I found out today that Jean Claude, the artist and wife of Christo, has died today (11-25-09). You can read the full article from the NY Times here.
She and Christo worked together on a variety of projects worldwide. While I am not a fan of their work, I do admire them as artists. I'm not sure how this will affect their current projects. She and Christo have had a significant influence in contemporary art, and I have often referred to them when teaching. It will be interesting to see what will happen next.
An artists perspective on the issues, ideas, and culture surrounding the visual arts
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Recently I taught a group of Jr. High students about pattern, and how it is used in art. The above images are some of the projects they made. The goal was to create as much pattern as possible, ultimately trying to fill the page. I had the students start by folding the page lengthwise and writing their name on the creased paper. They then had to fold the page over and create a mirror image of their name by rubbing the back of the paper. The result forms an image from which to start. The students then picked elements from that image and repeated them throughout the composition. It's a simple project, and one I that I think produced excellent results.
Monday, November 16, 2009
This weeks post is in reference to a recent article found in the current issue of Art Calendar. The article is by Elena Parashko, and addresses the idea of being persistent in communicating with galleries and other arts professionals.
Parashko began her article by reminding readers to know the difference between persistence and annoying. She explained that it may difficult to know exactly when one should give up on a prospective gallery, but commented that relentless pursuit is probably a path towards resentment.
She said communication is essential, but not to overwhelm patrons. One suggestion she expressed was to develop an online address book of gallery owners, clients, and other art lovers. Then put together a monthly or bimonthly newsletter that could be sent to these individuals. She offered this as a way to keep in touch with potential prospects without having to be in constant contact.
I found this article interesting. I think a newsletter is a very good idea, but I'm not sure it would work in every situation. When I was in art school I was taught that artists should wait to be approached by galleries, not the other way around. If an emerging artist does not have many contacts, to whom is he/she going to send a newsletter? Parashko did not really discuss options for artists just beginning their career. As there are many artists at this level, I think that this is something that could be considered.
Parashko, E. 2009. Being Persistent or Being a Pest? Art Calendar. December 2009 January 2010
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Recent work ideas
Recently (approximately three weeks ago) I decided I would paint one image of a face per week.
I enjoy creating imagery of the human face. We use our faces as our identities in this world when we interact with one another.
I also enjoy the range of emotions and they way color influences the eye, and the overall interpretations of those emotions. Anyway, these are the first three I have done. Comments? Questions?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Creativity and Halloween
I took a bit of a break from the blog in October. I am back now, and should have weekly updates. This week I thought I would address the idea of Art/creativity and Halloween. I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, I don't hate it, but I can more or less take it or leave it. I usually wear this pin on Halloween:
But a friend of mine yelled at me over the e-mail this year. She said I'm an artist, and I should be able to come up with something. So this got me thinking. I had to do something fun. Too many costumes are run-of-the-mill. I eventually decided to go as Magrittes Son of Man. Here is a pictue of that:
This costume was fun, and very easy to make. Not to mention inexpensive. I guess my friend was right. I should focus more on the fun creative aspects of Halloween. I wonder what I should do next year. See you next week.
But a friend of mine yelled at me over the e-mail this year. She said I'm an artist, and I should be able to come up with something. So this got me thinking. I had to do something fun. Too many costumes are run-of-the-mill. I eventually decided to go as Magrittes Son of Man. Here is a pictue of that:
This costume was fun, and very easy to make. Not to mention inexpensive. I guess my friend was right. I should focus more on the fun creative aspects of Halloween. I wonder what I should do next year. See you next week.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Turner Prize
So it's Turner Prize time again. If you do not have any idea what this is about Let me briefly explain. It's a big award for an artist in the UK, given annually. It's named after J. M. W. Turner, a leading British artist (one of my favorites). Here is a link.
I'm also including a link to an article about this years potential winners. Let me know what you think. Potential Winners link. Sorry about the short posting. I'll do better next time. Cheers!
I'm also including a link to an article about this years potential winners. Let me know what you think. Potential Winners link. Sorry about the short posting. I'll do better next time. Cheers!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Three Part Blog
When I originally set out to make this blog, I intended to update every weekend. I seem to be falling well behind that goal. Oh well. Such is life. This posting comes in three parts. I don't think I have done a three part post in a while, so that might help make up for my lack of recent updates. : )
PART 1
Last time I wrote about a work in progress for a show in Atlanta. I have since finished that piece, and have sent it on its way. It arrived at the gallery yesterday. At least that is what the tracking information is telling me. I thought perhaps you might want to see what the finished painting looks like, and for those of you who are not in the greater Atlanta area, here it is:
If you do happen to be in the Atlanta area check it out at the Art House Gallery December 11. It should be a good show.
PART 2
In addition to being an artist extraordinaire (Hah!), I do some substitute teaching. There is one teacher for whom I fill in, that allows me to teach an art lesson while there. This past Tuesday we did a project on creative problem solving. The students were asked to create an object capable of getting one sheet of paper as far down the adjacent 100 ft hallway as possible. They were free to be as imaginative as they liked, the only limit was in the materials they could use. They were allowed two sheets of paper, three inches of tape, three inches of string, and two paper clips. Some ideas worked better than others, and the ultimate winner got her project roughly half way down the hall. The following pictures were some of their designs.
PART 3
When I taught Art Appreciation, we would occasionally play a game. This game was called "Is it Art?" Now that I am no longer teaching this class I see no reason to let a perfectly good game rot away. So I thought we could play it on this blog. Here is how it works: I have an official "Is it art?" folder. Here is a picture of it:
As you can see it is full of images. Occasionally I will pull out one of these images and post them on the blog. These images could be anything; a painting, a drawing, or perhaps the internal working mechanisms for the landing gear of a 747. We really have no idea what these images are going to be. Your job is to look at the image, scrutinize it for a bit, and come to some conclusions as to weather or not you think it is art. Post your thoughts in the comments section. I will announce weather it is or is not art in a later blog entry. There is a wide variety of art made these days, so in order to eliminate some confusion here are some other rules. First if the image is art it must be claimed by an established, recognized artist, and be exhibited in gallery, museum, or some other official setting. Secondly, I will never present a photograph. While photography is art, there would just be confusion if I showed a photo of a tree or something. You must look at the object within the image, and decide if this is the art, not the image itself. If you are confused, or have questions post those in the comments as well. Here we go with "Is it Art?" See you next time.
PART 1
Last time I wrote about a work in progress for a show in Atlanta. I have since finished that piece, and have sent it on its way. It arrived at the gallery yesterday. At least that is what the tracking information is telling me. I thought perhaps you might want to see what the finished painting looks like, and for those of you who are not in the greater Atlanta area, here it is:
If you do happen to be in the Atlanta area check it out at the Art House Gallery December 11. It should be a good show.
PART 2
In addition to being an artist extraordinaire (Hah!), I do some substitute teaching. There is one teacher for whom I fill in, that allows me to teach an art lesson while there. This past Tuesday we did a project on creative problem solving. The students were asked to create an object capable of getting one sheet of paper as far down the adjacent 100 ft hallway as possible. They were free to be as imaginative as they liked, the only limit was in the materials they could use. They were allowed two sheets of paper, three inches of tape, three inches of string, and two paper clips. Some ideas worked better than others, and the ultimate winner got her project roughly half way down the hall. The following pictures were some of their designs.
PART 3
When I taught Art Appreciation, we would occasionally play a game. This game was called "Is it Art?" Now that I am no longer teaching this class I see no reason to let a perfectly good game rot away. So I thought we could play it on this blog. Here is how it works: I have an official "Is it art?" folder. Here is a picture of it:
As you can see it is full of images. Occasionally I will pull out one of these images and post them on the blog. These images could be anything; a painting, a drawing, or perhaps the internal working mechanisms for the landing gear of a 747. We really have no idea what these images are going to be. Your job is to look at the image, scrutinize it for a bit, and come to some conclusions as to weather or not you think it is art. Post your thoughts in the comments section. I will announce weather it is or is not art in a later blog entry. There is a wide variety of art made these days, so in order to eliminate some confusion here are some other rules. First if the image is art it must be claimed by an established, recognized artist, and be exhibited in gallery, museum, or some other official setting. Secondly, I will never present a photograph. While photography is art, there would just be confusion if I showed a photo of a tree or something. You must look at the object within the image, and decide if this is the art, not the image itself. If you are confused, or have questions post those in the comments as well. Here we go with "Is it Art?" See you next time.
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