Good morning! (My thoughts on Mel Chin and other such ramblings.)

To start, I am ridiculously excited to see Mel Chin on the 5th, as I thought his work, either practical or philosophical, has made a huge impact on every aspect of society. The thing I want to focus on today though, is the 'Fundred Project'. If all of you reading this had been to basically any art-related class on Wednesday (even Drawing II), then you have heard of this project, so I won't get into those specifics.

From both classes I attended that day where 'Fundred' was presented, I heard that doing this was silly and pointless, because congress was probably going to reject the three-million drawings anyway. Someone I overheard asked, "Why do we have to do a project that elementary school children do?"

While I understand the frustration, I think many people are completely missing the point of this project. This project isn't as simple as point A (drawing pictures) to point B (getting money.) This is about raising awareness, because just think, before this project, did you know that New Orleans has the second highest lead levels in the country? How about the fact that the lead there is four times the allowed levels?

If people know more, people will do more.

Melissa

Shiftspace Gallery

I was very reluctant to attend Final Friday but Mike Miller's "Twisted Rhythm" was worth seeing in the dark. This morning I awoke to snow so the thought of how a piece or sculpture can with stand its environment came to mind. The projection of the video on the piece was not as successful as I thought it would be but it did look a lot better in the dark.

Brady Hitter's "Voyeurs" was probably the most interesting piece to me yet repulsing. Brady took deceased mice and had mechanically arranged them to be having sex in a small bed. I think that he should've put it on some kind of stand or blocked it off cause myself and multiple other people almost stepped on it. He also had a piece where flies would hover over the body of a mouse which had simple mechanics operating it but it just wasn't as disturbing to me but the fact that he used real flies and a mouse was very... unique O.o.

"Otterness Proposal #1 and #2" had the biggest personal impact on me. I don't like the Tom Otterness piece because to be it looks like a chunk of metal in the shape of human waste or in this case of a penis. I liked that the milliped part had backing so that it was more 3D but when a quarter was place in the slot it had a weight which made the milliped-penis move up and down. the angle of the man that it was attached to was at a strange angle that appeared that the penis was being thrusted into your face. I like that this artist has made a statement about how he feels about WSU's purchase and has placed it in WSU's gallery.

Final Friday would have been much more successful if it hadn't been so cold. I would suggest that Miller place "Twisted Rhythm" out again when it gets warmer because I do think it would attract attention. Shiftspace needs a better sign to. Shiftspace is one of the most Northern galleries so I think it has to work harder to get a crowd.

Adrean

Garden of Eden/Final Friday - Emily Ritter

Once upon a time, I went on vacation to Laramie, Wyoming, and on the way there we stopped in Lucas, KS. I had no idea why. What could possibly be in Lucas, KS? Turns out that one of the "8 Wonders of Kansas Art" is there. The Garden of Eden, built by Samuel Dinsmoor, is a magnificent sight.
http://www.garden-of-eden-lucas-kansas.com/
It seemed political, but the statues were interesting. I didn't get a chance to actually go in and look around, but you can see just about everything from outside of the fence that surrounds this place.

Final Friday was a cold one. I really enjoyed Heterotopia (if that is how you spell it). It was nice to see past teachers work. I also really enjoyed Shift Space. My favorite pieces were the flies, the rubber thing that had something poking through it (I don't remember the titles) and the two owl pellets in the tiny bed. I wasn't too impressed with Commerce street.

Final Friday Feb. 2009 -Laura

The first thing that I have to mention about Final Friday this month is that is was freezing. That has nothing to do about art but seriously at one point in time I couldn’t feel my ears or fingers. It was just that cold.
Okay, now on to art topics. This month I went to seven different galleries, The Art of Healing, UpFront Gallery, Prairie Vistas, City Arts, Rock Paper Scissors, Beadazzled, and Mead Street Gallery. At the City Arts Gallery I was blown away but Dale Strattman’s images. There were two that I was slightly confused by and they were both named “Mixer”. One was a photograph of an actual mixer and the other was a photograph of a rearing horse with a plate in front of it. At first when looking at the second image you cannot really understand why it is called “Mixer” but as you continue to look at it more and more and compare it to the other photograph you begin to make a mixer out of the horse and plate. It was a crazy effect which caused me to just stand there and stare at the two images to see if there were any other hidden details. Rock Paper Scissors I wouldn’t really consider an art gallery more like a store, but within that store they had some beautiful glassworks. On a table in the store there were these round, almost snow-globe like object but they all had different colors and objects within them. They were all very beautiful and I was puzzled by how exactly they could have been made. Overall I consider this to be a very successful night even if my fingers and ears almost fell off.

Etsy

This week I wanted to share a link with everyone. For anyone who hasn't been there, you need to check out . This website is "your place to buy and sell all things handmade. I have purchased things from this site in the past, and plan to do so in the future also. They have everything from paintings to music to furniture and everything in between. Everything is also priced very reasonably. I suggest everyone should check it out for a great deal.

-Daniel

ann's blip on "Blow Up"

Hi- Last week in my art history class (art history from 1949 to the present), our class watched Michelangelo Antonioni's movie, "Blow Up". Filmed in 1966 in London, this is a more sinsiter side of swinging London in the the mid-sixties. This was the third time that I saw this movie- the first two times, I did not like it. I did not care for the movie because from a narrative standpoint, I found the protagonist more than just an anti-hero. He was a selfish, unfeeling, conceited sexist jerk; however, watching it in Royce's class, from a purely visual perspective, it is a viewing experience that really sets you thinking after seeing it. We watched it becaue it bridges abstract expressionism with pop art. You can see how both genres, while appearing separate, have some connections. Also, the film asks questions about the artist's ability to control the results of his medium, in this case photography, and what happens when the reality of his medium comes into question. I think it is an important film to see, especially for anyone interested in postmodernism. It is on the TMC network often but it can be viewed via NetFlex as well. If you rent it, you will probably want to see it at least 2 times. Musically interesting is a performance in a club by the Yarbirds back when Roger Daltry (very, very young) is the lead singer and Jeff Beck smashes up his guitar when there is too much feed back from the speakers. You can also catch a young Jimmy Page. The fashion is great and the cinematography is really interesting. If it is your first time seeing this film, you might want to see it with a group of friends and talk about it afterwords. It is very thought provoking and arty. Hope everyone has a great weekend- ann

Down at the Vagabond.....

On my final friday trip one of the places that i stopped at was the vagabond. I never had been to this place before so i didnt know what to expect. On the walls were paintings and they had one theme in common, very cool colors. Most of these paintings were done in either a blue or green color, more blue than anything. I hope to return there soon for a good cup of coffee someday.

RJ Carlino

Google is awesome!

So I was surfing the web and came across this Art Exhibition, which was just recently up for viewing in Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, October 11, 2008–January 18, 2009. Also in High Museum of Art, Atlanta, May 23–August 16, 2009. When I went to the site I noticed that the pieces related to some of the lessons we are learning in class. For example one piece I believe it is called "Hercules Fighting the Fury and the Discord" the artist uses many different line marks to create the figures, such as cross-hatching,straight lines, implied lines, contour lines and more. Another pieces relates to our lesson on color. The piece is called "Soviet/American Array III", 1988. The piece looks like it is composed of different photographs that have been altered in color. The artist places the photographs in a way that balances the composition. To see the pictures I am describing go to http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pimage?53771+0+0 for the first picture then go to http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2007/rauschenberg/rauschenberginfo_fs.shtm for the second picture.

~Lyndsey Coker

Collaborative, public and environmental/social fiberart

Well, I was reading through one of my online newsletters and came across this little gem! The home page has tabs to click in order to view submissions to date, more info about the history of the group and their projects. I believe this fits in very nicely with our exercise of drawing with unconventional materials. It is also a very effective collaborative project. I'm asking myself what I might produce and contribute by the March deadline. To look at what I'm talking about go to
http://www.internationalfibercollaborative.com

And,I hope to get to at least one venue tonight! Margaret R.

Final Friday

Hi All,

Please make sure to check out some of the very exciting stuff going on this Final Friday.

First, there will be a kinetic sculpture exhibit at Shift Space. I consider this a must see.

Also a must see is the "For Example" group exhibit at Heterotopia at 1714 E Douglas.

Please contribute more info if you know about any other shows.

MMM

Okay. Time to play catch-up.

Rather than doing a discussion on a movie or specific artist, I'm going to talk about the art events that I have attended but failed to mention. So.. here we go.

First off, Final Friday back in January. I only took a peek at Commerce Street, but it definitely was enough to inspire me. While a lot of the exhibits featured many of the same pieces from previous months, a few brought in some new work. Fisch Haus has always been one of my favorite places to visit. From $1 sales to contemporary vision, it wasn't surprising to see the laser lights and hear the interesting sounds coming from inside. It definitely left me feeling out of myself. Probably not the best state of mind to drive in, but I think it was worth it.

Second, there was the Art History talk. While I was unable to be there the entire time (I was on duty for that very event back at the Ulrich), I was able to get a good portion of the lectures. It's interesting ot see the side projects that our professors are working on. It's a lot easy to learn from someone who has a passion for what they teach, and their passion really came out during the talk.

Finally, I attended Mike's Twisted Rhythm opening. His speech was very simple and sincere, much like his pieces. I truly enjoy his work; despite their simple structure, his pieces all draw in the audience to view and interact with the piece from all sides. It's not easy to draw in the viewer like that.

-Aerica Van Dorn

Diane Lincoln

I attended a faculty artist talk by Diane Lincoln. Diane seems to have an interesting perspective and approach to her involvement in art. I think it is good that she likes to get involved in the community and helping other people.

Jordon May

Myspace for Art

So, I was playing around on Google and came across this "gem." myartspace.com. It is like myspace, but for art. I think it is slightly funny, but a great idea for artists to get out there. So, after I found this website, I started searching for pieces I enjoy. Here are a few of them.
http://www.myartspace.com/viewer/picture/?pictureid=g3gzi0ng2a56klc1 - "Cat on a hot car roof" I enjoy this piece because it is simple, and probably because I really like cats. I also enjoy the silhouette that has a 3D effect to it.
http://www.myartspace.com/viewer/picture/?pictureid=8jwkungoga4sx5w1 - "Retired Mermaid" This piece has a flowy, under water, bubbly feel to it, which I like. You never really think of mermaids aging, so it is interesting to see someone playing with that idea.
http://www.myartspace.com/viewer/picture/?pictureid=4sz10qhlya547rl1 - "Self Portrait of Other People" I like this piece because it meshes different faces into one, and also has the grid pattern to keep it all slightly neat and tidy.

I suggest playing around, or even signing up. Could be fun.

-EMily Ritter

Iosif Hatzikyriakos Art Exhibition

I originally wanted to post something up that i found extremely interesting but I could not find it, so I came across this artist and I found his art amazing. His use of line, how he uses multiple line marks the show the body's form. Also, He shaped the body in an interesting way, which creates and great compoistion. Iosif Hatzikyriakos has won the Marc De Montalambert prize in 2004 and he exhibited his work at the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005,honoring the Academy of Arts of Venice. To see the art piece I have mentioned visit. http://www.cyprusevents.net/events/iosif-hatzikyriakos-art-exhibition-2008/

Lyndsey Coker

A few things

During this past week, I attended several different artist events and would like to talk about each one for a little bit.

First: Last Friday, I went to Shift Space to watch the Big Animal. I actually found this Polish movie quite entertaining and humorous. The humor was definitely different from American humor. It was more subtle, rather than something along the lines of South Park. I look forward to going to these more often.

Next: I went to Mike Miller's Twisted Rhythm talk. I found it interesting about where he said he got his inspiration from. He said that he saw waves everywhere, and wanted to somehow put that into his work. He said that sometimes he fears that his work is so simple, that sometimes he doesn't think he can consider it art. He also talked about how his art doesn't follow the "trends" that a lot of art does. Miller said that his art tries to go beyond that, into a subconscious level.

Finally: I attended Diane Lincoln's talk at the Ulrich Museum. I thought it was interesting to see someone so involved with different churches. Coming from a large Catholic background, I found the familiar images not only comforting, but also very beautiful.


-Daniel Rogers

I found an artist by the name of Lune Bleu on www.deviantart.com. I like to browse deviantart occasionally to see what artists are creating whether they are amatuers or professionals. This particular artist really caught my eye because she uses multiple medias. She uses live models and photographs them later adding them into a background that is digitally (photoshop) created. Her art is very expressive and conceptual. A lot of her colors are saturated which allow for a close emotional relation to the pieces. She does an excellent job of capturing a mood in her work and also makes sure that the background interacts with the model and it's not just negative space. I have a hard time using the entire page and this artist inspires me to think outside the box. She also is a make up artist. I think a lot of people don't consider hair stylist and make up artist to be.. artists. Many women get up every morning to put on make up and don't realize that they are painting and shading. Skin is almost a canvas in this sense.. just a thought.

This is probably one of my favorites of hers:
http://lunebleu.deviantart.com/art/Ashes-of-yesterday-82753097
It has really good movement and I like the saturation of everything excluding the dress which really catches my eye... so I wonder back and forth in the ruffles of her dress. The models facial expression fits the atmosphere well too.. -Adrean

Richard Linklater

Well, bust my buttons! I have seen so many of his films and did not bother to notice who they were diredted by! Probably too current! OLD Margaret

Waking Life, an animated film

Hi. Margaret again. I watched a great animated film the other evening on DVD. The name of it is Waking Life. Of course it has to do with dreaming. is the story ofa young man experiencing a series of philosophical discussions and conversations, all the while not sure whether he is awake or dreaming. There is so much in it I will have to watch it again. I wanted to comment on it here in re to the animation though. I am not a big fan of animated films and usually attend based on the subject matter. This film uses the style of or something similar to the mixed photography layered with drawing and coloration. There is additional movement created by the frames being misaligned, perhaps on purpose, that I found entertaining and engaging. The real-time or slower pace of the animation makes it possible to enjoy the artwork in the frames, many of which stand alone as drawings. Waking Life was directed by Richard Linklater. his name rings a distant bell so I will now sign off and google his name and films.

Fractured Atlas

Hello fellow drawing bloggers. My entry for the week is to invite you to visit the Fractured Atlas website. It is an organization made up of thousands of artists and art groups from around the world. From time to time I have visited the blog they post and have found interesting info like how the arts are faring in our poor economy and other policical/legal issues impacting the arts. The address is http://www.fracturedatlas.org
Now I will see what all y'all have been posting. Margaret Raymond

Late Response - Emily Ritter

What I got from the Letters to a Young Artist is that you shouldn't let money and stress overwhelm you, your studio is your sanctuary, and to just do what you want. Some of the letters were hard to read, while others contained either humor or extreme seriousness. I enjoyed the humorous ones more.

Now for the post for this week.
One artist whose work intrigued me is Miriam Brumer. http://www.neoimages.net/artistportfolio.aspx?pid=572 and http://www.neoimages.net/artistportfolio.aspx?pid=1246.
I love the way she uses line and color to create these pieces that remind me of creatures, plants, veins, or amoebas. One of my favorite paintings of hers is Duo. You have these two creatures created by line and color interacting with one another. To me, it looks like the figure on the left is bowing down to the figure on the right.

The Art of Past, Present and Futrue

Last night I heard all our art history prof.s, Fritz, Annette, and Royce, talk about some of their specific areas of research and expertise. Each talk was so different. Fritz talked about his recent efforts to preserve, conserve and basically remarket the museum at an archaelogical dig at a Panhellanic sanctuary site in Isthmia, Greece, Annette talked about her latest research for her book about husband and wife portraits by Northern Renaissance painter Joos van Cleves, and Royce talked about the "Supersizing" of contemporary art festivals and biennuals. Obviously, these were widely different subjects and eras, but one thing I thought about afterwards was how the first two topics, while dealing with the past are involved with putting the past into the present. Both professors rely on modern technologies to help with their research and preserve their findings and bring them to the present world's attention. On the other hand, Royce reviews contemporary art activities, but his recordings will become primary sources for research in the future. His documentations of these mega-festivals also show that the clash between the established art museum/exhibition comittees and the people making art hasn't changed much. The Dadaists throwing excrement from trees at the established art intellegencia, the furror over the first Impressionist Exhibitions in Paris and later in London, and the Guerilla Girls protest posters all strike a similar chord with the graffetti artists of the recent Sao Paulo Biennual in Royce's presentation. The committe for this exhibition grossly mismanaged the funding for the event and as a reseult, the entire second floor was a huge empty space. As a spin, the committee announced that this area was a meditation space (it was HUGE) and that the public was encouraged to add their own form of activity to this space. Several graffetti artists came in, painted, and are now facing jail time for complying with the committee's suggestion. Anyway, this all just shows how the past, present and future are all interconnected and will always be so. For me, if the world was perfect, I would take an art history class everyday of my life. I love it all and find it fascinating.

Diane Lincoln's talk

Today i attended a talk by Diane Lincoln. She talked about her previous work and it mainly focused on nature and religion. Graduating from Bishop Carroll, i understand the importance of art in churches. It is good to know that someone takes a great interest in restoring sculptures and other parts of the church. Most of the altars that i saw today were refurbished beautifully. It would be cool however to see those in person

RJ Carlino

I attended the Opening Reception for Mike Miller's Installation piece Twisted Rhythm. The art was on display in all its glory. Mike gave a quick presentation about why he makes art. It was obvious that he cares very deeply about the art that he makes and is very intuitive as an artist. I don' t think that he liked to speak in front of crowds and it seemed that he was very uncomfortable to do so. Overall it was good to hear about why he makes art and I good relate to his desire to make simple art that activates the subconscious mind.

Jordon May

The most interesting return letter I found withint the packet was from an artist by the name of Sol. "Try to tickle something inside you, your 'weird humor"." I have often found that the more risky I am with my work the better it has turned out. Sometimes when I think a piece that I am drawing is demented or a bit crude people end up loving it. As far as not living near a major art center... I'm not so worried cause I think that if I did live in a larger city I would be distracted. Kansas has enough activity for me. Also, I have noticed that there is a lot of response as far as finances. The term "the starving artist" didn't come from no where.
The movie "The Big Animal" at Shiftspace gallery last night was pretty interesting. I never thought I would watch a movie about a camel.. but it was kind of funny to see how attached this man has grown to his camel. Still confused about what happened with the camel though. _Adrean

I would also have to agree with Aerica that it did confirm a lot of fears but even in the letters it says art has to be done for the love, not the money.

Letters to a Young Artist

One of the responses from this packet that stood out to me the most came from Cai Guo-Qiang. In this response he talked about how he had to restart three times as a "young artist." He talks about how he had to do different things to make money, and that it wasn't always what he wanted to do. From forging reciepts to get reimbursements, to selling popular Chinese landscape paintings to those who were interested in Chinese culture, he did what was necessary to continue on.

What really stood out to me was the following line:"Whether you are are working in a restaurant, washing dishes, painting portraits on the street for money, or showing in some gallery in order to sell is not so important. These are means to make a living. As long as you have a goal and find your path to reach this goal artisically, maintain your creative power-- not losing confidence along the way--these are the real points. And perhaps making a living with paintings keeps you closer to your materials and aspirations?"

He says that the most important thing is the quality of your own work. I completely agree with this. While he did things to make money, he still focused on his own art. I think this is something for everyone to keep in mind.

-Daniel Rogers

Response to Young Artist Responses

As I read through all of the feedback the young artist recieved I found a common response. Don't make art to be rich: do it because you have to make art. Also that as we grow as artists and as people we need to push out limits and make mistakes. This is how we grow as human beings and also as art makers. When we continue pushing that is when we become recognized and it may take years of doing so. Some of the responses were very blunt a sort of, "this is life, kid" and others seemed to be more encouraging such as, "We all have been through it. We made it, and so can you." I enjoy the latter of the responses even as a student who hasn't begun his professional career. I need that positive feed back to keep me going.

I also believe that these letters and published responses are the very thing that will jump start this young artists career.

Michael K. Davenport

Letters to a Young Artist

Letters to a Young Artist
I read this article and reread it. There is so much in it! I decided to look at the definitions of art and artist that were put forth. Mierle Landerman Ukeles called art the articulation of human freedom and Joan Jonas called art communication. John Baldessari defined an artist as talent plus obsession. Lawrence Weiner made reference to art as being an unnecessary product. I suppose he meant that pictures and objects without obvious and intended utility are what art is. I do not agree with that altogether. Yes, in hard times people save their money for bare necessities like food and shelter and are probably not likely to spend money on drawings or paintings or other types of things they can do without. But this is a narrow view. What about public art that is all around us in the form of architecture, sculpture, murals and such? People do not have to purchase it in order to enjoy or communicate with it. Then there is Richard Tuttle's letter. He recognizes Tiffany as an artist and his product as art. Surely lamps and windows of stained glass serve a simple purpose in addition to being "creations". My preference is to take the broader views of Gregory Amenoff, Jo Baer, Jimmy Durham, M.L. Ukeles, and Joan Jonas. They tend to define the "art world" as much more that galleries and allow artists to define themselves rather than holding strictly to the idea that art is only a commodity and a luxury. To artists, for me these are creative and talented people, art is a necessity. It is necessary for me to experience art as both creator and viewer/consumer. It would take me a long time to explain how crucially it is linked to my whole being. To me even the way food is presented on a plate can impact my life. So, art gets defined and broken into categories. It may be easier to discuss art within these limitations and yet when one type of art is separated from the rest something is lost. To me it is more about the process of creation and what goes into it and comes out of it. Curiosity and diversity are important things to remember if the "art world", along with all its members, is to be better understood.
--Margaret

Letter To A Young Artist: Big Cities

I've always been fairly concerned with getting out into the big world. Sure, there are the connections and the constant involvement, but it's really big. A lot bigger than anything I've experienced here. There are thousands more people with even more diverse opinions and biases I could even imagine. Thus, it was pretty interesting to see what the letters had to say about the biggest city, or the Big Apple. While their words were still a little discouraging, it did bring some new hope. It also pushed that ever-constant theme that success in art involves a lot luck, (something I don't have much of). Still, the letters confirmed some fears I had, thus making them more like obstacles instead of scary monsters. I guess the next step is just to win the lottery and go live as some revered recluse in the Andes. It'll be great.

-Aerica Van Dorn

Free Film Friday!!!!

Nothing to do tonight?  

Come to Free Film Friday at Shift Space.  It is located in Old Town, 803 East Third Street.

I am hosting it.  We are showing Duze Zwierze (The Big Animal)

It counts toward your 6 art events that you need to attend during the semester.

Starts promptly at 7 pm, bring a chair!!!!!!!!!

MMM

An Older Beginner's Take on Letters to a Young Artist

First of all, I think all the responses from established artists to the young artist shows how wonderul and encouraging artists are. We see it in our block in the way everyone shares supplies if someone forgot something and in the constructive way we try to critique each other's work. I really liked the comment in the second letter that talks about how the importance of integtrity plus freedom of thought is so important and that you may be viewed as difficult and uncooperative for chosing integrity over commercial success. Gregory Amenoff's advice is really great- Artists Drive the Bus- the entire enterprise of the art world is built on the one creative purpose that occurs in the studio. I think everything he suggests is really practical and helpful and a good touchstone for those rough moments of disappointment or discouragement all creative people encounter from time to time. Also WPL's adivce about enjoying your hateful day job being invaluable to one's life experience and creativity makes sense. Also important was the comment, "We artists deserve the art world we create." Mierle Laderman Ukeles' letter was full of good observations, but I think the comment. "Believe in yourself and work your ass off.'' is something to remember everyday. Finally, I think it's great to remember the letter after Jo Baer (I can't quite make out the signature) where the final sentence says, "Art is not about making sense but of determining meaning." It was interesting too to see how many responses were hand written.

Response to John Baldessari's letter

Out of all the letters that I read this one to me spoke the most about why I am in this program here at Wichita State. I want to run my own web site design firm someday and that is something i find fun to do, build websites. This letter says that if you love art, do it even though you can't make a living off of it. If you love it so much and are into it, you can make a living off of it.

RJ Carlino

I never understood how hard abstract artwork was until I tried it. People often say things like my kid could draw that, or how is that art? I think a lot of this is tied to the work ethic in our country, especially here in the mid west. Viewers can see the hard work when they look at a realistic or photo realistic pieces, they don't understand the amount of work that goes into the concepts ideas behind the abstract works. Artists communicate but we all seem to speak in our own language.
-Bryan Reynolds

My thoughts on a letter to a young artist...

One of the letters written to "a young artist" that I responded the most to was John Baldessari's. I appreciated the fact that the letter was direct and made an excellent point. Mr. Baldessari didn't feel the need to flower his writing with pretensions and he conveys a lot of wisdom with his words. I agree with him on the purpose of becoming an artist and I can relate to the idea of having to work a job or jobs to pay your bills, yet still pursuing the things that you like and achieving success artistically.

 Jordon May 

http://members.tripod.com/~multiple_monsters/timburton.html
http://www.animationartgallery.com/anightmare.html
This weekend I am going to see "Coraline" which was created by Tim Burton. I thought came to mind that Tim Burton is a well developed artist. Not only does he have skill on paper but he has managed to to bring his drawings to life on the screen. I've always consider clay-mation very interesting in the fact that each scene is created by a slight movement in the figure. He combines sketches, drawings, sculptures, and cameras to produce his movies.
It also amazes me at the success fo his films. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is still a well known movie. I'm curious as to how successful "Coraline" is since it is already nominated for multiple awards. I just love the creativity of Burton and how imaginative his characters and plot lines are. Just looking him up the value of a tiny drawing is worth hundreds. _Adrean
http://www.timburtoncollective.com/articles/misc36.html

Curators and Art Collectors.

The Ulrich very recently had a special guest come in and speak with some of their high-end donors; I was lucky enough to sit in with them. The speaker was an art collector and commissioner from Kansas City who had a lot of experience with the dealing of art. Oddly enough, most people of her profession work as both gallery operators and merchants. Much like a car dealership, they put their best material out on display for people to look around and "test drive". As she had said, the main focus of her career was to find new and emerging artists before they reached fame. By doing this, she could not only contribute to their growing fame and gain reputation for herself, but also obtain some of their artwork for a cheaper price. Her role in the economy of the art world became very apparent.
The audience itself was also very interesting. As the slide show continued displaying multiple galleries and works of art that she had contributed to, some of the patrons of the Ulrich commented and even named the artists before she even spoke. Some, however, simply appreciated the stimulus of the images. For some strange reason, I felt extremely out of myself. Suddenly I was in the direct vicinity of the very people who actually spent $500-$5000 on a single piece of artwork--something I could never even dream of doing. It became very clear to me that the lifestyle of an artist was maintained primarily by these patrons, and it was almost necessary to be in close contact with an art dealer in order to survive. The life of an artist is part vision, part skill, and a good deal of personal advertisement.
-Aerica Van Dorn

Back Track - Emily Ritter

I was disappointed with January's Final Friday. Only one exhibit stick out in my mind, and it is the BFA exhibit that was next to the Donut Whole. I thought it was interesting what they did with the ties and collars from shirts. The Go Away Garage (I think it was, I don't really remember) just gave me a headache. All the flashing lights and mirrors reflecting the light. It made sense, but was irritating. From what I got from the show was that it was about noise, but in a different way then people usually think. Noise in the form of sight, lights, and reflections. 

I'm not sure if this counts as art or anything related to our class, but one website and ongoing project that I have been really into the last few years is Post Secret. http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

People create these really interesting postcards with their secrets on them, and mail them in. 

That is all.

Final Friday: January

As Jordon mentioned earlier, we both went to the Wichita Art Museum on Final Friday. Unfortunately, I was on a break from work and couldn't attend more events. Once we got to the museum, I noticed that crowd was older than what I normally see at Final Friday. There was a wine bar and a man playing guitar. When we began looking around at the museum, I was a little disappointed seeing the same things I saw when I went a few months ago. One of the only things what was different was the Frida Kahlo exhibit. I honestly was confused by the whole exhibit, and I can't say I really liked it. The most interesting part for me was the interACTIVE exhibit, featuring works from Christopher Gulick, Tom McGuire and Lee Shiney. I also found the Realistic Pluralism: The Art of Nicholas Trabue exhibit interesting. It was an exhibit that mixed geometric forms with organic human forms. Overall, I wish I could have attended more events that night, but because of scheduling conflicts, I could only make one.

-Daniel Rogers-

Featured artist: Balaa @ DA

I love showing people some of my favorite artists, so this time(since I'm out of ideas) I'll talk to you about one of my favorite online artists.

Her online username is Balaa, and she posts her work over at deviantart. She mostly draws animals, which is my favorite type of art to view, in a cartoony style. Even though she draws cartoons, the detail she puts into them is just amazing. You can definitely tell she spends hours on her peices. Most of the work she posts is digital, but sometimes you can't even tell! Her backgrounds always make me wonder: digital or painting? They are just that good.

She does a really cartoon look and one that can almost be compared to realistic. In her peice Ice Majesty, there are no lines bordering the critters, as in real life. The fur is extreamly well rendered and you almost want to pet the big kitties. The background slowly fades to a blur.
And then we have her cartoon style. Which you can see in Aurora Of Grace. The fox clearly has lines , over sized ears, simplified features, and eyes with human expression. Both peices still show Balaa's strong points, which I believe are her backgrounds and the shading .

All in all, Balaa is a great artist everyone should give a few minutes time on. Even though most are cartoons, one can appreciate the detailed backgrounds, and the life she gives to her characters. Balaa works long hours on her works(she has stated this in some of her peices!) and deserves a few page veiws.

~Brooke "Ochiba" Edwards
www.ochiba.deviantart.com

Funhouse Ride, 2007, handmade felt, fused fiber, stitching, beads

Sidewalk, 2006, handmade felt

Hi everyone! I want to share links to the art galleries of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. I have been a member of this org since 2006 and have attended the last three conferences. I had a piece (see above) in each of the 06 and 07 shows. I have also "attended" the 06 and 07 psiber dreaming conferences. These folks are so talented, smart, active and concerned with the world! If you are interested, go to the home page and check out everything you care to. It is

http://www.asdreams.org/

The galleries are found by clicking on the ABOUT DREAMS tab or at the following links:

http://www.asdreams.org/subidxshowart.html

http://www.asdreams.org/idx_psiberdreaming.htm

I noticed that one of the artists featured in our text on journal keeping records his dreams and makes art to go with them. I keep a dream journal that includes sketches and maps of some of my dreams. Does anyone else keep a dream journal or make art based on dreaming?

Margaret Raymond

A squared house

I was browsing through the notcot site and one thing that stood out for me was this picture of a squared house. I was amazed to see that the only angles that stood out was the 90 degree ones. Here is the picture for a better look.

http://www.noticiasarquitectura.info/especiales/casa-en-mallorca-siza.htm

RJ Carlino

Falculty Lecture Series at the Ulrich

Today I heard Ron Christ and our very own Monika Meler speak a little bit about their art and their approach to creating it at the noon time lecture at the Ulrich. Ron talked a bit about how he's evolved to making the art he does now and showed works ranging from his days as a graduate student in 1974 to his most recent paintings (2 currently on display in the Ulrich). He talked about his work now being a dance and collision between abstraction and realism. He showed paintings from 1976, still lifes, that were mostly formal but by 1981, he was painting thematic still lifes where objects began to represent other things. One of the most interesting things, I thought, he said was that in 1986 he spent a year experimenting and spent the year only drawing. During this time he developed a style he calls, "noodling" which are little curlicue lines he makes that suggest complexity, and he began to explore allusions that were outside the pictoral. He also mentioned that unlike Jim Dine, he was a "planner". He has a definite preconceived image in his head before he starts his work. One way he decides when his work is complete is by hanging his painting upside down in a mirror and examining it.

Monika also had an interesting presentation. In addition to learning that she had a highly developed sense of fashion at an early age (you had to have been there), I learned a bit about the print making process, and her own special way of making what she calls diffused relief prints.
She cuts patterns out of mattboard and then lays very soft handmade paper over it. Then she applies uneven pressure while creating the images. The results are beautiful and intriguing textures and ghost images. I like that she does many unconventional things inher print making including printing on both sides of the paper, pressing so hard that she tears the paper in places and even prints light on top of dark. Her images are more about mental space rather than the external which I found really interesting. I guess I have always viewed prints as external spaces and she has opened a new way of thinking and viewing this artistic medium for me. Some of her works are also on display at the Ulrich if you haven't had to chance to check them out.

Final Friday

On Final Friday Dan and myself went to the Wichita Museum of Art for a free chance to view some art. The museum was featuring an exhibition of photos of Freda Kahlo, a famous artist. Alot of people think that Freda is beautiful, but I think that she looks very manly and the images didnt really capture my attention. I did see an interactive sculpture that was really neat. I cant remember the artists name, it was Tom something or another, but the sculpture had several percussive objects that built into a metal frame. The objects were all struck by little mallets that were attached to triggers that were programmed to play melodies. I was very entertained and appreciated this piece of art.

Jordon May