Amy Fix ISPO

What I've done this semester:

• Four out of five 8-foot tall paintings (working 60 + hrs a week from January through the beginning of March).
• 20 Paper Mannequins
• 2 Plaster Casts
• 4 Paper Molds from various representational plaster casts 
• 2 Fat roll studies (and the beginnings of a more commercial painting)
• A few fat and belly button drawings (some on litho plates)
• Two linoleum plates prepared for printing
• Two woodcut plates prepared for printing
• A 75 page thesis paper (about 11 revisions, revised three or four times by committee)
• Teaching Packet with an artist's portfolio, artist's statement, teaching portfolio, teaching philosophy, cover letter, and updated C.V.
• General job applications with countless cover letters and an updated resume.
• Job Interviews, some with commutes.
• Held an Encaustics demonstration
• Applied for graduation, purchased cap and gown (who knows when I'll get them!), filled out a form here and there, and at some point I have to print my thesis (COGS hasn't released it for print yet).

I was feeling bad about not being able to do more in printmaking, but now, I realize that I've seriously busted my butt...and it hasn't only been this semester.  I've really pushed myself since the beginning, and, oh my, was the beginning rough.  This semester it seemed like (and still seems like) I would knock three things off of my to-do list, and five more would show up.  So while I would have loved to make even more paintings and to have undergone boot camp with the rest of the grads (who have learned so many different processes - I'm a little envious, and I anticipate they won't necessarily understand why), I know that I couldn't have balanced it all. 

As the summer approaches, I can look forward to not being employed (temporarily) and having a full time, no interruptions studio practice, exploring commercial approaches to the presentation of my content as well as trying to enhance my content and colors as I try to create a new piece for the faculty exhibition in the fall. I'm excited to start this new chapter of my life, and it is starting to hit me that I'm in the home stretch.  I'm actually very happy with the growth I've experienced, and I'm kinda scared of not being a student anymore.  I'll miss my studio, sharing that space with Alecia and Kristin, who've been amazing, and I'll really miss having classes with everyone.  So, I'm feeling a little sad to be done, but simultaneously I'm ecstatic.