Breaking News

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.

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.

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

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?

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.