Proposal for accumulation project

For the past 12 weeks I have been collecting horoscopes. They are something that I have always been interested in for some quick entertainment. Throughout this experiment, I have become increasingly bored with the subject and myself. While I was never really sure what I was looking for, it sure was not anything deep like a meaning or a reason for them. At the end of the experiment, all that I found myself with was a pile of meaningless papers. They were completely non-functional and only good for an occasional laugh. So, it is evident that the only purpose of these things are to make people feel like they have a chance at having a better day by something exciting happening to them, meeting new people, or coming in to some money. Fortune cookies, horoscopes, the magic 8 ball…they are all the same. They function to give people a laugh and a little bit of unrealistic hope.
People enjoy this type of entertainment, and it is for this reason that I am proposing to put many large sculptures all around New York City on the sidewalks. I chose New York because my work would be widely viewed there and I feel like New York City people tends to stress people out. The sculptures would be different sizes, ranging from 4-12ft in height and many different colors. They will be round glass orbs (very thick glass) with a bit of a cloudy inside. They would also flatten off at the bottom so that they do not need any other base to sit on. They are round and orb like because that is what is most of the time related to the thought of fortunes. It would be easier for people to understand the purpose and I think that it would make them more comfortable with the whole piece. The point of these orbs would be to give encouraging words to people who touched it just like the others do. I am a fan of humorous art and of course this would be mostly for “entertainment” but it is also amazing how just simple words or gestures can really make someone’s day. A person would walk up to it, rub the side, the cloudiness would separate and words would appear. They would be something to the point of…”There are great things in store for you”, “Someone very special is thinking about you right now”….and really cheesy things like that, which I would have to take much more time to come up with.

Examples of how they could possibly look:

Daniel Joseph Martinez

Does he have a big problem with American? Is his work all about politics? Does he consider himself an artist?
I love that he makes art that has a point and could change your way of thinking. He must be influencial, especially to have a show called, "I shit on the order of your world" in the Veterans Hall. Funny. Its great that he works from personal inspiration and that he has the balls to do something like the burning piece at his school is sort of a rebellion fashion. People like him make me want to strive to do important things and address issues in my work. He seems to make quite an impression in the art world, with others sharing his political beliefs. I dont think that he is against America, just has issues like all the rest of us. He definitely considers himself an artist, as would I..but he says he is still awaiting that feeling that he has become a recognized and respected artist. Hes all over the place and in this book...what more does it take? It seems hopeless then, will I ever be able to feel that way and be pleased enough with my mediocre self?!?!

Arnaldo Morales

How does his life affect his work? Is he an artist? What does the public think of his work?
This guy has had alot of near death experiences it seems, no wonder he seems to have so much inspiration and this also explains the violent content of it all. He says that he wants to spend time with those violent sorts of people...gutsy. If I had been thru all the shit this guy has, I would want to stay as far away as I possibly could. He says that people have told him that his work is a bit scary but fun because it is so interactive. I really love pieces that I can interact with as well. but technology in itself scares me a bit because of the power that it seems to generate and also the fact that I can understand the mechanics of most of it to save my life. Combine that with violence and you've certainly got me on edge. He is just like a boy, and like both of my brothers always tearing things apart and trying to fix them..but i guess thats how you learn because any time i need something done or put together i know that they can do it for me. Its cool to see though that art can evoke so many different feelings and actions in a person as an artist and a viewer and you get things out of peices that you would never expect.

Kim Jones

Why is he trying to alter his appearance? Why does he become Mudman all the time? What are his performances all about?
This guy is certainly one of a kind...especially for someone doing performance art. I see performance art all the time. Learning about different ones in class and seeing them for myself, I could walk down the streets of new york and not be very shocked by most of the things I see. But i think that even this guy would stump me a little bit. Is he trying to get a fearful reaction out of people? I like that he sees himself as a sculpture and that is really interesting but it almost seems like he likes being one more than he does a real person because he repeats this action so often, or more so than I would think is necessary. Also, with the David sculpture...its funny, whitty...but it seems kind of wrong to shoot Davids penis off with the slingshot. Is he trying to take away his manliness? He cant destroy him but geez, he is certainly killing his pride. And he does all of this once again as mudman,and with a little mudman. Maybe he should have his identity changed to that and he can be Kim Jones on the side.

Yukinori Yanagi

Why did he chose to work with an insect? Does he just have a "thing" for ants? What is he trying to express in his flag piece?
I think it is very interesting and visually stimulating in the process and the end result to use the ant like he did. It must have taken forever and really hurt his back to have to do all that, and with a material as simple as a red crayon. It was really cool, but who thinks of stuff like that to do?!?! Wow, maybe that web article was right and I do lack all senses of creativity. Interesting to think to use animals and sort of weigh them equal with humans...I think that they should be. Upon reading the title for the flag piece, I just thought that this guy had an obsession with ants but when I started reading his explanation, I understand why he thinks of it that way. Dealing with the social and cross-cultural issues that he does, he sees the issues as being like ants who he says doesnt know national boundaries..true. We all suffer the same I suppose. The dragging of colors was also a interesting idea.

Gregory Green

What point is this guy gather his "inspiration"? What is like outside of his work? Why he does "weird shit"?
Ha, I wish I could have seen that episode of Hard Copy...must have been interesting. This guy in general seems to be quite interesting. He says that he feels he doesnt really have a choice to be an artist and I can understand this, but its cool that he addresses the fact that he is a normal person who balances his check book and sends out resumes. Sometimes, especially when looking at big artists, i forget these people have real lives because they just seem to be so wrapped up in their work...its kind of a relief. He researches things for his pieces but is also motivated by simple things like music and he references caffeine. I like this guys personality...it makes me think that I might be like that one day. I especially enjoy his Molotov Cocktail...what is he trying to do, teach little kids to blow things up?!? Haha, quite intertaining.

How CREATIVITY is Killing the Culture

This guy describes as being seen by some people as an asshole, jerk, or bitter....I'm pretty sure that I thought of all of these while I was reading this and quite possibly a couple more. I guess he makes a point (that I really only see him caring about) but wow....who the hell is he to crush peoples dreams by saying that they are not capable of being good enough to ever get anywhere. Let people try what they want, and if they fail then it will be by their own accord and they will decide where to take their life next. They dont need some cynical old man telling them otherwise. And by the way, he fails to mention anything about his own past artwork in this article...maybe he is just bitter because he was one of those people who just couldnt quite make it the way he wanted and he likes others to feel just as miserable as he does. I am one of those people that he is talking about and I like it....this guy pisses me off, life is short people, live it however the hell you chose and be as open, creative, talented, smart, adventurous, religious, and as happy as you want without listening to pricks like this. Oh, and by the way...I happen to love that WILCO song!!

Andy Goldsworthy Handout

Andy Goldsworthy is by far one of my favorite artists. I love that he works with nature and his compositions are always so beautiful. It is unique that he was chosen to do this Holocaust piece. And that he can represent this historic occurance with natural materials. Reading through the description of it all, I think personally I would need an explanation of it or else it would just be a piece that I would pass by and think...Oh, thats fun. What a great concept, I love that the piece grows increasingly important with time, and its creepy to think of the things in the piece killing each other in representation...who thinks like that?!? But then again, I guess nature and human life in itself works that way, feeding off of each other. Hes amazing.

Unofficial Manifesto

This lady makes some really interesting points and she makes them all sound very goodd. After all, arent they everything that a serious contemporary artist wants?!? But whats a bit confusing is her use of the term public art..what is public art anyways? Something seen everyday on the street, something in a gallery, something as insignificant as a piece of pottery in someones house?!? They are awesome goals for an artist, but lets face it...the public isnt going to see half of what the artist does in the piece. I especially like the one that says, "i am for a public art that doesnt pretend that everyones story is intrinsically interesting to everyone else." haha, thats so true. She is bold and humorous, I like her.

Final Thoughts

From beginning to end, I really struggled with this project. Not the actually collection of objects, but rather why I was collecting them....I suppose it was all just for fun, no deep significant meaning. I kept trying to change the direction that I was going, but it was all no good...In conclusion, this was the worst thing that I had to do all semester long. Why do I think this project was assigned?!? I personally think that it was a really good assignment, but that I just chose the wrong thing to do. It is important in a lot of art work to accumulate things. It could be the whole meaning to a piece, it gives you things to work with and could end up changing the piece throughout the whole process.

4.11.08

This is the last week that I will be documenting on these silly horoscopes...wooohoooo!! Honestly, I dont feel like I have accomplished anything with this type of accumulation except for a feeling of burden on having to find them, keep them, and try to document on them. At the end, i just ended up with a pile of different types of paper and the thought that it is just a waste of time. Where do they find all of the people to write them anyways and where do they get their information from?!? I'd like to know, maybe I can get a job...I've read enough of these over the last couple of weeks to know the drill.

4.4.08

This one for this week is mostly just a thought. Part of the reason that I was so interested in this is because of a friend that I had in high school. He truly believed in this kind of stuff and was so in to all of the astronomical things that went along with it that I couldn't even begin to understand..kinda cool. He always said that he was gonna do mine for me one day and I was really excited, he was in an accident and passed before he was able to. It was actually freaky at how he seemed to predict things...even his death which was an accident and definitely not his fault. After, it definitely made me question the realness in the whole subject...and if any of it was true, though I dont really know what "any of it" means. I hope you are following me on this.

3.28.08

Horoscopes are purely for entertainment, duh. I know that I have been so bored with this the whole time and quite honestly...it took all of the fun out of it and made it into a chore. I stopped even reading them and just started cutting. I went back the other day to them along with some old fortunes from cookies and read them. They make you feel good, I guess which day that the one I was reading could have came from and if that is actually how my day went. And those silly fortune cookies have the ability to lift your spirits a little bit....yes, I will have great success in life soon!!! Thanks cookie for the encouragement

3.21.08

So this past week, I started asking around to people about what they think of horoscopes and I got a couple of different responses. Most people just think that they are something fun to read, noone actually goes out of their way to find it though. However, I have noticed an increasing number of my friends on facebook who have added the horoscope application. Some people actually think that it is of the devil...haha. And it was also compared to fortune cookies, ouji boards, and magic 8 balls. I guess you basically get out of it what you want to and you just let it tell you whatever it is that you want to hear. That is what this whole thing is about, evoking an emotion.

3.14.08

So I have been bringing the Charlotte Observer newspaper to work lately and the employees get a kick out of it, everyone askes me to read theirs, of course they want to know what it says...its like a fun little game. Newspapers arent cheap so maybe I will start printing it off and bringing it in every shift to get reactions out of people and see what they think about the whole thing. I have a fellow Libra at work. We are supposed to be charming, passionate, creative, romantic...and allll this other stuff and she truly believes that she is, however I think that if these descriptions are true....she was definitely born in the wrong month.

3.7.08

SPRING BREAK: I talked things over with my sister and she thinks that collecting these horoscopes was a great idea...why?!? I am currently looking for a new spin on things. I need to take this idea to an audience and see what they think about the whole notion of horoscopes. Right now I am looking at a small pile of magazine/newspaper cutouts, and computer print-offs....boring!!

magazine commentary for missed classes

1- These magazines have tons of great visuals but surprisingly not all that many articles. I found a picture on the front cover of a nude couple projected on what seems to be clouds. Amazing. I think that they are holding hands and dancing. This is the handy work of Tony Oursler, I recongnized him immediatly because we had discussed him in class. He is one of my favorite artists that we have looked at this semester. Because his work is "active", I really enjoy it. It evokes emotions and feels very personal. Also, all of the digital things that he is able to do really impressed me since im not technologically saavy at all. And actually, the few artists that we have looked at this semester in class has been so much more interesting for me than anything that I have seen in 2 semesters of art history...thanks Malena.

2- I did manage to find a couple of articles to comment on in these magazines though most of them are quite dated, and by dated I mean from about 10 years ago. I always find it sad to think that an artist goes their whole life working hard and making art only to die and then get really famous...its such a waste. Though I will admit that the thought of looking at work from someone who is no longer alive makes it seem more important somehow...I dont really know why. This article was about Henry Darger, they opened a collection of his work in a museum in Switzerland, they were writing a poem/book about him and also making a movie of his life. Wow, that sounds like success to me. He was popular in his life, but too bad he wont be seeing any of this extra glory.

3- I came across a picture of the inside of a building that was stunning. The ceiling had different rows of black and white and an all over unique and retro feeling mood. A company bought this building in NYC and wanted to remove it, but were convinced otherwise....good. I dont know why people are so keen on removing beautiful art work. Why does it seem that public art is offensive to people. I think that they need to recognize all of these different types of art and learn to appreciate it. The concept that some people have of art just really piss me off. I know so many people who look down on me for doing it instead of something "real".... screw them, they should try to do it. They couldnt draw a decent stick figure.

4-Sex in art. Its so interesting how sex-driven our society is right now but it seems so raunchy to produce it in art, even though its been going on since the beginning of time. To be perfectly honest, for some reason it is some of the most appealing to me, I dont know if i am just a sexual person or what but it attracts me...therefore this article found me. The article talks about sexuality seen in ancient greek art, however I want to talk about the imagery the show. There is a silver cup with 2 men, one if pulling on a rope almost like he is on a swing. Perfectly acceptable...interesting. Theres also a girl peeking in the door watching them, what is this supposed to mean, i dont remember mentioning it in art history. I wonder if everyday office people were to see this, what would they think?!? Also there is a fountain statue of Priapus..and to be quite honest, he has the biggest penis that I have ever seen, in real life or in any sort of art, and he is aroused. Its almost offensive. If that represents power, I hope he was the freaking king. Thats all Im gonna say about that one.

4.28.08

Last Class WooHoooooo!!!!! Sorry Malena, but I love summer. I am feeling really behind on everything at this point in the semester and I am realllllly stressed out. I was up all night changing my mind on things that I wanted to do for this project that was due at 2...bad, i know. But I figured it out and worked most of the night. I didn't even get to present...oh the irony, but it was ok really. I hope I scored some brownie points however, haha. See everyone for finals!!!!

4.21.08

We were starting presentations today for our site-specific pieces. Haha, half of the class didn't show up. It is afterall, crunch time and everyone (myself included) is incredibly busy and just didn't get around to finish it. We made tallies on the board. :) The people that did go really stepped it up on this one I think. Ray always makes me wanna hide...she does such a good job on everything.

4.21.08

Wow, now these were photos that a student doesn't expect to walk in and see on the screen. But they were funny. I am not the most timid person and sexuality humors me instead of making me uncomfortable. As a photographer, I tend to look at all the elements of the photo instead of just the content and I found them quite lovely. Controversial type photos such as these are really my favorite. I think that the human body (in all of its different composures) to be a beautiful thing. Its such a shame the way that the body is viewed in our society these days... everyone is too fat, too thin, too this and too that, it is sickening...However so easy to fall into this, I have....but only about myself, sad.

4.16.08

Oh, Barbara....Interesting little lady. Very accomplished, but I wouldn't have gathered that upon meeting her. Its a relief to see and artist who can make it without the work being super neat and precise...like an academic style of painting. I like all of her tiny little drawings, very witty. Also very tedious...I would have trouble painting so small and in such bulk. I love it when you can sneak adult humor into childlike scenarios. I really need to remember to subscribe to her list serve...maybe I can find an internship or something.

4.9.08

Go Will....it is so encouraging to a student artist like myself to be able to go out in the surrounding community and see others who are not much different than myself in goals, circumstances, and age to be even somewhat accomplished. I thought his paintings were great and I loved that they were all in a similar style. That is one problem with my own work...I don't have anything that I could put into a collection because everything seems to kind of be all over the place. Coming from a really artistic atmosphere (asheville) to charlotte is kind of a downer for art. He kind of got my hopes up a little more and hopefully I will gain the inspiration to continue practicing when I graduate, even if I am not working in it.

4.14.08

Andy Goldsworthy!! His works are just so beautiful...I'd love to meet this guy and just have a conversation, I bet he has so many brilliant things to say. I love works in nature and I wish that I could venture more into that area. They are simple, natural, and oddly balanced with the surroundings. Unlike him, he discussed Christo and Jeanne Claude. With the umbrellas and everything else, I don't think I could do something so monumetal in size. It is really amazing how these things can be accomplished, especially in public spaces. This may be really silly but I think I would either worry that noone would notice it or that it would interrupt the daily lives of people. Guess I won't be doing any of those cool fabric pieces.

4.7.08

I presented today. I feel like I've had this project over my head for weeks so it was a real relief to get rid of it. I am surprised that the class always seems to find some sort of positive in everyone elses work...its really encouraging. Even when Im embarassed to present something, afterwards i dont feel quite so bad about it. I had trouble with this and it always seems that my work is just so crafty, its annoying. Im not quite sure that im capable of installations and things of that sort, or at least not yet in my artistic endeavors. I dont think that I did the best job ever but now I dont have to think about it anymore, yay.

4.2.08

Today we started looking at the time-based projects. I must say that they weren't quite what I had expected to see. For some reason, the quality of work from others is always a little less than I would have thought. However, Im not complaining because then it makes me feel not so bad about my own shitty work. I did thoroughly enjoy Sheldon's piece on the swing. It was so simple and relatable..It just kind of felt sweet. Nicely done. It makes me jealous that I'm too technologically challenged to make a decent video.

3.19.08

Brainstorming in Ritazza today for the time project...just how much brainstorming got accomplished, I don't really know. I left feeling just as hopeless as I did before, but it was ok because I am sure that everyone else was feeling the exact same way. I don't know why I am having such a hard time thinking of anything creative to do. I had an idea to do something really silly and funny but I'm pretty sure that got shot down rather quickly. I am stressed out I think. On the bright side...I got free coffee!!! :)

3.17.08

McColl Center again today. The young blonde girl that works in there is really nice, I wonder how much money she makes...haha. Fantasmagoria....interesting to say the least. Although the "smoke and mirrors" chair about choked me out, I find the concept of the whole exhibit really excited. It has a way of making me feel kind of like a kid again. I especially enjoyed the mirrors that you blew on. The piece on the wall that made noises upstairs.....I wanted to shoot myself in the face! I don't know how people listen to that crap all day long. It's fun for a minute but then... Cute little museum, I enjoy it every time.

3.10.08

Wow, Theo Jansen almost scares the crap out of me. His pieces are so lifelike and technologically saavy. It is hard for me to grasp concepts like that, I guess maybe I am just not that type of artist. I find the stamina of these things so interesting...I would be washed away much sooner than they would. The things that humans have learned to do using technology is beyond me...although it is just considered art, I kind of wonder just how far it will go?!?

Its on the way Malena....I prooooomise!!!!!

Site Specific- Rowe

For my site specific project, I decided to make a "spider" web. From artists to children's stories, they have been used to relay messages. These messages can be political, emotional, poetic, etc. Having what seems to be a creative block at the moment, I had a really hard time thinking of something to do. And once I decided on the web, I still had difficulties thinking of what to say in it. It is the end of the semester however and at this point I feel like theres not too much to lose so I might as well suck up. Malena joked about wanting a raise while we were doing evaluations so...why not advertise it, the extra input can't hurt. I wrote "Give Malena a raise." Enough said. I did it in very subtle colors that blend, but when you're close enough you can see the bits of gold that spell out the words. This took much longer to make than I thought, so in theory...I would make many of these and post them up all over the Rowe building because the students and faculty in that particular building would know who I was talking about.
Web of Persuasion
2'x2'
100% cotton twine

Time Project

GOSSIP GIRLS
I took a spin off of the popular game TELEPHONE to show how fast that news travels and how quickly the information can get mixed up. We all know the all to true cliche of how girls are so very gossipy...I chose to comment on a rumor that I recently heard about myself this semester, and I have to say that I was surprisingly intrigued and humored. I took electrical tape to represent the phone cord and connected it to photos of girls on their cell phones, connecting their conversations. I heard this rumor from 6 different girls so there are 6 different comments posted on the doors.
Gossip Girls
3'x18' (flat objects strung on flat surface)
mixed media

http://www.clichesite.com/category_results.asp?which=time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_whispers

oops..

Though I know this will be graded accordingly, I am missing commentary from class on 2.18 and 1.23, I did not have time before my flight to obtain magazines from you (my fault), but they will be here in the near future for the next grade I guess, sorry.

2.29.08

Zodiac Symbol: Golden Scales
Birth Dates (Tropical): September 23 - October 23
Birth Dates (Sidereal): October 18 - November 16
Birth Dates (Solar): October 31 - November 23
Constellation: Libra
Zodiac Element: Air
Zodiac Quality: Cardinal
Domicile: Venus
Detriment: Mars
Exaltation: Saturn(Modern astrology)
Fall: Sun
Numbers: Five, Seven
Day: Friday

Just some fun facts because I really don't have that many new developments. I would rather educate my reader at this point on Libras rather than bore them with repetative information...hopefully next week I can come with some new and interesting developments.

2.22.08

I am officially bored with this project. Not because the process itself is boring, I was really excited about it...but because I guess I should have picked a different subject or found a better way to approach it. I can't even really find a way to digitally document it, most of it consists of horoscopes that I have found online. I need to get some help and start figuring out a way to put this all together. When you are just reading them for fun and not relying on them to a point for every day, they are fun. When i feel like it is a neccessity to find some sort of importance in them, it gets hard for me to find that and takes away the playfullness of it all.

2.15.08

So, i started off this project under the assumption that there might be some coincidental truth to these horoscopes, like they somehow magically fit into my life... I'm now starting to take that back. Lately, nothing is hitting and although that is not the point that I am trying to reach, it's annoying. I've been reading them to other people and it seems to be on more for them than me. I have looked at other sources for horoscopes too..most of them dealing with love and romance (which is way in left field for me) so, honestly I just want to put those aside because they are too much of a dissapointment. I am gonna stick to something that will give me hope to succeed in matters of finance or friendship instead.

2.8.08

So I have continued to make myself aware on a daily basis of my horoscope. I researched and found that my sign is considered the most desirable...but my life doesn't really seem like something to be desired at the moment. So maybe it is just the characteristics that i am supposed to possess. I continue to do the same every week with collecting these and occassionally encounter some humour but still remain confused on my end results.

2.27.08

We finished up presentations today and it was my turn, I feel like I did ok due to the feedback I received. When I was doing all of this stuff with Barbie, I felt really ametuer.But i am becoming more and more comfortable expressing my ideas, especially in front of the class, they all seem to think similar to me. I need to remember to focus on the concept more so than the physical elements of the pieces...after all, the class is concepts, right? Even still, I am hoping to get better at both of those elements and figure out who I am as an artist and what my strong points are.

2.6.08

Field trip number 2!! I never have the chance/time in my hectic schedule to visit museums so I love that we are taking the time out to do so. Most of the time I feel that I am so lost with what is going on in the contemporary art world. Malena keeps stressing the importance of our knowledge of surrounding artists and their work, I need to start picking up more magazines!! I had never been to the mint museum before and somehow I thought that I would be a little more impressed, I don't really know what I was expecting though. I wonder why the lady really only concentrated on the fiber pieces, and she seemed to keep wanting to cut Malena off which kind of bothered me even though she was a cute old lady. She mentioned learning to felt at the end which i think could be an interesting technique to learn.

2.4.08

Identity in art. Identity is always a word that is kind of intimidating to me I think because it is hard to recognize. I have trouble with my own identity at this point in my life, so to ask me to create this concept in a piece of work might make me think it is difficult. I find that pieces that do this however, tend to be my favorite. I am a photographer and I enjoy pictures of history, war, crime, social grievances, and things that are real and have that meaning behind them.

1.28.08

Today was the beginning of presentations for out material inventions. I am not entirely sure how successful or unsuccessful my concept was. Looking at other peoples, I didn't feel quite as bad about mine because it seems like most people in the class are on the same level... whether I am there with them too, it up in the air at this point. I presented and felt ok because it seemed to get decent critiques, however we were running out of time and had to go fast so I can't really be sure. I honestly thought that there were gonna be some that absolutely just blew me out of the water, but I guess everyone was having the same type of difficulties as me....mine was time. I really need to give myself more time to do things, procrastination has got to stop!

1.30.08

Making meaning...that is something that one probably has to think about for a while. I guess considering my very limited background in real art, this definitely expands on my previous knowledge of what art really means. Art to me, is no longer just something aesthetically pleasing but something that provokes a feeling, an underlying meaning, touches on some sort of issue. It is interesting to think that even changing one little thing about a piece can make it speak so much louder, whether it is the material, the presentation, or whatever else. I never really thought about the process being important in interpreting the piece before... I am used to things like drawing and photography where (excluding some photographic elements), the process speaks for itself so it is never really anything that you have to think about. I am kind of looking forward to exploring this.

1.21.08

Gotta love these "holidays"!!!!!!!!!

1.16.08

FIELD TRIP!!! These always scream fun, or at least nice because you get out of class work.. :) We went to the McColl Center downtown which I have always been very curious about because I was confused about whether it was a church, a school, or something else to do with art. The people working there were really nice and we saw some interesting pieces. The one I remember the most was the fibers piece where the woman dealt with female issues of the past and referenced to the story "The Yellow Wallpaper". I don't know how many times I have had to read that story since about 9th grade, so I know the story all to well and was able to relate in a sense to the point that the artist was trying to get across..had i not known the story, i probably would not really have understood the piece, I just would have commented on her use of textures and techniques.

1.14.08

Today the graphic design professor came in to make sure that we fully understand how to do this blogging thing. Personally, I hate computers, I hate blogging, and technology in general drives me crazy because I don't really know how to use it therefore I get intimidated. I have only just currently stared to be able to hook up my own computer or dvd player, compliments of my brother who is a technical genius..how did I get left out of all of this? Maybe I just don't play enough computer games or something. However the professor really did make me want to take graphic design for some reason....I don't have time.

Scott Greiger

Scott Greiger's work was very interesting to me... I am a fan of things that deal with the effect of consumerism in our lives. I liked when he said that people in other countries are making our shoes while they have none and that the children here are killing each other for these items....it is so true, and sad. If I were to walk into this gallery where this installation was, I would have to stop and ponder it for a while...he just keeps bringing so many elements into it and everything has a specific purpose, I would just hope that there would be a brief explanation somewhere. I also liked the line about how he is an image collector, not an image inventor...I could see myself in a position like that, just tweaking items that already exsist to create meaning instead of sculpting something so that it has meaning. My skills are not that impressive so maybe I should find someway to make this statement true for me. He dapples in different types of media for this, digital, fabric, the paint on the walls... but it all comes together so nicely. I think that he does this more so for society, bringing awareness to issues that we may be having in our economy.

Charles Ray

This guy is by far my favorite artist that I have had to read about. I am not an advocate for drugs, but it is almost humorous that he seems to be on some type of them in every piece that he discussed. The story of him as a little boy getting amnesia and wandering around the world for 2 weeks, almost makes me question its authenticity. Did something so dramatic really happen to him, or was he just on alot of drugs and got confused for a a little while?!? I often wonder what is really going on inside the head of a person who is altered. Does that really affect the way that the person thinks about art, like they have no good ideas without it?!? I wish I could find that source of inspiration and creativity without the use of those substances. I enjoy that he puts himself into so many pieces. He said that he wants to stir up peoples lives, not change them. I think that this concept is really fun. It is funny how when he made himself a clock that he lost track of his own time...hmm, says something?!? He also pushes the mode making himself a part of the work that would evoke that uncomfortable emotion in someone when they realize that his pieces may or may not be socially acceptable. I think that human form is natural and beautiful, and although his piece "oh, charlie, charlie, charlie" may be seen as erotic and pornographic..I find it very interesting. It is about something so common, and talked about among friends but when brought out in the open, uncomfortable for most. Does this artist create his art for himself or his viewers? I would say both. I think that it probably thrills him to get all of these reactions out of people

Isaac Julien

I found Isaac Julien to be interesting. He definitely does play on the fact that he is a gay black man in british culture. I think that putting your self (not physically, but with personal identity) into your pieces like that really speaks out. And hopefully the viewer will know the background of the artists because I would think that it would make all the difference. I enjoy pieces that are controversial, and I said before that I would love to create that evoked an emotion in my viewers, much like Isaac Julien. He has that underlying meaning of a societal disturbance with slavery, turned into a domestic disturbance like dominating actions... I like it. He seems to keep that sexual theme through most of his work and I like that he uses I guess a type of digital performance media to get his point across, I don't think that it would feel the same without the actions. I notice that they do not have interview questions for him in the margins...I wonder why that is, I would love to find out if these pieces are for some sort of personal satisfaction or if he is really just trying to evoke awkward emotion in the viewers.

Michelle Lopez

I am very impressed by the success that Michelle Lopez seems to have had at such a young age, yet she's not ready for it?!? Odd. I think that most artists, especially young ones would be jumping at opportunities like this one. I understand her originality and even her obsession with using leather in her pieces, but that is really all I found with reading about her...nothing special. Is that wrong?!? Is it ok to be bored by some of these artists? i am not saying that her work isn't interesting and doesn't break some sort of artistic mode, but it doesn't seem like something that I would linger at. From what I read about, it does seem to have that common theme and humanlike attachment from using the leather, but that was about it.

Julian LaVerdiere

I have decided on 3 questions to ask of all of the artists ...
1- who is the audience?
2- do they maintain similar themes/purposes?
3- What is the general media used?!?

Dr.Faustus?!? Interesting comparison. I actually worked on that show and I have to say that he was quite strange to reference that to himself. LaVerdiere dapples in a bit of media it seems, real objects, installations, and performance. The one that caught my eye the most was the light beams that he sent up from ground zero. I like the way that he made it like a performance in the fact that it was there for 2 months, also because where I am at right now, I can look at my window and see ground zero...my sister's apartment is right across the street...why couldn't I have been here for that?!? He seems to make his work for the general public, but the kind that are interested in art because I dont think that everyone would appreciate something like "safe circa" or "FATATCC". Other than experimenting with technology..I don't see a drastic common theme in the artwork here.

The Art World Expands

I hate to say it, but after the first couple of pages, this was one of the worst things I have ever had to read... it talked about photography for a bit, which really grabbed my attention because I am a photo major, but soon after I had no idea what they were talking about. If I ever hear the word postmodernalism again, it will be too soon. Maybe it is because I don't have the proper knowledge of all of these different times and movements but they confuse me. I know that they are completely relevant and that the art world had to experience them to get to where we are today....and I appreciate that, I just think that I don't understand it completely when these words are thrown at me. I do realize how far the art world has come with incorporating technology and new techniques, and as an "artist", I am excited to see all of the different styles that I can incorporate into pieces, hopefully really expanding my horizons. I think that although it seems that almost everything has been done, I will still see things that will shock and awe me beyond what i thought it could.

'The Happiest Day of My Life'

Wow, this guy really loves his artistic side. What possesses someone to go to such an extreme to almost destroy his life, or at least all of the physical aspects for art?!? I wish that I was bold enough to do something similar, but never quite that extreme. I'm not entirely sure how far I would be willing to let myself go when it comes to something affecting my everyday life so drastically. I guess it is just how you look at it. Is it his only job, his life? For me, right now my whole life is work and school so I guess essentially I do but my whole self into something just in a bit of a different way. I am impressed however and kudos to him! I wish I could have seen this in person, and I think that it is interesting how there were people who were actually taking items away from the piece...are you kidding me?!?! I would be pissed that people were not appreciating that I am laying out all that I have to them and they're taking advantage of that, but this guy expected it. But to have no possessions at all...that is only something I could dream of accomplishing. I think of this in the way of religion and simple living and I wish that I could do something like this to maybe enhance my life and make me appreciate things more, but I don't see that happening in the near future.

The Meaning It Tells

It's really hard to concentrate on blogging when you're in New York on vacation and all you want to do is watch Ace of Cakes with your sister.... haha. Well, we talk about the importance of meaning so much in class that I feel there isn't a whole lot for me to comment on with this one. I agree that if you change even one little thing about a piece, that it can change the meaning entirely. I never really think of it that way. When I look at art, I look at it for what the artist made it to be exactly. It's only when someone points out to me those "what ifs' that I remember to think of it that way. Sometimes it makes me really excited at all of the possibilities that one piece can have if you're creative enough to just explore...but on the other hand, it can make me angry. I think 'why didn't the artist think to do it this way, it would have been so much better!!" But I guess that is where the connotation part kicks in. I really wish that I could do this more in my work. I think that it is so nice when an artist actually references to something historical and meaningful like war, economy, hardships, etc... I am gonna try to bring out some sort of history or at least a new perspective in my future work. Also, I really enjoyed the little commentaries in the small print :) i guess it really does make a difference (depending on the mindset of the individual viewer) of who the artist is as a person and the background. I have decided that I want to go for pieces that evoke emotion...I want to make viewers feel uncomfortable for a future goal. Since I am in the city for a couple of days, hopefully I will find some inspiration.

2.25.08

Today started the beginning of the presentations for identity, I'm always surprised at how much I dread the days for critique, mainly because the last 2 times I have managed to be late...crap. Sorry guys. I had alot going on today. Another thing is the fact that this day has the ability to make me feel slightly successful, yet completely inadequate at the same time. I really don't like this feeling and I never feel satisfaction. it is hard to compare your work with other students because you really are your biggest critic. I love to watch people who have really creative pieces, I wonder if any of my stuff sparks that is other students....probably not in this class.

2.20.08

BRAINSTORMING: This is the essential part but the most dreaded parts of the process. I tend to have a hard time getting started at anything....my motivation level is at about a 3. Not good, I am working on it but... It is good getting to hear other peoples ideas and sometimes they are really helpful. I didn't get much accomplished today, but it was my fault because I wasn't really ready to go with a specific idea. It is interesting to have them explain it so that your picture it but when the time for presentations come, they will be completely different. I think that I have an imspiration block. This kid Joey pointed it out to me, i like him. He's funny and doesn't hold back, I'd like to bounce more ideas off of him in the future.

2.11.08

I am learning to like to explore in different media more than I thought. I see myself as a 2-D person, but I was really excited today when we got to cast molds of ourselves. I cholse to do my lips because they're a feature I really like. I am very tempted to go online and buy a big thing of algenate even though there is a good chance that most of it will go to waste or I will waste endless hours of productivity casting random things instead of working on something that needs to get done...that's the story of my life, I think I'll get some.

2.13.08

We saw several interesting artists online today and although interesting, I don't think it helped me with my own identity. Some artists like Oliver Herring have these deep emotions that make their lifestyles change and become part of their work, I am not that kind of artist...at least not at this point in my life. Art is the only profession I see myself in but to indulge yourself so much so that you're not doing anything else day or night.....wow. I did relate to his feelings when he lost his friend. Last year I had a close friend commit suicide and it is hard to try to take your mind off of it. But I find that I don't like to present things that are so "deep", it seems a bit cliche to me, yet it is the only thing I can seem to come up with at this point, I'll keep trying.

Barbie

IDENTITY:

I decided to express my identity by taking all of my insecurities as a woman out on barbies. Barbies are the all to familiar opitime of female beauty. As someone who is so uncomfortable with her appearance, I tend to take it out on other women sort of blaming them for my insecurities...finding myself wishing that instead of being like them, they would be more like me so that I wouldn't have to change to feel better about myself. It's horrible, but some girls I just want to get really fat, and others...i wish I could make their hair ugly or sabotage their makeup. So with these Barbies, I chose one to chop off her hair and stain it so that it would represent all of the times I cut my hair and dye my hair, then become unhappy with it. Another, I wrapped her hair over her face and put a pink piece of a sack cloth on her for clothing... I took away all of the glamourous features that she came with and made her to seem anti-social. Barbies always look cute, in real life....girls have shitty days and just want to be invisible, sweats if possible, no make-up, sunglasses, and a hat...this was the best I could do. And finally, my favorite...the body factor. I dressed this one in a measuring tape because I am always conscious, on a daily basis, of my weight..how clothes are fitting, if my face is getting fatter,etc.. I marked all of the places that I want to fix with a marker and even rubbed off her breasts with sand paper and cut off her behind...hey, my body does not look like that!!I also tried to boil one but it didn't do too much, just made her head pop off..haha. For the presentation, I put them back into the boxes as if they were for sale again but with no price, daring someone to buy them...who would want a doll who looked like this?!?!?
New Generation of Barbie
8"x3"x2"
mixed media

2.1.08

"LIBRA is the only inanimate sign of the zodiac, all the others representing either humans or animals. Many modern astrologers regard it as the most desirable of zodiacal types because it represents the zenith of the year, the high point of the seasons, when the harvest of all the hard work of the spring is reaped. There is a mellowness and sense of relaxation in the air as mankind enjoys the last of the summer sun and the fruits of his toil. Librans too are among the most civilized of the twelve zodiacal characters and are often good looking. They have elegance, charm and good taste, are naturally kind, very gentle, and lovers of beauty, harmony (both in music and social living) and the pleasures that these bring.

I love reading descriptions about myself...it's fun to see if that's how other people view me, and I think it kind of is. I continue to collect from the paper daily and also any other horoscopes or segments containing information on librans.

Material Invention

I'm not entirely sure that I interpreted this assignment correctly. Instead of creating a sculpture out of the objects that I found, I chose to transform my bathroom from its intended use to that of a workspace using my walls as a sort of canvas... I used things found in my bathroom for all of the objects and makeup as a medium. "beauty is art".
Untitled
6'x5'
powder-based make-up

1.25.08

As usual, I continue to read my horoscope every day, and maybe a couple times throughout the day. It has proved to be mildly accurate, although there were a couple of days where I was totally thrown off...which is ok because it's just a horoscope. I am having trouble figuring out the direction I want to go in. Should I just accumulate them? Which sounds like the best thing and closer to the actual assignment. I don't have to see how true I think they are, but it's fine. I'm not longer trying to compare, just collect. But maybe i'll have people give me there opinions or something...the difficult part is trying to figure out how to digitally document this stuff?!?! Paper clippings and online articles aren't exactly exciting in a photo.

Libra (1.18.08)

From the different artists' accumulation projects, I chose Curt Ikens who saved all of his newspapers and shredded them. I also chose Michael Anderson. Both of these artists have chosen to collect physical, paper documents and manipulate them into sculpture or collage. I will be collecting similar clippings from newspapers, online articles, and magazines daily. Horoscopes have always been interesting to me and however silly they may be, they can still affect your day, even if you don't believe them. I have found through past experience that the Charlotte Observer horoscopes have been accurate for me more times than not. I am hoping to collect these and see what the most "accurate" source is, and I am hoping for the Observer, after all you are supposed to be able to trust anything you read in the paper, right?!? I will also be testing them at different times in the day to see if it's possible that I feel they are correct because it's what I start my day believing? Or something else....
My first two days of collection and I have only been able to get the observer due to time, tomorrow will be different.
"Libra
September 23-October 22
Adverse influences this morning warn against arousing the hostility of an older person. Excitement can lead to tension today. The evening brings many pleasant interruptions, and you take them in stride. Love may provide a surprise, and a wedding date may be set!"
I was with a friend on this day and we had a conversation in which we decided to get married. Obviously and joke, and a little out of context, but interesting wording here. And I didnt read it until after. I give it an accuracy rating of....5.

And today...
Libra
September 23-October 22
The world is in an unsettled state today, but a co-worker can encourage you to have a peaceful outlook. A long-distance call to a relative or close friend can bring happiness. The evening is more relaxed, and love conditions improve.
This is interesting because I am about to go to work where we are having a big inspection tonight, I'm looking for that to be quite crazy. This also makes me wanna go call home. as for this evening.....I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Readings for 1.15.08

I am very much a 2-d artist. It is what I enjoy and what I feel I am good at. 3-d art has always thrown me in many directions.... I may like it or not, I may feel like I can do it, but then bomb in my efforts. Sometimes I understand it, and other times it is just jumble. I am slowly learning to broaden my horizons not only as an artist but as a viewer as well. The deeper that I dig into the world of art, the more I realize that it is indeed just that, a world.
"Scoping an audience": At some point in my artistic career, I want to be able to have an impact on all types of viewers, old, young, rich, poor, people who love art, and people who think it is a waste of time. I never really think about who my audience is going to be when creating something, except for the fact that it will be in a classroom full of peers and a judge. I think that this class will give me the freedom to open up and explore without the worry of wowing just that one particular audience.
"Sourcing Inspiration": This seems to be something that I am always struggling to find, though it just seems so simple. I find inspiration in my everyday life. My sister inspires me to work hard and overcome obstacles, my friend Ashley inspires me to expand myself religiously, and meeting people that have hardships inspire me to commit myself to serve my community more frequently....so why is it so hard for me to find inspiration that seems appropriate for my artwork?!?! I must actively seek different methods, whether they seems sane or not and figure out what drives me and what I want to get across in order to complete a piece of work and be satisfied with its intentions.
"Creating an artistic self": The role of "self". Hmm.... I think it is interesting how we can manipulate ourselves these days, whether it is digitally, cosmetically, or other. I guess I hadn't thought too much about it being conveyed in peoples artwork unless they are physically displaying themselves. It will be interesting for me to see how I change as a person, how often I change and what that changes in my artwork and lifestyle. It would be interesting to see myself develop into an absurdist and create things in 20 years that today I would laugh at. This should be fun...
"Expressing an artistic attitude": I want an attitude, I think it tends to relay something stronger even upon a glance. When reading through all of these pages, I didn't realize that there are so many emotions, motives, methods, etc. involved in art. Do people really go through and think about all of this when they are viewing or making art? It almost seems exhausting. Anyways, back to the point. It's like arguing, if you have an attitude, the point tends to get across a little more noticeably and it is more fun to see :)
"Choosing a mission": What exactly does an artist do these days?!? Sure they paint, take photos, illustrate...but they also paint farm animals and put them back in the fields. I love the fact that it can be considered art. I feel like often times, the hardest part is finding a mission and figuring out where to start. I love photography, so this semester on my own time, my goal is to find a "mission" for myself in this area, that will serve as a collection, and expand my subject matter. But I enjoy the freedom I have as an artist to dabble in anything and an area of life that I want to and be able to bring it back to just art.
"Measuring success": This was interesting for me to read about. Of course I agree that too much success can go to your head. Winning the lottery will make you greedy and you'll probably piss it all away, I get that. However as a student, I hope to be successful more times than not in anything that I do, and it almost seems to me that this book is saying to be less successful is better....interesting theory that I am looking forward to testing out and hopefully proving wrong.

Test

Just testing...

01.09.08

The first day of class and not at all what I was expecting. A studio where you don't physically bring your projects in....weird. I have two completely different feelings about this. One one hand, it is really exciting to have such creative freedom...but on the other, it can be so much simpler to have something specific to do. What if I can't think of anything?!? It's like college, you don't want anyone trying to tell you where to go or what to study. But when you're able to make the decision completely on your own, you don't even know where to start.... and heaven forbid you pick the wrong thing and then wish you would have tried something else. Yikes. I'm just looking forward to really being able to open up creatively and see what I am capable of.