Rowe Arts Galleries visit 3/22



http://amberdwatts.blogspot.com/

I liked Amber D. Watts’ “New object infrastructure". Her piece looked so real and the composition was very interesting. Due to the 3-dimensionality of the objects that are placed in the piece, it made me want to touch it and see if it operates. Artists who place an object that looks like it can be opened, pushed, spinned makes the viewer want to touch it. This it is a success I think, that is if it was the artist's goal. Another thing that grabbed my attention was that the piece looked as if it was cut from an old house and then placed in a modern gallery. Love the old and new contrast in this piece.

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http://www.pinestreetartworks.com/artists/

The second piece that I really liked was "Graphology" by Carol Golemboski. I got to comment her on finding a way of making two completely different subjects (math and art) harmonious in her piece. It is like she's showing us the exact calculations and notes of drawing. I admire her approach so much because in all the student galleries that I visited I never seen such contrast. The use of white colored media on a black panel makes me think of a mathematician sketching his calculations on how to position a hand while drawing.

Art of 21st Century: Ecology

Robert Adams, Mark Dion, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, and Ursula von Rydingsvard.

The artist that most spoke to me is Mark Dion. To be specific- the tree log that is in the Seattle Art Museum. The log is showing even though the tree is dead it still serves an ecosystem for many creatures and plants. I also admired nature even more when I watched this video. In the room there was an irrigation system, windows that controlled the light, machines that controlled the temperature and other equipment to maintain the stability that is supposedly innate in nature. Nature does all of these environmental necessities by itself. And also when Mark Dion mentioned that even with the most high tech equipment of today it takes a lot of time to cut an old tree and it might be even impossible to do so. As if the tree is fighting for its life.

Photo: http://eyelevel.si.edu/2008/09/mark-dion-wins.html

Environment Project Notes

I chose to work with gumballs because they are all over my back yard and I always thought their pattern to be very interesting. But I got to say that it was very hard working with them due to their spiky texture. That's why I always say whenever you use a medium for the first time, you always have to do a trial or a model of what you are trying to do before you build the big scale piece. Before I presented my project today, I knew that the pictures where the piece looks like a little girl wearing a hat and leaning on the tree would grab attention and it did. So if I had another chance to take a photo of it, I would place "the little girl" on a branch. The little girl would look as if she just finished climbing the tree.This would be very symbolic because the gumballs original location are on the gumball tree.  I noticed that my project also took the form (the swirls) of the creatures that I found in the gumballs. I found a little spider, green worm and other creatures.

Michael Betz McColl artist lecture 3/17/11

The lecture was very interesting and unique. Or in other words, Betz's work was interesting and unique. How he perceives space and how he manipulates it. I never thought of the idea of how we get controlled by the space that is around us. For example, if the table is round we are supposed to sit in a circle. However, he changed the traditional way we perceive space. Like the dining table or the sketch of the circular table with a family sitting inside of it. I also liked the work with the molds of feet. It is amazing how he did the radial perspective of the feet. It is amazing how his mind works. I thought of him as a unique artist when I saw the belly button and the ear plastered on the buildings. When I saw the ear on the building it conveyed a lot of meaning to me even though he only said "I just walked up to the building and got some plaster and made an ear". It reminded me of the saying"even walls have ears". It is like a sign that the building can hear what the residents there are thinking and saying every time they pass it.

Skip Schuckmann and Betsy Damon Reading

Skip Schuckmann

1. How does he interact with his "clients"? He makes sure that they get the delight he experiences when he makes his artworks. It is mentioned in the book that he encourages his clients to mess with stuff so that they can have the same delight (Page 38, 1st p).

2. Does he have a larger audience? Other than his client, I don’t think so. If there was a big audience he would talk to the audience one person at a time to clarify and translate what is going on in his artwork.

3. How does he survive as an artist? He gets paid by the day (the diurnal cycle of the sun) not by the hour. A day's job is determined by the client's disposition and the temperature, light, moisture and wind outside.

Betsy Damon

4.Why did she stop painting? Because she wanted to be an activist. She did not seek interest in the characteristics that make up a successful artist such as income and other material gains. She did not want to spend most of her day alone in a studio. She wanted to interact with people and make a difference in people's lives. 

5.How is Damon’s work similar to Mel Chin's (art 21)? They both work at specific places that are affected by environmental or social problems. 

6.Why make work in China? Because China originally depended on nature for well being. Water is also an important aspect in the Chinese culture, art, philosophy and other fields. China has a deep history concerning water. People there do not have to be convinced about how water is important for the quality of human life and that nature has a natural way of recovering itself from harmful substances. So it was easier for her to implement the project there.

7.What is the living water park? It is a place where visitors meditate, interact with the environment, and learn about the environment. It is also a refuge for wildlife and plants. However, the main star of this park is the water. The water takes a journey around the park to get cleansed and revitalized.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude video on 2/3

Daily class notes

Christo and Jeane-Claude are very confident and persistent when it comes to their work. I was impressed at how they were not affected by the many complaints that some of the residents were saying about their artwork. "Not affected" meaning that they continued fighting for their project's completion even through the obstacles that they faced on the way. The simple media  that they used for the Running Fence was more beautiful than if they painted ornate patterns on the fabric. Both artists were trying to let the viewer understand and figure out the beauty of the work by themselves with no help from known patterns and figures. I admired the rancher that enjoyed what he was seeing. It is rare to see people who don't have a preconceived idea of art appreciate what they see.  I looked on the internet for more of their works and I noticed that their work is simple yet vey innovative, creative, and enormous in scale. One of the works that I loved was the one I posted here. The work looks very elegant and serene. It also looks like a mansion that is located in heaven or any other far away dimension.

Andy Goldsworthy video/ Dale Chihuly

Daily Class notes

The video was very interesting. The way the artist uses media that was found in nature and nothing else. Even when he wanted to connect two objects together, he did not use an already-made cohesive substance like glue. I was amazed at how his artwork work so well with nature. I also admire his perseverance in making his artwork-( he repeated the stone piece four times). I wanted to know one thing when I was watching the video is how does he come up with these unique patterns and shapes? I also noticed that most of the work we saw in the video had that nest-like pattern, including the image that I posted here. I loved this piece. It almost looks like its hanging in the air. It reminds me of a spider's web only this one is man made.

Artists like Andy Goldsworthy use media from nature to make an artwork fit in with the environment, but Dale Chihuly is a different story.

One of my favorite artists who placed a lot of his work (glass blown) outside is Dale Chihuly. I love how his  artwork fit in with the environment even though the media that is used is not from nature. Here are some of his work. Also, we saw one of his chandeliers in the entrance of the mint museum.

Image 1: http://degine.blogspot.com/2007/12/world-of-andy-goldsworthy.html

Image 2: http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Sothebys_sculpture_Chatsworth.html

Image 3: http://www.elementsvillage.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=10230

Image 4: http://www.baekdal.com/design/dale-chihuly

Image 5: http://balancedcrafts.com/blog/2009/01/dale-chihuly-artist-spotlight/

Image 6: http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grandrapids/index.ssf/2010/04/frederik_meijer_gardens_and_sc.html