Updates and Exhibitions

Mike's first London exhibition begins on Thursday.  Espacio Gallery is a lovely gallery on Bethnal Green Road owned by a cooperative of 100 artists.  The show will be much smaller than that though, only showcasing a few artists.  Mike will have three pieces on display.  We're pretty excited.

The dude who hit me in the head with a bottle was arrested last week.  He goes to court today to enter his plea.  I know this because the British Transport Police have been calling me regularly with updates.  What I don't know, because I haven't thought to ask, is what he's being charged with.  I'll ask that next time I talk with them, which should be next week.

We finalised our New York City flat.  We'll be staying in a studio located in the basement of a brownstone in the Meatpacking District on West 15th Street.  You have no idea how unbelievably awesome we think that is.  We had been resigned to a lovely place in Harlem but we would've preferred a shit hole in lower Manhattan.  Luckily, a shit hole we did find.  We'll be sacrificing comfort for location, at least for our first three months.  After that, if we haven't found jobs yet, we'll probably be homeless in Bushwick.  Ah, sweet adventure.

Mike's Been Published! (and other news)

Mike's cover

Mike's essay was recently published in Salt Lake's leading independent paper.  It was a fun experience for him.  He worked directly with a couple editors and will even be paid.  He's a star!

Mike & Paul

In other news, we finally had our first visitor from Seattle.  It's been great hanging with our buddy Paul, here touring with Duff McKagan.  The tour has put him in London a few days over the last two weeks, giving us plenty of time to catch up with him.  It's pretty cool that we know this really awesome guy who is 'rather marvellous' on the pedal steel and it's pretty cool that he was able to visit us while we're still in the UK.  Thanks Paul!

London or Bust

This week has been an exciting one for our little family in regards to our upcoming relocation. Not only did we finalise our accommodations but Mike also received news that he has a job waiting for him upon our arrival.

Our flat is in Bethnal Green in east London. Although neither of us have seen it yet, besides a few pictures, based on comparative rent and location we’re confident our new flat will be an improvement upon last year’s arrangements. Though this flat will be our smallest (13 sm) at least we’ll have a bathroom (seriously, we had been considering an option without one).

Mike in front of his gallery last summer

Mike’s job is the same one he had last summer, working at a gallery in Mayfair specialising in the Vienna Secessionists (douchey artistic term provided by Mike) such as Klimt and Schiele. His first two months will be part-time, allowing him the freedom to market his own art and, hopefully, get something exhibited, but then in mid-September he begins a full-time schedule preparing for an October exhibition which will take him through mid-December. The whole arrangement is a dream and, especially coming less than a month after his graduation, better than we could’ve hoped.

Mike Has A Website

Mike has a website.  That's pretty cool, right?  I think so.

Time To Move On

Yesterday Mike discovered he had the option to graduate with his BA this year, if he wanted.  After talking with a few advisers, he’s decided to take the option.  As of June 2012, Mike will have his BA Fine Arts.

We went from expecting four years in Dundee to three and now we learn we only have a short 4+ months remaining.  Thrilled does not even begin to describe our emotions.

In early July, right before the effing Olympics, we’ll be relocating to London, with no plans to ever return to Scotland.  Though our timing could be better (seriously, the Olympics?!), we won’t be staying in Dundee any longer than necessary (our lease expires on 2 July).  

It is early days still, so we have no concrete plan yet, but we have our date in sight and I can finally exhale.  It is no secret this time has not been easy for me but, like my childhood, I’m sure I’ll forget most of it due to the gift of post traumatic stress disorder (don’t underestimate the benefits of memory repression).

Happy New Year!

This year has been a good one for our little family.  We're now fully ensconced in Mike's second year (of three) at university and our second year (of many) abroad.  We're ending 2011 in good health and in Rome.  So, yes, final judgement on 2011 was that it was a good year.

Travel: We started 2011 in Paris and are ending it in Rome.  We were also able to visit England, Spain, Sweden, and Germany, in addition to continued explorations of Scotland.  As far as travel, we did really well this year.  We'll be starting 2012 in Rome with no solid plans for additional travel beyond our June trip to Baltimore for a friend's wedding.  We hope to get to the Iberian Peninsula in April and check off our first eastern European city some time in 2012 but, since Mike's final year will be a doozy (he'll have a dissertation due in January 2013 plus his Degree Show in May 2013, which will technically be his first gallery show, or at least simulate it), beginning mid-2012, our focus becomes entirely about Mike's graduation in May 2013 and travel becomes a distant second priority.

Funds: We're still living tight but we're better off than we were last year at this time.  Hopefully the trend continues and next year at this time will be better than today.

Flat: Our new place in Dundee is TONS better than our horrible student flat at Tay Mills from last year.  That place was miserable and didn't contribute to a positive initial experience.  Now, with a better flat, we're able to get comfortable and feel more at home.  We'll probably be keeping our current flat for the duration of our stay in Dundee, allowing us some continuity in an otherwise temporary existence.

We're looking forward to what 2012 has to offer us.  We hope to continue to enjoy good health and good times and we wish the same for you.  Auguri a tutti!

Let The Games Begin

On Monday, Mike got his dream job.  He was hired to work the Egon Schiele exhibition at a gallery in Mayfair.  After visiting the hosting gallery this past Friday, the exhibition's first day, he emailed them with his thoughts (Schiele is one of his favourite artists) and to inquire about any possible employment opportunities.  The next thing he knows he's got an interview and now a job.  His first day is tomorrow and he couldn't be happier.

With Mike's new job, we're just now feeling settled and getting ready to take advantage of all the big city amenities.  We're already enjoying all the different markets, especially Portobello and Old Spitalfields, and exploring the different neighbourhoods, Shoreditch and the East End are early favourites, but we're looking forward to our first day-trip this weekend and to all the summer events (outdoor films, Zoo Lates, festivals, etc.) still to come.

Three Years

Mike confirmed this past week that he was accepted at university as a 2nd year student.  This is great news because it means that he graduates a year earlier than planned, 2013 instead of 2014.  However, we find this news puzzling because none of his previous college credits were transferable nor did he receive any notice of this until after matriculation.  But, we're not questioning it.  If they want Mike in his 2nd year they can have him.

Stop the Presses!!!

Mike just received an "unconditional" offer from the University of Dundee.  They've reversed their initial decision.  Mike's been accepted!!!

Mike is going to apply for both financial aid as well as his visa this weekend.  If he is granted a visa then Desi will apply for hers, since hers is wholly dependent upon his.  Apparently, these items are equally as important as the University's acceptance and can be more difficult to achieve.  If we don't get any one of them then we can't move to Scotland.  So, basically, it's not a done deal yet and Puerto Rico is still a very attractive backup plan.  But, as of now and until we hear differently, we're moving to Scotland baby!!!

The Portfolio Did It

Mike received news last night that his application to Edinburgh College of Arts was "unsuccessful."  As disappointing as it is to be rejected from four schools, this bit of news does clear the way for our move to Puerto Rico.  Honestly, we couldn't be happier!

Regarding post-mortems, Mike has already heard back from the University of Edinburgh with suggestions to strengthen his application for next year.  Apparently, it wasn't a lack of college credits that sunk his application at the University but his portfolio.  So, rather than taking more college classes for credit this summer, Mike will be taking art classes, wherever he can find them, to strengthen his portfolio.  We're looking into his options now.

University of Dundee

Mike received notification this morning that his application to the University of Dundee was "unsuccessful."  We're actually quite relieved because our hearts are now set on Puerto Rico.  If he had been accepted to Dundee we would've had to make a very difficult decision.  Luckily, our decision, thus far, is being made for us. 

Mike is waiting for one more school to respond, the Edinburgh College of Arts, before we can move full steam ahead towards Puerto Rico.

Glasgow School of Art

Mike received notification this morning that he was not accepted into the Glasgow School of Art.  This would not be surprising, since we knew how competitive it was going to be, except for the fact that he received notification two weeks ago that he had made it to the final round and was being invited for a phone interview.  This bit of news increased our expectations, allowing us to believe that he actually had a pretty good chance of being accepted.  His interview was a week ago and Mike ended it feeling pretty good about his performance.  Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Mike did not make final cut and we will not be moving to Glasgow this year.

Our hopes for relocating to Scotland this year are now in the hands of only two schools: Edinburgh College of Art and University of Dundee.  Both schools would be amazing opportunities for Mike.  Our fingers are crossed.

University of Edinburgh

Mike received notice yesterday that he wasn't accepted into the University of Edinburgh's Masters of Fine Arts program.  Apparently, and with only the rejection letter to guide us, the problem with his application was the lack of existing college credit.  We were told that Mike would need a year's worth of credit (45 credits) in order to be accepted.  We were told that if he applied prior to receiving all 45 credits a conditional offer might be made, accepting him on the condition that he receives all required credits by June.  Unfortunately, according to the letter Mike received, because they had received enough applications from those already meeting the requirements, they would not be offering Mike a conditional acceptance.  He was rejected--not even waitlisted.

Although this is definitely not the news we wanted or expected (Mike has been working so hard towards this goal, working full time in the days while going to school at night), we still have options.  Back in September, Mike applied to three other schools in Scotland (Glasgow School of Art, Edinburgh College of Art, and University of Dundee) and we're still waiting on final responses from them.  We know Glasgow is a long shot (their class size is really small, accepting only about 45 students into the program each year, and highly competitive) but ECA might still be a real option.  University of Dundee is a Hail Mary, though.  We don't know much about the school or program, but it might be easier to get into than the other schools and would at least get us to Scotland.

We haven't begun discussing possible alternatives beyond being accepted at one of the other three schools.  Hopefully, one way or the other, we hear final answers shortly so we can begin working towards next steps.

Mike's An Artist

Mike is having a pretty good couple of days. He was asked on Thursday to help finish the set design for a local play being staged at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. He's been working evenings since Saturday to finish painting the set pieces. Tonight should be his last night on the job.

What's exciting about this is twofold. One, Mike is being paid for his efforts, making this his first official job in the arts field. Two, he's getting great experience and more material for his application portfolio, which he'll be submitting to the University of Edinburgh/Edinburgh College of Arts in approximately one month.

Today was also Mike's last day of summer quarter. So, on top of working until 1AM since Saturday, Mike has been going to school part time in the evenings and working full time during the days. No one can say he isn't trying his hardest to realize the dream. Happily, he now has a month off from school until fall quarter starts, at the end of September.

Mike's Tattoo Experience

Mike's 33 year old arm, as it's always been

Mike being educated by Coyote at Apocalypse Tattoo

The stencil has been placed

And so it begins

Almost done

1.5 hours later, the finished product

Mike's Big Day

Mike had a big day today. First of all, he officially became a professional artist. He was paid rent for the use of his painting at a city event for youth violence prevention. This painting was done as a group project during his 2nd-year painting class at the Seattle Central Community College. At this event he met a number of influential people, one of which was the mayor of Seattle, Greg Nickels. His painting instructor has become his mentor and is shepherding him through the process of becoming a community artist. She is the one that facilitated the introductions to Mayor Nickels and other city dignitaries. She is also the one that got Mike's art displayed at this event and has also mentioned the possibility of grants to create art in some select Seattle parks. Finally, today was also the day Mike got his first tattoo. After years of planning and careful consideration, he finally did the deed and now has a very beautiful piece of body art. Both of us are very happy with the result of his careful planning and both agree that today was a very good day for Mike.

Mike's Birthday

Yesterday was Mike's 32nd birthday. Desi made dinner reservations at Salty's on Alki to celebrate. The view was marvelous and Mike really enjoyed the meal.  After dinner we enjoyed a nice walk along the Alki shoreline.

Unfortunately, Desi having a horrible cold added another dimension to the celebration. Desi couldn't taste her meal at all and was having a hard time staying awake, probably due to the cold medicine she had taken earlier. Regardless, Mike enjoyed his birthday celebration and, even though she was miserable, Desi enjoyed it, too. 

Happy birthday Mike!