Whew, almost forgot about this post! Better late than never, I hope.
In watching my critique video from this semester, I noticed that I still seem small and defensive standing next to my work. However, I did notice some positive changes as well. I feel better about the work I'm creating this semester (I've even been excited most of the time), and I think it shows. I appeared to be a lot happier about taking suggestions and hearing what everyone had to say about my collages this time, and some of my nervous habits (oh the lip biting!) subsided a little bit.
Again, I found the critique video to be very helpful for working on my speaking skills and shyness. Having the video also proved to be a useful tool for retaining all of the information I was given during critique this semester.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Lecture: Ted Noten
I had the privilege of attending Ted Noten's lecture about his jewelry design career on Tuesday. Noten is a Dutch artist who believes that jewelry is anything we wear or carry on our bodies. His work is very conceptual, yet simple at the same time, following his amusing logic and curious thoughts about the world around him.
The title for the first portion of the lecture was "Once a bricklayer, always a bricklayer." Noten grew up working in his father's brick making factory, which is where he said he first realized that he enjoyed working with his hands. He was expected to follow in his father's footsteps by taking over the factory, but grew bored with the repetitive pattern of bricklaying and began making jewelry at the age of 24.
Of his art school experience, Noten said that he originally struggled with the conceptualization of his work explaining that, "When you make a move with your hands, you have to explain to the art teacher why you did it." As a result, his first concepts originated from historical facts that he translated into jewelry form.
More recently, Noten seems to have absolutely no issue with conceptual thinking. In the last few years, Noten has created quite an interesting body of work. His concepts shifted towards things happening directly around him when he started making the "Lady-K" bags. This series is a group of purses made from acrylic-encased weapons - a response to the violence that he saw happening in the world.
Noten is currently working on a new series, titled "Haunted by 36 Women." For this body of work, Noten chose to depict various female archetypes through different animals and objects in his jewelry designs. Some of the pieces that he showed at the lecture included "The Ice Cream Girl," "The Girl Next Door," and "Miss Piggy." This series is being created by huge sketches Noten puts together of life-size objects, that are then 3D printed into jewelry-size miniatures. This process results in beautiful detail and life-like quality in every piece.
Some of my favorites from Ted Noten's portfolio are pictured below. To learn more about him and his processes, please visit his website here.
Ted Noten, Pig Bracelet from Haunted by 36 Women
September 2009
Ted Noten, Mercedes Benz Brooches for Dutch Fashion Awards
November 2007 and 2008
Ted Noten, Lady K Bag Nr. 4
2007
Ted Noten, Lady-K-Bag
2004
Ted Noten, Murdered Innocence
2005
The title for the first portion of the lecture was "Once a bricklayer, always a bricklayer." Noten grew up working in his father's brick making factory, which is where he said he first realized that he enjoyed working with his hands. He was expected to follow in his father's footsteps by taking over the factory, but grew bored with the repetitive pattern of bricklaying and began making jewelry at the age of 24.
Of his art school experience, Noten said that he originally struggled with the conceptualization of his work explaining that, "When you make a move with your hands, you have to explain to the art teacher why you did it." As a result, his first concepts originated from historical facts that he translated into jewelry form.
More recently, Noten seems to have absolutely no issue with conceptual thinking. In the last few years, Noten has created quite an interesting body of work. His concepts shifted towards things happening directly around him when he started making the "Lady-K" bags. This series is a group of purses made from acrylic-encased weapons - a response to the violence that he saw happening in the world.
Noten is currently working on a new series, titled "Haunted by 36 Women." For this body of work, Noten chose to depict various female archetypes through different animals and objects in his jewelry designs. Some of the pieces that he showed at the lecture included "The Ice Cream Girl," "The Girl Next Door," and "Miss Piggy." This series is being created by huge sketches Noten puts together of life-size objects, that are then 3D printed into jewelry-size miniatures. This process results in beautiful detail and life-like quality in every piece.
Some of my favorites from Ted Noten's portfolio are pictured below. To learn more about him and his processes, please visit his website here.
Ted Noten, Pig Bracelet from Haunted by 36 WomenSeptember 2009
Ted Noten, Mercedes Benz Brooches for Dutch Fashion AwardsNovember 2007 and 2008
Ted Noten, Lady K Bag Nr. 42007
Ted Noten, Lady-K-Bag2004
Ted Noten, Murdered Innocence2005
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Lecture: Paola Antonelli
I am so happy that I went to the Paola Antonelli lecture. After a long day of portfolio review and transporting work to and from school, I was tempted to just go home. However, I forced myself to attend the lecture and I loved it.
Paola Antonelli is an incredibly smart and interesting speaker. Her lecture was informative, entertaining, and inspiring. She began her lecture by giving a brief background describing how she came to her job as senior curator of architecture and design at MoMA. After majoring in economics for two years and discovering that it was not for her, Antonelli studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano. She worked as an architect for a couple of years, before abandoning it for writing. Anotonelli then moved to Los Angeles and taught at UCLA until she applied for and received her position at MoMA. Of all of this career-shifting, she simply says "The path found itself."
Antonelli has found design to be her true passion, and her mission as a curator is to ensure that design is recognized as part of natural human creativity. At MoMA, she strives to make her exhibitions "sexy" to keep the audience captivated - most visitors to MoMA are not there for design, and Antonelli seeks to change that.
During the lecture, she showed images from several of her past exhibitions that were amazing. I'm posting one of my favorite images below, from the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition, which combined art and science, resulting in amazing and beautiful work. You can learn more about Paola Antonelli here, and visit the MoMA website here.
Paola Antonelli is an incredibly smart and interesting speaker. Her lecture was informative, entertaining, and inspiring. She began her lecture by giving a brief background describing how she came to her job as senior curator of architecture and design at MoMA. After majoring in economics for two years and discovering that it was not for her, Antonelli studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano. She worked as an architect for a couple of years, before abandoning it for writing. Anotonelli then moved to Los Angeles and taught at UCLA until she applied for and received her position at MoMA. Of all of this career-shifting, she simply says "The path found itself."
Antonelli has found design to be her true passion, and her mission as a curator is to ensure that design is recognized as part of natural human creativity. At MoMA, she strives to make her exhibitions "sexy" to keep the audience captivated - most visitors to MoMA are not there for design, and Antonelli seeks to change that.
During the lecture, she showed images from several of her past exhibitions that were amazing. I'm posting one of my favorite images below, from the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition, which combined art and science, resulting in amazing and beautiful work. You can learn more about Paola Antonelli here, and visit the MoMA website here.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Lecture: Richard Roth
I attended the Richard Roth lecture at Reynolds Gallery last night. Quite honestly, I was not interested in the paintings. However, I found his lecture to be interesting, and even amusing at times. Rather than having a grand and pretentious concept behind his work, he merely said that he found them intriguing, and enjoyed the process of making them. He seemed genuinely happy with his work, and eager to get back to his studio to begin creating again.
Formerly an installation artist, Roth is now working in a new way. He has begun creating paintings on birch blocks, roughly shoebox size. Each block is painted on the front, top, bottom, and sides. They are all completely symmetrical, and primarily consist of black, white, and one other color. Due to their size and the fact that they are painted all the way around, they become almost sculptural and at times create optical illusions.
The biography from Roth's website reads: "Richard Roth is an artist and designer whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. In 1991 he was the recipient of a Visual Artists Fellowship in Painting from the National Endowment for the Arts. He received an MFA from the Tyler School of Art and a BFA from The Cooper Union. His work has been exhibited at Rocket Gallery, London; Penine Hart Gallery, Bess Cutler Gallery, Trans Hudson Gallery, New York; the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and Reynolds Gallery, Richmond; Shillam + Smith, London; UCR/California Museum of Photography; the Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan; Feigen, Inc., Chicago; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. He is the co-editor of the book, Beauty is Nowhere: Ethical Issues in Art and Design and co-author of Color Basics. He was the Director of Solvent Space in Richmond, Virginia, 2005 – 2009. He is currently a faculty member in the Painting and Printmaking Department at Virginia Commonwealth University."
For more of Roth's work and other information, please see his website.
Richard Roth, Cowboy Magic
Flashe on birch plywood, 11 3/8 x 8 x 4 inches, 2006
Richard Roth, Angelina
Flashe on birch plywood, 11 3/8 x 8 x 4 inches, 2007
Richard Roth, Happy Hour
Flashe on birch plywood, 11 3/8 x 8 x 4 inches, 2008
Formerly an installation artist, Roth is now working in a new way. He has begun creating paintings on birch blocks, roughly shoebox size. Each block is painted on the front, top, bottom, and sides. They are all completely symmetrical, and primarily consist of black, white, and one other color. Due to their size and the fact that they are painted all the way around, they become almost sculptural and at times create optical illusions.
The biography from Roth's website reads: "Richard Roth is an artist and designer whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. In 1991 he was the recipient of a Visual Artists Fellowship in Painting from the National Endowment for the Arts. He received an MFA from the Tyler School of Art and a BFA from The Cooper Union. His work has been exhibited at Rocket Gallery, London; Penine Hart Gallery, Bess Cutler Gallery, Trans Hudson Gallery, New York; the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and Reynolds Gallery, Richmond; Shillam + Smith, London; UCR/California Museum of Photography; the Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan; Feigen, Inc., Chicago; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. He is the co-editor of the book, Beauty is Nowhere: Ethical Issues in Art and Design and co-author of Color Basics. He was the Director of Solvent Space in Richmond, Virginia, 2005 – 2009. He is currently a faculty member in the Painting and Printmaking Department at Virginia Commonwealth University."
For more of Roth's work and other information, please see his website.
Richard Roth, Cowboy MagicFlashe on birch plywood, 11 3/8 x 8 x 4 inches, 2006
Richard Roth, AngelinaFlashe on birch plywood, 11 3/8 x 8 x 4 inches, 2007
Richard Roth, Happy HourFlashe on birch plywood, 11 3/8 x 8 x 4 inches, 2008
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Lecture: Christopher Winton-Stahle and Allen Jones for ASMP
Tonight, I attended a presentation on the ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) given by Christopher Winton-Stahle and Allen Jones. The information that they gave was very interesting and thought provoking. Chris attributes his success (and he is immensely successful, especially considering how young he is) to his membership with the ASMP and all of the networking opportunities that the meetings provide him with.
After the presentation, I am considering joining ASMP. If I were to sign up before graduating, I could get the student rate of only $60/year, which would provide me with all kinds of benefits, including discounts on photo equipment and the opportunity to list myself as an available assistant on the ASMP website. I am all for anything that leads to employment these days ...
At the end of the presentation, we looked at some of Chris' work. I had actually seen some of this last semester, and I still think it's interesting. I'm posting a couple of my favorites from his "Folk of the Blue Ridge" series below.
Christopher Winton-Stahle, The Lowe Family
Christopher Winton-Stahle, The Davis Family
To learn more about the ASMP, see their website. For more of Christopher Winton-Stahle's work, check out his site.
After the presentation, I am considering joining ASMP. If I were to sign up before graduating, I could get the student rate of only $60/year, which would provide me with all kinds of benefits, including discounts on photo equipment and the opportunity to list myself as an available assistant on the ASMP website. I am all for anything that leads to employment these days ...
At the end of the presentation, we looked at some of Chris' work. I had actually seen some of this last semester, and I still think it's interesting. I'm posting a couple of my favorites from his "Folk of the Blue Ridge" series below.
Christopher Winton-Stahle, The Lowe Family
Christopher Winton-Stahle, The Davis FamilyTo learn more about the ASMP, see their website. For more of Christopher Winton-Stahle's work, check out his site.
Research: Color Profiles
Next week, I will be spending a lot of time in the 215 lab, printing my images. In preparation, I decided that I need a refresher on color management/profiles. See the video below.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Artist: Brandi Strickland
Brandi Strickland is a collage and mixed media artist working from Charlotte, North Carolina. Strickland graduated with a BA from Queens University of Charlotte in 2007, and has exhibited and published her work extensively in a small amount of time. She has also taught classes and workshops, and is affiliated with the WAFA artist collective.
Strickland's collages are beautiful, colorful, and somewhat fantastical. I thoroughly enjoyed looking through her portfolio of series on her website. Not only does her work relate to mine through medium and technique, but she has the sense of unreality that I have been looking to bring to my work this semester. I admire her use of color, and the fact that I can sense her enjoyment of her own work through each piece. Please see a few of my favorites below.
Brandi Strickland, 16x16, mixed media on board, 2010
Brandi Strickland, Wonder, 12x12, mixed media on board, 2008
Brandi Strickland, Universe Kite, 12x12, mixed media on board, 2009
Brandi Strickland, Intertidal, 12x12, mixed media on board, 2009
One more thing: officially giving her super-cool status, Brandi also runs an online store with her significant other, Robert, and she has an Etsy store. Check those out here and here.
Strickland's collages are beautiful, colorful, and somewhat fantastical. I thoroughly enjoyed looking through her portfolio of series on her website. Not only does her work relate to mine through medium and technique, but she has the sense of unreality that I have been looking to bring to my work this semester. I admire her use of color, and the fact that I can sense her enjoyment of her own work through each piece. Please see a few of my favorites below.
Brandi Strickland, 16x16, mixed media on board, 2010
Brandi Strickland, Wonder, 12x12, mixed media on board, 2008
Brandi Strickland, Universe Kite, 12x12, mixed media on board, 2009
Brandi Strickland, Intertidal, 12x12, mixed media on board, 2009One more thing: officially giving her super-cool status, Brandi also runs an online store with her significant other, Robert, and she has an Etsy store. Check those out here and here.
Research: Cubism
More specifically, how my work has recently been influenced by Cubism, and the definition of Synthetic Cubism.
In recent collages, I have been fragmenting the background to demonstrate some sort of dissolve between fantasy and reality. This new form that my work has been taking immediately struck me as a derivative of Cubism, which led me to this post. Whenever I begin using a term in relation to my work, I like to define it here on the blog (see earlier posts about the definition of collage, escapism, et cetera.)
Definition, per Wikipedia: "Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music and literature. The first branch of cubism, known as Analytic Cubism, was both radical and influential as a short but highly significant art movement between 1907 and 1911 in France. In its second phase, Synthetic Cubism, the movement spread and remained vital until around 1919, when the Surrealist movement gained popularity."
My personal definition, through observation, would be that Cubism depicts a scene without the standard use of one-point perspective. The artist seeks to show the subject from multiple angles at once, resulting in the above mentioned fragmentation. For me, it is less about depicting physical perspective than mental perception of a situation (hope that makes sense!)
In reading about Cubism, I stumbled upon the term Synthetic Cubism, which is particularly exciting to me because its definition includes collage. "Synthetic cubism is characterized by the introduction of different textures, surfaces, collage elements, papier collé and a large variety of merged subject matter. It was the beginning of collage materials being introduced as an important ingredient of fine art work." (See Wiki article here.)
I'm posting a well-known cubist piece below, as well as one of my collages that inspired this post.
Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, 1910
In recent collages, I have been fragmenting the background to demonstrate some sort of dissolve between fantasy and reality. This new form that my work has been taking immediately struck me as a derivative of Cubism, which led me to this post. Whenever I begin using a term in relation to my work, I like to define it here on the blog (see earlier posts about the definition of collage, escapism, et cetera.)
Definition, per Wikipedia: "Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music and literature. The first branch of cubism, known as Analytic Cubism, was both radical and influential as a short but highly significant art movement between 1907 and 1911 in France. In its second phase, Synthetic Cubism, the movement spread and remained vital until around 1919, when the Surrealist movement gained popularity."
My personal definition, through observation, would be that Cubism depicts a scene without the standard use of one-point perspective. The artist seeks to show the subject from multiple angles at once, resulting in the above mentioned fragmentation. For me, it is less about depicting physical perspective than mental perception of a situation (hope that makes sense!)
In reading about Cubism, I stumbled upon the term Synthetic Cubism, which is particularly exciting to me because its definition includes collage. "Synthetic cubism is characterized by the introduction of different textures, surfaces, collage elements, papier collé and a large variety of merged subject matter. It was the beginning of collage materials being introduced as an important ingredient of fine art work." (See Wiki article here.)
I'm posting a well-known cubist piece below, as well as one of my collages that inspired this post.
Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, 1910
Monday, March 29, 2010
Entry: Anderson Gallery
I entered the Anderson Gallery Student Exhibition last week. Sadly, I did not get in. Proof below:
Artist: Fred Tomaselli
Tom introduced me to Fred Tomaselli's work a few weeks ago in Alternative Processes and Techniques, and I immediately thought of how it related to my Senior Portfolio work through image making technique.
Fred Tomaselli is an American artist known for his unconventional methods and materials for creating his large mixed-media paintings/collages. Most of his works include unorthodox items suspended in resin on wood panels (see Hang Over below, made of pills in resin.)
Aside from the use of collage, our work seems to be related in that it is very personal. My collages speak about my life and feelings, and Tomaselli's depict his interests. Of his work, Tomaselli says "I want people to get lost in the work. I want to seduce people into it and I want people to escape inside the world of the work. In that way the work is pre-Modernist. I throw all of my obsessions and loves into the work, and I try not to be too embarrassed about any of it. I love nature, I love gardening, I love watching birds, and all of that gets into the work. I just try to be true to who I am and make the work I want to see. I don’t have a radical agenda."
Please see a few of my favorites from Tomaselli below, and check out White Cube Gallery's Fred Tomaselli page here.
Fred Tomaselli, Study for Big Hummingbird, 2004
Mixed media, photo collage, acrylic, resin on wood panel
Fred Tomaselli, Hang Over, 2005
Leaves, pills, acrylic and resin on wood panel, 84x120 inches
Fred Tomaselli, Airborne Event, 2003
Mixed media, acrylic paint, resin on wood, 84x60x1 1/2 inches
Fred Tomaselli is an American artist known for his unconventional methods and materials for creating his large mixed-media paintings/collages. Most of his works include unorthodox items suspended in resin on wood panels (see Hang Over below, made of pills in resin.)
Aside from the use of collage, our work seems to be related in that it is very personal. My collages speak about my life and feelings, and Tomaselli's depict his interests. Of his work, Tomaselli says "I want people to get lost in the work. I want to seduce people into it and I want people to escape inside the world of the work. In that way the work is pre-Modernist. I throw all of my obsessions and loves into the work, and I try not to be too embarrassed about any of it. I love nature, I love gardening, I love watching birds, and all of that gets into the work. I just try to be true to who I am and make the work I want to see. I don’t have a radical agenda."
Please see a few of my favorites from Tomaselli below, and check out White Cube Gallery's Fred Tomaselli page here.
Fred Tomaselli, Study for Big Hummingbird, 2004Mixed media, photo collage, acrylic, resin on wood panel
Fred Tomaselli, Hang Over, 2005Leaves, pills, acrylic and resin on wood panel, 84x120 inches
Fred Tomaselli, Airborne Event, 2003Mixed media, acrylic paint, resin on wood, 84x60x1 1/2 inches
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Research: Photoshop Technique #4
Last semester, I upgraded to a MacBook Pro(!) and Photoshop CS4. I honestly did not use Photoshop that much last semester, and have only recently attempted to perfect some of my collage images before printing them. Much to my dismay, I realized that CS4 is very different, and I do not know how to use layer masks anymore. This is horrifying, because layer masks are my favorite way of selectively correcting color, exposure, et cetera. So this week I found a video on YouTube that walks you through the new process for layer masking. It's way more complicated now, but still so useful. Check it out:
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Lecture: Sanford Biggers
I was really happy to have attended the Sanford Biggers lecture yesterday afternoon. Although I was unsure of my feelings towards his method of speaking about his work - I often felt like he was unclear or even unsure in his explanations - and it was slow-moving at times, I enjoyed the lecture, seeing his work, and hearing about his travels and experiences.
An excerpt from his website biography reads: "A native of Los Angeles, California, and current New York resident, Sanford Biggers uses the study of ethnological objects, popular icons, and the Dadaist tradition to explore cultural and creative syncretism, art history, and politics. An accomplished musician, Biggers often incorporates performative elements into his sculptures and installations, resulting in multilayered works that act as anecdotal vignettes, at once full of wit and clear formal intent. Biggers has won several awards including: The Creative Time Travel Grant, Creative Capital Project Grant, New York Percent for the Arts Commission, Art Matters Grant, New York Foundation for the Arts Award in performance art/multidisciplinary work, the Lambent Fellowship in the arts, the Pennies From Heaven/ New York Community Trust Award, Tanne Foundation Award, Rema Hort Mann Foundation Award Grant, James Nelson Raymond Fellowship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Camille Hanks-Cosby Fellowship."
The first work that Biggers showed at the lecture was his collaboration with David Ellis, Mandala of the B-Bodhisvattva II, which consists of a hand-cut linoleum floor inspired by Buddhist Mandalas. The two artists created the floor, donated it to a breakdancing competition in the Bronx, and it has been showing in various museums since. Biggers mentioned that at every venue the floor shows in, they make an agreement that it must be available for dancers to use (see video below.)
After the Mandala, my favorite piece was Blossom, a sculpted tree growing out of an actual player-piano, with Biggers' own version of Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit playing on a loop. This work in particular deals with issues of race and discrimination, and was shown at the Prospect. 1 Biennial, New Orleans in 2007.
Please check out some of my favorite images documenting his work and the videos below, and visit Biggers' website here. His website is very thorough, and includes tons of images from his past and present work, as well as the other videos he shared at the lecture, Small World, and Cheshire.
Sanford Biggers, Blossom, 2007
Sanford Biggers and David Ellis, Mandala of the B-Bodhisvattva II
2000
An excerpt from his website biography reads: "A native of Los Angeles, California, and current New York resident, Sanford Biggers uses the study of ethnological objects, popular icons, and the Dadaist tradition to explore cultural and creative syncretism, art history, and politics. An accomplished musician, Biggers often incorporates performative elements into his sculptures and installations, resulting in multilayered works that act as anecdotal vignettes, at once full of wit and clear formal intent. Biggers has won several awards including: The Creative Time Travel Grant, Creative Capital Project Grant, New York Percent for the Arts Commission, Art Matters Grant, New York Foundation for the Arts Award in performance art/multidisciplinary work, the Lambent Fellowship in the arts, the Pennies From Heaven/ New York Community Trust Award, Tanne Foundation Award, Rema Hort Mann Foundation Award Grant, James Nelson Raymond Fellowship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Camille Hanks-Cosby Fellowship."
The first work that Biggers showed at the lecture was his collaboration with David Ellis, Mandala of the B-Bodhisvattva II, which consists of a hand-cut linoleum floor inspired by Buddhist Mandalas. The two artists created the floor, donated it to a breakdancing competition in the Bronx, and it has been showing in various museums since. Biggers mentioned that at every venue the floor shows in, they make an agreement that it must be available for dancers to use (see video below.)
After the Mandala, my favorite piece was Blossom, a sculpted tree growing out of an actual player-piano, with Biggers' own version of Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit playing on a loop. This work in particular deals with issues of race and discrimination, and was shown at the Prospect. 1 Biennial, New Orleans in 2007.
Please check out some of my favorite images documenting his work and the videos below, and visit Biggers' website here. His website is very thorough, and includes tons of images from his past and present work, as well as the other videos he shared at the lecture, Small World, and Cheshire.
Sanford Biggers, Blossom, 2007
Sanford Biggers and David Ellis, Mandala of the B-Bodhisvattva II
2000
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Research: Paper Types
After talking to Courtney I discovered that the cost of using the printers at Pollak is only $4/square foot. I think that will work out to be relatively affordable for my purposes, so this week I've been shopping around for rag paper. Below are a few options that I found.
Magiclee Torino Canvas Rag: a highly textured canvas-like paper. 100% cotton, satin surface, and claims to have high color accuracy. The long description on Calumet Photo sounds amazing, but I'm not sure how I feel about the heavy texture. I think I definitely want something that isn't smooth, but I may not want a canvas texture.
Moab Entrada Rag: An affordable option at $119 for a 24"x40' roll. Unfortunately this one has an exceptionally bright white surface and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Some good features include that it is dual-sided, waterproof, and 100% cotton.
Museo Silver Rag: Cheaper option at $149 for a 24"50' roll. Has a semi-gloss look (claims to be like fiber photo paper), is 100% cotton, and claims to have superior tonal range.
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin: Has a satin finish where color is printed, white remains matte. 100% white rag, smooth surface, with good surface variation.
Magiclee Torino Canvas Rag: a highly textured canvas-like paper. 100% cotton, satin surface, and claims to have high color accuracy. The long description on Calumet Photo sounds amazing, but I'm not sure how I feel about the heavy texture. I think I definitely want something that isn't smooth, but I may not want a canvas texture.
Moab Entrada Rag: An affordable option at $119 for a 24"x40' roll. Unfortunately this one has an exceptionally bright white surface and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Some good features include that it is dual-sided, waterproof, and 100% cotton.
Museo Silver Rag: Cheaper option at $149 for a 24"50' roll. Has a semi-gloss look (claims to be like fiber photo paper), is 100% cotton, and claims to have superior tonal range.
Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Satin: Has a satin finish where color is printed, white remains matte. 100% white rag, smooth surface, with good surface variation.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Artist: Rick Begneaud
In searching once again for mixed media artists, I found Rick Begneaud this week. He creates collages/assemblages using appropriated images, strips of cloth, and paint. I'm drawn to the color and texture of his work, and I particularly enjoy his collages that incorporate a figure, bringing a human element to an otherwise abstract world.
While reading this brief biography found on his website, I made the interesting discovery that Begneaud is Robert Rauschenberg's nephew: The works of Rick Begneaud are born of place and experience. The impetus for his exotic, collaged inventions began in the heart of Cajun country where he was raised, and then later on, in his travels as the nephew / studio assistant / sidekick to the legendary Robert Rauschenberg. Frayed and bold fabrics seem perfectly right next to photographic reproductions and other ephemera, but most indicative of his “paintings” are the reverberating color and the sense of
formal composition turned on its head, leaps of faith that give the work their unique signature.
Gallery Owner, Don LeBlanc, states, “Rick’s got a very contemporary approach to image making. He uses found materials--patterns, fabrics, printed materials, appropriated photographs, diagrams. Ready-mades. He creates his own world on the surface of the work rather than painting a picture of the world.”
Rick Begneaud currently lives in California and continues to create and show his work. Please visit his website here, and check out a few of my favorites below.
Rick Begneaud, Eagle for Now
collage and paint on canvas, 24x24 inches
Rick Begneaud, Fava Prayer
collage, transfer, and paint on canvas over panel, 47x31 inches
Rick Begneaud, Rue
collage and paint on canvas over panel, 39x22 inches
While reading this brief biography found on his website, I made the interesting discovery that Begneaud is Robert Rauschenberg's nephew: The works of Rick Begneaud are born of place and experience. The impetus for his exotic, collaged inventions began in the heart of Cajun country where he was raised, and then later on, in his travels as the nephew / studio assistant / sidekick to the legendary Robert Rauschenberg. Frayed and bold fabrics seem perfectly right next to photographic reproductions and other ephemera, but most indicative of his “paintings” are the reverberating color and the sense of
formal composition turned on its head, leaps of faith that give the work their unique signature.
Gallery Owner, Don LeBlanc, states, “Rick’s got a very contemporary approach to image making. He uses found materials--patterns, fabrics, printed materials, appropriated photographs, diagrams. Ready-mades. He creates his own world on the surface of the work rather than painting a picture of the world.”
Rick Begneaud currently lives in California and continues to create and show his work. Please visit his website here, and check out a few of my favorites below.
Rick Begneaud, Eagle for Nowcollage and paint on canvas, 24x24 inches
Rick Begneaud, Fava Prayercollage, transfer, and paint on canvas over panel, 47x31 inches
Rick Begneaud, Ruecollage and paint on canvas over panel, 39x22 inches
Friday, March 5, 2010
Extra Post: Image Update
I just wanted to post these collages again. They have been modified since my last meeting with Tom and their last appearance on the blog. I think I like them!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Research: Where to Print
I know, I've blogged about this before! But things change. In this case: technique, scale, funds, and paper types have all changed. Last semester I was simply looking for a place to print my collage elements - I thought that was all I'd need because I never thought I'd be re-photographing my collages in the end. Surprise, surprise.
This semester, I have spoken to Tom several times about what kind of paper I should print my re-photographed collages on, and we have always come to the same conclusion: rag. It looks and feels weighty, important, meaningful. It's also EXPENSIVE. So ... where to print?
I called Action Photo in Carytown last week and was disheartened (but not surprised) to hear that they charge $55 for an 18x24, which is probably the smallest I'd be willing to go for exhibition prints. I didn't think to ask what an 11x14 would cost, but I'll be sure to do that since that size is far more reasonable for my portfolio box.
On a happier note, I looked at El-Co Color's website tonight and was pleased to see that they are at least a little cheaper than Action. And El-Co seems to be good about giving price breaks on large orders, so if I end up ordering all of my 11x14s from them I could be in good shape as far as expenses go.
The last option I explored was Keith Fabry, on Cary Street. They do not list rag paper as an option, but I know that they do direct printing (printing on just about any surface) which leads me to believe I could bring my own paper in for them to print on. I find this to be the most appealing option. I'd LOVE to go pick out the exact type of paper I want and then have it professionally printed. I can't wait to call them and find out how much that would cost!
So, I now have a few options to try out. I'm going to work on getting some samples together next week, and hope to have a solid plan for my final prints soon.
This semester, I have spoken to Tom several times about what kind of paper I should print my re-photographed collages on, and we have always come to the same conclusion: rag. It looks and feels weighty, important, meaningful. It's also EXPENSIVE. So ... where to print?
I called Action Photo in Carytown last week and was disheartened (but not surprised) to hear that they charge $55 for an 18x24, which is probably the smallest I'd be willing to go for exhibition prints. I didn't think to ask what an 11x14 would cost, but I'll be sure to do that since that size is far more reasonable for my portfolio box.
On a happier note, I looked at El-Co Color's website tonight and was pleased to see that they are at least a little cheaper than Action. And El-Co seems to be good about giving price breaks on large orders, so if I end up ordering all of my 11x14s from them I could be in good shape as far as expenses go.
The last option I explored was Keith Fabry, on Cary Street. They do not list rag paper as an option, but I know that they do direct printing (printing on just about any surface) which leads me to believe I could bring my own paper in for them to print on. I find this to be the most appealing option. I'd LOVE to go pick out the exact type of paper I want and then have it professionally printed. I can't wait to call them and find out how much that would cost! So, I now have a few options to try out. I'm going to work on getting some samples together next week, and hope to have a solid plan for my final prints soon.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Artist: WAFA Collective
Arlie told me about the WAFA Collective early this week, and I was pretty excited to see their collage books. Each piece in the series is a mixed media collage on a child's story book. They are all collaborative works passed back and forth from artist to artist, and each one is completely unique. I love the amount of adding/removing, tearing/gluing that is visible in these images. I think it must be amazing to make something and completely surrender it to someone else to modify. I wish I could let go like that!
This is an unusual artist post in that I cannot really provide information about the individual artists. However, I wanted to post this excerpt from the WAFA website:
"WAFA is a global artist collective dedicated to the support and development of emerging artists. We are a global network of working artists with members in Vancouver, San Francisco, Portland, Rome, Seattle, North Carolina, St. Paul, Sydney, Brighton, and Norwich. Our hope is to bring together a community of artists, united by collaboration, to inspire one another. To have the sense of family and community restored, where we can belong and continue to give value to what we believe in. To have an open dialogue about everything we experience, and the free exchange of ideas, knowledge and tools."
Awesome stuff. See some of my favorites from the collage books below. Please note: titles and dimensions for works are not available on the WAFA website.
This is an unusual artist post in that I cannot really provide information about the individual artists. However, I wanted to post this excerpt from the WAFA website:
"WAFA is a global artist collective dedicated to the support and development of emerging artists. We are a global network of working artists with members in Vancouver, San Francisco, Portland, Rome, Seattle, North Carolina, St. Paul, Sydney, Brighton, and Norwich. Our hope is to bring together a community of artists, united by collaboration, to inspire one another. To have the sense of family and community restored, where we can belong and continue to give value to what we believe in. To have an open dialogue about everything we experience, and the free exchange of ideas, knowledge and tools."
Awesome stuff. See some of my favorites from the collage books below. Please note: titles and dimensions for works are not available on the WAFA website.
Extra Post: Image Update
I just wanted to post two new collages that I finished tonight. At least I think they are finished - we'll see how I feel about them in the morning. Better yet, how Tom feels about them at our meeting on Tuesday.
I heavily manipulated the background in one, and was hoping to represent a daydream or fantasy with the other. . . Check it out!
I heavily manipulated the background in one, and was hoping to represent a daydream or fantasy with the other. . . Check it out!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Research: What kind of sync cord will work with my Canon?!
The question is in the title. Now to answer it...
I have had a set of studio lights for years now, but have yet to invest in a cord that will sync them to my digital camera. Silly, I know. So far, I have used them as hot lights (total waste of a strobe!) or had varied success with turning the flash on, blocking it from hitting my subject with my hand, and trying to direct it at the strobes to trigger them. Sometimes it syncs magically, sometimes I get a completely dark image. Inconsistent and inconvenient.
Now that I am re-photographing my collages, it is very important that I be able to use my lights. Using them as hot lights just isn't good enough - even shooting in raw and correcting for white-point, it seems like I can never really get a good white balance on images shot with hot lights (is this just me?) I want more control of my lights, and a true white in my images.
This week, I've been researching the best kind of sync cord to go with my outdated Canon Rebel. I've had trouble with it in the studio in the past - the Nikon hotshoe adapter/Canon combination seems to be very picky about which cord to use. Happily, while researching this week I found a universal, totally wireless option, and it won't break the bank. I'm psyched!
This is what I found: the Wein SSR Unichannel Pro-Sync kit. This kit consists of two pieces - an infrared trigger and sensor. The trigger connects via hotshoe on board the camera, and the sensor plugs into the back of one strobe. This sends an IR signal that triggers the strobe in perfect timing with the camera, and there are no cords to trip over! I'm about to place my order after I shop around to see if I can find a used one.
I have had a set of studio lights for years now, but have yet to invest in a cord that will sync them to my digital camera. Silly, I know. So far, I have used them as hot lights (total waste of a strobe!) or had varied success with turning the flash on, blocking it from hitting my subject with my hand, and trying to direct it at the strobes to trigger them. Sometimes it syncs magically, sometimes I get a completely dark image. Inconsistent and inconvenient.
Now that I am re-photographing my collages, it is very important that I be able to use my lights. Using them as hot lights just isn't good enough - even shooting in raw and correcting for white-point, it seems like I can never really get a good white balance on images shot with hot lights (is this just me?) I want more control of my lights, and a true white in my images.
This week, I've been researching the best kind of sync cord to go with my outdated Canon Rebel. I've had trouble with it in the studio in the past - the Nikon hotshoe adapter/Canon combination seems to be very picky about which cord to use. Happily, while researching this week I found a universal, totally wireless option, and it won't break the bank. I'm psyched!
This is what I found: the Wein SSR Unichannel Pro-Sync kit. This kit consists of two pieces - an infrared trigger and sensor. The trigger connects via hotshoe on board the camera, and the sensor plugs into the back of one strobe. This sends an IR signal that triggers the strobe in perfect timing with the camera, and there are no cords to trip over! I'm about to place my order after I shop around to see if I can find a used one.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Artist: Gilbert and George
So far, Griffin is the only one that has commented on my most recent post to the class blog. In his comment, he mentioned that my new work reminded him of Gilbert and George because of the new grid layout I'm using for my collages (see post below.) Tom introduced me to Gilbert and George a year or so ago, but Griffin's remark inspired me to take another look at their work.
Gilbert and George were first recognized for their Singing Sculpture - they dressed in suits covered with metallic powder, stood on a table, and sang outside, sometimes for a day at a time. They refer to themselves as "living sculpture" and refuse to disassociate art from their everyday lives. Pretty cool (and a little crazy, perhaps?)
When I think of Gilbert and George, their body of work The Pictures is what comes to mind. These are large-scale photoworks that often include the artists themselves, religious iconography, and what some would consider graphic or offensive imagery. These images are so complex and full of meaning that I think the grid becomes necessary for our ability to understand them. I would like the same to be true about my work. For now, I'm enjoying the visual similarities and differences, and trying to figure out what this stuff means! Check out a few of their pieces, as well as a portrait that I'm posting below.
Gilbert and George, England, 1980
118 3/4x119 1/3 inches
Gilbert and George, Life, from Death Hope Life Fear,
1984, 94 1/4x119 1/4 inches
Gilbert and George in their London home, 1987 (Photo: Derry Moore)
I also found this video about their Retrospective on Youtube. It will provide more information and a broader understanding of their work.
Gilbert and George were first recognized for their Singing Sculpture - they dressed in suits covered with metallic powder, stood on a table, and sang outside, sometimes for a day at a time. They refer to themselves as "living sculpture" and refuse to disassociate art from their everyday lives. Pretty cool (and a little crazy, perhaps?)
When I think of Gilbert and George, their body of work The Pictures is what comes to mind. These are large-scale photoworks that often include the artists themselves, religious iconography, and what some would consider graphic or offensive imagery. These images are so complex and full of meaning that I think the grid becomes necessary for our ability to understand them. I would like the same to be true about my work. For now, I'm enjoying the visual similarities and differences, and trying to figure out what this stuff means! Check out a few of their pieces, as well as a portrait that I'm posting below.
Gilbert and George, England, 1980118 3/4x119 1/3 inches
Gilbert and George, Life, from Death Hope Life Fear,1984, 94 1/4x119 1/4 inches
Gilbert and George in their London home, 1987 (Photo: Derry Moore)I also found this video about their Retrospective on Youtube. It will provide more information and a broader understanding of their work.
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