Laura Griffin Designs

I’m taking two design classes this semester at a local community college and am learning how to use both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. They are both truly amazing programs, and I’m finding you could sit & play for hours in front of the computer! Here’s one of my first vector images that I’ve created from scratch using Illustrator. I found a great online tutorial HERE to give me a guideline to follow and added my own twist to the design. TFL & Happy Valentine’s Day!

…I just completed my first soccer game (ever) and I love it!

Those who know me well were surprised when I told them I joined a league. I guess I have my spontaneous moments, and this was one of them.

I’ve certainly never been the most graceful on my feet, but I think it is important to consistently challenge yourself to try something new that is a little out of your comfort zone. The league is for folks over 30 (yes, that makes us officially old) but it keeps it fun & reasonably competitive between teams.

Although we didn’t win tonight…we had a great time, and got a serious work-out. I only hit the turf once (gotta figure out how to run sideways )*LOL*. The time flew by & I’m looking forward to two games next weekend.

Starting to understand why my European friends love this sport,

I visited the Arboretum for a couple of hours this morning with a friend, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many pumpkins in my entire life! They were lining every main walkway of the gardens…just thousands of them. One section even had a hut built entirely of pumpkins, gourds, & maize:

What is even better is that the pumpkins were for sale. Imagine being 6 years old, walking into a place like that, and being able to choose one special jack-o-lantern pumpkin from thousands! Too cool.

I went to the Nasher Sculpture Center this past Saturday with my friend Rhonda. It is one of the few museums in Dallas I’ve never been to, and it is full of Patsy & Raymond Nasher’s amazing private collection they began accumulating in the 60s. Most of the work is modern art, though they did have a few pieces from Rodin…including one of my favs “The Age of Bronze”. This was Rodin’s first great masterpiece, and at the time, he was even accused of making a mold of his model because it was so lifelike!

I’ll never forget the first time I stepped into the Rodin museum in Paris at 17 & saw Le Baiser. It literally took my breath away. It amazes me that he could take a medium like marble & create something so lifelike.

And a few more of my fav pieces from the day…

I loved the shape & curves of this giant eraser by Claes Oldenburg. The brush was made from thick metal tubing.

Not only were there sculptures in the museum, but they also had some paintings from the Nasher collection, including this Picasso. I’m normally not a huge Picasso fan, but I loved the brilliant colors used in this piece… [...]