Week 15- Activity- Finger Painting

This week, I tried out finger painting for the first time in a long time. It had been so long since I had tried finger painting that I no longer have any memory of it, I just know I have done it before as a child. For me, this activity was pretty fun because I had a friend of mine join me. Once I got used to getting my hands/ fingers dirty, I enjoyed the activity.

Finger painting was harder that I expected. This was primarily because I have a hard creating something abstract. I can’t help feeling like everything I make has to be something. I guess I’m not used to creating anything abstract since I was a child. After accepting that my painting is not supposed to be or look like anything, the experience is pretty liberating and relaxing.

This activity is different from graffiti writing because the graffiti writing was not as abstract. I knew what it was supposed to be and how it should look like. With finger painting, I actually felt like I had less control over the appearance of the painting. With graffiti writing, I knew that if it resembled my name, it was “good”. But with finger painting, I wanted no make it look “good”, but I did not know how to do that. I also felt like a grown up “rebellious” kid while spray painting. On the contrary, finger painting felt like a throwback to childhood.

 

Week 15 EC- Feedback

The Many Tonys

4

Triangle Square 12″x 12″ Bristol on Foamcore

Carly Lake Clonal Realm, 2016 Plywood, clay, acrylic & thread

Art 110 fall class of 2016 has come to an end. As part of my feedback for this course, I would like to select the following three activities as my favorites: 1. automatic drawing 2. graffiti writing 3. plaster casting. I really enjoyed these three activities! I loved having an assignment that involved going to the beach. It was a break from the usual boring assignments I normally have. I had never tried graffiti writing. In fact, it it weren’t for that assignment, I doubt I would have crossed my mind. It was surprisingly fun and enjoyable. Lastly, the automatic drawing was one of the most relaxing things I have done in a long time. It was a calming experience and I had fun making and decorating it with my friend.

My least favorite activities were the vlogs and landscape with a corpse. I just think they take too much time (maybe not for everyone but I though so personally).

I really liked the hybrid format of the class. I have never taken another hybrid or online class before and I liked not having to meet so many times. I liked the flexibility that this format allowed.

Besides the activities, the other assignments were a bit boring. I really liked most of the artist conversations, but I sometimes felt some artists did not enjoy being bombarded with questions. My favorite assignments were the activities by far.

I think e-portfolios can be very useful, but they’re not for everyone. I think there is no point in creating one if you’re not willing to invest time to maintain and update it, but if you are willing to do so, it is definitely useful.

Art talk discussion: The weekly videos were very interesting, however, I would have liked a more interactive way of learning the information on the videos so that it is not too easy to get lost, bored or distracted.

Week 15 Artist Conversation-Krystal Ramirez

Artist: Krystal Ramirez

Exhibition: School of Art Holiday Art Sale, Gallery

Media: Metal

Gallery: Dr. Maxine Merlino Gallery, CSULB

instagram: @kgrmetalcraft

Website: N/A

About the Artist:

Artist Krystal Ramirez is a senior at CSULB. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree of Fine Arts in Metal Sculpting. Although some of her work was displayed and offered for sale in the Art sale, Krystal plans on having her very own art exhibit sometime in the spring semester. On her spare time, Krystal enjoys thrift shopping, antique shopping and crafting. She shared that she is most creative and productive late at night and enjoys creating jewelry. After being introduced to jewelry making in high school, Krystal decided to pursue it as a college student. She was able to do so at CSULB by becoming part of the metal sculpting program in the CSULB School of Art.

Formal Analysis

This week’s art galleries were used for the CSULB School of Art Holliday Art Sale instead of being used to display a single artist’s exhibit. Every piece of art for sale in the Dr. Maxine Merlino Gallery was very beautiful and well crafted. The sale included a few of Krystal’s pieces. She created small, shiny copper pots with small green succulents planted inside.

Content Analysis

When talking about her art, Krystal mentioned that because these pieces were made to be sold, they were different from her other works. She shared that when she is making a piece without a customer in mind, her work tends to be more personal and meaningful. However, when she creates a piece with a customer in mind, her work tends to be more thoughtful and visually appealing. She tries to envision a work of art that will be liked by many people.

Synthesis/ My Experience

I really enjoyed this weeks artist conversation. It was very different than the other artist conversations, but enjoyable none the less. I liked seeing so many beautiful works of art in one place, it almost felt more like a museum instead of a sale. Every piece was very well crafted and creative. I found Krystal’s work to be very beautiful and practical.

Week 14- Classmate Conversation- Alex Miramontes

Classmate conversation with Alex Miramontes

For this week’s classmate conversation, I had the pleasure of meeting Alex Miramontes. While talking to Alex, I learned that he is a fourth year college student expecting to graduate next semester with a major in psychology and a minor in human development. On his spare time, Alex enjoys listening to music and is a fan of bands: Arcade Fire, Local Natives, The National and The XX. He also enjoys watching movies and his favorites include: American Beauty, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Her. His favorite art 110 assignment was the graffiti project, one that I also enjoyed quite a lot!

We discussed what we think college will be like for students in 2036. One of the first changes we could think of was advances in technology affecting classes. We thought that with more technological advances, more students would take classes online and not have to show up on campus as much. Another cool thought was that, in order to offer classes at more convenient times, a single professor would be able to teach multiple class rooms at a time via video chat or hologram. We also thought that more majors might be introduced. Maybe even new ways of teaching subjects to better suit different learning styles

Week 14-Photo 2- Instagram Activity

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Beginning this activity, I was not very enthusiastic about it because I am not one to post many pictures or posts on any social media site. However, after forcing myself to post a few posts, I found it pretty fun in the end. While seeing everyone’s posts using the #art110f16, I notice that we are all pretty similar. I noticed many posts about my classmate’s adorable pets, some posts about being in CSULB and lots of food. In reality, we all have very similar lives right now. It is interesting to think that although our lives are all very similar now, our lives will probably be very different after graduation. This activity shows that although we are all pretty different, we are all in CSULB working towards a common goal and enjoying some of the best years of our lives.

Week 12- Artist Conversation #9- Sage Garver

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Exhibition Information

Artist: Sage Garver

Exhibit:BIO

Media: Sculpture

Gallery: CSULB School of Art, Dennis W Dutzi Gallery

Instagram: N/A

Website: N/A

About the Artist

Sage Garver is an undergraduate student at CSULB. She is currently working towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture. She shares that she has always loved creating artwork, but didn’t consider art as something she could earn a degree or a career in until she began college. Because Garver suffers from health issues, she was not able to play outdoors and instead she stayed indoors and vegan to express herself through artwork. Although restricted by her health conditions, Garver enjoys activities like hiking and swimming.

Formal Analysis

Sage Garver’s BIO exhibit is made up of a series of sculptures that blend into the wall making the entire room a pert of the sculpture. The smaller sculptures protrude off of the white walls. The color of the sculptures blend in with the wall so well that it is difficult to tell where the sculpture and the wall meet. In the center of the room is a large, spherical centerpiece that resembles a chandelier that hangs from the ceiling attached with several golden colored metal chains.

Contents Analysis

Garver’s exhibit, BIO, is a way to represent the artist’s health problems. The way that the sculptures blend into the wall and become a part of it is meant to represent the way in which a disease has become a part of the artist’s body. It is impossible to remove and therefore has shaped the life of the artist in many ways. The sculptures are stylized representations based on biological diagrams of the artist’s illness. They are inspired by the way the disease looks under a microscope and they blend into the wall similarly to the way the disease is a part of the artist’s body. To better represent the way the disease is a part of the body, the artist made the entire exhibit white. This way, there is no telling where the wall ends and the disease begins. The spherical centerpiece is meant to represent a nucleus.

Synthesis/ My Experience

At fist glance, I was not sure what to make of this piece. However, after reading the artist’s statement I realized that this piece is a very personal piece. I feel as if I needed to know a bit about the artist before I could really appreciate the work. Afterwards, I noticed the impact a disease can have on a person. It made me feel that whatever health condition the artist has grown up with has played a large role in her life. Seeing the sculptures transform the walls made me think about haw a condition like this can transform someone’s life. It also made me realize the permanence of some health conditions. When something is literally a part of you, it is difficult of impossible to separate it from you. Yet, it can still be beautiful and unique.

 

 

Week 11- Artist Conversation #8-Kyle Kruse

Artist: Kyle Kruse

Exhibit: Janus Maxim

Media: wood, fibers, video, installation

Gallery: Marilyn Werby Gallery

instagram: @kyle.kruse

website:kylekruseart.com

About the Artist

Kyle Kruse is a senior at CSULB. He is currently working on obtaining his Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Print Making and has plans to enroll in a graduate program in a future time. Some of his hobbies include playing guitar, rock climbing and film making. Kyle K. claims that all of his hobbies and interests revolve around his artwork. In total, Kyle’s exhibit took approximately ten months to complete.

Formal Analysis

The exhibit is composed of three woodblock carvings, three sets of films and three sculptures. The carvings have dark, rough look to them. Similarly, the sculptures are masks that are dark colored and sharp. The three films playing in the background are choppy and ambiguous. The entire exhibit was dark and the floors are scattered with dirt and rocks.

Content Analysis

Each of the woodblock carvings, sculptures and films is meant to represent Greco-Roman myths, Prometheus, Janus and Sisyphus. In these myths, Prometheus was chained t in cycle of consumption for eternity as punishment for having provided mankind with fire, Sisyphus was  condemned to climb his hill in the fires of Tartarus forever for trying to cheat death. The center figure represents Janus, the god of beginnings, endings, gateways and transitions. The viewer is meant become an onlooker, watching the past, the future and the void in between.

My Experience/ Synthesis

Walking through the exhibit was interesting because of the feel that the pieces created in unison. The rough woodblock carvings and sharp, mysterious masks created a creepy ambient. As for the three films, their choppy and ambiguous structure along with eerie sound effects created a sense of uneasiness. Oddly enough, my favorite element of the exhibit was the dirt scattered floor. As I walked through the exhibit, looking at the different pieces and listening to the sounds coming from the films, I was able to hear the sound of the dirt and pebbles as I walked over them. I was able to feel the rough substrate under my feet which, combined with the visual and auditory elements of the exhibit, created the feeling that I was no longer in the CSULB art galleries.

Week 10- Fiber Art Social Network

Before this week’s activity, I had never really though of the idea of a social network in real life. I always associated the term “social network” with the internet and social media. However, after thinking about it, I think that a social network applies to both in physical space, and cyberspace.

Dunbar’s Number definitely makes sense to me. I do not believe that a single individual has both the time and the emotional/ mental capacity to develop deep/ meaningful relationships with hundreds of people. In fact, I prefer keeping a close circle of 20 friends or less at a time.

In my opinion, having 1,000-5,000 friends of facebook does not mean much. I don’t think there is a way to have real friendships with every single friend on facebook.

The social network that we created in class made me think of how easily we connect with so many different people. It made me realize that the classmate conversations have been the most effective way to meet different people that we might have otherwise unwillingly ignored.

I prefer having close relationships with less than 20 people at a time. I think that each relationship requires time, and mutual effort. Therefore, I think I would not be able to keep a close relationship with more that 20 people at a time.

I prefer having “real” friends as opposed to facebook friends. Every significant/ meaningful relationship has began in real life. Therefore, I do not feel a need to have many friends on facebook. However, I do acknowledge that this may not be the case for everyone. I do not think it is impossible to develop meaningful/ strong relationships in cyberspace, I just haven’t experienced it myself.

Week 10- Artist Conversation #7- Tony Nguyen

The Many Tonys

Exhibition: The Many Tonys

Artist: Tony Nguyen

Media: Metal sculpture

Gallery: CSULB, Dr. Maxine Merlino Gallery

Website: eltigresite.wordpress.com

Facebook: facebook.com/RoboticTony

About the Artist:

Artist Tony Nguyen recently graduated from CSULB with a bachelors of Fine Arts in Metal Sculpting. As a freshman, Tony N. was originally in the illustration program, then transferred to the illustration program before discovering his passion for metal sculpting. Metal sculpting suited him well because he enjoys working with his hands. In his spare time, Tony N. enjoys building with legos and reading/writing detective novels. He one day hopes to work in hollywood creating props for movies.

Formal Analysis:

Tony Nguyen’s piece “The Many Tonys” are a series of small, metal sculptures that resemble Tony. The sculptures are roughly about 5-6 inches high and each sculpture has different attire. One of the sculptures however, is different in material. Instead of being metallic and shiny as the rest, it is made of a sheer almost transparent material.

Content Analysis:

The Many Tony’s is about the many different sides/ aspects of Tony’s personality. Each sculpture represents a different side of Tony. The sculptures are dressed differently in order to show the difference between each aspect of his personality. The transparent sculpture that hides in the background is made to represent the side of Tony that he keeps hidden. The transparent sculpture is the side of people that Tony believes no one gets to see. With The Many Tonys, Tony N. attempts to depict the idea that people have different sides to them, however he believes that there will always be a part that no one else gets to see and no one will ever truly understand.

My Experience/ Synthesis

The Many Tonys was my favorite piece because I was able to relate to the idea that each person has many sides to their personality. I have noticed this in myself and in others. I have a certain personality with my parents, and a different one with my friends, another with my professors and a different one with my sister. I find this to be similar to what Tony N. was trying to depict in The Many Tonys. I really liked the piece. I also found the meaning behind the sheer/ transparent statue that hides in the background to be especially interesting and creative.

Week 9- 3D 2- Art Care Package

Art Care Package to my 20 year old friend in Santa Cruz

This week, I sent my art care package to my 20 year old friend in Santa Cruz. I really enjoyed putting together the package. Although it took me a while to look for things to add to it, it was a very lovely experience. As I rummaged around my belongings in search of new additions to the package, I found many things that evoked old high school memories. Everything that I included in this art care package is special and represents a fond memory that I share with this friend.

Sending this care package was similar to a snapchat in the sense that each little object is a small representation of a time/ moment. However, it is also different because of the fact that in the package are physical things. In my opinion, that make a significant difference. To me, having and holding those objects is a lot more intimate and nostalgic. The fact that that object was actually present during  a special time/ event make is more meaningful that a quick snapchat picture that disappears in 10 seconds. Additionally, being able to actually touch and hold these objects added another level of feeling and nostalgia to the act of recalling special memories.

In my opinion, ephemera is precious and valuable. I find that ephemera gains sentimental value over time. I composed this care package with personal and sentiment filled ephemera. While putting it together, I found that my old Disneyland tickets, 3 year-old hand made Christmas tree ornaments, old birthday cards and 4 year old movie tickets have only become more special overtime. The longer the amount of time that passes since I last look at them, the more meaningful they seem when I look though them once more.

Overall, I like the idea of sending a care package better than sending a snapchat picture, however because of the added time and effort required to send a package instead of a snapchat, I think sending someone a snapchat is obviously more convenient and fast. Despite the higher level of convenience and speed, I also think that sending a physical package carries more love and meaning along  with it.