A day in the [Thesis] Life...

Routines are contsantly changing - with new jobs, new apartments, new classes... I happen to have a great routine right now - the thesis routine. Many people who haven't done a studio based thesis in fine arts or don't know someone who has are a little perplexed as to how someone would do a painting thesis because usually the word thesis conjures up 'thesis paper'. But a fine arts studio thesis is pretty much the greatest thing ever. You get a studio on campus where you are expected to create a body of work (as if you're making enough work to have your own solo show) over an 8 month period. We are expected to work in our studio as if its our full time job - a luxury we are told we will probably never have again because once we are birthed out of our BFA Honours we will be juggling our studio time with all that comes with 'real life' and then comes grad school applications and on and on we go... But right now I am enjoying thesis year for what it is - between the part time job, student council, curating ednas, knit night and volunteer work, I've made room for my studio as my main focus 5 days a week. So to give you an overview of my regular wonderful thesis day I have compiled photos I've taken day to day of my thesis adventures thus far...

Wake up - at varying times - sometimes if I'm feeling gung ho it'll be 7:30am and other days it'll be 10 - make coffee - check emails - make breakfast that can be packaged up for lunch

In this case Darrin and I had breakfast together (sesame scrambled tofu with yams and kale and tofu bacon) - play with Frankie and Toulouse while checking my email

get to school and go over my to do list (often running around for student council, the ednas gallery, supplies to pick up, emails to send etc etc.)

make more coffee with Ryan's percolator in the communal kitchen

Lauren and I then check out our work from the previous day and talk about what we will do to our paintings that day (Lauren usually sticks to her guns and I usually do the complete opposite to what I say I will do)

(Lauren all proud with her easel)

(Lauren's incredibly organized work space)

(and her extinct animal series)

(thesis studios in the barn)

(my paintings within the first two weeks of school)

(my paintings as of today)

I'm working on a series of paintings that work as one continuous piece that deal with human fertility and animal consumption and draw comparisons between the two. By the end of the year my thesis space will be transformed into a dining room so stay tuned for ceramic adventures when the snow hits!

I spend the day jumping back and forth between painting and finding new source images online. Having working internet is essential to my practice. The above photo is my inspiration wall - photos of things that feed my work for the entire year.

Whatever I have going on at night/if I'm on a roll dictates if I will stay late or leave at a decent time but when I come the kittens are waiting for me :) I have a sweet tooth so I'll often bake something I can snack on, feed to Darrin and Kate or have the next day. These are 'coffee chip muffins' from my new Vegan Brunch cookbook.

And that's day in my wonderful thesis life!