this is what I've been up to .....

week 3:

-lots of art: Prisma pencils & charcoal, live models and pictures (fully clothed), we're focusing on proportion, foreshortening, facial structure, drapery folds, speed (I'm slow)...

-lots of God: I am learning alot on my quiet times. I choose them! I know how powerful, big and real God is and I am learning about Gods goodness. I think both are important to have a healthy view of God.

-beaches,and visiting the old spots all day on saturdays so I don't snap (and it is Hawaii). I finally got to snorkel! A snorkel was one of the first things I got when I arrived. I have been an ocean freak since jr. high.

Now I am about to start my laundry

Hope you are doing well, I'm thinking about you.

let God amaze you, just for who He is, not just what He can do.

eric

1/22/11 update

Im in Kona. God is big. Everyday I thank God for this time. This week our class speaker was Micheal Harrar. It has been challenging and I’m learning about art techniques, volume, composition, balance, line thickness, diff mediums... the 10-15 hours a day mon-fri I spend doig art does not seem enough. There’s the other aspect of this university, The God aspect, it is ministering to me and challenging me daily.

Now, I love watching it when the waves are big, right now its 6’-8’, such a beautiful mess!

Since I’m staying out of the waves for a while, I go to the salt water pool as often as I can, its not a big spot so don’t tell anyone. When the waves are big they crash into the pool.





- Everything around here has changed, but I’m thankful.

- Still dealing with the whole "whoa, is this guy ok" vibe from people, but it doesn’t bug me too much, Portland was good prep for that, but it’s still hard not to mess with people.
My focus is still art and God!
It’s time to communicate visually. So many people are communicating verbally. Its ridiculous to add to the noise, I choose to communicate visually, so I’m learning how.

This is where I work 615a-745a



























This is what I learned at my spot today...
When I watch the waves I’m used to a certain perspective: watching from the front seeing side to side and waves come to me. (just like life, I want things to come to me)
This spot is different (life is different)
Waves go away from me & I just see the back of them.
-It is uncomfortable
-it’s different
-then really interesting
-now its my favorite point of view
I’ve been missing out on this view the whole time, wasting my time because I was focused on comfort more than anything.
This is so much like life, we want things our way and when we get it its not that cool and we usually miss out on the best.
Then i noticed something
People can spend their life on being comfortable (but never being fully satisfied because that life is all a about 'self gain')
or
You can work for something meaningful and rarely be comfortable but still have peace

Update 1/12/11

(some recent pictures)

Hi fam and friends,

I've returned to YWAM (youth with a mission) University of the Nations secondary school of illustration (college of communications. One of the 7 different colleges here)

-Work duty started today so now that I know my schedule for the next 3 months I can tell you.

-5:45 am wake up , grab something to eat on my way to work in the coffee shop on campus, usually a PB &J literally on the walk to work. (everyone has to do 2 hours of work a day either in the kitchen that serves the entire 300+ students and all the staff/their families, cleaning offices, cooking, electricity, grounds, …..everything to keep this university functioning and keeping the cost of schooling down.

-7:45 get to class. My teacher is an Art Center (pasadena) Grad, she knows her stuff and all the staff are great. Like most leadership here God has plucked them out of a comfortable career focused life and grabbed their hearts to volunteer with this University.

-Worship or prayer for an hour, have lectures on art, practice art skills 6-10 hours a day

-Lunch 12pm

-Dinner 5pm

-I haven’t settled into my schedule yet. I get tired so I exercize: weight room, run up the stairs or the hill pking lot on the side of campus. They also have vball, bball….

-lots of work to do, it’s a nice pace, we will have a different medium every week. This week is pencil, learning the H/B sets and some basic drawing. about 10 drawings plus assignments due each week, looking forward to it, there is so much talent here!

-Weekends are free time but since there is a lot of work to catch up on, Im strapped there.

-Teacher, work, people are great.

-Its funny that I’m working in a café (sweeping the outside). Im learning what a mocha and a cappuccino are.

-There are pro's & Con's but it's sweet to see how God centered this place is, not charismatic or weird. God is big.

-I have 4 roommates. A 17 yr Ukranian, 22 yr from Vegas, a guy from Russia/america and a guy no one ever see's, just his stuff is here.

-now that work duties have started there will be shuttles going into target/walmart, pretty stoked on that.

-My goals for this school are to strengthen my mind, body, spirit, learn how to use art effectively and to not wear shoes the whole time.