Response to the Field Trip

I had a lot of fun at the field trip! I, along with Steph and Simona, ended up going to a huge number of galleries, and really found art I liked in all of them. I was surprised as to how many different types of work there was to find in them. My favorite pieces were the paintings covered in frosting-like colorful globs of paint. I also really liked the gallery where there were many ink and watercolor simplistic drawings--- these were my inspiration to my last two drawings. My favorite things that I found though, were some giant photographs. I think the colors in them were enhanced so that the colors were especially bright. The pictures felt just like stills out of movies.

My Plan

In the gallery show I want to showcase all the line drawings I have recently acquired a passion for. This would include my drawings of the contemplative face, Midsummer's Night donkey, woman draped over coach, fish/cat/winged creature, flying horse, lobster, and the two ink and watercolor drawings. I want to put all of these on top of black paper or newspaper so they have a more finished quality and so it seems as if they have unofficial frames around them. Then I would place all of these drawings together so that paper "frames" are touching--- so that one big block of drawings is created. The materials would be: pen, ink, and watercolor on paper. In total, I think the entire block would be about 30 in. by 30 in., but I could rearrange them so that they fit in a different way or were just in a straight line... The following picture found in the link is sort of what I woould like my piece to look like. Imagine that the white space is the frames and the black squares are the work. The only difference is that the black squares would be different sizes because my work is different sizes.
http://www.darkstar.cc/Discovery/VisionLesson_files/image008.gif

Preparing to Visit the Galleries...

My questions for Joseph Carroll:
1. How do you choose which artists' work to show? Is there certain, specific criteria that you judge work by?

The two galleries that caught my attention the most and would most like to visit were the Boston Sculptors Gallery and the Howard Yezerski Gallery. I want to visit the Boston Sculptors Gallery because the pieces of art featured here are sculptures and involve mixed media. Most museums I have gone to primarily showcase paintings, and I'd love to see sculptures for a change. In addition, I'm really interested in mixed media. The reason I'd like to also prioritize going to the Howard Yezerski Gallery is because the pictures from the current exhibitions on the site immediately caught my attention and I enjoyed looking at them. The piece of work called "Halos" also looked like something that I might make (or attempt/want to make), so I think that'd be a good place for me to get inspiration.

Articles about the "Boston Art Scene" Response

According to the articles we had to read, there has been a big change in the Boston art gallery world in the past year. First off, because of the economic crisis, rents for galleries have gone up, there has been less "impulse buying" of art since people have less money to spend, and because of these things, many galleries have had to close. Some have closed so that the owners can rent a less expensive space. Some are closing just until the economic downturn goes away. And others are moving across the country, to an entirely different country, or to another, less expensive part of town. However, some galleries are blossoming and apparently are not affected by the financial situation. The South End, for example, has high hopes for becoming an art gallery hot-spot since the rents are lower there. Art fairs, along with the Internet, have also recently become major players in the art- advertising and -selling world.

These changes could affect the Boston art scene in a number of ways, some good and some bad. On the bad side, people may become more removed from the art world because they don't have the money or time to go see galleries or buy art because of the current economic situation. Since gallery owners also don't have as much money to advertise their art and galleries, people may go to less shows. On the flip side, one optimistic artist said something along the lines of "if they want to find me, they will." Because of this shift, the Internet and art fairs may soon become the prime places to buy art rather than in galleries. This is neither a necessarily good or bad thing. However, a definitely good thing is that this lapse in selling may allow artists to try more radical, different works that they wouldn't otherwise make. If they aren't going to sell much of what they usually sell, they might as well create their most outrageous contemporary work to see if that sells. Who knows, maybe a new form or style of art might be invented.

Strangely enough, I don't think I have ever been to a gallery showing...

Notes from Week 3

This week I finished up my whimsical oil painting with the giant pear and pieces of collage. When I showed this piece to my critique group, Amanda and Steph, they said they really liked the idea of adding the collage to oil painting. Amanda even asked if I was going to cover the entire piece of paper with collage. I hadn't considered doing a huge, intricate collage before, so I found this idea interesting and inspiring. I bet that a massive collage would take a lot of time and energy, but I also think that it would end up looking very cool and original because I always do my collages from strange scenes that I've thought up in my head. Mr. Brooks and Ms. Roberts also gave me similar feedback that I should just keep playing and see where the work takes me. I definitely appreciate this no-pressure advice.

On another note, I discovered another artistic passion this week! Sonja showed me her black and white ink drawings and her inspirations for the drawings (books of fairy tales and a picture-book of faeries). I saw these and I immediately wanted to try drawing with ink and no color. There is something so emotional, raw, and vulnerable to me about simple line sketches. First off, I saw a picture of a cat's head attached to a fish's body with wings and wanted to draw that. After I finished that, I looked through a book of art done by Tabitha Vevers that my mom got me from DeCordiva Museum. There was one painting of hers that I could not take my eyes off of. It was a picture of a woman entwined with a lobster called "Rapture." This picture was both beautiful and horrifying to me. I couldn't get the image out of my head, so I decided to draw that too. After that, I drew a woman's face based off of a photograph of Kate Winslet's face that I found on the cover of a magazine. My only pen then ran out of ink, so I had to stop. However, from these experiences of frantic, obsessive sketching with pens, I have realized that I love doing these types of drawings. This past weekend I've seen certain images and heard stories and immediately thought "Oh! I have to draw that!" For example, a friend of mine at Ballet was telling me about a dream she had when she was little and immediately I asked her if I could draw her a picture of her dream for my art class. Also, if I see an image I want to recreate I always add my own style and emotions to it. I've never enjoyed drawing so much so I'm definitely enjoying this sudden burst of art-related adrenaline.

Surviving the Critique Response

I think that critiques as described in the reading could play a very important role in our class. The reading talks about critiques that involve lengthy discussions between the artist and peers and teachers on what works in a piece of art versus what doesn't work, if a piece of art is cliché, what the work means, and if the art achieves what the artist is trying to achieve with the art. I believe that talking about all these issues in-depth can be a very valuable process for an artist. After I have the chance to talk with someone about my work, my work always develops in an unexpected way that gives my work a fresh twist that I wouldn't have had if I hadn't gotten feedback from somebody. I obviously can't speak for anybody else in the class, but I'd bet that talking through issues inspires other students in the class as well. All the members of the class are also really diligent and independent, so having outside feedback helps everyone to take a step back from the art and see how everyone else is perceiving the art.

I've found from both experience and from reading this packet that the thing that helps me most in a critique is coming in with specific questions for the critics. For example, after reading the final "Girl in a Box" segment, I realised that by coming in with so many specific questions, the girl in the passage will be able to go back to the studio and know exactly what she needs to work on, change, and keep the same. Similarly, whenever I've gone into a critique not knowing what I want to get out of the critique, the critique is usually not as helpful as it could be. I also identify with the "Leave your Ego at the Door" part. I tend to get very attached to my work, especially if it deals with a personal issue of mine or if I've invested a lot of time and energy into a piece. Thus, even if I know that people are just trying to help my piece of art get better, I sometimes feel personally attacked if I get too much negative feedback. For this reason, I'm working on "stepping to the side to get out of the line of fire" because this is "crucial to absorbing what is observed and discussed" (99).

I believe that the best way to be a helpful participant in my classmates critiques is to always be respectful. If people feel as if they are being attacked or judged, they will not feel comfortable or able to really internalise the information. I think that also giving both compliments that show people what their strengths are and criticisms that are very objective and specific are helpful. For example, a compliment such as "I like it" isn't as helpful as "I like how you used texture on the woman's face to highlight her emotions." Similarly, saying something such as "this is bad" is both hurtful and not useful for improving the art. Instead, a specific comment such as this would be more helpful: "the colours on the left side of the painting aren't as vibrant as the colours on the right--- maybe if the left side had another layer of paint, the whole painting would come together more cohesively."

Alternative Exhibition Formats Response

Although I found many of the formats in the sideshow interesting, the one I found most interesting was Sandy Skoglund's piece. In the picture of her artwork there are many things going on: there are eggs/egg shells on the ground, fake snakes and rabbits surveying the area, Egyptian-looking hieroglyphics on the walls, utility items such as bathtubs, sinks, and toilets, and most interestingly of all, there are women walking around the piece of artwork. First off, all these different, seemingly unrelated components draws viewers in and makes them think. When I look at this piece I wonder: What is happening? How does this all connect? How do the title and the piece interact? What does it all mean? Besides that, I also think that it is interesting how the piece is not your stereotypical artwork piece. It is not just a painting on the wall or a sculpture on a pedestal, but rather it is a three-dimensional room. However, the most intriguing piece of all to me is that there are women actually walking around in the artwork. This makes the artwork both a visual art and a performance piece! I would very much like to see a video of these women walking around to see how they are behaving and what their facial expressions are like. I'd also be curious as to whether they make eye contact with audience members or not.

As for my final project(s) that would go in the gallery, I'm still really unsure what I want to do. My three passions in visual arts are oil painting, collage, and ceramics though, so I'd love to be able to incorporate all of these or a few of these in different ways. I really like the idea of doing an oil painting that has some parts of the picture done with collage. I also like the idea of having some sort of ceramic piece coming out of an oil painting, as if the oil painting is coming to life and is now growing or escaping out of the canvas. I might also want to try doing collage over a pot to see how that looks in comparison to glaze. Also, when it comes to painting nowadays I'm starting to like themes that mix reality with surrealism. For example, painting a still life and then adding some twist to the still life. That would probably be a theme that I might want to delve deeper into: reality with a fantastical, whimsical twist. I would rather the pieces be more fun and interesting to look at than having some deep, personal message. So pretty much, to sum up, I'm not really sure what I want to do exactly yet, but yes, I want to experiment with materials and I may possibly have a theme.

Pictures from this past week

Art and Fear Quotes and Reflection

The first quote that I picked was: "We have met the enemy and he is us. --- Pogo" (23). I picked this quote because I can easily relate to it. I have found that throughout my life, no matter what I am doing, whether it is visual art, dance, or school-work, I am my harshest critic. Even if someone else finds my work fine or even great, but I do not, then I am unhappy with this work or myself. The problem with this is that internal criticism makes me scared of making mistakes, and thus, letting down myself. Thus, I have issues taking risks and just experimenting in general--- often my work is very focus-driven. However, I know that I have this problem so I am working on letting myself make mistakes and then learn from them rather than becoming obsessed with perfection.

The second quote that I chose was: "the world soon ceases to care whether they are talented" (27). I am a big fan of this quote because it shows that anyone can potentially be great in whatever field they choose to pursue in life. I especially appreciate this idea as it pertains to dance. There are so many things in ballet that I am not naturally good at--- turns are particularly hard for me, and I get badgered nightly on my lack of turning skills by my ballet teachers. However, this quote and life in general has given me hope. I have experienced that although some girls are naturally good turners, jumpers, or balancers, all the rest of us eventually catch up and often surpass our gifted counterparts that often sail by on pure talent. These dancers often don't learn what hard work is until it is too late. This also relates to the visual arts world: I am very jealous of anyone who is naturally gifted at drawing realistically from sight, but throughout the oil painting class last year I learned that with a lot of practice I can improve too!

The third quote that I chose was: "Asking your work to prove anything only invites doom" (34). I picked this last quote because I have also had a lot of experience with this in the artistic world--- both dance, visual, and writing. Whenever I get ready to start a new piece of writing or a drawing or a dance and have creative license, then I always start to feel the pressure to make my piece mean something deep and meaningful. I feel as if I should be allowed to make something that is close to my heart or has to do with some inner struggles, but I don't believe that my work necessarily has to do this. I believe that making art just for fun, just to make something that is interesting, or just to let off steam is perfectly acceptable as well!

This week in senior studio...

These past two weeks in senior studio I spent a lot of time getting settled, finishing up past projects, brainstorming, reflecting, and experimenting. First off I had to finish off the work I started in Ceramics class. The project I had to complete was a project where I had made many different sizes of pears with stems (and some had attached or unattached stands) and then had to glaze them in different colors that pears wouldn't normally be. The pears also had different shaped holes in them. Hopefully we can fire these in the kilm in the future so I can see my finished products? Next, I completed my brainstorm sheet. While doing this I just let my wander and think about what types of things I'd like to do and accomplish in this class. I came to realize that I like to be in a studio space that has a lot of space, air, and light in it, and that also has a relaxing sense to it. However, the art I like to do is often quite different! I like works of art that are infused with bright colors, intricate details, and use many different mediums. This fact can be displayed in the piece that I started working on next. I started with just some different shapes of cut-up newspaper pasted on a sheet. Then I filled in the surrounding areas with swirls of color using pastels, charcoal, and colored pencils. I also used some collage. Overall I had no direction in mind--- I just decided to "scratch" and see what happened. Ultimately I ended up with a little funky piece that reminds me of a constellation of stars or planets in a bright, fluorescent sky surrounded with floating chunks of matter.

First Day Picture

Artist's at Work: Workspaces and Processes (Powerpoint)

After going through the power-point again and reading through each artist's specific studios and needs as an artist, I can definitely see that an artist's space and time of working in the studio are each very important. In general, if an artist doesn't feel comfortable or able to work in their current mindset, their work will not be their best work. Artists talk about needing certain objects to work or the need to carry around a sketchbook or camera so that they can keep collecting inspiration throughout the day. I can see that these habits and rituals help artists feel as if they are ready and capable of doing their best work. Andy Rosen, for example, talks about how he needs to be in a space where he can let things get messy and work all over the floors and tables and just really spread out. Without the ability to do this, his work might not be his most free-spirited, authentic work. Similarly, Hamlett Dobbins wakes up early to do work. I believe that this is so that he can work as he gets settled for the day, be alone with his thoughts, and be able to fully focus on his work--- because if he did work later when his daughter was running around, he wouldn't be able to fully focus on his daughter or his work.

The Artist's Studio (Hamlett's Website)

I was surprised that although each artist produced distinct, different work, many of their studio spaces were very similar. First off, there were the obvious materials that most of the artists had such as palettes, brushes, paints, sketchbooks, paper, found objects, pieces of art that the artist had already finished along with other works at various stages of development, and craft supplies like glue, scissors, tape, pencils, pens, rulers, and markers. However, besides all the necessary supplies, there were also many little shared idiosyncrasies. For example, most studio spaces had inspirational objects up on the walls or on tables. These objects varied from swatches of material, magazine clippings, pictures of work by others, to books, CDs, and little 3D knick-knacks. I also noticed that most places seemed to have beautiful, natural light, and wide open spaces in the studio. Some people also took pictures of friends or family or themselves working in the spaces, while other just showed the space. Some people also had pictures of friends or family in their workspaces too. Some people also took pictures of food, drinks, or their fridges, which I found interesting. Finally, I found that animals seemed to be a big theme in many artists' studios--- there were pictures or miniature animals in the studios, and one person was even making giant moose heads out of found objects! I believe that all these things are so prevalent in the studios because all these things will either inspire the artists or will allow the artists to work for long periods of time. For example, the swatches of colour and magazine clippings may remind an artist a mood or shape they are trying to portray. Similarly, flipping through art books or drawing in their sketchbooks will help artists to generate ideas. Things like books and CDs will also allow artists to take a break from working and not leave the studio and get out of studio mode if they hit a roadblock and need to take a break. The same concept of not wanting to leave the studio and artistic mood applies to why artists find keeping food and drinks in their studios so important. The natural light, wide open spaces, and animal themes probably help to relax the artists and allow them to have a clear, level head. Finally, I just think that it is interesting that some artists appear to find others integral to their studios, while others don't (the ones who include others in their studio pics vs. those who only include objects in their pictures).

Scratching

According to Twyla Tharp, scratching is the act of generating ideas and finding inspiration. This could be anything from experimenting, reading, observing nature or everyday life, or just living and talking with others. It is called scratching because it is like scratching a lottery ticket: some tickets will lead to nothing and no ideas and some tickets will lead to the jack-pot or fantastic ideas. Twyla Tharp suggests that we do anything at all that will help us to start a project. It could be any of the things listed above, or something entirely different--- whatever works for the individual! Most importantly though, the act of scratching must not be judged. People must let themselves create anything that they want, because a great piece or idea may come from a not so good project. I think that this last tidbit of information is one thing that would help me in the studio. I often judge my work and are always thinking about the finished product. However, I should just let myself experiment and be free with my work. In other words, I shouldn't be worried or scared of taking risks or making mistakes--- because that is where great pieces develop from. I can also see myself using her idea of learning from the "greats." I haven't really spent much time reading books about art or looking at art, and I think that this would be a great way to get inspiration. As I mentioned before, scratching in the studio would look like this: taking risks without inhibition, exploring work by other artists, observong the world around me, and of course, experimenting and having fun with art.