SJSU Paris 2009

2009-07-12T02:34:00.000-07:00

I've just realized I've been abandoning the blog, especially with posting my favorite sketchbook pages, etc. Most of the people in my group probably know this by now, but coming back was pretty tough for me; even now that it's been almost two weeks since our return, the trip is still fresh in my mind, and to be completely honest, I've probably not felt this way since leaving home. The big city atmosphere was more than a nice change, it was like reliving childhood, in a sense, or having to learn to ride a car after the bike: a familiar thrill. It's weird, but the smallest things are the biggest reminders, like still making typos when I write (Qs and As the most), looking at some of the photos, and even the sketchbook... And as for the sketchbook, my expectations were, for the most part, totally different from the outcome: I remember even before planning to go to Paris, I thought the sketchbook I'd bring back would be a kind of masterpiece, each page overbrimming with architecture and famous places and people, and would be something so unforgettably beautiful, I'd pass it on as a family heirloom. Realistically ...while there, I was sometimes thrown off by the assignments, sometimes took too long on one page, but 99% of the time just walked around, sometimes aimlessly and other times hopelessly lost! (I still remember having to run through Chatelet or running around looking for the nearest bus station when the metro shut down; now - some of my fondest memories). By that time I expected an artistic miracle to happen by the end of my sketchbook (which by that time got to be too heavy to carry around, so I wasn't feeling too friendly toward it anyway), but in the end nothing impressive happened. I tried to cheer myself up, and bought a nice little compact book at Sennelier, a good investment that could handle pencil and marker and watercolor and industrial strength acrylics, pretty much all you could think of (but in the end was strong enough for light washes and not much else). I decided to leave it for later, but started it on the plane to Dublin anyway; it's still the one I use right now. And what a difference! I guess the change I was expecting all this time ended up happening only after Paris. Can't say I'm disappointed: after all, it's better than nothing; and I suppose there had to be a "sinking in" period to properly sprout the necessary creativity. All it proves is that Paris won't leave us for much longer than we expected!

Mission accomplished!

2009-07-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

Looking back at the pics, I thought this is worth mentioning. Kira and I visited Pere Lachaise Cemetery on June 22, and...

...we kissed Oscar Wilde's grave!

2009-07-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

I cannot find the cable to connect my camera to my laptop!!! ARGGHH. I will post the pages soon... I may have to borrow someone's equipment. I recently shared my sketchbook and photos with my Mom and bro and I have found things that I like about my sketchbook that I didn't notice before. I can see a shift... in thinking. Although it happened right at the end so there isn't as much evidence as I'd like there to be. Damn I miss Paris already!!

Kim A

pages

2009-07-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

finally got around to getting images of 5 sketchbook pages i thought are cool. I am sorry they are photographs, and kinda blurry at times, i don't have my scanner yet..

this is the page on which i took notes for the entire class. maybe the notes are not as useful anymore but i think it looks pretty neat.

here is the hot potato spread in my sketchbook. it may have been explained, but if you don't know, its basically a game of tag where people swap sketchbooks and draw in each others. the only thing i actually drew on this spread is the red bull on the right side of the spread.

This was a 4 hr drawing early one Sunday morning watching the sun rise. not really that creative but i like it anyway.

Funny story, a few of us were laying around the gardens outside the Louvre when i saw this guy in a full suit with brief case charging across the grass like a man on a mission. He then finds a spot in the sun and in record time takes off all his clothes and knocks out. he is the one in the square frames.

One of the 15 pages, i like this one because its kinda silly. The brownish haze is a burn mark i made by putting my sketch book over a toaster for a bit. The heat toasted the intended page but went through a few more pages though i did not intend it to. kinda neat haze though.

There are still plenty of things i want to try in my Paris sketchbook so i think i will keep adding to it as i have a number of empty pages left. Maybe ill post some more.

Is this the end?

2009-07-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

I am back home and trying to adapt to my regular life again. I had such a wonderful time on this trip, not only seeing Paris, but also getting to know such wonderful people. I have so many memories from our adventures that I will treasure forever and I loved getting to know you all better.

Thank you to John, Kim K, Kim A, Nikita, Corwin, Clam, Gus, Kira, Yung-Han, Tiffany, Priscilla, Sarah, Mark, and Lain for making this a great experience.

Here's some of my favorite sketchbook pages from the trip.
See you all again soon.

Favorite Pages and last assignment

2009-07-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

So now that I am back in the comfort of my own home and have a computer that doesn't freak out on my (I'm looking at you computer lab) here are some of my favorite pages from my sketch book.

and last but not least this is my answer for the final assignment John

"Ok, so this is how it happened."

more post to come

-Mark

Lost Chronicles: Gus, I, and Versailles

2009-07-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

A post about a story not documented by photos or other witnesses

Versailles
(photo by Leann)

This is a first hand account of an adventure Gus and I had visiting Versailles. We got there early in the morning to avoid huge crowds of tourist. I was impressed when I first saw the gardens. The fact that it was empty of tourist and lit with cool morning sun made the view a grand spectacle. But man, these gardens were HUGE!!!! HUGE!!!! It's possible to see from the photo, but starring out to the Versailles gardens, the horizon line is not even the end of the gardens. Although we came in a group of four, Kira and Leann were separated from Gus and I when an old man jogger gave us two a little tour of the gardens. It was about 9:30am and Gus and I could not find Kira or Leann. We decided to meet them at Marie Antoinette's house since we were all planning to go there. We didn't grab a map because we figured it was easy to find. And it should have been, but little did we know that Gus and I would spend the next few hours lost walking the gardens. We passed the main gardens of Versailles which contained many impressive statues and fountains and ended up walking to the outskirts of the garden. The outskirts of the garden is like a giant man-made forest. There were no maps, and no people except for the occassional joggers. Gus and I figured we weren't lost because it was still early in the morning and the tourist hadn't showed up yet. We found a snail and made marks in the grounds as indicaters of our guesses to where it would be in a few hours. As we continued to walk further into the gardens, our search for Marie's house became less confident. The paths in the forest were long, and we couldn't really see past the trees so we were searching for the house aimlessly with no idea to where the house could be. We walked and walked. After a couple hours we stumbled into a supermarket. I thought it was odd to put a supermarket in the middle of the Versailles gardens but we used it to gather refreshments and we asked a lady if she knew where the house was located. She looked at us confusingly and then told us that we were not in the gardens anymore. It so happened that Gus and I walked so far we had accidentally exited the gardens!!! She told us to go back and turn left as soon as we reentered the gardens but she lied!!! We went left but we couldn't find it!!! So again we walked aimlesslyin search for the house. We were tired and we were lost and we were slowly going insane because we had no food! I was about to crack when we stumbled into the marking we made hours ago (mr. snail was nowhere to be seen). The markings saved us, and we finally started recognizing our surroundings. We didn't care about the house, we just wanted to get back to main gardens, to where people were. But eventually found the house and finally got something to eat. The gardens were now packed with tourist and the sunlight was hot. I checked the time and it was about 1:30pm meaning we were lost for nearly 4 hours! I think Gus and I got to see a part of Versailles that not many get to see. It wasn't the coolest thing ever, but it sure was an adventure!

Paris Chronicles: Best Memory

2009-07-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

Fete de la Musique has got to be it. The day we finished the official class happened to be the day of the Parisian annual festival. During the day, various musical artists and bands come out to the streets of Paris and perform for the public. By the evening, every street in central Paris was occupied by musicians. You could literally watch a free concert by children with guitars and walk 100 feet to a brass band performing familiar tunes. Music was everywhere!

(Above are photos I stole from Leann and are two examples of event)

What made this evening my best memory of Paris was the atmosphere of the festival and how our crew of 14 contributed towards its hype. After dinner, our group met outside a cafe that happened to be hosting a DJ. There were giant speakers blasting electronica dance music and lasers were shooting into the streets. Some of us began to sway to the music, and by the time all 14 of us met outside the cafe, we formed a dance circle with all our backpacks and purses in the middle so no one could steal them. The funny thing was that everyone around us weren't dancing but watching us in amusement. The DJ himself was amused and took pictures of our group dancing without a care in the world. When he handed us fliers we screamed for no reason... haha! Our circle got wilder and wilder and tourist around us were filming us and taking pictures. Soon three french girls asked to enter our circle and they danced with us a bit. After they left I noticed that more people watching us were beginning to let loose and dance. As more and more people began to join the festivity, our circle was engulfed with dancing tourist and parisians alike. We ended our dance circle with a Shrunkenheadman clap (which inspired others to do the same haha) and then we left the dancing barricade of people that we created. Look what a bunch of kids from California can start. That was truly a night I will never forget!

le famille

2009-07-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

At Houston's flight back to SFO.
You all rock; thanks for the best Paris trip ever.

i'm not ready yet...

2009-06-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

to say "good-bye" to Paris...

yung-han

2009-06-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Well what can I say? The days are done, the time has come. We will be on a plane heading home in a few hours. Living in Paris for a month has been by far the most useful event in my life. I've learned some life lessons and learned a lot about how I learn and think. It was a very cool growing up kind of transition. When I get a chance I'll post an entry with some pictures, but here's to Paris, good night folks.

Come fly with me, lets fly lets fly away
If you can use, some exotic booze
Theres a bar in far bombay
Come fly with me, well fly well fly away

Come fly with me, lets float down to peru
In lama land, theres a one man band
And hell toot his flute for you
Come fly with me, well float down in the blue

Once I get you up there, where the air is rarefied
Well just glide, starry eyed
Once I get you up there, Ill be holding you so near
You may here, angels cheer - because were together

Weather wise its such a lovely day
You just say the words, and well beat the birds
Down to acapulco bay
Its perfect, for a flying honeymoon - they say
Come fly with me, well fly well fly away

-Nikita

2009-06-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

Its done. Tomorrow morning we leave this amazing city. I am looking forward to tonight because it is the last evening out with everyone. We are all going to dinner at a restaurant that John recommended and it is the final expense I can afford. This journey has been completely worth every cent, even with the exchange rate. I hope our little Paris family stays together... I told everyone we should have potluck dinners together in the states like we did here. Yung-Han called it PASTA HELL!!! The name stuck. We might not serve pasta because we are all sick of it, but I will definitely be missing everyone when we get back home.

Kim A

Night Adventures

2009-06-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

It is Saturday and I am so sad. Our flight leaves on Tuesday morning. The first week we were here it felt like two, but this last week flew by. I feel like there is still so much to do. it's probably a good thing we're coming home though, since I'm just about out of money.
Yesterday I went to the catacombs and touched dead people. (hehehe) then later that night a few of us went up the Eiffel Tower. The city looks really beautiful at night. We were on it when it started twinkling at 11pm.
But the best thing EVER was on thursday night there was a lightning storm. It was around 2am and everyone was going to bed when I saw the sky light up outside my window. It had been raining earlier with a bit of lightning, but not too much. So I grabbed a jacket and went outside to watch. It wasn't raining so I just layed in this big empty field behind the main building. The sky was purply-black and the clouds were orange from the light polution. I layed out there for 45 minutes to an hour and just watched it. I've never seen so much lightning in my life. A bit of the sky lit up every few seconds and I never had to wait longer then a minute for the next lightning bolt. After every lightning flash there would be a few seconds of silence, then the thunder!- The thunder was so loud it sounded like someone was dropping boulders down the stairs to heaven, or huge waves crushing ships against clifs in the sky. Some of the lightning happened above the clouds so that they lit up white for a second, but others happened right before my eyes so I could still see them when I blinked. Some were quick little flashes and others were frighteningly monsterous. It was so great! I kept telling myself, "ok, just one more then I'll go in and go to bed." But then I'd see one and want to stay more. When I finally went inside I was walking up the stairs to my room when a big one lit up the sky right outside the window; followed imediatly by thunder. Then I heard people on the street screech and saw them start to run from the fat rain drops. I left the window in my room open so I could listen to it as i fell asleep. I didnt know it could storm like that. I wish we had stoms like that in California. (i mean if it weren't for the brush fires)
sad to be leaving
sarah

Tiffany's Sketchbook spreads

2009-06-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Forgive my double-posting...

Today Sarah and I went shopping around Paris because everything's on sale around this time :) Beautiful weather. My last few days will be hunting for souvenirs and one last attempt to Giverny (I took that day off as I was sick).

Here I exit with ~~camera-shots~~ scans of some spreads I did during Paris. Though the trip is coming to an end, it's only the beginning of a new journey in art. The class has helped me mature a lot in how to approach creating art and become more intelligent, and I'm extremely thankful for John for selecting us all for it. (edited on 7/1)

(Collaboration with Gus)

(Ahem, the last one is actually an Ireland page...)

Au revoir!

Small trip to Ireland

2009-06-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

~~Non-Paris post WUT!~~

Nikita, Mark, Kira, and I spent four of the free Paris days in Dublin, Ireland; it was a nice contrast from Paris, and I enjoyed experiencing the Irish culture, especially being curious about everything (what I learned to do from the class). Pubs, Irish music, and green everywhere! Two major sites we visited were the Guinness Storehouse and the Malahide Castle. Here are few pictures from the trip.

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)

Left -> Right
(1) Christchurch Cathedral; our apartment was adjacent to it.
(2) Abbey St., I believe...
(3) Part of St. Stephens Green
(4) Malahide Castle outside of Dublin
(5) There is almost always live Irish music in the pubs!

Results of Paris 2009

2009-06-22T11:26:00.001-07:00

blogspot always puts images out of order! Keep sketching guys, we still got 8 more days in Paris!

Yung-Han's Sketchbook Page

2009-06-22T11:08:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe that the class is over...

Fathers day

2009-06-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

Even though we are all on the other side of the globe I and the rest of the class like to say Happy Fathers day dads of the group.

Nikita and I also took what little time we had on the Normandy trip to shoot a little something something for our dads back in the states enjoy.

Nikita's Video

My Video

Thats it for now, time for some food and another adventure.

-Mark

Saddly, we're done.

2009-06-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, the class is done and it all went by way too fast. I'm leaving Paris tomorrow for Germany and Switzerland, but then coming back a few days before we take off. I'm looking forward to traveling, but there is so much to see in Paris, and 3 weeks alone doesn't cover everything. However, this city is addictive and it is proposterous to say I'm never coming back. I told John that coming here is like hitting the jackpot with all the top of the line artwork in museums, architecture, and even live performances. I'm about to leave for the fete de la musique, where there is supposed to be bands and steet performers on every corner in the center of the city! I'm anxious to see the musical variety Paris has to offer. I gotta wrap this up, but here are some spreads I did in my sketchbook during the class:

They aren't the best quality, but I will re-scan them in as soon as I get back to San Jose.
1: The gang likes to gather everynight and do homework in the dorm "game room". We work on sketchbook assignments, talk about life, and play taiwanese card games that Yung Han teaches us. Oh the memories....
2: The famous Shakespeare and Company book store that has a view of Notre Dame out their second story window.
3: The Quai Branly Museum has a lot of awesome masks and was the place where Picasso found inspiration.

Bon appétit... damn right!

2009-06-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

Gosh... it did not feel like 20 days. Tomorrow marks the end of the class, and the fact that we're gonna be back in 10 days just totally dawned me. Anyhow, tonight Chris, Gus, Lain, Yunghan, and I went to Les Fêtes Galantes, a restaurant that John tried by accident and then highly recommended it for its traditional French cuisine in a reasonable price. Priscilla and José were there too! :) The restaurant itself is rather small and nothing extremely fancy, but it feels very homey and welcoming. We all ordered something different from the menu set so that we can try each other's dishes.

I decided on the higher priced end of the menu and ordered the meal set of onion soup (appetizer), duck confit topped with honey and almonds (main dish), and home made apple tart with calvados (dessert). And my God...... it's the best meal I've had on the whole trip (and this is a mutual statement among us all). The names of the dishes and any words I say here canNOT do justice to describe how delicious they were. All I can say is, "Now THIS is true French cuisine." Here are the pics of my meal set (courtesy of Lain because my camera died before the dishes came...):

Authentic French onion soup with a piece of lamb meat.

This dish was GODLY....the skin crisped just right and the meat cooked so tenderly and flavored with the right amount of saltiness and sweetness. This itself was well worth the 25 Euros (the price for the whole set).

Warm and sweet. Topped with a unique flavored ice cream and fruits. WOW. Such a grand way to end the meal with.

We even left a footprint of Shrunkenheadmen in the restaurant buwahaha!

Last Day

2009-06-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our last official day of the class and I think we are all a little bit sad that it's over. Last night, we had a chocolate tasting in the Luxomberg Gardens. I didn't think it was possible, but I think I am off chocolate for a little while now. Some of the chocolate was very tasty, but some of it tasted like the devil. If you have never had 100% dark chocolate-DON'T. For awhile I thought I was going blind.

We still have another 9 or 10 days left in France, but now we can go do our own thing. I am excited to see what else is in store for our adventures and I am trying not to think about how it is almost over.

The Assignments

2009-06-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

This trip is a class may I remind you. While we have had plenty of time to relax, eat and play, we are also learning and experiencing new things every day. Creativity is not any easy subject to teach and throughout the 3 weeks of the class, King Clapp has given us assignments to further enhance our understanding of creativity and how to apply it to our artwork. They usually invovled intriguing exercises that I think many other students could do themselves back home to spark new ideas and ways of thinking about their own artwork.

While I am not allowed to go into much detail about the actual assignments, I will say that they eached played a strong role towards the class subject and goal. In each student's sketchbook, you can see the evolution of interest and personal thought that went into each page.

Unfortunately, I don't have the energy to write about our other external assignments, like the fun games we played some mornings, or the essays we wrote, or the books we read. In all, the assignments we've done for this class did not go in vain. All of them have helped inspire my current sketches and I wish that everyone will read this post and ask about them back home. It will really change the way you think!

2009-06-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went on a journey to Normandy. On the bus ride up John gave us an assignment to write a letter home as if we were the soldiers, knowing that we very well may die. At first I thought it was pretty silly, but when I started getting into the idea of having to let go of your loved ones and be let go I started tearing up. I had to play ridiculous card games to get out of that negative mindset. Once we reached Normandy I had no problem getting right back into that space. Elwood was our guide and he was incredible with the way he recounted the history and actually made it interesting. Pont du Hoc was beautiful. It's so weird how I get this idea of this dark and ugly place when I think of the war but the reason that it was so beautiful to me was because of the craters made by the bombs. What really intrigued me was cemetary. I dont know why... but death is always on my mind and it fascinates me. Seeing all of those tombstones row by row blew my mind...

-Kim A.

Found the different side of Paris

2009-06-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

Mark, Corwin and I woke up at 4:30 in order to go to see the Notre-Dame.
It was one of my best experience in the trip so far.

Guess who we met at Notre-Dame?

More photos....

Day 14 and only 7 more to go :(

2009-06-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Although everything John has planned for us has been awesome, it's nice to have some time off and do things you personally want to do. So today a group of us went out to several places. One of them being the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre. We ended up staying for a part of the mass, the acoustics were amazing!

2009-06-14T01:22:00.001-07:00

I don't know if you've herd in the US, but there's been an outbreak here in Europe. These things are everywhere and walking the streets on a daily basis is getting to be dangerous. Just yesterday we decided to make a run for the Arc de Tromphe to view it in all its glory. At first everything was calm, yet too calm. It was an uneasy comfortableness, but being naive, we got use to it real quick and started to get friendly. Taking photos, having a drink.. then SUDDENLY I realized Yung-Han was missing in our group. In a slow motion head twist I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I yelled out, "YUNG HAN... RRRUUUNNN." In the slowest voice I could possibly muster. He looked at my as if I just pelted him with a loaf of briend, to which I replied with flaling arms and obscure facial gestures. He finally understood the chaos of my communication and turned around to see the beast.

Luckily for Yung Han, Gus was there and he turned that monstrosity into dinner for that night. We got away that time, but who knows whats to come in the future. This trip is getting more intense by the day and I am enjoying it every step of the way. More tales to come.

-Nikita

halfway point

2009-06-13T23:53:00.000-07:00

I think we're nearing the official halfway point. It's been a long two weeks, but so totally awesome. Everyday we're experiencing SOMETHING, and it just blows my mind! I love how much history Paris has to offer. I wish it was like this back home.

Yesterday, we went to the Musee Armee. Here's a commemorative photo:

Our Parisian adventures are unfortunately nearing the end. I'm excited to see some more buildings that appeal to antiquity in the next couple of days as well as doing some modern-day Parisian shopping.

Totally awesome.

- Lain

2009-06-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to the blog! Every day I find something new to post and every night I find no time or energy, or both, or maybe it's because days like these can't be summed up in a few words... What can I say? I enjoy the museums, the touristy spots, the noisy neighborhoods and the quiet, unnoticeable ones; whenever I have a free minute I keep wanting to explore new areas, but keep coming back to the old familiar ones, like Place St. Michel or the Ile St. Louis (Honoré Daumier, one of the people I researched, lived there for most of his life; the house totally blends in with the rest ecxept for the plaque with his name; it's a really cozy spot, I can see why he chose it); I love the simple things, the ones that make you blend in to the routine of everyone around, like our daily walks to the bakery, or walking through the Parc Montsouris across the steet from the dorms; the coolest thing so far has been being mistaken for a french person! (Sometimes leaves you speechless...) I just realized this, but this kind of routine doesn't involve using cellphones, or labtops or watching tv; and somehow it is so much better! The view outside is entertaining enough, and you never get tired of museums, especieally the d'Orsay, that seems to be everybody's favorite. Speaking of musums, I think I set the record today: three in one day (I guess walking through the courtyard of the Invalides doesn't count). It was the Armory in the morning, then the Rodin house, then on the way to Luxemourg I decided to take a detour to the Medieval arts museum; sketched a while at the park, then had to leave because they were closing (I keep forgetting about that); and that's pretty much how our days go. Oh, and I'll be sure to post any cool photos I might have skipped later on. A bientôt for now!

-Kira

2009-06-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

I bought her a white rose.
Her grave was surrounding by several big graves, so it took a while for me to find.
I don't know why i did that....
but i just felt that i should go to see her grave before i gave my presentation.

Yung-Han

2009-06-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well... I finally recieved the invite to the blog. I was telling some of the others that lately I feel like the last kid to be picked for dodgeball in gym class. It's fine, because honestly I have been so overwhelmed with stimuli here in Paris that when I think of what words I can use to describe everything, I draw a blank. There aren't words. Maybe magical? But that makes it sound like I'm five and I just bumped into Cinderella at Disneyland. It's a really good feeling anyway... Yesterday was possibly one of my favorite days here so far. In the morning I had my presentation about Sergei Diaghilev, the founder of the Ballet Russes, and Henri Matisse. I had a brave volunteer (CLam) help me act out a little bit of the drama that went on with the ballet, which was hilarious!! Hehe... I will leave it at that and not embarass anyone. And I truly surprised myself with my public speaking. It is one of my few fears, which I have been trying to overcome my whole life. But the funny thing is John gave me a little advice that I think has helped me more than any communications teacher. Just a new way of thinking about it. After it was over I felt amazing and could then look forward to the rest of the trip with a little less stress. Not only that, but we were eating at Dans Le Noir. I have been looking forward to this day- something new to experience- something to put me on edge. I loved it!! We were lead into a pitch black room and served dinner and dessert by the blind. All the other senses were inhanced but mostly what made an impression on me was the relationship I had to have with the people in close proximity to me. We had to work together to figure out our surroundings. At one point I just barely tipped a glass over and it shattered. I felt really bad, but can you blame me? It was pitch black. I wonder if that happens all the time. Well... we have the next two days off so I better get of the computer and soak up all I can

-Kim A

PASSED THE HALF WAY

2009-06-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

yep. its past the halfway point. I have a presentation coming up tomorrow so i have to review material tonight which could be more fun... but i am stoked for Normandy beach on Tuesday and finding the roman catacombs on Sunday.

today we went to dinner at a restaurant where the waiters are blind and you eat in perfect darkness. so dark you cannot see a centimeter on front of you. pretty interesting stuff trying to figure out what your eating without your eyes.
Nikita got some really good pictures of the inside. this is what it looked like for all of our curious viewers out there:

those are some good memories.

more to come,
-- corwin

Day.. all becoming a Blur ( part Deux)

2009-06-12T03:28:00.001-07:00

Sleeping in till 10 keeps your mind refreshed and able to make coherent sentences. and lets continue with just a taste of the may photos I have taken on this trip.

After leaving Monet gardens we got back to the Vernon station a little early and we had time to walk around a bit in the village, I felt it was a perfect opportunity to mess around like this.

On our way back to the train station we saw this french gentleman riding around in a nice set of wheels I envy the man greatly.

A bunch of us decided to go a night on the town and visited the Eiffel Tower at night, every hour on the hour for 2 mins the Eiffel Tower lights up like a thousands twinkling stars for the enjoyment of the viewers.

A closer look.

Messing with the camera.

and even more.

As the night came to a close we had our first day off technically. I had fun exploring the nook and crannies of the Latin Quarter of Paris ( pictures eventually will come) but we had one thing to do that night.

this photo is a random fluke because I was taking a shot of Gus and lain right as Kim was taking a picture with her flash on. and the results is this magical photo.

After a nice little symphonic concert, John took us to a really cool jazz cafe/resteraunt in the Bastille district. It was a nice relax way to end the day.

The next day john takes us to a really Awesome DEATH MUSEUM! I mean, a museum of paleontology full of just BONES. and here is just a taste of the awesome.

puts it in perspective.

Not exactly what Michelangelo had in mind but hey this is the 21st century.

Our leader at work

Our leader explains le squint.

Our leader... satisfied

Corwin, Clam, and myself bought some dinosaurs at the museum and John got this funny idea to see how the pidgeons reacted to the dinosaurs with food next to them.

And thats it for now, See ya later.

Day.... I dunno its just becoming a Blur now

2009-06-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

its 1:06 in the morning we are all drawing but I gotta get some pictures up spanning the last few days. I have roughly 12 gigs of photos and videos to go through when I get home but these are just some of the highlights from the last few days.

It wouldn't be a trip to somewhere if Nikita didn't start sleeping through the journey.

Arriving at the Vernon station on our way to our location.

Cool little french village a bit on the stormy side as well.

The beautiful Monet Garden is our location of the day, the lily pond is a sight to be seen.

Well it seems this wireless internet does not want to work with me here so I'll update the rest tomorrow morning.

St. Chappelle & D'Histoire Naturelle

2009-06-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of a kind. In midst of pouring rain and those danger puddle zones, everyone is dressed formally to see a concert at St. Chapelle. Despite the weather, the concert was so worth it...I mean, a string quartet in a magnificent Gothic chapel!! How classy is that?! Ahhhhhh... classical music is remedy indeed :) ♥ St. Chappelle really does have the most beautiful stain glasses ever, and here's a mini overview of the place ~~with my voice~~. The second video is an excerpt of the concert.

Then today (in which the weather decided to be nice), we visited the Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle, a museum specialized in anthropogenic collections like extinct animal bones! Really a fascinating site. According to John, the place looks practically just like it was 100 years ago. Gus and I mix-matched heads and bodies in our sketchbooks, and the results were so silly :) Wow, we're down to 10 more days of class...

June 9th and 10th

2009-06-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, we've gone to some neat places the past few days. On Tuesday, we took a train over to Giverny to visit Monet's garden. As expected, it was BEAUTIFUL and I think we were all pretty excited to be there.

This photo represents Yung-Han's excitement. Here's some photos from the garden itself.

Then, the next night we went to go see a concert at St. Chappelle, which is literally RIGHT NEXT to Notre Dame. The architecture and stained glass were beautiful and so was the music. Here's a small bit of the show.

That's it for today. Most of us are getting pretty sick right now. Who knows if it's the weather or allergies or what, but it's starting to hit us all one by one. Sleep seems to be the only thing that makes the sickness feel better, so I am going to succumb to peer pressure and join in on the nap fest.

Life au Paris

2009-06-09T11:05:00.001-07:00

So, I haven't posted in a while, but luckily my colleagues have been making an abundance of posts. Which are all fun to read. Since my last entry, there have been a lot of exciting and fun adventures. In fact so much that I just end up going to sleep as soon as we get back to the dorms. One of the things that have changed is that the bottom of my feet are so callused that I can't feel them with my fingers. They are that of a leather jacket. Pretty neat I think.

Anyway, we've done a bunch of exercises over the week. My favorite one so far was the Hot Potato assignment. You were permitted to take anyone's sketchbook at anytime and draw in a designated spread in it. We all got some really interesting spreads I think and hopefully can get some pictures up on the blog.

Aside from all our cool visits to museums and exploration of Paris, I thought I'd share our living conditions (most of our living conditions). Let me give you the grand tour.

When you enter our tiny room you immediately see almost all of it. I know school dorms are small in the states, but this takes the cake. Gus, my roommate, and me are actually lucky. We don't have much ceiling but we do have our room a bit more spread out compared to others.
Thats Gus's bed and the table where I make these posts on his computer.

Theres the desk and above it is our only window. Its actually quite nice and I can see this girl in the building across from ours. We have a distant relationships and I only see her at night when she is working or chatting on her laptop in front of her window. Sadly we only communicate through my thoughts, but its the thought that counts, right? Anyway, moving on towards the rest of this luxiorious mansion.

Yes, our ceiling is at slant as Mark demonstrates. I feel like giant walking around because I'm always leaning over to avoid head trauma. That little object on the right side in the corner is my domain. Come, come, let me show you the best part of the room. My part.

Welcome to all that is myself in Paris. That is where I sleep and work on assignments, read a little bit now and then. Mainly sleep though. The bed isn't amazing or anything, but after exploring Paris for 10 hours, I'll sleep on a rock. I've actually grown close to my bed and would be sad if anything ever happened to it. Yes, I did hand pick those covers. Brings a little color into my life. On the table are some supplies, the only money I brought with me and my guide book to the city which has saved me on numerous occasions.

Anyway, back to the window to show you readers my view. Its not super amazing, but its pretty nice.

Not bad, right? The clouds sometimes do cool things because the weather here is insane. Like california, but more extreme. Just missing the snow. The right middle window is where my neighbor lives. One day we'll meet in person. Some of the other students are blessed with a much more extravigant view, which we'll need to post. But I enjoy this bit of Paris.

The one complaint I have is our bathroom. Its incerdibly small. I can literally wash myhands, go to the bathroom and shower all at the same time. I think I've collided with the walls everytime I shower. You have to EXPERIENCE it to sit down after and ask, what the hell? Why.. is it so small? I feel like godzilla attacking Tokyo everytime I go into there. There you have it. Sink, left, toilet, middle, shower, right.

Yeah, its crowded. Group showers are optional.

There you have it. Thats our stay for the next 3 weeks left of this trip. I'm actually enjoying it a lot because its made me realize how much I appreciate the biggness of living in the states. Things here are just different enough to the point where its not over the top, but its just not the same. However, its not a bad thing. Its a really cool experience and I plan to enjoy my bed that is actually smaller than me for the rest of the 3 weeks. Thats all folks.

-Nikita

Obama has his Shrunkenheadman Moment!

2009-06-07T12:17:00.001-07:00

President Obama has apparently followed the Shrunkenheadmen to Paris!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090607/ap_on_go_pr_wh/eu_the_obamas_in_paris

John

Week 1

2009-06-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

What a week this has been, time has flown by so fast. Six museums in seven days! And finally a moment to sit back, reflect on the weeks events and soak it all in. All the museums have inspired me, but there was one in particular that surprised me and that was the Picasso Musee. I must admit I wasn't a big fan beforehand but now I think I am (I don't know if I get it but I like it!) Seeing his work in person vs. seeing it from a book makes a world of difference. It evoked an emotion I didn't know I could feel towards his work. It was an awesome experience!

Well, that's all for now. More to follow soon :-D

At the D'Orsay

Day 7 (continued)

2009-06-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Never used one of these blog sorta things, but as a member of this fantastic group of super students its my duty to spill my ~~beans~~ insight on this trip. I am one of the many students who brought a camera along this trip and photography is sort of a hobby of mine. I would like to share with you two photos of the same subject but showing how just adding a little thought into the composition can make a world of a difference.

Here is the first photo:

I call this a tourist photo, it looks like the photographer was walking by the artwork and decided to take a snapshot of it as he cruised on by. With that mind set the picture captures the sculptor and you get to see Pan and his bears. but it lacks something, the image is dull and has no life and people will skip over this image in an instant.

now here is the second photo:

Here we are close up to the subject matter and we have ourselves a story. We can see the cheerful expression on Pan's face and the wary eye of the beast starring back. This is a much better photo and I believe gives the viewer a much more interesting perspective on this artwork. It does take a little more effort on the photographers part to make this photo ( had to be on one knee when I took this shot) but the end results gives you a completely different photograph.

And so ends my first blog post on the interwebs and I will continually enter more pictures and videos as the weeks go by.

Peace.

A few snapshots

2009-06-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the class so far. Hope you enjoy them.

String orchestra performing in one of the Metro stations, trying to sell their cds.

John talking art in the Musee d'Orsay

Clam rubbing his belly at the thought of Paris squab.

Some crazy people in the Louvre.

The Sennelier Art supplies store.

(Day 7) Week 1

2009-06-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

One week seems like a good time to blog... wait, one week already?!

Paris is so much like a labyrinth in my mind. So much to explore, and so much BREAD! ♥ We've practically experienced 3 seasons in one week, it feels like. It was unusually hot, then it was overcast, then yesterday it sprinkled! AND lots of fat French pigeon jokes in one week too...:)

Anyhow... Alas, I cannot capture every moment of the trip in this one post... for this first week, we have had the opportunity to visit some of the most famous museums in the world. Like everyone, I really, really enjoyed the Musee d'Orsay. Every gallery was so unique, and they were intelligent paintings. So happy to have done my presentation there. I also enjoyed visiting the Louvre, the animation school Gobelins, as well as Sennelier art store. Here are few of the hundreds photos to share.

(1) John demo-ing watercolor to us for 2 hours!
(2) Rubens gallery at the Louvre, one of the galleries I really enjoyed.

Day 6 aka Saturday

2009-06-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, today was our sixth full day in Paris. We started off the morning doing creativity exercises where we got together with a partner, and wrote letters to people while alternating words (they write one word, I write a word, and so on and so forth). There were some really good letters. Here's one from me and Mark:

"My dearest sweety,

My heart and soul are in the sweetest part of your hair. So I must know how you brush your hair and floss your eyebrows. Just remind yourself that every cantaloupe resides beside the farthest location of the closest jungle? I really have one more thing to say and you are going to love refrigerators!

With sentiments,
Your hotdog"

I laughed so hard that I almost died. Afterwards, we did some group exercises where we had to get into a single file line in order of height and shoe size with our eyes closed. We looked like idiots. Many eyes were poked out and a few more people died, but it was a really fun experience.

John threw us a curveball with our sketching for today. We played a game called "Hot potato" sketch spread. We all traded our sketchbooks with other people and let them draw on a single spread whatever they wanted all day. Other people could walk up and take another person's book at anytime, along with any art supplies they wanted to use. Everyone ended up with some really cool spreads...and all of them ended up resembling graffitti one way or another. It's funny how easy it is to loosen up drawing when it's not in your own book.

After leaving the dorms, we went to the Picasso Museum and the Museum Quai Branley, which was featuring exhibits of primitive art. Picasso's not really my guy, but it was interesting to see his stuff in person. It amazes me how many pieces he actually produced. It shows me that I need to get on the ball and start cranking some work out....seriously.

The Museum Quai Branley was interesting because you could really see the influence that a lot of the abariginal art had on Picasso. Some of the masks and statues looked like they could have been cut and pasted right into a Picasso painting. Cool stuff. The masks will haunt my dreams tonight. Posted are a few pics from today: My hot potato spread and pics from the Museum Quai Branley (None from the Picasso Museum...them and their R-U-L-E-S!). Enjoy!

Day 5 report

2009-06-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

Day 5's museum, the Musee d'Orsay, was simply amazing. Every piece of artwork is so interesting and inspiring. I feel that the pieces are historical as well. Although the Louvre has some impressive pieces, they seem to focus more on antiquity and historic pieces instead of good pieces. I can apprciate the anitiquity of the pieces, but honestly, some of the art is really displeasing to look at.

We were able to split up earlier than usual on Day 5. We all went our separate ways as groups, and I ended up at a cafe near the Senelier art store with Nikita and Mark. We saw a guy playing the acordian, and he looked really depressed. Lunch was tasty and affordable. But I always wish that things were cheaper.

Living here is so expensive, and the variety of tempting merchandise doesn't help either.

Day 5

2009-06-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

This trip is getting better and better every day. Today we went to the Musee d'Orsay, and I felt chills in almost every room I walked into. What was best was seeing the Impressionist paintings on the 5th floor, with artists like Degas, Monet, Van Gogh, who blew my mind away. Seeing those paintings up close really opened my eyes to Impressionism. Before, I did not see why that style was so popular. But the variety of colors in the bold brush strokes and the capturing of light was done by the work of geniuses! Viewing the paintings from life allowed me a chance to see the artist's thought process, because the layers of paint are more clear. Now, I truely understand why we study them. Fortunately, unlike the massive Louvre, I was able to see the whole museum in one day, and because of that I knew I was looking at the best of the best pieces.

Other than the going to d'Orsay, some of the classmates and I sat on the steps outside and had fun feeding the birds and watching then eat bread out of Chris and Kim A's hands. Then we walked down to the famous art store, Sennelier, where the group gawked over all the supplies, especially the pens. It was a tiny store with a narrow staircase leading up to the second and third level. I bought some color pencils and even got a student discount! Afterward, a few of us walked around hunting for a spot to paint, and finally found a corner bar next to a flower shop and set up our water color stations.

It was a very relaxing day, that unfortunately had to end early because as soon as I layed down to rest my feet, I fell asleep for 3 hours. John really works us hard, and keeps us moving ALL DAY(except today). I am sore in places of my body I forgot I had, but it is the most satisfying pain I have ever felt.

one more post for Day 4 by Taiwan

2009-06-05T14:51:00.001-07:00

I found a good photo in my camera!!

15 people, one target.

yung-han

Stealth Photos: Days 2 and 3 at the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay

2009-06-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

I've posted a few of my favorite images from these first few days, such as this one of Ms. Sarah Cade (looking happy despite her sore feet) walking through the Louvre.

You can see a small selection of the first few days at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jdclapp.sjsu/SJSUParis2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCILjuf3ZtIX33AE&feat=directlink

I have been taking photos surreptiously, and my new pocket-sized camera allows me to stay somewhat discreet--which explains the candid nature of many of the photos. Halfway through the day today, Corwin showed me how to turn off the audible "shutter" sound effect, greatly increasing the photographic "stealth factor."

. . . his fellow students are now ready to kill him.

More to come soon,

John Clapp

Day 4 by Taiwan

2009-06-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

This is a little part of Paris. Enjoy it, everyone~~

yung-han

Day 4

2009-06-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hello All-
My feet hurt so baddly. We did the scavenger hunt yesterday and then walked around paris until late in the evening. Then this morning we went to the Louve. We spent about 6 hours and only saw a small fraction of the art. Luckily, the passes are good for a few days so we can go back. Of course I already have a decent sized list of things I want to go do, and its only the 3rd day.
Then John took us to visit Gobelins, the French animation school where John will be teaching next spring. It was amazing, but intimidating. We watched some shorts and the students showed us some of their work. They have great facilities, many labs, and a little screening room with cushy red chairs. I'm so jelouse. It's almost midnight and I'm gunna try to get up at 6 tomorrow. I think it's time to go pass out;
Love,
Sarah

2009-06-04T14:30:00.001-07:00

Day 4

Forget Day 3, it is already a blur in my mind. I just remember being upset with silverware and eating ice cream. Speaking of which, in Paris, when you order a medium sized cone of Gelato, the server will literally sculpt it into a freaking ROSE. I was expecting a scoop, not some amazing piece of art. Hell, I'm not upset with it, but rather impressed in a insulted way. To say, wow France is just THAT cool, the hell with scoops, they just aren't good enough. I really did wish I had a picture to put up of the Gelato to show it in all its glory. We're definetly going to go back, so I'll make sure to get a picture then.

Right now, its late as hell, AGAIN. Why? Because I'll never get use to the longitude of this place. We're walking to the school off of the metro looking up. The sun is still relatively out, roughly similar to it being 7pm in the summer. I ask, hey what time is it? My answer is nine freaking thirty at night. All the cafes are closed and the grocery store closes in half an hour. Still, its actually kind of nice having the sun out that much longer. You just feel like you get more out of a day, but your dead tired by the end of it all.

I really enjoy how grocery stores is something you go to at the end of the day to buy some food for dinner or for breakfast the next day. Its something I've never done in the states. I've always went to grocery stores and stocked up on food I'd eat over the week or month even. Here, cafes are like 7-11s, everywhere, except of course, the food and drinks are one thousand times better. For the most part, depends on your reason to go to 7-11.

I've only been here for four days and in under 3 days managed to learn how to succesfully navigate the city on my own confidently without any worry on where I am going. John really branded the navigation of the city into our brains and this handy travel book helps out as well. I feel like after the end of this trip I could probably go to most places and blend in quickly so I am not just another tourist guy. The one thing that I just can't get use to is actually the language. I know phrases and what not, and even can understand a few things, but when I actually have to speak in some way I either lock up completely or answer them in Spanish. I have NO idea why Spanish flys out of my mouth. I don't even speak it that well. For example, today a woman was trying to ask me to help her reach a can on a shelf in the grocery store. What I wanted to say is "I don't speak french." "Do you speak English?" However, what came out of my mouth was: "I would like to no french." She gave me a confused look and realized I was American and just gesture that she couldn't reach the cans. My deadbeat brain finally got those gears moving and I realized what was going on. After helping her out, I proceded to accepting her thanks by saying "Thank you" myself instead of "Your welcome" in French. I pretty much failed hardcore, but it was funny now that I think about it.

I think my roommate is itching to use his computer so I'll end it with that. More to come and next post I hope to have some pictures of things. We've just been getting back to the dorms really late in the past 4 days so its been tough to keep things rolling.

-Nikita

2009-06-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

~~Day 1.~~

Day 2.

Day 1 was so hectic and insane that I didn't even realize how tired I was until I laid down on my dorm room bed for 5 minutes and nearly immediately fell asleep. After Jon finally let us go from exploring Paris for the entire day, that is, after a 12 hour flight, Jet lag never even came to mind. I was so delusional and filled with information that going to bed at 8pm just seemed like perfectly normal and my body had no objections what so ever.

I wish I had some pictures to upload, but I'm not one of the photographers of the group. You'll have to wait for their posts. Its now 7:50 am of our second day in Paris and I need to go eat a sandwich before we begin the scavenger hunt. Sounds like we should know Paris by the time this is over.

More to post when I get the chance.

-Nikita

D-Day +6

2009-05-26T01:36:00.001-07:00

Whew.

This time next week we will have just landed at Charles de Gaulle airport, and will probably be on the RER B to the Maison du Canada . . . but between now and then there are still a lot of items on my to-do list. . . . Package PDF for students . . . email final schedule to Ellwood . . . finish meeting notes for Wed . . .

An Introduction:
My name is John Clapp, and I am the professor for this class. As such, I feel responsible for launching this class blog. Besides my top secret pedagogical motives, the intention of this blog is to allow our family, friends, and fellow Shrunkenheadman to travel--vicariously--alongside the students during our trip.

The students will be taking turns posting, and I think (and I hope!) it will capture some of the experience for readers.

Back to work now, it's 10 minutes to 2am (11am in Paris!) and I still have things to do!

Au revoir!