Subject: 2010-11 Trustee Scholars

Howdy out there in Interweb land!

I have some very exciting/epic/amazing/best news EVER to share with you guys today!

So go on, read!

The Trustee Scholars Program recognizes and rewards what is truly honored, valued and admired at Ringling School. Selection as a Trustee Scholar is the highest honor awarded at the Ringling School of Art and Design.
The award recognizes:

• Creative Talent
• Communication and Thinking Skills
• Contributions to the Department, School and/or Community (i.e. on-campus
leadership; good citizenship; participation in social organizations; ability to be
a department or student life mentor)

From the R.C.A.D. President;

It is with great pleasure and pride that I announce to you our 2010-2011 Trustee Scholars! Please join me in congratulating the award recipients listed below who were selected by our Board of Trustees in recognition of their exceptional talent and distinction of mind, their contributions to their disciplines during the sophomore and junior years and their leadership and citizenship.

Avner Geller, Computer Animation

Jason Letkiewicz, Digital Filmmaking

Jen Nugent, Fine Arts

Jeremy Griffith, Game Art & Design

Ben Clark, Graphic & Interactive Communication

Laura Spencer, Illustration

Sonika Fourie, Interior Design

Jay Van Dam, Photography and Digital Imaging

Ana Carmichael, Student Life

Congratulations to each and every recipient! I feel honored to be one amongst you!

An overview of the award:

The Trustee Scholars Program recognizes and rewards what is truly honored, valued and admired at Ringling School. Selection as a Trustee Scholar is the highest honor awarded at the Ringling School of Art and Design.
The award recognizes:

• Creative Talent
• Communication and Thinking Skills
• Contributions to the Department, School and/or Community (i.e. on-campus
leadership; good citizenship; participation in social organizations; ability to be
a department or student life mentor)

And there you have it!

Just goes to show you guys that a bit of hardwork, passion and dedication can really pay off!

I am so incredibly honored and greatful!

Until Next Time,

-Laura

I'MA BE FAMOUS

Laura Spencer - Illest of Ill 2009 (1) from icouldbeastarnow on Vimeo.

Laura Spencer - Illest of Ill 2009 (2) from icouldbeastarnow on Vimeo.

Hey all,

some time lapse videos for you guys. This was filmed last year for the Illest of Ill, but didn't make it t the show. My sister was awesome enough to take the footage I shot and make this potentness.

Two versions, one is the full uncut footage, the second all tricked out

Check them out, ENJOY

-Laura

Everything is winding down

Its hard to believe I've been in Belgium this long. Its spring time, the weather is great. Everyone is out in the streets, smoking cigarettes, drinking beer and looking cool on cafe terraces.

3 more weeks and I'll be home.. anxious yet bummed that I have to leave so soon.

In this 3 weeks there will be:

• epic blog updates
• Portugal, the country.
• quick errand in Amsterdam
• James Ensor
• fresh INK
• eating, breathing, sleeping Tarot Cards (26 more to go)
• making a booklet sample for said cards
• beer to bring home, as well as chocolate and other goodies
• Anthropology
• feeling every last moment

but for now,

(since you all miss me so much)

3 self portraits to tide you over for the next 3 weeks,

Do work, son

-Laura

art machine

Howdy Folks,

Drawings for you; landscape and figure.

A rather shameful fact; I haven't seriously painted in about 4 months. I did a small landscape the other day and I gotta say paintings getting a little bit rusty.

On the flip side, however, I'm completely obsessed with drawing, concentrating on line quality, sensitivity, and experimentation. I'm anxious to merge this new found drawing style with paintings...

interesting things lie ahead, so keep your peepers peeled

-L

New Cards

New cards designs.

This is the Suit of Skills (Wands; Clubs) representing the element of Fire, its all about creativity, passion, craftsmanship, etc. A true "artists" suit, if you will. So I decided on antlers, horns and bones to convey this idea of passion, vitality, woodsiness.

I also changed the font to a crisp, clear Helvetica (its funny cause I wrote that in Arial) derivative, and adjusted the backgrounds to give the image better clarity and readability. More sophisticated, clean design is what I am aiming for, paired with vintage and a surrealism.

So, enjoy! I have an insane mountain of work to do, so maybe I'll make more frequent updates, being that I'll be staring at a computer screen for the next month, solid. Only 51 more cards to go... and a booklet with 81 small illustrations, and correlating text...

But I think Ringling's boot camp-like approach to Illustration has given me a strong work ethic that can save me in the trenches every time. And besides, AMERICA ALWAYS WINS. I gotta follow through, it is, but my destiny...

[Comments are always encouraged]

Till next time,

L

Livin' it up!

Figure

Graphite and Colored Pencil

Figure Modeling w/ Eva Cardon

Verbonstraat (in progress)

Graphite

Ob. Draw w/ Sebastiaan Vandoninck

Wasserij

Marker

Ob. Draw w/ Sebastiaan Vandoninck

Antwerp in the evening

Ink and Tea

Ob. Draw w/ Sebastiaan V.

my midterm presentation

(L-R: artist statement and calendar packets, prototype tarot cards [heavy cardstock, full color, repro size], Laptop w/ slideshow of inspiration and references, notes, samples of my figure and observational drawings, sketchbooks, deck of cards [Phantasmagoric Tarot] as example)

I even dressed all lady like and professional, hard to believe I know..

Midterm Evaluation group discussion (translated to me by the lovely Mauranne [left]) with guest artist/evaluators, Serge Baeken and Josy Heirwegh

Each student had roughly 10 minutes to clearly express and pitch, so to speak, our progress on our Evolutie project. All of my teachers were present as well to give me feedback not only on my cards but my drawings and sketchbooks. It was a really great opportunity for practicing some professional skills, and really makes one think about what is being conveyed through the work, and how to verbalize intentions.

Yeah, I'm a terrible person, I never post.

Here are some drawings, etc. as of late.

I've been doing lots of work, and have lots to show off,

So much is going on and happening and changing, I will make one enormously large post filling you guys in

that or just look forward to my memoir, hah

anyways, new shit, I swear I'll post more

so stay tuned