Waiting

Freshmen in VCUarts take a standard fundamentals curriculum. Now that Lauren's first year is winding up, she must be accepted into the photography program to continue in her major. She submitted her portfolio a few days ago, and will have her answer before Easter.

I was surprised when Lauren first explained this to me. Just getting into the art school was so competitive that I thought she was "in" for good. She says that moving into her major is definitely NOT guaranteed--I think she said the acceptance rate is 50%!

The portfolio submissions, for the most part, document projects from her freshmen classes. The criteria of how and what to submit are very detailed (what size file, thickness of cardboard, number of items required/allowed, etc.); in fact, Lauren had to attend a workshop full of instructions regarding just these logistics.

My favorite art student was only allowed to submit a few non-class items. One she included is a photo of leaves and algae under ice in a puddle. I love this picture! It's so close-up that it looks like an abstract. The textures--thin ice, tiny bubbles, furry algae--and colors--bright green, orange, brown, silvery grey--are gorgeous. What do you think? (If you click on the picture, you should be able to see a larger image.)Meanwhile, it's a waiting game. Prayers are welcome!


Updated to add:
Here's a self-portrait Lauren had to draw for class. It's charcoal on Lenox. Nice, eh?