A preview to partly explain my absence from the blog – making these paper guys.

In late high school I went on an Oceanography class trip out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (can’t remember where exactly). I googled the teacher that took us there and it turns out Harold Dorr is now the President of the San Diego Oceans Foundation. This isn’t entirely a surprise since he was a crazy ocean guy when we knew him in high school.

Thinking about this trip brings back vivid and positive memories for me. Ignoring the bout of seasickness and the fear of having to pee in the water this was an amazing trip for me; it was the first time I had on the full wetsuit, mask, gear, etc. for snorkeling in the deep ocean.

Looking down into deep water through goggles is almost, in a way, like flying. You’re floating above in this carefree way over millions of moving objects below you, only everything is silent, controlled by an ever present pulse.

Three friends and I, buoyed by salt, were specks in the water. Only us three stayed out in the ocean a little longer than everyone else. The loneliness of the open water is satisfying and terrible. This huge blue mass chops and moves and is lifeless without what it carries. When in the water I really did want to sink in and become a part of it. In a way I am still searching for that feeling.

Today was my day off so I did a little thrift store hopping for materials for the show (= mostly recycled:)). Some cool things in there include: 2 yards of dark blue velvet, 2 sea green drinking glasses, a few scraps of wood, some more fabric, a blue bowl, and the top of a light aqua table. Equals aquatic awesomeness.

And I’ve been thinking about doing some more physical pieces for the show, taken from childhood crafts, dioramas, and motors.

This diorama’s from National Geographic.

by Jennifer Maestre

Since this is my first weekly post I thought I’d share something I did today. Total book score! I like to collect these to use for reference and have been amassing more than enough lately. Here are some pics of the coolest pages.

Steph likes to figure out things, and tends to plod along. She wants to work on many projects but tends to veer towards work with mixed subjects such as structure, ambiguity, and reason.

I’m really into science and math and, as you could say “figuring things out.” I like to collect old textbooks and kids books to get ideas and do weird experiments. For the most part, I’m a sane person. Other times, not so much.