Senior Show 2009

I went to check out the Senior Art show this afternoon. Some of it was really impressive. Someone of it was fairly boring. It was all good work, but compared to the instillations, it was very hard to just look at the photographs or paintings. I really liked the giant painting of main street when you first walk in, i didn't notice the projection of the cars till a little bit after I looked at it. I found it to be a beautiful merger of the two art forms. My favorite piece was the Wonderland instillation by Emily Gilbert. I loved every little detail that she put into it. I may be a bit biased being a photographer myself, and also seeing the begining stages of what was to be. but I love how it turned out, every little detail from the tea cups to the broken time pieces is just lovely. I love the photographs, and how each one tells a story, frame by frame. I did thing that some were a bit dark for my liking, but that could have been for effect. It changed my mind on how a photography instillation could really look. I also like Nicole Totaro's alter piece. At first I was afraid to go in a see it, something about a closed off space, really made me nervous and intimidated. Perhaps that was the whole point, was to scare the audience, to make them nervous. Then I read the artist statement and was at ease, she didn't mean to scare us, just instill the fear of God. Good. I really liked it, especially how she had the coverings hanging up inside the instillation. It was a very interesting vibe.
I was totally in awe of the senior show as a whole, perhaps because there were not as many pieces as I have seen in the past, but I think everything in there was really well done. Well printed, and painted and presented. I was fairly impressed.

again

I had a stroke of genius and may have remembered how to post things from youtube. goood job Lauren. Also, I am really digging that he is crazy ambidextrous!

David Garbaldi-street paintings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTGemMb-3P0

This is pretty interesting. I've seen one where he also paints Christ, Obama, Bob Marley and other famous men. I enjoy all of his little flippys and twistys when he's gathering the paint. I especially like it when I don't know who he is creating, I like to see the organic form. I couldn't remember/ figure out how to upload a video...I hope it works, at least the linkage is there.

I am not good at digital art.

I don't think that digital art is my medium. I love photography, I understand photography, I love the act of shooting, the time in the darkroom, and what ever develops and ends up on display. It is completely random for me, although most probably see it as a very planned out medium. But I show up in a place with a camera click a couple of rolls and go from there. Whatever comes up on the contact print it was I got. I am not particularly good at painting, but I find that process enjoyable, rarely do I make anything that is more than novice, but at least I had fun creating it. Drawings I create rarely look like the thing they are supposed too either. But again, I enjoy the process. Also, a glass of wine or two and things start flowing...
Which brings me back to my main point, I am technologically handicapped, and I've crashed more harddrives then anyone I've ever met. I don't mind putting in the hours to create something of great artistic value, but in all honesty I am not in love with my creations. Perhaps it is because we, as a public are assaulted with "digital art" every time we sign online, there is some really cool and interesting stuff out there...but I don't think that I will be the one making it. But, I am happy that I took the chance, I learned photoshop, which is really where, sadly, photography is going. I did make some interesting stuff that I never thought I could. So I am happy that I am here, and I got to use my long time, never fail work motto...if you're not any good at something, at least make it funny.

SCRAPHOUSE: SAN FRANCISCO

On Monday, April 27, 2009, the film Scraphouse: San Francisco was shown in Anderson Theater as part of the art and art history’s film series. Scraphouse: San Francisco was a concept that began in May 2005, to create a house made entirely of scraps and things either donated or found in the dump. The idea was sparked from all the houses that are built every year, and older ones that are torn down. These houses cost millions to make, but the idea was to make a fully modern house that meets all of the California state building codes. The frame was made from scraps of steel, screwed together to make a 21 ft high ceiling, the walls were made of scrap wood, and the outside covered in scrap metal shingling and old road signs. There was a wall created completely from windows left over from a sky scraper. The outside was already impressive, being that the whole thing was erected in only a few days. The design inside was completely amazing. A tree was shaped into a stair case, phone books were used as insulation and a beautiful wall design, and fire hoses added emphasis to another wall, while computer keyboards acted as another wall piece. The floor was made of doors and two light fixtures made of old lamps and a chandelier made of break light covers.
The idea to create a recycled house was amazing, but they took it to another level. It created functional art out of old broken trash. It forces one to rethink how art could be made and what it could be. The fire hoses on the wall were the most visually interesting piece, because it was layers and layers of fire hose, acting as art on the wall. It is modern art in a completely new and different way. It forces the artist to improvise with what they are given, in a short amount of time, and with everything against them. In this way, it is almost like cooking, having to improvise and change the recipe in order to create something amazing.
Scraphouse was located on the Civic Center Plaza lawn across from San Francisco’s city hall. It was open to the public from World Environment Day, June 2, through June 5th, after which time, it was torn down and returned to the junk yard to be recycled into something new. It will be interesting to see if anyone tries to recreate a different scrap house on a more permanent site, or something else made entirely from recycled, reused junk.

Who says art can't be funny. This photograph by Julian Wolkenstein combines my favorite things, horses, pin up hair and photography. I think that it is just the silliest and most brilliant thing I've seen in awhile. I absolutely love it.

http://www.julianwolkenstein.com/

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30191445/

I went to see The Pillowman on Sunday with my roommates. I had no idea what I was getting into. It was a seriously disturbing play about a man who writes stories about all the different ways to kill children. This stems from a seriously bizarre childhood where his parents loved and nurtured him, but abused and beat the hell out of his brother. The stories were ridiculously painful to hear, but the play was very good. Some parts were funny, as one should probably not have been laughing, but It was okay if they did, and everyone looked around nervously as giggles escaped them. What was also interesting was the video component to this whole play. There were tv screens embedded in the walls almost haphazardly, but they portrayed the victim being questioned, and different images to go along with the stories. It was just a very interesting way to go about it. A beautiful sense of ambiance, and imagery, as the theater should be.