studio update

digital art:

finished creating webpages for the various digital experiments i have been making & have them linked here (see "links").

paintings:

still plugging away & when i get my digital camera back will capture & post as well. have been painting landscapes & trying on other people's styles. not sure how they will figure into the big picture yet.

may start using my yosemite photos as my painting subjects >>> have thousands to choose from. most are not of the landmarks one thinks of.

so far i am leaning toward going with some of the digital stuff mixed in with digital pics of my paintings. yet still want to try some more new combinations out first

while i have fulfilled this residency's goal of merging my paintings with my digital work, i am not content. at the same time to paint on a digital printout which is my next step seems pretty lame. in my mind i think of those thomas kincaid minions that add little highlights or details to his prints.

think i would have to do more than accent a digital image with paint & think i need to define in myself what the paint means conceptually when added to a digital image. sort of feels like a reclamation of sorts???

still have not given up on the lenticular.
may not do the transparency with backlight thingy mentioned before, but may do one that uses my tree images & then paint one to add to the mix. will start painting that same tree anyway so that i have the option should things work out.

readings: berger's seker ahmet and the forest

ideas that engaged me: from reading berger’s book about looking
(republished article from new society)

seker ahmet and the forest, (pgs 86-93)

concept of a forest as:

• “a thing taking place in itself”
• “a being”
• “a symbol for reality”
• (a forest) lichtung/clearing “is the open for everything that is present and absent.”

heidegger’s “sense of thought as the coming-into-the-nearness of distance” as a reciprocal movement… the present, the now, i not a measurable unit of time, but the result of presence, of the existent actively presenting itself.”

“perceptibility is a kind of attentiveness”

how i can use this:

berger’s ideas tie into my other readings that perceive the “landscape as self.”
use in writing? i seem to be going that way...
apply to painting? think we all do anyway>>>is inevitable that our "filters" manifest in our work. filters = self

other:

this reading has a zen or eckhart tolle vibe to the being present/now concepts. not sure how conscious painters were back then of this ideology/mindset. although ahmet was from turkey and came to paris to learn painting does not mean his perceptions were asian>>>coulda been muslim or orthodox catholic. as i understand it there are no known writing from ahmet. not disagreeing with berger>>>just contemplating some of the numerous possible realities. like berger said "it is impossible for us to perceive a work in the context in which it was created." **our perceptions are colored by our "now."

** from berger's ways of seeing

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spencer tunick: moca, clevland (dvd)

watched it.

like:
bodies as landscape, ocean or giant petri dish. reminded me of watching some of the suzy lacy documentation of instigating events & human exchange as an art form - the experience being the art. in viewing as a landscape, my thoughts went to a scene in the hal ashby film "harold & maude" in which they are in a garden/arboritum with daisies by the thousands. harold commented on how they were all the same & maude saw each as unique. the images of thousands of bodies in the tunick works played off this duality >>>> seeing the forest & the trees.

dislike or personal reservations:

came across as more of a fun thing to do rather that art >>> which is ok, just would have like to hear the thoughts, intent, perspective, thesis of tunick. just sorta disappointed/short changed from this rejected or evaded aspect to public or event based art.

seems that participant interviews prior to the event would have been enrichening >>> sharing anticipated expectations as a comparison against the real experience. also interviewing staff & the hardships. you can not have that many people & not have issues. planning, bathrooms, food, misconduct, how participants were solicited, liability/legal issue, permits>>>>> which would all could be a documentary in it's own right. could have easily secured some social science researchers to have made full use of this event. i feel a sense of loss that an opportunity to glean info was lost. maybe it wasn't & if so the dvd should have referenced additional documentation/resources associated with this work.

it would have been an opportunity to create a network of participants for future works as well. seems that for the public/community artist one must always be setting up future events & networking while in the throws of a current work. even permanent public works demand this for success. i struggle with this as it is hard to be a single parent/good mom, try to maintain a household, pay bills, earn money, go to school, & find time & discipline to create art & go out & hustle new project. what i have learned is if the works are not out there >>>>> then find a need & create one.


what did i learn or can use:

not sure. just finished watching & find i need to reflect for a while. off hand, the concept of the body as a landscape >>> have brought this up a few times in here. may be of use for referencing in a paper. him addressing it would have been nice. have followed his stuff in art publications, yet do not recall his words>>> just the controversy surrounding the public nudity issues.

liked looking at the bodies.think that is part of the attraction since it is/was a social taboo. for me it is also the artist when figure drawing mindset >> one "shifts" into mode when considering light, structure,ratios,relationships >>> it was a cornucopia! although it is safe to assume this project attracted a personality and maybe a body type (& therefore biased) the sheer numbers gave me a sense of what the average person's body looks like>>> the average (white) joe or jane. just wonder why it was sooooo "white." was it intentional or a cultural filter that attracted more caucasians & less of other races. they were there, yet did not reflect the demographics/%%% of the population. interviews concerning this would have been interesting.

art opening: yamamoto masao

friday eve i attended an opening for artist yamamoto masao at the center for photographic art in carmel.

this center is not a commercial gallery, but rather a nonprofit .org that preserves the local photographic heritages of this area. weston(s), adams, lange, cunningham & others were all active here (some lived here full time). their exhibits are always high end, internationally know photographers (i saw a ulsmann show there).

masao: was not familiar with his work before. had seen his bw image of ocean/horizon/sky taken when overcast that was low contrast, flat sky, & details of repetitious waves that was appealing. sort had a meditative zen or rothko thing going.

the show:
was more of an installation than what one thinks of a typical photo exhibition. each exhibition wall was an environment. images were small. some smaller than postage stamps that were arranged asymmetrically and sparsely to give a sense of randomness. one ten foot wall had a single image the size of my thumb of a belly button. my companion was challenged by masao's sensibilities while i enjoyed them. there were two cases in which one contained a scroll of sorts>>> looked to be similarly arranged bw or tinted tiny images printed on a roll>>> destop in banner printing mode??? the other was printed the same way & style of images yet was folded accordion style. both honored the wholistic quality/ideology prevalent in asian scrolls. the floating photos reminded me of figures or trees floating in space on paper without the constructs of perspective common in western art. in asian art the space is not perceived as empty. all his images are random and include images like leaves/nature, household objects, figure. no portraits & all cropped tight to increase abstraction and fragmentation of the relationship between the images. his statement said not to find meaning that they were intended as an experience.

liked it. i am drawn to creating environments which is why i have worked large >>>> easier to get lost in. like the fragmented quality, had that "red wheelbarrow" (poem) trailing thought sensibility.

i perceived his installations as landscapes & as landscapes they relate to my other readings this semester.

reading update: more annual editions

think i have finished with them :)

what i may use:

from the 02 social psych annual:

the nature of self, brown

updated spin off the william james empirical self. this explains ones concept of self through objects, locations...landscape.

isn't she lovely, lemley

deals with social attractiveness & the research presented deemed that beauty/handsomeness is being average. by compositing images of women (or men) they found that the more images composited >>> the more beautiful the image was >>> from poll results. this was tested in numerous countries/ethnicity/economic/education.

what i will do with it??? may use images for project i mention in a earlier blog entry. the 1/2 woman & man mosaic-ish over numerous massonite boards with each board having a landscape that departs from -but does not obsure the facial feature.

the other annuals had great info, just nothing i can use here.

studio update >>> paint into digital expeiments

things i have been trying:

keep in mind that one of the goals for this semester's body of work is to find a way to merge my digital stuff with my traditional art.

the experiment:

• i created a huge file in photoshop

• dropped in some of the digital pics of my paintings of weeds & non organic abstract as individual layers

• added 2 timeface* scan images & one composite off of those captures. although on individual layers i arrange them in a manner that would allow me to view paintings in adjustment layer modes at the same time (to save time & maintain consistency).

• placed paintings in a range of modes over images & since often they worked well on different images i would copy the layer & place where desired for each image. i would turn off the eyeball (visibility of layer as i worked my way from the bottom layers up).

• upon completion of this "first round" i have a monster file with about 18 image layers. this will be my raw data/root file for this experiment where i plan to create a handful of images. think the file size is around 200mb & will likely get in the 1.5 gig range as i get down the road further.

• next step: pick one of the combos i like, work it, flatten & save out under a new file name. do this as many times as i find there is something of interest. will post to the links in the right column as i have for other stuff related to this.
  

* timescans = face captured on standard desktop scanner while in motion (varied) & at varied distances from scanner surface.
the results is a series of instantaneous portraits >>>>without brain filtration of info (more of a true reality). have tons of these from 8++yrs ago. do not suggest as it probably causes eye damage . i had convert to bw because they are grotesque in color & related better to need, yet may dig out the raw captures to see how they work for this project.

i chose to use these capture because they felt more "digital" than something taken with a camera. digital cameras mimic traditional cameras that mimic the human eye. this motion scan thing of mine was an effort to use the conceptual uniqueness of a computer & it's scanning input device.

more art viewing

& watched more art dvds. i did not get to netfliks in time to modify queue & consequently i have watched lots of art dvds. most dealt with current art & less about history

modern masters: in the studio with george perez:

comics illustrator (justice league, wonder woman, witchblade++++++).

he is a living god of this genre.

what i learned: liked watching him draw (& erase a lot). very insightful into the daily life/issues of this profession. he takes time to explain his mindset & forethought/troubleshooting. great nuts & bolts.

loved the fact that the under-drawings/roughs are done with blue pencil (does not show in print), >>>give the rest of us more hope. from there it is pencil & then ink. talked about issues with dif artists 9example inkers who do not know how to interpret your thinking “with a pencil.” the inker ‘clarifies” the picture.

what i learned: have always had a huge respect for artists/illustrators of this genre. miyazaki &frazetta are gods to me. this dvd made them more tangible/real world.

as it relates to my project: maybe cut myself some slack & know that groundwork, preliminary studies pay off. that it is in the experiments that ideas are honed. other than that>>> nothing literal. i am attracted to close cropped dynamic compositions & perhaps my penchant comes from this genre???

matthew barney: no restraint:

“exploration of artist/filmmaker & his creative process”

interesting, yet not inspiring for me. i have followed his work for some time & am always curious about what he will do next. this was an opportunity to see more of his stuff.

the run up (2 disc):

“26 of today’s hot/current/important street, photo, paint artists”

so far this has been the best representative of new art. the stuff you will not see in art forum or art news or in any museum. well, you might/should. a lot of it is street art & non-mainstream stuff. some relates to specific ethic or economic/education groups. some of the artists i was familiar with others were new & welcome.

as this relates to me? a greater awareness of what is out there >>> what people are doing. give me something to think about (where do i fit in?), the new knowledge will give me reference on the work of others as it appears (future students, aib peers). i recommended this dvd to my aib group message board site.

certain doubts of william kentridge:

“a south african/brazilian multimedia artist”

i do not know where to begin…

he and his work are sooooo appealing on so many levels that it seems pointless to try & comment here. he is deeply personal & global in word & image. free from pretension & a rare ability to communicate huge thoughts & feelings effectively without getting preachy.

he said sooooo many things worth citing >>> there is no point. i was deeply touched by his work, so enough said.

he did made one comment about selecting a landscape location:

in order to be fresh & abandon the traditional mode of selection >>> pick the perfect spot & then turn 30 or 90 degrees to pick your spot. the lighting & subject will be very ordinary & more true to the place.

his def of traditional landscape selection:

interesting foreground, great trees with access to distant mountains & great clouds & uncluttered (5 object rule???)

pulp fiction art:

“a guilty pleasure of the 20^th century”

this dvd was basically an overview history of the genre. had some interviews with artists from the early days (depression era/between ww 1&2). i was more familiar with the sci fi/fantasy artists before. some good stories ,reflections.

i did not realize so much original work/paintings had been trashed by the publishers. the estimate is that “ 10% of 1% of all work created. not sure why it was stated that way… lots of interesting work & painterly skills. many of the illustrators ended up in the pinup genre because it brought fame & $$. saw some of the scratchboard stuff was awesome.

robert anderson is one current artist that references this genre. an example painting depicted during his interview was a large painting the was a montage of characters from numerous covers from the 1930-50’s. he stated that they were fun to do & fun for the viewer. that the viewer recognizes the reference & embraces the exploration & homage of this genre.

as this relates to me: think the compositions of this genre influenced everyone of my generation >>> tis inevitable. think they influence commercial photography, photojournalism, & graphic design as well. the dynamic movement ,simplicity, and use of space that evolved from the need to compete on the shelf for the consumer’s dollar in hard times was based on trial & error. the formula still works.

this project: not sure if it relates other than being conscious of artistic influences. a good thing when it comes to yapping about it later.

reading update: social psych (annual additons)

found stuff of interest >>> but not project related in the 5-7 topics in the 7th edition/2007 i read.

social psych 5th edition/02:
will use the re-visitation/new research on the empirical self theory( william james) since it explains how people, objects & locations are part of ones identity. can spin that in with the landscape stuff i have been reading. (nature of the self, brown, pg 9-16)

3d software landscape generator (bryce 5.5)

have been re-acquainting myself with the bryce software. it is rendering a lot quicker since bryce 3 & 4. took only 8 hrs to do what use to take 3 days.
in a 3d landscape generator one can play god =
create worlds, skies, atmospheres, clouds,
moons, water, plants et al...

i'm am looking to create one to composite with other digital images.

theme i have been playing with:

figure & landscape >>>work'n it both ways.

• generating landscapes use bw alpha channels created in photoshop & imported into bryce = they become part of the underlying structure (like rolling hills or mountains). visualize a blanket over a figure on their side - that is what my last render gave the feeling of.
  

• the other thing i will try next is to project landscape on a body in 3d or as an adj layer in photoshop.

• also working on/sketching out an idea of a face (straight on view) composite that is 1/2 man & woman with each gender section an alternation between age & ethnicity(sort as verticle stripes). at the moment i am working with 4x4 (16) hardboard panels. this digital face is to be underlying as each panel will also be a gestural landscape that retains the feature identities (for the most part)

will post the renderings in the next few days

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emily carr

got 2 books on her art from the library (friends of the library sales rack) for a $1 each. it was divine providence!!! i had been looking for loose & energetic inspiration. in reading them it said she felt nature, paint/art & religion were one. stuff i liked by her was done 1932-35. been wanting to get back to vancouver/victoria as well >>>has been too many years. now i want to even more so.

her work (to me) references edvard munch (sun/beach mural at the university of oslo) as well as some of o'keeffe's stuff. date wise she was around the same time as o'keeffe. her trees preceeded o'keeffe by 15-20 yrs. carr's totems late in life remind me of some of o'keefe's still lifes (alligator pears,cabbage, etc)

actually got some good ideas on how to tackle a few things i have been working on :)

lenticular update

not getting much response so far.
have sent a few more emails out to new locations.

may research using some sort of light fixtures & transparencies as a plan b or c.

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quotes from my readings

o'keeffe:

"i used to think that somebody could teach me to paint a landscape. i hunted and hunted for that person and finally found that i had to do it myself"

(found in georgia o'keeffe museum collections book)
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inness:

"the greatness in art is not in the display of knowledge, or in material accuracy, but in the distinctness with which it conveys the impressions of a personal vital force, that acts spontaneously, without fear or hesitation"

"...no man's motive can be absolutely pure and simple. his environment affects him.
the true artistic impulse is divine. the reality of every artistic vision lies in the thought animating the artists mind. this is something which comes home to him as a satisfaction-fails to make a representation corresponding in the satisfaction felt in his first perception."

(found in book a sense of place: the artist and the american landscape)

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related quote from poem:

"the landscape imagines me"

spanish poet jorge guillén

-----

it is in vain to dream of a wildness
distance from ourselves. there is none such.
it is the bog in our brains and bowels,the
primitive vigor of nature in us, that inspires
that dream. i shall never find in the wilds of
labrador any greater wildness than in some recess
of concord,i.e. than i import into it.

thoreau

this poem is cited in landscape and memory (simon schama). schama cites it prior to his introduction and represents it as his closing text. this book is prety much a personal journey/reflection that is systematically identified to specific landscape paintings. in relation to "my thing" with landscape/art, this book contributes little. i had hoped for more of conceptual/theoretical perspective toward landscape painting >>> sorta psychoanalysis of landscape painters in relation to the period in which they painted. what past influences & changes had taken place & how was this manifested in the work. was the dif in brushstrokes a reaction or rejection to something/someone or embracing a new truth? barbzon & swedenborgian had a huge impact on landscape painting over the past 150 years, yet seemed neglected here. it is more about the author& history/details & less about the genre & it's mindset. which is perfectly ok, just not what i was looking for. will continue to search & hope i find books that goes beyond western european art to include a more global & multicultural perspective. + the evolution of, relationship to, & identification with the landscape.

guess there is some new simon schama art dvd it is called: simon schama's power of art
guess he is the ken burn's of british history & art??? i must say that i get edgy when one's name is part of the title. when it is picked up by netfliks i will rent it.


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my take on this stuff:

all of this reflects the great zen-ish quote from a cheesy sci fi movie :

"wherever you go, there you are."

buckaroo banzai

meaning:

we are the sum total of our life experience. this is what we bring to the table in the here & now, yet, what ever is past > is past, you are not there anymore >>>so leave it & be present.

i'm not zen or whatever, yet this seems simple/wise

how we perceive an event is a combo of physical state as well interpretive choice. we filter everything >> conscious or un (in a symbolic interactionism fashion). knowing that we filter allows us to reassess and actively choose the results.

so according to the above quotes: the landscape/wildness portrayal is us/me /you.

no problems there...


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no more dvds!!!!!!!!!

after reflecting on a comment by aib peer last night i decided to ck out peer blogs. what i learned:
1) i am wordy (i process on paper & have always enjoyed writing)
2) that my wordiness/blog activity does not mean i am accomplishing more >>> just documenting my thoughts on program related activities. maybe helpful to me down the road, yet not an obvious gain on the current project. time will tell.
3) others have some pretty cool ideas going & some have only posted a few times. no surprises there...
4) that i need to write less & post images more. keep it simple
5) that there are a lot of photographers in this group.
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i watched "the great artists - disc 1 (of 5)

it was on giotto & davinci.

new to me: stated that leonardo barley competed 20 works of art in his lifetime. so i am guessing the rest were drawings/studies? i find that hard to believe. they did not qualify it with def or criteria.

decided to NOT ck out anymore dvds from netfliks/blockbuster UNLESS it is an unknow artist (to me). so far it has been review >>> which oporates under the assumption that it had been years since i have had any exposure to academically studying art history. this is far from the case >>>> so i will put my energies where they are needed most for the remainder of the semester. may watch one IF it pertains specifically to my work or my writings.

do not mind/dislike watching, just aint new to me.

borders:

went to the bookstore to llok at books & art magasines. had seen all the art ones before. tried to find books recommended by aib group peer to no avail (vitamin d, p).

shifting: think i will stop looking at the past >>> i'm good, & will focus on pop culture, current art, the "now" & fig where i fit into it >>> or where it dates me.

something like that?

sick of paint & digital at the moment. think i will spend a few hours playing with clay or wax to clear my head & have some fun. that or some cheesy/humorous cartoons/illustrations. need to laugh & it is amazing how play at this stuff is theraputic. newest has been using kincade images as my starting point. they are only seen by offspring or art collaborative buddies & are never sold >>> no legal issues >>> just good clean (abiet aggressive/disrespectful fun)

cheaper than therapy :)


got audio book from the library to listen to while creating art:

"the sweet potato queen's 1st big-ass novel" - jill conner browne. know nothing about it or the author, yet the heart-warming title was too good to pass up. i am weary from reading/watching/hearing/& trying to think great/cleaver/pointed thoughts. this week is lighten up & just "flow." i can jump back into academia grindstone later in the week.

met with aib comrade

fellow aib group one classmate, jan, came down to stay 2 days & attend an encaustic workshop nearby. we did dinner & went to numerous local galleries. it was helpful to share reflection on the first residency, talk about our current projects, readings & agendas for janunary residency. first residency was a whirlwind experience & taking time now with someone else that was in the same boat to discuss it was enlightening. while some of the discussion dealt with the social dynamics/events/exchanges, sharing critique feedback,learning/insights/epiphanies & comparing assessments on personal experiences with instructors helped us both.

in talking with her i get the feeling that i have bitten off far more than is tangible for one semester > i am trying to reinvent the wheel when i should just be focusing on recreating a spoke (break it down into smaller steps & digging deeper).

art dvds>>> ron english & henri cartier bresson

watched:

POPaganda: The Art & Crimes of Ron English


have seen before & still love it.
he makes me laugh & causes me to think.
will most likely watch again in the future.

as it applies to me & this program???

>>>>insight into what makes me tick/tickles my brain :)

---


Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Impassioned Eye


have seen this before as well. i found i paid more attention to his drawings this time. think his mastery of drawing & art exposure was a huge influence on his photos.
like his view of photography as a means of taking in life. that the photographer has nothing to do in the creation & is a fortunate observer. i have always felt this when taking pictures >>> lucky to be there in that moment. taking the picture (regardless of success) takes me back to the moment. i am storing my "happy thoughts." sometimes i am just documenting light,shadow, color or shape relationships (reference material)for paintings or digital manipulation later. i do more of this when i have a set project/agenda.

relationship to me/this program???
not sure.
what if i were to limit this series to b&w??? try to retain the aesthetics of b&w photography in a digital-paint-photo composition(s)??? things to ponder while experimenting in the studio & during related reading.

what historical reference would carry over to my image using b&w & is this something i would actively choose?

art dvds:the rembrandt collection

2 disc & 4 episodes. one> overeview of him/his work, two>restoration of night watch, three>his brushwork/painting, four> culture/history at the time.

series focused more on technology & processes used to uncover info. archeology of site & testing painting for authenticity.

what was new to me:

some of the tech stuff
reconstruct/repair paintings
test/determine authenticity of work

what i like most & may relate to my work:

how he made his paint > better yet, modified as he went according to need
how he would vary the ground on his pigments according to how he was going to use it. some factors were:
foreground/background
texture of object or skin
relationship to focus/subject hierarchy

it was not so straight forward as one envisions. when they tried to recreate what was done they were hard pressed to succeed. what recipes are from the day fall short & rembrandt was unusually experimental in trying to create new effects in painting with modified materials. i did not know this. most of his painting that i have seen were not that textural. yet what i saw on this documentary showed a huge amount of range. additionally he worked with how the light of the room worked with the textures & pushed the effect to enhance specific qualities in the image. for example the lace on a cuff, or the brim of a hat. up close some of it was real buttery, some transparent glazes & some course/sand like. they said a recent chemical test showed that he added stuff like egg & gum which was not a practice of oil painting at that time.


how will i use this?

more art ed/history than studio. however, it did get me thinking about texture & getting back into mixing stuff into the acrylic. just sorta burned out on it many years back. how can it be fresh to me? what can i do differently to engage me & add to my project?

readings >>> berger, about looking book & turner

sort of interesting speculation in the berger/about looking book:

turner:
in the chapter (pg 149) on turner it stated that his father was a barber & that it is speculated that his innovative painting techniques with the palette knife & brush work may have stemmed from his experience with straightedge razor & shaving brush/soap foam. made sense to me. i have one of those brushes around somewhere that i picked up years ago to experiment with & never got to.

reading related more to art history knowledge than to my work. however, as a result of this reading i think the question to contemplate is:
what from my past/life experience (mechanically) have i incorporated into my work?
&
if not, is there any skill that could be use?

rauchenberg: men at work (dvd)

had seen this before, yet got more out of it this time.
wish i could have seen his retrospective exhibit at the gugginheim. to see his "1/4 mile " mix media work in person seems essential since 3d stuff never translates on tv.

now that i have been doing graphic design & digital stuff with photos for robert motherwell's first wife maria (at 91, she is writing a book about her memories of the ny school 1949-50's), it was fun to see the photo of the abstract expressionists. they only named dekooning & pollock, yet the picture of 10-12 people included many of those in the images i have been working with & recognized.

as for gleaning anything to apply to this mfa project? rauchenberg is incredibly intimidating & the thought of trying to find territory untouched by him is daunting. he is brilliant and prolific on so many levels i would not know where to start. could spin off of his, yet think i have different questions to ask/answer.

as for process, i did find his solution to improving his ability to use color interesting: he would pick the color he struggled with the most & start with it/make it central to the work. & after numerous works (when he felt mastery of it) he would move to the next color on the list. i have always done that with subject or medium, or process > yet never thought to do it with color. i feel fairly sound on all colors, yet maybe i should put this to the test????

need to digest this more. for the moment >>> open a beer, turn on tube & hope i will feel less disheartened tomorrow.

lenticular research

researched the lenticular stuff >$$$$$ big bucks to do.
$$ for image & $$$ for plastic sheets.
have emailed a few mfg's with questions.:
like: can image be printed on transparency or reflective/foil stock?
more questions than answers at the moment. think i will try to visit one or two. there is a place in the sf bay area & one in lake elsinore (san bernardino or escondito??)


did see one done with glass block that worked well. do not know if they still make the blocks/bricks & do not think it a good choice for shipping to boston. i suffered severe damage to work coming back from last residency. the weight of shipping glass block could be cost prohibitive as well. the work i saw was 3ft high x 5ft wide (ish), which translated to approximately 15 glass blocks/bricks???

this stuff won't fit in my suitcase & would not be conducive to paint application on the bricks. paint may work on the image.

think i will focus on image creation & take the lenticular stuff in stride.

danto

my used danto books came!!!

the hardback unnatural wonders (2005) looks brand new :)
have talked about this book in past postings >so i will spare all of us now.

the abuse of beauty (2003) is a small paperback (a novel quality amongst this genre>very wordy). it has some underlining in it-which is ok since it catches my attention.

like danto's transfiguration of the commonplace, this book seems to be addressing issues of the definition of art, conceptual content, & beauty as an option in art. we shall see...

sand city open studio tour

have gone for the past 4 years. there were a few more studios. nothing took my breath away. there were 20 studios & a bunch of bootleggers in some of the commercial buildings or with tents in the street. some nice studio layouts/spaces $$$. every time i go to one of these things i want to stop painting. see all the work makes it pointless on some level.

going to the san fransciso open studio thingy in october is always somber & sobering. i go about every 3 yrs now. on hunter's point weekend i go & see 300++studios > most at one location. it is an overload & gives one a sense of fruitlessness. you know only 5-6 of all of them are making a living solely by their art. most teach or have other profession & are duel income households (+ maybe a few silver spoon sorts). after attending each time i have this feeling that this is not "the way." not that i wouldn't love a tenured job, just that if one was truly out to get famous they would need to go about some other way. for me creation/process is its own reward <> to no avail.
to find something fresh & new (either in process or imagery).
so far, the only "fresh" surprise was a sound installation on spectacle island in boston.


may have to look to alt processes/mediums to get my fix.

did not get any contributory ideas for my mfa stuff. maybe it will come later. maybe this is part of that "asking the right questions" >>>having a set of questions to filter images through may shift the experience. i tend to look at aesthetics, skill, concept, originality, & presentation. i usually ponder options to resolve the unresolved. maybe i should be asking different questions. maybe looking at all the studios as a whole & find a unifying element/pattern . more of a social rather than artist statement. what is the here/now element + what are elements drug up from a past (style/ideology/social reaction) that was never experienced/developed first hand in reaction to something or environment at that time? how has this all changed over the last four open studios? <<< danto readings are manifesting...

maybe next year i will create a question sheet to interview or hand out to the artist participating. should do that for the sf studio tour too. let them define it rather than lean on my projections.

art book from library: l'autre

l'autre
luc delahaye (magnum photos)
jean baudrillard (text)
phaidon press

"stolen" images/portraits taken on the metro in '95 & '97. stolen because they were taken without permission/artist release/subject unaware(??? some look posed).

• liked it.
• all bw (print size 8-ish x 6.75-ish)
• all are "heads/necks" & most shot on the 3/4 (in either directions) & no smiles.
• thing about shooting on the metro is consistent lighting/space + diverse cross section of populous.

book would be a source reference for diversity in facial structure. such a huge range of eyes/noses/mouths/wrinkles/sag/ethnicity to choose from. would be a good construction exercise for students to mix & match features on a composition or two > get them thinking/seeing features/relationships of objects & meanings more analytically.

hey!!! i could steal his stolen images to manipulate in the same manner that i did my shard & veil images in (mixed with patterns & digital paintings/adj layers). the eyeballs at the top is a section of shard (pic of my son). given the premise of this book/images i would not even have to ask for permission to use his pics. given the level of manipulation at my end it would most likely exceed the % change requirement to be legally "new/royalty & liability free."

more art dvds: basquiat & keep adding

watched:

wrekage

chronicles 5yrs of installation work by new mexico artist collective keep adding. the theme for the installation was damage & devastation through art. they used adobe structures, spray paint murals, light boxes & richard devine music.

there was one mural where a layer process with masking tape was used. i did a lot of this in the late '80s > early '90s. saw the technique again a few days ago at a open studio tour. natural cycles i guess. kinda like women's shoes & handbags.

brought to mind one of my mfa project ideas. these guys are spin offs of the original school of this genre. not an insult > just historical reference. like most schools they spin off & then break into some new hybrid.

no new ideas/inspirations for my project through view this

downtown 81

about the new york downtown art/music scene in 1980-81. sort of a punk/graffiti thing with kid creole, blondie & basquiat

it was lame. i would not recommend it or watch it again. it tried to avantgarde & failed. did not show much of his work or him working & offered no enlightenment on his art. wonder if this was"profound" at the time it was made/released. said the music was punk > but it was more latent new wave (post new wave???). punk was pretty much over by '78.


i got nutt'n from this.

pseudo marxist mysticism

finally spent time trying to looking this term up in relation to art > with little/no success.

term was in danto book i read last month.

most of the results were either related to poetry or did not have it as a single term (pseudo marxist & mysticism). from what i did find it seems pseudo marxists are marxists that have modified ideology to embrace christianity. how this applies to art is a mystery.

try visualizing what art from this perspective would look like!!!

attempt to answer question posed at aib critiques

critique question #01 from aib june 07 residency

what kind of painter to you want to be?

not sure i am defined as one > just one of the things i like to do

paint skills i admire/aspire to:

not be a "one trick pony"

want to be the “real mcCoy:” have total control/mastery so that i can do with 3 brushstrokes that would once take 10 brushstrokes

painters with brush skills i admire:

living painters:

my current fav is jerome witkin. he has a really diverse brushstroke repertoire that contributes to his dynamic paintings.he manages to keep styles distinct on the canvas > almost as each style was it's own object in a mix media assemblage. he combines the whole history of brushwork on one canvas. i like alan magee & lipking's brushwork too. lipking has an elegant barbison quality to his brushwork while magee's is breath-takenly tight.

dead guys:

depends on aspect of painting/brushstrokes we are talking about. picasso, inness, turner, rembrandt, cezanne, odilon redon, & alma-tadema, franz kline, sam harris (to name a few) were all miraculous/strategic/efficient/dynamic with a brush.

conceptual:

do not want to be a gallery hack > someone that paints replications of same image again & again with little variation > just cuz it pays. makes me think of that bill murray movie “groundhog’s day” not wanting to get locked into creating a pretty picture for the average home.

like edgy > yet not as marketable for home use. yet, one must pay the bills. glad i do not have to consider this in regard to this residency.

do like big/site specific stuff. plan to continue, yet need to do small stuff as well to demonstrate skills for potential gigs & be better teacher - able to meet students needs/skills. i have taken too many classes from too many "one trick ponies" that could not answer questions or teach desired skills. some tend to lock into one aspect or style & are incompetent at all the others. while i may never master all > i hope to be able to bring enough skills/knowledge to the table to be of service when i go back to the classroom.

critique question #02 from aib june 07 residency

(from) where do my interests emerge?

from process > the "what if..."

i will work on intuitive play & research driven images at the same time. think having both going at once keeps things fresh. i am curious & have interests all over the place. i have been told that i bring this to my work & that this adds a welcome complexity.

will come back to this question > not content with my response

critique question #03 from aib june 07 residency

what ultimately is your medium?

my brain???

the message dictates medium/scale.

some things are best said with photo & likewise a large abstract might be better suited for less tangible/internal/emotional expressions.sometimes poetry/words, sound, motion, scents (combination of) are the best vehicles to define/share/express "it."

choosing a medium references it’s historic legacy. i choose actively

if art is a visual/iconic language then one needs to consider ambiguities as well as audience literacy >>>> to a point & if the artist actually wants to connect with viewers. i do.

some believe art is to be a pure expression of ego & therefore should disregard the viewer. think it is in my nature/work to do a bit of both. from a social psychology view it is impossible for me/anyone to create something & not be in the mix. since bias is inevitable one does not need to worry about adding/honing it.

guess that makes me a mix media artist > still. have identified myself in the past as such for lack of a better label. it is hard for me to define art by medium since it all takes place in one's mind. it seem archaic that we have not evolved past this need for little boxes. just because monet & a few chums deemed the public too stupid & therefore deducing that artists must create an artistic identity (like a corporate/product identity) we are damned by what did not exist prior to this banker's appropriation of thought from the industrial revolution & the birth of product advertising/print marketing in their day.monet was the first to restrict an exhibit to a single series of 15 images(poplars) & inspired thematic series painting (flowers,water, paths, atmosphere) as metaphors of life. these are not bad ideas - think they were a great contribution, yet do not think it should be written in stone as the only way to work. hope we have evolved past such limitations. i wonder what great works never came into being because of this imposed mindset. what exploration or innovative offerings/tangents were not acted upon or shared? a price has been paid for this & i feel sadden for our loss.

critique question #04 from aib june 07 residency

do i have a core set of issues?

why is this soooo hard to answer?

do not know how to consider this question in reference to my art.

the only time i have seen this question in the past is in regard to therapy text. what, so now i need therapy to figure out what my art means or why i have always done it?

hmmmmm maybe i should look into recreational hypnosis > find my dark truth or least a few past lives so i can create a series based on the results. it maybe fiction - but it's MY fiction :) this actually sounds fun & fruitful. a self indulgent fantasy vacation without leaving home.

do not know how to go about finding the answer to this question > so i work on the others first & hope for an epiphany down the road.

critique question #05 from aib june 07 residency

what is my question?

not sure how to take this.

do i have to have one?

off the cuff i would say i am process driven & therefore my question would be “what if i took __ + __ + __ and tried to apply/portray/process it in _______ fashion?”

if this is a conceptual/interpretation question > do not know. have had different focus/themes/issues to work out/express over the last 40+ years of studio work & think i am done with most of key ones people think of (feminist,identity,reflective,ethnicity,religion ,sexuality, politics, wanna be/have/create x). the last 10 years have been more public/community/us driven > me as a cog among many.

one aib instructor critique observation stated that my public installation work has brought a "generosity" to my personal work that is inclusive and appealing. i like that. think that is incredibly awesome & maybe the highest complement i have ever received. so, if i lock on to this then what would "my question" be & how can i take this quality further?

maybe my question should be "how can i better seduce & manipulate the viewer?"

>>>what attributes of my work achieves this & how can i distill this to heighten this seduction?

"abstract thoughts for abstract paintings (i mean mix-media)"

list of my artistic parameters

list of current rules/artistic parameters

i am looking to explore breaking 2 of them as suggested exercise during june 07 aib residency critique

color

think i am open to all/not locked into a set palette

(other than having a strong grasp of color theory & using it)

brushstroke

not sure i have any rules here.

i use both oil & watercolor techniques in acrylic

when working in acrylic i do tend to avoid heavy paint application as it hamper editing/reworking later. working thin/glazing allows for more control. studies for larger painting would be the exception. in general i do not do studies for large paintings. painting heavily in acrylic would be breaking one of my “rules.” think if i were going to go this route i would just switch to oil

rarely use palette knife. forcing myself back into this practice would breach a current parameter

almost exclusively work in acrylic, so i could go back to transparent watercolor, ink, or oil.

in the past i have explored mixing acrylic medium with organic stuff> dirt, clay, sand burnt bone, ash,& the like. i have explored painting on metal with a range of patinas/stains (grew up in a foundry), & have explored photo paints & bleaching /repainting photos with developers , blue,sepia, selenium & other darkroom /traditional photography chemicals/enhancers. in more a mix media genre i have combined organic & artificial objects on board with wax, tar,oil paint + a propane torch for fun.

could use extenders with acrylic.

could learn/play with “other” paints like:

encaustic
opaque watercolor
egg tempera
take a japanese/chinese bush painting class (had training many years ago)

in all honesty i do not think more playing with new mediums would serve me now. in writing "this" it would appear that i have a reasonable range of experience with numerous mediums/processes. maybe it is time to bite the bullet & stick to tight parameters in mediums as well as in other artistic constructs?

size

no rules. i paint miniatures as well as murals.

however, if given a choice i would paint somewhere above 2ft & below 6ft for any dimension. that size is big enough to get lost in & small enough to live with while working/tripping over. not that bad for storage after either (if not on stretched canvas).

think image/statement made dictates the size of a painting.

surface

i am constantly exploring this one. have learned a lot doing this since a textured surface brings a “look” to a painting. texture is a blessing & a curse as too much of a good thing can get tedious.

upside to texture:

great way to break up/add detail to a large surface (glazing makes texture pop). uniform texture automatically creates consistency in image.

downside: can get tedious in a hurry & take tons of paint to eliminate in strategic areas.

materials i have painted on:

3d objects
glass
plexiglass
mirror
metals (reflective, rusty)
range of papers
canvas,linen
silk
monk cloth
other fabrics
masonite/hardboard (sanded & gessoed)
pre-primed door blanks
organic (leaves,grass) stuff adhered to masonite (sometimes sanded after)
wood
stucco
concrete
brick
stone
skin
rocks
photos

??? think covers most

have not done: painting on velvet. although i have vague recollections of a oil paint by numbers on velvet as a kid. think it was flocked cardboard.

composition

i do have a tight parameters here.

common qualities in my work:

· tend to crop very tight,

· stuff goes off page

· fond of diagonals (upper left > lower rt) & “s” visual movement

· well defined light source

· like to push perspective when possible

· well defined fore/middle/background

· well defined values (except in tonalist work (genre's penchant is for low contrast in addition to limited palette)

· when patterns are used > are always broken/modified (hate stuff that does not deviate/is monotonous)

· do not center or float objects/subject

to break my rules:

not sure i can. need to ponder more…

could: try for non dynamic composition (horizon line in center, object centered, less contrast, less movement. (sounds painful)

however, one of my unfinished paintings is an experiment in painting as meditation. it is a 5ft wide x 1.5 ft high gessoed masonite board that is a landscape/composite of multiple locations/experiences of mine. i am trying to recreate the experience of sitting next to a river for hours. lived on one & did this a lot. this means there is not one subject, but rather numerous “jewels” to ponder/dwell upon. it is an effort to suggest wholeness as in the mindset of a japanese scroll. a little guy/tree/rock floating in space is only a western perspective as space is never empty. do not want to use this theme for my aib residency as the meditative quality of this painting style/experience is in direct opposition to an academic venue. do not want to share this now> just for me at this moment.

subjects

have done in recent history:

patterns (objective & none objective)
plants/trees
landscape
portrait
figure
nonobjective abstract
narrative/illustrative

for fun/non-serious art>>> i do cheesy/humorous/creepy stuff for email to friends/family (like the happy face cookie) other images in this realm tend to involve peeps, aliens, puppets & animals. can be comic strips, illustrations, or really bad photoshop montages using internet appropriated images. i have developed a penchant for poorly constructed digital/internet photo/image montages. themes tend to follow news/current personal events or artistic discoveries

not done recent:

oldschool:

· animals

· still life

· architecture

· self portraits

· traditional fig/portrait

· narrative/storytelling

by old school i mean the traditional stuff you would see in a student exibition, art league, or community venue. this is not a criticism.

process

work mainly in:

acrylic applied:

· airbrush

· underpaint

· direct paint

· glaze

· using resist/masking

· mix media

· removed (water,alcohol, scotchbright,sanding, scumble, scratching/scraping

or

digitally:

· with or without digital photo as departure

· scanned object as departure

· compositing/adjustment layers

· not fond of filters

· do not use tools that seek to copy traditional materials (oil paint, pastels, etc)

· tend to favor complexity > not obvious how i did what i did. use a huge number of processes delicately. when using photos/captured images i find i need to deconstruct & reconstruct them. this requires numerous layers to isolate/preserve qualities to rebuild with later. takes a while > yet do not know how to get there otherwise. it is all intuitive play as i never have a plan when i start > just jump in & start tweaking.

· all photos/captures are mine/i took. same goes for textures/adj layers >make/scan my own

to break rules:

need to ponder more as well. off hand would be to use tools without modification > point & click.

2 rules to break???

thinking at this point it would be to:

play in oil or ink/brush painting

and

go back to subjects not done in years > like still life or conventional figurative, portrait, animal

how would digital factor in here?

go back to:

3d software

animation

motion scans/captures?

thesis & process musings for aib jan 08 mfa residency

list of topics/ideas for this semester’s thesis: my current thoughts

1)

take paintings to digital, change & print or vice versa.
why:
to unify my work. at aib 6/07 residency i had a range of stuff. i have an extremely broad range/toolbox & for this program need to commit to one or to a combination – mix media thing. sort of a “tossed salad vs little boxes with lids” issue.
downside:
i am really struggling with integrating my work & not sure why it is soooooo hard for me to breach this. guess i do not really understand why i have needed them to be separate.

may not work. maybe it shouldn’t work. maybe my aversion/struggle is deeply felt intuition/good judgement???
new plan/amendment:
think now this needs more steps/processes to not be contrived/boring/static. needs to get muddier
2)

digital graffiti (buy/use fonts+++) elements as abstraction tool (manipulation/adj layers) in disjointed non graffiti fashion <>
why:
way to make idea #1 muddier & appropriate artistic elements from “our times/now-ish”. like stylized elements/shapes. weaving/entwining concept reminds me of viking/celtic stuff a little.
downside:
i am a white, educated middle aged single mom. graffiti is (to me) a chicano thing. although i am poor & grew up in numerous schools (12+) in the los angeles area/minority environments & have a mixed heritage, i think i would be branded as a soccer mom. picasso is held in contempt for stealing african art elements & van gogh for directly coping japanese prints. no matter what i truly “am” i will be seen as a white, blue eyed, blonde, western european & nothing more.
plan:
jump in & find out. think it would depend on how far i am able to take ‘it.”

since departure points/concepts rarely end at the obvious i feel this could work/be fruitful.

3)

reflective + transparent digital lenticular type print + lenticular lenses sheet + paint???
why:
sounds like fun. my envisioned outcome is very cool > IF it can be pulled off. if it makes me happy > others can possibly derive pleasure from it as well (extra bonus). after all "to be deeply personal is to be truly global." this is the kinda of project that i do "for me" with no other agenda for justification. this is one reason not to do this now. not sure what the logical step after would be/where it would take me next (& if i want to go there).

good & muddy :) taking all to a new place. sounds like a fun (& expensive) ride. do not think i will get what i envision > yet think i will learn + have hit virgin terrain in process concepts ( one of the main reasons i do art – to explore the “what if…”).
downside:
lenticular can be cheesey. been around a long time & may come with social/artistic stigmas (like velvet painting).

big downside is cost of plastic lenticular sheets ($$$).

creating the alternating image is conceptually straight forward, yet i know from past projects that there is no such thing as “straight forward” in the digital realm.

transparency & printing inks could be an issue. not sure if this will matter as the clear element of the image will represent the background/highlights/white of the paper in printing. if the mirror/reflective background does not increase light the whole image could be dark/flat. a solution would be distance between the reflective layer & the digital transparency & if need be a light source?

time & $!!! lots of unknowns. do not know where to get the transparency printed. may have to make image a dot matrix/newsprint moray so that light can pass/preserve transparency.

structure might have to have a lightbox structure of sorts. internal back/side light or use transparent material (clear acrylic) with grooves/slots to control position/behavior of layered elements. can of worms??? can i do 5-7 of these? would like them big-ish ($$$) <>

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

list of stuff done in more recent past that i am reassessing for current project. is there something underlying all of this that i have been trying to get to/express/explore???

icons/identity

collective/us

landscape (state of mind/spirit, place i’d like to be, meditation)

yosemite

trees

faces

self (isn’t it all…)

political/social

before/after

‘through” something or other (veiled, witheld, cloaked, hidden)

macabre/dark visual aspect to some images

humor (albeit odd)
-----
new or unanswered questions:

what else could i combine with the digital/paint composites?

(in regards to my struggle with concept/idea #1)

1) adhere objects (not appealing at the moment)

2) adhere dig/paint to objects (print & paste or encase in object)

????????????

need answers/ideas

hope that playing/experimenting will present some

vermeer

the dutch masters: vermeer

watched this rental dvd (netfliks)

learned:

work was influenced by italian paintings >like his father he was a art dealer that specialized in italian paintings - yet had never been there.

he was born shortly after the netherlands got their freedom from spain
(my dutch history sucks < did not know spain ever occupied holland)

it was 200 years after his death before his work was recognized
(credit pretty much goes to one guy who started to passionately collect, research, & write about vermeer)

there are only about 2 doz of his works acknowledged ( yet said elsewhere in dvd that there are 30 in existence < does mean some are undocumented/verified???)

bouriaud > relational aesthetics

relational aesthetics - nicolas bouriaud

this book came in the mail today (amazon).

i read the forward & think/hope this book will help me grasp/write about current views in art today (as they apply to me).

new library books:

the madonna of the future - danto

plan to pick out a few essays to read. too much other (required) reading to manage!!!

red grooms - red grooms & others

ck'd it out as part of my effort toward art academia enlightenment

books

got tired of borrowing the danto books from the library > so i found them used on amazon & ordered. i found danto's unnatural wonders: essays from the gap between art and life hardcover for $2.65!!! + shipping of course. just had a feeling i would need to reference it off & on during the next 2 yrs of this mfa program. the book cost less than my library fines :)

watched art documentaries on dvd

from netfliks:

the great artists: the dutch masters: bosch (as in hieronymus)

new stuff learned through viewing:
1) that he is considered the first of the dutch masters
2) he took his name from his city (not his birth/christian name)
3) the "stone of folly" removal practice (trepanning & digging around in people's skulls)
4) symbol meanings> owl=heresy (religious) & vase=female promiscuity (think bosch had more than a few "issues"<> they know very little about the guy

still intrigued by his work & still creeped out. think he had scary secrets (if only in his mind) that were feed through the creation of his dark images. as much as i delve in macabre imagery (is equaled by upbeat stuff), the thought of dwelling on his compositions in the medium & process is tedius & unhealthy .too much creepiness for too long. one can not go there for that length of time & not be harmed. which is why i think he had an unhealthy titillation/penchant to it. in photoshop one can explore & create sinister images in hours > for him months--if not longer > can not be healthy.

then again, had he been born in a dif era could have been a stephen king, h r giger, or kubrick???

think referencing what was going on historically/politically/economical/culturally would give one a better perspective

ernst ludwig kirchner

was fun to watch this german production.
was familiar with him > but not as a focus - always peripheral/through his association with other artists. have a book on him > this had a lot more of his images.


not sure how either of these dvds relate to what i am doing in this program > just more art history info (good for teaching)