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.