I held you tightly so you covered my eyes
Blindside me from the sight of your voice
Lips moving softly as I tremble at their sound
I wanted you
Wrapped your head in my arms held it to my stomach
Cried while watching you smile-
We are posed
Here standing in levels
But I am still underneath you
Pulsing to the breath of your touch
Loudly to the sound of your name
So there is no snow in Ann Arbor yet, even though I think this time last year we already had some on the ground. Well, to get into December spirit I pulled some of the photos from last winter in AA but also some old ones from different occasions, because I actually love snow and hope to summon some through this post 🙂
I’ve been taking lots of photographs of empty hallways lately. With the incoming cold of winter and late night study days, an empty hall is all I can think of. A sense of liminality, a familiarity of a class building but sharp feeling of emptiness accompanying it. I feel like I’m in a liminal state in life, in search of a proper career in college, in the final moments of a difficult semester. I’m in a long, empty hallway, lit coldly and seemingly never-ending. I could keep walking, or I could stand still. I’m really fascinated by this idea of liminality; there’s this horror concept online called The Backrooms that has taken people by storm lately. It’s similar to my paintings of empty hallways – the idea of the Backrooms is a never-ending, familiar yet unfamiliar space. It’s lit with a yellowish light, there are no windows, you become lost within an instant. It’s scary to so many, simply because it draws upon our notions of architectural familiarity. Something as simple as a hallway can become scary, unknown, and we can be forced to reflect on our humanity when seemingly nobody else is present. Maybe that’s why I’m so captivated by the empty halls. I feel like I’ve been needing to do a lot of self-reflection, and there’s a scary comfort in exploring spaces like this. Hope you are all navigating finals okay, and have a great week!
Good morning everyone! I hope that you are all doing well. I have had a rough couple of weeks but am trying to keep my head up high and finish off this semester strong. Today, I wanted to share with you all a really wonderful British television series that I happened upon a couple years back.
It is called Portrait Artist of the Year and each episode features a regional competition in which hobbyist and professional artist contestants are challenged to produce a portrait of one of three famous sitters, and the judges then select who moves onto the semi-final. The top-three finalists will have their work displayed in one of the UK’s world-famous cultural institutions. The winner of the show will receive a £10,000 commission to produce an artwork that will become a permanent part of the British Library. Famous sitters for the show have previously include Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, and Asa Butterfield, to name a few.
It is a beautifully lighthearted show that highlights incredible artists and their unique means of capturing life in their art. I implore anyone who has some time to check it out. Here is a link to a playlist of the first three seasons! Enjoy!
I know it was a short one this week but I really wanted to share a different form of art with you all! Please let me know if there is anything you all would like to see from me. If any questions or thoughts arise, please comment or reach out to me at my socials!
Until next week,
Riya
Instagram: @riya_aggarwal.art
Portfolio: https://theindianartist.weebly.com/
Hey guys,
Having grown up here in Michigan I always look forward to the many seasons that we are lucky enough to get to experience. My least favorite is winter. This winter has been especially not as fun because there isn’t even any snow! There have been a few times it has snowed but nothing has stuck to the ground. I used to spend Thanksgiving up north with my great-grandma in Traverse City. On Thanksgiving morning there was always tons of snow! I made this piece this week because I feel like everyone is feeling this type of gray right now. Freezing cold air and no snow is making winter very grey!
See you next week!
Marissa 
