Menlo College

Author: Menlo Oak Press

Flowers Drawn by Jessica Valenzuela – Visual Art

flowers-jessica-v-1jessica-valenzuela-detail

Flowers drawn by Jessica Valenzuela

 

For Erik Bakke’s Art 121 assignment students used a proportional grid system to translate a photograph into a larger drawing–students drew a grid over a photograph and then a larger but proportional grid over a piece of blank paper and then redrew each section of the gridded photograph into the matching section of the grid on paper. In this way students learned how basic math can help them render a complex drawing.

“Swing Around” by Solin Piearcy – Poem

“Swing Around”

by Solin Piearcy

 

Newly blue painted poles 

holds a dangling seat 

above the soft sand 

underneath the trees.

 

The sky is closer than ever,

clouds just within reach, 

the wind blows away troubles,

and the bright sun offers dreams.

 

Higher and higher 

as high as it goes;

just for a split second 

time froze.

 

Faded blue chipped poles

and the empty seat.

Chains creek and cry as it moves 

rusted by its deceit.

 

Never higher than the pines 

that left their leaves on the pale sand

Falling fast from the sky

to land hard on both hands.

 

No matter how high,

as high as it goes;

only for a split second

time froze. 

“Nobody Told Me I Could Be Great” by Frank Morton – Video

Frank Morton – “Nobody Told Me I Could Be Great”

Click to view.

https://youtu.be/qd9h32TYSpY

 

“Nobody Told Me I Could Be Great”
By Frank Morton

Nobody told me I could be great

Nobody told me that I could be colder than the water freeze, sneeze out gold like there was King Midas in my sinuses

Hotter than California in your hottest heat wave, I don’t put out fire mixtapes I use the fires to warm up heat rocks, kill it and let the beat drop,

Think not, your favorite rapper’s mixtape will never drop, I caught it before it could hit the ground, I found the only one out here is me and I’m the only one walking around in this hallway of dreams

Dream me in color when you listen to rhymes, complementing your ear drums to the sound of my heart, making water fall from your eyes. See me not as legendary but the one you aspire to and then soar from, I’m sore from all the pain and

resentment, must be all the trauma my momma told me I shouldn’t get with, no guilt trip, to trip me up, I got perfect balance, balance me upon a small pin so I can stand for hours, not minutes but hours, and I mean yours and mine, my mind reaches out a hand to stretch to you. I hope that you take it. No longer riddled with concerns whether I’ll make it. My fair weather, doesn’t wear me down a bit, I cascade and fall from my high place, bountiful and beauteous, without a hitch, interwoven within the airs flow like a stitch, but never needed to needle in.