Time Marches on and at a Good Clip!

It has been a while since I have updated here with any consistency. Honestly, I think I have been a bit depressed. I miss England and it was really hard to leave. I loved living in Kingston with all the beautiful places within walking distance and historic buildings to adventure off to and explore. The atmosphere of England resonates with me and it always feels like home when I am there. I cannot explain it but Europe calls to me. It has been a really hard transition, that I am not completely sure is complete. In many ways it didn't make sense to try and stay in England but believe me I tried, I looked for work and a way to stay but nothing came together. It suppose it was inevitable that I come back to the states. I am fine just searching for a place to land that brings me joy!

Fall semester at UW Madison is a wrap and it was great! The students were terrific, and the classes I taught were fun, although there are always a few challenges. The Colour Theory & Technology course was a learn as you go class. I had never really approached colour through the lens of light as the colour source. I understood different colour mixing using RGB and CMYK for printing and electronics but it was minimal. As an artist, colour has always been explored through pigments and the Red, Blue, Yellow spectrum. The course included both but the technology end was totally new for me, but very interesting, and I learned so much. I teach the course again this semester so it should go better and be more organized and concise.

The symposium class required that I find and invite industry professionals to speak to the class. I met so many wonderful local professionals! It was awesome that they were so willing to come share their design journeys with the students. Considering I did not know anyone it was a series of tender mercies that it all came together.

In our Design I class the students did a remodel of a historic Victorian home. It was fun to incorporate some of my historic building knowledge and approaches. The students all designed wallpaper to use in their projects! They did such a great job. At the end of the semester work was displayed one evening for students to share their projects with family and friend. Here is the display of their wallpapers.

UW Madison is a great school and the people I work with are wonderful but it looks like I will not be staying here. The position I accepted was a 9 month contract so after Spring semester I will be on another adventure. I am not sure what that adventure will look like or where it will take me but I am open to options! ​The ward here is small and very diverse with some wonderful people who keep telling me I need to stay, but a good reason to stay is not apparent. Madison is also a very expensive place to live and it would be almost impossible for me to buy a home. I am not sure if it is me missing England or something else but I am not feeling that Madison is where I should stay. Without a car I really have not ventured out much but honestly I have not found anything that piques my interest. Although, I am doing research on some historic homes in Madison for a personal project, so over the next few months I will venture out to visit the properties. I did make a visit to the Wisconsin Historical Society and may do a little volunteering there over the next few months. Some images of the building are below.

Perhaps that Gypsy Heart of mine is still very active....

Madison does have some beautiful sunrises and sunsets. The views here are typically what I see at the bus stop in the morning. Brilliant welcome to the mornings! Campus is a place I spend a lot of time, but have yet to explore very far, so the other images are parts of campus I have seen.

​Cheers!