Melinda Chan

I found out about the Sketchbook Project from a coworker who is also into art. It costs $25 to sign up and participate. Participants get a small sketchbook to fill out as they please. We can choose from various themes, but the theme is open for interpretation.

By end of January 2012, we'll need to send our completed sketchbooks back to the Arthouse Co-op. Ultimately, the sketchbooks will be a permanent part of the Brooklyn Art Library, but next year the various sketchbooks will "go on tour" to various locations around the country where people can check out the work.

I'm just starting to work on my sketchbook, by applying gesso to the pages to make it ready to accept some paint. The pages are thin, so it doesn't accept wet media very well. Initially I used some markers, but the image seeped through to the reverse.

I haven't quite decided how I will fill the sketchbook, but since I chose the theme "This is a sketchbook" I will use it as as opportunity to experiment.

It's exciting to be a part of a large art project with contributors from all around the world. I'll update this blog as I continue to make progress on the sketchbook.

This past week, I had to do a Shakespearean monologue for my Voice and Speech class. The last time I had to memorize something from Shakespeare was Senior year in high school where everyone in class had to recite Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy.

I decided to do a monologue from Shakespeare's King John. It is Constance's "I am not mad..." speech. Here it is for your reference:

Constance, King John
"I am not mad: this hair I tear is mine;
... My name is Constance; I was Geffrey's wife;
Young Arthur is my son, and he is lost:
I am not mad: I would to heaven I were!
For then, 'tis like I should forget myself:
O, if I could, what grief should I forget!
Preach some philosophy to make me mad,
And thou shalt be canonized, cardinal;
For being not mad but sensible of grief,
My reasonable part produces reason
How I may be deliver'd of these woes,
And teaches me to kill or hang myself:
If I were mad, I should forget my son,
Or madly think a babe of clouts were he:
I am not mad; too well, too well I feel
The different plague of each calamity."

I think I could have done better job, because I didn't quite feel in-the-moment while doing the monologue, but the teacher said I did a good job, so I was pleased. He even said I could use it for an audition!

Monologues are tough. In previous classes where we had to rehearse scenes, at least you were talking to another person so it was less intimidating than staring out at the class.

Anyway, next week we're doing another piece. Hard to believe, but I'm actually going to select another Shakespeare monologue!   This time, it'll be from a comedy. Rosalind, from As You Like It. I won't have time to memorize it, but the class is really about Voice and Speech and not about auditions, so I think it'll be fine.

Here are some Shakespeare resources I found helpful as was I researching background on the monologue.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare http://shakespeare.mit.edu/

No Fear Shakespeare (Shakespeare's text side-by-side to Modern English)
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/

I finally decided it was time to create business cards for myself. Now they're finally here. These are mini-business cards featuring images of my art on the back and my contact info on the front. The paper and print quality are pretty good. What's fun is that if I had wanted, I could have selected a different design for each back. I didn't do that, but I probably used over 10 different designs. Looking forward to passing them out!

There's been an interesting trend in workplaces holding employee art shows. The first time I heard about such an art show was two employers ago. My previous employer had an employee arts and crafts show as well. Now there's another one coming up in November.

The last two places I worked actually allowed art sales, which I never quite understood. The upcoming showcase won't allow sales but the nice thing is that it'll run for an entire week. We have to actually email photos of our work to let the organizers review and approve of it before they'll let us participate. Also, we'll need to be present during the lunch hour one of the five exhibition days to discuss our work.

I was hoping to have time to create some new pieces for the show, but I'll need to submit the images of the art by next week, so I don't think I'll have time to do a new series.

In any case, I'm excited about this employee art showcase. I better get to work creating or selecting my pieces!