Kurt Wenner

'Decoded' by Jay-Z

This book brought me a lot of inspiration, and was a large contributor to my project.

Banksy

Final Reflection

From this term, I have learned that sitting around and thinking about what to make art about is useless. The only way to create something you like, is to just make art. It doesn't matter what you do, or what you make, or how you make it, just make it. Ideas don't come from sitting around, they come from working constantly. If i could do this term over again, I would focus more on making art using various materials, instead of sketching, because I can sketch anytime, anywhere. I feel like i took advantage of the materials around me, but only towards the end of the term. If I had done that from the beginning, I feel I would have more to show and more to be proud of. I am most proud of my large Wiz Khalifa piece because I rarely spend that much time on one piece of work, and I am happy with the result.

Crit Notes #2

- continue with sketches
- finish up larger pieces
- keep some pieces unfinished as part of installation
- use music related objects to make art (i.e. records, cassettes, cds)
- figure out placement of objects

Cassette/CD/Record Paintings

I have been struggling to come up with other ideas of materials to draw/paint on. Since my theme is music, I have been thinking about items that relate directly to music. I came up with the idea of doing a painting on a bunch of, either, casette tapes, cds, or records. I was looking on the web to find examples of these ideas, and this is what I came across.

Being a genius vs. Having a genius, Elizabeth Gilbert

This TED talk was about an artist being a genius versus an artist HAVING a genius. I would say that right about now, I would ask my genius to help me think of new ways to present my art. As of now, I have a lot fo sketches on paper in pencil. Yes, I like them, but so many of them can get boring. I need to find new ways to present my art. One way I have done this is by drawing on a television screen. I hope that my genius can help me along the way, to find new ways to present my art. Brainstorming is one method, but I think brainstorming is a waste of time. I would much rather have my genius pop a few ideas in to my head every now and then.

Week 5

This week was a very productive week. I think I got some of my best pieces started this week. With school winding down, its hard to stay on track and keep my mind on what I'm doing, but I have managed to do just that. I found an old t.v. in my basement, which I have turned into an art piece for my installation using paint markers. Also, most of my pieces up to this point have been relatively small, so I decided to get started on a larger piece. This way, there is some contrast in my installation, so it is not only small sketches. I am liking the path I am on, and if I continue on this path, I believe I will have a successful installation.

U.K. Neighborhood Records Its Electricity Use on the Street

A recently came across a project similar to an artist we saw earlier this year in the Figure Five class. A summary of the project can be read here: http://www.tidystreet.org/ Basically, it is an art project where people in a small community in the UK put down how much electricity they used. Since the project has started (approximately. 3 weeks ago) electricity use has dropped by 15% in their community. This is another way to get the community involved. Something for my to keep in mind when creating a final project is something that the audience can take away from my work. This is a great example of that.

Week 4

This week was very helpful in working towards a final product for the Senior Studio show. We had our critiques, and I was able to get feedback about my ideas and work up to this point from my classmates. I explained my ideas for a final project, and I received helpful ideas for a way to create a final project. Coming into this week, I was worried about the organization of my final project, and how I would place it in the gallery. After hearing from my classmates, Ms. Roberts, and looking at different artists, I came to the conclusion that organization was not necessary. All I needed was a theme, a place in the gallery, and just throw work on the wall in a way that I was happy with. I don't feel like I need to work out the logistics. I plan on just continuing to make work about music, and how it plays a large role in my life, and then taking these pieces I have created and finding a way to put them together to make one large piece. My plan for the rest of the term is just to continue drawing, sketching, painting, different aspects of music in my life, and working out the rest later.

Austin Kleon

The quote that I found most interesting happened to be the very last quote on the page. Most of the quotes were long, and elaborate, but I liked this quote because of its simplicity. The quote is, “It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.” - Jean-Luc Godard. I have never heard of Jean-Luc Godard, but this quote is meaningful. It is saying how it doesn't truly matter where you steal an idea from, it matters what you make it. It matters what you and your creativity can do with a little "push" from someone else's work.

A strategy that I feel would work well for me is "Write What You Like". In an art sense, make art that you enjoy. Imagine art that you would like to see, and go out and make it. I spend too much time making pieces that I settle for, and I make them over and over again. I need to being to mark art of things I want to see made. This will make making art much easier, thus helping with my overall project for the Senior Studio.

Swoon

Swoon is an unique artist for many reasons. But the reason that interests me the most, and the reason that I plan on basing my final project on, is the way she combines more than one piece into one installation. I posted a few pictures above to give people an idea of the work she does. She combines pre-made paper cut pieces with drawings on the wall. It is an amazing way to go about presenting one's artwork, and I would like to use some of this technique for my installation.

Barry McGee

This post is not so much about Barry McGee as a person, neither the content of his artwork. It is more about the placement/installations and how he presents his work. For the Studio show, I would like to use the corner of a room, like he does so many times with his work. Also, the way he puts his pieces together is very interesting. I am thinking about just taking my sketches and other small pieces of work and placing them directly to the walls, instead of on one large canvas. I want to use the wall and the floor for my installation, and Barry McGee is great inspiration for this.

Crit Notes #1

- no need for organization
- continue with sketches
- make pieces bigger when they are more important
- do it large
- scrap together past pieces of rap artists
- gather record covers

The Critique Handbook by Kendall Buster and Paula Crawford

I believe that critique is going to be a very big part in this class, just judging by the structure and students we have in this class. For one thing, this class is very 'free' and 'open ended' with very limited guidelines. This makes critiquing crucial because with no guidelines, there is much room for improvement and it is much harder to get started when you have nothing to work with. Also, the students in the class are all very talented artists, and we are very lucky to be working all together, and making beautiful art. Each and every one of us can contribute to each and every one's piece's of art.

Week 3

This week was kind of a slow week, but I plan on getting back on track next week. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do for my final project, and then later realized that it is a waste of time to just sit around and think. I have to do. So I began "doing" in hope of finding a final project. I came up with the theme of music, which I plan on staying with. I have done a few music sketches lately of rap artists, album covers, and others. Soon enough, I will find a way to incorporate all of these items together for a final work of art.

Alternative Exhibitions Formats Response

I love the way Shepard Fairey formats his work. It can go from traditional gallery placement, to out on buildings in the street. It is almost as if he is two different artists and I love that. He gives everyone a chance to check out his work. If you like going to an art gallery and standing around staring at art for hours, he allows you to do that. But he also gives people who don't visit galleries a chance to experience his artwork by putting it out on the streets. His artwork has sort of a graffiti feel to it, but it can be placed in any setting.

Art & Fear, by David Bayles & Ted Orland

The first quote I found interesting was, "What you end up caring about is what you do, not whether the doing came hard or easy." This I find to be very true simply because art should not be about time. Art has no timer that once it hits zero, the piece is finished. I can make a piece that I love in as little as 5 minutes, and as much as 5 months.

Another quote I liked was, "We have met the enemy and the enemy is us." This quote relates very well to me because I am my greatest critic. I am always finding something wrong with my work and having to fix it, and there is a part of me that never wants the piece to be done, and theres another part of me that wants to finish as quick as possible. In many ways, it can be good and it can be bad to be my own enemy. In one way, it pushes me towards me goal, and another way, it pushes me away.

The last quote I took away from was, "For the artist, the dilemma seems obvious: risk rejection by exploring new worlds, or court acceptance by following well-explored paths." This is a question that comes and goes in my mind a lot. I usually make traditional art (i.e. sketches, paintings etc.) but I always wondered what it would be like to explore new worlds. I just never really had the courage to take on that challenge, and I think that I am working on it day by day. Building up the courage is the first part of the process of trying something new.

Week 2

This week I started thinking about what I wanted to do for the show a little more. I became interested in the topic of music. I started to think of my favorite artists and something I could do with them. Mumford and Sons came to mind because I listen to them a lot when there is crappy weather outside, and this week was a mix of snow and rain. I started to draw an album cover of theirs, which I am still working on. Here are a few pictures of the album cover and of what I am doing.

Wiz Khalifa Tribute

An idea that I had was doing a tribute to one of my favorite rappers, Wiz Khalifa. I was planning on drawing a sketch of his face with 4 different expressions, and then int he background draw things that relate to him as a person and as an icon. After, I would project this drawing onto a large canvas and paint this sketch. I am still not sure if I would like to pursue this idea, but it is just a thought. Here are a few pictures of him:

Week 1

This week, I started to get back into the art 'groove'. I needed a week to gather myself, and just get back into making art. Along the way, I was thinking of ideas for the show, but it was mostly just drawing, drawing, drawing. I was doodling in my sketchbook a lot, and then I started to draw a picture of a grizzly bear in alaska. Hopefully something will come up soon as to what I want for the show, but right now I just need to get back on track.

The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp

Scratching is how ideas are born. To scratch is the idea of taking concepts from around you, and making new ideas out of them. Something I have a habbit of is throwing out work when at first I don't like it. I immediatley get rid of it, but from what Ms. Tharp said, anything can spark an idea, and sifting through old work can help. I shouldn't care about what people think of my little doodles, I should keep them and learn from them, and see what I can take out of them. They can evolve into much bigger ideas and be helpful in learning from my mistakes.

Inside the Painter’s Studio by Joe Fig

One artist that I was very interested in was Alexis Rockman. I feel that his work really shows how he lives his life and the environment in which he creates it. Through what I understood in his interview, he is a man that is well put together, but also has a childish side. He wakes up early every morning and works through the day, but also works in his pajamas. It shows he is dedicated to his work, but he has his own style and works with what feels comfortable for him. His work is a combination of the way he lives his life. The visual aspect of the pieces show great detail, but the content of what he paints is mostly fantasy life, which is going back to the, not so much childish, rather imaginative side of him.

I also feel that I relate mostly to Alexis. He talks about his early life, and how he never thought he could really do anything with contemporary art until late on in his life. As of now, I would love to work with art in the future, but not exactly sure how it will fit into a job. Also, he talks about the way he works, and how he listens to music and he feels comfortable in the way he works, and I try to do the same.

Looking at Artist's Studios

List of things I saw in other peoples studios:

• cleaning tools (i.e. windex)
• computer
• magazines
• fan
• lights
• couch
• garbage can
• utensils
• art materials
• artwork

These are some things that I saw in other peoples studios. Very common items for an artist to have. There are a couple categories of different items that one would have in his/her studio. There are things that are used for art purposes and comfort purposes. Some things that fall into the art category are the couches, fans, and I guess one could say the garbage can (to keep the space clean and COMFORTABLE). And some other items that fall into the art category are artwork, art materials, and utensils. Now, the rest of items can be used for both comfort AND art purposes. For example, computers, lights and magazines. These are things that an artist has to keep in mind when establishing a studio space, and things that I know I will keep in mind.

Me...the senior artist.

I have been looking forward to Senior Studio for years. Every year, I have taken a different art class that has taught me a different set of skills. During Senior Studio, I plan on combining my skills to show off what I have learned from the art world. I want to use the aspects of art that I am most comfortable with to base my pieces off, while also incorporating some new techniques that I have not worked with too much. I am very excited about this course.