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...