User:Tracivannorman

bio
My name is Traci and I am a first quarter student at the Art Institute of Seattle. I am currently studying photography and hope to someday have a career in underwater photography. Of course I would have to move to a warmer climate, which is fine by me. However, I am 32 years old and time is slowly slipping away and even though everyone is a lot younger than me, I somehow still look the youngest. I hope to graduate and have a bachelors degree before I'm 40! That should be my goal!

midterm
As I walked down the street to the Sculpture Park, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. When I got there, I wasn't even sure that I was in the right place. The sculptures were spread out all over the place and then I noticed some that, I guess, were supposed to be considered some form of art in some way. I don't know what that says about me, except maybe my interpretation and knowledge, if somewhat lacking, of art isn't as broad or wide spread as I had once thought.

After carefully examining and observing the pieces of art, not one had really caught my eye. However, I have to say that there was one piece that did catch my eye, but in a "I can't believe that that would be considered art" sort of way. The artist's name is Roy McMakin and the piece consisted of a concrete bench, a chair and a file box. My first thought when I saw this piece was to sit on the bench and rest my feet, because I had no idea that it was part of the park. I then saw some classmates taking notes and fiqured that this would be a very popular piece of art that many are going to write about, myself included.

Roy McMakin was born in Lander, Wyoming in 1956 and is currently living in Seattle, Washington. He went to college at the University of California in San Diego as well as the Portland Museum of Art School in Portland, Oregon. Most of his work consists of furniture and most of it is untitled such as the piece that I am writing about right now. While researching him, I saw many of his other pieces of art, much better pieces of art. I realized that he had another piece of art at the sculpture park that I did not see up close but from afar was the rotating & sign down by the water. It was called Love & Loss: an Outdoor Sculpture and a much better piece, I thought.

I never made it back to the Sculpture Park to look at it again nor did I have any desire to, but I did take a picture of it on my cell phone. I have looked at it many times and my dislike for it has not changed. I often wonder if Roy McMakin should have been a carpenter or a designer of furniture for Enchanted Forest or Disneyland and maybe then could I understand his work a little bit better. And maybe I am being to harsh and inconsiderate. I mean, who am I to criticize other people's way of thinking and other people's inner self-expression. However, this is just my opinion and a further conquest into critical thinking.

Midterm #2

1.) Axe commercial - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--L96OuSW8g

2.) Force Extenze - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwFyuOgJtWM

The first commercial, I think demonstrates the Bandwagon argument. A guy is taking a shower, rubbing himself with axe bodywash, only to fall through the floor and start dancing naked in front of a bunch of women. How likely is that going to happen by using Axe bodywash?

The second commercial was meant to have two different meanings. It sounds like you're buying a lite saver when in actuality, your buying a male enhancement pill and the fact that they use Yoda as the voice, now that's funny. I think they are using the Allness and Oversimplification fallacies on this commercial. Male enhancement has never been proven and they are unable to prove that on national television, but they hope that their are a lot of men that have this problem and will do anything to get it, such as purchase their product.

final
By the end of the quarter: I want to have finished building a dollhouse.

Weeks 1 & 2: I came up with the idea and decided to finish a dollhouse that I started years earlier, however an important piece is missing, so I will need to start all over.

Week 3: I ordered a dollhouse kit online.

Week 4: Awaiting the arrival of the dollhouse kit. If I get it this week, I will check the contents and start building.

Week 5: The instructions say that it should take me approximately 8 hours to complete the dollhouse. If I start this week and work on it for 2 hours a week, I should be done in four weeks.

Week 6: I have received my shipment and am ready to view the contents and start the assemblage process.

Week 7: Progress is slow and I am not as far along as I had hoped to be at this time, but I am pretty confident that I will succeed at my goal in the next couple of weeks.

Week 8: I am taking pictures of my progress from beginning to end. By week 9, I plan to almost have my dollhouse completed.

Weeks 9 &10: Complete finishing touches. Paint the outside, put together the furnishings and glue the shingles on top of the roof.

reflective assessment
This class was pretty informative, however, I have already spent many hours attending different colleges before this one. This class feels more like it was for newer, younger students that had never attended college before. General education is required in every major, so I had to take it. There was no getting out of it. I did finish my dollhouse, though. Something that I probably would have not done if it weren't for this class. Thank you, Mr. Arnston for being an amusing and delightful teacher. You made it a lot easier to stay awake.