Caravaggio and Chiaroscuro

Caravaggio, 1600

According to Kit White, "Chiaroscuro is the dramatic contrast of dark and light in an image.  Caravaggio and Rembrandt are considered the early masters of the technique."  The value scale, which goes from near white to black, can add a volumetric quality to the figures and objects that are being depicted.  It can be used to indicate where the light source is coming from and where the shadows are.  Chiaroscuro is the dramatic contrast of the light and darker values, with minimal mid-tones.  Caravaggio's Calling of St. Matthew (see picture), puts Christ in the shadows with a hard contrast with the light coming in from the window.  The light follows to Christ's pointing finger then onto St. Matthew himself.  Here the light and shadow is used to draw the eye through the picture.  Chiaroscuro adds drama to a painting, in which Caravaggio was a master.  Enjoy!

Surreal Pastel

Alice Cook, 2013

In my Drawing 2 class, one of the assignments involved creating a pastel artwork that was disturbing.  Using an image from the Dora the Explorer coloring book as a starting point, I drew out this surreal image.  According to Wikipedia, "Surrealism is where artists painted unnerving, illogical scenes, created strange creatures from everyday objects and developed painting techniques that allowed the unconscious to express itself."  I don't know what my unconscious was expressing while I drew this image, but consciously I was interested in drawing the foot and hand in pastel with a twist.  Enjoy!

Theory of Art, Aesthetic Response

J. M. W. Turner, early 1800's

During the 1800's, artists were concerned with the beauty of their artwork.  Aesthetics, or the sense of beauty, was the prime motivator in the arts.  Different theories of art have developed over time in order to shed some light on defining art or to theorize about the structure of our concept of art.  The theory of aesthetic response, according to Wikipedia, "is that art has an intended aesthetic function, but not all artworks succeed in producing aesthetic experiences...artworks that were intended to have this capacity, but failed at it are bad art."  While this theory was popular back then, the introduction of modern art has made this theory outdated and inadequate.  From cave paintings to contemporary art, art changes through the years and theories must change along with it.  Enjoy!

Giotto and Observation

Giotto

According to Wikipedia, "Giotto di Bondone (1266/7 – January 8, 1337), known as Giotto, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence in the late Middle Ages. He is generally considered the first in a line of great artists who contributed to the Italian Renaissance."  Giotto was unique compared to the other artists of his time.  Many of the artists during his time were doing Byzantine art, which is flat and not naturalistic.  Giotto made his figures three dimensional by drawing from live models, which was uncommon during that period of time.  He observed nature and painted what he saw.  Clothing was not flat, but had form and weight.  But what truly set him apart was that his figures had emotion on their faces.  Instead of the flat, emotionless look of the Byzantine art, Giotto expressed the feelings that the character would have in a particular scene.  Enjoy!

Pre-Columbian Art and Context

First Century Izapan Altar

According to Kit White, "Context determines meaning.  The social or cultural space in which an event occurs or an object resides imbues it with particular meaning."  Art is not made in isolation, it is affected by one's own culture and biases.  The Pre-Columbian artwork pictured here, had a different meaning for those that created it in the first-century and differs on how it is viewed today.  To understand the original meaning of an artwork, one would need to take into account the artist's culture at the time it was created.  Since the original culture that an artwork was created in changes throughout the life of an artwork, one can never truly feel the same impact that the artwork was initially intended to express.  The artwork that is created today, will have a different impact in a culture one hundred years from now.  That is the great thing about art, it's impact on the viewer changes throughout the artwork's lifetime.  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas and Rembrandt

Rembrandt, 1654

As I was searching for a Christmas picture to post, I noticed alot of snow scenes and some nativity scenes.  This holiday season is a perfect time, whether you have snow or not, to re-energize one's artistic endeavors.  With the new year just around the corner, I plan on making some artistic new year's resolutions.  For me, having goals for art in school and in the studio helps make sure I am moving forward.  So have a blessed holiday and enjoy this etching by Rembrandt.  Enjoy!

New Non-Objective Painting

Alice Cook, 1098

Just finished a new non-objective painting.  According to About.com, "Nonobjective art is another way to refer to Abstract art or nonrepresentational art. Essentially, the artwork does not represent or depict a person, place or thing in the natural world. Usually, the content of the work is its color, shapes, brushstrokes, size, scale, and, in some cases, its process."  First I started with a 300 pound cold pressed watercolor paper.  Then using colored construction paper, made various shapes that complimented each other.  Lines were then drawn using a technical pen, in order to give an overall unity to the picture.  Finally watercolor was added to lead the eye throughout the painting.  There is no overall focal point in this painting, for me, it brings an overall calmness.  Enjoy!

Cy Twombly and Conversations

Cy Twombly

According to Kit White, "What happens in the studio should be a conversation, not a monologue.  That conversation is between you and the image you are constructing."  While I don't think I have ever had a conversation with an artwork I am creating, I have always said that creating a piece of art is a give and take relationship.  Happy accidents or the unexpected happens while making art.  For me, the conversation is more with my artistic judgement (the right side of my brain) and the logical part (left side of my brain).  When both sides work together a usually satisfying artwork is created. Enjoy!

Fiber Art and Lana Crooks

Lana Crooks

According to Wikipedia, "Fiber art refers to fine art whose material consists of natural or synthetic fiber and other components, such as fabric or yarn. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labour on the part of the artist as part of the works' significance, and prioritizes aesthetic value over utility."  Artists have been working with fabric and yarn for centuries, though in the past they were not considered artists and many of them were women.  Nowadays fiber art has exploded and artists, both female and male, are creating fine art with the fabric and yarn.  Lana Crooks fiber art (see picture), is what she calls soft sculpture and is where she elevates stuffed animal to fine art.  Enjoy!

Ad Reinhardt and Looking

Ad Reinhardt, 1953

Ad Reinhardt's art, especially of the 1950's and 1960's, requires you to look intently to see something and/or experience something.  Art is made to be looked at.  With some paintings a glance can some up the whole experience, while other paintings require time looking.  Sometimes I think that the less complicated a painting is the more time it requires looking at it.  In painting, sometimes less is more.  According to Kit White, "for every hour making an artwork, spend an hour of looking and thinking."  Artists, in my opinion, need to step back and ponder their artwork.  If an artist wants the viewer to ponder their creation, then an artist needs to do the same thing.  Spend time with the artwork, whether you are creating it or viewing it, it will prove beneficial.  Enjoy!

Design 2 Class, Artwork 2

Alice Cook

I just finished my Design 2 class and pictured here is my final artwork for the class.  It is a three dimensional sculpture with wood and metal rods.  I had to combine a wrench and a violin in order to create this artwork per teachers instruction.  For this sculpture I wanted it to be clean and efficient and visually pleasing.  The wood is part of the wrench and the metal rods represent the four strings of the violin and the tuning pegs.  What bothered me this semester in my Design 2 and Drawing 2 class was that our creations were called projects, not artworks.  My approach was to create artworks this semester, not student projects.  I believe that when labeling it an artwork compared to a project, the student will approach it differently.  So I just relabeled it in my mind and made artworks.  Enjoy!

Shout Out to Patrick Hickey

Patrick Hickey, Atomic Bomb On Japan

According to Wikipedia, "Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world."  A fellow artist, Patrick Hickey, makes abstract art that, at times, has a social conscious.  I have heard it said that all art is an abstraction.  For even if you are looking at a landscape painting, those trees are not really trees, but paint on a canvas.  Hickey's picture, Atomic Bomb On Japan, is a powerful abstract that expresses the event with raw energy and determination.  Abstract art can challenge us and bring feelings into the picture.  Hickey's artwork can be found on his website, www.heechpeachhead.deviantart.com and is for sale.  Enjoy!
 

Willem de Kooning and Discovery

Willem de Kooning, Excavation, 1950

Maurice Merleau-Ponty once said, "Conception cannot precede execution."  According to Kit White, "Art is a process of discovery through making, and our ability to discover is generally greater than our ability to invent."  I would partly agree with the above statements, though they cannot be generalized to all artists.  While I approach my art making with some planning and some spontaneity, I know other artists that completely plan out their artwork before execution, and only then executes it without deviations.  So conception can precede execution, if the artist so chooses.   What I have read of some of the master artists of the past, their artwork changed while executing it and there was a sort of working relationship with the artwork that was give and take.  For me, I try to remember, there are no rules in art, only tools.  Enjoy!

William Blake, Poetry in Words and Art

William Blake

According to Wikipedia, "William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age."  For me, there is something special about the combination of words and the visual arts. Poetry can be pictures with words, while art can be words with pictures.  Blake combined both and made them both speak to us.  Enjoy!

Project 4 of Drawing 2

Alice Cook, Project 4

Just finished project 4 of my Drawing 2 class.  This project involved mixed media along with some textures using sand paper.  Watercolor was first put over the paper in a yellow ochre wash, with Payne's gray wash for the rectangles.  Colored pencil was added with some sand papering of the colored pencil to give a centered wash out in the picture.  Then acrylic was added to the organic shapes with a striped pattern to continue the textured look of the picture.  The emphasis is on the periphery, having colors of greater intensity while fading to the center.  With this final project I have successfully completed this class and look forward to more adventures in art.  Enjoy!

Paul Klee and Execution

Paul Klee

According to Kit White, "An idea is only as good as its execution.  Poorly make work will either ruin a good idea or make the lamentable execution itself the subject...One can only gauge the need to throw technique away if one has first achieved the mastery of it."  I have heard people state about a piece of artwork, "my child could do that."  This is often said about abstract artwork, and I will admit that I have said that in the past.  What often isn't known is that the artist, most likely, has excellent skill at rendering subjects, but chooses a more childlike presentation.  Judging what is poor technique or what is simply self expression can be difficult.  All art is subjective, what one likes, another will dislike.  For me, I am going to try to not pass the judgement that "my child could do that," but just enjoy art!  Enjoy!

Pop Surrealism Exhibition

Joey Potts

Recently I was at an exhibition that a local artist's guild was putting on.  It was a group show called Deviant Pop with five artists represented.  According to the guild's newsletter the exhibit was filled with Lowbrow art.  "Lowbrow art, according to Wikipedia, describes an underground visual art movement that arose in the Los Angeles area in the late 1970s. It is a populist art movement with its cultural roots in underground comix, punk music, and hot-rod cultures of the street. It has a sense of humor, often being gleeful, impish, or sarcastic."  Lowbrow art, also called Pop Surrealism, is not collected by museums or represented by galleries as much as what could be considered "fine art."  For me, the art displayed took creativity, ingenuity, skill and talent, it was indeed fine art.  Enjoy!
  

Hierarchy of Painting, Still Life

Blaise Alexandre Desgoffe (1830-1901)

We have finally reached the final type of painting in the hierarchy.  Last but not least is number six, Still Life paintings.  According to about.com, " All Still Lifes contain no living objects, and most are small-scale paintings. Though technically sound, they require the least amount of expertise because everything in the composition is inanimate (read: easier to record and requiring no stretch of the imagination on the artists' part)."  At first I didn't agree with this statement, for it takes expertise to depict glass, cloth, fur, metal, wood, etc.  But upon further consideration, I realized that the reason the beginning painting studio class, where I go, begins with still life is probably due to the fact that its only focus is the technique of depicting objects, leaving imagination elsewhere.  Enjoy!

Myron Stout, The Object and The Ground

Myron Stout, 1950's

According to Kit White, "Most images, usually have the object(s) of interest and a ground, the space in which those objects sit...The relation of the object(s) of interest to the ground is the most basic compositional device and describes to the brain the most basic conditions of any image."  Minimalist painter, Myron Stout is best known for his "black and white" period.  Here (see picture) an object of interest, which is white, is placed in a black ground.  How one color and it's placement interacts with another color and it's placement is crucial in developing a painting that really works.  Enjoy!
 

Shout Out to Aaron Flint Jamison

Aaron Flint Jamison, Funnel Horn, 2013

Recently in the magazine ArtForum, contemporary artist Aaron Flint Jamison's art show in London was reviewed.  What struck me was the picture of one of Jamison's artwork (see picture).  The piece is composed of acrylic, fiberglass, plastic hoses and spray foam.  To me it looks like some sort of artificial organ in the human body.  This artwork is 82"X82"X39".  It has inspired me to browse the aisles of my local Home Depot in search for my next art project.  Enjoy!

A Personal Triptych

Alice Cook, Outside of Time

A triptych is a set of three panels side by side, bearing pictures, or the like.  The three paintings I previously posted on this blog are now all together as a triptych.  The three strand band goes from one painting and continues on to the other paintings.  The titles of these paintings are Outside of Time #1, #2, #3,  respectively.  The figure goes from a crouched position, to running position, to an upright position.  In the first painting clocks are falling all around the figure.  The second painting has the clocks below the figure and the figure appears to be jumping over them.  Finally the third painting has flowers and some clocks falling behind the figure as she walks forward.  What is the meaning?  I leave that up to the viewer.  Enjoy!

Abstraction and Arshile Gorky

Arshile Gorky, The Liver is the Cock's Comb, 1944

Abstraction comes from the world.  According to Kit White, "The material world impresses upon us images and patterns from the first moment we open our eyes.  Composition, harmony, proportion, light, color, line, texture, mass, and motion are all part of the vocabulary of sight."  For our eyes only send messages to our brains and our brains interpret what we see.  Things we have never seen before causes our brain to interpret them according to what we have already seen, what it is use to.  Either we will reject it or open our minds to new possibilities.  Arshile Gorky took abstract to a new level and had great influence on the art movement called Abstract Expressionism.  Enjoy!

Hierarchy of Painting, Animal Portraits

George Stubbs, late 1700's

According to About.com, "At some point during Academic Art's heyday--probably roughly around the time that George Stubbs' (English, 1724-1806) horse paintings became wildly popular--it became necessary to add a new genre to the Hierarchy: Animal Painting. Why is Animal Painting ranked so far down the scale? There are two possibilities here. The first may have to do with its late inclusion in the Hierarchy of Genres. The second, and more likely, is that while this was portraiture, it wasn't Portraiture-portraiture. In other words, it failed to meet the call for portraits to be of "God's finest creation," the human being. "  Animal painting is awesome, even though it is ranked five on the hierarchy of painting.  It is a special skill to naturally depict animals, fur, scales, feathers, etc., it is so different from painting humans.  Enjoy!

Style and Eva Hesse

Eva Hesse, Hang Up, 1966

Style by definition means, "a particular, distinctive, or characteristic mode."  According to Kit White, "Style is the by product of saying what has to be said in the most appropriate way a maker can say it."  It seems to me that each artist develops a certain style over time that makes them easily identifiable to the public.  I can easily point out a Picasso, Monet, Rembrandt, or even Thomas Kinkade.  The way they capture something, the colors they use, the brushstrokes, etc., all become clues to who the artist is of a particular artwork.  In my art history classes, the teacher purposely identifies characteristics of the artwork that is prevalent in much of the artist's work.  Do I have a style?  Slowly I am developing one, but with the experimentation I am doing it is difficult to pin a style on me yet.  Enjoy!

Oil Paint and Claude Monet

Claude Monet

Oil paint is an interesting medium to work in.  I am currently doing a landscape in oil paint and I am enjoying learning which colors are opaque, translucent or transparent.  This is important for me because I am directly painting over another landscape I did years ago.  The colors that are opaque are doing a great job covering up the underneath painting.  While the translucent and transparent colors are not covering the underneath painting that well, so I am combining these colors with more opaque colors to improve there covering power.  According to Wikipedia, "Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. Oil paints have been used in Europe since the 12th century for simple decoration, but were not widely adopted as an artistic medium until the early 15th century."  Enjoy!

Ten Cent Comics and Ben Templesmith

Ben Templesmith

Today at my local comic book store, they had thousands of back issue serial comics for 10 cents each.  While I bought some of my favorite superheros, I also looked for comics that had interesting and different artwork on it's pages.  The artwork of Ben Templesmith (see picture), a comic book artist, is different from most artists.  His artworks tends to lend to the darker side of life, with horror and unusual crime dramas.  But his pictures still tell a story, with or without words, and different is usually good especially in art.  So today I was able to get my favorite superhero, Thor, and some interesting artwork between the pages of a comic book.  Enjoy!

All Art Is Political??

Kasimir Malevich

According to Kit White, "all art is political...the world your work describes is the world that you, as a maker, promote."  I disagree with the first part of this statement that "all art is political."  By definition, political means pertaining to or involving the state or its government.  Many things in life are outside of the government.  To say that the art an artist creates will "always have political implications" is casting the net to broad and is being a little paranoid that the government is in everything.  I would agree that my artwork describes my point of view, but my point of view is not fenced in by the politics of the time nor defined by it.  Freedom of the mind, is the greatest gift any artist could have, for we are more than those governing us.  Enjoy!

Shout Out to Monika Baer

Monika Baer, 1998

I recently saw an exhibit of work by the contemporary artist Monika Baer.  Her works combined abstract with representational, and showed great skill at handling the medium of oil paint.  What I thought was a buffet of color, were her "Mozart paintings (see picture)."  According to the Art Institute, "this series, the Mozart Paintings, expanded on her interest in the canvas as theater set that had developed in her student years, taken to an extreme, almost cinematic scale. Highly stylized and rendered in elaborate rococo detail, these paintings act as a foil for the more abstracted work that would follow."  Enjoy!

Hierarchy of Painting, Landscape

Jacob van Ruisdael, 1653

The first pure landscape painting did not occur until 1500 BCE in frescos in Minoan Greece.  Landscape paintings can be of our natural surroundings, or cityscapes done in any medium.  According to about.com, "Landscape Painting is ranked fourth in the Hierarchy of Paintings. While lovely to look at, landscapes require no human figures and somewhat less technical ability to produce than do the first three genres on the list."  I would have to disagree with about.com that landscapes "require less technical ability."  Painting rivers, mountains, trees, etc. that surrounds us requires the artist to depict many objects, from hard surfaces, to flowing surfaces, to soft surfaces, etc.  Landscapes and scenery have fascinated humans for thousands of years, I think that it is this fascination with natural landscape that drives the artist to depict it with vigor, or what some may call ease.  Enjoy!

Southern Song Dynasty Art

Southern Song Dynasty, China

In China, the Southern Song Dynasty went from 960 to 1279.  According to Wikipedia, "Painting during the Song Dynasty reached a new level of sophistication with further development of landscape painting; immeasurable distances were conveyed through the use of blurred outlines, mountain contours disappearing into the mist, and impressionistic treatment of natural phenomena (see picture)."  I am fascinated on how China was way ahead of the European art scene when it came to landscape paintings.  China has an interesting topography, with lowlands and mountains.  With the views these artists had, it must have been a great inspiration to them.  I know that when I see a beautiful landscape before me I either take a picture of it or do some plein air artwork on the spot.  Enjoy!

Wildlife Art

Diane Whitehead

There is something special about animals, so much so, that artists have been depicting animals for at least 25,000 years, starting in prehistoric cave drawings.  Now we have a whole genre of art called wildlife art, which is used to depict the natural world around us.  Animals are all around us, in our parks, in our neighborhood and even in our homes.  For thousands of years artists have been drawn to depicting our furry and not so furry friends.  According to Wikipedia, "Wildlife art is one of humanity's earliest art forms, dating back to prehistoric cave paintings such as those found at the grotto of Lascaux in France.  Wildlife art is the most widely recognized of human art forms as its depiction of the natural world, and the wildlife inhabiting it is a universal theme covering all cultures on all continents."  People of the earth all unite to represent the animal kingdom.  Enjoy!

Learning to Draw Perspective

One point, two point and three point perspective

Mastering perspective drawing is critical for depicting space in your artwork, if your work requires a depiction of space.  For some art, learning perspective is not necessary.  But just in case you do need some perspective in your artwork, the following steps should help.  (1)  Establish the horizon line (your eye level). (2)  Establish the vertical height of the object closest to you.  (3)  Draw lines radiating from the vertical height to a point on the horizon line.  These points on the horizon line are the vanishing point(s).  (4)  Fill in all other vertical elements and make sure all horizontal elements project back to the vanishing point(s).  Enjoy!

Shout Out to Eduardo Kac

Eduardo Kac

According to Wikipedia, "Kac considers himself a "transgenic artist," or "bio artist", using biotechnology and genetics to create provocative works that concomitantly explore scientific techniques and critique them.  Alba, the rabbit (see picture) was the name of a genetically modified "glowing" rabbit created as an artistic work by contemporary artist Eduardo Kac, produced in collaboration with French geneticist Louis-Marie Houdebine.  Houdebine used the GFP gene found in the jellyfish, that fluoresces green when exposed to blue light. When Alba, the rabbit, was exposed to such light, she would literally glow green. "  At a recent artist talk by Kac, he assured us that putting the GFP gene into the rabbit's DNA, causing Alba to glow green, in no way harmed the animal.  Kac has also gone on to create other "glowing" animals, in what he calls "bio art."  Enjoy!

Pieter Bruegel and Genre Painting

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Peasant Dance, 1568

According to About.com, "genre paintings were scenes from everyday life. They contained people, animals, touches of still lifes, bits of landscape (although interior scenes were more common) or any combination thereof. They were admired for the skills artists employed and were occasionally (possibly unintentionally) humorous, but they didn't command the respect that History Painting or Portraiture did."  Genre Paintings were ranked third on the hierarchy of paintings from the Italian Renaissance.  For me, genre paintings brought artwork that was more accessible to all classes of people.  By depicting everyday life, one can relate to the paintings from one's personal life experiences.  Pieter Bruegel the Elder's, The Peasant Dance, gives us a glimpse of life during the 1560's and a moment of joy.  Enjoy!

Albert Bierstadt and Mediation

Albert Bierstadt, Among the Sierra Nevada, 1868

To mediate means "to bring about by serving as intermediary."  The experience of most things is mediated.  According to Kit White, "the majority of information that comes to us has been shaped, edited, and distorted...Primary experience often takes a backseat to multiple levels of intervention...and art is, itself, a form of mediation."  It is true that most of us are unable to experience firsthand all the things this world has to offer.  But is it a bad thing that experiences are mediated through art?  Not at all, for many of us cannot travel the world to see it's wonders, but through paintings like Bierstadt's (see picture), we are able to experience the beauty of nature, even though we may never travel to Nevada to see his inspiration.  Art, though it mediates experience, when viewing it can be an experience all in itself.  Enjoy!

Student Exhibition, BFA

April Jin Son, Mystic Party, 2013
from student exhibition

Recently I visited a Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) students exhibition.  Exhibiting was about 85 students that will be getting their BFA this Fall.  The artwork had much diversity and originality.  Many media were present:  printmaking, oil, acrylic, watercolor, ceramic, sculpture, installation, video, etc.  Artworks went from representational landscapes, to abstract, to conceptual ("Conceptual art is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns").  Overall it was an excellent exhibit, boasting both originality, creativity, and skill.  Enjoy!

Finished A Series Of Paintings

Alice Cook,  Outside of time #3, 2013

Just finished Outside of time #3, of a three painting series.  Mediums, acrylic and collage.  I enjoyed painting the figure, especially since painting figures are new to me.  For the flowers, I bought a dozen roses and photographed them.  After printing them, I collaged them onto the canvas.  The watch faces are from the other two paintings in this series.  While I feel I pushed myself in this series, I am looking forward to further development of skill and creativity.  Enjoy!

Hierarchy of Paintings, Portraits

Anthony van Dyck, Triple Portrait of King Charles
1635-1636

According to About.com, "Portraiture, also known as "portrait painting," was the second highest genre in the academic hierarchy. Academy students underwent a rigorous course of instruction to master this skill, spending years first drawing from from plaster casts and then copying established artists' portraits before finally working with live models. "  Portrait paintings were first done only by rich and elite patrons, as the years passed middle-class patrons also commissioned these paintings.  Even today, portrait painting is still done by governments, corporations, groups, clubs and individuals.  I find that portrait paintings, compared to portrait photographs, allows the artist to take the essence of the person and put it into the painting, it is more than just reproducing how they look.  Enjoy!

Thomas Kinkade and Observation

Thomas Kinkade

Clear sight makes clear art.  According to Kit White, "Observation lies at the heart of the art process.  Whether your art derives from mimicking nature or extrapolating a mental construct, your powers of observation are critical...Try to see what is before you, not what you think you see or want to see."  I would agree that observing things around us, without distorting them, is a fundamental tool.  Once you are able to observe and describe what you see, then you will be able to take off in any direction that your imagination takes you.  Enjoy!

Drawing 2, Mixed Media Project

Alice Cook

Starting this week in my Drawing 2 class, we begin a mixed media project.  Part one of the project requires that I find and photograph a flat surface that has stains, cracks, spots, etc.  I found an interesting patch of concrete in a stairwell and photographed it (see picture).  Part two requires making several concept drawings, before I move onto part three, the final drawing.  The final drawing will involve pressing a textured surface into the gesso and applying watercolor, colored pencil and/or pastels.  I think this will be my favorite project of this class, since I enjoy mixed media.  Once the final critique is over, I will be able to post these projects on the blog.  Enjoy!

Titian and History Painting

Titian, Diana and Actaeon, 1556 - 1559

According to Wikipedia, "History Painting, is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than artistic style. History paintings usually depict a moment in a narrative story, rather than a specific and static subject, such as a portrait."  An example of a history painting is Titian's, Diana and Actaeon (see picture), finished in 1556–1559, it is considered amongst Titian's greatest works. It portrays the moment in which the goddess Diana meets Actaeon.  I myself have never painted a history painting, but it does sound intriguing.  Enjoy!

Vilppu and figure drawing

Vilppu

According to Kit White, "when laying out a figure drawing, try to do it with a series of interlocking ovals."  I would disagree with White in regards to drawing with interlocking ovals.  I have gone through most of the twelve chapters of Vilppu's figure drawing videos and his techniques make more sense.  Vilppu starts with gesture drawing to capture the action.  Then moving to box forms of the pelvic griddle, knee and elbow joint, along with cylinders for the extremities and sphere for the chest area.  Basically it is gesture, to volume, to box, to cylinders, to spheres.  Then Vilppu emphasizes knowing the anatomy of the muscles and protruding bones.  White's techniques of drawing interlocking ellipses is simplistic and will not give you an accurate drawing of the human figure.  Many of Vilppu's videos (shortened length) can be seen on YouTube.  Enjoy!

Hierarchy of Paintings

Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii,
1784

During the 1600's a ranking system was developed by the art academies that determined the importance of the subject matter of a painting.  This ranking system, based on traditions of Greek and Roman art established during the Italian Renaissance, was used by the academies as a basis for awarding prizes and scholarships as well as spaces in their exhibitions. It also had a significant impact on the perceived monetary value of an artwork, in the sale rooms of auction houses. The academies ranked the genres as follows (from most valuable to least valuable): (1) History Painting (see picture); (2) Portraits; (3) Genre Painting; (4) Landscapes; (5) Still Life.  Enjoy!

Philip Guston And The Unpredictable

Philip Guston, Head and Bottle, 1975

Philip Guston once stated, "You work to divest yourself of what you know.  I want to end with something that will baffle me for some time."  To divest means "to rid of or free from."  Guston freed us from the way things should look and took our imaginations to where anything is possible.  According to Wikipedia, " In the late 1960s Guston helped to lead a transition from abstract expressionism to neo-expressionism in painting, abandoning the so-called "pure abstraction" of abstract expressionism in favor of more cartoonish renderings of various personal symbols and objects."  Viewing art can be a learning experience, as we free our minds from preconceived ideas.  Enjoy!

Shout Out To Aaron Curry

Aaron Curry, 2009

I was flipping through the pages of Architectural Digest and read this article on contemporary artist Aaron Curry (see picture).  According to the article, most of Curry's projects originate as scribbles.  He "traces his visual vocabulary largely to comic books and science fiction."  I have noticed that I have been drawing various shapes in my college classes on the pages of my notebooks.  They are mostly automatic drawings, inspired more by the boredom of class than anything else.  I can see where these scribbles have potential for future works of art.  I even like comic books.  Enjoy!

Design 2, Project 2

Troy Picou

I am starting a new project in my Design 2 class.  It is a hybrid sculpture combining wood and metal.  The sculpture will be a hybrid of visual information extracted from two unrelated objects.  The first object will be my purple violin and the second object will be a garlic press.  Shapes, lines and patterns will be extracted from these objects to create a final sculpture.  The pictured sculpture is example of a wood and metal combo by Troy Picou.

Vincent Van Gogh and Mark Making

Vincent Van Gogh

Drawing is about mark making.  Kit White states, that artists need to "give every mark or line authority and make sure it serves a purpose.  Try to use only the marks you need."  Does this mean to think about every mark or line one makes?  I don't think so, because as an artist matures the ability to draw something becomes automatic and as confidence increases the tentative drawing is replaced with an artistic instinct.  The hand and mind become one, with every mark moving the picture forward to achieve his/her vision.  Enjoy!

Vermeer And Genre Painting

Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid, 1660

According to About.com, "Genre -- typically immediately followed by the word "painting" -- is most frequently used in art to mean "a scene of everyday life." A genre painting has a person (or people) in it doing something."  Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life.  Vermeer was a classic genre painter, where his paintings were mostly of women doing everyday activities.  His use of natural light and colors brings, for me, a meditative and warm sense to the painting.  Enjoy!

An Art Show To Show

Randal Stringer, 2013

Last night I went to an art reception of a show that I am currently in.  The show had a diversity of art, from representational, to figurative, to abstract, to non-objective.  Media varied from watercolor, acrylic, oil, ink, and mixed media.  The show was judged by a local curator, with the best in show going to Randal Stringer (see picture).  Stringer's work was dynamic, contemporary and incorporated mixed media.  Though I won no award, I am proud of the artwork in the show and feel I am improving and growing as an artist.  For me, it is important that I am constantly pushing myself to master technique and expand my creativity in art.  Enjoy!

Wool Over Our Eyes

Christopher Wool

Words are images.  Words are image and thought embodied.  Christopher Wool, according to Wikipedia, "is best known for his paintings of large, black, stenciled letters on white canvases. Wool began to create word paintings in the late 1980s, reportedly after having seen graffiti on a brand new white truck. Using a system of alliteration, with the words often broken up by a grid system, or with the vowels removed, Wool’s word paintings often demand reading aloud to make sense."  I think graffiti artists have know that words can be art, even before Wool started his word paintings.  Nowadays, graffiti artists have a place both on the street and in the galleries.  Enjoy!