Paris: "Something fancy is happening" or "I'm going to be a eurostar"

I just returned to London from a 4 day jaunt in Paris (sorry, but that sentence makes me jealous of myself). Andrew Bevan was to be in Paris for the annual debutante ball at the Hotel de Crillon. So when he suggested I join him I naturally jumped at the chance to have a reason to be in Paris and to see a friend from home. I even mustered up some art ideas for the trip to make it part of school (= no guilt).

I arrived in Paris on Wednesday morning and stayed until Sunday. In 4 nights we stayed at 3 hotels, which may sound crazy but it was actually sort of great because we had three different home bases and thus could explore different areas with ease. We were also lucky that they were all awesome areas to explore. As you can imagine we did lots of walking, eating, and drinking. We went to galleries in the Marais, walked St. Germain, and window shopped in the 1st arrondissement. While the Centre Pompidu was closed due to a stike (how French), we went to a show at the Palais de Tokyo and I saw Monet's waterlilies at the Musee de L'Orangerie, which were actually amazing to see in person. They are huge and displayed in two oval rooms with a symphony playing (Monet picked it out so it was purposeful).

The first two days were typical tourist days of walking and eating and viewing. The second were great but also surreal, as you can imagine witnessing the preparations and execution of a debutante ball. It was like Gossip Girl goes to Paris, except we were with the Whitakers, lovely and generous people, and not B and S, so it was a lot of fun. Here is picture of Andrew and I in the suite before the ball eating pumpkin pie and drinking champagne (we did photo shoots in all the hotels, obviously):

It was great trip overall and I am now:

1. Obsessed with the Eurostar.
2. In need of detox from cheese and sugar (mainly croissants avec gluten and macaroons from Laduree)
3. A little sad to not be in Paris anymore, though a lovely dinner at Natalie's last night with my classmates helped ease the pain.
4. Planning my next trip to Paris.

Here is a snack for the road and click here for more pictures.

It's not that I don't like London, but this is funny.

http://gawker.com/5410486/british-sunday-times-writer-who-thinks-new-york-city-pretty-much-sucks-a-formal-response

"pants = underwear (how did we forget this one?)" -Lee

Reckon = think (I reckon this word sounds sort of ridiculous)

On offer = on sale

Cash point = ATM (I even say that now without thinking about it)

Queue = a line

Double 8 = 88 (as in Double 0 7!)

Swap out = to switch on and off.

Diversion = detour

Polo neck = turtle neck

Plaster = band aid.

Bill = check

Antenatal = prenatal

Jumper = sweater

Cinema = movie theater

Compulsory = mandatory

Fringe = bangs

Mine = my place, "come over to mine"

Till = cash register

Bank holiday = national holiday

Public school = private school

Post = mail

Joiners = carpenters

Thanks to Lee and David!

I enjoy (not necessarily in this order, though I do love M&S a whole lot)

1. M&S, Pret, and the general good quality of chains.
2. New friends
3. Not dreading Mondays
4. Markets- even though I haven't been to that many yet. I know they are out there!
5. Location, location, location. Paris in November, Brussels in January, Copenhagen in Feb and Berlin in May (so far).
6. Low buildings
7. Off license shops- you can buy wine pretty much anywhere, anytime and there is usually at least a bottle or two that is drinkable. Brilliant.
8. The gluten free carbohydrate options (of note: pita! french bread! crumpets! dinner rolls!)
9. Pubs.
10. The self-directed nature of education system.
11. The generally dry humor.

I miss

1. You.
2. Brunch.
3. Zico.
4. Going out to dinner.
5. Brook vin, Kiku, Moe's and Beet.
6. Jaya yoga.
7. Cooking.
8. One stop shops like bed bath and beyond or home depot.
9. The subway- though I never thought I would say that.

Anything you say can and might be used in my artwork.

I have been using text in my artwork for the past year or so and am continuing to do so, which makes all things possible source material. I just don't want anyone to be surprised. Though taken out of context, you may not even realize it! For example, this is something I am experimenting with:

I used an adhesive film on a mirror, cut out the words, then sandblasted the mirror leaving just the words as mirrored. I took the text from an email and changed the font. Sorry for the not great picture. I have done some on glass as well and have now started using handwriting instead of a computer font.

Now for some Scottish (rated PG).

I am making a distinction between words and phrases I learn from Natalie because some things are the same in England but some are exclusively Scottish. For example, 'jobbie' in Scotland means a poo and in England it is just a small job.

I was more or less yelled at by Natalie for saying Fanny pack. Fanny, in Scotland, means vagina. "It's a bum bag!!!" she yelled, horrified. And you can call someone a "pure fanny" and it is a major insult. I think this holds true in England as well.

Another favorite is a hill walk. "A what?", I said, "...Oh, you mean hiking?" She did mean hiking and then asked if I had proper hill walking shoes. We are going to go hill walking outside of Glasgow when the weather is a little less freezing there.

Last night Natalie asked me if I wanted to boke when talking to someone in our course. When I looked perplexed she said it was like a reflex for vomiting. Gagging! Yes, I wanted to boke.

Guy Fawkes, more introductions, and my first job!

Last night was Guy Fawkes night:

Guy Fawkes Night is an annual celebration on the evening of 5 November. It marks the downfall of the Gunpowder Plot of 5 November 1605, in which a number of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to destroy theHouses of Parliament, in London, United Kingdom. (Wikipedia)

Basically, he tried to blow up Parliament, so now they blow things up (fireworks) to celebrate his failure. Above are Lauren (blue hood) and Sooim with sparklers.

It was also the first Thursday of the month, where galleries in east London stay open until 9. So, we (a mass of school people, it was like a field trip and I realized after actual field trips with small children or big children, I have no patience for big group travel) went to openings and then a performance in Hoxton Square (right near where I live) and there were lots of fireworks.

This is Carla (left) and Natalie (middle) and me. Due to the quality of this photo, I promised not to post on Facebook, but figured the blog would be okay. Carla grew up just outside of London and Natalie is from Glasgow, Scotland. I spend most of my time with them at school. Carla works at a gallery and has recruited Natalie and I to work there on the weekends as "invigilators." This means we stand around and watch the gallery. It will probably be long and boring but at least it is art related and Natalie and I can chat and already have plans for post- work mulled wine (we worked at the opening and had it after, delicious!).

Laughing with him.

Mike has me laughing non stop and I thought it would be fun (mostly for me) to compile a list of quotes. Oh, and he knows how funny he is!

1. When complaining about walking to the bar in the rain without an umbrella: "Do you know what it is like to have gel dripping down your face?"
2. When talking about how his room always seems to need cleaning and how the dust and dirt is grimy: "Maybe it's from all the hairspray I use."
3. "You should have seen his purple shirt. It was a production. Like, you need tickets to see this thing."

Mike decided that he wanted to eat better and we went to the market. This was his list:

Too cool for art school.

Overall, I am happy with my decision to come to Chelsea. I like my classmates and the vibe of the school, which is pretty much that you do what you want, when you want. While I chose it because I wanted the opportunity to be self-directed, the very relaxed and unstructuredness (I made up that word) of it is taking a bit of getting used to. So was the very small studio space. I am actually now happier in my space after adding the little wall you see below. I also use the wall opposite.

For some reason, it is just nice to have a little corner for my desk. Just across the way is a room with a bunch of people who I hang out with often. Natalie is below, she is from Scotland and great. Chris, from England, is behind her, and also great. He is organizing a trip to Berlin in the Spring for a gallery weekend. Booking tickets soon. Woohoo.

Now that I am starting to make some art and figure out what I want to work on, school is definitely falling into place.