FINAL PROJECT!!!

At last, the final project of the semester! It took me FOREVER and I got really frustrated in the middle of working on it, but I'm really happy with how it came out. The artwork it was based on was Joaquin Sorolla's Three Sails.

The image I based my composition off of.

Of course, I didn't have an ocean to draw, so I decided to use my bedspread and from that, I came up with a sort of surreal, childlike/make-believe theme for my piece.

It was an awesome semester and I feel like I've learned so much and improved a lot! Thanks Rubens! :D

The 36th Chamber

     After viewing the movie, I realized that much of the protagonist's life is similar to mine. He is training hard to become a kung fu master and must practice every single day in order to get better. Like in art school, he takes small steps and improves little by little in order to succeed. His instructors are hard on him and much of the time, he fails or doesn't perform to his potential, which is very true of art school. There are many failed trials before something good can be produced. Art also takes concentration similar to the training in the movie. You must focus on what you are doing and on every individual aspect of your work in order to create something effective. 

     Perseverance in art means, in my opinion, producing many pieces of art or trying many different things that may not work out every time until something truly amazing comes out of it. Similarly, in the movie, the main character had to try many different times in order to persevere and succeed.

     Artists are somewhat like monks in that they must look within themselves to produce good artwork. Most art is drawn from within much like monks are constantly reflecting upon their inner workings and soul in order to live spiritually. All art is conceived through the mind so in a sense, it does become a bit of a spiritual process too.

     Art school is like Shaolin temple in the sense that students are trying to better themselves as artists, yet in art school, you are constantly being inspired by others and interacting with others in order to develop better ideas whereas in the temple, progress was entirely dependent on one's self and one's self alone.

     The equivalent of eating on top of a log, etc. would probably be working on a project up until the very last minute. You are forced to focus all your energy into getting that task done in time and you just start to crank it out rather mechanically.

     Uniformity of mind for an artist has to do with a common thought process that goes through the artist's head whenever they think about a new piece. This similar thought process helps create a method for the artist and helps them to develop their signature style.

     Boot camp focuses more on getting your body in shape whereas the chambers focus on both your body and your mind.

     Within the art school environment, making and showing art becomes more of a simulation compared to the dog-eat-dog art world outside in the "real world". This is more of a training ground where it's okay to make mistakes in order to learn and grow, but there really isn't much room for that outside of art school.

      To challenge the master in art school would probably mean challenging any professor's notions of what is "good" and what is "bad" (or acceptable versus unacceptable). By thinking outside the box and trying to be unique and innovative in everything you do, you can effectively challenge your professors to   accommodate their teaching to the advancement of your work.

     The protagonist's nunchucks can be compared to times in my art school experience when I am crunched for time or am having a hard time coming up with a good idea and I decide to improvise or just go with whatever comes to me. Sometimes by doing so, I can get better results than if I overthink things.

     The 36th chamber could relate to the spreading of artistic knowledge beyond simply artists and educating others on the importance of the artistic world. For me, my 36th chamber would be my family and friends who are not artists. I enjoy showing them my work and explaining things I've learned to get them thinking more about the world as an artistic place.

     Once I leave art school, making art will definitely become much more serious and focused for me. I will have to concentrate extra hard on pleasing not only myself but others as well (clients, coworkers, etc.). Art will not be such an introverted thing anymore but rather a process that must be marketed or shown to others in order to be effective.

John Armleder Interview Questions

1) Armleder feels that the artist should, first and foremost, try to please himself, and that the artist must understand and appreciate their own work in order to create a successful show. The audience is a sort of afterthought and their reactions, while completely valid, are secondary to the initial reaction of the actual artist.

5) I do agree with his comment on generic art to an extent. I agree that if the art is not thought-provoking, it is, in a sense, unsuccessful, however, I believe that not all art must be influenced by preconceived ideas. Completely new ideas can be invented and still have the same amount of impact and still "exist" and be
considered artwork without borrowing or copying what is already known.

8) By "pseudointelligent idea" he means an idea that is intended to be clever and well-thought-out but isn't quite working. In fact, it may even fail to get the point across. I think this is a strange way to make art. I can see it being effective if the failure is intended along with the "intelligence" behind it, but yet, if the idea is developed with the intention of it not working, then the overall meaning of the work can get very confusing and unclear in my opinion.

9) I would not be interested in doing the kind of work he does in the room with the paintings of dots because I feel that I would have no connection to that kind of art. I am not a sculpture person, and certainly not to the degree of random compilation that Armleder's work often entails. I usually enjoy creating more representational art and often have trouble with abstract, so I feel like creating the kind of work Armleder creates would be challenging for me.

10) Whenever artwork is viewed, it is looked at with a mixture of vagueness and precision. Parts of the art will be easily and clearly defined and understandable while others will be more ambiguous and subjective. I find that this can be true of my artwork because sometimes I will find hidden meanings much later that I was unaware had been there before. Sometimes I will make something purely instinctually only to find that it was really my subconscious at work, creating a more vague side to my work.

11) I believe that there should be a good balance between confusion and explanation. Confusion in itself would definitely be more exciting because it adds an element of mystery or surprise to a piece, but at the same time, the viewer should not be so utterly confused that they fail to find any meaning in the work and become so frustrated that they lose interest. Any confusion that is caused should be intentional and lead up to a greater explanation in the end in order to create a meaningful piece.

12) I find his art to be beneficial to himself, but to himself only. Viewers can still appreciate the work, but if the artist is only creating it to better himself, then I feel as if he may as well not show it to the public at all. It's good to improve, but by stating that the purpose of the shows are only to please himself, then it makes the audience a sort of afterthought, as if the artist doesn't really care for their opinions (even though he states them as valid). I found his methods to be very confusing. His ways of thinking about art and creating work are vastly different than anything I've seen/experienced/read about in the past, so even though it was confusing, I was still interested. I feel that his experimentation and willingness to improve is inspiring in itself, but I was a bit put off by the fact that he seems to be fairly self absorbed and often fails to acknowledge the impact his work has on the viewers. All in all, I do feel like Armleder and his work are worth a chance because his methods and thought processes are entirely unique.

Emily Rooney's Show

After checking out Emily's show, it was pretty apparent that she was really specific with the things she included. As you entered the gallery, there were four black carpets spread out in a line on the floor. They were partially rolled up in the spots where they touched, and there was a large assortment of objects lined up on top of the carpets. They ranged from some old grapes entwined with a belt to a pair of ceramic shoes on a pillow. I noticed that most of them were black (or mostly black at least) and that the only three items that had some color were located at the beginning, middle, and end of the line. Potentially significant? Maybe so...>_>

I keep looking around and saw a lot of other interesting things. There were several black and white photos on the walls of women and one of giant marble slabs. Each subject seemed to relate to something else she had included in her exhibit. The women related to the video she had playing in another room, and the marble seemed to be similar to the marble tiles mounted on a wooden frame which housed a large clay basin of sorts. 

Aside from the pictures and the video, much of her exhibit was displayed on the floor. In one spot, she had a long glittery chain coiled up on the floor with a blue peace sign painted onto it. Green and blue aquarium pebbles were scattered in amongst the chain as well. Nearby were ten cinder blocks arranged in a horseshoe formation and a line, and on a wall close to that was an arrangement of soldered metal rods, some on the floor, and some leaning against the wall. When viewed together, the rods spelled out "I *heart* U 4E" with the heart and the "4E" leaning against the wall. Things were getting more and more interesting. 

Throughout the exhibit, you could hear what at first sounded like some kind of strange, slow, meditative music or chanting playing in the background. But as you entered the last room of the exhibit, it became apparent that the "chanting" was really a video of a man singing at an incredibly reduced speed. Clips  showed an African American and a White woman dancing and eventually kissing and embracing at the end. It also showed the singing man's bespectacled face close up as he sang for several minutes before switching back to clips of the women dancing. 

Overall, Emily's show was very interesting and unique, seamlessly incorporating many different art elements and techniques to create a central connection for her work and for the viewer to enjoy.

Inside-Outside Drawing: NUMBA TWO

The second inside-outside drawing! :D Three feet by three feet this time. I tried to experiment more with reflections and a geometric composition. That's my Peter Rabbit doll that I've had since I was like...two years old. ^-^

Inside-Outside Drawing

Ahh yes. The latest specimen in my ever-growing drawing portfolio. Assignment was to draw from inside looking out, or vice versa. This was actually drawn at night, but 1300's so dang bright all the time that it may as well have been during the day judging by the looks of this. O_o

HERE WE GOOO! BACK TO THE PENN MUSEUM!

So after sitting and looking at the same creepy Japanese deity statue again, I started to realize that it probably was the creepiness that attracted me to it in the first place. I mean, it really was the creepiest piece in the room, right in the center, clearly the focal point. Probably why I gravitated towards it first. There aren't a lot of different colors, but the shape definitely screams, 'LOOK AT ME'. All those crazy flames and the geometric pedestal, not to mention all that shiny gold! That definitely had me inspecting it closer for sure! Overall, it kind of reminded me of the Disney movie Mulan. Not sure if that had anything to do with why I liked it....I do love that movie. But I digress. ANYWAY, couldn't really smell much other than Cori's cherry eucalyptus flavored cough drops. Gross. Didn't really affect my viewing experience though. As scale goes, the piece isn't that big, but it was bigger than any of the surrounding pieces, so it kind of automatically grabbed attention that way too. The expression of the statue too really draws the eye. And not necessarily in a good way either. Once you make eye contact with that thing, it's like it stares you down for all eternity. Seriously, you can't escape. Unless you turn the corner and sprint away. That would work. =P

FIVE FEET BY FIVE FEET???!!!

OH MAN THIS TOOK ME ABSOLUTELY FOREVERRRRRR!!! Ugh. And my sister was the most whiny, fidgety model ever. So I made her face look all masculine to get back at her. She didn't believe I'd do it but HAH. TAKE THAT. xD Other than that though, I'm pretty pleased with it. :)

Awwwww! x3

And just for kicks, here's one of the Chinese lions I talked about in my last entry! If there weren't so many little kids around, I totally would've gone up and petted him. xD

Trekkin' away to the Penn Museum! ^_^

So this past weekend, my friends and I headed off on an epic adventure to the Penn Museum! There just happened to be this awesome Chinese festival thing going on that day so I almost decided to write about these adorable Chinese lions they had there. Y’know, where there’s people underneath the lion costume and they dance around and make the head move and blink and stuff. There were all these kids crowded around petting them. Twas really cute! ^-^ But alas, I wasn’t sure if that’d be considered an art piece so I shall write about something else instead.

After checking out most of the museum, I stumbled across this awesome nineteenth century Japanese Fudo statue. It wasn’t too big and it wasn’t in a room per se (just kind of sitting in this mini gallery jutting off the main hallway) but it still seemed to demand attention. For one thing, it was clearly the centerpiece of all the other surrounding pieces. It was easily the most dramatic and was placed directly in the middle of everything. It wasn’t the most colorful either (it’s predominantly red and black), but the jagged flames of red sweeping through behind the figure were completely different both compositionally and shape-wise than any of the other surrounding statues.  The red just seemed to evoke a sort of creepy power over everything else, and against the black skin of the figure, it really popped (not to mention, all those shiny gold adornments were pretty eye-catching too).

The colors definitely intrigued me. I immediately was drawn to it, and it was the first one I examined in that area. I mean, that face is pretty scary, but the drama and intensity of the colors and the awesomeness of it structurally really interested me. Not gonna lie, it did freak me out a bit (jeez, that one eye just seems to follow you, doesn’t it?), but it seems to have more of a “come-look-at-me-or-you’ll-regret-it” mood to it than a “stay-away” feeling. The red flames seem to emphasize a sort of powerful ferocity (which makes sense since Fudo was the god of fire) and the black of the figure seems equally ferocious and balances out the red. I also liked how well the black and red and gold were spread throughout the piece to tie it all together.  The pedestal the figure sits on seems to be completely in sync with the overall piece and doesn’t feel disconnected or out of place thanks to the distribution of the same several colors.

Overall, this seems like a pretty objectively powerful piece. It’s so well rendered that it seems to evoke the same emotions in most everybody. I saw a bunch of little kids shy away from the piece saying it was “scary” and heard several adults comment on its creepiness as well. There were a lot of other pieces in the room, and yet this one was the one that got the most attention and was looked at the longest by most people. On a subjective level, I feel that having the historical knowledge of what this figure stood for would definitely add to the viewing experience. People who viewed this shortly after its creation probably would’ve had a very different experience and feeling about it than viewers today who may simply see it as a creepy statue. It’s one thing to see the art, but it’s another to understand its meaning and the artist’s intentions. Knowing that Fudo was the god of fire takes it to a slightly different level, but knowing that Fudo was also the god of wisdom sheds a whole new light on the piece. Suddenly, the gaze of the figure becomes less intimidating as it does scrutinizing and vaguely thoughtful (although, he must be thinking pretty hard to get such a crazy look on his face).

I do really like this piece and I only wish I could carve wood like that. I mean, jeez! The fluidity of those flames look pretty awesome in contrast with the geometric feel of the pedestal. Also, I love the gold accents peppered throughout. He’s wearing a pretty sweet sash if I do say so myself. As a whole, I really enjoyed looking at this piece and I think that the color usage is extremely effective in evoking powerful (albeit somewhat fearful) emotions in the viewer. Definitely recommend checking it out in person! :)

Pretty crazy-lookin', huh?

Black without black: TAKE TWO @_@

Second attempt at the black-without-using-black drawing. I tried really hard to make it a lot darker than the last one (unfortunately the picture makes it look rather light which is lame...I PROMISE IT LOOKS DARKER THAN THIS IN NORMAL LIGHT! ^^;) Switching to chalk pastels actually made things fifty gazillion times easier! I used oil pastels last time and pretty much killed my soul slaving away over that thing. Never again I tell you! Never. Again.

We can't use black, say whaaaat??

Ho jeez. Well. Here's my drawing for the all-black-still-life-without-using-black assignment. Gahhhh I'll admit that I got super super frustrated with this and it took me absolutely FOREVER! Hours upon hours of messing around trying to mix and layer colors and I'm STILL not happy with the result. I mean, I like it for what it is, but I'm just afraid that it's not dark enough or clear enough or fully explores the dark tones that could have been made. Ugh. At this point though, I've already reworked it and darkened it a bit so I guess we'll have to see what happens. And now I'm off to bed before I collapse from exhaustion. Ahh the life of an art student! @_@

Lookin' goooood, Michael. ^^;

Ahhh yes, here we are. The original drawing I chose to rework for the obstruction project. It's me as Marty McFly from Back to the Future! :D Normal enough, right? Oh baby, but just you wait. IT'S OBSTRUCTION TIME!

..................*awkward drum roll*.......

BAM! The remade drawing! Rules were it had to be in color. Check. Drawn from observation. Check. And the two obstructions I chose. Marty McFly dressed as me. Ch...check.... And all in 80s colors. Basically I took that as bright, vibrant, almost-neon colors. Luckily, my clothes/bedspread really are those colors. Booyah.
Poor Michael. I apologize, Mr. Fox. I really do. -_-;;;

What is art? Anybody know for sure?

"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"

pg. 20

This quote confuses me a bit, because I have always found commodities to be a form of artwork themselves, however more functional and utilitarian they appear to be. Their purpose is slightly different, but they are essentially trying to do the same thing as Weiner’s explanation of art: changing perception of the world, although in commodities’ case, changing perception in order to promote or advertise. Commodities must appeal to the masses in order to be successful and well-liked, just as artwork must appeal to the senses in order to produce the best possible viewing experience (whether it evokes positive or negative feelings).  A great amount of problem-solving and design work goes into the making of commodities, so isn't a commodity definitively artful as well?