Object lists

We had an assignment to pick three ordinary objects and write a list of their formal and contextual qualities. This exercise is for our next assignment. The object that I have decided to use for this assignment is the marshmallow. I want to create something non-representational that is created with marshmallows, but doesn't look like marshmallows. Instead of something soft and fluffy I want something that is hard and jagged. We shall see how it turns out...

Water Bottle:

Context:
disposable, wasteful, universal, purified, harmful plastic, nasty water

Formal:
clear, glossy, curvy, smooth, hollow, cylindrical

Soap:

Formal:
slick, bubbly, white, blocky, rectangular, smooth, waxy

Context:
clean, discipline, disposable, animal fat

Marshmallow:

Formal:
white, pink, or green, fluffy, squishy, small or large, cylindrical, light weight, sugary, sticky

Context:
camping, roasting, grandma's, snacks, unhealthy, comfort, eat with other things

Tara Donovan

Ok, so I have just become Tara Donovan's biggest fan! I love her work and am constantly amazed at her manipulation of the material. I honestly don't think there is anything that she can't use to make a beautiful non-objective piece of art. I had a really hard time only picking a few photos to post and so I posted a lot, and I added the web cite where I found these photos. I totally recommend everyone and their dog to look her up, even if you aren't an art lover you will appreciate her creativity. What Tara does is she takes an object from everyday that we would all recognize and then she transforms it into this amazing work of art. You can never tell what the material is that she used until you look very closely and sometimes not even then. A lot of the time you can't figure out how she even put it together. It is amazing!! Buttons

Nails held together by friction and gravity

Tar paper

Scotch tape

Pencils

Paper plates

fishing line

plastic straws

Styrofoam cups

http://www.acegallery.net/artistmenu.php?Artist=8#

Cornelia Parker

We have discussed Cormelia Parker several times in my art class and I really enjoy her work. I think the coolest part of her work is that it moves and you seem to interact with it. This last photo is the best example of how you become part of the art work. As you walk around this piece your shadow is cast on the wall with all of the other shadows and your movement creates a slight wind that makes the hanging pieces move around slightly. Her stuff is really interesting to look at.

"Conceptual Art" Assignment

All of these photos are of Duchamp's readymade art work.

1. Why is the "viewer" an important element in conceptual art?

-Conceptual art is all about the "idea". The cool thing is that we all bring our own baggage to the art and so when we lok at it we interpret it differently. Without viewers the point that the artist is trying to convey doesn't matter. I think that most conceptual art is out to change something about or in the world. The objective is to get people to really think about something.

2. Why was it so difficult for people to accept if "Fountian" by Duchamp, as art?

-Everyone was used to the cncervative definition of art. When Duchamp placed this urinal as a sculpture people had a hard time taking it out of context and looking purely at the asthetic values of the urinal. I think that people felt threatened to what they already believed as art and what could be art.

3. What question did Duchamp pose with his "readymades"? Explain with examples.

-Duchamp was questioning 'what is art'? Can a urinal be art. He is trying to force people to think about what their concept of art is and where it comes from. Most people's concept of art comes from what they see in a museum and so the fact that the urinal was in a museum it made people really think about what can be considered as a peice of art. Another example is Duchamp's LHOOQ (3). THis peice is the Mona Lisa with a beard. MOst people would see this a defacing artwork, but Duchamp wants to see if you can see this as a peice of art in it own right.

4. Why is it difficult to categorize Conceptual art in the context of Traditional art?

- For one thing Coneptual art can be anything from sculpture to painting to text. In traditional art there are paintings and there are sculptures, it is not hard to distinguish between these either. In this reading there are several definitions of Conceptual art and none of them have been 100% accepted by all, but they all agree that this type of art is all about idea and concept.

5. Choose a quote for the article that you find interesting and explain.

- "Conceptual art is not about forms or materials, but about ideas and meanings. It cannot be defined in terms of any medium of style, but rather by the way it questions what art is . . . it could be argued that the conceptual work of art only truely exists in the viewer's mental participation." (p. 1) I think that this quote pretty much answers most of the questions above. For me this is the best way to think about conceptual art when trying to understand what it really is. Conceptual art is all about geting an idea across to the viewer in a way that really makes you think. The viewer is essential for Conceptual art. If there was no viewer there would be no point. I also think that the artist has to keep the viewer in mind when creating this type of art. We all bring our own baggage to the art and that influences the way that we see the art.

My Final Skeleton/Skin

I feel really good about how this piece turned out. Putting the cloth on for the skin was one of the most frustrating parts of the whole project. I sewed it on and it took me like five hours to finish. Towards the end of it I discovered that I had cut the cloth an inch or so too short. At that point I just wanted to give up, but then I kinda just pulled the cloth down at an angle and made it work somehow. I think it turned out to be pretty close to what I was intending, which is cool.

Art Metals Self-Portrait

For my first project in my metals class we were using a high contrast photograph to make a self-portrait. This is the original picture that I chose and what it looked like in high contrast. I don't have a photo of my final piece yet because my teacher hasn't given them back to us yet, but I will get one up here as soon as I can.

I am really enjoying this class a lot. This first project I broke like three saw blades, but I was amazed at how much the piece looked like me! For my next project I am going to make a daisy out of brass and aluminum. I will post some pictures of my progress soon. :)

Nicole Dextras

Nicole Dextras is another ephemeral artist. First of all I think her blocks of ice with clothing in them is very fascinating. It almost has a dream like quality to, like you are revisiting another time but can't quite bring it o focus. The rest of the photographs are of clothing made of plants and I think, I'm not sure, that actual people are wearing it. It is so cool that she made it wearable, but not practical. I really enjoy her work. If you want more info visit her website....
nicoledextras.com

Family

Logan

Kaden

Corey

Jenna, Me, Danielle

Mother Teresa & Daddy-o

So...there is a great story behind these photos of my family. One Sunday after church my sisters and I were really bored so we came up with something to do. My Sister Danielle had just learned how to do this crazy hair-do and so she did our hair. Then I got the idea to do some crazy make-up to go along with our crazy hair. while we were doing this, my parents and brothers came down stairs. My Dad was being really restless that day and so to calm him down my Mom gave him something to do....her make-up. Everything just kind of escalated and by the end everyone had some kind of craziness on their faces. Then my sisters and I decided to dress up in costumes to go along with everything else. After we were all done we begged my parents to let us go to Grandma Heiner's house in our dressed up forms so that they could enjoy our craziness too. It was a really random day, but I will never forget it.

My family means everything to me. They have always been so supportive of me and the decisions that I have made. I am grateful for their influences on me and for helping me become the person that I am today. My family is an amazing source of inspiration for me and I will love them for always!!

My Own Photography

So I have decided to put up some of my own photography. Most of these pictures are at least 2 years old. I took all of these with my point and shoot digital camera. I have always enjoyed photography, but it took me a long time to decide that this is what I wanted to do as a career. When I first came to college I was a chemistry major. I am a practical person and so I picked a practical major. I love chemistry and think that it is completely fascinating, but it just didn't' feel right so after a year I changed majors to geology. Not quite as practical as chemistry, but still workable. I also think that geology is fascinating, but after a semester I still felt like it wasn't the right fit for me. I became undecided for a semester and that following summer I decided That I needed to do some serious thinking. By the end of the summer I had decided to do photography. I was still so uneasy about it though. Photography seemed so unpractical in my mind and that was the reason why I hadn't picked it in the first place. Ever since I have started down this road I have started to actually enjoy school. I guess that just shows you that I am finally in the right place. :)

A lot of people have said that making a hobby your job takes the enjoyment out of it, but I see it differently. If I have to work then I want to be doing something I love. I don't want to wake up in the morning dreading another day of work.

The photos that I have put up here are a nature shots. I love taking pictures of nature, specifically flowers and small insects or animals. Now, because I am a practical person I want to become a typical family/wedding photographer. But I will always take pictures of nature. These are a few of my favorite nature shots.