This is it!

Senior studio is over at school, but in my case I know take senior studio with me. No literally, I am now working on my piece at my home, in my studio. My piece is not finished yet, but I am very happy with what it looks like so far, and where I will take it. It will be interesting to see how the environment I work in affects my piece. Senior studio was amazing to me because of its format. It is essentially, somewhere where and artist has a great environment to work in, at the same time have critique available from a wide range of talented artists. The art I decided to create, is similar to what I have been doing throughout the work, yet, I feel as if I have taken it so much further. Taking small details and now making it into a big image, is something I did not feel comfortable doing before! I feel like I was given the chance to improve and explore the style of drawing I really love! I will be proud to present my final piece, because I know it will be just what I want it to be. The option of a class like this at a school is very rare, and a great one. Your average art student can feel what its like to produce a piece which will be shown in a studio, getting a glimpse at what life can be like as an artist. I have also learned something completely new, and that is that music actually forms and inspires my work. Listening to different genres of house music and techno, while looking at things like architecture and movies like Avatar, can really create a foundation to what my work is too look like.

Alternative Space

Take another look at the Alternative Exhibition Format slideshow (on the class site). Think about which artist's work was the most interesting to you in terms of format. Make a post and talk about what the artist does with format, and why you think it is interesting, and if you think you might be considering using an alternative exhibit format write about that too.

The most interesting forms of format are when pieces of art are in relation to each other, meaning the art relates the piece with the way they display them or maybe all of their work has the same style therefore each piece is almost like its part of a bigger image. To me, a perfect exhibition is very simple, my artwork standing out. I dream of having a show where all my art work, which consists of small details in huge canvases, are all framed in solid silver frames. That right there is an interesting exhibition, where I stay true to my style of drawing and use a modern style to present it.

Art and Fear

"The fear that you're only pretending to do art is the (readily predictable) consequence of doubting your own artistic credentials... fear that you are not a real artist causes you to undervalue your work."

This quote is a perfect one when relating to my artwork and my process of work. When I draw, I am very picky when it comes to what I want to keep and what I want to erase. This leads to me having an idea of perfectionism, and that It may cause me to doubt my own artistic credentials. An example of this is when on some days I feel like I can really draw well, and others I feel like I am not able to draw, which then brings the fact that on some days I am a lot less productive.

"Art is human; error is human; ergo, art is error."

I think this relates to me, again because of my process. I do not have a set goal when creating art, therefore a lot of my art comes from randomness. I think that a lot of this randomness is making errors, which in the end, I decide to keep. And my art is very true to what I like and how I draw, therefore I feel as it is very humanly true.

The best information about what you love is in your last contact with what you love. Put simply, your work is your guide: a complete, comprehensive, limitless reference book on your own work."

I think this shows the deeper image of my art being very personal. Since I draw a style which I really love, what I produce is always what I like. This being a limitless reference book to what I love in art, small details, interesting shapes, and parallel of worlds just to name a few.

In your opinion, what do you think the role of the critique, as it's described in this chapter, could be in a class like ours?

A critique was a vital part of senior studio. This is because we do not have a traditional art class where we are given instructions and boundaries. A critique was also a great idea because of the amount of talent we have in our class, and therefore the amount of constructive criticism I was able to get.

According to this chapter and your past experiences, how can you get the most out of a critique of your own work?

In order to get the best out of a critique, one needs to consider all that is said. Meaning one must be open minded, but when looking to change something one must stay true to the flow of their piece, or their style of art. If I am to do something completely different from the rest of the piece, and something different from what my style of drawing is, then my piece could be completely thrown off to me even if the critiques think it was a smart choice.

How can you be a helpful participant in your classmates' critiques?

If I am a little invested in what other people are doing, meaning paying attention to the artistic choices they make, then my criticism will go along with the style of the way they work. And when giving criticism, making the art feel as if they are not pressured to make any changes if they feel like none should be made.

Twyla Tharp's Ideologies

Twyla Tharp has something different to talk about. Something that caught my attention because surprisingly, I can relate to it. When creating art, I do concentrate the majority of my attention to the process step of my piece. My process is very different from others, because of what is involves. In most cases, I do not have a plan of what I want my final piece to look like. I think it is safe to say that value just as much if not more then the final product. My process includes me listening to music, usually house music or variations of it, which ultimately gives me inspiration which I transform into shapes and lines. What comes out in the end seems to be a well thought out piece of work. This is also partly because as I work, I start small and develop a bigger picture, as Twyla Tharp explains it is important to do. I think that Tywlas ideas are very good ones, and one must be open minded when it comes to how approaching art.

Update

The lines of my piece are too light to be seen in a picture! But progress has made and I have a plan as to what the rest will look like.

Group Critique

Brooke, Geoff, Murray.

An important issue brought up was that I may not have enough time to finish my piece, a solution to that issue would cutting off part of my canvas to have less space to work with. The idea of color, is to bring attention to the image and help the viewer have a path in which they follow while observing. I was recomended to use a paint marker, because it is easier to make distinct lines while paint would create for a rougher image. Which may not be a bad idea, something I must think about. A major issue, is that my lines aren't dark enough. This is because of the way I draw, to make sure I get the cleanest lines I can. The group recommend I go over them again, maybe when a pen. I am concerned of this idea, because I am worried I will lose the neatness that I work so hard to achieve. The last idea is to incorporate a visually confusing image such as a staircase in which you cant tell which way it is going or how it works. This would add an effect of an optical illusion which would be great for the overall theme of the piece.

Potential Struggles

Think about which of these you can imagine being potential issues for you and/or your classmates in the Senior Studio class. Select three of these issues, and on your blog, describe how you can see them coming up in class.

Perfectionism at the start, is probably the theme that relates to me the most. Believing that everything has to be perfect before you can take the next step. This, as explained in the packet, leads to procrastination instead of perfectionism. Because of this, I lose a significant amount of time just being not entirely happy with what I have. I do not totally agree with what is said. When I work, I produce something and step-by-step I remove what I don't like and take the next step. To me this process is very helpful and keeps me on a steady working path.

Obligation vs. commitment. When it comes to art, I almost never feel obligated to do something specific. Obviously art is full of creativity, therefore being told or thinking one should stick to something if its not working is unacceptable. To have guidelines and boundaries is a different scenario, and can be very beneficial. Sometimes, it is much harder to be given the choice to produce anything. Because their are so many options, one can become overwhelmed. In some cases, having no boundaries is a very positive thing because one may know exactly what he or she wants produce/likes produce.

Studios World-Wide

Make a list of the types of things you see in most of the studios you look at.
Why do you think these things show up more than once?
How do artists develop spaces and methods for making their most authentic work as part of a daily artistic practice?

music

chairs are personalized

walls used to their potential

Looking through the studios I see a trend of personalization. There may be a pattern of objects artists have in their studios but it is the way they use them that makes them unique. An example of this, is the walls of an artiste's studio. In some cases, a wall is used by an artist to illustrate his or her work. In other circumstances, walls are used to compare art or ideas. Chairs and ladders are also something I see of importance towards an artist's studio. Ladders may be used when working on a large scale, while they are also seen used as something to sit on. Chairs are personalized, indicating that it is strictly for the artists. Music is a common theme in an artist's studio as well. Music can inspire, and can help to work. Some artists base their work entirely on music, other use it to let their mind and creativity go. An artist' studio consists of entirely objects that will benefit their art. Nothing in an artist's studio will easily distract them to the point were they are unable to work progressively.