scent, similar to the scent of a lily, and have a gorgeous white flower with a yellow center. They faintly resemble a piece of popcorn.

Flipping...

Flipping through the studio booklet

Flipping through the successful booklet created for my graduate studio project this semester titled "Primary Objects". Binder screws were used to fasten the booklet.

Book Cover

The process photos taken while attempting to assemble a book with a fabric cover. The cover was not a success so plan B was used for the booklet binding, which you will see in the above post.

Memories of fall

A hint of christmas

Doodles from my Notebook

Another unfinished sketch created while waiting to meet a friend for lunch on Tate St.

Some doodles from my notebook. The floor plan is a thumbnail of my 'partment.

A sketch at breakfast.

Doobles in the margins. Each mark pertained to a beat in a song I was listening to.

Sketch of Exam

A student hard at work at a rendering exam in studio is sketched above.

Tate Street Sketch

A sketch that was stated but never finished. This was drawn while waiting to meet a friend for lunch on Tate Street in Greensboro, NC.

Above is an abstacted photograph of a product I designed for the graduate studio this semester. This product is intended to be used as a despecialized object for a first and second grade classroom. The product can be used in multiple positions as needed by the user. The construction of the product includes 2" extruded polystyrene insulation or EPI that has been cut, glued, sculpted, sanded and painted (many times).

The product measures about 25" high, 18" wide, and about 24" deep (these measurements pertain to the object shown in the upright position on the left).

A Sunday Stroll Through the Bog Gardens in Greensboro

The above photographs were taken during my sunday morning stroll through the Bog Garden in Greensboro, NC.

Design Inspired By Nature: for jon

The above was slide no. 12 from the presentation titled "Primary Objects". This slide features an award winning child's play fort designed by two designers from Madrid, Josue Gamonal and Vicente Porres. The theme of the contest was "The Child's Universe". This piece was selected as the winner based on its “innovative concept that broadens the typology of children’s furniture, thanks to its references to nature and its playhouse and shelter-like quality.”

To find out more information about this product visit the following link: http://www.inhabitots.com/2009/03/01/trad-wins-design-award-and-captures-imagination/

Primary Objects: a presentation

I will be conducting a study of products used in early childhood education environments. This is the first slide for the presentation introduced on September 18, 2009. The study is titled "Primary Objects". During the presentation, I discussed learning styles, ergonomics, community in the classroom, child development, and the methodology behind the project.