A Taste Of What's To Come...

So... it has been two weeks since I have returned from across the pond on my abroad adventure and I still have no updated my blog! I have plans for you my little blog, I promise! I'm will be updating this space after this weeks end. I have plenty of entries planned! Here is a taste of what's to come:

- HUGE Abroad entry... Architecture, Laughs, Memories, Recommendations, Complaints...

- Spider Web Tape Art? Um yeah...

- Loss, trying to understand it

- Wise Words from friends

- Movies on my Mind

Stay tuned! There will be updates!

Great News

At USF's SACD there are three portfolio submissions you must go through. The first is your work prior to trying to enter the program, which can be whatever you want it to be. This portfolio allows you entrance into our program, but it simply just gets your foot in the door. After you have completed 'Core' Design (3 Semesters worth of Studio) you are required to compile a portfolio of your Core work and submit it for review so you may gain access to the 'Advanced' Design sequence. Finally, after 3 more design semesters you must submit a portfolio of your Advanced work to be reviewed by the faculty to gain access to your final year: THESIS.

I started at USF's SACD in the Fall of 2008. I finished Core Design 3 at the end of the following Fall and my Core Portfolio was due the first day of school that following January. At this point I had known that since because I was deferring my Advanced Design A semester to the summer to take it abroad in Spain that I would have a full semester extension to work on my portfolio instead. I decided to work on as much of it as possible over the winter break, and I did, but frankly since my mother died only 2 months before that I needed a mental break so I only developed the "templates" for the whole portfolio (which helped!).

Last week, at the very last minute, I hammered out my portfolio in three days. I turned it in on the morning of the 14th and later that day we had heard back the results. Here is what it said in my letter:

"It is my pleasure to inform you that you have passed the review with high commendation from the faculty. Your portfolio was one of the few to have been selected as a finalist for the faculty's 2010-2011 Outstanding Portfolio Award, the premier design award of the core design sequence."

So, pretty awesome eh!? I'm very honored and excited about this! I plan on posting my portfolio online, but need to figure out the best means to do that. Once I have figured that out I will be posting it here!

24 Rooms Within 330 Square Feet

Watch this video... man pretty ingenious. This is why architects are around!

David & Goliath

Friend and fellow SACD colleague, Fadi Sheikh Khalil Garcia, was taking an advanced photography course this semester and needed some models for an assignment. The assignment was to recreate a famous painting. Fadi, chose Caravaggio's "David and Goliath" and asked me to play the role of David, and fellow SACD student Alex Rios to be Goliath. Fadi brought materials and I had to make a bag, toga and shorts. It was interesting and it turned out good! Judge for yourself!

Original

Recreation

The Award Goes To...

So SACD had their annual awards ceremony today, which I attended. So there are some winners that I will announce. If you remember one of my recent prior posts about the Garcia Award then you are already familiar with the nominees, well the winner was Tim Keepers. He also won the Faculty chosen Advanced Design Portfolio Award. Also, Leo Morantin won the Faculty chosen Core Design Portfolio Award AND the Rowe Scholarship (for his Core Portfolio) worth $7,500! To see his portfolio please CLICK HERE. I however did NOT win the award I was nominated for, the Masonry Scholarship, but I knew walking in that, that wasn't going to be a reality... Maybe I'll explain some other time (funny story actually). For now, I am off to bed. Finals week approaches quickly!

Vex / Kate MccGwire

Everyone loves fine art... Well I sure do. I ran across this great find a month ago on NOTCOT and thought I would share it, because it is surely worth it! Following are photographs of artist Kate MccGwire's exhibit titled "Vex." These are some amazing feather sculptures if I must say. I was so drawn to the repetitive nature of the construction and the twisting forms that create such a strong sense of tension within you, you can literally feel the twisting inside you. Gorgeous emotional and well crafted artwork. Bravo!

For more information on Kate MccGwire check out her website:

http://www.katemccgwire.com/

USF's Garcia Award Pin-Up (2010)

Every year in the spring the faculty at SACD selects four of the top students in their exiting year to be nominated for the Edwardo Garcia Award. It's one of our schools most prestigious and sought after awards, just being nominated is a high honor. After the four students have been selected they must selectively pin-up the work they have accomplished over their four years in our program in one of our jury rooms for one week. During that week the previous Garcia winners (if available) come to judge the work and vote on a winner. A week later the ballots are counted and a winner is announced at our annual awards ceremony. Below I present some of the work from this years pin up, I hope you enjoy. Please forgive some of the blurry pics, not my best quick photo session, sigh!

Tim Keepers

Our resident hand-drawn graphics master. Tim combines his fantastic hand rendering skills with his highly tectonic and crafty models. He is all about building components and make sure they are clearly express in relationship to the whole.

Thao Nguyen

This short, shy, reserved yet zen-like Asian master is our schools computer graphics specialist. He is amazing at making computer aided renderings of his projects, they are always sharp and borderline perfect. His models are met with equal craft and precision. He's an architectural surgeon, always on point with executing his specialized skills.

Shawn Hott

Shawn is known for his very well crafted models that always have a fluid ribbon like quality to them. He is always containing elements that are curved and bend and flow throughout his projects, as if to scoop up and receive the public or catch the eye and bring it in.

Ashley Verbanic

Finally we have the one female nominee. Ashley is a very sensitive designer. Her work is always full of careful and calculated thought and the moves she makes are always on point and sensitive to her design ideas and the program at hand. Her projects have many layers that are slowly uncovered, like a good flavorful meal. She may not have the guttural impact some of the other students have but her gold is layered in the depth and strength of her work, it's not close to being superficial in any way.