Friday, November 13, 2009
MFA Show Review
When you first walk in the photographs on the right two walls are amazing. There isn't a name or title about them posted on the wall, but they are interesting and creative, quite literal too. The photo of the girl with the small cherry pie over her mouth, as if shes eating it, and the drip is great, very suggestive. Also, very literal, the photos, I believe of the same girl, with cigarettes over her chest up her neck, is suggesting "lung cancer," is creative and her make up really gives a full effect of what I think the artist is trying to convey. And the only other thing I found interesting and aesthetically pleasing were the two larger paintings on the far back wall of the main room. Not only are the impressive by their size, but they resemble Cy Twombley and Kandinsky, which are two artists whose work I personally like. The non representational shapes are dark and compelling, they can be interpreted in anyway, and I think that's important for an artist to do, and involve many different types of viewers. All in all the show was nice to walk through however a lot of the work I found boring, especially the sculptural work in the back right room. The curation of it I feel is a thousand times more interesting than the BA/BFA Art Open show was curated. I feel that I was cheated by wall space, and the lack thereof of quality work. I had two paintings I feel should've been chosen and put into the show, but they weren't, and I saw work that I felt wasn't even good quality to have been in it. I know some people submitted work and it wasn't chosen but maybe should have. The set up of the actual show sucked and I don't know who curated it but they didn't do a good job. I had a painting in that show and it was not displayed appropriately by any means and the placement did nothing for the painting. And the MFA show I believe is curated the right way, the pieces are displayed nicely, really giving the viewer an understanding about the work, and letting them get a feel of it. That's about it.
thesis proposal 2009
Thesis Proposal/BFA 2009
Hannah O’Brien
My fascination with the process of painting, the application of paint, and the different behaviors it can comprise has brought me to the idea of “action painting”. Experimenting with different qualities of the paint and the response that I get from it becomes something persuasive and inviting for me. I want to change the paint by moving it around, adding more, thinning it out, over lapping, and layering. Through this manipulation, I am creating interesting compositions, new textures, and exciting effects. I have been searching for artists that would be helpful in modifying and creating my own color palette, trying to limit the amount of colors I use in my paintings. I use a lot of bright, iridescent colors, seemingly neon, in simple non representational forms. An artist whose work has been helpful is that of Wendy White. Our color palette is very similar, almost exactly the same, mainly greens, bright pinks, and black. Her use of black is inventive, one would think too dramatic, but it works for me. So for my thesis, this artist will be serving as an inspiration for me. I am interested a great deal in drips, and how they interact on the canvas. I have discovered that just by using gravity, and rotating the canvas, it enhances the drips, and gives better control, guiding them where to go. My curiosity behind this is to see how the paint changes form and creates its own path, as it works its way through wet on wet paint. The idea of paint dripping from one canvas to another, simultaneously creating a second painting, while still working on the one, is also an idea I have toyed with and will be focusing on while I create work for my thesis show. I paint with an uncertainty; the aspect of not knowing exactly what will happen in my work. I am creating the brushstroke, the movement of my hands, and the movement of the paint, and with that creating something almost impossible to mimic. Not only have I been inspired by the artists I have been researching but music has been a huge inspiration to me, and a lot of my work I have to thank to The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Elliott Smith and varieties of trance music. All of these musicians and bands have in common is tranquility in their songs. Peaceful, encouraging lyrics mixed with psycadelic sounds of techno and new wave makes me want to paint. I cannot paint without music, and this is why I feel it is important I include these motivations into my thesis research. I can easily get frustrated and that is my block, the music keeps me focused and the rhythms coincide with my gestural marks of the paint. Listening to this music brings me to a happy place, and I think about my childhood a lot while painting; about playing outside, creating things, the curiosity I had as a child, and the curiosity I have now, in general, my adolescence gives me insight to what my inner thoughts are, and how to portray them in painting. Making work is not easy, even though I am painting abstractly, it does not mean, “you’re six year old” could have done it. It takes much time and a lot of ‘feeling’ to make abstract work. Personally I find it more difficult to paint abstractly than realistically. My work is meant for the viewer, it is meant to extract emotions, a deep hidden anger, spiteful feelings, unconsciously finding the inner ‘you’ while I have found myself making it. I am attached to my work and it is difficult for me to sell, or give my paintings away. I feel like each painting I have done is marking a moment of my life, and it can never be recaptured. I have to be concienseous of my actions and my creations, understanding them on my own before I can share them with others. It is an intimacy between me, the paint and the canvas. I kind of know it immediately. Sometimes I'll keep it in spite of myself, because there's something about it. Maybe I don't like it, but there's something about it that makes it difficult to erase-and quite often that'll be a particularly good painting. I guess that's because what I'm after is to surprise myself somehow, to kind of step out of the picture and let it surprise me. I guess that's what all artists do, in a way. I do feel that I've reduced my painting work to this one thing, but there's a kind of endless range of expression within that very simple structure that I've given myself. It's like there's an element of music, there's an element of movie, there's a beginning, a middle, and an end-there's a little narrative there. My work is indicative and genuine. I love color, texture, noise, handling of the paint and the canvas; becoming part of the work while making it, really feeling what I am trying to convey is so important to me. Marks that are gesticulate, quick, slow, accidental, come out of my personality, and I see that in my work, and that is something that no one else can claim. I am unique and creative, and I want my work to illustrate these characteristics. I want my body of work for my thesis to be compelling, and thought out, colorful and stimulating.
Hannah O’Brien
My fascination with the process of painting, the application of paint, and the different behaviors it can comprise has brought me to the idea of “action painting”. Experimenting with different qualities of the paint and the response that I get from it becomes something persuasive and inviting for me. I want to change the paint by moving it around, adding more, thinning it out, over lapping, and layering. Through this manipulation, I am creating interesting compositions, new textures, and exciting effects. I have been searching for artists that would be helpful in modifying and creating my own color palette, trying to limit the amount of colors I use in my paintings. I use a lot of bright, iridescent colors, seemingly neon, in simple non representational forms. An artist whose work has been helpful is that of Wendy White. Our color palette is very similar, almost exactly the same, mainly greens, bright pinks, and black. Her use of black is inventive, one would think too dramatic, but it works for me. So for my thesis, this artist will be serving as an inspiration for me. I am interested a great deal in drips, and how they interact on the canvas. I have discovered that just by using gravity, and rotating the canvas, it enhances the drips, and gives better control, guiding them where to go. My curiosity behind this is to see how the paint changes form and creates its own path, as it works its way through wet on wet paint. The idea of paint dripping from one canvas to another, simultaneously creating a second painting, while still working on the one, is also an idea I have toyed with and will be focusing on while I create work for my thesis show. I paint with an uncertainty; the aspect of not knowing exactly what will happen in my work. I am creating the brushstroke, the movement of my hands, and the movement of the paint, and with that creating something almost impossible to mimic. Not only have I been inspired by the artists I have been researching but music has been a huge inspiration to me, and a lot of my work I have to thank to The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Elliott Smith and varieties of trance music. All of these musicians and bands have in common is tranquility in their songs. Peaceful, encouraging lyrics mixed with psycadelic sounds of techno and new wave makes me want to paint. I cannot paint without music, and this is why I feel it is important I include these motivations into my thesis research. I can easily get frustrated and that is my block, the music keeps me focused and the rhythms coincide with my gestural marks of the paint. Listening to this music brings me to a happy place, and I think about my childhood a lot while painting; about playing outside, creating things, the curiosity I had as a child, and the curiosity I have now, in general, my adolescence gives me insight to what my inner thoughts are, and how to portray them in painting. Making work is not easy, even though I am painting abstractly, it does not mean, “you’re six year old” could have done it. It takes much time and a lot of ‘feeling’ to make abstract work. Personally I find it more difficult to paint abstractly than realistically. My work is meant for the viewer, it is meant to extract emotions, a deep hidden anger, spiteful feelings, unconsciously finding the inner ‘you’ while I have found myself making it. I am attached to my work and it is difficult for me to sell, or give my paintings away. I feel like each painting I have done is marking a moment of my life, and it can never be recaptured. I have to be concienseous of my actions and my creations, understanding them on my own before I can share them with others. It is an intimacy between me, the paint and the canvas. I kind of know it immediately. Sometimes I'll keep it in spite of myself, because there's something about it. Maybe I don't like it, but there's something about it that makes it difficult to erase-and quite often that'll be a particularly good painting. I guess that's because what I'm after is to surprise myself somehow, to kind of step out of the picture and let it surprise me. I guess that's what all artists do, in a way. I do feel that I've reduced my painting work to this one thing, but there's a kind of endless range of expression within that very simple structure that I've given myself. It's like there's an element of music, there's an element of movie, there's a beginning, a middle, and an end-there's a little narrative there. My work is indicative and genuine. I love color, texture, noise, handling of the paint and the canvas; becoming part of the work while making it, really feeling what I am trying to convey is so important to me. Marks that are gesticulate, quick, slow, accidental, come out of my personality, and I see that in my work, and that is something that no one else can claim. I am unique and creative, and I want my work to illustrate these characteristics. I want my body of work for my thesis to be compelling, and thought out, colorful and stimulating.
complete annotated bibliography
1. O’Brien, Glenn. “James Nares.” Interview. <http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/james-nares/>
This is a great interview I just read, between Glenn O'Brien and James Nares, about his pre painting experiences and post painting experiences. James Nares is just a normal art student it seems, not some famous painter with a whole new insight on life, but a regular artist, that has failures and triumphs, etc. He came from London to New York and was originally trying to be several things, a musician, a filmmaker, and chose painting to be his main thing, which he had been doing since he was a child anyway. His paintings create an effect of no knowing what’s the top, the bottom, how it was painted, kind of like stuck in space somewhere, with no up and no down, no sideways either. Seems he has to create his own procedure to making his paintings, because of the effect he wants to have. I like that he feels it’s all about the brushstroke, the movement of your hands, and the movement of the paint, how it reacts. Very cool, and something that I feel is the way to paint, it’s too boring painting a scenic beautiful waterfall, who cares?! Paint something where the paint looks fucking cool and does something that you can’t mimic. This interview makes me think about what my thesis show will look like, and more so, what I want it to convey to the viewer, the audience, what my painting is about.
2. Spears, Dorothy. “The art of Ingrid Calame: A speedway palette.” The New York Times. 10 Oct. 2007. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/arts/29iht-raceart.1.8092603.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=the%20art%20of%20ingrid%20calame%20:%20a%20speedway%20palette&st=cse>
This article mainly talks about her idea to trace the skid marks on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. What is really great about Ingrid Calame’s work is that it offers visual testimony of what usually goes unnoticed: the fuel spills, sprayed gravel, gouges and skids that remain indelible after high-speed courtships with death. She is making work out of the things we see every day, anywhere, where you’d least expect it. These are out of the closet inspirations in which she gathers her ideas from. “One pattern was a famous pretzel-shaped skid mark made by Dan Wheldon in 2005 after his Indianapolis 500 victory. Now an enamel and latex wall painting based on his celebratory gesture is the 76-by-20-foot, or 23-by-6-meter, centerpiece of "Ingrid Calame: Traces of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," opening Friday at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.”
3. Griffin, Tim. “Action and Abstraction.” 2009. <http://artforum.com/inprint/id=23997>
Just browsing through artforum I found this article very intriguing. Talking about the future of art, ideas behind art, and what art is really about. “What is the mentality of the art world we actually know, the one we experience day to day, as opposed to the one proposed by Hardt and Negri? My colleague lamentingly summed it up thus: “Theory is bad, political thought in art is wrong, activism is jejune, the free market is good, individualism is great, and the amoral artist is genius.” Even in these fragile days, the institution of art can be a highly legislated and regimented sphere, regulated by subtle codes of behavior and hierarchies of value that are perpetually reinscribed—among artists, critics, scholars, curators, and collectors—instead of being examined anew, openly and in earnest. And yet acknowledging such obstacles is, in a sense, precisely the point of Hardt and Negri’s text: to prompt serious reflection in the face of faltering social systems and conventions, from which the art world’s own instances cannot be exempt. In short, every aspect of art—its premises, its manifestations, and its implications, as well as the audience it anticipates and projects—must be continually revisited and, if proved inadequate, reimagined in order for art to have any persisting salience (to say nothing of relevance). Mere commentary in this regard does not suffice. But it is only by wanting a different language for art—or by recognizing that the times demand such altered grammars—that one can begin. In this way (and perhaps inadvertently), the same gauntlet that is thrown down by Hardt and Negri for the constituents of society can also be said to be thrown down for those who would be constituents of art, in whatever form it takes.”
4. MGMT lyrics. “Kids.” 2008.
Lyrics: You were a child, Crawling on your knees toward it, Making momma so proud, But your voice is too loud, We like to watch you laughing, You pick the insects off plants, No time to think of consequences, Control yourself, Take only what you need from it, A family of trees wanted, To be haunted, The water is warm, But it’s sending me shivers, A baby is born, Crying out for attention, The memories fade, Like looking through a fogged mirror, Decision to decisions are made, And not bought, But I thought this wouldn’t hurt a lot, I guess not
This song, not only the sounds, the music of it, the lyrics are very empowering. It always brings me back to childhood, makes me think more about my importance in life and my reason in life, who am I about? I hear this song and want to paint, I feel like I create the most interesting, colorful, abstract works while hearing it. I pay attention more to the paint and what it’s doing, instead of trying to come up with a concrete idea and sticking with it, I feel more free and expressive.
5. Boddy-Evans, Marion. “How to Interpret Abstract Art, Things to consider when looking at or creating abstract art.” <http://painting.about.com/od/abstractart/a/abstract_mean.htm>
Reading this article has made me reconsider how I evaluate my own work. It has given me several guidelines, suggestions, how to follow through with a painting. The basic questions you professor asks you, or a friend that sees your work. These questions and comments on “interpreting” abstract art are in my head all the time, and seeing them, reading them, reminds me, to focus on them, and not just paint to paint, but think about why am I painting this? It’s going to be necessary, crucial to be aware of these things while preparing for my thesis.
6. Hochdörfer, Achim. “A Hidden Reserve.” Artforum. Vol. 47, Iss. 6; pg. 153, 7 pg. New York: Feb 2009.
This article is about the time period between 1958 and 1965, where artists explored possibilities that were consequently mainly suppressed, until recent practices re-engaged them. These “latent strategies would include the investigation of the dialectic between painterly substance and aesthetic transcendence; the use of the painted gestural mark beyond expressionism and the semiotization of the mark itself.” It’s about opening up unfamiliar territories and placing our long-standing debates on contemporary painting within a new perspective, and the importance of this is crucial to the development of painting, and going back to what painting really is. It makes you think about your own work and why you paint. In my opinion, it is about the gestural mark, completely. The reinterpretations of gestural abstraction, in these ‘narrations of indeterminacy, the simultaneity of competing perspectives and signs confers the act of composition on the viewer, repeatedly urging him or her to form unstable structures of signification.’ Recently it seems that painting has applied itself to those very problems of the 1960’s, which they had declared dead. Minimalism, abstract expressionism, the 60’s, Johns, Kaprow, etc.
7. Sharp, Chris. “The Idiots.” Art Review. Issue 32. May 2009.
This article, is called ‘The Idiots’, namely because of the Danish director, Lars von Trier, whose 1998 film was titled, The Idiots. It’s about a group of nonconformist Danish kids, “spazzing,” rendering themselves useless. They call it, “retard art,” which is that which prioritizes the ‘durr’ factor to an overwhelming, if not exclusive degree. ‘Durr’ means downright, impulsive, idiotic, stupidness, behind a given artwork, (i.e. Jackass). Makes you think about what Andy Warhol, Dadaism, and Duchamp was about, and what they were trying to convey. The idea that, “I know I am shallow.” It allows itself to be vulnerable to criticism by virtue of its nerdiness and apparent critically. It’s about finding a purpose for something that didn’t have a purpose to begin with, the idea that mistakes are necessary for perfection. There is always room for “bad” or “aggressive” gestures in are, you just have to do it, and keep doing it, even if it’s the dumbest thing you can think of. This pushes me to play more with painting, and relax, and be bold. Just start painting and see where it takes me, I think there is a lot behind that, not just, “oh, my 6yr old could have done that,” because I doubt they could. This is what I want to, and know I need to work on, like meditation, or seeing a shrink, it’s like calming.
8. Schmitz, Edgar. “Everything Popular is Wrong.” Art Review. Issue 35. October 2009. http://www.artreview.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1474022%3ABlogPost%3A887405
This article I found extraordinarily interesting, suggesting the idea that art becomes popular namely because it is misunderstood. The idea that “popularity” itself, or lack thereof it, has come to determine the success or failure of the artwork. So basically, if it’s a scribble on a canvas, but Lauren Conrad likes it, and all of her friends too...then it becomes popular? I was intrigued by the thoughts in this article, as well as confused, however I do believe that some art is ridiculously honored over other art, namely because it became popular. (I.e. Andy Warhol)
9. The Flaming Lips lyrics “Do You Realize?”
Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face, Do You Realize - we're floating in space -, Do You Realize - that happiness makes you cry, Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die, And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know, You realize that life goes fast, It's hard to make the good things last, You realize the sun don'-go down, It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round, Do You Realize - Oh - Oh – Oh, Do You Realize - that everyone you know, Someday will die
It’s hard to really get the full idea about this song without hearing it, but this song I guess always gets me. I may cry, I may laugh, not sure sometimes, but it always breaks me down to how I really am feeling, underneath it all. And this is why I like this song. I makes me think about my family, my old dog, my future, who I am. It just gets me going, thinking, wondering, and it also is quite relaxing. Even if I’m in a room with a ton of people and I am listening to this, maybe with ear phones, I feel completely alone. I find it necessary sometimes.
10. Elliott Smith “Miss Misery” Lyrics
I'll fake it through the day, with some help from Johnny Walker Red., Send the poison rain down the drain, to put bad thoughts in my head. Two tickets torn in half, and a lot of nothing to do. Do you miss me, Miss Misery, like you say you do? A man in the park, Read the lines in my hand, Told me I'm strong, Hardly ever wrong I said "man you mean you", I had plans for both of us, That involved a trip out of town, To a place I've seen in a magazine, That you left lying around. I don't have you with me but, I keep a good attitude. Do you miss me, Miss Misery, like you say you do? I know you'd rather see me gone, than to see me the way that I am, but I am in the life anyway. Next door the TVs flashing, Blue frames on the wall. It's a comedy of errors, you see. It's about taking a fall. To vanish into oblivion, is easy to do. And I try to be but you know me, I come back when you want me to. Do you miss me, Miss Misery, like you say you do?
Along the same lines as the Flaming Lips song, this song puts me in an empty place, alone and dark. Depressing as it sounds, but a lot of the time, with school, the stress, my family and my fiancé, I am stressed beyond belief some days, and this is the music that eases my negative thoughts and is comforting. This song in particular I always play first, when I start a painting. I can relax and let loose, paint freely and I usually come up with paintings to keep, if I am listening to this music, meanwhile making it.
This is a great interview I just read, between Glenn O'Brien and James Nares, about his pre painting experiences and post painting experiences. James Nares is just a normal art student it seems, not some famous painter with a whole new insight on life, but a regular artist, that has failures and triumphs, etc. He came from London to New York and was originally trying to be several things, a musician, a filmmaker, and chose painting to be his main thing, which he had been doing since he was a child anyway. His paintings create an effect of no knowing what’s the top, the bottom, how it was painted, kind of like stuck in space somewhere, with no up and no down, no sideways either. Seems he has to create his own procedure to making his paintings, because of the effect he wants to have. I like that he feels it’s all about the brushstroke, the movement of your hands, and the movement of the paint, how it reacts. Very cool, and something that I feel is the way to paint, it’s too boring painting a scenic beautiful waterfall, who cares?! Paint something where the paint looks fucking cool and does something that you can’t mimic. This interview makes me think about what my thesis show will look like, and more so, what I want it to convey to the viewer, the audience, what my painting is about.
2. Spears, Dorothy. “The art of Ingrid Calame: A speedway palette.” The New York Times. 10 Oct. 2007. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/arts/29iht-raceart.1.8092603.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=the%20art%20of%20ingrid%20calame%20:%20a%20speedway%20palette&st=cse>
This article mainly talks about her idea to trace the skid marks on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. What is really great about Ingrid Calame’s work is that it offers visual testimony of what usually goes unnoticed: the fuel spills, sprayed gravel, gouges and skids that remain indelible after high-speed courtships with death. She is making work out of the things we see every day, anywhere, where you’d least expect it. These are out of the closet inspirations in which she gathers her ideas from. “One pattern was a famous pretzel-shaped skid mark made by Dan Wheldon in 2005 after his Indianapolis 500 victory. Now an enamel and latex wall painting based on his celebratory gesture is the 76-by-20-foot, or 23-by-6-meter, centerpiece of "Ingrid Calame: Traces of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," opening Friday at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.”
3. Griffin, Tim. “Action and Abstraction.” 2009. <http://artforum.com/inprint/id=23997>
Just browsing through artforum I found this article very intriguing. Talking about the future of art, ideas behind art, and what art is really about. “What is the mentality of the art world we actually know, the one we experience day to day, as opposed to the one proposed by Hardt and Negri? My colleague lamentingly summed it up thus: “Theory is bad, political thought in art is wrong, activism is jejune, the free market is good, individualism is great, and the amoral artist is genius.” Even in these fragile days, the institution of art can be a highly legislated and regimented sphere, regulated by subtle codes of behavior and hierarchies of value that are perpetually reinscribed—among artists, critics, scholars, curators, and collectors—instead of being examined anew, openly and in earnest. And yet acknowledging such obstacles is, in a sense, precisely the point of Hardt and Negri’s text: to prompt serious reflection in the face of faltering social systems and conventions, from which the art world’s own instances cannot be exempt. In short, every aspect of art—its premises, its manifestations, and its implications, as well as the audience it anticipates and projects—must be continually revisited and, if proved inadequate, reimagined in order for art to have any persisting salience (to say nothing of relevance). Mere commentary in this regard does not suffice. But it is only by wanting a different language for art—or by recognizing that the times demand such altered grammars—that one can begin. In this way (and perhaps inadvertently), the same gauntlet that is thrown down by Hardt and Negri for the constituents of society can also be said to be thrown down for those who would be constituents of art, in whatever form it takes.”
4. MGMT lyrics. “Kids.” 2008.
Lyrics: You were a child, Crawling on your knees toward it, Making momma so proud, But your voice is too loud, We like to watch you laughing, You pick the insects off plants, No time to think of consequences, Control yourself, Take only what you need from it, A family of trees wanted, To be haunted, The water is warm, But it’s sending me shivers, A baby is born, Crying out for attention, The memories fade, Like looking through a fogged mirror, Decision to decisions are made, And not bought, But I thought this wouldn’t hurt a lot, I guess not
This song, not only the sounds, the music of it, the lyrics are very empowering. It always brings me back to childhood, makes me think more about my importance in life and my reason in life, who am I about? I hear this song and want to paint, I feel like I create the most interesting, colorful, abstract works while hearing it. I pay attention more to the paint and what it’s doing, instead of trying to come up with a concrete idea and sticking with it, I feel more free and expressive.
5. Boddy-Evans, Marion. “How to Interpret Abstract Art, Things to consider when looking at or creating abstract art.” <http://painting.about.com/od/abstractart/a/abstract_mean.htm>
Reading this article has made me reconsider how I evaluate my own work. It has given me several guidelines, suggestions, how to follow through with a painting. The basic questions you professor asks you, or a friend that sees your work. These questions and comments on “interpreting” abstract art are in my head all the time, and seeing them, reading them, reminds me, to focus on them, and not just paint to paint, but think about why am I painting this? It’s going to be necessary, crucial to be aware of these things while preparing for my thesis.
6. Hochdörfer, Achim. “A Hidden Reserve.” Artforum. Vol. 47, Iss. 6; pg. 153, 7 pg. New York: Feb 2009.
This article is about the time period between 1958 and 1965, where artists explored possibilities that were consequently mainly suppressed, until recent practices re-engaged them. These “latent strategies would include the investigation of the dialectic between painterly substance and aesthetic transcendence; the use of the painted gestural mark beyond expressionism and the semiotization of the mark itself.” It’s about opening up unfamiliar territories and placing our long-standing debates on contemporary painting within a new perspective, and the importance of this is crucial to the development of painting, and going back to what painting really is. It makes you think about your own work and why you paint. In my opinion, it is about the gestural mark, completely. The reinterpretations of gestural abstraction, in these ‘narrations of indeterminacy, the simultaneity of competing perspectives and signs confers the act of composition on the viewer, repeatedly urging him or her to form unstable structures of signification.’ Recently it seems that painting has applied itself to those very problems of the 1960’s, which they had declared dead. Minimalism, abstract expressionism, the 60’s, Johns, Kaprow, etc.
7. Sharp, Chris. “The Idiots.” Art Review. Issue 32. May 2009.
This article, is called ‘The Idiots’, namely because of the Danish director, Lars von Trier, whose 1998 film was titled, The Idiots. It’s about a group of nonconformist Danish kids, “spazzing,” rendering themselves useless. They call it, “retard art,” which is that which prioritizes the ‘durr’ factor to an overwhelming, if not exclusive degree. ‘Durr’ means downright, impulsive, idiotic, stupidness, behind a given artwork, (i.e. Jackass). Makes you think about what Andy Warhol, Dadaism, and Duchamp was about, and what they were trying to convey. The idea that, “I know I am shallow.” It allows itself to be vulnerable to criticism by virtue of its nerdiness and apparent critically. It’s about finding a purpose for something that didn’t have a purpose to begin with, the idea that mistakes are necessary for perfection. There is always room for “bad” or “aggressive” gestures in are, you just have to do it, and keep doing it, even if it’s the dumbest thing you can think of. This pushes me to play more with painting, and relax, and be bold. Just start painting and see where it takes me, I think there is a lot behind that, not just, “oh, my 6yr old could have done that,” because I doubt they could. This is what I want to, and know I need to work on, like meditation, or seeing a shrink, it’s like calming.
8. Schmitz, Edgar. “Everything Popular is Wrong.” Art Review. Issue 35. October 2009. http://www.artreview.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1474022%3ABlogPost%3A887405
This article I found extraordinarily interesting, suggesting the idea that art becomes popular namely because it is misunderstood. The idea that “popularity” itself, or lack thereof it, has come to determine the success or failure of the artwork. So basically, if it’s a scribble on a canvas, but Lauren Conrad likes it, and all of her friends too...then it becomes popular? I was intrigued by the thoughts in this article, as well as confused, however I do believe that some art is ridiculously honored over other art, namely because it became popular. (I.e. Andy Warhol)
9. The Flaming Lips lyrics “Do You Realize?”
Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face, Do You Realize - we're floating in space -, Do You Realize - that happiness makes you cry, Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die, And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know, You realize that life goes fast, It's hard to make the good things last, You realize the sun don'-go down, It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round, Do You Realize - Oh - Oh – Oh, Do You Realize - that everyone you know, Someday will die
It’s hard to really get the full idea about this song without hearing it, but this song I guess always gets me. I may cry, I may laugh, not sure sometimes, but it always breaks me down to how I really am feeling, underneath it all. And this is why I like this song. I makes me think about my family, my old dog, my future, who I am. It just gets me going, thinking, wondering, and it also is quite relaxing. Even if I’m in a room with a ton of people and I am listening to this, maybe with ear phones, I feel completely alone. I find it necessary sometimes.
10. Elliott Smith “Miss Misery” Lyrics
I'll fake it through the day, with some help from Johnny Walker Red., Send the poison rain down the drain, to put bad thoughts in my head. Two tickets torn in half, and a lot of nothing to do. Do you miss me, Miss Misery, like you say you do? A man in the park, Read the lines in my hand, Told me I'm strong, Hardly ever wrong I said "man you mean you", I had plans for both of us, That involved a trip out of town, To a place I've seen in a magazine, That you left lying around. I don't have you with me but, I keep a good attitude. Do you miss me, Miss Misery, like you say you do? I know you'd rather see me gone, than to see me the way that I am, but I am in the life anyway. Next door the TVs flashing, Blue frames on the wall. It's a comedy of errors, you see. It's about taking a fall. To vanish into oblivion, is easy to do. And I try to be but you know me, I come back when you want me to. Do you miss me, Miss Misery, like you say you do?
Along the same lines as the Flaming Lips song, this song puts me in an empty place, alone and dark. Depressing as it sounds, but a lot of the time, with school, the stress, my family and my fiancé, I am stressed beyond belief some days, and this is the music that eases my negative thoughts and is comforting. This song in particular I always play first, when I start a painting. I can relax and let loose, paint freely and I usually come up with paintings to keep, if I am listening to this music, meanwhile making it.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Ingrid Calame
"g-kgg-kooo-kggkooo-kggkkoo" 2003 enamel on aluminum
"Bb-AAghch!" 2003 enamel on aluminum
Ingrid Calame's boldly colored compositions are derived from stains and graffiti that she traces from city streets and sidewalks. I find her work interesting and unique. Her color uses is spectacular and I really like the abstract shapes she configures, and the combinations of colors is very striking. Here are two works of hers I like a lot. "Bb-AAghch!" is a painting I love! The blues and greens, the washed out white, that reminds me of snow, is great. I have never painted on aluminum before, and I can't recall ever using enamel in my work, but the effect is really nice, it looks very flat, reminds me something like Matisse.
SOGH
Sogh, is a local artist in Baltimore, his real name is Shawn. He uses car paint, and spray paint, and paints on wood. I like his use of color, and he grasps the concept that I'm trying to achieve. He uses spray paint to create a single placement of a circle, and a drip from that circle. It's not messy or muddy, and at first, before talking with him, and also reading about his work, it was hard to tell what medium he was using. I am just starting to paint on wood, and am going to try to work with spray paint again. I had used spray paint in the Spring of 2009, but wasn't sure how to handle it and how to work with it, since I have primarily been using acrylics. I really enjoy his work, which he has at the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. I bought 2 of his paintings while I was there, and was lucky enough for him to sign them.
SOGH Shawn Theron, Untitled 2009 (both)
These are the two paintings I bought from the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. The artist signed them both for me and wrote little memos on the back too. I really liked these, and felt that he was doing something similar to what I hope to be doing in the future with my own work. I love spray paint and after seeing this, it makes me want to back into it, experimenting with it, and just getting a feeling with new mediums again.
These are the two paintings I bought from the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. The artist signed them both for me and wrote little memos on the back too. I really liked these, and felt that he was doing something similar to what I hope to be doing in the future with my own work. I love spray paint and after seeing this, it makes me want to back into it, experimenting with it, and just getting a feeling with new mediums again.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Manfredi Beninati
Manfredi beninati
Here is another example of manfredi Beninati’s paintings. I love the color in this one and the whisping shapes and the flow of his hand. The colors go so well with each other and nothing is too over powering. I like his tie dyed style he has as a wash, and he uses drips minimally but it works really well in this painting.
Here is another example of manfredi Beninati’s paintings. I love the color in this one and the whisping shapes and the flow of his hand. The colors go so well with each other and nothing is too over powering. I like his tie dyed style he has as a wash, and he uses drips minimally but it works really well in this painting.
Manfredi beninati
Now, this painting is marvelous. I love the detail with the dog and little girl, but he has so many abstract qualities about it as well. The magenta in this is very striking and is why I picked it out. He doesn’t go overboard with the yellow, but it gives a nice touch. He creates vines, trees and flowers out of the drips and manipulates them, and this is something I myself am trying to teach myself. His Alice in Wonderland vibe is awesome and I wish I did it first.
Now, this painting is marvelous. I love the detail with the dog and little girl, but he has so many abstract qualities about it as well. The magenta in this is very striking and is why I picked it out. He doesn’t go overboard with the yellow, but it gives a nice touch. He creates vines, trees and flowers out of the drips and manipulates them, and this is something I myself am trying to teach myself. His Alice in Wonderland vibe is awesome and I wish I did it first.
Untitled (Fes Hagosh) 2006, oils on canvas.
This artist shows at the James Cohan Gallery in Chelsea, and I saw his work many years ago, but for thesis I wanted to revisit his work, because I remember really liking it. This is his painting that I saw in the Gallery that I liked the most, and inspired me to continue what I was already doing, but also try new things as well. He paints Aurora Boreallis, the Alaskan lights, with faint images behind the haziness of his paint. He also emphasizes the drips and plays off them, working them into the image behind. This painting is Untitled (Fes Hagosh) 2006, oils on canvas.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Halloween weekend
Soo, I'm too tired right now to do a write up, but I visited my sister in Baltimore this past weekend, and they live like 5 minutes from the Visionary Art Museum. So we went. It was awesome. I also bought 2 paintings by a local artist, that also shows his work at the Visionary Art Museum. Will make a better post about this, sooner than later I hope, just wanted all ya'll to be jealous.. woo woo!
thesis research JAMES NARES
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/james-nares/
This is a great interview I just read, between Glenn O'Brien and James Nares, about his pre painting experiences and post painting experiences. James Nares is just a normal art student it seems, not some famous painter with a whole new insight on life, but a regular artist, that has failures and triumphs, etc. He came from London to New York and was originally trying to be several things, a musician, a filmmaker, and chose painting to be his main thing, which he had been doing since he was a child anyway. His paintings create an effect of no knowing whats the top, the bottom, how it was painted, kind of like stuck in space somewhere, with no up and no down, no sideways either. Seems he has to create his own procedure to making his paintings, because of the effect he wants to have. I like that he feels its all about the brushstroke, the movement of your hands, the movement of the paint, how it reacts. Very cool, and something that I feel is the way to paint, its too boring painting a scenic beautiful waterfall, who cares?! Paint something where the paint looks fucking cool and does something that you cant mimic. This interview makes me think about what my thesis show will look like, and more so, what I want it to convey to the viewer, the audience, what my painting is about... James Nares work is amazing, and if your reading this blog, you should click that link and read the interview yourself, and check out his work.
This is a great interview I just read, between Glenn O'Brien and James Nares, about his pre painting experiences and post painting experiences. James Nares is just a normal art student it seems, not some famous painter with a whole new insight on life, but a regular artist, that has failures and triumphs, etc. He came from London to New York and was originally trying to be several things, a musician, a filmmaker, and chose painting to be his main thing, which he had been doing since he was a child anyway. His paintings create an effect of no knowing whats the top, the bottom, how it was painted, kind of like stuck in space somewhere, with no up and no down, no sideways either. Seems he has to create his own procedure to making his paintings, because of the effect he wants to have. I like that he feels its all about the brushstroke, the movement of your hands, the movement of the paint, how it reacts. Very cool, and something that I feel is the way to paint, its too boring painting a scenic beautiful waterfall, who cares?! Paint something where the paint looks fucking cool and does something that you cant mimic. This interview makes me think about what my thesis show will look like, and more so, what I want it to convey to the viewer, the audience, what my painting is about... James Nares work is amazing, and if your reading this blog, you should click that link and read the interview yourself, and check out his work.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Jules Olitski
He is an abstract painter as well as a print maker and sculptor. His paintings are about color, and texture. His radically innovative technique, of laying down an atmospheric like blanket of color, somewhat like a spray on the canvas then he changes the edge of the picture by dragging the paint along sections of the edge. These are a couple of his works I liked. You'd think that these are just grounds for a new painting, but these are his actual paintings, and thats what I like about them. Simple, but abstract, colorful..
Morris Louis
"Alpha-Pi" (1960) 102.5 x 177 inches, acrylic
The idea of separation in this painting is wonderful. One canvas, but it seems like it could be two. There also seems to be some tension, but because of the organic painterly lines, its more easygoing, than I thought it would be at first.
Morris Louis
I like his idea of solid colors, and simple shapes, the basic idea of color field painting. He uses a lot of bright colors and his palette isn't necessarily limited, which in my own work, I think my palette is too much and should limit it to 2 or 3 colors, and vary with lighter/darker. I like the tranquility in his work, and would like to be more successful in my own work, making it seem effortless, but well thought out. These are some of his paintings I enjoy, and they describe a bit of what i am searching for in my own work.
Ian Davenport Thesis Research
Ian Davenport
(Puddle Painting: Prime II, acrylic on aluminum, 2008)
(Puddle Painting: Prime II, acrylic on aluminum, 2008)
He uses drips of paint to create a painting, using gravity, rotating the canvas (whatever material) and is interested in what the drips create, as he manipulates them. This is basically what I do, just a lot messier, and muddier.I would like to recreate my own paintings, but more neater, and more precise. Maybe its the pace I work, because I work quickly, and in a sense almost randomly. I would say I paint with uncertainty, but I like that aspect of not knowing exactly what will happen in my work, however I would like to become neater, and have the colors stay more separate, or more opaque, so that they wont blend together.
Hannah paintings-suggestions?
Hey Gerry/Megan, I haven't had any individual commentary, or input on my own work, or any reach out by you guys, to help me with my thesis research. I would appreciate if you guys took the time, to make some suggestions of artists or galleries I should be looking into, for my thesis. Here are some images of my own paintings, the most recent from late summer, to the present. I really need some input and some guidance. I most recently have been looking at Wendy White (Hanneline's suggestion) and love her work.
Monday, October 26, 2009
wendy white/thesis proposal research
"Post Rap" acrylic 60x96 inches
"Back to Scrape" acrylic 82.5x115x44 inches
I found this painting interesting because of the several panels in which its made up of, and also the placement of it, in the corner. Seeing this, I want to create this, it has given me many new ideas, and things I'd like to test out in my own art work, and hopefully for thesis, you will see multiple panels in my artwork.
"Hot Topic" acrylic 60x72 inches
The idea of using mainly black and white or a monochromatic style painting is a great thought. Sometimes I get carried away with the amount of colors I use, and the amount of paint I use. This painting reminds me, that you don't need a thousand colors to make it interesting or "colorful," and that by using less, you get more. Also, the black paint is quite overwhelming in this painting, which is something I tend to do if I find myself struggling with a painting, I like to rely on obscene amounts of black paint, and cover it up, then start again. But, after covering up most of it, maybe leaving it would look even better than starting something new.
"Korner" acrylic 42x120 inches
Now, when I buy canvases, I tend to get the larger rectangular ones, or the square ones, because they give more space, or its a subconscious thing I do, because of right angles and shape, I want it to be evenly spaced? I don't know. However, I really love the idea of extending your canvas, and especially not so evenly, but like the 2 left canvases in this painting, are uneven and don't line up on the bottom, but they do on the top. This is also a new idea that has struck my interest, and I would like to explore these thoughts more so, in my own work, creating a sculptural sense to the painting.
"Freshkills" acrylic 92x160 inches
Thesis/wendy white
okay, so I just realised what the date is, and that our thesis proposals are due very soon. anyway, i have been spending sometime checking out this artist Wendy white, her shit is really good. she uses a lot of bright iridescent colors, and neons. also she uses black, you may think too much, too dramatic, but it works for me. also she uses text in some of her work, which also intrigued me, cause I've been interested in the idea of text in painting. i tired a bit last semester and failed miserably, but we do seem to have a similar color theme. I've been a little lost in my paintings, not a good lost, and someone suggested multiple panels, and ironically enough, Wendy white uses multiple panels. she also seems to have a modern, spray paint thing going on, very euro, japan, whatever. i have been trying to reach this aesthetic, and lo and behold, Wendy white has been doing it all along. so for my thesis, this artist has been someone whose work i will continue to look at and use ideas from. this is some of her work, but this blog shit is so retarded, I'm sure ill have to post each image separately.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Zim
For my exhibit of choice I went to the Zim Museum on the Rutgers campus which has "BLOCKS OF COLOR, American Woodcuts from the 1890's to the Present" exhibit going on. I've taken several printmaking classes before, and I enjoy the processes and decisions used when making woodcuts, and prints. It can be a tedious process but there are many options, and so many colors, and overlaying, positives and negatives, I was interested in seeing this show. I first walked in, showed my ID, etc, got down the stairs, and wasn't too impressed. In the second room however, I immediately was drawn to the 3 colorful prints by Karen KUNC. Shes an American born artist, and she describes her prints as "nature based abstraction." The colors, and over lapping of her prints creates a 'reductive process which allows her composition to evolve over the course of its printing, as well as creating depth through the intricate layering of color.' The bright yellows, reds, green, purples, and blues, together create an atmosphere of tranquility and happiness, you get a positive vibe from these prints, and I really enjoyed the choices of color she used.
However, after seeing the OGV series prints by Dan Walsh, I was even more intrigued. I felt his work related to my own, more so than Karen's. I am very into horizontal and vertical motion in my own art work, maybe not as defined and linear as a print could make it, but more organic and abstract, more flowing. Walsh's OGV, Orange, Green, and Violet prints were amazing, his minimalist style and horizontal stripes fused with vivid contrasting colors was extraordinary and eye catching. He used soft layers of alternating color rather than hard-edged outlines, that cause a slight pulsing effect that enlivens each image. Somewhat similar to the "vibration" created by Seurat's pointillist approach to painting.
Last but not least, I found the Donald Judd prints more towards the back, similar with the horizontal and verticals that Walsh created in his prints, Judd's work captured my full attention. I don't know if it was the solid cadmium red he used, against the white paper, but the simplicity behind those prints was wonderful. He shows his exploration between 'geometric form, scale, space, and the rhythm of repeated shapes and voids in boxlike sculptures, as well as in series of prints. The vertical/horizontal bands of the red are interrupted by the same number of horizontal/vertical lines. The parallel white lines are unprinted, exposed white paper underneath, which alternate with (or appear to penetrate) the solid color. These prints visualize the concepts of partition and inversion a central idea in his later works.'
I was particularly excited to see that, a painting I am currently working on, looks much like the "Untitled" 1994 series of four prints by Judd, just red paint, on a white background, and having the untouched white exposed and showing through. My own painting has the paint scrapped away, to see the white canvas underneath. I definitely think that the work I saw today, relates to my own style, and what i am currently exploring with painting.
However, after seeing the OGV series prints by Dan Walsh, I was even more intrigued. I felt his work related to my own, more so than Karen's. I am very into horizontal and vertical motion in my own art work, maybe not as defined and linear as a print could make it, but more organic and abstract, more flowing. Walsh's OGV, Orange, Green, and Violet prints were amazing, his minimalist style and horizontal stripes fused with vivid contrasting colors was extraordinary and eye catching. He used soft layers of alternating color rather than hard-edged outlines, that cause a slight pulsing effect that enlivens each image. Somewhat similar to the "vibration" created by Seurat's pointillist approach to painting.
Last but not least, I found the Donald Judd prints more towards the back, similar with the horizontal and verticals that Walsh created in his prints, Judd's work captured my full attention. I don't know if it was the solid cadmium red he used, against the white paper, but the simplicity behind those prints was wonderful. He shows his exploration between 'geometric form, scale, space, and the rhythm of repeated shapes and voids in boxlike sculptures, as well as in series of prints. The vertical/horizontal bands of the red are interrupted by the same number of horizontal/vertical lines. The parallel white lines are unprinted, exposed white paper underneath, which alternate with (or appear to penetrate) the solid color. These prints visualize the concepts of partition and inversion a central idea in his later works.'
I was particularly excited to see that, a painting I am currently working on, looks much like the "Untitled" 1994 series of four prints by Judd, just red paint, on a white background, and having the untouched white exposed and showing through. My own painting has the paint scrapped away, to see the white canvas underneath. I definitely think that the work I saw today, relates to my own style, and what i am currently exploring with painting.
Friday, October 16, 2009
MFA
1) Yale (MFA)
2) Columbia (MFA)
3) Pratt (MFA/Art Therapy)
4) MICA (MFA in studio arts)
5) Penn (MFA)
6) UNC Chapel Hill (MFA)
all roughly 25,000 to 30,000 tuition
2) Columbia (MFA)
3) Pratt (MFA/Art Therapy)
4) MICA (MFA in studio arts)
5) Penn (MFA)
6) UNC Chapel Hill (MFA)
all roughly 25,000 to 30,000 tuition
The Fair
-One of their artists used to call them "Double or Nothing," referring to their symbiotic relationship and the confused setup of the gallery's early days. When I told Blum, a Catholic boy from Orange County, that a rival dealer had complained that there was "way too much dude" in their gallery, he shrugged and said, "I guess they mean we're macho, testosterone-driven, hard drinkin'. Yeah, well, we're raw. We're very West Coast. So our success freaks some people out. We've played it the way we wanted. That's why we are doing well for our artists. We believe in them and we work like motherfuckrs."
-In the art world, gossip is never idle. It is a vital form of market intelligence.
-"If you go after art and quality, the money will come later...We have to make the same decisions as the artists. Do they create great art or art that sells well? with the galleries, it's the same, Are they commercial or do they believe in something? We're in a similar situation." (What do you do?!)
- In her gallery, Gladstone enjoys having in-depth discussions about artists' work, but here at the fair..."It is like being a whore in Amsterdam," she says. "You're trapped in these little rooms and there is no privacy whatsoever."
-Occasionally meeting an artist destroys the art. You almost don't trust it." Then Don wrapped it up: "What we're looking for is integrity."
-As he tells his students when they're going through hard times, "You have to make the new work to sell the old work."
-"Then you've got to stick with your artists," continues Poe. "Look to the horizon, point at the genius, and get everyone behind you to nod in agreement."
-My 'new money' is now 'old money,' which nowadays means 'less money.'
-In the art world, gossip is never idle. It is a vital form of market intelligence.
-"If you go after art and quality, the money will come later...We have to make the same decisions as the artists. Do they create great art or art that sells well? with the galleries, it's the same, Are they commercial or do they believe in something? We're in a similar situation." (What do you do?!)
- In her gallery, Gladstone enjoys having in-depth discussions about artists' work, but here at the fair..."It is like being a whore in Amsterdam," she says. "You're trapped in these little rooms and there is no privacy whatsoever."
-Occasionally meeting an artist destroys the art. You almost don't trust it." Then Don wrapped it up: "What we're looking for is integrity."
-As he tells his students when they're going through hard times, "You have to make the new work to sell the old work."
-"Then you've got to stick with your artists," continues Poe. "Look to the horizon, point at the genius, and get everyone behind you to nod in agreement."
-My 'new money' is now 'old money,' which nowadays means 'less money.'
Friday, October 9, 2009
Artist's Gallery in Lambertville NJ
Instead of spending $25 today I just drove 20 minutes down 29 to Lambertville to check out the local galleries. Most of the galleries around Lambertville and New Hope (PA) show art work that is of the area, like landscapes and buildings, etc. I wasn't planning on finding any cool galleries with stuff I'd like, so I was prepared to write about an exhibit I didnt like, but instead I found a gallery that had some really cool abstract art work, that happens to be of a simillar style to my own style of painting. The Artist's Gallery, located near the corner of Union and Coryell Street, is a small little white house that on the first floor is a gallery space. There are 3 rooms, up a couple steps you walk into the main room where new exhibits are usually shown, a middle, with a desk and information about the gallery and a third room in the back. Each room has artwork, but the front room is for new shows. The exhibit going on is called, "Innovations,"which is showing two artists, Florence Moonan and Carol Sanzalone. Carol Sanzalone's work involved waterccolors and acrylic paintings which didnt really catch my attention, but Florence Moonan's work was awesome. Her paintings were abstarct and colorful, and the women at the desk told us that she pours the paint onto the canvases. And the opening recption is tomorow, but I have work and won't be able to go. I would liked to have met the artist and talked to her about the work she did for this show, and find out more about the style she paints, and when and where her next show would be. Anyway, here are some photos of her
work that I really liked:
The triptych to the above is titled, "Deconstructing Jane Avril," poured oil on canvas, the three together is $575, and a single pannel is $200
Above, this is a close up image of the 3rd pannel on the far right
The painting above is titled, "Red Interrupted," it is acrylic on canvas, and is priced at $875
Above, the painting is titled, "Yellow Ox," also acrylic on canvas, and also priced at $875.
work that I really liked:
The triptych to the above is titled, "Deconstructing Jane Avril," poured oil on canvas, the three together is $575, and a single pannel is $200
Above, this is a close up image of the 3rd pannel on the far rightThe painting below is titled "Womb"
and is acrylic on canvas, priced at $875
The painting above is titled, "Red Interrupted," it is acrylic on canvas, and is priced at $875
Above, the painting is titled, "Yellow Ox," also acrylic on canvas, and also priced at $875.Monday, October 5, 2009
work from the summer and now
these arent very good images of my work, but it's the best I can do for now. Come to my studio and you can see them much better!
The Studio Visit
The Studio Visit wasn't as interesting as The Crit, I guess, or maybe the same. I thought The Crit was amusing somewhat and The Studio Visit wasn't necessarily entertaining as it was informative. It was interesting to read about Murakami Takashi's work, maybe because I recognize his name and his work, especially after realising he DID do the album cover for Kayne West's Graduation. I have it in my car and listen to it frequently, and have always like the cover. Seems frustrating, tedious, repetitive, and all together a headache to do the work he does, but in the end I suppose it all pans out. Anyway, here are some interesting points I found while reading, just some quotes and random blurbs here and there that made me think, some laugh, and some made me appreciate the process much more.
- the taxi driver had a sign on the back of his seat that informed them that his hobbies were, 1) baseball, 2) fishing, and 3) driving..
- While Blum may be a generic leading man, Poe resembles the Dude as played by Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski.
- A living artist's first major retrospective is a time of reckoning, not just for critics, curators, and collectors but for the artist himself and his dealers.
- "Japan is a homogeneous culture. They don't like it when someone sticks out too much. they want to pound 'em back in."
- (Japan) The status of creativity is much lower here,"he continues. "The art market is weak, and there isn't a well-established museum for contemporary art. Dissemination us difficult."
- "Among the art historians at UCLA, I'm like the Antichrist. I lure their best students to the dark side!"
- "I used to think that my staff were motivated by money, but the most important thing for creative people is the sense that they are learning. It's like video game. They have frustration with my high expectations, so when they get my 'yes' for their work, they feel like they've won a level."
- "An artist is someone who understands the border between this world and that one...or someone who makes an effort to know it."
- "being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art...making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art, that is a fantasy!"
- "I've never found choosing a controversial artist to be anything but the right choice. If there is already absolute consensus, if there is nothing you can do in terms of illumination, why do it?"
- "This work is a tour de force."
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
My interview with Marteha Stewart
PART 1
Hannah: What do you want your work to give to the viewer? What type of reaction are you looking for?
Marteha:
When I am painting I don’t really have this on my mind. Before I paint I have an image in mind, but by the time the painting is finished my mind has changed so many times and instinct has also come in to the point that the image has deviated so far from my intention that sometimes I’m shocked at the outcome (that’s usually a good thing). So I don’t necessarily paint in order to give something to a viewer, but rather I follow my instincts and the paint does the rest. But generally I like to please people with my paintings. I don’t paint for any particular kind of audience so I’d like to paint something that is appealing to adults, kids, men and women alike. I like things that just about anyone can enjoy. I don’t have any political messages or anything serious like that in my art, I just want people to see my works and be pleased in some way. Whether it’s because they enjoy my bright, vivid colors or if they like the subject matter is completely up to the viewer. I don’t want them to walk away disgusted, angry or sad. I just want that to be one moment of peace.
Hannah:
What subject matter do you lean towards more? Portraits, landscapes, still lives? Why do you think so?
Marteha:
Definitely portraiture, figure painting and occasionally still lives. I really enjoy portraits because it’s something familiar to me since we see people everyday. I like to try to capture an essence of the individual in my paintings. I don’t just want to capture their appearance, but I am interested in incorporating some of that person’s psychology as well. Portraiture can be really dynamic and no two people look exactly the same; not even identical twins! I like still lives simply because I like to analyze things and recreate it on a canvass. I think that is an interest of mine. I just like to observe things.
Hannah:
What artists have you been looking at that have the most influence on you? Is it showing in your work?
Marteha:
My main inspirations tend to be artists who work figuratively and use compelling colors. I am absolutely in love with Jenny Saville and Wayne Thiebaud. I also enjoy works by Alice Neel, Euan Uglow, Lisa Yuskavage, Kamille Cory, Simmie Knox, and Terrance Osbourne. Some artists that I have recently taken an interest in include Michael Naples, Gerard Boersma, Debra Hurd, and Jane LaFarge Hamill. I don’t think you can look at my work and necessarily see that I am inspired by these artists, but I do take certain aspects of their styles and apply it to my work. Some of them I like their color palettes, their compositions, or I have an interest in the subject matter that they paint. I have lately been viewing Boersma, Hurd, and Naples because I have some ideas in mind for my next series of “Night paintings” and I felt that viewing their works would be useful for that purpose.
Hannah:
What do you plan on exploring/investigating in your body of work for thesis? Is your thesis work of similar concepts as what you’re currently doing?
Marteha:
I believe it will be based on my initial interests, but I plan to push it towards another level. I want to continue certain themes but I would also like to create works that are visually distinct from what I have been creating up until this point. Pretty much I would like to create something that is new to me but still is in tune with my interests.
Hannah:
What is it about the bold, vibrant colors you like? What qualities do they provide for your paintings?
Marteha:
I have always been attracted to really vibrant saturated colors. There’s something about them that really makes a work of art POP! That is specifically what draws me to the art of Wayne Thiebaud and Terrance Osbourne. If you see their works the color just captivates you. You can never be bored. There is no way that you can walk past a painting like this in a gallery. The colors have a way of demanding your attention and the images stay with you. This is exactly my intention. If you like mediocre colors that’s fine, but if you’re looking at one of my paintings expect color that is going to excite you.
PART 2
Marteha:
What inspires you to paint?
Hannah:
Well, I think my inspiration comes from my emotions. Depending on my mood, how I’m feeling, sometimes the weather, I spark ideas and then I just start to paint. I never usually make sketches or anything, but I always think about my colors. I have strong tendencies to base entire paintings, based on the 2 or 3 colors I pick out of the box. I’ll just really want to use a specific color and from there I start painting, and whatever happens, happens
Marteha:
What is a common theme in your work?
Hannah:
A common theme in my work seems to be drips. In almost every painting I have drips that occurred naturally, or I put them there. Something about the flow and the uncertainty of them fascinates me and I enjoy watching what they will do. It helps me continue with a painting, especially when I become frustrated with a painting, I turn to drips, and it gives me something to work with.
Marteha:
In what ways have you grown as an artist since you’ve been painting? (Especially within the past four years).
Hannah:
I don’t rely on photographs or models anymore, I have grown completely into abstraction and the use of colors and how they compare. I have a much better understanding, how to “use the paint,” and not just use it “as paint.”
Marteha:
What artists influence you the most and what artists have you recently been following?
Hannah:
Artists that have had the most influence over me would be, Wasilly Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Ellsworth Kelly, Joesef Albers, Helen Frankenthaler, Barnett Newman, and more, but these are the ones that I always reference to when I find myself lost. I haven’t been looking at too many artists for myself recently, however I have been seeing a lot of new work while making gallery visits to New York. Some things are interesting, but I haven’t been “looking” too much, I use myself and what I see around me. Sometimes a CD cover will give me all the fuel to create an idea for a painting. It’s just, I like it, or I don’t.
Marteha:
What are your hopes for your artwork this semester?
Hannah:
I hope to paint as many paintings as I can. I want to have so many I can really pick and choose different combinations and styles to use for my thesis. I’m really interested in experimenting with texture and color, to create counter effects within the painting. I want to cover my exhibit area top to bottom, and with new ideas and techniques. I want to have a decent selection of work by the end of this semester, so as to motivate me for the spring.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
A long silence....
- I've never seen a dog sit in, during a crit before. Have you?
- "I don't care about an artists intentions. I care if the work looks like it might have some consequences."
- ..the most important thing that students learn at art school is "how to be an artist, how to occupy that name, how to embody that occupation."
- Then they talk about Asher. "He certainly gives you enough rope to hang yourself," says one.
- .." but the vast majority will find no immediate ratification."
- "Creative is definitely a dirty word."
- "We are looking for the kind of kids who didn't quite fit in at high school."
- "It is very simple, practical matter. For clear investigations, you need time. That is the only rule of thumb. If you don't have it, you run the risk of being superficial."
Chelsea and beyond....
The nicest day we've had yet, and it was well spent browsing about in Chelsea, checking out the galleries. I started from 22ND and was planning on moving my way back towards Penn, until I realised I was there before the galleries really opened. There were a couple open, none that were on the list, but I went ahead anyway to kill some time. The Bruce Silverstein Gallery, showing Nicolai Howalt's, Car Crash Studies was pretty cool. The photographs were of cars that had been involved in severe, and potentially fatal accidents, which made his work even more stimulating. In some of the photos there was definite blood splatter over the driver's steering wheel, and on the shattered windshields. There was a series of photos that were 4 rows across and 3 down, of airbags deployed. It seemed like the same one, at different stages of deployment, but it's hard to tell, all airbags look alike. But the sequence of them was pleasing and and the abstract qualities in each photo were interesting. By looking at the bigger photos, you assumed they were of a smashed up car from some fatal accident, but they were unrecognizable, and seemed blurred. They were actual photos, just really up close, and the reflections and dents in the car became shapes and patterns, just like some abstract painting. It made me think...maybe this is what he thought those people might have seen, during the accident, a separation between what's real and what's not. Some other experience, that maybe only those people could explain, and that Howalt's photographs were trying to capture? Who knows, but it was cool.
So it was finally 10am now and I think all of the galleries were open by then, so I went back to the gallery I wanted to go to first, the Pace Wildenstein. In this gallery was 3 installations done by Maya Lin. This was probably one of the coolest things I've seen in awhile. When you first walk in, you definitely weren't expecting what you saw, a huge 10' by 53'4" by 35' configured, topographical like mountain/hill made out of 2 by 4 little blocks of wood, neatly stacked. Amazing. This thing took up the entire space it was in pretty much, there was a small walkway area all around it, just enough for two people to shimmy. It was made with over 50,000 pieces; impressive. There were 3 basic rooms, all connected by open walls, but clearly 3 separate rooms. The room right off of it, was a wirey grid like sculpture/instillation that touched all four walls and each point met the wall, at the middle area of each wall. As if you stood in the center and picked a point and spun around, and that's where it based itself. It's made out of aluminum tubing and paint, a 19' by 34'8" by 29'2" creation. You were invited to walk underneath of it, next to it, around it, anyway you wanted. It made the viewer involved. This topographical like grid is based on an actual spot near Bovet Island, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the closest land is Antarctica. The third piece she had, titled, Blue Lake Pass, was made out of duraflake particle board and was several pieces next to each other to create an overall shape. There were 20 of these pieces, 4 by 5, in rows; it reminded you something of computers and a virtual reality, which makes sense, because it's based on a topographical map of terrain from the Rocky Mt.'s back range. This artist used the gallery space in quite an impressive way, and from here on, I was sure there wouldn't be anything cooler, based upon the last gallery visits we were required to do.
Moving on now....
The next gallery space I entered was the Andrew Rosen Gallery, which was showing Bruno Taut and Tetsumi Kudo's work. Bruno's work consisted of a few colors, the basic primary colors and maybe a couple shades of green too. In the first little room were 3 photos on the wall of primary colored sky scrapper and you looked past into the second, bigger room and noticed an actual glass building thing, just like the ones in the photos. There was a yellow, red and blue set of glass wear that was all hand blown glass, including the sculpture building thing in the center of the room. Along the wall in the second room was several framed white paper cut outs, over top of white, which made no sense to me, and i was bored. So the 2ND gallery space was work by Tetsumi Kudo and an instillation by Richard Tuttle. Kudo's work was just colorful prints, spray painted and imprinted patterns, that looked somewhat 3d. Bright oranges and greenish yellows, flower patterns and hearts. In the same room was the instillation by Tuttle, which was a shitty flower pot deal with shitty flower substitutes coming out of it, that was a dildo and a mannequin hand, etc. Anyway, the last space in this gallery had sculptures made from cigarette butts and just straight cigarettes, and a drawing so accurately done, it seemed like a photograph. The drawing read, "I'm smoking" and was spelled out using hand drawn cigarettes and dollar bills. Then I bounced out of there as soon as I could, to move on to more galleries.
The next stop was to see James Turrell's work at the PaceWildenstein Gallery. His work was boring to me, I spent a total of 3 or 4 minutes in there before I left. His work was big framed, holograms, that had different light fixtures shining on them, so when you walked away, to the side, closer, further, the light changed and so did the image that appeared in the actual frame. Interesting idea, but it was boring. There's only so much time you can spend starring at light shapes on a wall.
The next gallery was the Lehmann Maupin Gallery, which also was lame. The photos were done by Juergen Teller, called Paradis. Photos of ancient Greek sculpture with two naked women posed next to, sitting, or standing with the sculptures. One woman was much older and the other, much younger. I could see the artist was trying to have a comparison and a contrast between the figures, flesh and stone, young and old, body parts next to each other, real and unreal. I wasn't drawn in, and my attention faded soon as I saw the first photograph.
Next we have the Andrea Meislin Gallery, which was found on the second floor of the building, and you had to weve through the hallways to find it. The exhibit, Look at me: Photographs from Mexico City, by Jed Fielding, was creepy. Seemed like every person in each photo, either had a disfiguration, was blind, or...... had some type of disfiguring. It was weird to look at and I didn't spend too much time in there, because it made me feel uncomfortable.
Also stopped in at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery and checked out the work by Joan Vennum. The paintings were like landscapes, formatted out of a dream sequence, with blending, warm and soft colors. Made you feel like a perfect beach day or some open windy field with tall grass, or bunnies.. It was pretty but, it was just pretty.
A gallery we weren't required to see was the Winston Wachter Fine Art Gallery, showing Ed Cohen's work, The Nothing That Is Not Here. Which was brilliant and random, very colorful and happy, but also had a dark feel in some of the works. Solidly painted canvases with a multicolored drips and splatters in a specific pattern in the center of each painting. Kind of like that cardboard box and marble thing, when you put a piece of paper in and roll the marble around in paint....anyone? Goes back to pre-school. This was interesting to me, because I love the drip technique and I usually paint with my canvas laying flat and this is how he painted too.
So it was finally 10am now and I think all of the galleries were open by then, so I went back to the gallery I wanted to go to first, the Pace Wildenstein. In this gallery was 3 installations done by Maya Lin. This was probably one of the coolest things I've seen in awhile. When you first walk in, you definitely weren't expecting what you saw, a huge 10' by 53'4" by 35' configured, topographical like mountain/hill made out of 2 by 4 little blocks of wood, neatly stacked. Amazing. This thing took up the entire space it was in pretty much, there was a small walkway area all around it, just enough for two people to shimmy. It was made with over 50,000 pieces; impressive. There were 3 basic rooms, all connected by open walls, but clearly 3 separate rooms. The room right off of it, was a wirey grid like sculpture/instillation that touched all four walls and each point met the wall, at the middle area of each wall. As if you stood in the center and picked a point and spun around, and that's where it based itself. It's made out of aluminum tubing and paint, a 19' by 34'8" by 29'2" creation. You were invited to walk underneath of it, next to it, around it, anyway you wanted. It made the viewer involved. This topographical like grid is based on an actual spot near Bovet Island, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the closest land is Antarctica. The third piece she had, titled, Blue Lake Pass, was made out of duraflake particle board and was several pieces next to each other to create an overall shape. There were 20 of these pieces, 4 by 5, in rows; it reminded you something of computers and a virtual reality, which makes sense, because it's based on a topographical map of terrain from the Rocky Mt.'s back range. This artist used the gallery space in quite an impressive way, and from here on, I was sure there wouldn't be anything cooler, based upon the last gallery visits we were required to do.
Moving on now....
The next gallery space I entered was the Andrew Rosen Gallery, which was showing Bruno Taut and Tetsumi Kudo's work. Bruno's work consisted of a few colors, the basic primary colors and maybe a couple shades of green too. In the first little room were 3 photos on the wall of primary colored sky scrapper and you looked past into the second, bigger room and noticed an actual glass building thing, just like the ones in the photos. There was a yellow, red and blue set of glass wear that was all hand blown glass, including the sculpture building thing in the center of the room. Along the wall in the second room was several framed white paper cut outs, over top of white, which made no sense to me, and i was bored. So the 2ND gallery space was work by Tetsumi Kudo and an instillation by Richard Tuttle. Kudo's work was just colorful prints, spray painted and imprinted patterns, that looked somewhat 3d. Bright oranges and greenish yellows, flower patterns and hearts. In the same room was the instillation by Tuttle, which was a shitty flower pot deal with shitty flower substitutes coming out of it, that was a dildo and a mannequin hand, etc. Anyway, the last space in this gallery had sculptures made from cigarette butts and just straight cigarettes, and a drawing so accurately done, it seemed like a photograph. The drawing read, "I'm smoking" and was spelled out using hand drawn cigarettes and dollar bills. Then I bounced out of there as soon as I could, to move on to more galleries.
The next stop was to see James Turrell's work at the PaceWildenstein Gallery. His work was boring to me, I spent a total of 3 or 4 minutes in there before I left. His work was big framed, holograms, that had different light fixtures shining on them, so when you walked away, to the side, closer, further, the light changed and so did the image that appeared in the actual frame. Interesting idea, but it was boring. There's only so much time you can spend starring at light shapes on a wall.
The next gallery was the Lehmann Maupin Gallery, which also was lame. The photos were done by Juergen Teller, called Paradis. Photos of ancient Greek sculpture with two naked women posed next to, sitting, or standing with the sculptures. One woman was much older and the other, much younger. I could see the artist was trying to have a comparison and a contrast between the figures, flesh and stone, young and old, body parts next to each other, real and unreal. I wasn't drawn in, and my attention faded soon as I saw the first photograph.
Next we have the Andrea Meislin Gallery, which was found on the second floor of the building, and you had to weve through the hallways to find it. The exhibit, Look at me: Photographs from Mexico City, by Jed Fielding, was creepy. Seemed like every person in each photo, either had a disfiguration, was blind, or...... had some type of disfiguring. It was weird to look at and I didn't spend too much time in there, because it made me feel uncomfortable.
Also stopped in at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery and checked out the work by Joan Vennum. The paintings were like landscapes, formatted out of a dream sequence, with blending, warm and soft colors. Made you feel like a perfect beach day or some open windy field with tall grass, or bunnies.. It was pretty but, it was just pretty.
A gallery we weren't required to see was the Winston Wachter Fine Art Gallery, showing Ed Cohen's work, The Nothing That Is Not Here. Which was brilliant and random, very colorful and happy, but also had a dark feel in some of the works. Solidly painted canvases with a multicolored drips and splatters in a specific pattern in the center of each painting. Kind of like that cardboard box and marble thing, when you put a piece of paper in and roll the marble around in paint....anyone? Goes back to pre-school. This was interesting to me, because I love the drip technique and I usually paint with my canvas laying flat and this is how he painted too.
Friday, September 18, 2009
rigo 23
I wasn't really sure what I saw, if it was an instillation or just part of the building design, but somehow missed the name. I thought it was an interesting idea to have the prison bars and the little cubby/jail cell deal, it gave you an opportunity to walk through and I couldn't help but think, I'm glad I'm not in prison. That stairwell made me claustrophobic.
Dead Cat
I wasn't sure what to expect about the film before we watched it and also after we did watch it. The whole plot and the characters were all little strange, and the fact it was an older film also helped create that creepy, weirdness about the movie. I wouldnt watch it again, but I am glad i saw it.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
This damn video won't play
My first reaction was that she used "like" wayyyy too much and I knew from that moment, this would be something entertaining. Like, I was like, soo stoked, to like have like seen this video. The way she imitated American influences of "like" everyday stuff was quite amusing. She emphasises on certain words and drags them out and the slight accent every now and again creates such an obnoxious tone, and her silly mannerisms make the video much more pleasing to watch. Now, I can get almost the first 5 minutes before the video shuts off again and goes back to the beginning, so I will have more to comment on after I can figure out how this crap works.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The New Museum
Probably, the only thing I liked about my adventure to the New museum, was the 40 block walk there, (sarcasm), and then the Irish bar we stopped at because we got there before the museum opened. Oh, and the child size spider man umbrella I took out of the trash since it was down pouring.
The design of the building itself was pretty cool, the inside not so much. I started on the 5Th floor and the German video with English and Chinese subtitles or something was making me fall asleep. The only thing about the 5th floor show was the view out the window and the color of the room.
The fourth floor, Intersections Interested: The photography of David Goldbalt, was okay. I felt the message(s) or the pattern(s), whatever, was too obvious and repetitive. I didn't find it really interesting, and if it's photography, then I don't think it should just be fields and trees, with bridges, and the only pattern was black and white, then color, black and white...then color. And through time, older, and newer. It was boring and draining.
Now, Emory Douglas with his Black Panther prints, were just bam! in your face! I didn't really care about about seeing the rest of the show, after I had stared at the big blue wall sized mural with a black panther kid across it when you walk in from the elevator. Hello, I got it. Over and done, moving on now.
Probably the most interesting part of this visit to the New Museum was located on the ground level with work by Dorthy Ionnene. Lioness, which derived from Deiter Roth's pet name for the artist, was a show that had a lot of sexuality and was the most intriguing show in the Museum. Her works were in first point perspective and had a great quality of freedom of expression. They subjected to a severe censorship. The pieces, "I am whoever you want me to be," and "I love to beat you," were my favorites. The images were straight forward and cliche and by the way, huge vaginas. Despite the gross sexual content of this artist, it made me laugh, both the orgasm video and the paintings, but it still made me feel like my 8 bucks wasn't worth it!
The design of the building itself was pretty cool, the inside not so much. I started on the 5Th floor and the German video with English and Chinese subtitles or something was making me fall asleep. The only thing about the 5th floor show was the view out the window and the color of the room.
The fourth floor, Intersections Interested: The photography of David Goldbalt, was okay. I felt the message(s) or the pattern(s), whatever, was too obvious and repetitive. I didn't find it really interesting, and if it's photography, then I don't think it should just be fields and trees, with bridges, and the only pattern was black and white, then color, black and white...then color. And through time, older, and newer. It was boring and draining.
Now, Emory Douglas with his Black Panther prints, were just bam! in your face! I didn't really care about about seeing the rest of the show, after I had stared at the big blue wall sized mural with a black panther kid across it when you walk in from the elevator. Hello, I got it. Over and done, moving on now.
Probably the most interesting part of this visit to the New Museum was located on the ground level with work by Dorthy Ionnene. Lioness, which derived from Deiter Roth's pet name for the artist, was a show that had a lot of sexuality and was the most intriguing show in the Museum. Her works were in first point perspective and had a great quality of freedom of expression. They subjected to a severe censorship. The pieces, "I am whoever you want me to be," and "I love to beat you," were my favorites. The images were straight forward and cliche and by the way, huge vaginas. Despite the gross sexual content of this artist, it made me laugh, both the orgasm video and the paintings, but it still made me feel like my 8 bucks wasn't worth it!
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