Stop Motionnnnnnnnn...Enjoyy!

stop motion video #1
stop motion video #2

Foundation Lecture Series: Book Binding (week 11)

During this week's lecture we learned how to bind small books by using recycled paper, pieces of wood, and a piece of thread.  Alough the class at times seemed crazy and confusing because no one quite understood the directions at first, it got better as class progressed.  It was really interesting to learn a technique that has been used for some many years and that is still used today.  The binding actually made a sturdy book and it was a nice break to do something more "hands on" than just hearing another lecture.  Overall, I am glad we got to try something new and I am really intersted in book binding.

Drawing Final Research

sooo...for our final project in drawing we need to complete a 6ftx6ft drawing that represents you as a self portrait.  Lately I've been really interested in Willem de Kooning and Alex Katz...I did projects on the both of them in high school and since then I've been interested in their work.  I like the layering and gestur drawings in de Koonings work...as an abstract expressionist I am fascinated with his work and will continue to do some readingg on his life and influences for artttttttt...

Although Alex Katz has such a distinct and different style from de Kooning, I love looking at his pieces also.  His style is so specific and even though his pieces are so simple his self portrats have interesting expressions and color choices...

I'm not yet sure how these works will influence me but I will keep researching!

Next I'm going to look at some of Gauguin's work!

As far as the drawing goes, I want to use objects to represent the most important and influential people in my life...I'm just not sure who I want the figure/figures to be in the piece...

Foundation Lecture Series: Lead Pencil Studio (week 10)

This week we heard from Annie Han and Dan Mihalyo of Lead Pencil Studio.  Both artists are architects, so a lot of their work is mathmatical and done on a large scale.  I loved hearing them talk about how they got into billboards from all over the world, and they showed us images of the work process for one of their pieces that was a large wire sculpture of the negative space of a billboard.  The point of this piece was to "fram the sky," which is opposite of what a billboard would normally do.  This piece was so interesting because the weather changes, making the work different everytime you see it and because of its location.  It is the first piece of art you see as you enter the U.S. from off a bay.  Overall, I was impressed with their brillant collaboration of such a fascinating piece of art!

Foundation Drawing Response

"The point is, that every piece of art changes your whole perception of the rest of the world for the rest of your life.
And it's not a joke! And if it doesn't, then it's not art, it's a commodity."
- Lawrence Weiner responding to a question from Liam Gillick in "Between Artists" pg20

When I first read this quote, it immediately put a smile on my face because it is worded so specifically that I could sense the point that Lawrence Weiner was trying to get across and I can find a lot of truth in what he is saying.  The point of art is to evoke some type of emotion from the audience, whether the response is a good or bad one and if it doesn't the piece is not considered to be art.  The work could be so uninteresting, average, or just awful that you don't want anything to do with it but the fact is that the piece has an effect on you.
Then I began thinking, and I found it interesting that everything you do in a sense everyday and you who are is influenced by your own personal life experiences and I believe that its those life experiences that make up your personality and that is why art speaks so differently to everyone.  That is why Weiner can say "that every piece of art changes your whole perception of the rest of the world for the rest of your life," and make the quote so personal and dramatic.  A piece of art could evoke a past memory or really convey a deep message to you and stick with you for the rest of your life while another person finds the piece to be average, boring, or even all-around weak.
Also, I think that part of the meaning of a piece of work being classified as art means that it has that type of imapct on it's targeted audience.  That is why he says it has such a huge impact on the way you view the world.  I think that Weiner realizes that this statement sounds so grandiose and that is why he adds, "And it's not a joke!"
These are the few things about the quote that on the surface I can agree with what Weiner is saying.
Although this may be true, understanding and agreeing with Weiner's quote can depend on how one defines the broad subject of art.  When I looked up the definition on "art," two answers caught my eye: 1. "the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance" and 2. "the craft or trade using these principles or methods."  Does this mean that art can still be considered "art" and a "commodity" at the same time?  It is how one defines art that leads to whether one finds truth to what Weiner states because if art can be both "of more than ordinary significance" (meaning it "changes your whole perception of the rest of the world for the rest of your life" because it stand out to you) and considered a "trade" at the same time, then I disagree with what Weiner is stating.
Another reason I find some fault in what Weiner is saying is because generally, I think that most art is made to arouse a certain response from the viewer; however, what about artists making "art for arts sake"?  Can an artist not just make a piece of art for themselves without having to reach out to someone and "change their perception of the world"?
Overall, I think that all artists have one goal in common when creating art: to create something that has not been created before, whether their intention is to evoke an emotion from the audience or just to create their own piece of work- whether that means that the piece of work is considered "art," a "commodity," or both.

Foundation Drawing Update

Here are some of my observational, "remix" (a collaborative drawing), and perspective drawings.

 

Foundation Lecture Series: Interns and Assistants (week 9)

During this week's lecture the Career Center brought in Tyler students that had previously been interns and assistants for artists to speak.  This week was interesting because it was inspiring to see others who had previously been in our shoes get internships and have these expieriences that will benefit their future careers.  I loved hearing about how these students got internships from large companies such as Hallmark, or even more personal internships from their own professors as artists.  Also, they all had good advice about going after positions that you want and how to network yourself in the future.

Jessica Hische Lecture

This was probably one of the most interesting and inspirational lecture I've heard this year here at Tyler.  Although I'm not that big into graphic design, I loved the style of Jessica Hische.  Hische is a young typographer and illustrator who graduated from Tyler, landed a huge first job in New York, and continued her career from there working for companies as big as Tiffany, Newsweek, and People Magazine.  It was so exciting to see a former Tyler student find out what she truly loved to do and successfully go after a career that she truly wanted.  I am so happy that I got to hear this speech because not only did she have some really good advice about life after Tyler and the business world, she also had some pleasing and entertaining work to see.  Her lecture introduced me to another world of font, and it was fascinating how Jessica was influenced by old font and said that lettering and being aware of what fonts are out there help you to figure out what goes with your style.  Perhaps my favorite quote/piece of advice Jessica said during the speech was to "never make very specific plans for what you want."  Overall I was thrilled to have went to the lecture because she gave insight on what life could be like for a former Tyler student and showed just how appealing font and typeface could be!

Foundation Lecture Series: Ben Volta (week 8)

This week's foundation lecture was different because artist Ben Volta spoke about how he has a studio but rarely ever works from it.  It was a different approach that Volta usually works in the community with students or at home and called his studio  a "home base point."  Volta's dedication and work that he did with the students at local schools was inspirational and unlike the other artists we've heard from.  I loved seeing all of the images of the kids working together to come up with a collaboration of graphic images that were fused together to make a large mural.  Ben Volta seems to be a natural teacher who found something that he loves doing that all helps the community.  I really enjoyed this lecture because he really added a new level to the typical "studio" lecture.

Foundation Lecture Series: H. John Thompson (week 7)

At this week's lecture H. John Thompson spoke about his life and work as a carpenter and sculpturist.  I found it fascinating when he started talking about his studio with the fact that he subconciously set up his workspace like his grandfather's bakery (which Thompson's studio was in the basement of).  He spoke about his work chronologically, starting with the fact that he graduated from UArts and was a painter, then slowly became a sculptor.  Thompson said that the studio is a place to find out who you are and to think about what you are doing, which I feel is a very general yet very accurate assumption of the studio.  I especially loved the story that he told about how he found a house that had a matching mailbox and when the house differentiated itself from the mailbox with an addition, Thompson made modes of the addition to be attached to the mailbox and gave it to the owner.  I loke the idea of this story and how he shared his art through others willingly.  My favorite pieces of his work were these little models of houses that were light boxes on the wall.  The reason these little sculptures were my favorite was because I found them to be so appealing and elegant.

Composite Image

In this project for foundation computers we had to use our own images, photoshop them together, and create a new image.  All of the pictures are mine except for the "jackson" sign (but I also changed the sign from what it originally looked like).

Photoshop Image for Foundation Computers

For this project we needed to take an image and using photoshop, change the meaning of it.

My Scanned Face

This project is from my foundation computers class.  For this piece I scanned my face then used illustrator to draw and color the image.  I found it interesting that even though everyone in class used the same program and followed the same guidelines, everyone's pieces were interesting because they each had a different style.  Overall, this project was time consuming and challenging, but I am satisfied with the finished results.

Foundation Lecture Series: Doug Bucci (week 6)

In this week's foundation lecture metalsmith and CAD/CAM designer Doug Bucci spoke of all the opportunity that he has taken advantage of and about his work in the studio.  What I found intriguing about this week's lecture was that much like Candy Depew's art talk, Bucci spoke and presented images about his own work and life.  I found meaning in what Bucci said about how "you don't want to ever stop learning" and I liked that he said "being uncomfortable is the best place to be."  Another two things that Bucci spoke about that stood out were that time management in the studio (whether in college or the work world) is the most important thing, and that you should take advantage of presented opportunities.  Overall, I found the images of Bucci's jewelry to be very beautiful, especailly after hearing about what the pieces ment to him and how they represented and were related to his diabetes.

Foundation Lecture Series: Marianne Dages (week 5)

During this week's foundation lecture book artist and maker Marianne Dages spoke of her work in various studios, and about how her experiences have led her to having her very own studio.  What was engaging about this week's lecture was that Dages really stressed the importance of having your own space to work.  Also, I thought it was intelligent when she talked about her background and how after going to school she continued to surround herself with two important things that you get out of community studios: equitment and collaboration.  Although the speech did seem to be slow moving at times, I liked that she gave advice on building a studio.  Dages told us that over the years you should invest in maybe one tool a month so that by the time you are ready to open your own studio, you already have a good start on supplies.

Roz Savage: Why I'm rowing across the Pacific Response

On ted.com I watched a video of forty-two year old Roz Savage spoke about her journey of rowing across the Atlantic ocean and how she is currently working on a three part trip across the Pacific ocean.  The inspiring London-native not only told stories about the trips, but also explained why she was doing it.  If she is to complete the Pacific ocean journey, she will be the first female to have rowed across the Pacific ocean alone.  Savage explained that she had worked in an office job for eleven years until one day deciding to really think about the way her life was going and the legacy she wanted to leave behind abter she is gone.  This is when she got into rowing and deciding to set herself on a real adventure.  According to Savage, the trip across the Atlantic took 103 difficult days.  Not only does she describe how amazing it felt to finish, she also speaks of many problems she ran into from tendonitis and salt water soars to broken oars and many psychological challenges to face.  Also proving to be much difficulty,during her first attempt at crossing the first part of the Pacific in 2007 she was beat up by waves, blogged about it, and was unhappily evacuated from the boat.  Even with all of these problems, Savage continues to persevere within her adventures.  Towards the end of the speech Savage sums up with giving reasons for her rowing trips.  She believes that taking these trips informs people and reminds them that we need to use our right of free will to make choices that will help make the world a more sustainable, healthier, and greener planet to live on.

Personally, this video felt inspiring and entertaining.  I was interested in learning her reasoning behind going on rowing trips across oceans.  I think that the highlight of the video was when the audience got to see images from her trip and of her row boat.  The only thing that I wish Savage would have spoke about is a more detailed background on her relationship with rowing.  What was the training for the trip like?  When did you learn how to row?  Did you row as a child?  Although these questions may have been left unanswered, overall the video was enjoyable and engaging.
Here is a link to the video.  Enjoy!

Volume Model Drawings

Response to the film Persona

Last week in drawing class I was introduced to the 1966 Swedish film Persona.  As the film began I was unsure of what to expect, distracted by the intense contrast of black against white and the task of reading subtitles.  The movie begans with quickly flashing images that do not seem to have any relation to each other at all.  Next the film shows a young boy in a bed reaching out to an image of a blurred woman's face.  After these scences the film finally movies into its storyline.  Overall, I think that director Ingmar Bergman's use of light and dark was beautiful.  Each camera angle and scence composistion was specific and alluring in it's own way.  Rather than watching a movie it was like looking at stunning artistically made images.  Bergman's intentions with his useage of this contrast may have been to ehance the significance of the theme of art within the film.  Not only do the two protagonists talk about art, but also the film is made in an obivously creative and artistic manner.  I think that another reason for his use of dark and light was to stress another constant theme of death throughout the movie.  Both characters Alma and Elisabet struggle with experiencing life's highs and lows (light and dark) and the film displays this underlying tone of death throughout the lives of the two women.

Along with Bergman's play on light and dark conrasts, the film seems to convey a metaphor through an occurence.  The film's purpose was to show these themes of death, the significance of art, and the happiness and sorrow of life in the form of a story between two women, or an occurence.  I think that Bergman presented this in an interesting way that forced the viewer to really stand back, notice details, and really analyze the film, all while watching something that is still entertaining and beautiful.  He does this by taking this ugly theme of death and displaying it in a beautiful way.  I feel that these themes are again reimbedded in the repettition of Bergman's symbols such as hands and cigarettes, which is another interesting use of imagery.  Even though I think that his use of symbolism is important, I'm not entirely sure what everything (from props to Bergman's choice of simple hair styles and makeup and solid black and white outfits) was intended to convey.  Another thing that was interesting about the film was its characters.  Personally, I think that the casting of Alma and Elisabet was wise because each girl did a convincing job of each character's personality and also it was intriguing that both the girls are so similar in appearence.  While Alma's stories and comments gave her character personality it was Elisabet's actions that showed hers.  For instance, when Alma reads Elisbet a letter from her husband and gives her a picture of her son, Elisbet rips the picture in half, showing so much emotion and feeling in a single motion.
Within this movie, Bergman's view of the artist seems to be of respect.  In one sense, Bergman can be seen as an artist because of the way the film was made overall.  Also, Bergman even has the two main characters talk about art.  Alma, a nurse whom takes care of an actress named Elisabet, tells Elisabet that she has so much respect for artists such as her because she believes they dedicate their lives to helping people, especially those with problems.  This scence is ironic because in fact Alma is also someone who helps others in that she is a nurse.

The only thing about the movie that I disliked was that it was so slow moving.  I appreciated the scenes that were almost "paused" because they were so engaging and facinating but the movie did seem to go long periods of time without much happening or purpose.

Overall, I think that Persona was a well done film because it was so beautifully crafted and the concepts and story lines were interesting all while still being entertaining and enjoyable to watch.  Although it was a slow moving film, Bergman's use of value and composition tantailizing to watch.

Warning Sign for Computer Foundation

This was a project for computer class where we needed to use illustrator to create images using shapes and color (just as a real warning sign would).  These images needed to convey a message about yourself that "warned" others.

Art Blog Review

Months ago in March Stefan Zebrowski-Rubin posted an art review on the artblog about the work of Austrailian artist Melanie Boreham and her show The Departed at Hardware Gallery.  Within the review Zebrowski-Rubin speaks about his first impression of Boreham's show composed mainly of sculptural pieces of human hair.  The article caught my eye for this very reason because I think that the idea of using human hair to make sculptures such as floating trees and jewelry is disturbing yet intriguing.  Although I was not familiar with the young artist at first, I do agree with Zebrowski-Rubin in that she seems to capture a very "poetic essence" in her sculptural pieces.  Zebrowski-Rubin then goes on to talk about how when entering the second room of the exhibit it was filled with Boreham's paintings and drawings (more "multi-media") which almost explain her poetic message that she was trying to convey in her sculptual pieces.  According to Zebrowski-Rubin, Boreham says that her work in this exhibit is about “anxieties of separation and the breakdown of relationships.”  Although Zebrowski-Rubin thinks this is a strong message, he believes that she has overestimated the message that her pieces display, "rationalizes her way too far from the source," and "seems blind" to the energy and strengh of her exhibit. 
            I agree with Zebrowski-Rubin in a sense that the idea of using human hair is "fascinating" because hair is a great deal of who we are and can describe our emotions and personalities because it is "attached to our history."  I also agree with the idea that hair describes culture and religion, hair growth is a cycle (we cut it after it grows slowly), and I think that it is worth mentioning that hair (along with nails) grows after death.  These are the iteams that Zebrowski-Rubin hits on where I do see eye to eye with him because I feel that these messages can been displayed through Boreham's medium choice of hair.  What I do not agree with is that Zebrowski-Rubin points out that the second room of Boreham's work brings it down in a sense.  I think that Zebrowski-Rubin was only trying to show more of her thoughts and give more energy towards the message that she wanted her audience to take from her work.  Also, in my opinion the work did not take away from the messages of her sculpture but added to them by showing the artist's versatility.  I feel that the aritcle may be lacking in organization, but the author was overall able to sum up his ideas and feeling of his exhibit experience.  Zebrowski-Rubin did a good job with describing poetic meaning of hair, but he should have spoke more about what Boreham's thoughts were and what the message was that she wanted to display from her work.
          I have become interested in Boreham's art because of her risk in materials and way of communication through them.  Personally I think that Boreham's exploration and use of materials at such a young age of twenty-two shows that today young artists are still trying new things which is why I think that the artical is relevant and modern.  Her age is also another reason why I can relate to the young artist.  Overall Zebrowski-Rubin did a good job supporting his ideas of her work, but I feel that his criticisms may have been to analyitic.

Melanie Boreham, Forest of the Inside



Melanie Boreham, Present Pasts

The link to this article can be found here.

Foundation Drawing Update

    Here are some gesture drawings, blind contour, still lifes, and studies from drawing class.

Foundation Lecture Series: Candy Depew (week 4)

In this week's foundation lecture ceramist and printmaker Candy Depew spoke about her work and life as an artist.  Alough looking at her life and work we may call her an artist, she sees herself as a designer.  What was intersting about this week's lecture (in comparison so far to previous guests) was that she spoke personally about and displayed images of her work rather than giving us Tyler students a speech on some form of art history.  I enjoyed that Depew talked about what her work means and how she makes objects inresponse to environments, such as the symbolism of her repeated tears, diamonds, hearts, and blood drippings throughout her pieces.  I also liked that she said she liked to mix "historical with contemporary" in her work.  Overall, I was pleased with the lecture and found it inspiring that she had even started her own art school.

Foundation Computers Project

These images are from my foundation computers class. For this project we needed to make three pieces (one abstract, one representational, and one descriptive) using illustrator. Because this was my first time using the program, I had trouble figuring out how to manipulate the images.

Foundation Lecture Series: Peter Handley- Between Two Studios (week 3)

In this week's foundation lecture, artist Peter Handley discussed his idea of the definition of a studio.  He began by describing a typical art studio, and soon spoke of how important technology is today, and how art and computers are related.  Handley said that "my studio is not my computer...but a filing cabinet, and every artist's 'first' studio is their head."  Perhaps the most interesting idea that Handley had during the entire speech was that artwork done on the computer is the most successful when the computer is doing the least of your art because it is not the location your work comes from.  I think that this can be very true, especially with the availability of computer programs, and how anyone can make a work of art.  The only thing that I wish Handley would have mentioned in his speech was the idea of a graphic designer, and that maybe their studio is at the computer (and other technologies).  Although this may be true, Handley summed up his lecture with saying that the studio is simply whereever you work, in which I completely agree.

Response to the Larry Lessif on Laws that Choke Creativity video

In this video, lawyer Larry Lessif gives a speech on what he thinks about today's copywrite laws and how it applies to everyday people.  It is interesting how Lessif uses three stories within history and brings them together with one dealing with the present.  Lessif uses these stories to explain how the law now forbids anyone of using copywrighted material because it is considered stolen, especially today when we are living in such a technologically-based world.  I think that what Lessif says about how this new "ametur culture" is art, because although these videos and images are not theirs, they are taking them and remixing them to make them something new that has never been seen before.  It is important to know that Lessif does point out that producers have had the technology to do these things for the last fifty years, but today anyone with a computer can do this, and it's the young culture that has done it.  Lessif is right in saying that it is an outsource for how "young society" can reach out through an art form.  In my opinion, things should not be taken and used for your own work unless you change it and make it your own, or change it and make it better.

Response to Alison Chang's Stolen Image video

The video describes the story of how 16 year old Alison Chang's picture was taken at a church picnic and stolen for a Virgin Mobile add in Austrailia after her friend put the image on his online account on Flicker.  Not only was the image taken, the add also had captions that were almost offensive to the young girl.  Personally, I have mixed feelings for this case.  In one sense the fact that the picture was stolen and used in an add is a form of flattery, that her picture was well enough for advertising.  Although this may be true, the more heavy side of the debate is that the company did not have permission from Alison to use the image, especially when the phone company is making money off of the photo.  Becuase Alison is so young and the image contains some offensive phrases, it is Alison's right of privacy to fight back in this case.  Nowadays with how easily it is to access personal information on the internet people need to be careful of what they put up, and how open it is to the public.

Response to the Foundation Lecture Series: Phillip Glahn (week 2)

As week one's foundation lecture, the topic that guest speaker Phillip Glahn spoke of was seemingly appropriate for the first art talk.  It was interesting that he began speaking of the Bauhaus movement, how it was the first school of craft and fine art in Germany, and moved on to talking about the setup, or foundation of art schools.  Glahn explained that the German word "Bauhaus" means "building school," and that essentially after this movement art schools began to be modeled after this school.  He then took the lecture another direction, speaking of how art schools are set up today, perticuarly Tyler School of Art.  Although being a student of Tyler is a lot of work and all Tyler students must begin in the "foundations" program (taking a lot of basic classes that teach concepts that can be applied to many differnent types of art), Tyler's Foundations program is set up this way to give most of us young artists (who usually don't know what type of art they want to major in) a chance to try new things and experiment to see what we enjoy.  Because of this way of teaching, art students get a wider variety in different fields of the arts.

Still Life for Foundation Drawing

Experiencing the City

Because I am from a small town outside of Pittsburgh, I had only been to South Street in Philly once (it was at night, I was only there for a short period of time, and I didn't go into any stores so I don't really count it as a true experience of the area.)  Because of this reason, I decided to take another trip to South Street to gather my photos, sketches, and objects for my foundation computers class.  As I walked around with my mom and dad, the atmosphere of the urban area was exciting.  There was so much to see, do, and capture on my camera.  I realized that it's the more cultural streets of cities (like this one) that I love because they truly make the area diverse.

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My First Memory

My first memory is of my older sister and I in our old house in Pittsburgh.  I can remember her putting pillows down on the hard floor at the bottom of the staircase.  Her and I would then take turns jumping off from stairs to pillows until she decided to jump off of the third or fourth step.  When I saw that she could successfully land I knew I wanted to try just as my big sister had, only when I landed, I was hurt.  My mom quickly took me to the hospital and it turned out that I had broken my femur, and was put into a body cast that reached to my knee on one side, and covered my foot on the other.  I will never forget what was not only my first memory, but also my first broken bone.

Although my little sister is not in this picture, it is a family photo from when I was younger.