Monday, July 20, 2009

Eddie's Two Weeks at Art Camp






The past two weeks Eddie was at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD)'s art summer program for teens called Summer Expressions Sessions (SES)
It's hard to go back and describe everything he did at SES- he was so busy there was just no time to blog during it.
He loved the dorm we stayed in- he often sat on the windowsill and looked out at the pretty campus. There was sometimes a kitty named Yo Yo Meow roaming about, but he kept a safe distance! On one of our first days there, all of the art students went bowling to get to know each other- with Eddie in tow of course! He met everyone, and asked one person to draw him. The next thing he knew everyone else wanted to draw him too- he's a very good model, he can sit so still! He was a little shy being drawn all evening, but loved the end results- himself artistically rendered in many styles-- and will take them home with him to remember all the young artists he made friends with!
He also hit it off with the painting teacher (he and I didn't get along so well because he was very tough) but him and Eddie had a connection because they are both British. Eddie liked having someone to talk to about home for a bit, which was nice. During the painting classes where we painted still lifes he hung out in the red-themed still life, trying to blend in... what a tricky little guy!
He also had fun checking out The Art Cellar, the on-campus art supply store. There was a brand of brushes called Eggberts, which amused him to no end!
Most of the two weeks was spent busy in my studio, but Eddie really enjoyed keeping me company there- it was very cozy- and advising my art. He had such a good time and made so many new friends he was sad to go home. But now that he's back he's forgotten all about missing MCAD, because he is already eager for a new adventure! I'm exhausted from the last two weeks, but not Eddie.. he's like the energizer bunny!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Waterfail, Carnival, 4th of July


On Friday we were going to go to Minnehaha falls, which is supposed to be very pretty, to hike and have a picnic. Alas, the exit we were supposed to take was down and we got lost. We did however find a different hiking trail in the middle of the city to explore. Eddie did get to see a waterfall afterall, albeit a lame urban one. But there were these concrete blocks by it painted like alphabet blocks that he thought were funny, because he imagined a giant baby playing with them! And he got to see the Mississippi River, which is an important landmark!

We then went to a carnival in Chanhassen that was a big 4th of July weekend celebration. We looked around at all the rides and stands, but we were really there for the dancing! Eddie had a lot of fun because he got to hear a huge variety of famous American songs, and danced like crazy to them. There was a big tent just for the band and people dancing and it was a lot of fun. Eddie wanted to crowdsurf, but I was worried he'd get lost in the huge mob, so I told him no. But he soon forgot that he was disappointed because how can you be when you're dancing?

The next day we went to the Excelsior Commons for the big 4th of July celebration. There were a ton of food stands and he tried some Mexican corn and kettle corn (he liked the kettle corn the best, the Mexican was too spicy for him, you should have seen how big his eyes got when he bit into it!!) An orchestra played a lot of songs, and then at ten there were fireworks! Eddie loved them, especially one shaped like a happy face.
And to top off the busy-adventures, today we arrived at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design for my summer camp here! We just got settled in today, and he's so excited to learn about painting!

Note: I will try again to add pictures another day, they were not uploading for some reason =[

Friday, July 3, 2009

Mall of America







Yesterday Eddie finally got to see one of the things Minnesota is most famous for- America's biggest mall! Three stories, tons of stores, one very eager eggbert. As you can imagine, he wanted to see EVERYTHING. But that was impossible in just one day of course, and I assured him he'd see more than enough. When we were exhausted and it was time to leave he certainly didn't feel like he hadn't seen enough stores!

First, we checked out the Lego area. He was amazed at all the huge Lego statues and told me it would be really cool to make those for a living. He then tried to make an eggbert out of Legos and quickly got frustrated and abandoned it. So much for the dream job! =]

Next we were hungry, so we got a crepe dish in the food court, which was delicious! All fueled up, we were ready to shop!
We checked out stores like Urban Outfitters and American Apparel. We ran into the big shark mascot for the MOA's aquarium, and Eddie just had to get a picture with him!
We shopped til we dropped, and we found a Minnesota store where Eddie scored some cool souvenirs for his mom!