The cat seems quite interested in this research project, she’s been sitting by my computer intently watching for the last little bit and her interest in moving is seriously debatable. By the volume of purring, I’d say she feels like I’m making some quality progress. Either that, or she’s a fan of this Jason Aldean Pandora station.
I wish I had a study buddy like this during finals week! Having a silly orange fluffball proofreader would’ve made writing that Greek art paper so much better.
There’s cat hair in my keyboard. And probably my coffee too.
Themselves: Lee and Jackson.
Lillian Olinsey quoted in Levin, Lee Krasner.
Lee- inspirational woman.
Assistant researcher.
Homework: Research Goals
Today:
- Take notes from my now very marked up copy of Gail Levin’s biography on Lee Krasner
- Begin scouting for sources from her bibliography to investigate
- Look at draft of timeline for LK’s life, make sure all important points are on it
- Start skimming two artist interview books
Tomorrow:
- Start organizing notes this far into categories to make it easier to plug into outline later
- possibly start thinking of how outline will look?
- Skim new sources
Saturday: Odds and Ends-
- Review project proposal and timeline; write out what my new research goals are, and continue trying to articulate what the exact direction of this project is
- See if I can’t find any Krasner/relevant New York School works on Google Art Project
- Practice transcription from primary sources; search for more LK handwriting samples
- look at catalogue raisonne to get acquainted with her paintings, consider dates.
- finally read Action/Abstraction catalogue.
- watch all the video interviews I’ve found with LK
- prep for Monday’s check-in meeting with Dr. DeLancey
Soon:
- Familiarize myself with Helen Harrison’s work, since I’ll be working with her in June when I visit Lee Krasner’s house/studio
- continue bibliographic work
- See what pieces of LK are in the New York museums
- Hit up JSTOR, holla!
When Research Gets Awkward
That awkward moment when you find a book on Mobius called Lee and Elaine, and since you are researching Lee Krasner’s art and are interested in her professional relationships, you order it, and get super pumped when it shows up…and then realize it’s a novel wherein the ghosts of the two artists return as lesbian lovers to haunt East Hampton.
What.
Location is Everything!
So I have a week before I return to my little college town to do this project (the University is sponsoring me, and my university library is better for this kind of thing than any library local to my hometown). In this week I need to read Gail Levin’s biography of Lee Krasner (I’m on 124 of 467 pages), draft a simple timeline of Krasner’s life, and begin pouring over the bibliographies of a few select sources to find some initial research points. But mostly I need to read this book. At school, there are a good number of places to settle in and study, but when I’m at home it’s harder to really get into focus. Thus, this week so far has been all about finding where I work best. So far:
- The left side of my couch if I’m at home (I’m like Sheldon when it comes to my couch)
- my little local library- although I haven’t settled on a good spot yet! (Yep. Sheldon.)
- the seminary is an old go-to place, but I have to be in the mood to get up early and drive out there
- and today’s discovery: Barnes and Noble! I used to study here for finals in high school, and there is something about the smell of new books to get my research brain going. I am devouring this book like this ginormous mocha coconut frappucino! (The obvious perk B&N has above the rest is that the other options don’t come with Starbucks access.)
It smells like new books and freshly baked cookies in here. As far as locations go, this was a good choice. Time to hit the books! Well… the book…
Relatable
So I’m beginning to work on my summer research, a more-than-slightly-large undertaking that is thrilling me and secretly freaking me out slightly. By now, if you know me or have read Stream of Consciousess somewhat regularly, you are familiar with my love/hate relationship with research. I love to write and love to work, but the process is never without those moments. Also if you know me or are a regular reader, you probably know that I have embarked on a new annual tradition, which is working my way through all 6 seasons of the Hills, chronologically, to restore my burnt-out brain to it’s normal state at the end of the school year. Slightly behind schedule this year (I’ve been home from school for a week), I just started season 5 today.
As far as celebrity teams go, I’m on team Lauren. I haven’t skimmed LC’s website in while, but today, I found these pictures she posted a while back, while working on her latest book. The one with three computers cracks me up- that is definitely how I feel when I write (just substitute notebooks for the extra computers. I’m a paper thinker). For all the celebrity, it’s nice to see that in a lot of ways, Lauren is just a girl. I like that in this way, we are similar: she’s a writer, I’m a writer. I can’t think of a better working girl friend to have a late night writing party with. (Except probably StarryKnight.) (source)
Out of Order
Biggest surprise: on the first day of my summer long research project, I began to figure out a title for the end-result paper. What?
In some ways, I write backwards from most people: I write the body first, the conclusion and intro, and then I usually wind up randomly assigning a title in the same edit-session which ends with the final printing (read: anytime between 2 and 8 am the morning the paper is due).
So to have an idea for the title before I’ve even started researching is all sorts of topsy turvy, but hopefully this is some implication of the project’s success!
(Source: letterstodeadpeople)
Abbey Library St. Gallen, Switzerland
(submitted by technicoloring)
This is what you might call a dreamy library! I would LOVE to do research here!
If you’re into art, watch this amazing music video. I can’t stop watching it.
This is great.
If you haven’t seen this…
![artistandstudio:
William Merritt Chase - The Tenth Street Studio [1880]
“Chase (American, 1849–1916), who is almost lost in the shadows at the right, portrays himself holding his palette as if pausing from work, but he leaves it to the viewer to deduce whether the young woman with whom he chats is a model, a patron, or a friend. Her listlessness and immersion in an aesthetic interior make her seem like a precious object, a simile embraced by many artists and collectors of the period. Her association with art reflects women’s roles as consumers and keepers of culture and arbiters of taste.” [Gandalf’s Gallery]
This is in the Saint Louis Art Museum! I love it.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2gzy1UsrO1r1bfd7o1_1280.jpg)
William Merritt Chase - The Tenth Street Studio [1880]
“Chase (American, 1849–1916), who is almost lost in the shadows at the right, portrays himself holding his palette as if pausing from work, but he leaves it to the viewer to deduce whether the young woman with whom he chats is a model, a patron, or a friend. Her listlessness and immersion in an aesthetic interior make her seem like a precious object, a simile embraced by many artists and collectors of the period. Her association with art reflects women’s roles as consumers and keepers of culture and arbiters of taste.” [Gandalf’s Gallery]
This is in the Saint Louis Art Museum! I love it.
(via cavetocanvas)
