Weekend Update

   These images were posted previously on this blog. However, they are now framed. I am applying to a gallery, and as part of the application process I must submit two original works of art in a framed presentable format. It always amazes me how a simple thing like a frame can tie an image together and make it feel more complete.

   The past two weeks have been total mayhem. I have once again made a move, and although this one was across town, instead of across country, my living space (including my studio) is in total disarray. It will be some time before I am up and running again. I'll keep y'all about what happens. Wish me luck on the gallery application!   

The importance of sketches

      The above is a watercolor sketch of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. I think it nicely captures the vibrancy of the French Quarter particularly found at night. I'm not sure what I will do with this yet, but I think that represents the importance of making sketches and getting your ideas in some sort of tangible form.  I don't think one has to have a specific plan  when making art and sometimes random experimentation produces amazing results. 

      My sketchbook is never very far from me, and I will very often pop-a-squat and start sketching a random building, scene, or natural object. Sometimes, if I am in a very crowded location, people will stare and look at me funny. I have yet to be confronted or told to stop, however. This practice of random sketching has resulted in a number of sketches that I have later used in finished works and is good for brainstorming various ideas for further development.

      My sketchbook is more a sort of mini studio which has a compartment for the sketchbook itself, but also has pockets, and storage for pencils, pens, erasers, and a portable watercolor set. It is made from scraps of canvas I had and is pictured here:

    
      Some other sketches that I have made and later used include the image below of a cathedral in Shreveport, LA which you may recognize from this painting. 

And this sketch of a garbage truck:

for this painting:

      One other thought before I go. As I was scanning my sketchbook, the scanner actually picked it up upside down. After seeing it from this point of view, I think it is just as interesting as right side up!

     
     So that gives me something else to think about.
 

Knitting/fiber arts and t-shirt designs

      This week's post is about a recent exhibition discussed on NPR this past Sunday, and an interesting Web Site I discovered that allows artists to submit and sell their own t-shirt designs. The discussion on NPR was titled "Are All Young Artists "Post-9/11 Artists?". In it, Neda Ulaby discussed the possibility that the events of September 11, 2001 have shaped our culture to such an extent that all artists under 40 are influenced by these terrorist attacks. She profiled three artists from the "40 under 40" exhibition at the Smithsonian, and described how each artist drew inspiration from or about 9/11.

      I'm not sure I agree with her thoughts. I certainly think that the terrorist attacks early in this century have influenced many things, including how art is made and what it is about, but I don't think you can say that all artists under a specific age are "9/11" artists. What struck me most after hearing/reading this article, other than the fact that I was not included in the exhibition (Haha! Just kidding. Sort of...no, no definitely kidding...maybe...heh heh), was that these artists largely seem to be working with fibers as a medium. Olek and Cat Mazza, in particular are using crocheting or weaving as their vehicle for expression (hence the photo above. It's the only woven piece I could find, but it was hand made in Greece so I think it counts). But even the other artists profiled (the folds of Erik Demaine, or the quilts by Anna Von Mertens) used some kind of fibrous material in making their art.

      I think the fact that these artists are using fibers along with such trends as Yarn Bombing, speak about the art being made today as much as the fact that it is produced post 9/11. Why all the fibrous art? I don't know. Perhaps in an increasingly technological world, filled with cold and impersonal machines, people are expressing an inherent desire to return to natural materials. I think this aspect is something the author overlooked, or possibly didn't really think about. It might be interesting to investigate. What do you think?

     The second thing I wanted to mention was the Web Site TeeFury.com.

      This site allows artists to create and submit their unique tee shirt designs. When I was in college I won the tee shirt design contest for my dorm. It was great fun. I especially enjoyed seeing the project go from sketch to reality. This site makes it possible to experience that concept with each submission. I think it is an excellent opportunity, and one more way to get creative.

      Well, that's it for now. More will be posted next week.   

Hurricane!

      One week ago today I got to experience my first hurricane. I didn't really know what to expect, having only read and seen images from hurricane zones on the news. In the hours leading up to the storm when everyone announced closings, people were stocking up on fuel and supplies, and there was a feeling of expectation, I found the whole experience  be very similar to the moments before a big snowstorm in the Midwest. The storm itself was noisy and unpleasant. Afterwards, when the damage could be surveyed it was the total opposite of a snowstorm (no frolicking or fun here). The image above was taken near my apartment.  Here are some more damage photos:

     

  I live on the high ground, so I didn't really have to deal with the flooding issues that many others had to deal with. The power went out during the storm and was out for days. I didn't really know what else I should be doing, so while it stormed I made art. I finished the self portrait I started the previous week:

Then I completed two other portraits.

I think that these second two look a little strange. Mind you, I painted them after the electricity had gone out and it was difficult to see. So that may explain why they seem a little off. In addition to these paintings, I sketched out an interpretation of a dream I had this past winter. I thought it would be a good idea for a painting, but now that it is sketched out I'm not so sure. What do you think?

If rain makes for creativity, then that seems doubly so for hurricanes.

An homage to Modigliani

      In one of my other postings I discussed art books. This post is again going to head in that direction. The above photo is the cover of another book that I recently added. I think it is important for artists to spend as much time looking at art as they do making art. The ideal thing to do is to go to a museum or gallery and study what is there. An alternative to this is to examine works of art reprinted in books. Either case can provide a source of inspiration, and help to formulate a plan to build on what has already been done artistically.

      This new book (to me anyway, it was published in 2005), titled Amedeo Modigliani is about that Italian artist. It chronicles his life and how he came to produce the unique figures he is known for. I have long admired the work of Modigliani. I like the simplicity of form and the gritty texture in his paintings. The paintings are also very warm, and seem to have an overall positive feel to them, despite the blank expressions on many of the faces depicted in his work.

      I have been so inspired by his work, that I have attempted to rework my figures to match his. The two figures in the painting Full Circle (found below) are examples of my thinking.

    
      In addition, I have been working on a self portrait with the same feel.


                                              

    

      While not exact copies (and i don't think they should be), they do portray an homage to the work of Modigliani. I like the effect of what I have done. I'm undecided as to keep proceeding with this idea, but for now it is interesting to me.      
     

Rain makes for creativity

      While most of the rest of the country is in full-on drought mode, it's been really rainy here in Louisiana. I find that this makes for the perfect opportunity to go to the studio and make something. There was a question, posted anonymously, asking if I had finished the above painting. So as you can see, yes, it is finished. In addition to this, I have started another painting, I have altered the look of this blog (did you notice?!?! I wanted it to more closely match my Web Site.), and I am getting ready to update my Web Site. So there's a lot to do when it's raining non-stop and I don't feel like going outside. 

      While reworking my blog space, all the librarians I work with made the discovery of wordle.net. I had already known about this site from library school, but apparently it was new to them. This site does a variety of things, but the most fun is the word cloud generator. By submitting the text, or URL from a Web Page, wordle analyzes the text and creates a textual image based on the most commonly used words. It's a fun way to determine what the main ideas of a written work are all about. The word cloud for this blog looks like this:

    
    I think wordle is addictive. Try it, it's great. For the heck of it I went ahead and did both of my master's theses. They look like this:

 
    The one on the left is my college teaching degree, and the one on the right is my library degree. From looking at all three of these word clouds, it's apparent that I spend a lot of time thinking about art. That's cool with me, because I enjoy art. Well, I'm off to do the things I mentioned in this post. So, be sure to look at my Website, and we'll see whats happening next time. 

Art Institute of Chicago-New Modern Wing

      I just got back from a trip to Chicago. It was excellent! It provided me a chance to reunite with old friends, relax, and have a good time. Chicago is a city that is very familiar to me. Having spent most of my life living in Illinois, I have visited Chicago frequently. On this trip we went to Lollapalooza, the annual music festival held downtown in Grant Park. I got to see the Black Keys, Passion Pit, The Shins, Florence + The Machine, Black Sabbath, and Jack White (White Stripes) and many others. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers were also there, but we happened to miss them. If you are interested there is more info and pictures here.

     

      This is an art blog, and so one of the other things I did was visit the Art Institute of Chicago. Like the city itself this museum is also very familiar to me. When we arrived there was a line out the door for admission (always a nice thing to see at an art museum). My friend and I did not have to wait however, because I knew about a side entrance that is seldom used by tourists. We got right in, AND I managed to get us a discount on admission.

 

      The museum currently has a retrospective exhibition on Roy Lichtenstein. I don't care for his work, so we didn't stop to see that. I was more interested in the new Modern Wing. This addition was added to the museum in 2009, and it is something that has been added since I was here last. The Modern Wing is circled on the map below.

      The Modern Wing contrasts with the classical architecture of the original building. It is almost like being in a new museum adjacent to the Art Institute. I understand that they wanted the space to blend with the art on display, but the stark contrast between wings of the same structure is awkward. The following pictures  illustrate the nature of this space. On the far left my friend demonstrates the airy open space of the facility. In the center, a view of the wing from the exterior, and on the far right a sculpture that greets museum patrons as they enter the new wing.

  

     The Modern Wing is divided into three floors. The first floor is where the Lichtenstein exhibition was happening. But they also had gallery space for contemporary artists to use. They currently have an exhibition by fashion and fiber artist Snadra Blacklund. I tried to get some pictures, but the security guard swooped in and informed me there was no photography permitted. The second floor featured photography, sculpture, and non-representative works of art. This includes artists like Mark Rothko and Piet Mondrian. The third floor featured works by Pablo Picasso, Rene Magritte, and one of my favorites Max Beckman. Some sample images are featured below.

        Architecture aside, the new space is very nice. A good representation of modern work is on display, and the presentation is excellent. I would recommend a visit to anybody interested in this style of art. I did swing through the older part of the museum, and got to see some old favorites. The photo at the opening of this post demonstrates this. I am standing next to A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, perhaps best known by people of my generation for its cameo in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It is difficult for me to select one painting in the collection that is my favorite, but there is one by Monet that I always try to see. It is pictured below.

I love this painting, and it was very much on my mind when I painted this image:

It's interesting how artists influence one another, even across time. One final note; I tried to stop in the museum library, but they were closed. So I will close with a picture of the library doors.