good quotes about teaching & art

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
Scott Adams, author of “Dilbert” comic

I don’t believe in total freedom for the artist. Left on his own, free to do anything he likes, the artist ends up doing nothing at all. If there’s one thing that’s dangerous for an artist, it’s precisely this question of total freedom, waiting for inspiration and all the rest of it.
Federico Fellini (1920 – 1993)

You’re confusing product with process. Most people, when they criticize, whether they like it or hate it, they’re talking about product. That’s not art, that’s the result of art. Art, to whatever degree we can get a handle on (I’m not sure that we really can) is a process. It begins in the heart and the mind with the eyes and hands.
Jeff Melvoin

Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do. Mathematicians go mad, and cashiers; but creative artists very seldom. I am not, as will be seen, in any sense attacking logic: I only say that this danger does lie in logic, not in imagination. Orthodoxy ch. 2.
Chesterton, G. K. (1874 – 1936)

*the final quote was brought to my attention by my boyfriend, a math professor.  It’s interesting how the quote means different things to each of us.  :-)

Pick One, Don’t Hold Back

Mention in the Columbus Dispatch (may 2009)

Whimsical works by artists  (link)

Interactive works await visitors to the Ohio State University Urban Arts Space, 50 W. Town St.

A pedal on the floor activates Will Tucker’s hung-from-the-ceiling sculpture Landing, making it turn like a giant drill.

As part of her installation Pick one, don’t hold back, Bethany Haeseler includes a gum-ball machine so that visitors depart with pieces of candy.

As viewers walk by and set off motion detectors, the colored windmills in Jessica Brandl’sDecoy start to spin.

And, although his efforts aren’t exactly interactive, Derek Reese has a misshapen drinking fountain attached to a wall with duct tape and equally off-kilter commodes hanging in the men’s and women’s restrooms.

Visitors can also request a “touch tour” of tactile pieces.

Such whimsy makes the Master of Fine Arts Exhibition by OSU graduate students a crowd-pleaser, said Kelly Stevelt, deputy director of the space.

Nineteen artists are participating in the show, which continues through May 20.

A public reception will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Call 614-292-5184 or visit www.uas.osu.edu.

– N.G.

Blog, have we ever talked about this piece?

“Pick One, Don’t Hold Back….”

This is a pivotal piece for me, as my work becomes more sculptural and interactive.  I love it when people touch my artwork.  It makes me happy.

Many months after my MFA show, I am finally beginning to understand my own work.

It wasn’t until recently that I even realized that every piece in the show involved the audience.  From the round room with the corset, to the gumball machine, the video art, and the special gifts (cookies).

During graduate school, I made a transition from work that was very “glassy” to work that was more sculptural in nature.  My previous work was very elegant and organic in shape, but somewhat anonymous.
My MFA Thesis work was much more direct, but still maintained some secrets that could only be revealed by reading the materials list on the “name tag.”

My work also became very heavily influenced by performance.  This is not a path that I expected to take- yet is was a very natural transition.
In the next weeks I hope  to complete some new performance pieces.

after zig-zagging across the country, I’m finally feeling more settled.  I’ve been in Maine for less than 3 months, which in the scheme of things really isn’t that long.

I’m eager to start making work again.

in Columbus

so I’m in Columbus for the next few days.

I plan to do some artwork, work on some websites, and reconnect with friends.

The icing on the cake: I’m enjoying the unconditional love & company of my tiny little Daisy dog.

yesterday I enjoyed a few pots of tea with Richard, my advisor in graduate school.  I am so grateful to have studied with him.

Busy busy!

Life has been very busy recently.  I’m really enjoying my new job.

I’m working for a small company as an “E-Commerce Product Specialist.”  So what does that mean?  My days are spent working on graphics and spreadsheets.  I am responsible for getting new products uploaded to the online store.

Every day, I am learning something new.  Even if it’s just a shortcut key, it can make my life much easier.  It’s amazing how I have had my Macbook for 2.5 years and am still learning the keyboard commands.  I’m also learning a lot about Microsoft Excel.  I never knew how versatile that program was.  Sounds silly, I know…  because obviously Excel is a very powerful program.   In the past month, I have learned so much that my mind is just spinning (in a good way, of course.)

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been working with computers.  For the majority of my academic life, I’ve always been the one who is “good with computers.”  When I was just 8 years old, I was making small computer programs.  Really.  It was just some C++ coding, nothing crazy.  Little things dancing across the screen.  I wish that I still had access to those old files.  At the time, my uncle was living with us and he & my mom were obsessed with computers.  I caught on very quickly.

I’ve made websites since I was in middle school.  As a cure for summer boredom, I started my own website.  It didn’t take long before I got bored with the template that Angelfire.com provided and started to do my own programming.  And once I realized I could make my own graphics… that changed everything.

Ever since then, I’ve been making websites.

It’s nice to be satisfied with my job.

I wonder what I would be doing right now without these skills?
I miss teaching… and eventually I hope to be adjuncting for some art courses… but it takes time to get into the academic field.. and I moved here too late to start teaching in the fall semester.

Clarity Findings

guess who I get to see?

Daisy. I miss my puppy SO much.

I miss her so so badly.  This picture in particular shows how happy she gets when she is in the car.  She loves going for rides.

For a variety of reasons, she is currently in Ohio with my younger sister (who is her original mommy).  Eventually she will be with me in Maine.  But for now, part of my heart is elsewhere.  It’s been two months since I’ve seen her.

I never used to be a “dog person.”  But then I met Daisy.  There’s a lot to be said about the amount of emotional support that an animal can provide.  Daisy is a really great friend.  She’s unconditional, affectionate, and makes me very happy.
of course, she also loves to sleep.

Spicy Corn Chowder – Beth Style

One thing that I really enjoyed doing while I was in graduate school was cooking for people.

I’ve always been a cook.  Somehow, I naturally made sense out of things in the kitchen without much failure.

Soup is one my secret weapons.  Homemade soup is one of my favorite dishes to eat… but not many people make it because they assume that it’s “too challenging” or “takes too long.” The only challenge of soup (IMHO) is making the creamy base.  But once you have that down, everything will be very easy!  In fact, once you learn how to make a Roux, you can make many other sauces too.

My recipes are 100% my own.  The spice combinations are what (I think) make the difference.   I also always use fresh ingredients.  It wasn’t until very recently that it even occurred to me that I could use frozen vegetables in place of fresh.  It makes things much faster- that’s for sure.  My prep time got knocked down to just a few minutes instead of about an hour.
Having a food processor helps.  I don’t have one, but one of my previous roommates did and WOW was that thing amazing.  Typically, I chop up everything by hand- not because I think it makes things better, but because I don’t have all the fancy kitchen tools that I always wanted.

Note for vegetarians: One soup tip that I will pass on to everyone is that you cannot directly substitute traditional vegetable bullion instead of chicken bullion.  Without the chicken bullion, many soups become very bland.   To solve this issue, I use a stock called “Better than Bullion” that makes a vegetarian no-chicken base (mentioned above)- which provides a “good enough” substitute.  If you’re veg, it’s worth the $5 for this bullion.  You can use it in many different things and it keeps for a long time.

I make my soup a little bit differently every time.  I don’t typically measure my ingredients, but I always end up with a large stock pot full of soup.

Bethany’s Spicy Corn Chowder

Veggies to Prep:
Potatoes – 6 potatoes, cubed (or bag of frozen cubed hash browns)
Carrots – 1 pound of sliced carrots (or 1 bag frozen sliced carrots)
Sweet Corn – 2 bags frozen -or-  3 cans of corn, drained

Spices:
2 large Chicken Bullion Cubes (Knoxx or Maggi… or substitute with Better Than Bullion)
1 large Vegetable Bullion Cube (Knoxx or Maggi)
Salt & Black Pepper

Optional Spices That Make the Soup Awesome:
Fresh Basil – a bunch, finely chopped
Fresh Garlic – spoonful, minced
White Pepper
Ground Red Cayenne Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Base:
2 large Onions – Chopped
Real Butter- two sticks
Half & Half Creamer
1/3 cup of flour, sifted
Hot Water

Instructions:

First and foremost: Prep/Cut your veggies FIRST.  You can put all of your potatoes and carrots into a big mixing bowl and set them to the side.  Once you begin the soup base, there is not enough time time to chop up anything. It needs to be ready to go!

In a stock pot, place butter and chopped onions on med/high heat.  Allow butter to melt and start to cook the onions.  Add ALL spices and bullion to the butter & onions.  The onions should start to get a little bit clear.  Let simmer for approximately 3-5 minutes.

((( This step is crucial as it creates a thick & creamy soup base.  This is called a “ROUX”  (pronounced “Roo”).  If you add too much flour, the soup will become pasty & too thick on it’s “Second Day.”  Just remember that if the soup looks thin the first day, that it WILL thicken overnight.  And the thicker it is to start, the more it will thicken.  Just have faith in it, okay?  If you’ve never made soup with a creamy base, this might be a bit nerve-wrecking because of how unfamiliar this can be- but trust me.  You’re doing it right.   )))
Sift half of flour into the butter & onions.  Stir with a whisk, allowing to thicken with the heat.
Slowly add a small amount of half & half creamer to the mixture, whisking vigorously.

Add the rest of the flour, whisk, and allow to thicken with the heat while stirring continuously.  Cook for 2 minutes and then add the rest of the creamer.

You should now have a creamy base with lots of spices.  Add hot water until the pot is a little more than halfway full.  Whisk vigorously to combine the hot water and creamy base.

Bring to a simmer.  Add in ALL of your veggies (which I assume are already chopped and waiting for you in a big mixing bowl.)
Stir with a big spoon, making sure to mix everything up.

Turn the heat to MEDIUM/low, cover the soup with a lid, and allow the soup to cook for 1.5-2 hours, stirring occasionally.

The soup is done when the potatoes and carrots are soft.  :-)

progress on websites

I’ve been pretty busy working on my websites over this thanksgiving break.

I uploaded 60 items to Etsy.  Which was quite a bit of work.  I had to take the photographs, organize, edit them, make them all the same size, watermark them..  then put each one up onto Etsy.  it took a while!  But I’m glad to finally have something up on there!

I like making images the front page of Clarity Glassworks.  I’ve got a php script running that shows a random image every time the page is refreshed.  So if you refresh the page long enough, you can see all 10 images.  OR, you can just click below.

Clarity Glassworks on Etsy

Major Changes

The blog is back.  my website is back.

and I’m now living in Portland, Maine.  I got here 4 weeks ago.

Major changes, I know.  I didn’t want to post anything until I got myself more settled.

Life out here is busy.
I’m currently working for a small company as an E-Commerce Product Specialist and Web Designer.  I’m so happy.  I’ve also got a part time job in the evenings at a call center… so right now I’m working close to 58+ hours a week.  The goal is not only to pay off some bills, but to get a little bit ahead.  With just the design job, I’d be “fine.”  Breaking even, but not making a dent in my bills/student loans.  With the call center, I can really get ahead in some serious leaps and bounds.

I’ve got a small studio set up in the basement… and I have some projects that are in motion.  And soon I’ll be doing some more video work!  My jewelry business is doing well, and I’m about to expand to 15 more boutiques.

But I miss teaching.  I miss my students.  Have you ever done something and known that it’s what you are supposed to spend your life doing?  That’s how I feel about teaching.  It didn’t feel like work.  It felt natural.

as usual, I’m itching to travel.  I’ve got my eye on the Pacific Northwest.  I know that I just left Oregon, and I’m very glad that life is working out so well in Maine, but I will always love that area of the country.  And someday- I will return there.