So here I am in New Haven, Connecticut, after four years overseas, and it is possibly the strangest and most foreign place I have ever lived. Everything outside the Yale "bubble" seems marginalized and conspicuously divided by race and class, but I have established a couple of havens of my own, thankfully: V is for Victor Nicolaï, my haven who ventured out of the Alps to come to this alien land for the fall. W is for the ever-present, ironic haven of Wanderlust that continues to propel me toward discovery of X, the new and unknown. It is in this restless limbo that I have come to feel most comfortable in the world. Y is for Yale, which forcibly takes its fitful place as a haven as I incrementally learn to navigate all its X's and accept that my being here is not a mistake. Here are a few of the more tangible havens in my life:
My apartment:
My north-facing studio at the School of Art:
Though it proves difficult to venture very far without a vehicle and on pathetically insufficient financial resources, wanderlust does not relent and one does what she can manage. A visit to nearby Hammonasset Beach State Park on the Long Island Sound:
A haven is generally synonymous with safety. A candlelight vigil on 9/11 reminded us to be grateful for ours.
A weekend visit to Block Island, Rhode Island was a good respite from New Haven:
Sunday in the City from the empire state building:
Snow helps me feel at home.
New Haven Lighthouse:
We took a much-needed trip to the White Mountains to climb Mt. Adams with Aragorn's dad, Jeff, in New Hampshire. Not the Rockies or the Alps, but a little topography undoubtedly also helps me feel at home.
We were fortunate enough to be able to visit Colorado (the ultimate haven!) for the week of Thanksgiving, where we had some quality mountain time and Victor was able to meet my family. For some reason, I am [foolishly] never inclined to take photos when I am home. Perhaps I don't feel the need because the familiar landscapes and people are etched so deeply in my mind and heart. Awwww... Needless to say, the following images of Colorado are all taken by the ridiculously talented Monsieur Nicolaï, photographe extraordinaire de la nature:
After Colorado, my sweet cheri français only had a few more days before returning to France. Though the decision to spend the semester together in a studio apartment in a very foreign place (for both of us!) after spending a mere two weeks in the other's company might have been a bit perilous, it was evident from the beginning that our judgment was sound and our three months were nothing short of blissful. My life in New Haven continues now that he is gone, but not without a great deficiency--he has been the co-protagonist of this chapter from the beginning.
It may seem like the past four months have all been spent gallivanting around the country, but these little voyages were really happening during the times in between intense and demanding periods of creating, producing, working, studying, intellectualizing, discussing... Here are a [very] few examples of my [abundant] work over the course of the semester:
Research--a trip to the MoMA in New York with friends/colleagues:
Shortly after my final review (which we will never speak of, ever), I took a quick jaunt up to Boston to see my dear friend Emma, my brother Lee, my cousin Matthew and Meghan, who is my dad's girlfriend's son's wife (huh?). Unfortunately, I am a first-class idiot who was so wrapped up in the wonderful company of all these lovely people that she failed to take more than two photos, neither of which contain said lovely people. I am still punishing myself for such bêtises...
I was unable to spend Christmas at home this year, but I certainly had the next best thing: Christmas in Vermont with the Spauldings, possibly the world's most welcoming, generous and just plain cool family (other than my own, of course). A haven of havens, indeed.
On Christmas eve Jeff, Aragorn and I climbed Mt. Abraham.
That night entailed a packed Christmas eve service in a barn, complete with a donkey, sheep and goat, and Christmas brought a snowy night hike up a nearby mountain by headlamp. The Spauldings' hospitality was such a wonderful gift.
So there you have it, my life until now on the East Coast and the various havens with which I am so undeservingly blessed. And not to forget Z--Zzzzz is for the haven of REST! So desperately needed after all of these crazy transitions and the first semester at Yale, and finally according me the time to update this blog! Happy New Year, everyone.
My apartment:
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| View from my window, photo courtesy of Victor |
My north-facing studio at the School of Art:
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| Photo courtesy of Victor |
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| Photo courtesy of Victor |
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| Photo courtesy of Victor |
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| Photo courtesy of Victor |
Though it proves difficult to venture very far without a vehicle and on pathetically insufficient financial resources, wanderlust does not relent and one does what she can manage. A visit to nearby Hammonasset Beach State Park on the Long Island Sound:
 |
| Photo courtesy of Victor |
A haven is generally synonymous with safety. A candlelight vigil on 9/11 reminded us to be grateful for ours.
A weekend visit to Block Island, Rhode Island was a good respite from New Haven:
Sunday in the City from the empire state building:
Snow helps me feel at home.
 |
| First snow in New Haven |
New Haven Lighthouse:
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| Photo courtesy of Victor |
We took a much-needed trip to the White Mountains to climb Mt. Adams with Aragorn's dad, Jeff, in New Hampshire. Not the Rockies or the Alps, but a little topography undoubtedly also helps me feel at home.
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| The hut didn't provide much reprieve from the penetrating cold... Photo courtesy of Victor |
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| Still too cold to venture out--sunrise through the hut window taken from inside my sleeping bag |
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| Photo courtesy of Victor, who was braver |
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| The ascent--photo courtesy of Victor |
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| Photo courtesy of Victor |
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| Photo courtesy of Victor |
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| It was beautiful... |
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| and cold... |
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| and windy. |
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| Jeff on the summit |
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| Photo courtesy of Victor |
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| Heading down |
We were fortunate enough to be able to visit Colorado (the ultimate haven!) for the week of Thanksgiving, where we had some quality mountain time and Victor was able to meet my family. For some reason, I am [foolishly] never inclined to take photos when I am home. Perhaps I don't feel the need because the familiar landscapes and people are etched so deeply in my mind and heart. Awwww... Needless to say, the following images of Colorado are all taken by the ridiculously talented Monsieur Nicolaï, photographe extraordinaire de la nature:
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| ...Eeeeeexcept this one which was taken by Gary |
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| Ha! I took this photo with Victor's camera! |
After Colorado, my sweet cheri français only had a few more days before returning to France. Though the decision to spend the semester together in a studio apartment in a very foreign place (for both of us!) after spending a mere two weeks in the other's company might have been a bit perilous, it was evident from the beginning that our judgment was sound and our three months were nothing short of blissful. My life in New Haven continues now that he is gone, but not without a great deficiency--he has been the co-protagonist of this chapter from the beginning.
It may seem like the past four months have all been spent gallivanting around the country, but these little voyages were really happening during the times in between intense and demanding periods of creating, producing, working, studying, intellectualizing, discussing... Here are a [very] few examples of my [abundant] work over the course of the semester:
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| Drawings |
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| Monoprints |
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| Cut paper and oil on linen (part 1 of an unfinished diptych) |
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| Detail |
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| Mixed media on linen |
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| Digital prints on chiffon |
Research--a trip to the MoMA in New York with friends/colleagues:
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| Mario investigates a sculpture by Huma Bhabha, one of our visiting critics |
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| Drea ponders the complexities of a multi-screen video installation |
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| Wayde appreciates the subtleties of a Ryman canvas |
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| Lee Bontecou sculpture |
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| Various installations, including one of the artists who has served as a real inspiration to me this semester, Eva Hesse (cylinders in background) |
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| Dynamic whites of MoMA |
Shortly after my final review (which we will never speak of, ever), I took a quick jaunt up to Boston to see my dear friend Emma, my brother Lee, my cousin Matthew and Meghan, who is my dad's girlfriend's son's wife (huh?). Unfortunately, I am a first-class idiot who was so wrapped up in the wonderful company of all these lovely people that she failed to take more than two photos, neither of which contain said lovely people. I am still punishing myself for such bêtises...
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| Boston at sunset |
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| The Institute of Contemporary Arts |
I was unable to spend Christmas at home this year, but I certainly had the next best thing: Christmas in Vermont with the Spauldings, possibly the world's most welcoming, generous and just plain cool family (other than my own, of course). A haven of havens, indeed.
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| Aragorn, pappy, Joan and Jeff |
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| Mmmm... Vermont maple syrup=liquid gold |
On Christmas eve Jeff, Aragorn and I climbed Mt. Abraham.
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| Summit |
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| The remains of a helicopter crash from the 1970s |
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| The descent isn't so bad in a couple feet of snow! |
That night entailed a packed Christmas eve service in a barn, complete with a donkey, sheep and goat, and Christmas brought a snowy night hike up a nearby mountain by headlamp. The Spauldings' hospitality was such a wonderful gift.
So there you have it, my life until now on the East Coast and the various havens with which I am so undeservingly blessed. And not to forget Z--Zzzzz is for the haven of REST! So desperately needed after all of these crazy transitions and the first semester at Yale, and finally according me the time to update this blog! Happy New Year, everyone.
