Gallery Proposal

If there is enough wall space for me, I would love to have my seal painting in the show. I can envision it in the far left-hand corner of the gallery as you are walking in. (That just feels like a happy spot to me). : )

I feel most strongly about having that painting in the exhibit, because that's what I worked on for the greater part of the term. While I'm proud of my ceramics stuff, I feel like most of the work I put into it happened last term. 

Assuming that I can work out a firing, and that things turn out nicely, I'd like to put in my leaf platter, maybe my vase, maybe my nicer candle holder. I'm flexible. It seems like it would be easier to fit in some of my ceramic stuff, because it can go on a pedestal out of the way. 

If I can finish my lantern, it would be cool to hang it over the pedestal of my pottery. (Are there plugs for a light in the gallery? Is it possible to hang stuff from the ceiling?)

I lost the sheet for this post... I hope I've written all I need to. 

Inventory so far...

So far, I've finished...

• my large seal painting
  
• a small still life in watercolor and oil pastels

I'm mostly done with...

• my lantern. Still needs a little more wire working, and then I need to add panty-hose and some sort of lightbulb.
  
• a lot of ceramic pieces.

to be fired:

• My leaf platter (I finished glazing it with red iron oxide and the dark green glaze on friday)
  
• The light green+ black votive candle holder
• The wax-resist design mug
• The chunky square candle holders.
• The petal pot with white and brown striped sections. (BISQUE!)

to be glazed:

• My tall pentagonal vase
• My puffer fish teapot
• My white clay minimalist teapot

Preparing to Visit the Galleries

this thursday we'll be visiting galleries in the south end. please spend some time looking at the websites forcarroll and sons, inc. gallery, oh&t gallery, samson projects, steven zevitas gallery, howard yezerski gallery, and boston sculptors gallery. (the name of each gallery is the link)

we'll be starting together at carroll and sons, inc. where joseph carroll, the director of the gallery, will speak to us briefly. please prepare at least one question you'd like to ask him (refer to the interview you read last week with him and his website for ideas) and post it to your blog.

~~~ With such a strong sense of what art you like, are you ever tempted to make your own work? How separate are the careers of being a gallery director and being an artist?

as well, after looking through the websites of the galleries above, select two that will be a priority for you to visit while we're there. please explain why you select the galleries you do.

~~~I want to go to the "OHT Gallery" to see the "Back to Front" exhibit. The Gallery is described as "contemporary art in all media," shows a variety of artists, and looks like a bright, playful, and diverse show. 

~~~The Howard Yezerski Gallery is showing Jowhara AlSaud and Curtis Mann. Their work looks very interesting. They are both nontraditional photographers. They alter the paper or the film or the image. AlSaud is a woman from Saudi Arabia, and her work comments on the censorship there. Mann alters the landscapes of conflict in areas like Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Articles about the "Boston Art Scene"

This week you're reading several articles (this one, this one, this one, and this one) in preparation for next week's field trip to the South End galleries. In response to what you've read describe the shift that has been occurring over the past year in the Boston gallery world. How do you think these changes might affect the Boston art world, in general (artists, collectors, museums, schools, etc.) for better or worse?

Have you ever been to an art gallery (not a museum)? Describe your experience there.

Week 3: Progress

-looked at lots of pictures, chose pretty picture of seals. Had energy, beautiful composition, lots of potential.

-talked with Ms. Roberts about possible surfaces to paint on

-decided on on of the huge pieces of paper, which luckily was the exact same size as my desk

-Taped paper down to desk with painter's tape, which was a failure. The next day I stripped it off and used real masking tape instead.

-Divided the picture and large paper into four boxes, and sketched out the general shapes of the seals.

-My critique partners were Simona, Janaya, and Roland. I showed them my pottery and told them what I was planning on doing for my large painting. I already knew basically what Janaya was up to, and we gave her advice on some decisions. Roland and Simona's projects were interesting as well. Roland already knew pretty much what direction he was heading in, but Simona was less sure.

Surviving the Critique

This week you're reading a chapter from The Critique Handbook, by Kendall Buster and Paula Crawford. When you're done with the reading post answers to the following questions:

In your opinion, what do you think the role of the critique, as it's described in this chapter, could be in a class like ours?

According to this chapter and your past experiences, how can you get the most out of a critique of your own work?

How can you be a helpful participant in your classmates' critiques?

Alternate Exhibition Formats

Over the break, take another look at the Alternative Exhibition Format slideshow. Think about which artist's work was the most interesting to you in terms of format. Make a post and talk about what the artist does with format, and why you think it is interesting. In addition talk about what you think the focus of your exploration will be in the weeks when you get back from break. Are you going to play with a specific process? Do you want to experiment with materials? Is there a theme you want to explore? 

I like what Kerry James Marshall did with his large painting. I like the way he started out with a somewhat realistic scene, and then embellished it with more abstract splotches of paint, unrealistic color choices, and elements of writing. This is similar to what I've been trying to do with my big seal painting. I started off with a scene based on a photograph, and I've been adding details, patterns, and textures from my own imagination. I haven't been nearly as successful at breaking out of the realism as Marshall was. The embellishments I've added basically just complement what was already there. I think I've been too nervous to introduce any particularly drastic new element. 

Maybe for my next project I'll go outside and do some Andy Goldsworthy-ish stuff...

Art & Fear

This week you'll be reading an excerpt from the book Art and Fear, by David Bayles and Ted Orland.

Select three quotes from the excerpt that you can relate to and type them into a post on your blog. Maybe they remind you of something that's happened to you in an art class or something you've seen someone else experience. Write about how you relate to the quote and include as many specific stories as you can.

"For every artist who has developed a mature vision with grace and speed, countless others have laboriously nurtured their art through fertile periods and dry spells, through false starts and breakaway bursts, though successive and significant changes of direction, medium, and subject matter"(27). 

~~~This quote is reassuring, because it is a reminder that artists all have different processes, and you shouldn't be worried by what those around you are accomplishing. So when the artist next to you is churning out ten unified pieces a week, and you only have a smattering of jumbled ideas, don't give up, and don't feel inferior.

"To demand perfection is to deny your ordinary (and universal) humanity, as though you would be better off without it. Yet this humanity is the ultimate source of your work; your perfectionism denies you the very thing you need to get your work done. Getting on with your work requires a recognition that perfection itself is (paradoxically) a flawed concept" (31).

~~~ I've definitely had many battles with my perfectionism over the years. In lots of mediums, I've gotten over it. It helps me to "messy up" the whiteness of the paper right at the start, because otherwise I get caught in a very careful bubble. Last term in ceramics, I made a conscious effort to subdue my perfectionism a little. It worked out really well, because I produced a lot of pieces, and I was happy with essentially all of them. I let myself be spontaneous, poking holes out of chunky candle holders, and also let myself add fine details, like the cut-out sections in my vase, or the shapes on my leaf platter. I'm glad I didn't get stuck, like I did on my pufferfish last year.

"What is sometimes needed is simply an insulating period, a gap of pure time between the making of your art, and the time when you share it with outsiders"(40).

~~~ I'm often uncomfortable showing my art to others. Sometimes because it's personal, sometimes because it's not personal enough, and I feel like people will be bored. I don't worry too much about the audience while making art. But once it's actually being viewed, I worry that people can't follow my train of thought. With what I've made this term, I'm worried about something different. Although I've had a blast painting my pottery, sketching my still life, working on my seal painting, I feel like my pieces don't "mean" anything, and I worry that the audience will think my work is juvenile. 

Week 2: Progress

This week, I accomplished two things. I glazed my mug, and I had fun doing a nice little still-life with cray-pas and watercolors.

For my mug, (I will put up a picture of it later), I decided to experiment with the wax-resist stuff. On the bottom half of the mug, I drew with this, making swirlies and stuff that will turn out as black lines. On the top of my mug, there are grooves cut into the clay. I filled them in with the "Black Magic" glaze. Using the "Dark Blue" glaze, I painted over the wax resist section of the mug, and I painted the inside of the mug. Then, I used "Turquoise" for the top half of the mug. I hope it turns out nicely, and doesn't bubble or anything... This is the lightest, nicest shaped mug I've ever made!

For my still-life, I chose a gourd and a pinecone for their nice texture. In the intense sunlight on my desk, they cast very sharp and beautiful shadows. After sketching out both objects in pencil, I went back over them, coloring them in with colorful cray-pas. I love doing this, it's a lot of fun to assign a bright color to a more muted tone, and completely change the feel of the image. I used cray-pas for the shadows and the objects themselves, and then added a light watercolor wash in the background.

Week 1: Progress

In the first week of class, I decided to finish up glazing some ceramics stuff from last term.I didn't get it finished up, but I did glaze 3 votive candle holders (the 2 chunky square ones and the delicate circular one).

On the chunky square ones, I used the Sea Mist glaze on the outside, which has glass chips in it which will become specks of white and blue. In the star-shaped indentations, I painted canary yellow. On the inside, I used an opalescent glaze (I think it was Sapphire Blue...)

On the delicate circular one, I used Light Green on the inside, and Black Magic on the outside. I want to have that nice contrast against the black when the light from the candle shines out. As you can see in the pictures, I put masking tape around the outside so that the light green could be poured into to inside and swished around. Then, I took the tape off, and applied a few coats of black with a sponge. The last coat I did with a brush, which takes longer, but I wanted to make sure the outside had a smooth and not pebbled texture.

Scratching, by Twyla Tharp

What is scratching according to Twyla Tharp (http://www.twylatharp.org/bio.shtml) and how does she suggest we do it?

"Scratching" is about the initial exploration needed in order to find an idea. She uses the word scratching to link this exploration with the image of scratching a lottery ticket. She suggest that we start off by scratching for small ideas, and then scratching for the connections between the small ideas. Some ways to scratch are: to improvise, to read, to converse, to look at other people's work, to think of your mentors and heroes, or to scratch amid nature.

Knowing how you work in the studio, what methods, techniques, or tricks can you see yourself using from Ms. Tharp's suggestions?

I can see myself reading, conversing, looking at other people's work, and definitely getting out in nature. A lot of my thoughts are supplemented by what I've read. I completely disagree with her points about reading the classiest, most admired works, though. I think that I often look for feedback, and that conversation about my ideas or work helps me to define it for myself. Looking at Hamlett's website with all the artists and studios was very exciting, and I would like to go back there for some extra inspiration. Finally, one of the things I know for sure about this term is that I am going to get outside some, and bring nature indoors some. I also have a whole stack of beautiful nature photos that are very inspiring in terms of colors and shapes, that my mom was going to recycle, but that I salvaged. : )

She's talking about dance. What would this behavior look like in the studio?

She also mentions painting occasionally, but she sounds kinda silly when she does. "... or a painter dashing off sketches right and left until one pleases the eye. That's what improvising is like for me" (100). OR, when she's talking about nature, she says, "A painter would study the bird's coloring" (103). She assumes that painters are only interested in what looks pretty, when in reality, a painter is probably just as interested in the bird's movement as she is. 

For a lot of studio artists, the improvisation stage would also include listening to music. One thing that I do agree with her about is that you have to actually be improvising physically in order to generate good ideas. If you are too contained in your head, you are restricting the impulses to jump, or paint, or whatever, that could become very good and creative ideas.

The Artist's Studio

PROMPT: Go through the studio visits portion of Hamlett's website (http://www.hamlettdobbins.com/studios.php). Look at as many pictures as you can in 15 minutes and then write in response to the following questions on your blog:

- What types of things do you see in more than one artist's space?

Windows, CD's, some sort of paint, pencils, or other supplies, Canvases half finished or all the way finished (sometimes you can't tell which is which)

- Why do you think these things appear in so many different artists' studios?

Inspiration, materials, and products. yay!

OK, whoa, I love the stuff that Erin Harmon had in her studio.... Especially because I wanted to use this mossy lichen-y piece of bark as inspiration for my first project. Also, along that same nature-y line, I want to look up those books that Chuck Johnson had in his studio.

Getting Started: Image of Brainstorm From 1st Day

PROMPT: Using a large sheet of paper, VISUALLY brainstorm on the following topics/ questions.

- What materials have you had success with?

- What are your most famous works of art?

- Trends and idiosyncrasies: materials, subject matter, themes, etc.

- How/ why did you start making art?

- What role does/has art and/or handmade things play(ed) in your life?

- What do most people think you're good at when it comes to art?

- What do you think you're good at when it comes to art?

- What would your ultimate studio look like? Where would it be?

- The goal for the 2 weeks before spring break is to make as much work as possible. What are some ways you could do this?

Artists at Work: Workspaces & Processes

"Prompt: In response to the powerpoint we looked at in class, answer the following question:

How do artists develop spaces and methods for making their most authentic work as part of a daily artistic practice?"

I think that most artists start by collecting things that they like. Like pretty paints, or interesting ideas, or scraps of textured materials, or books, or pictures. Some artists nest by piling all this into a cluttered, creative space, while others organize and sort neatly, in order to not be distracted or overwhelmed.

Setting up the space seems like the easier part to me. Developing a method for working is harder. If part of art is to follow your impulses, then what if your impulses tell you to stay curled up in bed? Artists have to find enough motivation to be productive. And are you producing based on your own whims, or with the judgements of others in mind? Which mindset results in the best work, the most productivity? It's probably different for everybody.