studio reflection for this semester

Studio Component Summary & Reflection

Agenda proclaimed at June 07 Residency:

Goal: To integrate my digital work with my paintings

Concept: create a range of studies that combine:

· Loose drawings (from life or memory as they relate to my project)

· Digital with paint

· Paint into digital

· Possibly repeat process

· Composite studies

· Pending the results of these studies, a series of larger works will be created and presented.

Quantity: Final series will most likely be an odd number with quantity determined by size. At this moment I am anticipating 5 or 7 images in this series.

Size: Final artwork will utilize the 12-15ft exhibition space offered at AIB during the January 08 residency. Pending preliminary studies and mentor feedback, I intend to use a square format to reference the digital element in this exploration. Therefore, sizes could be somewhere between 2x2’ and 4x4’

Materials:

• Acrylic or acrylic mix media
• Studies will most likely be on paper, canvas or hardboard
• Final series will be determined by results and mentor input.
• Since this is an exploration, paper, canvas, hardboard, plastic or metal are to be considered as possible solutions. Although unlikely, projections or 3D are feasible results.

Final product: The exhibition of a paint/computer hybrid image series (alongside preliminary studies).

Results

Paint into digital:

What I did:

• scanned paintings to manipulate digitally
• Create digital images to print and then paint (in lieu of photographs)

What I learned:

• Manipulating/montage of paintings in Photoshop was not unlike what I have done in the past > no major breakthroughs
• Images created digitally with the intent to paint translate better for me if they are rough or unfinished. For me the paint must contribute to the image & there I found that ‘trashing” images through deconstruction, addition of pattern, and conversion to grayscale created “under-paintings” to print and paint upon.
• My photographic prints of manipulated paint-digitals lend themselves to re-digitizing.

Digital into paint:

What I did:

• Printed paint-digital “under-paintings” on large BW printers/cheap bond paper at Kinko’s
• Coated paper with layers of acrylic gel medium prior to painting.
• Some had the bond paper removed after to create transparent images.
• Painted on color photographic prints of paint-digital images
• Controlled mindset/mood through active choice of music or audio-books while painting.

What I learned:

• That painting on printed images (even ones I created solely) was a taboo for me. I found that clung to creating digital images in an effort to skirt the painting part of my agenda.
• A lot more about creating images for this type of printing/paper and for transparency, as well as painting with acrylic on bond paper.
• That painting big feels natural for me and is more rewarding to work on since larger scale images can envelope me during process as an environmental experience.

Project in Retrospect:

What I learned:

Conceptually: I learned via John Berger that the environments of our childhood dictate the palette and influences of images created in adulthood. For me, I reflect on the La Brea Tar Pits, Museums, and rides like Disneyland’s submarine, Catalina’s glass bottom boat, and Pacific Ocean parks leaky diving bell. These experiences evoked fear and pleasure for me. Additionally, I see the seaweed images as having embryonic or Darwinian images while referencing my past themes of veiling and the content of space. My readings on landscape painting helped me to identify my historical influences, penchants, and future endeavors that I may actively choose these aspects in the future.

In process: I worked with familiar mediums in a new way, with new images and palette. This forced me out of my comfort zone which enhanced skills while fueling ideas for future projects.

Visually: The digital-paint processes heavily influenced my results. I would not have created the resulting images in the mindset and knowledge I possessed prior to these endeavors. Working with variations of the same prints multiple times with paint was new and rewarding for me.

What I would do differently:

Unless creating transparent images, I would opt to print on canvas rather than paper in the future. It would be better to spend the money (now that I know what I am doing) rather that the excessive time needed to prep and work with the prints. However, printed canvas could present a range of new issues requiring adaptation.

Tangents & future possibilities:

• At the moment I am weary of seaweed, yet find the imagery visually seductive >so, I will most likely return to it in the future.
• The processes I explored will most likely resurface since “the message dictates the medium” and therefore I see these cross-process hybrids as suitable and viable choices of expression in my future.
• The acrylic gel transparency process inspired the concept of capturing images of pressed tattoos against glass (copier or digital camera) with the intent of creating “skins” that become portraits of their owners. I believe the tattoo images created or selected in my area will depict the unique local color while documenting the issues of marginalization socially and in the workplace of this cultural subgroup. While I grew through my isolation in the studio, I missed interpersonal exchange inherent of working artistically in the community.
• Plan to test the gel transfer process to see what materials it will work with, such as watercolor, pastel, graphite, and various printed materials.
• Plan to experiment with layering/collage of multiple thin gel layers as well as embedding stuff.
• May take paintings back into the computer as a departure for new digital images.
• May use paintings on paper for a collage/paint project

december update

crazy days!!!

studio:

finished. had crit with mentor at sfai nov 28 & then came back to present to one of his painting classes the following wednesday (dec 5th). it was to fun to see what they were doing (nice work) + food & dif perspectives.

now i am trying to fig out my shipping & how to hang. since 1/2 is digital i will use a digital frame (keep it digital ) & roll up and ship, take on plane, or carry on with the rest.

have not posted images in a while. work has changed & have done a lot since last ones were posted.

have not posted more art dvd & book either.

Academic:

finished & submitted:

artist statement
reading/museum/galleries/dvd list
semester studio reflection/summary (process/learning outcome)

will tweak the statement a bit & then print & maybe mount to blk foamcore? same for reading list so that they are compatible with the art. can remove>reuse mounting a few times - i think.

november 29th!!!!

have not been here for some time...

the update:

studio: lots of computer images, prints, paint

aib academic adviser: finished & submitted 2 papers (research/reflections) & spoke on the phone with deborah davidson. all is well :)

aib studio mentor: met with glenn hirsch at sfai. he was happy with my efforts & offered insight/ideas for this last leg + replication & presentation possibilities for these images.


what i learned:
print outputs > that i needed to change my images even more for print & transparency use. spent days manipulating the images i had been using to translate to transparency. did this by clarifing the darks/midtones that would go black/high contrast when printed. added film grain/noise to allow light to pass. killed black & anything close as i can add that if needed. added a grid pattern that inverts for dark/light. took so long cuz of the filesize. to get all 3 images alike it made more sense to work with them on the same layer. so it was 9ft wide at 300 rez. even as a grayscale my laptop choked often>>> had to clear 1/3 of my hard drive & use the purge all option between each filter. could have setup/recorded actions, yet would have wasted more time trying to remember how to do it + having to tweak individual images after.

paint>
to have a huge stash of materials prior to starting a project. had a 1/2 gal of gel medium when i started & am now at the bottom of my 3rd gal. had to buy from texas as the stuff was backordered bigtime in northern calif. art stores now days only special order this size.

did learn a lot through using the same images over & over. have never done that in paint. taking each round in a new direction/scale/process got me to new places > which has fuel yet more directions/ideas to explore. forcing myself to work with a palette i tend to skirt was good for me as well. think it was jasper johns that talked about forcing himself to do this & the payoffs he got from it.

research> will write a blog for this as there is way too much to mention.
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next:
do more printouts. mentor glenn wants me to bring the stuff i presented as is to present to his class. so in the meantime i plan to do some more & take them further. + have new project idea i want to gather images for & experiment on before i forget it/loose my groove.

meet for final with mentor next week. will bring the same art + new + brief artist statement (1/2pg) + food (potluck!)

write artist statement & reading list > due dec 14th

figure out shipping of artwork

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every is going great. exhausted at the moment from the whirlwind tempo for the past 3 weeks. the past 5 days have been intense on the studio work as i presented them yesterday.
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none aib stuff:

my poster & buttons come out for first night monterey this week. there was a local feature on it i missed a few days ago (tv died & was painting)

tomorrow: opening/reception for a groupshow i am in at the monterey museum of art

maria motherwell book: finally going to print!!! trying to get a release to use one of his paintings of her for the cover.

really need to deep my clean house :( life get in the way of art (& apparently vise versa) need to catch up on all the other fronts.

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painting

still prepping printouts :(

did around 3 coats on the backside of prints/fabric. last coat sunday morn.

today: glossy medium/varnish as a sealer to the front/image of each. did white areas first & fairly heavy to seal + prevent the black from smearing. once this was dry i did a heavy coat of gloss gel with a 5 inch wide putty knife. had a few wrinkles that were blended as well as creating interesting texture.

is taking forever to dry. think i will hold off until tomorrow to touch.

next:
another coat of gloss medium/varnish to seal/knock down texture & then a brush application of glossy gel. may do a 2nd putty knife coat to modify texture. i did all with the knife with vertical strokes> so i do have ridges (which may be desireable). may do a 2nd coat horizontal to create a grid effect that would reference the sq format as well as the digital/pixel element to this work/process.

buy another gallon of glossy gel :(

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did a gel/putty knife coat to the 30x30 blue glazed/clear gesso image i deem as a failure from the first paint round. my intention is to remove the paper once it is really dry. i saw an example & think it may be interesting. thought it wise to try on something that i don't care about before messing with something i create with this process in mind.

think it will need to dry/cure at least a week before messing with it. hope i have time to do this + create intended in time to dry, remove paper & have ready to present by nov 14 :(

once stuff looks dry/clear i could set up a box fan to circulate air & speed up curing time?
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sf open studio 11.04.07

overview:

glad i went.

as always i am visually overwhelmed after going through building 101 & have little desire to visit the 5 other buildings.

some of my favorite stuff was what i saw when i first walked in. not sure if some of this is because i was fresh or because the better artists make more money & can afford the prime studios or have those studios because they have been at it longer & are still kicking because they are good.

jan, an aib student also, met me there. it was fun looking at presentation ideas there in terms of what we will do in jan 08. there were a few imaginative displays/ideas, yet most were what you would expect for a studio space suddenly converted to gallery mode.

got free guide & collected tons of post/business cards to ck out later. this is useful for graphic design ideas/layouts/solutions as well. some stuff looks great in print & are no big deal in person.

• saw lame work that was well presented & sold itself well

• & saw great work that was poorly displayed.

• in general, most put way too much stuff up. think painting the walls to organize or visually break up space/group could have helped this. renting or building partitions to freestand away from or off of the walls could have improved the environment while increasing surface area.
  

• it was interesting to see artist's work that i have followed for years. some went off in directions i did not foresee. most>more of the same.

what was dif from 3 yrs ago:

more encaustic
more big bright murals with a street art/grafitti vibe
less figurative
less photography
more digital that went beyond chessey photoshop filters
less sculpture
less assemblage type sculpture
more organic themes
more square formats (rather than rectangle/traditional golden mean ratios)
more political/anti war
fewer overt gay/lesbian stuff
less functional art
more airbrush
more asian art/zen influences
less graphic type of paintings (large areas/shapes of single colors)
more dripping/runny paint, more glazing
less fiber/fabric arts/soft sculpture

how this relates to me:

saw stuff in the realm of what i have been doing.

does this mean i am "of my time" or just hooked into a trend?

is this good, bad, inevitable?

what should i do about it?

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golden acrylic demo

attended a 2 hr demo by a bay area artist demo of golden products. did learn a few things, get some questions answered that artstore people (who were there) could not give me in the past. man this is a small town. did not know everyone, yet have seen all at various art functions about town.

liked/learned from the comparative examples of the various mediums/glazes

got a new idea:
i may use for 3 of my prints> after coating the bw kinko print with soft gel a bunch one can remove the paper & the pigment will remain. the example there was of a bw of one of her paintings & had not been painted on>>>sort of a xray quality to it. i like the transparency of it, yet would want to add transparent color i think. if nothing else one would be able to get rid of the crappy bond paper & gesso the back or adhere it to canvas, wc paper, or ? if the transparency remained one could backlight it, hang it, layer it. would need to buy their soft gel to do this.

not big on the texture gel stuff as i have messed a lot with creating my own in the past & can not see spending $$ for something i would not use often.

did like the crackle stuff, yet would prefer it was clear > more diverse application & conducive to mixmedia.

all the sparkly/metalic/irridecent/inference stuff is pretty, yet i shy away from it as an option in art>>>seems to have a fad/trendy stigma attached to it's use. great if i was painting rainbows & unicorns. may work as an underpainting, have tried some & kinda like the bronze, yet fought with it a bit. think i would rather paint on a sheet of metal or leaf if i were to go that route.

guess i just like dirt too much. have added burnt bone, ash, clays to gel medium years ago to use as paint when experimenting with organic type stuff. had a idea of being able to take a few things backpacking & then use whatever was around to create with.

years ago in a class i had an assignment to create something that:

• super cheap that could be constructed with assessable materials
• that was easy to make & fulfilled a need
  
• targeted a specific, marginalized group (3rd world)
• honored their culture somehow

what i did was to create a solar oven with a cardboard box & foil. polished metal works better than foil, yet cardboard/foil would enable more ovens to be made & thereby serve more people. i chose madagascar as my location/people. i studied & spoke with a girl that had lived there for a year in the peace core. i used the acrylic gel with ash, dirt & the like to paint patterns derived from historical fabrics of that area. i was able to create black, white, beige, raw sienna-ish, burnt sienna-ish & burnt umber-ish paint that was like the fabrics and probably attainable there. my limiting the need to only buy gel the cost was kept down. using the gel also strengthened/waterproofed the cardboard & repelled dirt/food. to some extent using the clay in the paint would retain heat a little. the downside to using the organic in the gel is controlling the grit size. a mortar & pestle would have been smart. i might use this assignment teaching one day. some of the students went solar or wind & had interesting results.

studio update>>>11.01.07

yesterday:

finished creating files in the morn & went to kinkos to printout in the eve. the 36x36 came out a little streaky in the black areas. not sure this will matter. got 2 sets of the 3 to take in 2 dif directions. one will mimic the first version as a departure point while i plan to experiment more & possibly screw up the 2nd>>>no pain no gain, yet for school one needs to have something in hand.

got prices for color printing my preliminary work as 1 f t x 8 or 10ft banners>blk background & uniform images in sequence> same ones on blog image link. reason being: to show where this stuff is coming from & to get better feedback. thinking of maybe folding/creasing the banners so that there is an accordion effect. if i have three i can alternate to give it a 3d/installation vibe. using bond paper which is kinda lame would cost around $300. on the bright side i can cut them after into pages for documentation. the downside to digital stuff is in the sharing. i could get one or more of those digital picture frames? yet the banner idea would echo the totem painting collage i am working on & may exhibit (tall vertical format). need to know fast so i can tell louise my needs!!!

today: mount some of the prints to fabric. not sure if i want to cut first or after. they are big & the space to work isn't. if i do not cut it would be easier to keep the excess intact to use to back the totem stuff? cutting anything has always been an weakness > so i am a bit anxious on this.

+ i am not sure if i should apply stuff to the fabric & then the print to it or vice versa.

& if i should do small sections at a time & weight it or all at once> use a rolling pin & weight it all with books/bricks?

should i pushpin (fabric out) to the wall & put clips at the bottom for weight or lay flat with books? may not need it, yet am concerned that it doesn't stick to anything. may use books at first & then remove, followed by moving them now & then a tad to make sure they are not binding to anything. new territory for me.

aib academic adviser meeting for october

deborah davidson phoned wed eve to discuss my last paper,this blog, & offered names of artist to look at.

writing:
this was really helpful to me as i have been a little confused on writing styles/agendas & whither or not i was "on the same page." i feel more comfortable with it now & less stress on the paper due in 2 weeks.

blog: has been a great tool for my academic agenda. it forces me to write/document what i am seeing/learning/doing which gives me clarity. it also gives my adviser & mentor insight into my mindset, agenda, imagery that they are more able to give productive feedback. for example, after reading my last paper & upon seeing some of my digital tree stuff posted on the image link deborah was able to give me names of a few artists to research (early modrian landscapes/trees & corot >use of light/surface quality).

dvd: the collector:allen stone's life in art

netflix blurb:
Filmmaker Olympia Stone presents a cinematic portrait of her father, famed New York City gallery owner and art collector Allan Stone, in this fascinating documentary tracing his rise in the international art world from the 1950s to 2006. Regarded as a pioneering collector, Allan Stone was considered an expert on the work of Abstract Expressionists, particularly Willem de Kooning, Arshile Gorky, Barnett Newman and Franz Kline.

liked it. this guy was a major packrat. his huge house looks as cluttered/packed full as my garage or storage. his tastes are all over the place. not a bare spot on the wall as they were hung solid with art>>> even the doors! his collected art as well as cultural artifacts. he had mummified heads of a missionary & a tribal kings daughter displayed (open air) on a table.

the documentary focused on how he first encountered art as a ny lawyer & became a gallery owner. he shares stories of well know artists he has exhibited over the years.

what i like about this movie is that it is personal rather than academic speculation. his daughter (youngest of 6 girls) did a good job of sharing her unique point of view of this man, her unconventional childhood/home life, and got to the core of this man's passion/obsession with art.

how it relates to my stuff:

doesn't, yet found i was attracted to the personal sharing of this story. the interviews were revealing, heartfelt, and genuine>>>all very natural as if you were sitting in the room with friends. hard to do/pull off even for a daughter. it is this personal sharing/communicating with the viewer that i seek through image. there are works that succeed in this, yet distilling the iconic/visual techniques for communicating this quality is a challenge.

watching this dvd did give some insight into art from a gallery owners perspective. think he should have taken the leap & picked up a brush. i would be curious if he encouraged any of his daughter to pursue art. his youngest is in film, yet it seems offspring in general tend to skirt a parent's realm to stake out their own identity/independence in other fields.
6 daughters>>>there's a story.

10.31.07 update

last week/10 days:
was formulating/gathering/writing/editing my paper.
with the mla/double space it works out to about a max of 2pgs or less. header/id info,title,etc eats up 1/5-1/4th pg, then to factor in structure requirements> footnotes/intro& conclusion paragraphs (3-5 sentences in general), leaves about 3 paragraphs for content. this means i have to be less wholistic & write about fewer aspects to a subject. this is ok as my next paper will cover the rest.
what is confusing is the examples give from aib.
for example:

"looking at trees"

• works out to 8-10 pgs in mla. not a fair example as it was highly personal narrative/journal-ish & less academic/distilled.
• no thesis statement is presented in the opening/intro paragraph & not really the 2nd either. never really clearly stated anywhere or proved.
  
• contains paragraphs that are basically book reading summaries rather than focus on what she got out of it & how it applied to her work.
• paragraphs are agenda based & are expected to validate/tie into thesis somehow. she didn't do this, she told a story>had a conversation.
  
• this was an enjoyable, personal journal/sharing type paper. yet does not seem to fit what is asked of me.
• think the mla structure just kicks me into formal essay structure & the whole "every essay is an argument" mode that forces the writer to take a position. i fought with this in critical theory/writing classes when it came to political/social issues where it was not black or white. i did well, yet felt like i was betraying my ethics in doing so.
• think this blog stuff: documents/fulfills the journal/research/mindset needs of this program & will just continue my papers as distilled/applied research & worry about it less.
  

this week:

• photographed 4 paintings for collage/totem & have numerous digital experiments of cutting/combining them together. think a totem needs to be a vertical composition. like the square visually, yet they do not transition from digital/geometric to paint/organic as well. think i am going with a sequential abstraction idea>used a system/formula to cut, rotate & reposition/integrate pieces to create a visual narrative & unitiy/logic. the version i am thinking of going with ends up being 4 vertical columns. i have created a low contrast bw gradient image from their source material that goes from light to dark & perspective(light top). this print will back the totem. plan to paint on/tint & fabric back. will be sort of a 90>120inch x30-36inch banner. it will be easy to ship. if the background does not fly i can cut it up or paint/take it elsewhere & then cut up/or not. plan to post the various totem digital scenarios soon. want feedback from glen/mentor first. he might have a better idea
  

• have been putting in long hours 15++ per day)on the computer. with the large file sizes the going is slow. i have been creating/editing paint/digital hybrid to print out.

• bought some sort of synthetic,rigid, 50% gray,45inch wide fabric at walmart for $1 a yd. the idea is to mount the next bw printout with mod podge(is acrylic/non yellowing/stable use for crafts/decoupage & works like, yet better than any of acrylic paint products. wish i could have got it in white. $ is an issue as all my numerous experiments are good size & getting costly(it is worth it>am learning a lot). may paint the backside of the fabric with white gesso after it is bound to the print & has had time to cure. weave in open(organza like) and without fuzzies. will test first as the gesso may tighten & pucker the stuff . think the white might shift the color on the grey. if the grey is even a problem.

• go to kinko print stuff today

• need to have all the new studio work done by nov 14!!! it is a huge amount of work> 10 new paintings (all over 36 inches) & is due 2 days before my next paper :( would have liked more than 2 weeks between these 2 papers.
  

• tonight is halloween & my aib adviser call. had i realized this i would have asked for another day as 6:30 in calif is prime time for taking my son around. my school stuff has been hard on him. wish i had family nearby for him to enjoy/experience/pick up the slack. single parenthood...
  

art showdown dvd

this was a new release dvd from netfliks. i had no idea what this was about prior to viewing. basically it is a low budget gameshow that revolves around art.

competitive catagories are:

auction price is right >contestants from the audience guess real auction prices of famous works
winner goes to spin the surreal wheel.

surreal wheel:
famous forgery> shown images & have to guess the authentic
schmooze and booze>contestants try to shmooze real life museum curators while gobbling cheese & drink (think it is something unpleasant). points for the amount of food/drink consumed as well as points given for smoozing by guest curator. for example the curator of the mit gallery
dead guys tell no lies> 3 true or false stories of how famous artists died .guess which one is true.
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final 2 contestants:

art show down> two final contestants have to use 3ft+ stick with pencil to draw whatever image is drawn in one min. for example: nude descending a staircase.

shooting gallery> paintguns/10 shots at rotating carnival type targets of artists/people. points off for hitting rich republican patrons of the arts. points for all else.

brush with danger> house paintbushattached to helmet to be used to get paint on other contestant> winner is one wearing least amount of paint


theme of this show is cheesy western> thought it was texas based, it seems to be from boston. who'd a thought...?

was dumb -was meant to be.

winner won red sox tickets
runner up won harvard artshow tickets

did like guessing/knowing the art history, forge, auction $ questions

could have been a boston student/college produced show?

i pretty much rent any new dvd with the word "art" in it.
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the other dvd i have to watch is called paradise found (not new) & is a speculative fiction/non-documentary movie about gaugain. started to watch & had to stop (family stuff). did not know that pizzaro went to figi & that they did not know/hear of each other beforehand.keifer sutherland play gaugain.
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e-topia

skimmed through the wiliam j. mitchell i got from the library to see if it offered any i could use. did not know what i was looking for, yet thought something might jump out at me. part of this effort is to be current, "of my time" as an artist. for me it makes sense to look at our "now" from the eyes/perspective of many. this book seemed to be an educated speculation of what's ahead & maybe offer some sort of tibit that could translate to image. i feel that even when i do not find anything that my efforts toward active awareness will manifest somehow. as for the art i am doing now i do not think anything is manifesting, yet may in the future. think it is the kind of a process of gathering and simmering for a time & at some point in the future it will hit. tends to happen this way for me with problem solving in general.

some of the forecasts:

• reduction of major cities & de-isolation of rural areas due to technology
  
• "wear ware" clothing/like or "body nets" that monitors health & personal data/id/remote communication
• buildings with "nervous systems"
• smart appiliances & sim stuff one would expect
• to me it reflected sci-fi forcasts>>> the whole "big brother" homgenized/beehive vision

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wonder what the repercussions will be. the biological & social changes have been evident for a while, yet animals that we are we can only adapt at a reasonable rate. brain changes that show up in scans during watching tv, computer usage, electronic games have change the neurological connections/mapping/usage of our brains. this effects information process & lft/rt hemisphere dominance which affects skills, perception, communication and reduces some of the gender differences that had formed via functions. an example of this is typing. the physical process of doing so modifies the brain to balance hemisphere dominance to some extent through the mechanical process of using both hands (as does piano & such), typing was for secretaries, a woman's job, yet the computer has changed this as the male population now use keyboards often. not only do these changes show up in scan, but in brain autopsies as well. it is evolution.
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• 
  

10-26-07

busy art stuff day:

• finished & emailed aib paper
• delivered 2 paintings to a juried show
• picked up 2 painting from a juried show that ended
• went to 5 openings, including one of a group show that i had work in
• almost finished big painting i have been working on
  
• finished big frame i have been re-finishing
• put together 2 custom oak frames i bartered website work > one was too short!!!

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Next:

• go to university (csumb) & print out new crit theory stuff & pick up copies of illustrations/graphic design stuff to use for my portfolio
• get prices from kinkos to see if my exhibit idea for jan 08 residency is affordable
• respond to louise' s email for space requests.
• get files together to go to kinkos for printing big bw
• shop around for cheap fabric to back paintings/bw printouts with>>>walmart?
  

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finish paint experiments with images from last mentor meeting in the next 3 days. need to do prior to going to kinkos in case i chose to edit files for some new direction.
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post images if time permits!!!! too busy reading new crit theory + the last of my reading list, writing, painting.
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next weekend: open studio sf/hunters point

wed 14th: next painting crit with mentor at sfai

update: 10-21-07

art:

finished & submitted work for 2 shows & delivered this week.

one was a digital abstract collage that will be in a show that opens at the monterey museum of art in about 2 weeks. it is a spin off my landscape 5c (i titled it landscape 5d). think has a asian sensibility to it.

the other is a paint >to digital > to print (color gloss photo) > to paint that went to the pacific grove art center for their patron show. means this was a donation & will go to someone who pay $50 for a ticket. i like this place> am not a member, yet have attended many openings there & drank their wine/ate their food. think they do a huge service to the community & the arts. the title of my painting is "study for triad" as i am doing a larger one of this also & may go even bigger.

pick up stuff coming off a show & deliver more this friday. had one that is un finished i had planned to enter, yet not sure if there is time.

work this week for artist norman foster. need the $$, enjoy the work, his company, his dog, his awesome studio, ,nice music, & learning/improving art related skills. timing not the best for my paper & painting, yet life & bills have always found a way to get in the way of school/art.


school stuff:

working hard on the paper due friday. at the moment i am gathering/typing notes, quotes & creating my mla resource/citing pg. i do better when i organize it all up front>>> more logical & less editing later.

ordered books on list for jan08 crit theoryII (used) at amazon.com & should get next week. realistically do not think i will be touching them until after my semester stuff is finished (mid december). papers, exhibition plans, final tweaking, packing & shipping to be there by jan, takes time. not to mention xmas with offspring, parents et all.

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art dvd>>> rolf & fondy: to care

1hr, 2006, got from netflix

netflix blurb:

Video artist Scott Pagano and electronic musicians Mirco Uguccioni and Maurizio Ottavi (aka Rolf & Fonky) joined forces to create this collection of abstract, moving artwork that blends 3D and algorithmic elements with a complex musical soundtrack. Numbering eight in all, the individual art films explore the concepts of form, color, light and density while pushing the boundaries of what one would consider "art."

i would describe this to a buddy as a photoshop montage in motion to techno/rave type music. could see this (minus music) on a big screen in a slick, lowlight big city club/bar. engaging, yet one would not get distracted by bar conversation (& miss a storyline,plot,key dialog)= good background/atmosphere that beats the hell out of a tv show or music video. would be cool on numerous screens around a place out of sequence to other music.

each is sort of a motion painting>>> like seeing an image series of one subject/composition & all the variations/tangents in sequence. no real beginning or end & almost every frame would look great as a still image.

have thought of doing this stuff yet stressed out over long render times & lack of $$$ to buy the right equipment to pursue this vision. maybe cheap/affordable now? need a new lifetime to mess with motion.

like:
that there is no narrative per se & that their theme is constant. basically a beautiful girl that has been filmed & then this film is cut up, layer over itself out of sequence + the heavy use of overlays of color pattern, adjustment layers. the music works, yet gets tedious/annoying in a hurry.

half of the compositions are without the chick, & almost all seem to be completely virtual in construction, abstract, yet have a architectural quality/referencing i like. if you are familiar at all with random art that last sentence probably makes more sense (go to: random-art.org).

not like:
the tempo is constant>>> while i get why, over time for me, it gets too "strobe-ish"(might trigger an epileptic seizure in somebody).

would like to see this idea done with a slow/sensual motion/tempo>>>more like watching a fishtank & easier to get lost in.

how it relates to me:

keeping current, awareness of our "now" so that somehow what i create will be "truly of my time." + will know what someone is talking about should this genre come up in a school discussion.

studio stuff

thoughts on "totem" piece:

mentioned earlier (in post about mentor crit), i had push-pinned 7 of the paintings (over digital on paper) to the wall with the intent of creating a collage.

after 6 days of viewing them i have found that i liked some more than before. on 2 i feel they would be awesome on a large scale. the rest are good, yet do not represent anywhere i want to go in the future>i learned/explore & that was enough.

now:

i want to take 4 of the images to use for the totem. rather than jump in & cut/collage, i am scanning them in to brainstorm digitally. i have an idea that involves horz strips systematically mixed in a vertical composition. all paintings are the same size. thinking having them like flaps & may paint the backsides in a manner that adds dimension to the work. think i may want the flaps not to lay flat to expose the backside/underbelly.

the other 3 paintings are dif size, yet relate to each other. may collage or use them as underpaintings to build up with a lot of transparent glazes. the hope being that the underpainting will be apparent upon close examination>>>part of the "payoffs at various viewing distances" i favor in art.

other:

cking out the cost of printing out multiple color kinko banners to mount to fabric & paint on. they would all be horz & form a single work. reason for this: sound interesting, is reletivly economical & would be easier to ship. i had soooo much damage last time that i want to stay away from anything rigid this session. + this is all new to me & i get to expand my material experience on this. they would form a single mural or scroll of sorts?

reading:

shalain's sex, time & power: How women's sexuality shape human evolution:

extremely interesting >>> as is all his books. so far, it has me focused on how we perceive/filter info & the diversity in the results based on biological factors.

wjt mitchell's picture theory:

this book has me thinking of art as an iconic language, which i did before, yet mitchell is bringing more to it than i have encountered before.

how will i use this? more awareness=more able to actively choose my message through image (or at least prevent miscommunication or convolute more effectively).

-----------------------

crit theoryII list

Imprint/Index/Trace/Mark/Photograph

AIB Critical Theory II Seminar January 2008

Michael Newman

Course Description

The use of techniques of imprinting and casting from the body and from objects has been pervasive in modern art. Introducing ways of engendering objects independently of controlling intention and open to chance effects, such techniques lend to the thing a traumatic immediacy and raise questions of the relation between life and death, presence and absence, mourning and the uncanny. The imprint has also been used as the basis for an alternative to an art history based on representation and idea. The index, a sign physically related to its referent, has been proposed as the basis to link sculptural practice of the 1970s to a model based on photography. The class will follow four threads: First, a consideration and critique of the idea of origin, and its relation to the mark and the trace; second, a consideration of the relations between mark, sign and trace; third, the implications of the trace and imprint to life and death, with a particular focus on casting and the photograph; and fourth, the trace considered as trace of the other and of the feminine.

Requirements

A. The texts are required reading for the class. You will be expected to participate actively in a discussion of these texts.

B. A short illustrated presentation in class related to one of the readings

+++ = available as download

Three books need to be purchased.

Session 1: The Trace in the Origin of Drawing

Reading:

***Pliny, Natural History: Books XXXIII-XXXV, ed. G. P. Goold, trans. H. Rackham, 1995 ed., X vols., vol. IX, The Loeb Classical Library (London: Harvard University Press, 1952), Book XXXV, 151-152 according to the paragraph numbers to the left of the Latin text); also available in Pliny the Elder, Natural History: A Selection, trans. John F. Healy (London: Penguin, 1991), p.336, §151. A complete translation of Pliny's Natural History is available online at [Note: their server is currently down]

+++Michael Newman, "The Traces and Marks of Drawing" in The Stage of Drawing: Gesture and Act, Selected from the Tate Collection, edited by Catherine de Zegher, London: Tate Publishing and New York: The Drawing Center, 2003, pp. 93-108.

Session 2: The Index, Stain, and Sign

Reading:

+++Rosalind Krauss, "Notes on the Index" in The Originality of the Avant-Garde and Other Modernist Myths (Cambridge, Mass. and London, England: MIT, 1985), pp.196-219.

+++Georges Didi-Huberman, "The Index of the Absent Wound (Monograph on a Stain)," October, Summer 1984 1984

+++James Elkins, On Pictures and the Words That Fail Them (Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998), Chapter 1: "Marks, Traces, Traits, Contours, Orli, and Splendores", pp. 3-46.

Session 3: The Relic, Life Cast, Death Mask and Photograph

Reading:

+++Sigmund Freud, "Mourning and Melancholia," Standard Edition, Vol. 14, pp.243-258.

+++André Bazin, "The Ontology of the Photographic Image", in What is Cinema? (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967), pp.9-16

BUY: Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida : Reflections on Photography (New York: Hill and Wang, 1981).

Session 4: The Trace of the Other and of the Feminine

Reading:

+++Emmanuel Levinas, "The Trace of the Other," in Deconstruction in Context, ed. Mark Taylor (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986)

+++Edward Casey, "Levinas on Memory and the Trace", in J.C.Sallis, G. Moneta and J. Taminiaux eds., The Collegium Phaenomenologicum (Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1988), pp.240-255.

BUY: Jacques Derrida, Memoirs of the Blind: The Self-Portrait and Other Ruins, trans. Pascale-Anne Brault and Michael Naas (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1993)

Buy: Julia Kristeva, and Toril Moi, The Kristeva Reader (New York: Columbia University Press, 1986), read section I, "Linguistics, Semiotics, Textuality" esp. pp.62-136.

+++Michael Newman, "Imprint and Rhizome in the Work of Cristina Iglesias," in Iwona Blazwick ed., Cristina Iglesias (Museu Serralves, Barcelona, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, and Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, 2002-03), pp. 121-164 [availabie as author's MS]

aib agenda update

jan08 residency:

arrangements are in place to travel & share room with group buddy from this area!

readings for next residency:

got email with new reading list for critical theory II.
instructor this time will be:
michael newman (ex-brit,chicago art institute instructor/historian/writer of books)

need to buy 3 books on the list (rest is published & mailed out by aib)

opening

went to the opening of the juried art show i had 2 images in last night. nothing new under the sun... did feel i lucked out on the placement/lighting of my 2 paintings. the food was less than hoped for given the amount of fee charged.

sfi mentor meeting

met with my aib mentor glenn hirch on wednesday at the sf art istitute where he teaches.
he was awesome>>> gave a lot of insight, posed questions & directions for this next leg of images to create.

took in 26 paintings & 2 printout of digital images.

i feel i did a good job fleshing out the options on my assigned agenda & have a good feel of where to take it next.

some of this will involve trashing/reprocessing a good chunk of the work i just completed. although they are done, i want to take them somewhere else. this means i will document what i have done up to this point so that if my future efforts end in total destruction 9which is perfect ok) i will have my ass covered & not show up empty handed in jan 08.

one of these trashing will be to reprocess a blue-y-g dig-paint triptych (each 2'x2) with clear gesso texture & my infamous tobacco/nicotine tint glaze. having been working with blue glazes (which i could never embrace) i am looking forward to getting down & dirty on these.

there are maybe 7 painting to use for a collage or sorts. i have them all on the wall & move them about throughout the day. next i will create a digital file to composite/montage them. think i will go for a semi-sequencial verticl scroll that goes from digital (top) to organic. think that i will cut off the black edges & then the blue/green images in to strips. doing it in photoshop will save me trouble/time on the troubleshooting upfrount before making any cuts. after that i may go over all with texture/paint glaze?

will print out & do more of the 30x30 or 36x36 dig stuff to paint on.

will experiment with the same stuff/processes on photo. am liking the new stuff a lot.

learned more about myself/style i am in at this time during the past few weeks & want to nail it for jan08.

all this stuff is tying into the scroll/narrative stuff i have done/mentioned in the past

as to how to write this stuff into my papers...

need to rest up after such an intense push the past 4 weeks. i had sore back,neck, swollen fingers/wrists, 7 new callouses from this spell. this is a good thing>>>means i am alive & have been busy!

will be creating new digital for output/paint. am thinking about murals/big scrolls now. installation objects as well.


have some great idea for presenting/exhibiting in 08 as well>>>need to look into costs :(

next deadline is a paper

next studio/mentor deadline: nov 14 at sfi.

stash 6 pack: 5: discs 6 & 5

this stash series is becoming an addiction for me & i am glad of it!

wish i afford to buy subscribe to this monthly dvd magazine

i like that i am often laughing, or in awe by skill, imagery or concepts presented in this dvd magazine.

i like that most are non-verbal and often come from non us/western mindsets . due to technology so much art/tv seems to be homogenated visually these days.

upon reflection, the psudo-underwater animation in disc 5 was one that actually sorta-kinda relates to what i do.

painting experiments

the more i look at my "clear gesso" is not gel medium mishap, the more i am like'n them.

for one, they have that veiled/obscured quality i rarely escape
&
the other is the potential lump wet sand nature/texture i see.

downside is consequence> no undo if i put it on one of my "nearly dones"
&
what i have there ties into each other really well.

could select the weakest link i guess?

yet i like the absence of color in the 2 images with the gesso on. may use these to test further. would be fun to see what a selectively applied gloss medium or gel would do to the image? or if the image had a gloss coat first to contrast the gesso? with color i think i would switch to a organic/dirt palette to reference origins/qualilities. i still have burnt bone,clay,ash,dirt in jars mixed with acrylic medium of some sort. i remember that the diversity in grit was a pain & now could be a blessing?that or environmental references. could through this stuff over ocean/beach image/prints. like a pic of just waves/ocean on an overcast grey day & no sky/shore in the image/ that with this wet sand stuff sounds cool. may work with stream/creek images too. think photographing water from above makes sound ideal. may go to a bridge & shoot down with a wide angle? know of a few...

online research

spent 4hrs seeking art online. mainly just looking to be surprised & to look for "the new." best deal for me was hooking into a saatchi gallery website that had an extensive global art gallery link. so, i visited gallery sites in many countries & found there was not really any geographical identity>>>in a new sense. homogenization due to technology has set in so soon? that is not to say one would not find cultural referencing, there was, yet not what i had hoped for. for one thing, most of the artists in the "less" mainstream countries were trained elsewhere. if in europe, they trained in uk & if asian they often trained in japan & oz or u.s. as for abstract paintings, same stuff/style that was going on in the 1920-40s. did find a few treats in berlin, zurich, & seol. thought i would find some in the scandinavian countries, yet not. the stuff i did like used new materials, or at least incorporated stuff that has been around a while in a new way. for example the use of plastics.

of course, as soon as i mention "new materials" the sol le witt's statement in paragraphs on contemporary art about confusing new materials for new ideas pops up & usually ruins the moment. yet, new materials are markers/identifiers for our "now">>>sort of time capsules. i look at some of the household refuse i used in mixmedia images in the past that do not exist in mercantile today>> like teabags tags, plastic binder on soda sixpacks, jetdry baskets.

anyhoo, a few of the ones i liked:

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/

http://www.haeusler-contemporary.com/index.php

http://www.annedevillepoix.com/main.html

http://www.galleryihn.com/eng/mainframe.html

http://www.art-center-berlin.de/deutsch/ausstellungen/frame.html

---

after viewing, one thing i would like to try is working with metal, patinas/chem reactions & surface manipulations as paintings. having grown up in an investment casting foundry& machine shop i have the background for it>>> just not the tools/resources anymore. cutting into, welding, grinding to create surface relief/patterns/texture & then playing with toxic stuff /chemicals to color the surface has appeal. the stuff i have seen of this genre hardly touches the possibilities readily available.

translucent plasitic overlays or fiberglass cloth sewn to encase a painted object & then lighted/presented properly engaged me/looked like fun too. for me it would be play.

new books from the library

picture theory
by: william j.t. mitchell

mitchell is a u of chicago hotshot theorist on visual representation/ iconology/images & art as a visual language.

why i ckd it out:

is not on my list, yet felt i needed to know about this stuff. may not read cover to cover.


e-topia
by:william j. mitchell

guess how i found this book...

this guy is a hotshot from mit & this book appears to be about the impact of technology on culture & where it is going.

why i ckd it out:

part of being current/of my time. even if i do not use it directly, any new knowledge will translate somehow to my work & writing.

art shows

have 2 paintings in a local juried show. the opening is this friday
+
have been accepted into a group show at the monterey museum of art in a few months.
+
there is another juried show next month i plan to enter

----

went to an opening last week & was underwhelmed. too tired to comment.


need to buy new music to listen to while painting + get more audiobooks from the library as i have exhausted what i have.

thought paper & studio update

crit theory I paper:

glad i reread deborah email/agenda/dates on papers as i had been prepping for a thought paper based on my current readings. at least i have a jump on the next one.

submitted crit theoryI thought paper on due date . wish i had done it right after residency when it was fresh. however, do'n the review thing was interesting in that i am in a different place now due to the new readings/dvd, museum/gallery viewings, my studio work>>> sorta spun the info & my notes a little differently/gained more.

studio:

have been busy working on the digital paint stuff from the other direction. having explored numerous possibilities on taking painting into digital & creating digital for print & paint i am now outputting some of the paint/digital stuff to print.

did 2 36x36 color ($$$) for 2 images for midterm
&
have 14-18 bw prints (24x24>30x30) to use as underpaintings for acrylic.
have tried to take pics at dif stages for ref & trouble shooting/feedback? will post soon

did not mount paper to anything as a wanted to have the option of cutting/collaging or??? in the future.

all are sq & of the same palette.

only 2-4 were decided upon for the midterm, yet for me, i need to have more going so that i can chase tangents as they arise. think that is why i fell into photoshop so easily (layers& undo). i have a few going of the same image to explore sequencing in painting/glazing. so far i am not sure what i think.

may push some a bit further. struggle a little bit on what to keep or loose as i do not want to be just coloring in one of my digital images, yet if i loose the image>>>then what was the point? do i want to retain the identities of both mediums or is it just an internal process.

had two that i use transparent gesso on instead of glossy gel medium. liquitex clear gesso is not clear. well maybe if applied very thin. to me it looks/behaves like matt medium with fine silica/sand thrown in place of pumice or marble dust. the results are that 2 of my 36x36 bw prints had their images highly obscured.

transparency output:
still hunting around/researching options on the frame/electrical aspect to the backlit image idea. not sure if i even like the thought anymore. now the idea brings to mind those illuminated beer signs with that bear paddling a canoe down some mountain stream. my idea would work if it was really big. $$$ & not sure if this is the direction i want to go.

screen saver:
creating a screen saver was suggested by my mentor & is something i am looking into. i have never used them on my cpu >> so i need to get up to speed on this realm before i do more. i do have a fishtank screensaver on one of my desktops which i love. it came with it & has a fry's logo in in that has imprinted the monitor. the reason one has a screensave is to prevent this from happening). monitor calibration issues could be scary to deal with.

next:

now that the groundwork for this semester is done, the creation of exhibition stuff for aib is next.

will bring some of this stuff as required+ prints of what does not come (would be way too much & too big). glenn hirsch's perspective on this is that i should only show the final product & not the "practices. " makes sense & so i may have images,papers & blog book bound & display to show process/documentation of this semester.

dvd>>>stash 31 & what is "the new"???

liked this as much as #33 & would watch it again/recommend to others

relates to me in the same way the rest of this series has.
-------

yesterday, while rereading some of my notes from my crit theory class at aib, i came across the statement instructor stuart steck made:


"that it was important for an artist to be of his/her time"


i think this is true & part of my pursuit to keep abreast of "the new" (and the reason for watching dvds like stash).

yet, i am unsure how to define myself & "my time."

a whole lot has happened in my lifetime up to now & i do not define myself by any one group. meaning:
i am tail end 60's (too young,yet witnessed)
sorta gen x
yet in/aware of/enjoy >>>but not "of " the up & coming "gameboy generation."

each generation has a distinct identity & merge or transition, yet don't.

the "new" that i see is steeped in technology > cable tv/dvd, cell phones, chatrooms, myspace, podcast, 3d software/games, star wars, ren & stempy, tv sitcoms,even more fast food/microwave,pop culture, & the all mighty internet. their penchant for images/output references this. the wwII, post wwII, 60's, & gen x created these things, yet are not "of" them in the same way.

how does this multimedia/instant access perspective translate to an image created on paper or canvas (with no electronics attached)?

looking at this from the art standpoint is hard, yet thinking of the political, historical, scientific, cultural markers for these dif generations makes it harder to distill into generations & self identity. what is my time other than now?
what is the "now" school/ideology of art at this moment?
seems to be many + the old ones & pseudo-old ones are still kicking around.
muddy waters indeed ...

in painting, there is nothing new i can bring to it, in the sense that paint is paint & behaves in a certain matter dictated by the laws of physics, same for the brush. all that is new is in what we know & in things that did not exist before. science & our perception of reality, technology, new materials, global events of consequence, social changes that are unique in history (is this possible? % of educated populous perhaps?). how does one bring this to canvas?

in the past, art movements did parallel & reflect the new ideas of the day. cubism reflected einstein's time continuum/nonlinear time/simultaneous existence in space ideas. the impressionist's use of blue reflected the science discoveries/theories about light. so how would one set out to do this representation consciously? for example, how would you translate the string theory to paint? or the existence of more that 20-something dimensions (lost count>they keep adding more)? or the new perspectives on gravity? not to express using the image/technique repertoire we have at this moment, but to formulate a new one > for paint. this is hard for me to wrap my brain around, yet wish i could. have studied some of this science stuff thinking it would relate to art somehow, yet do not see it--yet. it seems that most of the art that reflected new knowledge did so inadvertently & on an unconscious level. so maybe it is happening now & will reveal itself in hindsight?

sol lewitt said in paragraphs on conceptual art

"new materials are one of the great afflictions of contemporary art. some artists confuse new materials with new ideas. there is nothing worse than seeing art that wallows in gaudy baubles. by & large most artists who are attracted to theses materials are the ones that lack the stringency of mind that would enable them to use the materials well. it takes a good artist to use new materials and make them into a work of art. the danger is, i think, in making the physicality of the materials so important that it becomes the idea of the work (another kind of expressionism)." ***

good thing i do not embrace ideology of conceptual art >>> i would fall short on many fronts. yet, this paragraph does introduces some new questions to consider when creating art with new stuff. for me it is less about the material & more about getting to a fresh look (to be surprised/enchanted during the process of creation).

so i guess i am back to the idea of painting with/on new materials & trusting in the fact that whatever of the "new" that i have ingested will manifest whither i like it or not.

this is not "it", yet will have to suffice until i get cleverer or someone who is>>> does.

*** fyi: can not do the proper indentation of the more than 3 sentence quote on a blog>so i went with marks rather since italics were too subtle.

tips from 1st residency aib buddy

below is the awesome email response i got today from my assigned "aib buddy" (adv. student big brother's newbee in program). she was a blessing to me at residency. i am not citing her name here since i do not know if i trust the privacy of blogs.

this is a cut & paste of her response on my"thought papers." she is an awesome painter & is now in the process of writing her thesis during her last semester at aib.
-------------------------------------

These are a few suggestions, off the top of my head:


Carry a notebook with you at all times. I would often get ideas in the car and ask my daughter to jot down thoughts while I was driving. Carry a camera with you, too! Take photos, gather images, sketch, jot down ideas...lots of gathering.


Always connect readings as closely as you can to your own art practice. Pick out the parts that relate to your own work. Try to be proactive in finding books/essays/artists for yourself that are relevant, because no advisor knows your work better than you yourself.


Take notes while reading. I found that underlining works best for me, then I can see the context when I look them over later. In the case of a library book, I would write notes on the computer, including page numbers and bibliographical info.


Use the Internet! A lot...check amazon.com and other sources for book reviews before you invest time and money on a particular text. Look up terms, authors, philosophers, etc. Try the online dictionary of etymology (look up the origins of important terms for great insights). Use the google image search. Make a lot of bookmarks for yourself. If you are reading a difficult text, look up the author and see if you can find essays that help provide some context, understanding, and approaches to the author's work. That helped me a lot.


Track down references to other thinkers/writers/philosophers who interest you and seem relevant. After you settle into a area of interest, they all start referencing each other in an amusing way.


Don't be afraid to give an honest and insightful negative critique of a book, author, artist, etc.


A truly diverse postmodernist condition allows almost any approach to art to thrive, and gives you plenty of ammo to defend almost any position. So go for it.


Interlibrary loan is your best friend. My local library had nothing I needed, but could get particular books if I requested them (eventually).


Get started using MLA citations right away: lots of my thought papers are ending up in my thesis and it sure saves time having the author/page number/bibliographic info already entered into the text. Write complete bibliographies so you can reference them later.


My only regret is that I didn't research more contemporary artists...I was late in locating myself in the contemporary art world, as I tend to research historically. Locating yourself in contemporary art discourse is extremely important in this program. Actually, I do have another regret: getting so involved in the reading and writing that I didn't paint as much as I could have. It's a balancing act.


In past semesters, I did not ever write a reflective piece that focused on crit theory, lectures, issues that came up during the residency, or anything like that, though a few references to crit theory came out here and there in my papers. I just read books and wrote about them, though I did hear that other people were assigned papers to reflect on the residency. Other people wrote papers on specific artists, which I've never done.


The readings can become a labyrinth. Don't get lost! Try to test everything by relevance and your own excitement of discovery...don't read something just because someone told you to. If it sucks, don't waste time. Set it aside and find something that makes you feel inspired. The connections between your work, your life, your history, other artists, and your readings should become stronger and more fascinating as you continue through the program.


In thinking about connecting your readings to your work, you can study
1) the tradition of your activity (such as mixed-media, installation, painting, performance, whatever)

2) the material of your work: your medium

3) artists who have some connection to your work

4) philosophers or theorists who write about your issues

5) do a little cross-training and look into other disciplines, such as science or music. This all really depends on what you have done and want to do. What came up during the crits and from your adviser should give you some great ideas to get going.


But...you always have to test these ideas against your own deeply held values and obsessions.

dvd: stash 33 (2007)

stash is a video magasine & presents new animation, film/animation hybrids, 3d & 2d, and product or station comercials that are artsy. stuff is global.

netflix blurb:
"Silliness at its most sublime is the order of the day in this issue of the popular video magazine, which features Make's flammable chipmunks, Han Huggebrooge's off-kilter vignettes for Dutch TV, Nexus's pirate/bovine/bicyclist stop-motion animation for Cravendale and more. Also included are a slew of music downloads from Baltimore's Monitor Records and two shorts from the "Roger Dans L'espace" series about aliens who land on a farm."

i really liked it>>>could even watch it again, maybe twice. i do not say that often. i have the rest of the series queued up to enjoy. lots of visual treats & surprises. i laughed many times.

how it applies to me:

will be a better peer for those at aib that do this kinda stuff (as i am acquiring an awareness of the new stuff out there).

although i took classes in old school animation as well as 3d & 2d cpu programs, i stay away from this stuff. i like it too much & it would be a major investment ($$,time,learning) & deviation for me. the few times i played with a mini dvd camera i was sucked in & had zillions of ideas to explore. once i fleshed out & followed through on all that i have started with still imagery or sculpture then maybe i will take the plunge. just know myself well enough to run away. do really love to watch this stuff>>>very innovative/imaginative & funny stuff.

liked the animation of the guy in the red fez a lot.

---

more art research type stuff

while doing research for my paper at academic site i found this fascinating book offered online. think it is only available for a week.

site: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=59403252#

title:

Origins of Art: A Psychological & Sociological Inquiry

Book by Yrjö J. Hirn; Macmillan and Co. Limited, 1900. 331 pgs.

i found a large number of concepts & quotes that offer promise in writing about art.

the one i will mention here deals with art & pain. reason being: that is how i found it in the search engine & because of a comment my mentor made about some of my work being melancholy. he stated it with the perspective of melancholy = beauty + sadness. for me the seaweed image reminded me of a dirty fish tank in which the algae had won, obscuring our view. algae is not a neg for me. i see it as a reclamation by nature/life >>> like a weed emerging from a crack in the sidewalk. man's efforts of conquest over nature are always short lived. this new view paints a bittersweet interpretation that peaked my curiosity.

little researcher that i am i had to flesh this out a bit to see what turned up & came up with lots of links to sites that focus on art in relation to psychology, sociology, philosophy, & aesthetics. those aesthetics guys love danto. there was even some conference coming up in which all the papers to be submitted were to be spinoffs. apparently the man's a god. reading the posts (at sites like: http://artmind.typepad.com/artphil/calls_for_papers/index.html) curled my brain. did find the highly intellectual and articulate exchange interesting. turns out most of them are hot shot teachers on such subjects & apparently go here to spar or hone their "stuff" before publishing papers or public speaking. seemed like they did a lot of speculating (about what artists think or do), do academic research & little real world sampling/interviewing to answer questions (as is done in psychology & medicine).

art & pain:

this a huge area i have not given focus to before. physical pain in art like scarification, tattoos, elongated necks, ear or lip plug/plates are the first thing that comes to mind. the whole idea that to be beautiful requires pain/sacrifice is of common knowledge (although not unnecessarily embraced). even mass produced art like the 1960's kitsch art of kids or baby animals with big weepy eyes & tater clothes or harsh environments reflect our penchant for images that evoke a wince,empathy, connection with/from the viewer. yet, according to this book, this desired quality in art has always been there>>> starting wayback with the paleo stuff ( not gonna go into it here...).

citing greek art & mythology was of interest to me. drawing attention to how their sculptures were often a coupling of beautiful forms/face/drapery & an facial expression that often suggested some sort of experiential gravity being contemplated. i started thinking about this & there is a huge amount of work that falls into this realm. notable for me is church art. damn near any crucifix with a body on it & saints with oozing wounds come to mind. yet not all of those (for me) hit the mark as beautiful (visually). yet in thinking of a work like the pieta, with beautiful face, seductive drapery, and a graceful corpse in her lap this perspective of pain both physical & emotional rings true. today, in viewing a pollack, geiger, or mtv video, one finds these references. i could go on...

think in many ways it is easier to manipulate an emotional connection from a viewer by going with the neg ones. i contemplate happy ones & they seem to miss that "edge." thomas kincade is pretty damn happy. i am hard pressed to think of any purely "happy" images from art history studies that come to mind. i do not consider sexuality as happy in the same sense & thus ruled out a whole bunch. still lifes & portraits are more about status, egos & possessions. landscapes are usually contemplative, suggest reverence/spirituality of sort, or documentation thus evoking a potential range of emotions. infusing images with a neg backstory creates depth that holds the viewer's attention longer? the artist is also the viewer & actively seeks content than challenges and engages him in viewing & construction.

anyhoo, the book address aspects like:

• the art impulse
• feeling/tone of sensation
• enjoyment of pain
• social expression
• art the reliever
• the work of art
• objections & answers
• concrete origins of art
• art & information
• historic art/animal display/art & sexual selection
• origins of self decoration
• erotic art/art depicting work/art & war/art & magic
• ++++ more

all comes from a psychological perspective>>> which means this stuff is a speculative reconstruction on some level. it is safe to assume there is little documentation on the psychological workings in previous generations. language alone does not stand still, so even if something was shared & written down in english way-wayback when does not mean it holds the same content today. many of our words have change in meaning or context/connotation, or intensity. if this is the case in written communication, then it is a consideration to taken with visual communications as well. i do hold to the thought that we are pretty much still the same animal as our forefathers & therefore the same genetics, reptilian brain, and chemistry that dictates behavior then stands now. in light of this, i think these guys are "on the right page."

how this relates to my work:

thats it!!!

no more 'sharing," i'm a switch'n to rainbows & unicorns & peeps.

actually, this book did address how the artist skirts revealing too much of one's underbelly in an image. that there is this conscious editing between hooking the viewer, aesthetic elements, emotional content, and narrative. think the whole "veil" thing i inadvertently pursue ties in to much of this, or--i am way off base & the obscured vision of my images just reflect my lack of clarity? :)

my paper:

think there is stuff here i will get more than a few miles out of. some of the references cited looked promising as well. may be useful in upcoming critical theory classes.

stuff/quotes from the book:

may use some of the stuff dealing with views of hegel, goethe, taine, vischer, spencer, hemsterhuis+++

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"the art-impulse in its broadest sense must be taken as an outcome of the natural tendency of every feeling state to manifest itself externally, the effect of such a manifestation being to heighten the pleasure and to relieve the pain. We found in this fact the primary source of art as an individual impulse. But art is essentially social; and this also we explained on psychological grounds. The secondary effect of the exteriorisation of a feeling-state is to awaken similar feelings in other human beings who perceive the manifestation; and their sympathetic feeling acts upon the author of the original manifestation, heightening in him the feeling - state which gave rise to it." (p302)

"Art production would never have reached so high a develop ment if it had served only as a sedative for human feelings. But neither does art, any more than the direct activities of expression, involve mere excitement; it too fulfils, and with even greater efficacy, a relieving and cathartic mission." (p71)

"Thus the artistic imitation of nature will necessarily be connected with a search for a predominant quality, and an endeavour to represent this quality as a "faculté mère." The things and events which are selected for the embodiment of a given emotional state become displayed in such a way that their whole being appears to be derived from the one quality which is most suited to represent this emotional state." (p124)


"every artist who has a true and keen eye for nature and life will necessarily light, upon qualities which, while affording the most appropriate centre of gravity for his representation, are, also in the intellectualistic sense, explanatory of the subjects represented. By making every feature of his model converge towards this selected quality, he may thus produce an imitation which, even if it deviates from the visible reality, may appear truer than this reality itself."



"The intellectualistic illusion that every artistic representation has something to teach us about the essential nature of the things represented, can only arise on condition of there being a certain agreement between the world-view of the artist and that of his public."(p128)



"It no longer lays the chief stress on the intellectualistic requirement that artistic representation should be true to nature. It demands before all that the work of art should give a faithful rendering of the feelings with which the represented fragment of nature has been comprehended by the artist. Sincerity, as involving poetical truthfulness, thus becomes the chief claim which is set up for a work of modern art." (p129)

"When it has been proved that the rules governing the artistic adjustment of reality, which have been stated and vindicated on the basis of intellectualistic theories, may be equally well deduced from an emotionalistic interpretation, the argument can easily be extended so as to cover the principles governing the selection of subjects and motives for artistic representation."

am i right?

old silvery-tongued Yrjö sure knows how to spew this stuff. his distillation of historical thoughts on this subject & discipline should prove handy in future papers or class discussions.