Canceled show

The show was supposed to be yesterday but it got canceled due to all the crazy weather. The storms iced up all the roads and so it is really hard for anyone to get anywhere this weekend. So pretty bummed about that but nothing I can do.

So anyways, I found a really cool digital artist a couple of weeks ago from Istanbul named Erdal Inci. I linked one of his projects that I really loved on his Behance profile. It's so cool you have to check him out yourself. He does a lot of complicated gifs and detailed light paintings. 

I took a photography class over the summer and we did some light writing stuff but it's nothing that compares to the work that this guy does. 

See for yourself:

and more!!

First show--hung

Yay!! Today was the day we had our last group critique, where I heard a lot of positive feedback about my work and we had the chance to hang our pieces. I haven't had any experience hanging or matting things before but thankful I didn't have to do that yet because I decided a long time ago that I wanted to leave my pieces unframed. I was originally going to use magnets to hold up my pieces but ended up resorting to binder clips and adjustable hooks. I also got to visit the exhibition space for the first time and it was really beautiful. It was quite a big space, from what I know, but we still had to do some shuffling to get everyone where they needed to be.
There is a prediction that this weekend will bring bad weather and I am not that excited about it because I want to go ahead and get this off my to do list but I am also really excited. I hope that the people that end up coming will really find my topic interesting. Some of the people that I interviewed I actually go to school with and so if everyone that is in the area can come I will have four of the six people there that I am making my work about. That is something really special for me.

Finished series

Well, I did it! I finally got my butt into the studio and I finished my series! I don't know how I did it but I ended up with a lot of pieces that I am really proud of. I really need to take pictures of them so that I compare the differences on here but I will have to track down a camera first. I made two completely new pieces that I didn't even make studies for but I love them.
One piece is the ghost print of a lotus flower. For that piece I crafted a new technique that I hadn't used or learned from anyone else before for blending colors for a monotype. I first did a base coat color on the plexiglass and then painted on with a paintbrush several darker shades of pink and then I rolled over the colors to even them all out and blend them together with the 2 inch roller.
I can't wait to post pictures! I am really happy I decided to pull a ghost print from it. :)

Pictures to come soon!

turkey break

So since I have been slacking on my work getting zero work done from my last post to now, I will have to stay on campus over my Thanksgiving break instead of going home. So yay for that! I don't really mind though. There is nothing more that I love than to be jamming out in the studio with my music and all of the inks, press, and paper to myself. I finished two more pieces, both of which are beautiful and clean, unlike the first one. Since I did that one in such a rush and used gloss medium instead of ink I ended up with a very different texture in my print that I was willing to roll with but didn't necessarily want. Anyways, can't decide if I want to redo that print yet. I think I will wait until I am done with all the others.
I was right about the paper making a huge difference though. In some of my pieces I use white ink for some parts of it and so it only shows up when you are facing it at a certain angle. The rives absorbed the white ink so well that I didn't have to think about staining the paper anything to make it pop.
 I have 3 more prints to go though! I should have them all done by Sunday if all my out-of-town plans go smoothly.

Visiting Artist Critique 2

So we had a surprise critique this week. It was a surprise because the visiting artist was suppose to be critiquing the painting class and not ours but it all turned out okay. By the time that he came to visit, I had finished one larger piece (22x30) and another study.
I definitely got some much better criticism from this artist (I felt like) because he actually took the time to listen to the detail of my work and read the titles. The suggestion that he made was to play with the scale of my images so that I could define the people in the pieces as more unique by how I scaled them.
I didn't take his advice and change anything big, but I have had a really strong feeling that this work is something I want to continue later on so I think that that is a suggestion I will use later in my work.
Because I didn't get my sixth study done I admit that I am dragging my feet a little on getting my series finished. I was hoping to get all six done before scaling up but now I'm not even sure I will have time for that. We have approximately two weeks to go and I have five more pieces to finish!! What am I doing to myself??

A few steps forward a one back is still progress....

Here are some pictures to share of some of the progress I have made on my drafts.
I will warn you that they do not look impressive and a lot of the detail doesn't show up well because of the quality of the paper but I anticipate them to all turn out beautifully in the end ;)

I plan on making six pieces so I have two to go but I am really struggling with those pieces because I am having a hard time deciding what imagery to use.

Visiting Artist Critique

So I got to experience my first artist critique with a complete stranger yesterday and it was not my favorite. If you are in any way familiar with the series that I have been blogging about so much then hopefully you would know some general idea of what I am doing and how important both aspects of the title and the piece are!
We were told to not be defensive and work on our listening skills and that is exactly what I did but I was a bit upset and annoyed that the person didn't really take the time to actually read any of the titles, he just skimmed over a few of them and made a bunch of suggestions that I didn't feel like fit what I was trying to do. It was a bit of a wasted critique I think because since he didn't bother to take the time to read the titles he didn't understand and so none of his comments were really on the mark or things that I wanted to change. His impression was that I am trying to create some experience for people through their senses but really, I am trying to educate viewers. I don't know, maybe it was the time constraint or the maybe I didn't articulate myself as well as I could have (but I am usually really good at doing so) that he didn't get it. But yeah. If I have another critique again I hope it goes a lot better than it did yesterday......

Phone vs. Email Interview and more

It has taken me a while to complete all my interviews but I finally got them finished and most of the titles are finished too! I did have some issues with one person's stuff though because I guess I didn't make it clear to them what kind of information I wanted so we tried an email interview first and the way they responded was completely different than how I knew they would on the phone so I wasn't that excited about using that information. However, I struggled to find a way to talk to them about it so I wouldn't offend them. I had to talk to my professor about it before I did so. I don't really want to offend someone who is already doing me a favor you know?
Turns out thought that it was a relief for both of us to be able to talk it out and I think she was much more excited about being in my art show after she understood what I was doing. So that was a win-win.

Here is a title that I have finished:

I feel like if I can get through that then there aren’t many things I can’t get through so I might as well keep trying…adversity elicits strength…I don’t give up or quit trying even after I lose…I am more tolerant… more perseverant…more observant…more stubborn…I don’t like one uppers who think life is a contest… There have been some really degrading things and I feel like I’ve done enough to compensate for that and I am content with myself, mostly…I am more proud of myself…Now any disapproval of me is from me.

What do you think? 

Dream Job Perhaps?

I was exposed to Claire Morgan's impressive artwork this week and I loved it! I also enjoy it when I find an artist that is as passionate about her process as well as her concept. It fascinates me to think about how she was able to transform her drawings and drafts into these 3D sculptures that obviously take a lot of time and patience. When I did a similar hanging project with some paper mache can that I had made, I had a really hard time hanging that piece on my own and if you looked closely, the mechanics of it did not look that great. Those cans were the size of my first however and I couldn't imagine making a sculpture out of pieces that could be as tiny as fruit flies. Whaaat?? That's crazy.
Claire Morgan, if you ever need an intern to help you out with your artwork, just let me know and I'll fly out to Europe to give you a hand and learn from you.

Allusions/Illusions

It's crazy to see how the mind can be tricked to see things that don't exist. I think the majority of the world's population loves to see artwork that deals with illusions and transforming space that are simple yet ingenious. I really enjoy art that speaks to the people so that ones who may not be exposed to art as much will still be able to digest it and get something out of the experience or exposure to it. I guess relevance is the key?

This is the work of Regina Silveira who is an artist from Brazil.

Here are three pieces that I found out about this week in class that I really like.

This last piece reminds me of a tunnel or a doorway that leads to endless possibilities. It is a surprisingly soothing piece.

Plant symbolism research

Leading up to today I have been working on researching different types of plants that I could potentially use for my series this semester. I have been trying to find plants that fit the personality of the people that I have been interviewing so that I can begin making small drafts of what I want each piece to look like. 

Some of the categories I have sorted some plants into are Love, Happiness, Healing, Protection, Purification, Wisdom, Endurance, Strength, Growth, Prosperity, Peace, Comfort, Hope, Hidden Worth.

Some of the plants fit into more than one category so I think that will help my concept so I won't have too much clutter but enough content. I am also thinking about using different perspectives of each item so that the viewpoint is not always the same. 

In addition to researching plants I have also been doing some color research to find some refreshing colors that are peaceful and energetic, and may symbolize growth. 

So much stuff to read!! More later....

Interviewing progress

I have begun my first few interviews already for my series and so far they are going pretty well. My typing skills however are not as up to par as I have hoped and I worry a bit that I may miss or have missed something when people are still talking. I think if I ever did this again then I would want to bring a recorder or something.

I do love the interaction that I get with the people I am interviewing though. Because I know most of them so well, sometime I can kind of anticipate what they might say in response to one question...there is always some nugget of info that surprises me still. I love people and I especially love the ones that I get to hear from because while it may be something I know a little bit about from their past, it's completely different to to hear them tell their own story and explain their own character to me. I think I definitely made a right decision in adding this process to my artwork because I know it helps keep me on the right track of telling their story from their point of view. I would never want to make a piece based on what I think I know about them without having a conversation with them first. If that makes any sense....

I am really loving the work I am doing now and I wouldn't mind continuing this series in the future to be honest. I am just worried because other people in the class have already started turning out drafts of their work and I still have nothing but these interviews and I don't even have all of them yet....

Tribute

To James Turrell. What a bad ass!

Had to read an article about him last week in class and it was really inspiring to find an artist so dedicated to his artwork. I find it fascinating how he is so meticulous with all the details. As someone who also has a meticulous personality when it comes to their artwork, I feel like I can really relate to that.
While I haven't gone to the same lengths of research or put in the same hours, I hope to find something that I feel really compelled to spend so much time with. Also, now after learning even more about him it is now on my bucket list to visit the Roden Crater sometime before I die. haha Or just a entire show of his, but we will see what will come first!

Advanced Concepts

This semester I will be completing a series that addresses the issue of abuse from a different perspective. I won't be depicting any form of abuse at all but rather showing the strengths and admirable qualities about the victim. Often times, people see abuse victims as victims to be pitied instead of strong survivors. I have several people I am close to who are some of the strongest, mature people I know. It is for these people that I am making my series.

I am going to use plant imagery in my series to help illustrate the strength and growth of the people I know. I plan on interviewing them and choosing a quote from their interview to inspire individual pieces. These quotes will be used as the title for the piece because without it, a viewer wouldn't necessarily know what my series is about.

An artist that helps inspire my image is Danielle Rante. In this picture, she is working with cyanotypes and plants. I like all the details that she includes in her images that are delicate and purposeful.

It is hard  to understand
the people that make art without meaning
that put paint on brushes and smear it without thought
or pen to paper and create random strokes
to me,
art is nothing without meaning
has no connection to the world without a connection to the creator of it
has no mental value without passion behind the piece
for what holds it together?
if random actions are all that it takes for someone to be considered an artist
then I don't want to be called one
I want that title to reflect craft and hard work and ingenuity
just like any great architect or designer
that is how I want to be known.

Lee Jeffries

Stumbled upon the photographer Lee Jeffries on my search for a them for my relief project and I am so impressed I had to take the time to stop and blog about it.

Lee Jeffries

I love how he's doing an old thing in a new way and I love the expressiveness behind the one picture of the person. It's mysterious and revealing all at the same time? I don't know, but I really enjoy looking and thinking about it. hope he comes somewhere near to me in a show so I can check it all out in person!

Reflections

So I've been thinking a lot about how I view art and what I think art is and I'm not really sure if I have an answer for the general world to agree upon but I think I am starting to understand how I view things on my own. At the very beginning of fall semester when we first had to start writing these blogs I wrote that I hoped to figure out the things that I personally consider art, or my own style and I think I now have a piece of that puzzle. Things that I consider true art, or things that really impress me the most are the innovative and repurposing of old ideas or objects. They are the ones that get me to think oh hey, now that's cool! They make me wonder how the artist even thought of that idea. Or like Rob Doisneau how he happened to be in those exact places in that certain time.  I find that I am a difficult person to please in this criteria, not because I don't enjoy life or anything-I'm actually a very easily amused person- but because I think that true art is not something that every one can do no matter how hard they try. It's a really strange concept that I even think like that because in my own work ethic at school and in life I think that effort counts for 99% of the result. Seeing my peers' work at school really reinforces this idea that art is not all something you can learn. To be blatantly honest, I have yet to see a piece of work that someone has made at my school that has given me that feeling of being impressed. Sounds super harsh I know, but I also apply those rules to myself too soooo I guess they even out? Looking back on all the artwork that I have ever done, I see a lot of attention to detail and hard work put into it -but is all that enough to call myself an artist by my own standards? I don't really think so. ha ha ha. I yet to impress myself I guess!! More later on this, I'm sure.

Where was this when I needed it?

Got an email from the art teacher: D-Money. And it had this really cool article about this upcoming artist Michael Anthony Simon and his outdoor installations concerning nature.
 isn't that interesting?? When I looked up installation ideas for our project I couldn't find anything like this. Given, I probably wouldn't have been able to use the "environmentally friendly" material that he uses since I am after all, just a college student, but it would've been super interesting! I put environmentally friendly in quotations because I wonder if it really is true. Leaves get their nutrients from the sun by absorbing it through chlorophyll and if the paint is added over the natural green then wouldn't that starve the plant?
Anyways, he also does some really cool work by painting spider webs.
 he captures spiders and releases them after they build a web. I have so many questions to ask about that....does he feed the spiders bugs? How does he get them to only build between the poles and create those different web designs?

I will overcome!!

My life is often characterized by experiences that challenge me in some way. Often times, I usually am on a hunt to find new challenges that will test part of me. Recently I've been challenging myself with outdoor/sporty activities. Usually I know it's working when I am pushed to a limit where I don't think I will be able to do anymore but somehow, I'm just so determined to finish what I've started, I somehow do it--often times to my own amazement.
 This weekend however, my artwork has been the most frustrating for me! Right now we have two projects occurring simultaneously (well at least for the people that haven't finished the first one haha) and that has been a bit hard to chew. I went down to the trail to work on my outdoor installation yesterday morning and I found that part of it was torn apart. Here in Arkansas the weather is unpredictably crazy and the day before the wind snapped a few of my support strings so that I had to redo half of it instead of spending my morning finishing it. I can't tell you how frustrated I was, I spent the first 15 minutes crying big tears of frustration while I was working on it....of all weeks that this had to happen to me, Finals week??? Really now?? Anyways, I pushed through my frustration and finished it....now all it has to do is make it through the next few Arkansas days to our critique. *fingers crossed* I don't really know how much I like it though:/
  So, if that wasn't enough, I started working on my other project. I'm making paper mache energy drinks out of homework and it's a lengthy multiple step process. Well last night I was finishing the tops of the cans and when I pulled them off the mold it pulled everything in on itself so that it basically collapsed what I just spent two hours making. It was so frustrating because I made two others before these few and I didn't have the same problem because I used saran wrap as an intermediate layer. However, the extra gave it this sloppy look when I was done because I wasn't able to wrap it as closely to the can as I did the others. So now, I'm faced with another dilemma: do I risk the aesthetics for easier construction or should I just push through it and it'll fix itself as I keep working on them??
  I guess we shall see! :]

Oh Em Gee New Fave!

Two words: Robert Doisneau. He is awesome! so you know how Google has a doodle for also every day of the week? Well a few weeks ago they had a bunch of pictures of his up on Google and it really caught my eye. There are so many pictures that I love. I don't know how he manages to capture these certain moments cause a lot of them don't look posed but they have a certain kind of flow and balance that I haven't seen a lot of in other photographs.
Here are some of my favorites I've seen so far:


 I love how he caught these dancers in that exact moment when they look like they just got done swaying to one side and are about to step into the next move. Even though it's just a photograph I can totally imagine them doing so just from seeing this picture!

He also took alot of pictures of children and they are some of my favorite because they bring back memories of your own childhood!
  this one cracks me up!!


 Love this one!!


I think one of the reasons why I like his pictures so much is because they are in black and white. I think that helps the viewer focus more on the content than the color associations they are forming. I just like how real his work is!! Can't get over it. I will definitely be hanging up his work in my future home:)