Clark University Studio Topics

2008-06-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

2008-03-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here are the final ideas for the name of the show:

Bicycle Built for Thesis

Rollin' With the Thesis Crew

I'm Ready to Party

Rollin' With Thesis '08

"I Thought of That While Riding My Bike" - Albert Einstein (As Main or Additional Text)

Ridin' Dirty: Thesis '08

Moving On

Cycles of Art

From what people have said it sounds like "Bicycle Built for Thesis" is the most popular idea, followed by Cycles of Art. If people have any other last minute ideas post 'em up! I think we should try to accomplish this whole naming task by Friday so that Lauren has enough time to add it in etc.

Also, when are people free for a Estabrook night and/or Dim Sum?

Show names, take two

2008-03-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

Post some Wish You Were Thesis alternatives.

Ready? Go!

Here's my idea:
Thesis built for thirteen (it's like "bicycle built for two,"... get it?)

To get started, these are the general concepts that we can try to connect:
Art
Bikes
Tandem (and maybe the idea of working together, if that's not too cheesy)
Thesis
Quirkyness

Show themes, take one

2008-02-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

A list of ideas culled from one session together. Please add additional ideas in seperate posts. Comment on these in the comment section. Simple!

-Now. Here. This.
-Stupid Dialogues.
-Wish You Were Thesis (the cards would look like silly vintage post cards with us in ridiculous places)
- Seasons Thesis or Senior Greetings (Tacky Christmas Cards)
- Irresistable Impulse
- The Seven Deadly Theses (where we, alone or in teams, showcase the seven deadly sins. Dibs on gluttony)
- "A Night To Remember" (Prom Themed Thesis announcements)
- Ye Olde Thesis/King Richard's Thesis (Renaissance Fair themed postcards/announcements)
- Paint the Town Thesis
- Fucking Cade (because we were going to do this on facebook, but Cade doesn't have facebook. Also, because it could sound like an insult OR a desire. Hahahahaha. We're awkward).
- I can haz thesis? LOLZ! (Icanhascheezburger.com themed postcards/releases)
- Thesis Bit Me (taken from the "charlie bit me" video, but could be monster, teeth, etc inspired)
-Will Work for Thesis (this is potentially offensive, which is why I like it).

Various other ideas/names included (Just for Fun)....
-40 Photographers (or some other name entirely not related to our show, that says something that the show is not.)
-99 Red Balloons (see above)
- Wiki THIS
-Bicycle Ride Across Georgia
-Order of Christ
-Pope Ron Paul
-Graduphobia
-eXtreme thesis!!
-and something involving taking pictures of all our bodies, with no heads.

Have at it, Senior Thesis!

Bettina Sellman (Lauren's Pick)

2007-12-05T05:39:00.000-08:00

Bettina Sellman’s recent works are watercolor portraits and figures. She uses washes of pure color on canvas to build up the subjects. The appearance of the figures quote the Baroque period of Western Europe, a time when superficiality was become prominent in society. The costume-like appearance of the paintings’ subjects reference the expectations of behavior and lifestyle that are placed on different groups of people because of their social standing.
I was first attracted to her work because of its vibrant colors and precise detail. The facial features and anatomy of the portraits are unbelievably accurate, while the watercolor adds fluidity and motion. It is the contrast of these two qualities that give her work the mask-like quality she is trying to achieve. I feel that Sellman’s stylistic choices cohere very well with her theme, giving an overall strength to this series.

Man Ray

2007-12-04T21:00:00.001-08:00

***for some reason blogger is cutting off my images beyond a certain point and i dont remember my html well enough to resize them. help***

Man Ray (actually Emmanuel Radnitzky) was a modernist artist and had a strong influence on the Dada and Surrealist movements. Originally educated as a painter, Ray is known best for his unconventional (then, VERY unconventional) photography. His transition to photography was an unusual progression, as most artists leave the “more rigid” art of photography in search of the broader range of expression that is thought to be thought of in painting, drawing, sculpture etc. On the contrary, in his own words:

“I began as a painter. In photographing my canvases I discovered the value of reproduction in black and white. The day came when I destroyed the painting and kept the reproduction. From then on I never stopped believing that painting is an obsolete form of expression and that photography will dethrone it when the public is visually educated. I know one thing for sure - I need to experiment one form or another. Photography gives me the means, a simpler and faster means than painting.”

Producing the bulk of his best-known work in the 20s and 30s, man ray’s use of alternative printing techniques was then unheard of. Perhaps most importantly, he managed to pull it off in such an elegant and beautiful way that it caught the public’s eye, and helped propel the Surrealist and Dada movements into the next decade.

I love Man Ray so much. He manages to create painterly, surreal, dreamlike photographs, not unlike one of my other favorite photographers, Jerry Uelsmann. As a fellow painter/photographer, this influences me to blend me interests and allow my work to flow through different mediums.

I would compare Ray’s work as a photographer to Roger Ballen’s photographs, both relying on strong juxtapositions and eerie feelings that something is just not right.

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2007-12-04T21:00:00.000-08:00

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Jan Von Holleben

2007-12-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

Oh how I adore these photos! Jan Von Holleben’s creative Dreams of Flying series are full of childhood innocence and charm. Jan utilizes the influences of his cinematographer and child therapist parents on this project. His work explores the visual representation of childhood and what it really means to be a kid. The background, which is really the floor, is set up so as to present a storyboard aesthetics. The kids are really just lying on their side. Perhaps it is easy to figure it out but it becomes irrelevant how his images are made because the photographs themselves are beautiful and fun. I included this photographer because I have plans of photographing childhood as well and I really miss photography that is fun...

Roger Ballen

2007-12-04T19:47:00.000-08:00

I’m including an artist that I do not understand because how he talks about his work is intriguing. Ballen, who was born in New York but got involved in the mining industry in Johannesburg, South Africa where he found himself documenting the workers. In the mid 90s, he became a photographer of fictions. The series that peaked my interest was Shadow Chamber; it focuses on the interaction between the people, animals, and/or objects in the somewhat apprehensive space. His photographs have been noted as being painterly and sculptural. Which is one of the reasons why I felt a need to understand his work.

Ballen has often related his process of working to mining (he was a mining consultant), an ore car coming and going from a black hole, traveling back and forth from some place called the unconscious mind to some place called the conscious mind. He is often meticulous with the physical set up of the scene but yet gave total freedom of his models. I am including him as one of my artists because his work art baffles me. It seems deeply personal and for me to interpret it, it is like trying to interpret this man’s own memories.

Hughie O'Donoghue

2007-12-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

I've recently come across this artist, Hughie O'donoghue. He works with a variety of media, the pieces shown are Carborundum, an etching, and an oil painting, respectively. I find Hugie's work very similar to mind in the sense that he really plays with the human figure and what he can show to allow a viewer to still recognize it as a figure.

I think that O'Donoghue's work is can be compared with Robb johnson's photography. His work, like Hughie's gives the viewer a glimpse, sometimes even less, of an image, leaving us to ponder what we are looking at.

Walter marton and Paloma Munoz

2007-12-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz depict uneasy scenarios with their photographs of snow globes. My initial impression of Martin and Munoz’s work was that of fancifulness. However, it quickly darkens and I found myself feeling anxious. What I love about the Travelers series is its ability to uproot your sense of place and reality to offer you another possibility. The construction of each globe is so minimal yet each clearly contains a suspenseful story of travelers experiencing a moment of homelessness. It pricks at our fear of loosing the security that a house or home symbolizes. The artist’s decision to show the curved limits of the globes allows the work to acknowledge its own fantastical nature, yet it did not diminish the ambiance and feeling each scenario conjures up in the viewer. I was made fully aware of being a voyeur and at times being helpless. I am attracted to Travelers ability to draw the viewer into its frames and in essence transcend its two dimensionality.

In a way, Martin and Munoz’s work reminds me of Robert and Shana Parkeharrison’s collaboration, specifically images that encapsulate a dreamscape. Personally, I gravitate a little more to Travelers because of its refreshing aesthetics and dark humor.

jenny Saville

2007-12-04T15:22:00.001-08:00

my artist of the week is Jenny Saville. Her painterly style has been compared to that of Lucien Freud and Rubens. Her paintings are usually much larger than life size. They are strongly pigmented and give a highly sensual impression of the surface of the skin as well as the mass of the body. Since her debut in 1992, her focus has remained on the body. Her published sketches and documents include surgical photographs of liposuction, trauma victims, deformity correction, disease states and transgender patients. I really admire the brushwork in her paintings, not to mention the color and the style.

I think Jenny's work is very similar to Shawn Barber's paintings, his tattoo series. I see very similar painterly qualities in some of the brushwork and style in theses paintings.

Miss Van (jenn's pick)

2007-12-04T08:20:00.001-08:00

Miss Van is a graffiti artist from Toulouse, France. I actually found her by accident while I was doing research on teaching graffiti in high schools (for another class). Miss Van started wall-painting in the streets at the age of 18, in the early 1990's, initiating the feminine movement in street art. She is now exhibiting all around the world from NY to LA, in Europe (France, Spain, Italy, UK) as in Asia. She now works on canvas as well, and uses acrylic paint (I like it when people use acrylic paint). Not that money is important, but it's it's interesting when someone goes from street art to $30,000 dollar paintings. I also tried to post these in chronological order so you can see the difference.
I appreciate street art, and people who actually go and do it. I especially appreciate her because I feel like street art is a male dominated field, and she plays off this in her work. She used her dolls as her tag, and placed them on places, or other peoples tags or murals to create a message. Likewise, since this art is secretive, illegal, and underground- someone could come to her work the next night and completely cover it, or change it to alter the meaning.
What I find most interesting is her use of color, and the way she found a way to portray these doll/masklike women in a consistent way, but giving them all individual characteristics and emotion. She also creates a narration using subtle props, or even body position. These works are similar to James Jean in terms of using illustrative technique. Miss Van's new work is also similar to Jean in terms of color palate, and in creating depth.

Cheryl Kelley

2007-12-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

1. Cheryl Kelley was born in the late sixties when the feminist movement in America was starting. Kelley is an oil painter who paints a variety of images, however I am interested in her paintings of muscle cars. Growing up, she was aware that muscles cars were, “the last bastion of young male dominance. These big engine cars, seemingly fueled by raw testosterone, were ironically most definitely feminine in form”. Her paintings show a personal level of understanding of the female body. She uses oil paints to further push the sense of fluidity and sensuality of the muscle cars. In order to produce her works, Kelley take photographs at car shows and then manipulates certain aspects of the images to better suit her needs.

2. Two artists that I think whose work is similar to Kelley’s are Don Eddy and Martha Rosler. Kelley and Eddy are two artists who deal with reflective surfaces. Additionally both artists paint incredibly intricate images that have a lot of dimensionality to them. Rosler reminds me of Kelley because both women manipulate images. Rosler collages while Kelley changes photographs, both artists create new images.

Artist of the Week: Nancy Boyd

2007-12-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

1. For the artist of the week I choose artist Nancy Boyd. Boyd brings her background in illustration and design into her pieces. She is interested in capturing unique views, fascinated with how views from up-close and far away have a striking similarity. Out of all of her series I enjoy her Morphology series the most. Nancy uses acrylic paint on layered plexi in these pieces. Her use of color, line and shapes makes the studies of these living organisms/flora feel dimensional and alive. The pieces look like they belong in an exciting science textbook or a magical garden in a storybook.

2. I think Nancy Boyd’s work is similar to Masha Dyans. Both artists use color, line and shape as essential components in their pieces. Additionally, the works of these artists have somewhat of a whimsical feel to them.

Richard Barnes

2007-12-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

When I was in Italy this summer, I think one of the most interesting experiences was going to La Specola, which is Florence's slightly decrepit natural history museum. The museum is filled with rooms and rooms of glass display cases with dusty old taxidermied animals. For the most part, little or no context is provided for the display of the animals, they are simply lined up next to each other on shelves. The whole thing was interesting on a few levels. One thought I had was about how much museum design has changed over the years, and how we now expect to find context for our exhibits. But even when context is provided, the museum is at its core a somewhat false experience. Exhibits may make the pretense at being inclusive or objective, but really, they have been filtered and constructed to a high degree.

Which brings us to the photographer I'm posting about here. With his Animal Logic series, Richard Barnes highlights these falsities through showing museum exhibits in a state of construction. His work also brings up issues of preservation and restoration. On a larger scale, I think that Animal Logic can be taken as a comment on the construction of our perception of reality.

And Alec Soth thinks he's pretty cool too.

A while ago, Monica posted on another artist working with taxidermy, Maurizio Catttelan. I think that there are also stylistic connections between Richard Barnes and the last two artists I posted about.

Brian Demetter

2007-12-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

Brian Demetter creates his pieces by selectively cutting through the pages of old books to reveal images and text. To me, his work brings up questions of intentionality. It's obviously highly planned out, to an extent that makes me wonder how he managed to get it all to work together as well as it does, since he doesn't rearrange any of the pages. Yet the final effect is generated by the book itself, based on how the images all come together.

Plus, I really like old encyclopedia imagery and book arts. Lots more images here.

Also, he made this awesome ram's skull out of old melted cassettes:

Something about the quality of his work reminds me of Kara Walker, although her content is completely different. Still, she draws from the style of old illustrations, which is what Demetter is working with.

William Gedney (Cade)

2007-12-03T12:06:00.001-08:00

William Gedney was not a night photographer. He was an "immersion photographer", traveling to places he had never been, throwing himself into the culture, and absorbing a documenting it. However, he drove across the U.S. a few times and a had an interest in photographing street scenes at night. What interests me the most about Gedney is the fact that his images could have been shot in Worcester. He is relatively unknown; he photographed in the 60's and 70's and only gained posthumous recognition in the late 90's. His night photos are sort of a forgotten series, ignored in the face of his other work--and that's exactly what the subject matter is too. Scenes that you wouldn't look twice at because they are so commonplace, but scenes that you must look at carefully in order to see the depth and the genius. He manages to show the desolation, but also to inject a hint of presence and a bit of familiarity into them.

James Jean (Mike S)

2007-12-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

Jump, Recess Series

Wave, Recess Series

Crowdsourcing, illustration for WIRED

pages from a sketchbook

James Jean moved to New Jersey from Taiwan with his family when he was 3. Like most of my previous picks, he is strongly influenced by graphics and illustrations. In an interview Jean recalls that he used to help his dad with the paper route to earn money for comics, and when he was old enough, he moved to New York and immediately began illustrating covers for DC and Vertigo comics.

Since that point, judging by his website, it seems he has enjoyed nothing but success. Sections of his site feature some incredible and unconventional comic book covers, as well as commercial illustration work for such firms as Burton, Men’s Health, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Spin, ESPN, Nike, Playboy, Target, Time, Wired, etc., etc., etc.

Damn.

When I saw the list I figured that each illustration would conform to some popularist aesthetic given each demographic, yet his illustrations themselves comprise a cohesive body of work that draws on painting, with a unifying style. It’s the kind of work I would imagine going to see at a gallery and loving; the illustrations actually stand along.

He also has some pages from his sketchbook on display that I found really impressive. He tends to really develop his sketches with watercolor and other color media, which inspires me to take my sketchbook somewhat more seriously. There is also an absurd aesthetic way that Jean has of seeing the world. That comes out in the sketchbooks

His current project is called “process recess” and it “is about childhood & ghosts. It is a series of pictures depicting the suburban milieu.” The series depicts children in familiar school-like settings, drawing on painting and digital arts. Each sccene is injected with a healthy amount of morbidity that makes the images difficult to read and interpret.

I also really like Jean’s color palette. He tends to use a lot of muted complimentary colors: pinks, light blues, etc. This makes the rare saturated color really stand out.

I would group Jean’s work together with Nicholas Di Genova’s, stylistically in this graphical, illustrational, character-based camp. I would also make a connection to Maurizio Cattelan in that both artists are drawing on a somewhat absurdist style to achieve humorous, yet simultaneously obscene/threatening results.

Kara Walker (Nicole's Pick)

2007-11-15T12:50:00.001-08:00

My artist of the week is Kara Walker. Greg showed us her work in class and I found it really interesting. Born in California, she moved to Georgia in her early teens. She was apprehensive about the movie to the south due to fears of racial issues. Her work deals primarily with gender and race issues of African American women during “Antebellum South”, creating an almost alternate world and nightmare effect. Her techniques range from painting to drawing. She is more widely known for her signature black paper silhouette installations. I respond to her work because she is dealing with an issue that she originally feared when moving to the south. She confronts her fears through her work and uses it as a type of therapy, much like I am attempting to do with my fear of dolls. Kara Walker relates to Nicholas Di Genova in that they both combine images, whether they be animal or human, to create new and often exaggerated forms.

Wolfgang Tillmans

2007-11-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

My artist of the weeks this week is Wolfgang Tillmans. His work appeals to me because of his documentary style and his use of color...He shoots mostly his friends, who he considers not only models but his collaborators. I really enjoy taking pictures of my friends as a way to document my own experience of life and I think Tillmans does a great job of portraying his life through his photographs. I also really enjoy the fact that Tillmans works with color film, I feel that it's pretty obvious in his work that the images aren't digital, and there's a kind of preciousness in the idea of using film, as it seems to be becoming increasingly obsolete. The colors to me are obviously the kind of colors you get from film. The colors are also subjective without being completely over the top...I think Tillmans does a great job of controlling and altering the color of his images, without making them look overdone.

Tillmans work could be compared Justin Sunhueza Campoy's work, as both artists draw inspiration from everyday objects and experiences. A large component of both artist's bodies of work is a subjective use of color, which is mostly realistic, but is still used as a vehicle for expression.

Justin Sanhueza Campoy (Jenn's pick)

2007-11-04T05:34:00.000-08:00

How Do You Kill Yourself in an
Electric Oven, Oil on Canvas, 2005 68"x58"

I love this guy. I found him when on some painting contest book/website, and looked him up. I'm glad that he actually had a website because all weekend I've been seeing/meeting people I would like to look up and I can't find anyone.
Anyway, his website was really interesting because he talks about his work, on video. Even though the video is kind of awkward looking, and long, I learned lots of good things.
He says he doesn't bother trying to load his work with meaning, because that back tracks the work, making it less interesting and meaningful. He says that he just does paintings that were originally sketches in his sketchbook. He doesn't try to make them things that they're not. This is interesting to me because I like painting things in in my sketchbook, but have felt a lot of pressure to try to make them link together so that people in class won't ask the horrible question "uh, how does this relate to what you did last week?" He works in kind of Equisite Corpse style- his work relates because he's been drawing it, and thinking it. That's the only way it all relates, yet he has a coherent body of work.
It's good to know that there doesn't really have to be an ultra deep thesis behind everything you're doing. Sometimes you like a picture, so you paint it. After you do this so many times you might find an overall thesis. This also relates to something I learned in my education class- that you write the introduction after you finish the paper, making the paper less limiting. In some of the video, he emphasizes that it's important to make lots of work, and some paintings will be good, and some will be bad, but it's OK as long as you keep going.
Anyway, I like the self portrait "I want to go home, I want sex, I want a new job, I want a pizza" because he really relates to what I'm thinking about 80% of the time. I'm guessing this relates to what other people are thinking a majority of the time too.
Like other artists people have shown, Monica's, and Nicole's picks... there is a lot of humor, but still a "deep" element. "How to Kill Yourself in an Electric Oven" is funny at first glance, but it's just a more literal meaning for "yeah those legs are sexy but they are going to make you miserable or kill you."

I Want to Go Home, I Want a New Job, I Want Sex, I Want a Pizza, 2006, 36"x48"

Nicholas Di Genova

2007-11-01T16:45:00.001-07:00

I've been feeling slightly burnt out on art theory recently, so I decided to post about an artist who works in a more illustration-informed mode. I've been thinking about working in non-paint media recently. It's somewhat refreshing to me when I feel that I can enjoy art without needing to set it in a larger art historical context, look for referents, etc, etc. Maybe other people people don't get overwhelmed by a need to find meaning in work this way, but sometimes I do. And what can I say, I've always been a sucker for good line quality. (More hi-res images here)

Nicholas Di Genova, also known as "Medium" is an artist from Toronto. He creates hybrid animals designs, often combining the features of two very different animals to create a strange new creature. The fact that he's coming from a street art background is pretty easy to see in the way his works are primarily character design. In terms of content, I enjoy the way his work references zoology and evolution.

Artists' blogs are always fun to look at: http://skeletonhug.blogspot.com/. There are plenty more images here, including ones from a recent show he had in Toronto.

Jill Greenberg (Nicole's Pick)

2007-11-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

Jill Greenberg is commercial photographer who is probably most well known for her “monkey series”. She stirred up controversy in 2006 when she shot portraits of children’s faces “contorted by various emotional distresses”. She would cause the “emotional distress” by offering the child a piece of candy and then suddenly taking it away. The titles of the pieces “reflect Greenberg’s frustration with both the Bush administration and Christian Fundamentalism in the United States”. I like her work because she is able to capture the vulnerability of a child and also a great deal of emotion within a few seconds. Greenberg could relate to Monica’s pick of the week Maurizio Cattelan. Although Greenberg’s images aren’t necessarily meant to be humorous, she is pushing society to its limits, making people laugh and also get angry about her photos all at the same time. I also liked Whitney’s artist of the week Robb Johnson and his focus on the physicality of photography by layer images. As opposed to focusing on just the “image” he is pushing it further.

Thomas Kinkaide (Michael's Pick)

2007-10-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

I've been making jokes about using Thomas Kinkaide (The Painter of Light, tm) seriously for a few weeks now. The more I make them, the more I realize that half the time we makes jokes in life, its because we want to gauge other's responses.

So why not consider Thomas Kinkaide seriously? He's the best selling artist of our time. Formally and aesthetically, his artwork is beautiful and pleasant. Ask any grandmother. Can beauty be its own reward, or is that a bygone of the era of art as image?

My interest in Thomas Kinkaide comes mainly from the fact that he makes no bones about marketing his artwork in ridiculous ways. Go to Barnes and Noble, for example. You can get the Thomas Kinkaide 2008 Engagement Calendar, Thank You cards, and he even has a series of novels that he "co-wrote" in the Religious Fiction section. While we may consider the pandering of his aesthetic to a targeted niche (the tasteless), he really is playing the market in a rather saavy way. Has he compromised his ideals? Does he share OUR ideals as artists? Does he derive joy from his painting, from making marks on the printed canvases he sells at his mall "gallerys"? Don't artists historically panderer to the rich and clueless?

Living in this post mechanical reproduction, post image world, an artist like Kinkaide (whether knowingly or not) is demonstrating a lot of very important issues in the art world and asking a lot about the role of the artist and the modes of representation. Obviously though, his lack of importance in the art world comes from the fact that he contributes nothing to our culture. Its all more of the same, and it looks tacky on my walls, even though the print was cheap at the Christmas Tree Shop.

But I cant help but be a little envious. He is doing something he loves, has reconciled the fact that he's pandering to bad sensibilities (check out his website. He's doing paintings for Disney of Cinderella's Castle!!!), and is making a mint off it. I can fault him all I want, but he's still rich as hell. Artistic integrity or Grandma's Money?

You decide.

Andrew Emond (Cade's Post)

2007-10-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

Andrew Emond is a photographer from Canada who maintains a blog detailing his photographic finds while exploring urban and industrial desolation. He has everything from the interiors of the offices of abandoned mines to empty sewer channels deep under the ground. It seems that his wanderings are endless and varied, and he is mainly interested in the lack of human presence but also the human footprint, which is something that draws me to urban night photography as well. His photographs are interesting to think about in the context of modern society, for many of them deal with things like asbestos mines. He explores so thoroughly that in many of his photographs he provides some of the history he has discovered about a place. For instance, sometimes there will be photos of binders on empty desks, and they will only say "1995" on them. I find his work very interesting because his photos speak to his awareness of his own presence in a location (he occasionally puts himself in the shot also), and also his interest in the fact that in some of these places, the people just got up and left one day and never came back.

dion archibald (jenn's pick)

2007-10-25T20:52:00.002-07:00

t: traffic d: 2002 m: oil on board s: 60x90cm $: private collection

Dion Archibald is a young painter from Australia. His main focus is experimenting with materials and technique in order to portray his subject matter. He works in both figurative painting and Urban landscapes. This relates to my work because one of my favorite things to paint is urban landscapes. I like the way he uses thin layers of paint and overlaps them. I also like the way he has no outlines for some of his layers, like the mountains, and then has thick black lines going across the canvas in order to create depth in the picture. His color palette is also similar to mine for both the urban landscape, and the portrait. I appreciate shades of gray, and sometimes using a bold color in order to create contrast.
His expressionist way of painting, and creating his figures with a certain mood is similar to Peter's pick, Connor Harrington. Although Archibald's is more painterly, they both use layers in order to portray the form.

Robb Johnson (Whitney's Post)

2007-10-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

My artist of the week is Robb Johnson. I chose him because his work is somewhat related to mine in that his images expose the physicality of photography by making the grain very apparent, but he isn't currently working in digital, so I don't know to what extent the images are manipulated. He also works with shadows and other ways of creating layers in his images, something I've been working towards myself.

Robb Johnson's photos compliment Marcus Harvey's paintings nicely. Both artists' images expose the materiality of their chosen medium and both work with abstracted, layered images.

Connor Harrington (peter's pick)

2007-10-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

'According to Conor himself, central to his oil canvasses is "the male figure, referring to the masculinity of urban culture". The men in Conor's paintings allude to the not necessarily heroic, but stoic and pensive male of the modernist painters; however the pieces are plastered with post-modern graffito flourishes in a pertinent clash of styles - "I'm interested in the dynamics between opposing elements" says the artist. Both the male figures and abstract elements of the work are unarguably contemporary, the emotions they transmit are timeless, if currently under-rated - dignity, courage and a quiet sense of duty to oneself and those around us.'
I see harrington's work as very similar to mine, in the sense of dealing with the human figure while maintaining a sense of an abstract element.

I really like Stephen Gill's photos (Whitney's pick). I think they have a painterly quality to them, with the colors especially. I think the top photo also contains some abstract elements in it.

Marina Bychkova (Nicole's Pick)

2007-10-24T19:46:00.001-07:00

Marina Bychkova is a Russian born artist now living and working in Canada. She focuses primarily on doll making but also dabbles in painting and intaglio prints. She began creating her dolls when she was six years old and is intrigued by the idea of escapism that they create. She creates narratives of fairy tales and states that, “What intrigues me about a fairy tale is the implicit and often explicit violence that lies just beneath the surface of the magic”.

I am drawn to her work because she is able to portray a great deal of narrative through her dolls and the images of her dolls. She is also interested in the idea of what goes on beneath just the surface and pushing her work to convey those ideas.

I suppose Bychkova could be compared to Yann Arthus-Bertrand in that the both use the idea of delicacy and softness when creating art. They are both concerned with letting the images speak for themselves as opposed to trying to send a literal message.

I really like the Marc Abrahms post. After looking through some of his images, I have found that I like his "People" series. They show and immense amount of character and expression.

Marcus Harvey (Mike Seidman's pick)

2007-10-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

My pick this week is Marcus Harvey who Greg introduced me to a few days ago via the email tubes. In this series he’s doing, he layers an abstract ground with very hard-edged graphic/illustrative images (mostly pornographic). He uses a the full spectrum of colors and a combination of random and clearly premeditated directionality in the brushwork, which is at points related to, but not perfectly aligned with the content that is outlined on top. They eye darts around the square compositions and tries to relate it to the outlined subject. I find myself allowing the coloration to act as shading and depth and form, yet it is dynamic and upon close inspection, this effect breaks down. The viewer is free to jump in and out of seeing a complete and incomplete image. I really like this series and it inspires me to continue struggling with my project/s, and to find an uncontrived elegant way of dealing with all this in one decisive… thing. It also inspires me to broaden my scope to a wealth of diverse techniques and colors and styles that can all create the same effect. I need to use more color and go back to oil. Also, obscene is always a plus. Yes always.

Now for the artificial business of connecting some aspect of this work to some aspect of another posted work. You could really choose any two at random and draw some connection. I suppose it’s a good exercise in building an eagerness to make connections in the art world. I will connect Marcus Harvey to Morton Bartlett (Nicole’s pick). Both artists straddle the impression of realism and familiarity. Bartlett deals with family and tries to concoct realistic family photos with dolls, while Harvey evokes this tremendous institution of pornography and so they both deal with a whole genre of something that we have expectations for. Yet they both tweak the presentation in a way that it becomes something new. Something familiar and unfamiliar by the same token.

I like Andy Goldsworthy (Michael’s pick). A lot. I love the act of creating something that appears artificial from that which is exclusively “natural.” I love the act of creating something that looks natural that, upon closer inspection, cannot possibly be naturally occurring. I like the transience of his sculptures and the fact that they rapidly deteriorate. Yet he photographs them, so we know that he is not simply at peace with allowing his works to dissapear. He documents them and stores them and guards them. Goldsworthy’s less-than-Zen personality is a remarkable compliment to his reeking-of-Zen productions. That makes his whole career even more interesting.

Marc Abrahms

2007-10-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

I discovered photographer Marc Abrahms after my family received his book Watercolors from him. Recently, I have been looking at his other series of prints online. There is no underlying meaning or message in his photographs. Instead, I believe that Abrahms tries to capture images that are aesthetically pleasing. I think that he is very successful at documenting beautiful moments around the world. I am intrigued by his work because of the vivid colors that he catches in his photographs. His series on vegetables and fruit is one of my favorites because of the intense colors found in the food and his ability to illustrate the texture of the vegetables. Additionally I am interested in his grappa bottle photographs because reflections of the surrounding area are found on the bottles.

Abrahms work relates the most to Andy Goldsworthy piece since both artists focus on capturing impermanent objects. For example, in Abrahms’ shot at the market place, the fruits will go bad, change color or get purchased just like leaves piece from Goldsworthy’s will change with time and weather. Both artists use strong colors in the works.

I also liked Phil Borges work. The concept that he is documenting in his photographs is extremely interesting and thought provoking. By placing the people of one generation next to their younger counterpart it helps communicate the lack of disconnect with one cultures that occurs over time in this era of globalization.

Phil Borges (Michael's Pick)

2007-10-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

My pick for this week is Phil Borges. Borges is a photographer who deals with the rapidly diminishing number of native tongues and populations in a world that is rapidly globalizing. The work pictured here shows two sides of his work and two sides of the world. He is just as concerned with the aging remnants of a culture as he is with the children growing up, not knowing the language or culture. His work is tied to the Bridges Project, which aims to preserve the rapidly dissolving cultures in our world. Specifically, he is photographing peoples with animist religions tied to the natural world.

The images themselves are desaturated digital photographs showing indigenous peoples in their God given land and in their current complex social surroundings. Figures are meant to "pop" out from the background, and with a striking result. The descriptions of his work are often compassionate narratives on the plight of the individuals in each image. They are not about the image as image. They are the image as reactant. As mover and shaker.

What I like most about his work is that 1) his interest is more sincere than Edward Curtis and 2) that his artwork is tied to a social theme and organization. In the past few weeks, I've been thinking hard about the roll of the artist in the world after the death of the image. Creating images that tie into and further social action and social betterment could be one of the roles of the artist in this age.

Discuss.

Amy Cutler

2007-10-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

Army of Me, 2003

Passage, 2005

Amy Cutler is an artist who works primarily in gouache. She paints images of women in odd, surreal situations. Although they are paintings, and on a large scale, her work has an illustration aesthetic, especially due to her linear style. The paintings are interesting because although they are easily readable for content, they are less easy to read for meaning. It's easy to see that she's painting several women riding on an elephant, but less easy to tell what she intends to say. Rather than a direct message behind her works, they seem to lave looser ties in the idea of whimsy and narrative.

Cutler's work appeals to me because of the crisp feel that her style conveys, and her use of white negative space. Somehow she manages to create a sense of there being more going on in the space than we can see, although it doesn't feel that there is an obstruction or something missing in our view.

I think that her work most relates to Masha D'Yans, because of the illustration aspect.

Stephen Gill (Whitney's Pick)

2007-10-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

This week I chose the photographer Stephen Gill. I originally chose him because of his series "Buried," (second image) which is a collection of images he shot, buried, and dug up. I find this concept very interesting because it introduces the element of time and a sense of unpredictability, of letting go of the finished product. Gill's other work is also very appealing - I enjoy his very straightforward documentary style and the color in his work, because it has an older, almost vintage feel.

Gill's series "Hackney Flowers" (first image) reminds of Andy Goldsworthy's work, because Gill used actual natural objects in addition to photographing them. While Goldsworthy uses natural objects as the building blocks of his work, Gill's use of natural objects is somewhat more literal - the flowers and plants he uses represent themselves in the images, while Goldsworthy uses the objects to build pieces that may not be directly related to the individual objects.

Morton Bartlett (Nicole's Pick)

2007-10-11T09:34:00.001-07:00

Morton Bartlett is a photographer originally born in Chicago and then adopted by a family in Boston. He was enchanted with the idea of creating a family and thus created his own. He constructed and created small anatomically correct children out of plaster and then dressed them in handmade clothes and handmade wigs. He would posed the children in a setting and photograph them, sometimes clothed and sometimes naked. He would photograph them in primarily black and white. Morton Bartlett interests me because he created this whole family for himself. He builds such intricate dolls and creates photographs that make you do a double take, wondering if the dolls are really small children or not.

Morton Bartlett relates to Shawn Barber’s Doll series. Barber tries to create a sense of realism as does Bartlett. Barber also focuses a lot on the detail of each doll which Bartlett captures in his photo.

I also liked Whitney’s pick, of Mandy Lamb. The images are soft and delicate and the Polaroid camera adds a sort of whimsical feel.

Oriol Nicolas- Lauren's Pick

2007-10-11T05:24:00.000-07:00

Oriol Nicolas is an illustrator from Barcelona. A lot of the work in his portfolio combines text and image (however i find the ones without text to be better). In, "Dad" (acrylic on canvas) it is Nicolas's attention to subtle detail that makes it successful. The wind blown side of the man's jacket is the only real suggestion of movement. In contrast with the watery, loose brushstrokes in the background and his careful use of shadow, the styalized figure becomes lifelike.

What impresses me most about "the red ones" is the consistant accurracy of the subjects' anatomy. Even though the two men are being shown at an awkward perspective and have no background to orient the viewer, their figures appear in perfect proportion. Using white line to make shadows on orange clothing, their stances are both clearly pronounced. Nicolas uses only 3 colors of acrylic paint per piece. In this case, simplicity and understanding of design principles create the most effective work.

Fulvio Bortolozzo (Cade's Post)

2007-10-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

16 agosto 2005/2

20 marzo 2005/3

Fulvio Bortolozzo's series "Olimpia" is a nocturnal documentation of Turin, Italy, and some of the preparations there for the 2006 Winter Olympics. According to his website, this series is also part of a larger, broader series. These night photos are interesting because they show a city in the midst of a large transformation and the physical preparations for a huge international event, but since it is night, the equipment is deserted and there is little evidence of human presence. Bortolozzo does not use low-key lighting by any means, giving the landscape a sort of bizarre radiance regardless of its emptiness. The other photos in the series show a place that is lit as if it was meant for human presence and activity throughout the entire night but that stands deserted and still. I like this series because there is an obvious consistency between the photos without too much repetition. While every photo is at night in the same city, Bortolozzo shows construction sites, apartment buildings, both empty streets and streets with car lights streaking by, and interesting angles on the spaces he sees. One thing about night photography is that the camera almost always sees night extremely differently than the eye; Bortolozzo's photos are good evidence for this.

"Just Britney" art show (Jenn)

2007-10-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

JAMIE BOLING Snake Charmer oil on canvas

This is an art show that includes many different artists portraying Britney Spears, and is going on in Hollywood right now. My friend knew that I've been focusing on Hollywood girls for my project, and she sent this to me. The first work I'm posting is a great croch-shot of Britney, in the car with Paris Hilton. The second work is many Chris Crocker ("LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE" - look it up on youtube if you haven't seen it) images put together to create an image of Britney's face.
I found this show helpful because I was thinking about different media I could use in addition to painting. The artistic techniques in this show are very diverse, and they also show Britney from many points of view. Some of the works aren't necessarily negative, but more a critical view.
I feel like I might have cheated by picking an entire show, but I couldn't pick just one of these artists for my artist of the week.
The show has a myspace: http://www.myspace.com/just_britneyartshow
I think these can relate to the portraits that Shawn Barber did, especially the Jamie Boling work demonstrates realism, and expression in the work.

Andy Goldsworthy (Michael's Pick)

2007-09-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

When I think about the role of the artist in after the "death of art as image" world, I can't help but think of Andy Goldsworthy. If you went to an exhibit of his work, you would not be seeing his artwork. You would see photographs of his work. Andy Goldsworthy's art is in the constructed objects that are left in nature. Photography becomes a tool by which he shares his artwork. It is about documenting the sculptures he creates in the natural world. The picture above is of a collage of leaves made on site. When he is done with the work, he leaves them where they were made. Sometimes they float down a river, sometimes they blow away, and sometimes they melt. Art for him is not about something that you hang in a museum when you're done. It is an action and an intent. The record of his artwork is what we have.

To me, this connects most closely with Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Rachel's pick. Both are recording the patterns and imagery that are available in the natural world. They are finding design and art in what is already available. This is a stretch though, because the intent and end products are so wildly different (constructed v. found, 'sculpture' v. photography, record of art v. recognition of art in the natural world).

Shawn Barber (Mike's Pick)

2007-09-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

Shawn Barber is a painter who I discovered in a book called I am 8-bit. The book was a collection of art inspired by the video games of the late 80s and early 90s, and featured a painting of his depicting a terrified up-close face with space-invaders aliens reflected in the eyes. His painting and those of others in the book were a large part of the reason I started painting 8-bit art which became a 2 year project and led me to the ideas I am working with now, about perception and art.

Though I unfortunately wasn’t able to find the original image that inspired me, I have been browsing his more recent work, which i find to also resonate with me. He has been doing a series of portraits based on tattoos, which have long been a fascination of mine, and another series of dolls.

Tattoo series

Doll series

I enjoy the painterly realism that Barber creates. He is able to give us all the information we need in his portraits to form a detailed image of the subject, yet his style remains loose and fluid. I value this balance of realism and loosenes in painting and strive to achieve it in my own work.

Barber’s work reminds me Antony Micallef’s paintings also (Peter’s pick). The doubletracking between loose brushwork and realism at a distance is admirable in both cases, and what drew me to painting enlargements of video game characters. How can something be at once as realistic as our experiences and yet completely abstract?

FINALLY, I really liked Michael’s post about Robert Parkeharrison. I totally love surrealism in photography.

Jim Baker (Lauren's Pick)

2007-09-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

After working in the corporate world for over 30 years, Jim baker retired and began to devote a great deal of time to his photography. He uses a method he calls photographic designs, where he uses the computer to take his original photographs and distort them to a point of being almost unrecognizable from their original form. He considers his pieces to be modern abstract, and uses the color, texture and shape of the original object to come to the final form.

I was interested in his use of form and color, and method of creating these pieces. I like "Candy Lady" and the "Boston lights series" because of the patterns and movement that they form. Especially in Candy Lady, I think that the diagonal stripes and the curves of the woman's body create a unique effect, and his precision gives his work a very clean look. I thought that he did a good job of putting his own style and creative spin on this technique, and it was interesting to see his interepretations of the objects that are represented.

Mandy Lamb (Whitney's Post)

2007-09-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

For my artist of the week this week I chose Mandy Lamb. Mandy shoots self-portraits in nature with a Polaroid camera and expired film. The expired film lends a dreamlike quality to Mandy's work, which I find very appealing, but what I find most interesting about her work is that she really if ever exposes her whole face to the camera; in every image some part of her face is obscured by some part of the environment she is in. In describing this work she says that perhaps she takes this photos for vanity's sake ("nature makes her prettier") or as a way of "trouncing the pollen" that kept her indoors as a child, but I'm curious as to why she obscures some part of herself in her images, and this question brings me back to her photos again and again.

Mandy's work has some similarities to Antony Micallef's work - they both incorporated nature into their work and have an expressionistic feel to their images. Micallef's images of flowers also have a hazy look and surreal colors similar to Mandy's Polaroids.

Antony Micallef (Peter's Post)

2007-09-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Antony Micallef used to be a strict portrait painter but then moved towards incorporating contemporary expressionism. It was the expression in his art that attracted me as well as his subject matter. He deals mostly with pop imagery and consumerism. I like the unfinished quality of his work and the style of painting. The splatters, smudging, and loose brushwork really helps to create a lot of movement and emotion in the work; something I am attempting to portray in my own work.

http://www.antonymicallef.com/gallery.php

I think Micallef's work can be compared with some of David Perry's work. They both have an expressionistic style of painting in their loose brushwork and unfinished qualities.

Laurie Simmons (Nicole's Post)

2007-09-27T10:54:00.001-07:00

1. Laurie Simmons is a photographer who began photographing portraits but then moved to toys. She has worked in color but primarily works with black and white photographs. Simmons especially likes to photograph dolls in attempts to blur the line of what we the viewers perceive as being actual humans or just dolls. In her later works, she started using cowboys, ballerinas and other objects as well as ventriloquist dummies.

I am intrigued by her work due to the fact that my project is similar in idea to hers. I love the idea of dolls crossing the line between inanimate objects to life like creatures. I believe in her dolls floating in water series she was especially successful at making them appear to be real humans.

2. Laurie Simmons can somewhat relate to Erin Cone’s work. She is creating portraits yet “the figures remain tantalizing and unspecific”. I believe that we feel this same sensation with Simmons images. We are drawn to them because we are intrigued by the idea of dolls being human although they really are not. Also, both use lighting to create this intrigue and mood that we experience.

3. I really like Robert Parkeharrison (Michael’s Post). I find the process to be very interesting, paper negatives that are repeatedly exposed. The theme of the “everyman” is portrayed beautifully in the final pieces and let our minds wander as to how we interpret it.

Don Eddy (Rachel's pick)

2007-09-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

1. While looking at other photo-realists online, I discovered Don Eddy. I am impressed with Eddy’s ability to accurately depict extremely complicated images. The images really do look like actual photographs. I am interested in his images because I want to focus on reflective surfaces this semester. After viewing his work I am interested in focusing glasswork later on in the semester. I was surprised to discover that, “Don Eddy's painting style and technique is unlike any other. A photo-realist, he works on paper with acrylic on canvas as well as in colored pencil. He first paints the entire canvas green, then brown, and then purple”. I am curious to try this technique sometime during the semester.

http://www.askart.com/AskART/E/don_eddy/don_eddy.aspx?searchtype=SUMMARY&artist=8264

2. I think that Lauren E. Simonutti’s photographs are similar to Don Eddy’s paintings. Both artists rely on the highlights and shadows to assist the viewer in appreciating and seeing their art. However, clearly the artist's objectives are different.

Lauren E. Simonutti (Jesaca's Post)

2007-09-20T23:15:00.000-07:00

“Still”, by Lauren E. Simonutti unnerved me and understandably because her work is intensely introspective. Her narrative is about the devastation of insanity. “Madness strips things down to their core. It takes everything, and in exchange offers more madness, and the occasional ability to see things that are not there. I am aware enough to know the things I see and hear are not real, but that does not mean I do not still see them.” I don’t think her work relates to mine directly but I am fascinated by the different possible sources of inspiration. For her, there is no choice, if she does not photograph, she cannot tell what is reality and what is fabrication. She creates her own realities in her photographs that reflect internal madness. Because most of her photographs are highly manipulated in the darkroom, this seems fitting. Similarly, “Mourning Cloak” by Robert and Shana Parkeharrison and “Still” are tangible and terribly believable even if they are “created” images.

Robert Parkeharrison (Michael's Post)

2007-09-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

I was introduced to the art of Robert Parkeharrison by Stephen Dirado last year, and have been transfixed ever since. Parkeharrison works with his wife, Shaina. The work is photographic, but the process by which the art is made builds images in more than a shoot and develop way. Rather, they build images using paper negatives and repeated exposing into a photographic collage.

The subject matter of much of their work is Robert Parkeharrison performing as the "everyman" in an environment scarred by overuse. In "Cloud Cleaner" (seen above) you're asked to look at him as the steward of his environment, however in his other work it is less clear about the role of the everyman. Are we steward, participant, aggressor?

I've chosen him because his work directly connects to my own in thematic choice. I discovered him when I was struggling with photography and the point-shoot-develop process. In terms of this blog, his work most closely relates to Martha Rosler in being a photocollage dealing with the world as it is/the progression of the world as it will be, but I'm more interested in drawing a connection with Tara Donovan. He is recognizing his media/ what it can do or cant do, and pushing the limit of it in different, innovative directions.

Sorry this is late!!! Oh well, you'll still love me tomorrow.

David Perry (Lauren's pick)

2007-09-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

An artist whose work interests me is David Perry. Perry's works which i can appreciate most are his oil paintings. His goal is to elicit the expression and mood of his subjects using strong lines and bright colors. The abstract quality in many of his paintings are important in helping to show the expression of his work, allowing the viewer to make their own ideas of what exactly is being shown. Images of Perry's work can be seen at http://jamesfuentes.com/artists_pages/artists_perry_frameset.html

Kip Fulbeck (Nicole's pick)

2007-09-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

1. Kip Fulbeck has been working on what he calls “The Hapa Project”. Hapa is the Hawaiian word for half and was once used as a term that belittled people who were of Asian and Pacific Island culture mixed usually with Caucasian. Over the past few years the term has become less of an offensive slang term and those who are hapa have embraced it as their own. Through his project, Fulbeck explores the idea of growing up in a world in which globalization is happening a rapid pace. He finds people who are hapas and photographs them. He also asks them write down their answer to the question of “What are you?”. He then places their answers under their photographs. He has published the book Part Asian, 100% Hapa and is also currently exhibiting his work across the country.

Fulbeck's work appeals to me in that the project that I am working on is about self identity. Being a hapa myself, it is hard to always know where you fit in with today's society. His art work presents the idea that hapas are actually their own culture, mixing their own traditions to create new ones.

http://www.seaweedproductions.com/hapa/

2. After looking through all of the artists posted I suppose that Fulbeck's work is kind of like Martha Rosler's work in that it deals with issues of today. We live in a world where many are obsessed with what others think. Fulbeck explores the race side while Rosler looks at the personal image side.

Erin Cone (Peter's pick)

2007-09-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

Through a random search while I was doing research for my own work, I came across Erin Cone. She is an painter that predominantly deals with of portraits. She uses strong solid lines and a lot of rich color against solid backgrounds. One critic says, "Though she mostly paints self-portraits or portraits of people close to her-- the figures remain tantalizingly unspecific...her paintings are endless yet enigmatic mirrors of the human condition." I especially like her monochrome work, such as "smoker" made in 2001. I really like her use of dramatic lighting.

http://www.erincone.com/2001.php

Yann Arthus-Bertrand (Rachel's pick)

2007-09-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

1). Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a french photographer, whose work I saw in Chicago one summer. In his series Earth from Above, he traveled all over the world in a helicopter and air balloon taking aerial photographs. I like how this view causes us to re-evaluate our surroundings, and see the world in a different light. These photos show beautiful patterns and colors, illustrating the beauty of the world. The message conveyed through the photographs is that the earth is an amazing but delicate place, so it is up to us to keep the beauty alive. Also while looking at his website, I discovered his animals series. I like how he shows the relationship between animal and owner.

http://www.yannarthusbertrand.com/index_new.htm

2). Like Masha's work, Yann Arthus- Bertrand uses bright colors and patterns to get the beauty of his work across. However, Masha uses negative space to make her work more successful while, Arthus-Bertrand uses the whole paper for his prints.

Blu (Mike S's pick)

2007-09-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

1. Blu is a street artist/graffitist/muralist and colleague of another street artist who came to speak with my contemporary art history class last term.

http://www.blublu.org/

Blu focuses on creating murals in public spaces. His work is characteristic of graffiti art in many ways, mainly in that it exploits public property in a transformative and cultural sense. But while mainstream graffiti culture is focused on territorialism, by way of tags for example, Blu chooses to focus on imagery and the transformation of space.

Blu and others in his vein would describe themselves as a “street artists” not “graffiti artists.” The implications of this distinction fascinate me. Under this term, they are artists in the same sense as a painter, photographer or sculptor is an artist. They have the same concerns as mainstream artists might, towards content, authorship, aesthetic beauty and so on, but instead of the canvass, gallery or museum, the vehicle is a public space and permission to alter it is necessarily left unattained. The street artist is concerned with transforming the meaning of a space and the way people see and use it. Any art, undeniably, transforms the context it is placed in whether on the street, in the home, or on the white gallery wall. Street art brings this process to the forefront in a new way for me. Uncommissioned works of art on a building create a confrontation. Who is responsible for contributing to the spaces we all share? We tend think of ownership in terms of physical property, yet we constantly contribute to spaces, even in physical ways by our presence or lack of presence and the actions we take. Blu works with paint and brush, rather than Spraycan. He has worked all over the world, as you will see on the above webpage

Here are a couple of my favorites:

http://www.blublu.org/sito/walls/2007/big/mix001.jpg

http://www.blublu.org/sito/walls/2007/big/037.jpg

2. Of the other artists posted here, I would compare Blu to Martha Rosler. Both her and Blu are dealing with construction of social meaning, though in very different ways and on different cognitive levels.

Mikael Kennedy (Whitney's pick)

2007-09-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

1.Mikael Kennedy is a photographer who has inspired me in many ways. His images made with a Holga camera spurred me to try a Holga, and his newest work, Polaroids taken with a Polaroid SX-70 actually convinced me to try the SX-70 myself. My favorite part of Mikael's Polaroids is the sense of memory and nostalgia that are almost always present...His exposures aren't always perfect and the images aren't always 100% sharp, which contributes to a feeling a spontaneity, of recording specific moments. Check out downouout.blogspot.com and mikaelkennedy.com.

2. Mikael's work has some similarities to Rinko Kawauchi's work - both artist's focus on the everyday and they both use color as a tool to evoke emotion or reaction.

Tara Donovan (Seah's pick)

2007-09-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

Tara Donovan is an installation artist who works with really large quantities of common materials like styrofoam cups, straws, and tar paper. Her work has roots in minimalism but the end result is very different from what the minimalists were going for. I like her work because it manages to use the intrinsic qualities of the material to transcend the material itself. Her work suggests nebulous clouds and other organic forms. I also like the message about consumerism that comes from the intersection of things that are frequently discarded with the natural-looking shapes that she creates. I can't say that her work has much of a connection to my painting (or much of a relation to the other artists people talked about here), but I think that the way she uses material is important to think about. The message that I take away is that a lot of what makes artwork good is based on how well the artist understands the material and what it can or can't do.

Martha Rosler (Jen's pick)

2007-09-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is cheating- because she's coming to the WAM- but I've been looking at Martha Rosler. I think I was drawn to the poster advertising the show at the WAM because it gives some messages that I've been thinking all summer when working my retail job: customers are so consumed with getting their clothing, more things they don't need, and managers are going crazy about how everything is folded, is everything perfect, ect, and meanwhile there are many horrible, important things going on in the world that we SHOULD be worried about.
While I worked in the mall all summer, I thought about this constantly, and the photo montage made me think of this again. http://www.worcesterart.org/Exhibitions/martha_rosler.html

Like Masha D'yans, there is a focus on design and color to get the message of the work across (although there is completely different subject matter).

Rinko Kawauchi (Cade's pick)

2007-09-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

Rinko Kawauchi is a photographer from Japan who uses color film and a 6x6cm Rolleiflex camera. I am interested in Kawauchi because the simplicity of her photos somehow goes beyond my own idea of simplicity. Her views of the world make me think that she knows something about her subjects that maybe no one else will be able to pick up on right away, or at least at first look. Also, her series are constructed so that each photo must be considered in its relation to the photos it appears with – the connection between all of them must be carefully considered before the meaning of the individual photograph can even be approached. Her use of the square format is definitely something that I'm drawn to, having used a similar camera and format. While her photos are square, themes of roundness and circles are evident. Her approach defies the constraint of the frame while at the same time allowing her subjects to be subtly defined by the square. She makes you wonder whether she caught a serendipitous moment or a carefully examined scene. It seems possible that her work is a combination of both. Interviews are at http://www.pingmag.jp/2006/08/11/10-questions-to-rinko-kawauchi-about-photography/ and http://www.kopenhagen.dk/index.php?id=7776
Like Masha D'yans her work is often defined by its color, something that struck me right away about both artists. However, I think her colors are more subtle, whereas D'yans' colors are the life of the work.

Masha D'yans (Monica's post)

2007-09-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

1. Masha D'yans. She is the sister of a friend of mine and I think that her work is beautiful. She creates both whimsical and smart pieces usisng watercolors (which I think is extremely difficult). Her link is masha.com. Check it out.

2. There are no other postings, soooo I guess I'll leave this one blank.

Rudolf Stingel (Greg's pick)

2007-08-26T16:25:00.001-07:00

Rudolf Stingel @ Whitney Museum
This show really blew me away. Grand and subtle. I appreciated the sparseness of the galleries- there was plenty of room to look at and contemplate each piece. The artist moves easily from abstraction (hazy paintings w/instructions on how to make them) to installation (a mirror covered floor reflected golden baroque patterning) to realistic painting (giant black and while photo-based images of the artist) and he takes us along for the ride.

Read the NY Times Review
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E5D9103CF931A35755C0A9669C8B63

And here is a link to some images
http://www.artnet.com/artist/156904/rudolf-stingel.html