Posted: June 2nd, 2009 | Author: Sean | Filed under: Sketches, Thoughts | Tags: art theory, candles, flame, katie martin, mixed media, play, Play Element, school, sculpture, summer, wire | No Comments »
I’m taking a summer class with Katie Martin, a kickass teacher and artist. Logically one could correctly assume that the class is also kickass. The first assignment, 7 sculptures in 7 days, has led me down some interesting paths. Here are glimpses of what my hands are doing in class:
metalest dragon ever
school is better when fire is involved
Basically I’m having too much fun with candles, if “too much fun” even exists. I really like this period in the class because of the emphasis on play. Playing with the materials loosens you up, there are no standards or expectations. I’ve noticed that I get more involved with these candle sculptures more than some of my drawings and I think its because of the Play Element.
Ridding one’s mind of standards and expectations is extremely difficult to do. Being trained to constantly think about spaces I start coming up with thousands of subconsious rules for how reality is constructed. Its how I realize my environment. Even though I’m a confused artist who doesn’t know what to make my mind knows what it likes and what it wants in an image.
In class each student is required to present and artist/artist group/ or something art related. My other classmates have really inspired me. I’ve decided to start a new project that is just about making and making continuously. As always, more on this later..
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Posted: February 18th, 2009 | Author: Sean | Filed under: Sketches, Thoughts | Tags: art theory, drawings | No Comments »
Today Alliance 414 had its 2nd critique. As with the last critique there were only 4 of us and it turned out great. I learned quite a bit about what direction I want to take with some of my drawings and what to do. The most important thing is that I need to make more. I need to drill and practice and practice and practice and practice some more. Beware, if you’re not an art nerd you might not find the text below interesting (its mostly notes to self):
I drew this the other night spontaneously. The strengths in it overall are line quality, and a good sense of space. My peer’s opinions helped me realize the benefits of the composition. The two vertical bars negate the space outside the door frame and encourage the viewer inwards. The image has some good depth from value. Spots of high contrast move the eye around.
This piece I enjoy, but I think it is not as strong as the one I did earlier the other day. This one really helped me understand certain things about line (the handles below the sink for instance, I was able to use 2-3 lines to describe it). A couple of suggestions from my class mates that were helpful. The value is pretty constant, there are not areas that really pop from light or dark. In this image the drawing goes all the way to the edge of the page, which creates a kind of wall as opposed to the funnel effect in the last drawing. Perhaps letting the drawing dissolve onto a white (or black or grey) background would be a good idea? Someone suggested making the back room lighter and the front area much darker, thus pulling the viewer out of the dark and into the light.
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Posted: January 12th, 2009 | Author: Sean | Filed under: Thoughts | Tags: art theory, dean valadez | No Comments »
Artists are supposed to be creative right? I would argue that everyone should be creative, that everyone can find value in it. Artists among them can use this tool to make work that is exciting, interesting, and that brings about a different way of thinking. The question was raised to me the other day: can creativity be tought?
I do believe it can. One of my favorite professors Dean Valadez introduced the idea of creativity in an interesting way. He taught that when the mind finds itself in a place it is unaccustomed to it is forced to think differently. In class one day Dean told us that we could not draw with any sort of stick tool: no pencils, no charcoal, not even a bamboo pen for ink. The class freaked out. ”How are we supposed to draw!?” “This is impossible!” “Is he serious?” We were forced into a situation where our previous skills were of little use. Everyone was uncomfortable. This sort of discomfort is what Dean described as creativity. I would agree. Many of my most creative moments have been when I was forced, under pressure, and unfamiliar with the situation.
I wish I had taken photos, but the result of these works were quite interesting. New qualities of the mediums appeared. New possibilities arose. This sort of experimentation is essential to an artist because the more an artist knows about his tools the more he can build. Artists are problem solvers, they react to visual (in this instance) problems and solve them. The more you know, the quicker the solutions come.
Oh and if you want to know how we were able to draw with charcoal, graphite, and ink without using pencils, charcoal sticks, or bamboo pens you’ll have to just try it yourself!
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