Filed under: Collage, printmaking | Tags: art, artist, Collage, printmaking, visual art
I’m very sad that my collage class has just ended. It was so fun, and I think that I most enjoyed seeing everyone else’s work. It’s always amazing that we get the same assignment, but we have such a variety of responses. I was not finished with the collage that I showed in a previous post…it was an interpretation of a still life that the entire class created and composed. So, I worked on the collage a bit, and balanced it out. Here it is:
I’m much happier with it…it felt really “off kilter” before. So, during our last class, we needed to create an interpretation of this collage…so here it is!
I’m not sure if this one is completed yet…but I liked it. I’m still wondering about collage as an artistic medium. I have this sense that it isn’t considered a “serious” medium, like oil painting, etc. It sort of is a diversion that some great artists (and architects) have dabbled in. I think that if I made an oil painting…someone would consider that serious art. But, if I make a collage, then that’s just having fun. Is this how the art world thinks? Comments, anyone???
I still haven’t heard much from anyone out there on collage artists that you’d recommend. I think that I got one response! I’m familiar with Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Hoch, Juan Gris and Georges Braque. Anyone else that I should look at????
I began to experiment with a sort of scratchy, collage type of printing. I’m not thrilled with them yet, but I think that they form a good basis for something more. Here is the first one:
Please ignore how “un-square” the print is…I still need to flatten these. I like the strength of the values in this one, but overal it’s a bit flat and needs more layering. Here was the ghost composition from this:
This has a more unified feel, but it is a bit pale for me. I changed the colors slightly here:
It’s too static, and needs something else breaking it up a bit. I’m still pondering what my next step is. Here is the ghost of this one:
I’m very neutral about these prints. I need to do more, but I’m trying to plan what that would be. I like some of the details, so perhaps I need to cut up all of the prints!
another:
another:
I’m also working on a chaotic woodblock. I’ll hopefully print this on Tuesday night. When I had to start cutting the block, I sort of drew a blank…as I hadn’t really any plan. The teacher told me to “just start making marks”, so I did. This is what resulted:
I know…total hodge podge. Still, I’m excited to see what it looks like. There are lots of fine lines that I also inscribed into the wood, which you can’t see here. So, we’ll see how the actual print turns out. I love cutting the wood…there is something very “zen” about it. Just don’t cut your finger. I think that it’s considered very “un-zen” to curse and bleed.
Filed under: Collage, printmaking | Tags: art, Collage, drypoint, print, printmaking, visual art, woodblock printing
So, I started a new class this week! This is good, as my collage class is ending tomorrow. My new class is woodblock printing with Annie Silverman, and I am so excited! She’s super talented, funny, and nice. It was great to see all of her work, and she got me started on a woodblock, which I can hopefully print next week! This is very different woodblock printing than the traditional Japanese technique of moku hanga. I took a weekend course this summer on that type of printing. This class is more free-form/free-wheelin’ woodcuts. Moku hanga, in my opinion, is sort of the opposite of free-wheelin’…it’s very precise…very methodical…very controlled…etc. So, I’m excited to try a new way.
I have another new print in this “dark” drypoint series. I tried to do something more with the background, but it came out a bit too subtle. Here’s the print:
So, the black area in this image is uniform…but there is actually some texture there that you can see better in this print:
See the texture? So, I tried to get a subtle figure in the background…but it was too subtle, in my opinion:
Hmmm…I want to pursue this idea, so I’m going to have to do it differently.
I also did a little collage this week for a friend:
I like how this turned out. I really like collage. I’m not sure that my collages are worth pursuing more seriously, or if this is just an artistic diversion that I’ll continue to simply play with. I don’t mean that collage isn’t serious…just that I’m not sure that I want to try to do any more than I’m doing at the moment. Any thoughts? I asked once before if anyone out there has a favorite collage artist…so I’ll ask again to see if I get any more responses:
Do you have a favorite collage artist? Who is it, and why?
It was a GORGEOUS day today…70 degrees and sunny…no humidity. We get just a few days in the year like this. I can’t imagine living in a place where it’s this lovely all year. BTW my poison ivy has subsided quite a bit, so it was just about 1 1/2 weeks of torture. I thought that it was a good sign that I woke up this morning, without having gotten up in the middle of the night to slather on more itch cream.
Maybe I’ll do a series about loathsome poison ivy?
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking | Tags: art, artist, chine colle, drypoint, printmaking, Visual Arts
There are lots of goals that one can have in life. One of mine is to pursue art. Lucky me…I’m getting to do that a bit! But, then what? Art is a field where there is no clear path. In some ways, being an architect is simpler…as once you get hired, someone is coming to you with their problems to solve: “We’re designing new student housing for this college”…or…”Find out what the zoning restrictions are for this site”…or…”Draw up some wall sections for this facade”…etc. Even when you own your own firm, and you’re “the decider” (silly word), the client comes to you with their problem to solve. In art, you’re coming up with the problems, and the answers.
Back to goals: there are so many different goals that one can have as an artist. Someone might dream of getting their work shown at the Whitney. Someone else might dream of just making a living off of one’s art. Another person might just want to feel happy with the work itself, regardless of any outside recognition. These are all reasonable, of course, but they require different strategies for working. In the first one…the cutting edge fine art world is your “client”. Are you innovative enough to be at the Whitney? In the second example, the art buying population is your client. Is your art buying population people who love landscapes…so, you’ll do landscapes? Or, is it people who love photographs of people? old buildings? puppies? In the third example, you are the client. Are you happy with your work? Do you feel satisfied/stimulated/excited by the work?
Ideally, I suppose, one would be able to satisfy all three of these goals at once: to be recognized by the fine art world as worthy…to be able to live off of that worthy art…and to feel a sense of satisfaction with the work. Not an easy thing to do! I have yet to decide where I’m putting my energies. For the moment, I seem to be focusing primarily on goal three: just being satisfied with the work.
If you are an artist, what have your experiences been in regards to these types of goals? What are your goals?
Food for thought that I have been gnawing on for some time now…
Here’s is what I printed last night in class:
On the day that I was making sketchy scribble doodles, I also made a drypoint plate. This is the print from the plate. I like it. I like the feel of it and the look of the lines. I may do more of these. I also added some chine colle to another printing of it:
Sort of interesting…the paper looks very dark in this photo. It’s actually a sort of dark, orangeish, sand color. I’m not sure about these pieces, as they are a bit of a distraction. I may try this again with a more neutral/lighter color of paper…but I didn’t have any at the time to try out. Here’s a close up:
I also made another print of a child, similar to the previous one. This one was printed with different ink and different paper, however. I think that I might prefer the other ink that I was using. Here it is:
This is based on an image of my friend’s daughter. I’ve also got a closeup, so you can see that the black area actually has some texture:
I think that on my next print in this series, I’m going to do more with that texture…play with it a bit more. Any comments?
It is very cool and mild today…we had lots of rain and thunderstorms yesterday. I love this kind of post-storm weather. I also like pre-storm weather as well.
OH…for those of you in the Boston area…you MUST go to Berryline for frozen yogurt. There is one near Harvard Square on Mass Ave. SO AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS. I despise TCBY, which tastes like frozen plastic. Berryline, however, is so delicious. The yogurt actually has that tangy, yogurt taste…and it’s FABULOUS. You know it’s good when instead of getting M&Ms on my yogurt, I decided that fresh mango was better. It was. Go now and get some. I’m suffering from some serious Berryline withdrawl, I think…
Filed under: Collage, Drawing, printmaking | Tags: art, artist, Collage, doodles, drawing, printmaking, sketches, visual art
This week, I had some paralysis in deciding what to focus on. Therefore, I was a bit unfocused. I managed to mount one of my prints onto canvas. This is something that my printmaking teacher showed us. This was my first attempt to do it myself:
Can you see the shadow on the bottom and right edge? This is the print mounted onto canvas. See, here is the edge:
Much clearer, right? You will also note the difference in the colors of the print between the top and bottom picture. The bottom picture is closer to the true colors. I have to work on my camera skills, so that it doesn’t do odd things to the color of my prints, as in the uppermost picture.
Back onto mounting prints onto canvas: this is kind of an interesting way to turn a print into a painting of sorts. I’ve been told that it really only works with prints that are completely covered with ink…no areas of bare paper. The bare paper gets dirty too easily without a frame/glass. Interesting, right? It is a very laborious process, so I don’t think that I’m going to do too many of these. I wanted a 10″ x 12″ canvas, which of course, is an atypical size. So, I had to make and prime my own. Very tedious. But…I think that I like the result. I’m going to do one more of a related print, so that I’ll have a diptych.
As I mentioned, I was in indecisive/pensive/sketchy mode this week. Here are some of my sketchy ramblings:
and this one:
and this:
Don’t ask me what I was thinking about. These are just doodles. Why am I showing doodles? Because I was waffling on what to do, so I just grabbed a pen and scribbled. Coincidentally, my collage class also began with scribbles. Everyone had to bring in small boxes that they had “collaged” into. Then, we composed everyone’s boxes into different arrangements. THEN, we were asked to sketch different views and parts of the arrangement, as a basis for a 2D collage. So, here is my initial scribble sketch:
Yes, the objects are fairly unrecognizable…you may see a ribbon bow, an empty plastic tofu tub, crayons stuffed into a cigarette box…etc. So, based on this sketch, I was supposed to create a collage. This is what I did in class:
I was only really looking at the right hand area of the sketch. I think that this is interesting. I’m not sure if I’ll keep going with it, or just let it be. It’s always hard to find a stopping point, right? It seems a bit “even” to me…and I’m not so sure about the big slant on the right hand edge. Comments?
So, to address the “scratchy” in the post title: I managed to get poison ivy on my arm/hands. This is a very mild case of it, as I’ve had horrible poison ivy in the past. It is NOT fun, though. I noticed my son playing with a bush that he was standing near…and I realized that it was poison ivy. Needless to say, I panicked…took him home, scrubbed him down, and now I’ve got it on me. Luckily. he doesn’t have any! So, I either did a fabulous job scrubbing him, or he’s not allergic, or it’s his first exposure…so he won’t be so lucky next time. Why is there such a thing as poison ivy? Why? Whyyyy?
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking | Tags: art, Art education, Art school, James Elkins, printmaking, Why Art Cannot Be Taught: A Handbook for Art Students
I just finished reading, Why Art Cannot Be Taught, by James Elkins. SO fascinating. It’s the most “academic” book that I’ve read in a while, so I think that reading it again would be beneficial. Not to be a spoiler, but his primary conclusions are:
1. The idea of teaching art is irreparably irrational. We do not teach because we do not know when or how we teach.
2. The project of teaching art is confused because we behave as if we were doing something more than teaching technique.
3. It does not make sense to propose programmatic changes in the ways art is taught.
He begins with the history of art instruction, from ancient art schools onward. He then discusses how different studio art study is from studying other liberal arts subjects, such as English/literature. He also describes the type of art that cannot be attemped in schools, such as “Art that takes time”, or “Art that isn’t serious”. In addition, he takes on an analysis of the almighty critique, or crit. It was so fascinating to read his methodical study of this odd teaching method…it really struck home as I recalled the years of crits that we had in architecture school. I got the impression that art crits are somewhat more kind than architecture crits, but perhaps that’s not really the case. Because art is often about personal feeling, I think that perhaps reviewers may tread more gently…whereas in architecture, they really don’t want to hear anyone’s personal feelings about anything. Even when a critic provides some judgment…it is presented as “fact” not anyone’s “feeling” about something.
I know. How can someone take apart the entire art education system that we have, and then not propose a solution? This is how I felt when I began the book. Now, I see how messy and unclear the whole business is…part of what separates art from more concrete things, like many areas of math, is that there is not one right answer. Some solutions are just agreed on as being more “right” than others…but anything more definite than that tends to get murky. How can there be a clear answer to something that is so unclear?
I highly recommend this book. If anyone out there has read it, please comment and let me know your thoughts on it. It is very dense with rational analysis of something that the author concludes is inherently irrational. FASCINATING!
I have not much to show for myself…many things “in progress”.
So, does anyone out there have any thoughts either on the book, Why Art Cannot Be Taught, or on art education in general? Enquiring minds want to know…
Filed under: printmaking
As you may or may not recall from an earlier post, one of the people who recently reviewed my portfolio suggested that I think about getting an MFA. Well…until we win the lottery, that’s not likely to happen. But I have been thinking about it a lot. I have an MArch degree, and I cannot ramble on enough about how much I learned in those three years of grad. school. Understandably, I had a ridiculous amount to learn once I graduated as well…but the program itself taught me a tremendous amount. So…an MFA…I have no doubt that it would be an amazing experience. I wonder, however, what people who DO have an MFA feel was some of the most beneficial things that they learned by obtaining that degree. So, I’m asking those of you who have an MFA:
What was the most significant thing that you learned at school for your MFA?
Was it the technical training? Was it finding your “perfect” or preferred medium? Was it learning how to translate an idea into physical form? What was it?
For me, in the MArch program, I learned how rich design can be. So many apparent and invisible intentions shape a building. I was taught to consider everything…from the most basic geometry of the site, to the subtle modus operandi of the “client”, to the intentional way that material, form and light interact. I found it fascinating.
I understand that every student, teacher, and art program is different…but I’m still interested to hear if anyone can give me their thoughts on this.
Yesterday, at my printmaking class, it was sort of funny that we were all feeling a bit apathetic. I think that perhaps it was the crazy weather, and the recent tornado destruction nearby, that set everyone off a bit. Luckily, our teacher rallied us to GET WORKING. I don’t have any of those prints to show, as they’re still in process a bit…but I did do a couple of prints today. Here is the first one:
I’m still pursuing drypoints, as this was recommended to me by one of my recent reviewers. I’m happy with it. I’m going to continue this series.
I also completed a woodcut print. I have had little success with these types of prints, but I am happy with this one:
This is Petra, a city carved out of rock in Jordan. Remember Raiders of the Lost Ark? That was before CG was any good, so they filmed a real place. I’ve never been, but we had an exchange student stay with us for a year when I was in high school. She was from Jordan, so I learned about her country and culture a bit. I think that it’s not likely that I’ll ever get to visit, but it looks so amazing.
Tomorrow…we’re taking my son to a local fair. The last time that we went…he wanted to go on the roller coaster (a tiny one). Naturally, as soon as we were all locked in, he said that he didn’t want to be on the roller coaster any more. But it was too late to get off…I think he liked all of it, except when we would both slide over to one side of the car while making a sharp turn. I think that startled him. Maybe this year, he won’t mind!
Yes, welcome to New England! As my husband just commented…we had weeks of cold, wet, 45 degree weather…yesterday was a lovely, sunny 70 degree day…and today it’s full sun and 90 degrees in the shade. It feels scorching, as we’ve been living in terrarium conditions for so long. I have to unexcavate my summer clothes from the attic…when the attic cools down to about 100 degrees sometime tonight.
I had a fun class last night. My teacher/classmates were pushing the “restraint” theme in my work. Here is the print that they love…and wouldn’t let me touch further:
See how subdued? Quite a bit different than the clarty collages I posted recently. He’s one that sort of struck a middle ground:
It’s still subtle, but has some carborundum craziness to it. Christiane (teacher) showed me a great technique for blending the edges of colors on the plate, which helped tremendously.
Today, I printed a new carborundum/drypoint:
I am continuing to work on my drypoints, as was suggested by the reviewer from the DeCordova. This one was a result of hearing details about the capture of Mladic and the Serbian genocide. I was horrified to hear not only how many adults were murdered, but how many children too. It’s hard to even talk about such an atrocity, but I felt such pain thinking about all of the children who were caught up in the war. This print was my thinking of the burdens that children are forced to bear, in spite of their innocence.
I know. Dark stuff for a sunny Friday. Here are some shots from our garden to lighten the mood. I am seriously shocked that the bulbs that were planted last fall have actually grown. I understand that this is what is SUPPOSED to happen, but I’m no gardener…and have little faith in it.
Isn’t that great? Here’s another:
Have a lovely, Memorial Day weekend everyone! We’re planning on eating lots of hot dogs. Okay, let’s be honest here…I’M planning on eating lots of hot dogs.
Filed under: printmaking | Tags: art, chine colle, drypoint, print, printmaking, visual art
It’s been SUCH a crazy week. I spent the whole week preparing for a portfolio review, which was held today. SO INTERESTING. I met with four reviewers: Philip Prodger of the Peabody Essex, Dina Deitsch of the DeCordova, Katherine French of the Danforth, and Jane Young of the Chase Young Gallery. It was fascinating to hear each of their reactions to what I presented, and their suggestions of how I might proceed. By the end of the morning, my head was spinning with all of their comments and thoughts. So much to think about…
P.P. suggested that I consider learning aquatint and soft ground etching. I think that he liked what I’ve been doing with the carborundum in my prints, and thought that aquatint/soft ground etching would benefit me. Both of those types of printmaking require acid, so I’ve not been able to try them. I think that he felt that my work was interesting and had potential. He seemed to like the complex layering and gestural mark making.
D.D. really liked my drypoints, and wanted me to push this further. I showed her that small drypoint of my son, which is the print recently accepted at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking. I found her positive response to the drypoints really interesting, as I think of the drypoints as much more “conventional”. She felt that I could take advantage of my ability to draw and drypoint’s “traditional” aesthetic, and do something different with it.
K.F. was very positive, and said that I need to find the “right teacher”. She suggested that I consider a master’s program (gulp!). She said that my work was visually sophisticated (!), and on the edge of being really exciting. She also encouraged me to continue with the more energetic mark making that appears in my work. That comment seemed to be a running theme from the reviewers.
J.Y. helped me to understand more what a gallery owner is looking for. They are looking for a “clear voice” in the work. She liked the tension between the “uncontrolled” abstract marks in the prints, and my clean drawing that gets overlaid. I also learned how works on paper can be more challenging for a gallery to deal with.
I have so much to think about now.
Here are some of the new prints from this week:
This is a continuation of the “long” series of prints on Japanese paper. This paper had some existing marks on it, from previously toying around with some printing. The large, textured piece of paper is chine colle, which took the ink in interesting ways. I like the abstract vertical form.
and
This series on chairs got some interesting comments. I think that people responded well to the layering and textures. The icon of “chair” brought much debate/discussion. Several of the reviewers talked about “narrative”, which comes when one uses a recognizable form like this.
and:
and:
and:
This series was an exercise in restraint. Perhaps I have pulled back on the reins too far…but I wanted to try to work more “simply”. These prints are very much about “chance” and do not have any drawing marks on them. These prints got mixed reviews.
All in all, I learned so much. I know how important good teachers are. My teachers at UPenn for architecture were amazing. I absorbed an incredible amount in three years. I’d love to be able to do a fine art master’s degree. Maybe it isn’t as out of reach as I think! I can eat ramen noodles for a year…it will just be a year of being bloated and thirsty with an MSG headache, no prob. 🙂
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking | Tags: art, artist, artwork, flowers, Garden, printmaking, tulip, Visual Arts
Believe it or not, some of the bulbs that I plated last fall have actually come up! Seriously. I have so little faith in gardening, that I thought that planting bulbs was a sheer waste of time for me. Not so! See!:
Don’t they look great? Granted, there are only three of them…and I actually planted eight bulbs. The other FIVE tulips were mysteriously decapitated. I’ve been told that this is squirrels. I have hard time believing that. I think that it must be the little person who lives in my house and calls me, “Mommy”. Hmmm…
Don’t they look great???? Trust me, I’m shocked. Here are a few other things growing, that I did not plant:
And also:
Of course, I’m just showing you the highlights. I’ve edited out the crabgrass.
I did another print:
I’m still on this long theme, with a lot of black. I think that the photo makes this one look uniformly black, but in reality, there is more going on. The black in the upper right area isn’t really black at all, but a dark green…somewhat translucent. This doesn’t seem to be coming through in the photo. Here is a detail:
I think that you can kind of see the layers in the black area. I like this one. I like the shadowy things barely visible in the dark areas…with just a few pops of color and lightness.
I’ve ordered a special brush to do the Moku Hanga printing (as shown in the last post). As soon as I get it…I’m using it! In the meantime, I’ll have to get some wood blocks carved. I’ll keep you posted…
slightly wonky 