In the gallery I would like, if there is room, to put hanna and my hand painting in the gallery.  Here are some pictures of what it looks like right now and there will be very few difference between now and wed if any to the piece. 
   to the left is a close up of one of the canvases   Here is the hoe peice it would likly reach from celing to floor in the gallery but since it is vertical it will hopefully not take up alot of space where other peoples works would go.

Since I have grown to hate my original idea with the flowers i plan to try somehting new with them.  I am going to ry and mount the flowers onto a canvas which i will then use as a very 3D textural suface to do a spry paint abstract painting.  If this fails to look how i want it i have been working on aother abstrat painting that could take the flower paintings place in the gallery.  Either way both of these ideas would take up the space that a canvas would in the gallery.  The flower painitng would likly be on a bit of a bigger canvas than the hand painting ones but not by much and the abstract painting i have been working on is the same size canvas as the hand painting one. The individual canvases not all of them together.

Articles about the "Boston art scene".

Articles about the "Boston art scene".

This week you're reading several articles in preparation for next week's field trip to the South End galleries. In response to what you've read describe the shift that has been occurring over the past year in the Boston gallery world. How do you think these changes might affect the Boston art world, in general (artists, collectors, museums, schools, etc.) for better or worse?

There are alot of changes it seems, going on in the art gallery world.  Alot of closings and movings.  This i think has to do alot with the economic situation.  People are losing jobs, or making less money but rents for spaces are going up.  Galleries are forced to close for either a hwile until they can pay the rent or move to a cheaper location.  However as Joseph Carroll points out SSotheby's sold a house for 86 million dollars recently. My Aunt works for Southeby's and she has told me that even though the housing market is not doing well at all the very high end houses have not been effected quite as suverly.  It seems the extreamly wealthy still have spending money.  This in my mind means that they wont stop buying expensive artwork.  I think that these changes in gallery's will effect the area in differnet ways.  Because people who are not increadibly wealthy are holding on to thier money and not spending it fivolusly might not feel as though they can go to galleries or consider a percase which will effect the income of these galleries.  Art fairs were brought up in these articles.  This and the internet seem to be turinign into a new way for people to seek out art.  While this could hurt the galleries income if more poeple are going to art fairs and searching art online art and artist will start making a a name for themselves and i think that will come back in the galleries favor becasue there wont always be an art fair that day or a good enough view of some work online and if people feel an interest in an artist or a connection to the work i think they will make that trip to the gallery.

Have you ever been to an art gallery (not a museum)? Describe your experience there.

I honestly dont think ive been to a art galery.  Ive been to plenty of museums but never a gallery.

In your opinion, what do you think the role of the critique, as it's described in this chapter, could be in a class like ours?

The role of a critique os to give the artist your USEFUL criticisms about the piece.  It should be done during the process of the piece or at least with the opportunity after to change the piece.  This is an opportunity for outsiders to get a new look at the piece and as is says in the book, " provide solutions to perceived difficulties."  In our class i think that having people, especially since we are all working on very different projects, look at a persons work they can truly give an objective opinion and help the artist work through problems or pieces that might not be working.  A critique in our class could show a person a whole new way of looking at their piece and give them ideas for expansion and or improvement.

According to this chapter and your past experiences, how can you get the most out of a critique of your own work?

I think that while the critique is going on the artist should detach him or her self from the piece.  The important part of listening to a critique is being able not to take the criticisms personally or feel as though they are an insult but rather sit back and listen, taking in what people are saying.  Then after decide what critiques make sense to you, and how you can build off of them to make the piece wonderful.

How can you be a helpful participant in your classmates' critiques?

As the crituquer one should not state bland opiions about the peice.  They should not say things like, "I like this" or "this looks bad," it is incredibly important to give critisisms that the artist can build from, such as i liek this because ... or i dont like this because...  or i think if you changed this... the peice could really benifit in this way.

These are a few of the bracelets that i have been working on for the past few weeks.  I enjoyed making them for other people, finding out what color and style they wanted and making it to their liking.  I would continue to do this because its really fun and I really like making things that people love, but I need to work more on my project for the gallery which involves making a mass amount of paper flowers so i need to really start making a lot of those and will probably spend the remainder of the term doing so.

Over the break, take another look at the Alternative Exhibition Format slideshow. Think about which artist's work was the most interesting to you in terms of format. Make a post and talk about what the artist does with format, and why you think it is interesting. In addition talk about what you think the focus of your exploration will be in the weeks when you get back from break. Are you going to play with a specific process? Do you want to experiment with materials? Is there a theme you want to explore?

I thought that hidden relief by Sarah Sze was very interesting.  I think that the format s interesting because it looks chaotic but if the viewer stops and takes the time to look closely at each detail then they can recognize the intricacy of the piece.  After considering the details the viewer is can step back and see the whole piece's beauty as a whole.  This process that Sze makes the viewer go through is that makes it so interesting.  You can;t just look at the piece think a quick thought and be done. You are draw in.  You have to see that is making up this chaos.

When we get back from break i want to start working with different types os paper and make a ton of flowers.  I want tot assemble them in the corner of a room.  The flowers will go from the ceiling to the floor and look as though the flowers are bursting from the seem of the walls.  While doing this I also want to start making jewelry.  I collected a lot of shells over break and i want to make them into jewelry.

i thought about painting this on the green to yellow painting but i thought it would be better to draw it.

I originally thought it would look very cool if i could fade really dark purple into yellow.  However i decided that that would be very difficult because mixing purple and yellow makes brown.  So i decided that purple to red would have to work. I ended up liking it a lot.  i wanted to put very different colors in weird designs on top of it, but then i added the blue circle and hated it.  So I'm still trying to figure out what i want to do with it.

Because I didn't know what to do with the purple painting i decided to make this one. Green fading to yellow.  I think i will paint a yellow flower on the dark green part.  not sure yet i dont want to mess it up like idid with the purple.

this is the green paint i used after it dyed.  I like the way it looks

Art and Fear Quotes

"In moments of weakness, the myth of the extraordinary provides the excuse for an artist to quit trying to make art and the excuse for a viewer to quit trying to understand it."

I can relate to this because often when i feel that my work is bad, or does not turn out how i want it to in my mind, which is often far to close to perfect for anyone to accomplish i quit.  i give up on the piece all together. I also so the same the thing when looking the a piece i do not like off the bat.  I stop trying to understand it when if I had chosen to look longer i may have found something amazing that didn't come out at me at first.  These are things i am trying to work on.  The packet goes on to say how to avoid this and i will try to do that.

"Don't look back-

something might be gaining on you"

- Satchel Paige

I can relate to his quote because I often feel that when something is gaining on me, in a metaphorical sense, like something is catching up with me I find it best that if you don't address it but go on to do things that will stomp it out you often out run it.

"We have met the enemy and he is us" -Pogo

i can relate tot his because i am a true believer in that you are your own worst enemy.   I think that you can chose to see things how you do.  You can look at anything and if you chose to find beauty you will.  If you decided a piece you make is bad it will be.  I believe that to stay happy an accomplish what you want in life and in art you must do things for youself and not take your criticism too negatively.  You yourself are the only one that can ruin things for yourself.

The Artist's Studio

What types of things do you see in more that one artist's space?Why do you think these things appear in so many different artists' studios?

I noticed that lots of the studios had atleast some natural lighting, i think this is beacuse natural lighting is more vivid, I like to work in it more than any artifical lighting. Most had different trypes of paint and different things to paint on and put thier paint on I think that they did this so that they would have anythign they would need in thier space and could grab it the second insparation coems to them. They all had art in thier studio, most had atleast some of thier own but they all had some. Clrealy none of them copy other artists work but seeing what has been done, in my opinon, often helps you think of that could be done and what hasn't been done. Originality is key.

Scratching, by Twyla Tharp

Scratching, by Twyla Tharp

What is scratching according to Twyla Tharp and how does she suggest we do it?

Twyla Tharp describes Scratching as the act of finding inspiration in the places you go and things you see and do.  She suggests that people don’t try to scratch but that it will come upon you with you knowing.  Just going about daily life and observing and seeing things from all directions will help scratching to occur.

 

Knowing how you work in the studio, what methods, techniques, or tricks can you see yourself using from Ms. Tharp's suggestions?

I plan on trying to fill my space with things room my room, things from my life and pictures from the places I’ve been and hope to go to help inspire me.  I want to fill it with life so that when I look up I will see something I wasn’t expecting to and find hidden inspiration I was not expecting.  I also requested to be by a window so that I would be able to look out it and see how things are always changing and see the people walking around and find inspiration from the seasons and nature and what people are doing.

She's talking about dance. What would scratching look like in the studio?

Like what I said I wanted to do in my area, scratching in a studio could look different for each artist but I believe it would most likely look like a collection of “things,” such as pictures, different mediums around so they are at hand when you feel inspired.  I really believe that a window is crucial, the view is always changing and you never know what you will see.  Looking out a widow in my opinion is the most effective way to have scratching occur.  The changing and unexpectedness of nature, in my opinion, is the best place to find inspiration.

Artists at work: workspaces & processes

In response to the PowerPoint we looked at in class today (see again below) answer the following question:

How do artists develop spaces and methods for making their most authentic work as part of a daily artistic practice?

I think that each artist found a unique way to create his or her area.   Each one was unique and had interesting aspects that likely played a role in the creation of their work.  While some found it best to have organized spaces others put themselves in serious clutter.  I think that the more cluttered areas were a way for the artist to grab inspiration.   If you take Alexander Calder’s studio for example, he had a mass amount of “things” in his studio.  It is likely that working in all the clutter caused him too see things that he wasn’t expecting and use it as inspiration.  However the clutter did not seem to transfer to his work.  His pieces seem to be clean and organized.  That being said I think it is safe to day that artist do whatever is necessary to make the space handy.  Handy for inspiration through having lots of things to look at like Alexander Calder and Hamlet Dobbins, handy with machines to help them when injured as Frida Kahlo did, handy with open floor space so Jackson Pollock could work on the ground, which he must have found best for himself.  Artists like Carrie Pollack do not need lost of thing in their studios bc what they find handy doesn’t fit in a studio, because its out in the world, therefore these artists are able to have just the minimal things in their studio, yet still create just as wonderful art.