Monday, September 28, 2009
Random Inspiration (And Keep Smiling)
This song came on my mp3 player as I drove home from school one night. There was tons of heat lightning over the bay and it looked pretty amazing. The song, by Rachel's, is called "And Keep Smiling" (which is a really great title) and I like it quite a bit.
(X-posted to Burnt Pages)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Under the Stairs
The concept of this project - to take everyday objects and use them in a different way - is one I was previously familiar with. I've participated in class projects like this before and they usually go one of two ways; they flow smoothly and turn out well, or they become forced and the final product suffers for it.
I feel that this project may have gone the second direction. After being given our materials (800 Q-Tips! What'll I do?!) the class discussed briefly how we should handle the collaborative part of it. We almost immediately went to something representational, which is normal. I think, though, that because we may have felt rushed to figure out what we were supposed to do, we went with something that was easy and not very interesting.
This is to say nothing of my personal struggle with my materials. A good deal of time, effort, and even some money (I had to buy tons of glue!) went into my particular part of the piece and I was still unable to accomplish anything that I found satisfactory.
If there is one thing I learned from this project, it is that good art really does flow from an internal place. I feel that there is a progression to the process of creating something and that process usually starts with a feeling or an idea, then gradually becomes more tangible as options are explored, materials are chosen, and work is completed. Perhaps this is just my own process and trying to work out of that order is difficult for me personally.
I honestly feel that with just a little more time for conception and execution, everyone, myself included, could have come up with something really fascinating. As it was, I thought the final product was charming but uninspired.
I feel that this project may have gone the second direction. After being given our materials (800 Q-Tips! What'll I do?!) the class discussed briefly how we should handle the collaborative part of it. We almost immediately went to something representational, which is normal. I think, though, that because we may have felt rushed to figure out what we were supposed to do, we went with something that was easy and not very interesting.
This is to say nothing of my personal struggle with my materials. A good deal of time, effort, and even some money (I had to buy tons of glue!) went into my particular part of the piece and I was still unable to accomplish anything that I found satisfactory.
If there is one thing I learned from this project, it is that good art really does flow from an internal place. I feel that there is a progression to the process of creating something and that process usually starts with a feeling or an idea, then gradually becomes more tangible as options are explored, materials are chosen, and work is completed. Perhaps this is just my own process and trying to work out of that order is difficult for me personally.
I honestly feel that with just a little more time for conception and execution, everyone, myself included, could have come up with something really fascinating. As it was, I thought the final product was charming but uninspired.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
C+P Assignment 03 - Bourgeois and Leris Readings
Bourgeois
1. The benefit of confrontation is that often one can release the pressure and anziety of a situation into artistic expression and this can be used as a way of coping with stressful or painful experiences. Also, when viewing a confrontational piece by an artist, another person who man not have a developed coping mechanism may find solace through viewing.
2. Schwartzman feels that people do not understand Bourgeois' work because they are confounded by its lack of clear definition, because she uses her materials in unorthodox ways, and because her psychological insight is frightening or uncomfortable to them.
3. I like art that conveys strong emotion and I wish I saw more of it. I think the photographs of Lauren Greenfield dealing with young women with eating disorders have affected me emotionally.
4. Bourgeois risks revealing very personal aspects of herself and being judged on and because of them. I think it is owrth it to her as an artist to take these risks because that is how she deals with her experiences. I feel that I would be able to take a great number of risks as an artist.
Leris
1. Leris means that it was very important to his siblings and himself to keep their stories private because they might lose some of their specialness if others knew about them.
2. The ill-defined space Leris would walk by was the area between the buildings by the racecourse at Auteuil. I have memories of turning into the neighborhood I grew up in and even though we still have a few blocks to go to get to our house, I felt like I was home. I don't feel the same way about this place now since I have not lived there in a very long time.
3. The words "empty hall" signified a specific place for Leris as it was a name he and his brothers had given to a place they visited. The echoing of their voices against the stone give the words a more audibly descriptive scene.
4. I think Bourgeois and Leris would agree that self-reflection and confrontation are worth it. I agree with them. The results are that often art is produced that may speak to us emotionally and sometimes it will only have an affect on the artist themselves.
1. The benefit of confrontation is that often one can release the pressure and anziety of a situation into artistic expression and this can be used as a way of coping with stressful or painful experiences. Also, when viewing a confrontational piece by an artist, another person who man not have a developed coping mechanism may find solace through viewing.
2. Schwartzman feels that people do not understand Bourgeois' work because they are confounded by its lack of clear definition, because she uses her materials in unorthodox ways, and because her psychological insight is frightening or uncomfortable to them.
3. I like art that conveys strong emotion and I wish I saw more of it. I think the photographs of Lauren Greenfield dealing with young women with eating disorders have affected me emotionally.
4. Bourgeois risks revealing very personal aspects of herself and being judged on and because of them. I think it is owrth it to her as an artist to take these risks because that is how she deals with her experiences. I feel that I would be able to take a great number of risks as an artist.
Leris
1. Leris means that it was very important to his siblings and himself to keep their stories private because they might lose some of their specialness if others knew about them.
2. The ill-defined space Leris would walk by was the area between the buildings by the racecourse at Auteuil. I have memories of turning into the neighborhood I grew up in and even though we still have a few blocks to go to get to our house, I felt like I was home. I don't feel the same way about this place now since I have not lived there in a very long time.
3. The words "empty hall" signified a specific place for Leris as it was a name he and his brothers had given to a place they visited. The echoing of their voices against the stone give the words a more audibly descriptive scene.
4. I think Bourgeois and Leris would agree that self-reflection and confrontation are worth it. I agree with them. The results are that often art is produced that may speak to us emotionally and sometimes it will only have an affect on the artist themselves.
Monday, September 07, 2009
C+P Assignment 02
For my first project for Concepts and Practices, I will be creating an object that represents an aspect of my relationship with my family. I have chosen to create a terrarium. Throughout my life, much of my interaction with my family has involved the natural world. We have explored numerous forests and jungles together, and my parents have been avid gardeners for as long as I can remember. I feel that they instilled in me an appreciation for nature that I have carried into my adult life.
The first artist whose work shares a common element with my project is Paula Hayes.
Hayes' terrariums were very inspirational to me when I first started to build terrariums of my own. The organic shapes of her vessels enclosing small, bright plants of numerous varieties from myriad terrains remind us to consider the quieter pieces of the world we may overlook every day. This is part of why I enjoy terrariums as art. While at first glance they may seem like nothing much, on further viewing it is actually quite easy to lose oneself in the intricacies of an ecosystem in miniature.
Another artist that I feel relates to my project is Thomas Doyle.
Doyle makes dioramas, often encased in glass, that are able to evoke strong emotional reaction. While the feelings one gets from Doyle's work are often sinister or foreboding, and my intention is to express nearly the opposite of these emotions, I think it is important for me to explore why Doyle's pieces draw such reactions so that I might better understand how to elicit the desired reaction in my own pieces.
The third artist whose work I found relative to my project is Andrea Zittel.
Much of Zittel's work revolves around compacting large spaces into small spaces, and exploring the ideas of isolation and understanding the physical space one occupies. This is similar to the intention of terrariums, and I find her work conceptually appealing.
(X-posted at Burnt Pages)
The first artist whose work shares a common element with my project is Paula Hayes.
Hayes' terrariums were very inspirational to me when I first started to build terrariums of my own. The organic shapes of her vessels enclosing small, bright plants of numerous varieties from myriad terrains remind us to consider the quieter pieces of the world we may overlook every day. This is part of why I enjoy terrariums as art. While at first glance they may seem like nothing much, on further viewing it is actually quite easy to lose oneself in the intricacies of an ecosystem in miniature.
Another artist that I feel relates to my project is Thomas Doyle.
Doyle makes dioramas, often encased in glass, that are able to evoke strong emotional reaction. While the feelings one gets from Doyle's work are often sinister or foreboding, and my intention is to express nearly the opposite of these emotions, I think it is important for me to explore why Doyle's pieces draw such reactions so that I might better understand how to elicit the desired reaction in my own pieces.
The third artist whose work I found relative to my project is Andrea Zittel.
Much of Zittel's work revolves around compacting large spaces into small spaces, and exploring the ideas of isolation and understanding the physical space one occupies. This is similar to the intention of terrariums, and I find her work conceptually appealing.
(X-posted at Burnt Pages)
C+P Assignment 01
This past week I had the opportunity to view some of the artwork of Anthony Grajirena on display in the Green Room gallery of the Dunedin Brewery. Grajirena's strong suit seems to be creating pieces that are visually simple yet emotionally evocative, and he manages through his illustrations to blend playfulness with a more subtle implication of solemn reflection, perhaps a feeling of being out of place or even a feeling of loneliness. Two of Grajirena's pieces in particular stood out to me:
(X-posted at Burnt Pages)
(X-posted at Burnt Pages)
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