12.24.2011

Art is a shadow of what a person is thinking... a small glimpse of what they hold inside. Little secrets, regrets, joys... every line has its own meaning. ~Sarah, Los Cerros Middle School, 1999

Five Days in the Sunshine State...
                I went to San Diego to take pictures for a friend’s wedding this past week. It was a beautiful sunny day at the San Diego Temple; the perfect kind of day for a sealing. It was so sunny that I found everyone squinting their eyes in their pictures. Later on at the reception there was dancing, food, hot chocolate, S’mores, pies of all different kinds, and of course wedding cake. Inside there was a variety of soups and warm rolls to eat before delving into the variety of sweet things outside. There were fire pits filled with warm crackling fires, divine hot chocolate with whipped cream on top, marshmallows for roasting, and pumpkin, pecan, lemon, lime, and banana cream pies! All the guest’s stomachs were pleased with the yummy food. 
                As we sat by the fire warming our hands we talked, laughed, made new friends, and became reacquainted with old ones. We watched the dancing through glass doors and heard the music as it wafted on the soft breeze through the twinkle lit trees and to us by the fire. As I sat watching and listening, I found myself in wonderment at the amazing world we live in and the great lives we lead. It’s a world where people talk, laugh, and dance the night away. True, we may meet our far share of troubles along the way, but ultimately we lead quite happy lives. It was like heaven was on Earth that night; everyone joined in the festivities. Nothing else mattered. Only the warmth of the fire and watching happy people, young and old, dance late into the night occupied our minds. The only way I can think to describe it is being completely relaxed and ready to face whatever came next. I had a belief in myself that I had never considered before
               Each day we find little things to laugh at and moments that make us smile. These instances remind me of Rob Thomas’s song Little Wonders. “It’s these little moments, the little wonders and twisted turns of fate, when time falls away; it’s these small hours that remain” with us. Time seems to speed up and there’s nothing to hold it back, so we make the most of the time we have together and part after lengthy goodbyes. Even then we aren’t gone from those happy moments, they stay with us as we turn them around and around in our minds. We moll those few days of heaven, family, and friends over in our heads, soaking up every last ounce of warmth and laughter before placing them on a special shelf in our brains to be revisited when we are in need of comfort. They will also come in handy during those rare times when we meet an old friend and reminisce for hours of those days we spent in the Sunshine State. 

Painting is just another way of keeping a diary -Pablo Picasso

This semester in school I took a Studio Art class, which I enjoyed a lot. It's a course to introduce Art History Majors to a little of what it's like to work with each medium we study in our other courses. Instead of quizzes every week, our professor assigned us a visual journal. We were to spend a minimum of three hours on it each week, then turn it in on Wednesday nights, when he would look over them and give us a grade out of 10.

Week 1 (Colored Pencil, Printed Pics)

12.03.2011

art washes away from the soul the dust of every day life - Pablo Picasso


These are pictures from the watercolor
art class I went to this summer with
my Mom, Aunts, and Cousins. My
Aunt is a Utah Artist and she was the
one who taught the class. The picture
on the right is one of my cruciform 
abstracts. We also used different
kinds of rice paper to give our art
texture. It was hard at first, as I
believe all abstract is, but we got the
hang of it after a while. This is one of
my favorites from the first day of class.
Later we painted flowers and then
abstract flowers in vases. I learned that
I am more of an artist than I realized.
It's in my blood I guess.   

11.23.2011

Dream On Dreamers

Tonight as I sat watching a movie instead of writing a much needed paper for a class I started thinking about what I was actually doing. The American Dream is what every American, and immigrant to America, dreams for. But that's just the problem; if we dream all day what do we have at the end of it? Are we better for dreaming about that American Dream rather than working for it? I may dream about the day when I have graduated from college and am married to the man of my dreams....ah, again there's the word dream! Should I be looking for the man of my dreams, or the man of reality? Yes, I should be writing my paper right now, instead of writing this post, but that's what blogs are for, right? They are places for us to express ourselves, a place to put down the things we ponder and wonder about. That is what I am doing here. I am putting down the most recent thought that came to my head that I thought was worth writing about. 
Now, I don't want any of you to think that I am not a dreamer, because evidently I am...or I wouldn't be writing this post. I dream probably 80% of my life! Yes, I realize that I have to do the work and go through the struggles so I can appreciate the life I am working towards. I am so thankful for the hard times; because without them I wouldn't enjoy the great times as much as I do. Life is great isn't it? We can be sitting like a couch potato in front of our laptops and a thought like the American Dream and what it stands for pops into our heads. The American Dream was the last thing I thought I would be writing about tonight. Just a nonsensical thought that came into my mind as I sat dreaming. So, keep dreaming, dreamers! It does more good than you think. Living life without dreaming is like childhood without an imagination. I think my feelings are described best by one of my favorite characters, Elpheba from WICKED:

Every so often we long to steal to the land of what might have been, but that doesn't soften the ache we feel when reality sinks back in. 

9.24.2011

art can be seen in everyday living

This was taken at Oscar's Cafe in Zion National Park. We stopped here for dinner before heading back home to St. George and it was amazingly good! This is my favorite picture I took there. It was a great ending to a great day of marveling at God's beautiful creations! 

8.02.2011

Summer in London

the quaint little town on the edge of London where I stayed at with my cousin in July

6.14.2011

wind in the wheat....

i recently spent a week in St. George and we passed this field every day. i love the red rocks and the wheat... so here's one of my favorite shots from the trip.

5.07.2011

perfect

I just got back from a week-long trip to San Diego, California and while we were there we visited Disneyland. I took this shot while we were waiting in line for the train and I couldn't get enough of the little girl with the pink Converse, plaid shorts, and a rainbow tu tu with matching wings.
By the time I made it to Disneyland and California Adventure I was 16 or older. I know, sad right? I believe that Disneyland is great for all ages, in fact that is who Walt Disney had in mind when he built it, but you can't change the magical qualities it holds when you're little and the castle seems so big! I think that everyone should get to experience Disneyland when they are 6 or 7, before it loses some of it's magic. My Dad believes otherwise, that you can't really appreciate all the theming until you're an adult. As he says, "Disneyland is for adults." I guess everyone has their opinions, but this is evidence of why it took my Dad 67 years to get there.

3.31.2011

right time, right place


no, the beam of light is not part of the painting; it's the sun! (and the son). i thought this was a great moment and it reminded me of some the paintings i have learned about in art history classes. some are placed in cathedrals, or churches, so that the sun shines in on them at just the right angle, kind of like this shot. i think it adds a lot to the painting.

3.26.2011

when it rains


Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
it's about learning to dance in rain.
Posted by Picasa

3.24.2011

it's the little things

when i was younger and living at home my family and i would go on hikes and my dad would point out the wild flowers and and tell us the name of each one. since then this has been one of my favorite kinds. it's called monkshood and it usually grows around water. this picture was taken last summer at brighton camp. i searched for this flower on every hike i went on, and one day i found it right under my nose; it was in camp by the stream. love it!

3.22.2011

Coming Soon!

Drum-roll please! I, Melinda Moon, own this beautiful camera as of March 14, 2011. It will be arriving mid-April. Sooo-oo excited! :D

3.20.2011

a glimpse of sunshine

i was walking across campus and out of the corner of my eye i saw bright yellow....daffodils! yes, this shot is blurry and not the true color, but this one looks a little impressionistic and i like it even more than the other shots i took. the soft yellow of warm sunshine; something we are in short supply of.

3.03.2011

a parisian sunset

i took this breathtaking photo as we were walking back to our hotel after a long day touring the sights in paris, france. this is a day i'll never forget!

cool or gross?

i found this little guy on the garbage can outside my home in salt lake. i know some of you may think it's creepy or gross, but i think he's pretty cool. i used my parents camera for this shot and i'm amazed at the detail it was able to capture.

2.27.2011

Sunflower


this is one of the several sunflower got for graduation from my parents and as you can tell, i got a little carried away with my camera. :) it happens all the time. but don't you think it's cool that one simple flower can be sooo-oo beautiful? i think it's amazing

2.14.2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

This shot is from this past spring over by Heritage Halls. I thought this was perfect for the occasion! Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

1.20.2011

Bath Abbey Dome, Bath England

In my Art History class this semester we have been talking about the Romans and their developments on the arch that forever changed architecture. The Roman arch has aided in the building of tunnels, aqueducts, and hundreds of cathedrals all over the world; innovation in the round, as I call it. The following photo I took of the Bath Abbey Dome in Bath England. Notice that a Roman Bath made it into England and is one of the much-visited places in England. One of the main themes that we discuss when studying Art History is how art that is commissioned at a certain time usually reflects the trends of that day and age. Therefore when the Roman Empire was at the height of its glory its influence was felt (and seen) in art and architecture created all over the European continent.

Bath, England was also one of my favorite places that we were able to visit while in England. This little place nestled in the middle of the English countryside was amazing. It was cool to see that a town that was one of Jane Austen's favorite places to stay was till thriving, and beautifully preserved.

1.19.2011

i'm not an artist; i'm artistic.

I recently declared myself an Art History and Curatorial Studies Major over Christmas break. When I tell people my major, the usual second and third questions are "and what are you going to do with that?" and then "do you draw at all?". I begin my answer with, "I'm not an artist, but I'm artistic", but I don't know what the future might bring just yet, but I have some dreams. I don't think I would mind teaching Art History, but that's now what I am going to plan on doing right off. I visited Europe (England, France, and Spain) for a brief period of two weeks when I was in high school and I have since dreamt of going back for a longer visit like a Study Abroad, or maybe even living there! Since my family heritage is mostly English, my love and passion for Great Britain has two main boosters. London is also the main place to show not only art pieces from centuries past, but also the newest art trends on the market. It's a thriving place that embraces the trends of todays world, as well as remembering those of the past. I am also a big fan of old things; this could be the reason I have chosen to study the history of art.

1.18.2011

i only ask to be free...the butterflies are free. Charles Dickens


I had completely forgotten that I had even taken this picture and it was such a surprise to find it in the middle of my summer pictures from years ago. He's amazing, isn't he? I took this up on the top of Salt Lake's Grandeur Peak in the Wasatch Mountains.

...this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.

I took this pictures in the English countryside while I was visiting Stonehenge with some of my classmates. The stones themselves are magnificent, but I couldn't help but notice the man doing what I love best. Taking pictures.

don't you just love it?

We would pass these homes every day on our way to the Underground Station just down the street from our hotel in Bayswater, London and I love them. I like that each door is painted a different color.

a rose by any other name would smell as sweet

This was taken in my front yard a couple of years ago. I actually took this shot through the bay window on my house, which gives it that glow of perfection.