Grades

Hi All,

My university email is all sorts of down right now, so I cannot email you the evaluations for your projects until Monday.  I am sorry for this, but I am traveling the next 2 days and don't want to make promises I can't keep.

Thanks for your patience.  Monday I will enter your grades as well.

Monika

As the semester ends

Hi All,

It is about that time that we say goodbye.

I am wrapping up my projects at the Women's Studio Workshop and tomorrow I am packing it all up and shipping it out!

It has been a wonderful class with all of you.  Teaching an art class online is strange and crazy and I want to thank you all for going on this adventure with me!

I learned a great deal from you.  I learned a great deal about you.  I hope you all take my classes in the future, so I can see your beautiful faces!

With that, I am going to include one more website that you should check out.  This website belongs to a resident that just arrived at the Women's Studio Workshop.  She makes wonderful prints!

http://jilliansokso.com/

It's been a pleasure and I thank you.

Monika

Thirsty Tuesday?

I don't meant thirsty in the traditional understanding, I mean parched for water, which is what I am right now.

Today, I share the picture of my finger, since it continues to hurt as I cut through layers and layers of mat-board.

Hilarious!

Yes, I am delirious.  So many days of art-making does that to a person. This all comes to a close on Friday.  I am off to NYC on Saturday and fly back to California on Sunday.  To be honest, I am looking forward to seeing my sleeping in my own bed.  Yes, my own bed.

Please make sure to send me the evaluations for the photo projects and your final paper by Thursday evening.

Email me with ?

Monika

On this very day....

I thought this would be an appropriate for today and it is relevant to the last project. That is all I have to say. The following is from http://www.skylighters.org/photos/robertcapa.html . ~Jessica  

 
The Magnificent Eleven: The D-Day
Photographs of Robert Capa

"The war correspondent has his stake — his life — in his own hands, and he can put it on this horse or that horse, or he can put it back in his pocket at the very last minute ... I am a gambler. I decided to go in with Company E in the first wave." – Robert Capa The ten photos selected from the eleven surviving negatives and published by LIFE on June 19, 1944 ... The debate continues ...

The Photographer: Bob Capa    When soldiers of the 16th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division landed at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, photographer Robert Capa, in the employ of LIFE magazine, was among them.    Perhaps the best known of all World War II combat photographers, the Hungarian-born Capa had made a name for himself well before climbing into a landing craft with men of Company E in the early morning hours of D-Day. He risked his life on more than one occasion during the Spanish Civil War and had taken what is considered the most eerily fascinating of all war photographs. The famous image reportedly depicts the death of Spanish Loyalist militiaman Frederico Borrell Garcia as he is struck in the chest by a Nationalist bullet on a barren Iberian hillside.    Capa was known to say, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." On D-Day, he came close once again. With Capa standing in the very stern, his landing craft mistakenly came ashore at the section of Omaha Beach dubbed "Easy Red." Then the ramp went down.    "The flat bottom of our barge hit the earth of France," Capa remembered in his book Slightly Out of Focus. "The boatswain lowered the steel-covered barge front, and there, between the grotesque designs of steel obstacles sticking out of the water, was a thin line of land covered with smoke — our Europe, the 'Easy Red' beach.    "My beautiful France looked sordid and uninviting, and a German machine gun, spitting bullets around the barge, fully spoiled my return. The men from my barge waded in the water. Waist-deep, with rifles ready to shoot, with the invasion obstacles and the smoking beach in the background gangplank to take my first real picture of the invasion. The boatswain, who was in an understandable hurry to get the hell out of there, mistook my picture-taking attitude for explicable hesitation, and helped me make up my mind with a well-aimed kick in the rear. The water was cold, and the beach still more than a hundred yards away. The bullets tore holes in the water around me, and I made for the nearest steel obstacle. A soldier got there at the same time, and for a few minutes we shared its cover. He took the waterproofing off his rifle and began to shoot without much aiming at the smoke-hidden beach. The sound of his rifle gave him enough courage to move forward, and he left the obstacle to me. It was a foot larger now, and I felt safe enough to take pictures of the other guys hiding just like I was."    Capa was squeezing off photographs as he headed for a disabled American tank. He remembered feeling "a new kind of fear shaking my body from toe to hair, and twisting my face." With great difficulty his trembling hands reloaded his camera. All the while he repeated a sentence that he had picked up during the Spanish Civil War: "Es una cosa muy seria" ("This is a very serious business").    After what seemed an eternity, Capa turned away from the beach killing zone and spotted an incoming LCI (landing craft, infantry). He headed for it. "I did not think and I didn't decide it," he later wrote. "I just stood up and ran toward the boat. I knew that I was running away. I tried to turn but couldn't face the beach and told myself, 'I am just going to dry my hands on that boat.'"    With his cameras held high to keep them from getting waterlogged, Capa was pulled aboard the LCI and was soon out of harm's way. He had used three rolls of film and exposed 106 frames. After reaching England, he sped by train to London and delivered his precious film for developing.    A darkroom technician was almost as anxious to see the invasion images as Capa himself. In his haste, the technician dried the film too quickly. The excess heat melted the emulsion on all but 10 of the frames. Those that remained were blurred, surreal shots, which succinctly conveyed the chaos and confusion of the day. A Capa photo of Omaha Beach several days after the landings.    Capa's D-Day photos have become classics. One of them, depicting a GI struggling through the churning surf of Omaha Beach, has survived as the definitive image of the Normandy invasion. He went on to photograph the Arab-Israeli war in 1948. He also photographed his friends Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso, as well as film star Ingrid Bergman, with whom he reportedly had a love affair.    After that, having cheated death so many times, Capa vowed never to risk his life in wartime photography again. In 1954, however, he agreed to supply LIFE with some photos of the escalating conflict between the French and the Viet Minh in Indochina. That spring, while attempting to get as close to the fighting as possible, he stepped on a land mine and was killed at the age of 40.

17 Machines by Arthur Ganson

I've been reflecting on the past few weeks and noticed that no one has shared about kinetic art. Arthur Ganson is the best example of a kinetic sculptor that I know of.

"A modern-day creator of "twittering machines," Arthur Ganson uses simple, plain materials to build witty mechanical art. But the wit is not simply about Rube Goldberg-ian chain-reaction gags (though you'll find a few of those). His work examines the quiet drama of physical motion, whether driven by a motor or by the actions of the viewer. Notions of balance, of rising and falling, of action and reaction and consequence, play themselves out in wire and steel and plastic.
Ganson has been an artist-in-residence at MIT (where the Lemelson-MIT Award Program named him an Inventor of the Week, and where his show "Gestural Engineering" is ongoing) and has shown his work at art and science museums around the world -- including a current, held-over show at the phaeno in Wolfsburg, Germany.

"Ganson's work isn't ruled by a clockwork philosophy; it is open to whatever truths about life and motion his wires, motors, oil, and chains will lend themselves to. His pieces are not, like de Vaucanson's duck, scrupulous mechanical copies of living things, but are instead suggestive -- or, as Ganson puts it, "gestural," frequently grounded in biological and bodily processes but never limited to them."

Harvey Blume, the Atlantic" http://www.ted.com/speakers/arthur_ganson.html

The video below is long but worth it. I know everyone must be busy so fast forward to 21:00. The wishbone and the walking chair are perhaps my favorite pieces. The concept of objects that have life is interesting and just as baffling as the technical mechanics of the work. 


The work discusses the importance and impact of technology in this culture. Ganson's work started in the 1980's. The technological advances since have made me question if  self-moving chairs are possible. Ganson, as an artist, starts the conversation about our future. Where are we headed next? Will there be room for us after such advances (1984)? What is the relationship between natural machines and mechanical machines? 
 




17 Machines by Arthur Ganson from Neil Young, Cloaca on Vimeo.

Jessica

Another day, another hurt finger

Hi all,

First, let me say that this week's blog posts are great!  Such a variety of subjects.  I really love Jennifer's blog post about Mark Bradford and Nabieha's post about the Henna.   It looks like you all are embracing such a variety of art forms and it is inspiring to see.

Me?  I'm hardly sitting.  I have been working really hard, hardly getting any sleep.  I have spent the last 8 hours carving mat board.  My right pointer finger is pretty much shot.  It hurts so bad, I had to wrap some masking tape around it just so I could keep going.  I have a funny photo of my finger to share, but the server is going through maintenance, so I will upload it tomorrow.

I have also had more coffee today than anyone should in a week and I am about to crash big time, so I will catch up with you tomorrow!

Monika

Tasseography

As a young girl I remember when my mom would take me along to visit her friends. My mom and her friends would catch up over Turkish coffee. My mom would never let me have a sip of her coffee and so I was more persistent to sneak a taste. Finally had the chance to steal a sip and lets just say I was very disappointed. It was so strong, bitter, and gritty. I could not understand how my mother and her friends could drink this coffee all the time. But that afternoon I noticed how all the ladies had their cups placed upside down. Moments later the women took their cups and began to read them. I was curious and amazed with how much information coffee left overs could reveal. I remember my mom and her friends would predict how many kids they would have, what marital obstacles await them, and if they would live a long healthy life. Once the women were through with their cups, I remember taking the cups and examining them. I was confused because I didn't know how a person can interpret the random patterns in coffee remnants. I just loved how the cup looked so beautiful once the remnants were dry. Since I was a little girl I recognized the art that was in the cups and I still love seeing the nearly empty cups.
Tasseography is a divination or fortune telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments.
Traditionally, coffee readers use Turkish Coffee, or any coffee that has grinds that sit at the bottom of the cup. Most of the liquid in the coffee is drunk, but the sediment at the bottom is left behind. It is often believed that the drinker of the coffee should not read their own cup.
There are at least two forms of coffee reading. Both require that the cup be covered with the saucer and turned upside-down. Some traditions, such as in Romania, require that the sediments in the cup be swirled around the inside of the cup until they cover the majority of the cup's inside surface. Other traditions, such as Turkish and Middle Eastern, do not require this swirling but do require that the cup be turned towards yourself for showing your own fortune. The coffee grounds are given time to settle and dry against the cup before a reading begins.
Many interpretations for symbols exist, but one common thread is the color of the symbols. Since most cups used are white or ivory and the grounds are dark, strong contrast exists for the symbols. White is considered a "good" symbol foretelling of generally positive things for the drinker, while the grounds themselves are considered to form "bad" symbols.
Symbols can be many things, including people, animals, and inanimate objects. Usually, the fortune teller will group nearby symbols together for a prediction.
After a reading, the drinker will be asked to "open the heart". This is done by placing the right thumb at the inside bottom of the cup and twisting clockwise slightly. This will leave an impression behind that the fortune teller will interpret as the drinker's inner thoughts or emotions.
There is definitely an artistic aspect of Tasseography that captivates myself and others. I wont drink the coffee but I will stay for my reading and my cup of art!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasseography
- Nabieha Miqbel

Henna Art

This past weekend I attended a traditional Palestinian wedding. A traditional Palestinian wedding consists of a two day celebration; the first night is called the henna and the second night is the conventional wedding with the white fluffy dress and cake cutting. I have to say my favorite night is the henna, because it is the one of the very few occasions when I wear beautifully colorful embroidered dress. The henna is also the night when the bride and the groom are tattooed with henna. It is believed that the deeper the color the stronger the  love is between the bride and groom. It is tradition for the names of the bride and groom to be hidden in the design, and the wedding night is not to commence until the groom has found both names. After the wedding, the bride is not expected to perform any housework until her henna has faded away.
Henna like tattoos has become a popularized form of art. Henna can be intricate and dramatic. The different words for henna in ancient languages imply that it had more than one point of discovery and origin, as well as different pathways of daily and ceremonial use. Henna has been used to adorn young women's bodies as part of social and holiday celebrations since the late Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean. The Night of the Henna was celebrated by most groups in the areas where henna grew naturally: Jews, Muslims,Hindus, Christians and Zoroastrians, among others, all celebrated marriages by adorning the bride, and often the groom, with henna. Henna was regarded as having "Barakah," blessings, and was applied for luck as well as joy and beauty. Brides typically had the most henna, and the most complex patterns, to support their greatest joy, and wishes for luck. Some bridal traditions were very complex, such as those in Yemen, where the Jewish bridal henna process took four or five days to complete, with multiple applications and resist work. Though traditional henna artists were Nai caste in India, and barbering castes in other countries (lower social classes), talented contemporary henna artists can command high fees for their work. Women in countries where women are discouraged from working outside the home can find socially acceptable, lucrative work doing henna. Morocco, Mauritania,Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, as well as India and many other countries have thriving women's henna businesses. These businesses are often open all night for Eids, Diwali and Karva Chauth, and many women may work as a team for a large wedding where hundreds of guests will be hennaed as well as the bride and groom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna
- Nabieha Miqbel

Bruno Walpoth

 So after I saw Brett Amory in SF + the power of the  social media= I got a new friend for Facebook. Brett recently posted about another artist that I thought would be interesting to share.

Bruno Walpoth is a 3D artist who works predominately in wood and metal. His work is mostly figurative with a termendous amount of craftmanship. He will take a solid piece of wood and turn it into a realistic representaion  of his human model. He too has a white-wash effect like Brett Amory.

I like that his traditional process in art making. If you look on his site under drawings, you can tell that the well made drawings are studies for the 3D work. Its a nice reminder that drawing is important to the process and equal to sculpture or painting.

http://www.walpoth.com/wood.html




Jessica

Brett Amory

When I went to the San Francisco Fine Art Fair, local artist Brett Amory was painting a large figurative painting as one of the event's performance pieces. The paintings are monumental and draw the viewer in with the familiarity of the subject matter: ordinary people. 





His paintings have a vacancy to them. The way the artist uses white rather than blacks to emphasis part of the subject. The use of "white-washing" creates a halo effect that starts to relocate the subject into a white void. I think the part I like best is the tension between worldly struggle and a beginning of escapism. At least, that is what I have started to see.

The subjects also have an "everyman" tone too. It is like you could see that person at the grocery store or in your neighborhood. That gets me to reflect on the historical/ political slogans of "everyman/forgotten man" (1930's) such as the film Gold Diggers of 1933.

Interview of Bretty Amory




A short clip from Gold Diggers of 1933
Background: The US promised pay and retirement the soldiers of WWI. When the Great Depression hit, those men requested those funds but there were no funds to give to them. It is something worth researching. Hopefully it is not something relevant to today's soldiers.



Jessica

Artist Mark Bradford. ~jenifer modica

Bradford works in many different types of media, beginning with early sculptural projects, and culminating in a number of new types. He is deeply influenced by his experience growing up in South Central Los Angeles, the titles of his works often allude to stereotypes and the dynamics of class, race, and gender-based economies that structure urban society in the United States, specifically those of Los Angeles where he lives and works.

Bradford describes himself as a "modern-day flaneur," saying, "I like to walk through the city and find details and then abstract them and make them my own. I'm not speaking for a community or trying to make a sociopolitical point. At the end it's my mapping. My subjectivity."

 I found his work fascinating due to his use of interesting patterns, shapes and colors. He has a unique style that draws you into his works of art.

The Drawing Center and More Such News

Good Evening Everyone,

I hope everyone is doing well on the final papers.  I look forward to reading them.

Today, as always, I put in my time at the studio and also went out to check out some local cuisine.  Rosendale is really big on organic foods, so today another resident and I went to a restaurant called Market Market.  Here is their website, FYI:

http://www.marketmarketcafe.com/

The meal was excellent, although I am really in the mood for some ethnic food now.  It's all a bit too American for me around here.  I normally like to eat food in places that, you know, would be scared of the health department coming in...places that serve some kind of "home" cooking from another country, an occasional taco truck is my preference.  For that, I cannot wait to get back to Stockton.

Now, for some art.  One of my favorite galleries in New York is the Drawing Center.  They specialize in presenting exhibitions of work on paper.  I'm not sure I have written about this yet, but I love love love me some paper.  I love fine paper, I love printmaking paper, I love drawing paper, I especially love Japanese paper.  I am a paper connoisseur, as many of us printmakers often become. Paying $20 for a sheet of paper? Sure!  That's an investment.  Yes, I have to go another month without getting a pedicure, but I have some really nice paper, and the glory of having beautiful toes doesn't compare.

In any case, The Drawing Center is worth a look if you're ever in the area.  Because I am hardly ever in the area, I frequent their website, so I shall share that with you tonight:

http://www.drawingcenter.org/

It is getting quite late here, so I shall turn in now.  I look forward to reading about the exhibits you reviewed.

Monika

shadows... ~jennifer modica

I like the shadows photo story. I am fascinated with shadows, especially in photography. Its amazing how the simple position of light can create such a subtle work of art... your silhouette painted on the wall, ground, etc. This photo of my husband and son made me double take the first time I saw it... it has dramatic shadows that almost look unreal

In my photography class, we also had to take numerous photos placing emphasis on the shadows. This was my favorite assignment. I can't seem to find my favorite photos, but had fun playing with my sons toys too :)

Etching day etching day

Hi All,

Today, I spent the day printing the first state of my etching.  I think I must have printed about 15 of these today.  These photos are terrible because the print gets printed on wet paper, so every photo I can take of the print at this point is from a very strange angle because I cannot hang it up.  So here is a photo of the etching printed in white ink on black paper:

I like the effect of the white ink on black paper, it is very mysterious.

Also, here is a sloppy photograph of the print 1st printed using brown ink with another printing of black ink on top.  I like this one too, it's looks really heavy with the 2 printings on top of one another.

Now that all photo projects are in, I will send out a critique sheet tomorrow.  I will ask you to evaluate/grade each other.

Sleep tight!

Monika

It Only Hides in the Dark...

As children many of us had a fear of the dark, but the story I'm about to share is about a creature that only stalks its victims in daylight. As the sun is high in the sky the creature appears from behind unnoticed and unheard. It follows you to your car and you can never hear it make a sound. It will follow you to your door and into your house and you will never notice. But as the sun sets and moon rises, the creature disappears. We can only be free from its haunting presence in the dark... They are our Shadows.

Photo Stories ad Everything Else

Hi All,

Well, A pretty exciting day if I do say so myself.  I have finally gotten my etching to a place where I am happy with it and will start printing the final edition of it tomorrow, and that is when I will post a photograph of it.  Oh the excitement! This has been along process for me, and to be honest, I wasn't sure if I would see the end of this first state, but it has arrived!

I also wanted to remind you that you still need to be doing the 3 blogs a week about art topics of your choice.

That shall be all for today.  Sweet dreams yall

Monika

A Creative Cycle

 

 

I will post story tonight or tomorrow to create suspense.

Until later,
Jessica

Photo story ~ jennifer modica