My New Studio at ArtWorks PG! Moving in story....
I just recently moved in to my new studio space, 120sqft at ArtWorks PG located in the Tin Cannery building! If you are familiar with the Monterey area, this building is across the street from the Aquarium and the ocean! I love my new space and look forward to making some great art here.
It was quite the project getting everything moved in. I had one of my part time jobs end recently, so with a little extra time on my hands and good friends to help, it went about as smoothly as you would imagine for one of my projects. :P
Monday was the big day, and that went quite smoothly. Lesley & Lillie helped immensely, especially the use of Lillie's touring van for transportation! The snag came Tuesday, when Lesley and I headed up to Aptos (about an hour drive) to grab me a drafting table I was buying from a lovely woman I met through Craigslist. She threw in a free easel & we are friends now. Long story short, we had our borrowed car break down and then had to come back for it at the mechanic's the next day.
The next day I also woke up with a cold... which, 1 week later, I am just getting over. Whew! It was a loooooooong week, but Saturday I made my first piece of art here, and now that I am feeling better am back again.
I will post a studio tour vlog soon! I have a neat setup, but you'll have to wait and see....
A wildflower tour of Fort Ord
I was joined by my childhood & current best friend Lesley through our favorite hiking trails in Fort Ord! Wildflower picking was an extremely important part of our young days and we spent more time outside wandering, getting poison oak, climbing trees, and getting our feet poked by burrs than we did doing just about anything else.
We switched off about 1/2 and 1/2 with the camera in an attempt to photograph every distinct type of wildflower we came across. I hope you enjoy the photos we took together! These sure make me feel nice and calm.
I have been taking digital photographs for most of my life, and this is my first year with a DSLR. I have a Canon EOS Rebel. A few years old, but I don't need it to be too fancy for my camera to serve me well. Though I am still learning how to utilize all the settings properly. Maybe the next time I go out to take photos in bright daylight I won't have to go back and correct their overexposure in Lightroom? A girl can dream.
My photographer friends, please leave a comment with your current favorite camera and what you like to take photos of! I would love to know!
Celebrating YAC, my first door into the art world.
Tomorrow I give this speech at Youth Arts Collective's birthday celebration luncheon. I wanted to share with my web followers & anyone who can not attend, so that this program's influence on my artistic growth can be known!
“I may be the last to speak, but I was the first one here!
My name is Meheen Ruby Hauge and I first joined YAC 10 years ago as a high school sophomore. Back then, all I wanted to draw was my favorite video game characters and pages copied from my favorite comic books. Now, I do abstract painting and woodblock printmaking if that tells you anything about how YAC helped expand my expressive abilities.
YAC was my internship, and gave me skills I needed to complete my Bachelor’s degree in Art. And, because of a letter of recommendation from Meg and Marcia, allowed me to get a scholarship that paid a chunk of my rent in college. YAC’s professional network is the reason that I have my current job as a studio assistant to a local Etsy seller.
I moved back suddenly to the Monterey area after my life in Humboldt fell apart and YAC immediately welcomed me back. Getting to know this new generation of artists has been a gift and a joy. I am endlessly inspired by the work they produce, and I cherish the fact that I can be a small part of their growth. They blow me away.
YAC taught me that I could achieve a career in the arts. More than that, to see myself as an Artist. It didn’t have to matter that nobody with my name was one before me; I had a place for my diverse voice in the art world.”