I am participating in a show at the Slusser Gallery. The piece is titled "Le Bain." It depicts the functionality of a woman. As she ages she becomes the agent rather than the participant. Her life absorbs more purpose. The tools symbolize her responsibilities. The porcelain tub is her youth. This piece is an etching with acrylic on steel. The show will run from March 7-28 2008 with the opening reception on the 7th from 6-9:00pm.
I finished the piece, it is titled "Mama's Little Boy". I let the steel sit in the etching solution for almost an entire day. It is a challenge to work with portraits on steel, because the metal curbs the organicness of the figure. Since I am working with etching solution, there is a sence of unpredictability. I actually enjoy this aspect because I am forced to conform to the piece rather than the other way around. Saying this, a viewer must accept that there will be flaws in my pieces and some might not be able to do that. My work is meant to be humble and simply tell a story. I am not a grandoise person, therefore my art will never be. They are simply observations from my point of view in life.
The trickiest thing about creating this particular piece was dealing with the black and white. The problem came when I was picking colors for the stain of the wood. At first I went with a "storm gray" but combined with the wood it almost seemed green to me. I did not want the frame to take any precedence over the piece, so choosing an accent color was out of the question. After much stress, I decided on a cool blue, which I am still unsure about. I figure the blue speaks appropriatly to a little boy, so that alone let me rest.
First I determine what it is I walk to talk about in a piece. In this particular piece I have decided to discuss being a mother. An idea for a piece first starts with a photograph. Sometimes I go out and take a roll of film with the intention of collaborating the images in a design to create new work. I had this photo of my son from over the summer, and I just think it is such a perfect capture of him. He is communicating with me through his eyes and he is so very happy. Of course I had a good deal of negative space to deal with once I place him at the very left side of the composition. I needed an element that was appropriate for the feeling the piece encompassed, but also it needed to be something that would float the eye around. I chose the bubbles for exactly this purpose. The piece is simple and hopefully speaks for itself. It is about childhood and innocence. After I created this design I laid it out on steel and it is etching as we speak. I think I am going to keep the final product black and white, because for one I have not done a black and white piece, but for two I believe its subtleties will preserve the elegance I wish to resonate. We'll see..
I am full of thoughts this morning; aching to write as I make my coffee. I was thinking about Christmas and family controversy. Issues thrive whether there is a holiday or not, but I think it is interesting how those issues are less tameable around Christmas. Anyway, that really is not what I wanted to talk about. What I was thinking about was what someone told me this past week. I was sitting in on a conversation about someone who is claimed to be a selfish person. The conversation was concluded with the comment, "She should think of someone other than herself. She should try giving to others and she would not be so selfish." I have been thinking about that comment for the past few days. I think that comment is very true. We can remove ourselves out of our head by giving. This liberation from inner-thought could surely be a concoction for happiness. The problem with this ideal advice is that not everyone has the ability to give.
What if a key element to being happy was to give to others? How many of us are excluded from this cure? If someone is constantly consumed with making ends meet, how are they possibly expected to give to others? When people are in survival mode, stretching to make ends meet, they are stricken with selfishness. Can you blame them? I think it is also very easy for this comment to be declared if the person declaring has never struggled.
Giving is more than handing a concrete object to someone else. It is the feeling of contributing to the whole idea, making a difference. Having the ability to give is a result of fortune. More than anything the act of giving shows the existence of choice. When someone gives they had the opportunity to choose. It all comes down to free will and having the ability to utilize it. As an individual if forced to battle through the everyday, they are unable to employ free will. This disadvantage inevitability hinders happiness.
I went in the Apple store this past weekend. I have never seen a retail store actually shine from the outside. As I slowly wandered (and drooled) around in awe of the macs, I felt as if I was at Olympus resting at the feet of deities. With each step I took in the luminous environment, the idols became larger and larger until I found myself fiddling with 24 inch iMac. I have a G5 at home and I remember thinking I had it made when I bought it roughly four years ago. Now I feel like I should be squinting as I type this.
There is so much to know, so many devices and programs out there. How am I suppose to get my hands on them? I am a student, a mother, an artist and an office manager. How can I afford to keep up with the Joneses, or should I say Jobses. I suppose a good way of looking at it is that new technology can only take us so far and individual creativity takes us the rest of the way. It sure would be nice to have both though.
Our focus throughout this semester has been the impact of technology on all different aspects of our lives. I have customized my approach to these repercussions to analyze the artistic world. My investigation has probed art's place on the Internet. It is amazing to think about art in its most primitive sense. Try to imagine Durer carving crevasses in wood blocks to create his masterpieces, or Michelangelo chipping away at his stone. Artwork exemplified patience and dedication during the time of these two geniuses. Being an artist can certainly still require these traits, but our processes have surely sped up. Not only did the execution of a piece become more timely, but the artist's message can now reach millions through the World Wide Web.
For an artist to communicate efficiently they must think of a consistent way to group their work for a website. The artist's own personal style and technique should resonate through the site. Unlike artwork, however, the website needs to be clear and understandable even if the work is not. The conversion time of a visitor opening a page and deciding whether to enter or leave is rapid. The site must be enticing and easily applicable. The present day visitor has no time to waste. The unfortunate truth of the matter is when it comes to the web, there are millions of other voices trying to be heard and a message can easily be muted.
I have created this brief video to show the basic fundamentals to creating a website. The journey begins with the idea, the epiphany. The concept must make it to paper where all thoughts and travel are mapped out. Correct copy must be written for the site, because text is everything. The description should be simple, direct, original and plentiful. Images are suggested, but they must also be modest and careful. It can be very difficult for anyone who is artist to abide by the rules of the web. The Internet is governed by code and is very precise. All text, images and design is constructed by this code. Once everything is as it should be, the website can be published for all to view. A website should never be thought of as "complete". As Michelangelo dedicated his life to his creations, the web designer always needs to analyze and reconstruct.
“When I say artist I mean the man who is building things -- creating molding the earth -- whether it be the plains of the west -- or the iron ore of Penn. It's all a big game of construction -- some with a brush -- some with a shovel -- some choose a pen.” -Jackson Pollock
