CARAVAN

p.s.

2009-09-10T16:59:00.002-04:00

this blog will not be going anywhere in cyberspace or beyond, you can still come and enjoy it anytime you like. there just won't be any new posts here any longer (but remember, there will be new posts at my new blogs- see previous post!)
also, the new blogs are still sort of in the construction phase, but should be up and running soon enough, so check in and see how the progress is going and get excited!

new blogs!

2009-09-10T16:56:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone (although I think "everyone" is probably only my parents):
I have created two new blogs, and from now on I will be posting only on them and will be retiring "Caravan". "Caravan" has been a great "trial" blog and I've enjoyed keeping you all (Mom and Dad) updated on my big & little life happenings through it. But now it's on to bigger and better blogs (aka B&BBB), so here are the new addresses:
sarahanneelek.blogspot.com- a blog devoted to the artwork of- you guessed it- me!
and
theartcaravan.blogspot.com- a blog about art and art history by an artist and art lover, designed to be read and enjoyed by artists and non-artists alike (can I find a way to put another "artist" in that sentence somewhere? there, I did it: artist.)

please read these and enjoy as you have read and enjoyed this blog, and please, please please: COMMENT.

thanks and love, sarah

a foodie evening

2009-08-20T08:47:00.006-04:00

it was just a regular wednesday night, but jamey and i chose to make it special by having a "foodie" evening. we set out just to make dinner, and to use some of the things we already had that were ready to go bad, and ended up with a feast that inspired hours-long food comas. jamey makes this amazing maple glazed salmon with chili powder, and that was what we built our meal around. if he's feeling adventurous, he makes a baguette-with-goat-cheese-and-mixed-greens salad to go with it, and since he had mixed greens that were going to waste in the fridge he decided to make it. i had red potatoes from the farmer's market that needed to be made, and a desire to use my rosemary plant before the season is over, so there was our side dish. at the grocery store, i also intended to find some sort of dessert to contribute to the meal, and ended up making devil's food cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and blue crystal sprinkles. at that point, it was official: we were going to spend way too long in my hot kitchen, make lots of dirty dishes, and eat the most awesome meal of the summer. and that's exactly what happened, as the pictures prove!

wiggle your little toe opening

2009-08-20T08:30:00.006-04:00

me with my new work at the opening

saturday night was the opening for my new show, wiggle your little toe at art underground studio in hampden. phish was in town, so sadly the opening was not exactly well attended. however, a few friends did make appearances, and there was free beer, so it was not a total loss! i am very happy with how my work looks in the space, and am looking forward to the closing, which will be happening during hampdenfest. hopefully this means that it will be very busy and i will sell lots of work! thanks to those who did attend the opening, and if you haven't been able to get there yet, please make a little trip to hampden and check out my work as well as the work of the other artist on display, debbie manville aka miss dabree! the show will be up through september 12th.

old painting also on display near the door

art underground show/new work

2009-08-15T11:40:00.008-04:00

top to bottom: no. 8 and low tide (receding)

tonight is the opening of the show "wiggle your little toe" at art underground studio in hampden, featuring all new work by me and large-scale paintings by new jersey-based artist debbie manville, which will be up through september 12th. i have six new paintings and six new collages, as well as one of my large older paintings, on display in my first post-grad gallery show. very exciting! if you are interested in checking it out, art underground is located at 826 w. 36th street in hampden, and the opening tonight is from 7-10pm. there will be beer and assorted snacks, and hopefully lots of friendly art-folk to chat with. hope to see you there!

(if you want more info on the show, click on the title of this post and you will be directed to the art underground studio blog)

walters summer camp 2009: a medieval journey

2009-08-15T11:39:00.002-04:00

Graduation & Commencement Exhibition 2009

2009-08-11T20:15:00.007-04:00

so, i graduated from college! i now officially have a bachelors of fine arts in art history, with concentrations in printmaking and curatorial studies. while it has not yet landed me a job, i feel confident that it will. or at least that by getting it, i have achieved one of my dreams and am proud of myself for doing so. mica gave me an amazing education in art, and my four years there were profound, growth-inspiring, and world/art view-broadening. as well as fun, of course!

cityscapes: senior show 2009 sarah elek

i also, naturally, took part in the senior show, aka the commencement exhibition. mica's seniors show their artwork in the galleries as well as the halls-and-classrooms-turned-into-galleries and the entire school becomes one big gallery. my work was in the bunting center, on the back wall by the elevators, and it was great because a) you could see it, straight in front of you, from the front doors and b) i got a lot of space and it was like my own little gallery in itself. i was super psyched to find that people actually like my artwork!- i sold most of it! it was flattering and humbling, and unexpectedly very inspiring. actually selling work makes me feel like going home and making more work, unlike sitting in a classroom and listening to 20 people criticize it, which just makes me want to quit making art and do something a little easier, like answering phones or something (just kidding- being critiqued doesn't make me feel like that, not all the time- but still, enough years doing nothing but taking constructive criticism of your artwork can make you forget why you make art in the first place and that some people out there might actually like it- and even buy it). i was very happy with the show overall, and it was also very exciting to see all my friends' artwork- if i had an extra $300 or so, i would have bought one of hayley's dresses in a heartbeat (my friend and former roommate, hayley griffin, is destined to be a famous designer one day- her screenprinted dresses, with images of lobster fishing in maine and extremely flattering & demure cuts, are deeply desirable).

random lady checking out one of hayley's dresses

so now the saga is over, and i am enjoying life as a post-grad. i am still trying to figure out exactly what i'm doing with my life, but for now i am doing great- i have 3 jobs with which to pay the bills, and i am a working and showing artist. i can't wait till schooltime rolls around, and I DON'T HAVE TO GO!!! YAY!!! that is when it will probably really set in that it really did happen and really is finally over.

welcome back!!!

2009-08-11T19:05:00.004-04:00

welcome back! i have returned from what i am now calling my "summer blog hiatus". this was originally a short leave due to insane end of college & graduation business, which turned into a hiatus as more and more stuff continued to bombard me in the time after and since. however, i am not back online because i am suddenly enjoying a temporary break from being busy. i have simply stopped procrastinating (finally!) and am forcing myself to catch this blog of mine up and get into better daily habits of updating it! so the next few posts will be "catch-up" posts, and from then on the "summer blog hiatus" (aka sarah procrastinating) has officially ended!

too busy for words

2009-05-03T22:16:00.001-04:00

i promise i'll be back with regular posts soon!!!! lovelovelove sarah
(2 more days of college left, and 15 days till graduation!!!)

maire's 22!

2009-03-30T15:01:00.007-04:00

maire turned 22 this weekend and so last night (sunday) i had a birthday dinner for her at my place with all of our close friends in attendance (except for eleanor who was out of town). it was so AWESOME to have mia, beth, jaime, ann, and maire over, and we had a lovely dinner. i set the table with my beautiful tablecloth and tulips and gerber daisies and we had 3 bottles of wine and i made pasta with mozzarella and peppers and spinach for dinner. then we had a chocolate sour-cream cake i made from scratch for dessert, which was PHENOMENAL. this weekend could not have gone any better!!!! now i just have to try to get back into work mode.....try.....it's hard.... :) anyway, happy birthday maire!!!!

arches, triangles, and stars

2009-03-27T22:02:00.006-04:00

new painting in progress.......

GLORIOUS

2009-03-27T21:39:00.005-04:00

i don't know if there is anything better than spending a thursday night letting two amazing little girls named isadora and estelle fake tattoo you. i felt like i was at a beauty salon, watching them standing on either side of me, choosing tattoos for me and cutting them out and carefully applying them all over my arms and legs. of course i helped apply some to them too, although they're big girls and didn't really need my help :) i ultimately ended up with about 7 tattoos, carefully applied in isadora and estelle's chosen spots, and was so proud to go to work today and show them to everyone!

new painting + new polaroids!

2009-03-18T19:25:00.002-04:00

newest painting- 2009- possibly still in progress? no title yet....probably no.7

mt. royal avenue from station, baltimore, md, 2005 (?)

sarah, lindsay, and ashley, anna maria, fl, 2006 (?)

hi!!!! i'm sorry i've been ever so lazy lately about posting! i was doing so good putting up a polaroid a day, but then spring break hit and so did a wave of extreme laziness....i've been hibernating....but i'm in a super good positive mood today, i had a great st. patty's day and i hope everyone else did too! and i am also feeling super productive, so here at last are two new polaroids AND....ta-da!- a new painting! FINALLY! it's been 2 years!!!!! CRAZY! i'm super pumped and hope everyone else enjoys it....i have not decided if it is finished, i think i'm going to move on and start a new one and think about it for awhile....i welcome comments and opinions on the matter, though!

otherwise everything has been smooth sailin over here, the weather can't make up it's mind as to whether or not it's spring yet, but luckily it's been very pleasant today. lovely, in fact.

yesterday and today's polaroids + sleepy + exhibition proposal

2009-03-08T17:24:00.008-04:00

urvashi, anna maria, florida, 2007

here are two polaroids, one for yesterday and one for today, both of my cousin urvi floating on a raft in the gulf of mexico. the colors are really vivid, especially in the originals. the scan definitely muted them a little.
i am so tired right now, i think i need to go nap or something. it's warm and gray and i have spent all day working on my exhibition proposal for my senior show. they want us to fill out a proposal form and attach written instructions and a diagram for installation for EACH PIECE we are going to show. then we have to make copies of each piece of paper involved, one for us to keep and an extra copy to turn in with the originals. that's a LOT OF PAPERWORK. seriously, it's ridiculous. plus there are some details i don't know, so i have to figure this all out by thursday when the forms are due. and go to kinkos and get these copies made. OY. i'm excited about the show, but i also can't wait until it is over....or at least until the paperwork is over....

absolutely hilarious

2009-03-06T23:37:00.008-05:00

new year's eve, tampa, florida, 1999 (?)

almost thanksgiving, baltimore, maryland, 2008

on top is a polaroid of my godsister paige and me on new year's eve a long, long time ago. probably about 10 YEARS AGO! we were so excited to have FAKE WINE for new years....we definitely acted like it was so cool, like it was real wine or something....i just wish i could find the racy photo of us posing in front of the fire like we were on a beach or something....HILARIOUS! hey, being twelve is kinda fun....SERIOUSLY! i wish it were all that simple still!
below is a photo of me struggling with a real bottle of champagne...struggling to open it, not drink it.... :)

anyway, i am super tired and have to teach pre-k tomorrow....so i need to go study my lesson plan and catch some zzzzzz.......'s........and then i need to stop procrastinating and spend my weekend working on my senior show application.....and maybe even some job applications.....and even homework? maybe it's not "if you build it, they will come" but rather "if you write it on your blog for everyone to read you will actually do it".....haha.....

hopefully admist all of this "doing" i will find time to work on my new painting and maybe even some new collages/drawings/etc.....so that there will be new work up here soon....! :)

....and today's polaroids!

2009-03-05T18:49:00.006-05:00

clearwater, florida, 2005

i'm super tired today and it's been a long day. here are two sets of beautiful polaroids, and now i'm going to go run one more errand and then make dinner/do dishes/do homework/go to bed early/search for a magazine article i can't find..... <3 sae

yesterday's polaroids...

2009-03-05T18:48:00.003-05:00

san francisco, california, 2001

aquarius...

2009-03-04T00:17:00.003-05:00

"in spring when the woods are getting green,
i'll try and tell you what i mean:
in summer when the days are long,
perhaps you'll understand the song:

for this must ever be
a secret
kept from all the rest
between yourself and me."

"but alice had got so much into the way
of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen
that it seemed quite dull and stupid
for life to go on in the common way...

put cats in the coffee, and mice in the tea-
and welcome queen alice with thirty times three!"

-lewis carroll

TAMPA HAS AN OPEN-AIR FARMERS MARKET DOWNTOWN NOW??!!!

2009-03-03T23:08:00.002-05:00

what!!!!!!! tampa actually has an open-air farmers market downtown! this is new and makes me very happy and very excited! i have definitely been concerned about being able to eat and buy locally in tampa if i move back, and now my hopes are bolstered!!!!!!

more polaroids!

2009-03-03T17:49:00.004-05:00

i decided that today is going to be special, and so here are MORE POLAROIDS! the top is me laughing, baltimore, maryland, 2006, and the bottom is me eating ice cream, tampa, florida, 2003 (?). i am also working on a new painting, and hope to make enough progress to post some photos of that here soon....i have spent all day watching charmed/law and order and reading turbulent voyage (reading in african american studies for my africana lit class again) since my contemporary memoir class was canceled! yay snow! alas, i still have to go to history of material culture...so for now, enjoy the special polaroids....

an old polaroid a day keeps the doctor away....

2009-03-03T11:00:00.007-05:00

redwoods, california, 2001

the mountains

isn't that how the saying goes? as a way to make sure i keep posting things and don't get lazy/too bogged down in ncis/house/law and order, i am going to post some of my favorite old polaroids up here everyday. i've been meaning to scan and post them all anyway, and this is a good way to do it, i think. today's polaroid post includes my newest collage, the mountains.
otherwise, i am just working on contemporary memoir homework and drinking coffee out of a tiny old mug i made in high school. the sun is out today but i am sure it is freezing, and the snow has not gone anywhere, really. now that i'm faced with leaving the house tonight for class, i just want to stay in. if i didn't have to go to class, i might become a recluse, locked up in my house with my collages and usanetwork/tnt. :)
i'm thinking a lot about how i'm possibly moving back to florida in may. SO EXCITING. i can't tell you how much i want to go to the beach.....but my 6 word memoirs from last week and this week (for contemporary memoir) are very telling:
i miss the ebb of tides...
and the flow of the shore.
<3 sae

peek into my apartment....new flowers and pictures...

2009-03-02T19:31:00.009-05:00

i've been working on my apartment lately, and also set up a little workstation for myself and my artwork. plus i bought some new flowers and new tulips, so i thought it was time for some updated pictures! above is my bathroom- with some of the beautiful flowers in an ikea vase, and my new toothbrush cup that has a cool pink flower-like design on it, which i got at anthropologie on sale for just a couple dollars!
this picture is of my bedside table (from a thrift store in hampden). on it is a flea market plate with beautiful designs, cheap ikea vase (which i love) with more of the beautiful flowers, my stack of books, the turtle with volcanic stone (i'm pretty sure) and a pearly stone (can't remember the name) that pw got me in mexico, and an ikea lamp.

looking into my kitchen from a far corner of the room. you can see my stack of magazines, and the purple tulips in the awesome red-orange ikea pot on the table. maire's paintings are peeking in on the right corner and my antique indigo goblets (from an ginny's antiques on anna maria island) look beautiful in the light....

my new workstation, complete with fresh paper. behind it select polaroids are laid out on green storage boxes sitting on my tibetan chest (which you can't see). on the mantle are my some of my favorite photos, my cameras, my collection of blue and white vases, my spider plant, and my "natural wonders" collection: bowls full of shells and stones from different beaches. there's also a piece of art of a girl on a beach and the maps poster from the maps show at the walter's from last year.

looking at my bed from my desk, before the workstation was set up. you can see my books, my globe, another piece of maire's work, and my bed with the new bedding i just got for my birthday.

these final two shots are some close-ups of parts of my bulletin boards and the stuff on them.

i love how the apartment is coming along....although soon enough i'm going to have to pack it all up and move anyway! ~sae

SNOW DAY!

2009-03-02T12:07:00.006-05:00

WE HAVE A SNOW DAY!!!!! yay!!!! MICA is closed and i made special snow day blueberry pancakes for kate and me to enjoy, and now she is at xs getting french toast and bringing back an egg sandwhich for me! what a lovely, lovely day- snow days are always so special- time seems to stop and everyone gets an unexpected opportunity to breathe and hibernate and maybe continue reading harry potter....after i finish some hw....can anyone explain to me what EXACTLY a "philosophical construct" is? i didn't think so. i mean i get it, but still....what an assignment...anyway, stay warm! ~sarah

new(est) collages

2009-03-01T18:34:00.007-05:00

the ocean

the forest

it's been awhile since i posted anything, so i thought my new post should be something fun and awesome like my newest collages...
i have spent all day freezing in my apartment (despite the heat being on) and reading, going back and forth between my 8th (or 9th?) reading of harry potter and the deathly hallows and a book called "the palm wine drinkard" by amos tutuola for my africana literature class. both books are fantastic, so it's been a good day other than the cold and the fact that i ate too many rosemary triscuits and cheddar cheese. i am telling you this so that you know if you ever start eating rosemary triscuits and cheddar cheese, you have to be careful because they are as addictive as rainbow sprinkle cake (which i made the other night to have as dessert after eating my chicken and yellow rice....yum....):

very sad news

2009-02-16T20:31:00.004-05:00

a classmate of mine, gabriella camejo, died yesterday evening after being hit by a car here in baltimore. another classmate who was with her was also hit, and he is in serious condition at the hospital. i knew gabriella freshman year, and she has been my classmate for four years. even though we weren't close, i was shocked to hear the news and very saddened. life is so short and can be gone in an instant. we all need to remember this everyday and make our lives as full and wonderful as they can be, concentrating on what is truly important: love, family, friends, and being as happy as possible and with the people we love while we are here on earth.
r.i.p. gabby
love,
sarah

if i only had a brain

2009-02-12T17:55:00.003-05:00

i am trying to work on this visual/verbal journey for joan (watson) and my brain is MUSH. MUSSHHHYY MUSH-MUSH. i am too tired to think straight, let alone write/observe anything profound about art. in fact, trying to make it profound or worrying it won't be profound is probably part of the problem. i am so unsure of everything i am writing. someone save me from this mess. maybe this cup of red rose tea will do it. or miranda july. she could be a good jumping off point. "learning to love my VISUAL/VERBAL JOURNEY more" ~sarah

tulips, newly painted tray, and cooking/baking bonanza!

2009-02-10T20:51:00.008-05:00

here are some new pictures- the tulips i just got (yay approaching spring!), the tray i just painted a beautiful "flaming embers" red/orange, and the crazy big amazing meal i made tonight. the recipe is from real simple magazine, it's macaroni and cheese updated with cauliflower, sour cream, dijon mustard, onions, and homemade breadcrumbs. YUM. then i made blondies to top it off. i wish i could share some with all of you! lovelovelove sarah

Walters inspiration

2009-02-04T22:48:00.018-05:00

good old Walters Art Museum. today my home sweet museum home reinforced for me why i love it so. besides being the best place to work EVER, and one of the greatest art museums for kids (in my personal opinion), it has an amazing collection (i say that for those of you out there who are dumb enough to not have gone yet and don't already know- i forgive you if you've been living on mars or some other faraway planet). this amazing collection never fails to inspire and delight, and since i spent some time probing it with my collections in/of baltimore city class today, i have renewed vigor, interest, and awe for it. above are a few things which inspired/excited me on this trip for your viewing pleasure. please be sure to go and see them in person, as i could not find an exact picture for every one! ~sarah

(from top to bottom: this vase is similar to the white porcelain vases they have that are super beautiful; this lyre clock is so cool- around the face it has all the different symbols of astrology signs corresponding to different numbers; blue and white china is a favorite of mine- to see and to collect cheap knockoffs; sevres porcelain- this is a piece they actually have but one of my favorites is a pink pair of vases (?) with elephant handles; the cabinet of curiosities- this is a painting of one but it hangs in the actual cabinet of curiosities in the museum, which is wonderful and i am especially fond of the natural wonders section- there will definitely be a later post relating to my own natural wonders collection!; and finally, in the spirit (blah) of valentine's day (double blah) is this painting- love the colors and composition!- of a gentleman stirring the object of his affection's lemonade- she is love sick and he wants her to know he loves her too. so he stirs her lemonade. if only it was that simple!)

grey day

2009-02-03T16:07:00.005-05:00

"losing love is like a window in your heart:
everybody sees you're blown apart"
-paul simon

i am starving for human affection today and prone to falling into the empty and damaged parts of my heart. blah. plus it's been snowing all day (not real snow, just the kind you WISH would stick) and i've been reading all day and now i have to go to CLASS. till 945. ugh.

note to self: get back to work on your art!

i think what i really need is a nap or a drink!

birthday!

2009-01-31T20:11:00.005-05:00

what was left of my amazing birthday cake after dinner...maire made the chocolate cakes and beth made the buttercream frosting & decorated it. I am very lucky to have such fantastic friends! mia and jaime were there to celebrate too...maire made a gorgonzola/oyster mushroom risotto and a spinach/apple/walnut/gorgonzola/balsamic vinegarette salad. It was such a good birthday! we went to see weekends play at a house show afterwards, which was a lot of fun too!

I heart ikea....good design, cheap prices! thanks to my parents for a very useful and beautiful birthday present!

all in all, it was a very good day (the 24th, my birthday, was- this post is a little late!). yay for being 22!

recent collages

2009-01-31T19:35:00.007-05:00

balance

home

north

lost

I made these collages last semester- they're really the only thing I feel like working on right now. I will upload more once I make more!
p.s. some of the colors are a little faded looking online. I apologize!

does this work?

2009-01-29T19:35:00.001-05:00

i would be amazed

it does work! i can email my posts and they'll just...appear.
all the amazing things blogspot can do.

the hebrew seeds are hangin in there

2009-01-29T18:35:00.001-05:00

I am so happy right now to be re-opening my blog and re-making it in every way and hopefully actually keeping it up from now on. i was just reading a post on design*sponge from the weeders digest column about the sad scarcity of plants in the wintertime, and was glad to look right and see my little flower seedlings hangin in there. I got the seeds for free at Artscape last summer from the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation (I think?), and they have been kinda pathetic, honestly. Nonetheless they're alive now, despite my neglectful behavior with them. I am amazed at their strength, and hope that one day they will actually bloom. I am glad it is a real possibility. (isn't it great how sometimes you write things and realize they could be one huge metaphor for something else? i think that's great.)