Author Archive

Post 12: End of Semester

1st Year experience was good class and I loved getting to hear from people in my planned future job and get to know my current and future teacher a little better. Though, I found that despite always being interested in the speakers topic it didn’t always apply to be due to the large verity of degrees within visual arts.

My only negative I have for the class is the timing of it in the day, which was simply just a personal problem on my end.

Of every thing I enjoyed the faculty presentions the most. getting to see my teachers work that they do really enlighten me to just how much they know and can help me. I just wish there was more info on what to expect when trying to start my career, rather starting free-lance or getting hired, and how to prepare your portfolio, when you may not have a lot to show.

Extra Post: Brick Building

From the Knees of My Nose to the Belly of My Toes:

I love this piece because of the sheer size and the fact that British designer Alex Chinneck has changed what someone might mean when they say “that building has character.”

From the Knees of My Nose to the Belly of My Toes is a surreal display by British designer Alex Chinneck- October 3, 2013 

It took about 1 year to make this slumping, drooping house front. The building its self was an old 4 story structure with water and fire damaged. The large-scale installation was set to stay up for a year before the building would be restored back to housing functions.

I found this really interesting because we often think of building as strong, study, and unmoving. But, in this case the building is slumping and appears “tired” while crumbling at the top. Personly I feel this relates to people. How in society were often expected to stay strong and mussel through the storms of life when mostly we just want to give up and fall apart. The fact that this building was damaged, then made “sluppy”, then rebuilt to be used I think can serve as an important lesson to people who feel like they can’t be weak sometimes.

“It serves a hard-to-miss surprise for locals who are left to speculate what happened, as Chinneck doesn’t like to put up signs or any indication that it is a manipulated artwork. In an interview with Dezeen, he says, ‘I just feel this incredible desire to create spectacles. I wanted to create something that used the simple pleasures of humor, illusion and theater to create an artwork that can be understood and enjoyed by any onlooker.’ ” -my modern met

Extra Post: Luncheon In Fur

Though not a new piece or really considered contemporary Oppenheim’s ‘Luncheon In Fur’ is one of my favorite works of art both for its background and effect on people. A tea set covered in fur would make anyone cringe. just thinking about putting that furry spoon in your mouth or feeling tickled while sipping some early gray is simply just “EW.” This surrealist piece created much debate on meaning and purpose.

Object (or Luncheon in Fur), by Meret Oppenheim. In 1936, Oppenheim wrapped a teacup, saucer and spoon in fur. In the age of Freud, a gastro-sexual interpretation was inescapable. Even today, the work triggers intense reactions at the MoMA

The spark of creation happened for Oppenheim when was having lunch with Picasso, her friend. As the story goes he made a comment on her furry bracelet (one of her early jewelry creations), saying that you can cover anything in fur. To which Oppenheim replied “Even this plate and this cup.” becoming a joke at the table when her tea started to cool she asked the waiter for some fur to wrap her cup up with to keep it warm.

After that she apparently went to the store and created the work we know today.

The bracelet – which the artist fashioned using a brass tube – so delighted her companions that a conversation ensued during which Oppenheim’s best known work, a fur-covered cup, saucer and spoon, was conceived.

The reaction to Oppenheim’s teacup was explosive.

André Breton chimed with his declaration that “beauty will be convulsive or will not be at all.” He called it Le Déjeuner en fourrure (Luncheon in Fur) and exhibited it that year at the first surrealist exhibition dedicated to objects.

“As the talking point of the show, the sculpture became the receptacle of all kinds of theories, fears and longings. This being the age of Freud, a gastro-sexual interpretation was inescapable: the spoon was phallic, the cup vaginal, the hair pubic. For some, the tongue-shaped spoon brought to mind unpleasant sensations of a furry tongue. Others experienced unease at seeing a graceful item of the tea table transformed into something decadent and animalistic; some gagged at the thought of getting a hair or damp tea leaves in their mouth; still others wanted to stroke it.” -npr, The Salt

Personally I see it as a challenge to how we perceive people by the object they carry.  A fine lady sipping her tea at a table midday is respectable and pure, maybe even prestigious and rich. But now covered in fur the teacup seems animalistic and wild. No one of respect would use the teacup.

I also love the idea of playing with man-made matterials, like porclen, and changing it to something more raw like furs or animal skins and seeing the new reactions people have to the object.

Extra Post

I love Kimberly Corday’s wool creations, not just because they look so soft to touch and hold but because of their simple appeal.

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hand-dyed sheep wool, string, cotton, and wood, 36″ x 28″ (2016)

 hand-dyed sheep wool, string, cotton, and wood, 36" x 28" (2016)

 

 

 

 

 

 

“My practice is rooted in the notion of an ideal natural world – a concept that marries the spectacle of nature and the spirit of 18th century Romantic landscape painting. Through a Frankensteinian process that borrows aspects of painting, relief sculpture, and embroidery, I create textured objects that conjure up an amalgam of natural phenomena like threadbare pelts, plumage, and patterns found in the wild. ”

One of my favorite aspects of her wool pieces is the subtleness off the dye and the left impression that the animal may of had blue fur. I read and interview of Kimberly once and remember how she stared playing with wool after seeing a wool duster at ikea. I adore how she tries to take sometime manufacturer and almost return it back to its natural roots, but not quite.

 "Flamenco", hand-dyed sheep wool, string, muslin, and wood, 20x28 (2015)  

“Flamenco”, hand-dyed sheep wool, string, muslin, and wood, 20×28 (2015)

 "Beryl", hand-dyed sheep wool and string on muslin, 16x18 (2015)

“Beryl”, hand-dyed sheep wool and string on muslin, 16×18 (2015)

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Post 11: Faculty Pechakucha Presentations

It was really cool getting to see some of the work that our current and future professors have done and currently doing. Each one was so different yet equally as impressive.

I really liked Hollis’ work because of the installation aspect and visual components. The use of the wood and the hanging of trash found creates such a cool large scale effect. Installations always interest me because the artist has to play to the space given verses photo or artwork that just needs to be organized. Sometimes I feel installations can fall short of the impact they were meant to give because of restrictions but, with all the photos shown, Hollis seemed to always make good on the space given and still deliver the intended emotions and feel.

Aside from here installations, Hollis’ drawings were also very detailed. Being able to master both 2D design and the more 3D design I think is really impressive and a tough skill id like to master as well.

Alexandra had the same kind feel to her art but was a little more minimalistic instead of objective. It took me a while to understand and get on board on some of her work but getting to re-look at it I find it more and more intriguing. My favorite part about her presentation though was hearing about how her art changed as her life changed. From before to after kids, and back again to more of her original work.

I envy Tammie’s strength in the abstract. The way she takes objects and crafts them into something new and whimsical is amazing. Listening to her explain how she wants people to want to touch and lick but not was really interesting. As a touchy person I can understand that feeling, and to create pieces that are meant to magnify that desire seems really fun yet challenging.

I love photography and both Joe and Bill take such amazing shots. My favorite part about Joe’s work is the raw simpleness to the photos. Often you see photography trying to be about  the extraordinary instead of the ordinary. I think though they are amazing pictures, Joe’s work is very capturing of the raw aspects of people’s everyday lives. a simple documentation of people and it’s still as full of emotion and life was more intense shots.

Bill’s way of completely losing his photos in editing is just as amazing. I found it so interesting to hear how he won even remember what photo he’d used in most of his pieces. to completely detach yourself from what in front of you and create something new with now trace back to what was there, is really impressive

My personal long term goals are to just get a job in my field of study and see what jobs are out there. I chose graphic design because I love creating posters and logos for myself and people but when it comes to what job I want I haven’t decided. My end game though is to get enough experience where I can become self-employed or part of a small free lance group so I can have more personal time to travel and see the word.

 

Post 8: Future Plans

I really enjoyed hearing from the different groups and helpers on campus.

Being new to St. Eds Roel Martinez lecture on spring registration really helped clear some things up on what I should expect and dates. At the moment I’m mostly following along my degree plan making sure I don’t miss anything so knowing where I can get help is really important. I haven’t planned too far ahead, mostly just thinking about the next semester and possible summer opertunites.

Opportunities like study abroad. I never considered it because It always seemed to out of reach and confusing but after Meghan Ryan explained more on how its a step by step process and that the school can help get you where you want to be relly helped me see it as something I could consider. If I could pick any place to go I’d have to say Tokio or another large Japanese city. The way Japanese culture mixes the past with the future, design wise, always interest me and I think it would be a good place to pull inspiration from.

It was also nice to hear from a few of the student organization. Unlike the college I transferred from the student clubs aren’t very self-advertized and about but after the presentations, I realise that they are about you just need to look and ask about them.

Post 6: Classes

-My greatest strengths in Image Methodology include:
keeping on top of projects and assignments

For greater success in this course, I need to:
Think more critically about the assignments to better understand and meet the finer details

-My greatest strengths in Asian Traditions include:
understanding the lessons and taking supporting notes for test and quizzes

For greater success in this course, I need to:
keep up with the outside of class reading

-My greatest strengths in Typography include:
having a good understanding how to use illustrator and inDesign and use them to realize my creative ideas.

For greater success in this course, I need to:
Stay more on top of larger projects and balance my time better in order to complete them at a high level.

-My greatest strengths in Drawing 1 include:
Making use of my class time and a slight understanding of different mediums and design.

For greater success in this course, I need to:
Set more time aside for my drawings

Computer skills:

  1. My computer skills include:
    Typing; software (word, excel, photoshop, illustrator, inDesign), drawing software.
  2. I still need to learn:
    Faster typing; more hardware knowledge; troubleshooting skills

Research & writing skills:

  1. My greatest strengths as a researcher/writer include:
    Organizing my work and tieing my sources into the paper
  2. I need to work on these aspects of research and writing:
    Making sure my ideas are clearly stated
  3. I learn best & accomplish most when:
    I receive feedback or examples on how it could improve my paper

 

Post 5: Class Work

Sunlit Bohowarm

Fashion Photography:

The goal was to choose two styles and photograph them by themselves and then mixed together. We did preppy and Bohemian (as seen above) we started with researching and really learning what the “rules” of the style were and then built the outfits from there. The mixed outfits were a little harder because we needed them to clearly express both fashion groups.

Some weaknesses and strengths of this project’s end results were mainly in the quality and execution. the Boho photos came out really good because we had time and great lighting. Thanks to campus we where also able to find beautiful places to shoot the look as well. But in comparison the mix and preppy photos felt a little lacking because of lack of time to retake photos after bad shooting experiences. We used the photography studio to take the preppy photos and being called in before are scheduled time through us for a loop and lead to some difficulties and not being able to take all the shots we wanted. None the less are project come out strong and clearly defined the styles we were aiming for.

 

Post 3: Contemporary Art

BALLOON DOG (ORANGE) mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating  121 x 143 x 45 in. Created in 1994-2000. Currently housed at Christie's, NY

BALLOON DOG (ORANGE) mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating
121 x 143 x 45 in. Created in 1994-2000. Currently housed at Christie’s, NY

Some of my favorite pieces of contemporary art are Jeff Koons’s balloon sculptures. Mainly known for his balloon dog that sold back in 2013 for $58.4 million dollars and becoming “the most expensive work by a living artist sold at auction,” according to new york times. Each sculpture is made from stainless steel then coated with a transparent color coating giving them a very shiny and reflective look. They resemble balloon animals made by clowns but at a much larger scale. Koon’s balloon art is often unaccepted and criticised by the general public and art critics for being “baloney” and “cheap” but I believe there is a similar charm to the balloon dog as there was for Andy Warhol’s soup cans. The balloon dog is defiantly pop art and it is the placements of these sculptures that’s most interesting. Koon has placed his dogs in different environments where the shiny, bright, and playful balloon animals may seem out of place and yet takes on a stoic vibe. The meaning behind the sculptures is left to the viewer but their inspiration is described by Koon an interview, saying that, “I’ve always enjoyed balloon animals because they’re like us. We’re balloons. You take a deep breath, it’s an optimism. You exhale, it’s kinda of a symbol of death.”

This shocking pink Balloon Dog photographed on "September 9, 2008, at the Château de Versailles sparked controversy as some visitors said the work was crude and too modern for Louis XIV’s former palace."

This shocking pink Balloon Dog photographed on “September 9, 2008, at the Château de Versailles sparked controversy as some visitors said the work was crude and too modern for Louis XIV’s former palace.”

(L-R) Balloon Swan (Blue), Ballon Monkey (Red), Balloon Rabbit (Yellow) at the Gagosian Gallery in New York City on May 9, 2013.

(L-R) Balloon Swan (Blue), Ballon Monkey (Red), Balloon Rabbit (Yellow) at the Gagosian Gallery in New York City on May 9, 2013.

I enjoy these sculptures because of the playfulness brought up in an imposing way. Image looking up at a huge bright blue, metallic balloon animal and seeing your reflection in it. Aw striking and maybe a reminder that you don’t have to be little to be playful.

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Sacred Heart (Red/Gold) at the roof garden of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2008

Sacred Heart (Red/Gold) at the roof garden of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2008

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