i've been productive lately

Give me all the abstracted landscapes...

My favorite part about Jane Lewis' paintings is the intentional and sparing use expressive color, paired with various grays, and lowly saturated tones. I'm also very fond of the gestural brushwork.
JANE LEWIS

"Beach I," Oil on canvas, 31.5 in x 31.5 in.

fits and starts

This week I thought a little bit more about the potential winter quilting project (that, of course, knowing me, is likely to never happen haha). When surfing YouTube for tutorial videos on how to quilt, I ran across this video which describes a little bit about traditional English hexagon patchwork. After watching that video I thought, hmmmb, perhaps I could draw up a pattern for myself on paper, cut out the shapes, and then sew the fabric around the paper - just like one would if composing a traditional hexagon quilt? Who knows, it might work, or it seems like it would? The paper template idea makes a lot of sense in terms of composing the damn thing - mostly because the shapes are not at all regular ones. All that is angular is good here because I know that round is hard to sew.

more

I've been reading/watching tutorials on quilting and it makes me want to quilt one of the microtexture compositions. It would be challenging, but naturally I'd be pumped about it. Over winter break my main project is to cleaning up the sides of the round paintings and get them to a point where they'll be ready to hang. I will be entering them into the student show in January. Too bad they wont be varnished by then :(

This guy = inspiration:

IAN HUNDLEY

Apparently, about a year ago, there was a fiber arts exhibition at ISU which he was a part of. I missed it, ugh.

none

Painting last night was wonderful. I like to paint at night when there aren't any distractions. I can't wait to paint tomorrow.

Mike Glier

April 27, 2008: Wall St, New York, New York, 59°F

MIKE GLIER - ALONG A LINE

a series of paintings he did from four regions which fall on either side of 74°00W line of longitude.

How inspiring.

Sean McNulty; fractals

SEAN MCNULTY - EXTRA LARGE PAINTINGS

This guy does some really interesting work.

These abstract lanscapes that McNulty paints look like aerial images to me, and that's probably what they are inspired by if I had to guess. Sure, I certainly find aerial images to be interesting as well, but really only in their relation to microscopic rock textures. A lot of it has to do with the fact that it reminds me of fractals - no matter how far or close you are zoomed in or out, the image is seems to be repeated. It looks so similar that it seems uncanny. Last year, Vincent and I watched this video from the library about fractals and it nearly blew my mind. Goddamn, I love science. Learning about the repetition in coastlines really tied some things together inside my brain. I mean, of course I find everything to be significant haha.

This is a simplified explanation of what I've mentioned poorly:
APPLICATIONS OF FRACTALS

gah, dilemma

I would really like to go to the university of New Mexico in Albuquerque because I think that New Mexico would be inspirational to my work with all of the mountains, monoliths, rocks, and etc. around. I would enjoy painting landscapes for a while.

briefly

Productivity feels good. Last night Vincent and I went to figure drawing and it was great. I'm not great at drawing but I felt free and so it was fun.

I wish I were prolific like this guy:

RUI SOUSA
I think I like this dude's style because it reminds me of how I draw humans when they come from my imagination. Perhaps this guy and I physically look similar to one another. Well, I just think he's a badass, that's all. Check it.

bon idée

Maybe I should paint junk - a visual capture of the shit that people collect, don't need, and just throw away, or let sit around.

it's love

I am looking forward to painting tomorrow morning. It's frequently the last and first thing on my mind each day.

ANNE STAHL

Lately I've been looking at a lot of different artists, mostly contemporary artists, just to see what people are doing and are interested in. More so though, and in particular, I've been looking for artists whose work is similar, or maybe runs parallel to my own work. Most of what I've been looking at lately have been abstract paintings - specifically, paintings that artists are considering to be abstracted landscapes.

FRACTAL by ANNE STAHL

Of course fractals are interesting! I think that's why people are making paintings inspired by aerial images. These paintings she did were made nearly 10 years ago.

Good stuff.

BEAUTIFUL!

A Phytoplankton Bloom off Namibia

Satellite Images of Marine Phytoplankton Blooms

Yep, when I was a little kid, one thing I obsessed over was collecting rocks. I wanted to be a scientist of sorts (geologist or biologist). I still swear that if I could focus the left part of my brain a little better, I'd conduct scientific research. Alas, I can only truly stay focused on art related activities, therefore, I just make friends with scientists (they're the best company for me, anyway). Geology, in specific, is so inspiring.

A mystery person fixed my bike chain! Hmm, was it you?

ALEX EBEN MEYER

illustrations, sketches, sketch blog - good stuff.

I'm thinking about doing still lifes again in advanced painting. Still lifes are fun because I'm a control freak. I want to find things in dumpsters and in junk yards. I want to paint interiors and exteriors, lamps, couches, ceiling fans, etc. If I felt like collaging on depicted lampshades, or on the sides of painted buildings, then I would do that too.

a couple links

MEDIA BOOKMARKING

inspiration

COLOUR LOVERS

palettes and patterns (you can find me @ ugly_mouth)

lunch break

lately

Saturday we went to a junkyard in Bowling Green, Ohio so that my boyfriend Craig's band (The Fight Within) could get promotional pictures taken. Being there was rather inspirational for me. I thought about composing sculptures made of junk so that I could have something interesting to paint (I like to paint/draw still-life, I think that it might be what I like to do the most). This would be me exercising another level of creative control over my work, haha.

*I want to note that the junkyard owner is a drunkard with a thyroid problem (we think). The dude reminded me of the farmer who gets possessed by an alien at the very beginning of the movie Men in Black.

I'm working on collages with the maps and stuff that Sara gave me.
I've decided to give this one to her because she is my best friend:


I need to finish that painting for dad. I need to go home and visit dad.

mini. sunny.

Today was the last day of painting, and now I am going to paint/draw/collage whatever I want!!! Yesterday, Sara gave me all of these sweet maps and stuff because she's a badass who loves me. I'm going focus on mixing media for the rest of the summer and during next semester. The book weave was so interesting that I am going to finish it, and I'm thinking about doing more of that kind of work. It is extremely tedious work, but very interesting and for so many reasons; visually, it really appeals to me as well.

I have my head filled with so many ideas.

scc106 is silent; this keyboard is noisy.

Ingrid Calame, Image: #297

I'd rather be painting right now. But soon, I will.

Sara took me to the IMA and it was a great time. We also toured the lily house and the lily garden, of which were both beautiful and interesting. The European design since 1985 exhibit was awesome. Looking at the art was inspirational, especially the layered drawing by Ingrid Calame, who I realize now makes images which are somewhat similar (yet completely different) to what I've been doing.

In the Giovanni Bellini and European Renaissance area of the museum they had a display that explained the different pigments which artists of that time would have used, how they would have used them, and also what they would have used as a means of application (i.e. brushes, quills). I came to the conclusion that painting is such an organic activity. I mean, I don't know how significant it may be to someone else because, yes, all kinds of things are that way - you know, of course the earth (and the universe) gives us everything that we need to make other things, do other things, survive in his sort of existence, haha... tangent.

Anyway, regardless of that, I thought about how there are plants and minerals that give us pigments; minerals are made up of elements; many raw pigments anymore are synthetically made in a lab by chemists. Then I came further to the conclusion that I'm very much inspired by science. Science is art?

For example, titanium white : TiO2 (titanium, oxygen), viridian green : Cr2O3 (chromium, oxygen), ultramarine blue : Na8Al6Si6O24S2 (sodium, aluminum, silicon, oxygen, sulfur) - Vincent would probably understand more about this than than I would, and about some of the processes which create these pigments. Reading about that sort of thing doesn't make it appear that difficult, but I think and just know it is, or has to be, because I don't remember much chemistry from high school. Thus, what exactly cadmium nitrate and sodium sulfide are without looking it up, I'm not completely sure (creates cadmium yellow). I'm not aware of technicalities, or potential dangers. Though, I'm not saying that I couldn't learn these kind of things if I really wanted to make my own pigments. It would make sense to me to hear of someone acquiring a BFA with minors in art history and chemistry. If I were a serious artist, looking to make a living off of art, this is what I would have done, it's too late now. Really, I think its just all incredibly interesting. Being an artist though, and thinking about this makes me think - man, thank you scientists.

Cobalt Violet

In class I've been working with acrylic paint. I've been painting on large sheets of paper and cutting up the pieces to create a new image. Today I seriously almost cut part of my thumb off doing this, and a little blood was involved. Anyway, this work is non-objective; it's just expressive and looks cool. Acrylic is wonderful for the things that it does that oil does not. I like the graphic quality in which one can obtain with acrylic paint. I think I want to work with oil, acrylic, watercolor and gouache in the fall and spring.

those clouds are headed north-east

I really like the idea of having something painted, and then drawing into the paint, and then painting on it again, and then drawing into the paint, and then painting on it again, etc...

R is for RATTAIL (hairstyle)

Dude, I like relief printmaking best of all - I've come to that conclusion today. I like making the plate and I don't at all mind the process of printing a relief block because it is quick and easy. Our assignment was to choose a letter, and illustrate an image which went with a word we chose for that letter.

I chose "R for RATTAIL (hairstyle)":

a distraction

Paul Cézanne, Great Pine, 1892-96

This is one of my favorite Cézanne paintings mostly because I appreciate the depth that is created by using and balancing warm, neutral and cool colors. This is a great example of Cézanne's mastery over color because as can be seen here, this balance causes the great pine to nearly pop out of the painting as it stands up against a periwinkle sky. I feel like I can walk back into those deep green, almost black shadows in the shrubbery and smaller trees.

Right now I wish I were painting or out on the bicycle... oh but soon enough, soon enough. Right now I'm working on an art history paper for my Italian Renaissance class.

procrastinating again

Painting was so incredibly wonderful. I was only able to paint for three hours, though.

My focus was the stool and the sheets deep within the nook created by all this junk.

I shouldn't have made the stool and the sheets the same color... not sure why that happened.

Oh well.

just some drawings

headache, bed following this

I have these pieces of acrylic which I did not break correctly. I didn't really want to cut them into squares, so I shattered them up intentionally. I like the way the acrylic broke to form these varied shape, it's more interesting. I'm wondering if it will have any affect on the image. To hell with squares and rectangles right now.

Tonight I worked on my test plate (etching), finished it and beveled it. Tomorrow I will print it and begin sketching for my 10x10 plate (etching, aquatint). I visited with Eric Howe and started to prepare a collage/drawing for another drypoint image.

The other night I tried my hand at doing monotypes with oil and mineral spirits. I only had one which turned out any good. Next time I know what I need to do though.

MYSTERY MOTH

precisionism

Ralston Crawford, Vertical Building, 1934
It kind of reminds me of how the world might have looked if i were my Grandpa Groff.

I decided today that I can't wait to start painting again - I mean intensively painting again.

winner

I won a the Violet Helen Rich scholarship today for two drawings and for the I did for Sara.

Sara won the cognitive achievement award for art history!!

Description: The Violet Helen Rich Scholarship was established in 1986 in memory of Mrs. Rich by her husband, Theodore Rich. She received an art scholarship from the Rhode Island School of Design when she was 12. Throughout her life she expressed her creativity in both watercolor and oils for the joy of her family, friends and society. Her artistic talent won her many awards throughout the region. She moved to Terre Haute in 1943 and held her first exhibit in the area in 1944. It is hoped that her 61 years of sensitivity and creativity exhibited in the beauty of her watercolors and oils will be an inspiration for many young artists who will receive the endowed scholarship at Indiana State University to develop their own talents.

Open to: Undergraduate art student with painting emphasis and at least junior status.

Selection Criteria: The recipient shall be an art student at Indiana State University with a declared emphasis in painting, both oils and watercolors. The recipient shall be in good academic standing at the University and shall have achieved at least junior status at the University. The scholarship can be renewed for a second year, if recommended by the committee.

Award Amount: $1,500.00 (hooray!)

le petit oiseau a faim

This semester I was accepted into the juried student show for this print (this artist proof - the color is watercolor). Thanks to Chester Burton - he gave me a frame, and helped me mat it as well. That was extremely nice of him, extremely nice. I wasn't going to enter because I had forgotten about it, but thanks to him I made it over to the gallery in time to enter, and as it turns out, I was one who was chosen. Realizing that my prints might actually be decent made me feel pretty good. I didn't win any awards though, but that's alright.

tired

Today I spent several hours in printmaking, but I don't feel like I accomplished much. I will spend tomorrow night doing the same as this evening. I don't like printing editions because I can't make a print look the same every time. I like artist's proofs though, because I get to print and then draw or paint or print again on top. Making multiple prints that all look the same so laaaaaame. I probably just hate it because I suck at it, hah.

Here is what I'm working on now:

"Pine" 3/4

self-portrait

Bonsoir.

under the microscope

Polarized Light Digital Image Gallery
A.K.A. the coolest thing I've ever stumbled upon.