Stop Motion Animations

This video is a stop motion animation that I did using my digital camera. 

The video below was just a practice stop motion I did to vaguely understand the picture taking involved in making a stop motion animation. 

Lead Pencil Studio Lecture

     The couple that call themselves Lead Pencil Studio comes from an architectural education. The fact that the pair are architects make it interesting that they create these installations and pieces of art. It's interesting how the features of buildings and space influence the pair's creations, and I think that if the two weren't architects this work would not be the same. The pieces Lead Pencil Studio showed in their lecture contained many welded straight fragments of wire that were really interesting in both shape and how they created value and density. I think we can all agree that the billboard-inspired piece set up near one of the United States borders is just absolutely stunning. The environment and especially the sky change the piece and give it a setting. But the piece also shows us that we all focus on advertising and materials rather than the natural beauty that is always around us.

Self Portrait Composite

Corinne Botz

     By looking at Corinne Botz you wouldn't think that she is interested in domestic violence, obsessions, or death/crime scenes. But after listening to her lecture and seeing parts of her series, I really understood what she was about and what she does. Corinne Botz had a topic-- and in researching her topic of domestic violence she discovered something really great which was the little miniature dollhouse set ups of murder scenes. She stumbled upon this and became really intrigued and took artistic photographs of these dollhouse rooms and people. I really liked her photography because it was vintage and contained a lot of skilled artwork in the subjects-- but it rises the question in me if this is really her work or not. I personally think the actual artist she be credited with the dollhouse miniatures because they are hers... but because Corinne Botz re-interpreted (I guess) the dollhouse in a different way maybe they could also be hers too? But I just feel like the actual artist of the model (whose name I cannot remember) took so much time to make these things then someone like Corinne Botz can come and just snap a quick picture and basically steal the credit (not that that is her intention at all but from a distant point of view very well could be).
     It was also very interesting as most people were able to realize that all her photography was interchangeable. Old haunted houses somehow seemed like dollhouses and vice versa. It's funny how artists have visions and do things certain ways and are sometimes unable to change their views because they like what they like and usually without thinking about it do only that. Or it's just a cool coincidence that her work turns out the same. Who knows.

Ben Volta Lecture

     Ben Volta is a very interesting artist because he works mostly with the community in creating community projects. Throughout his lecture he showed pieces that he created with kids and people in Philadelphia. I do wonder, though, what his individual pieces look like and how he views ownership in relation to his pieces that he does with many people in the community. I was surprised to see how many young teenagers were able to put together such elaborate designs through technology... I guess technology really is the future. I am very curious and want to find Ben Volta's website and go see his mural of wallpapers on Vine Street. I think I enjoyed listening to Ben Volta speak because he has very strong ideals and interactions with his art and the way he worked with kids and other people. It's amazing to think that eighth graders are learning about Aristotle and Plato and drawing in their math class. I wish I had a math class like that. But a really interesting point I found in Ben's lecture was that he described the ideal (what you the artist see in your mind) and the observable (what actually exists and can be observed in real life). It makes me really think about art in a different way-- and how much my mind actually controls my art actually begins to become frightening.

Composite Image

     This piece was created in Photoshop. Everything but the wallpaper oval in the bottom left corner is my photography. The dollar bill was edited and parts were removed and added to challenge the copyright of the dollar bill and whomever created the wallpaper design because I used it in my piece. I wanted this piece to look like part of a vintage scrapbook and I think it really does.

John Thompson Lecture

     John Thompson is an artist that does many things in his basement studio of his grandfather's bakery. He is a carpenter and painter. I was mostly interested in how he views three-dimensional pieces as drawings and paintings because of the space they take up. John Thompson was a typical guy artist to me-- he liked planes, trucks, etc. I did like his installation, though, inspired by a farm and vintage surroundings. He seems like he is just finding himself as an artist and hopefully he is successful in the future work he creates.

Photoshop Ethics

      I find Kate Winslet's opinion on Photoshop very interesting. In 2005 on the cover of GQ magazine, Kate Winslet's thighs and waist were photoshopped a little too far. She did not want this and was actually very upset on the matter saying: "The retouching is excessive. I do not look like that and more importantly I don't desire to look like that." I know I don't think Kate Winslet is fat or not an ideal media figure... so why was she photoshopped? It's sad to think that the media portrays women with body measurements that don't even exist. And who was the genius that came up with this anyway? The idea image of women with small waists and elongated legs is pleasing to the eye, but actually fantasy. And even though these beautiful features rarely exist, these pictures never cease to crush the feelings and images women have of themselves throughout the world. It just doesn't make sense to create beauty when no one is even positive it exists. And who says that skinny and sharp features are beautiful anyway? I think we all need to stop and rethink the uses of Photoshop from constantly necessary to moderate and practical.

Composite Image

These images don't exist! Rather, they were made on photoshop to look like real images and to change the meanings of these original photos.

Scanner Face

     Made using shapes and playing with opacity on Adobe Illustrator.

Doug Bucci Lecture

     Doug Bucci is someone very in-tune with himself...and it's easy to tell just by the way he speaks about his passion which is jewelry and CAD/CAM working. I find it strange? I guess that most of the people that lecture at these things went to school at UArts which is also here in Philadelphia. But anyway the most important things Doug talked about was that people need to feel uncomfortable in order to be productive and get somewhere in life. If we were all happy all the time we'd never do anything different or new. This made me feel better about myself because I am constantly trying to be somewhere else than I currently am...not that I'm dissatisfied or high maintenance but just looking for something new. Doug's artwork definitely showed a specific theme of diabetes and anatomy-like patterns and structures. It's interesting that him and his wife actually collaborate within their careers and how much they influence eachother in positive ways. I also got the feeling that Doug is a sincere person by the way he talked about his child, wife, and the fact that he donated his one piece that was a memoir to (I forget the guy's name, but a famous man with diabetes) to the man's sister and how important that was both to her and him as the artist. Hearing Doug, I also realized that there's something so much more personal about being an artist that I don't think people can have in any other career. As an artist you get to interpret your surroundings and make sense of things, but you also greatly affect the lives of other people as well. It's truly a powerful thing.

 

A Marcel Wanders piece-----Doug Bucci made sure to suggest looking him up.

Lecture: Marianne Dages

     Marianne Dages is a young artist who is definitely exploring her career and uses of media. She seemed like a very indecisive and unsure person that has finally found her knack-- which for her is book and print making. Marianne is definitely inspired by nature and landscape, as seen in her work. She has a unique style combining subject matter and textures in her books that is very interesting to me. I also liked to hear about her artist friends that are on their own journeys and leading their own lives. It's neat to see how different artists do their work and live throughout the world. Her one friend rode his bike across the country, while her other friends got married and share their studio and artistic projects with each other. All together, Marianne Dages proved to me that having a community of other artists and friends and just people in general can really pay off from inspiration to critiquing, and everyone should be able to be around other people-- especially when they're creating art.

WARNING!

     Warning! This sign was made in Adobe Illustrator and is true... if you touch my knees I may seriously injure or kill you. The point of this assignment was obviously to explore shapes and colors to get a message across very clearly. I am very satisfied with my warning sign and I think the elements like line and thickness and color are used very well.

Illustrator Homework

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All of these images were created in Adobe Illustrator and completely out of text. The box is representational, and the 'falling' word acts with its connotation. The rest of the images are abstract... one actually spelling out thoughts while the other is just jumbled letters of text.

Lecture #3: Candy Depew

     I am so glad I went to this lecture even though I dreaded it terribly that day because Candy Depew is an amazing artist. Her work ranges from porcelin cast objects to ceramics and vinyl prints that are just unique and personal to her. I was most impressed by Candy's themes and styles used in her installations. I like how she incorporates drips and the smooth glossy glazes used to cover the drips really make them stand out from the rest of her installation that is fabric or some other material. Besides the cool things that Candy does, she also has been to many amazing places that I would love to experience one day. She kept mentioning a Kohler Factory and her studio in Times Square that I'm sure both were places any artist dreams of. And the last thing about Candy Depew that really interested me was her understanding of apprenticeships and the way she teaches people in exchange for help with her shows. I think it's humble and a special quality someone has if they are seen as such great artists and professionals like Candy Depew, yet they still think that they learn from young emerging artists just as much as these amateurs learn from them.

Online Photo Copyright and Videos Response

     I cannot imagine what I would think if I were ever walking around and saw a picture of myself on a billboard. I would first be shocked, then either flattered or offended depending on the picture and what advertisement was used with my photo. But regardless if I liked the photo or not, I would feel violated. I don't think it's right for anyone, especially large companies that have billions of dollars, to take random photos of people and use them in their advertisements. Everyone has the right to know where their photo is going and who has that photo. Websites like Facebook and Flickr many people are accustomed to using... but should we all really be using them? As a Facebook user myself, I have no clue on the copyrighting issues of my pictures or anyone else's that are on Facebook. For all I know, someone may be using my photo in an advertisement somewhere else in the world. But if we think about it now, copyright issues aren't enough to stop people from using Facebook and these other websites because our lifestlyes have become so accustomed to them. (Some people are even addicted to these things!). These computer revolutions and enormous influences of technology in our lives is what truly scares me... but then stepping back to think about the series of events it almost seems logical and necessary to be a part of this all because it is what society requires of us if we want to be an active part of it.
     I know in this blog I am most likely rambling on about how confused and scared I am of technology and copyright issues online, but the reason is because I really have no opinion and am totally stuck in the middle of this. No one is telling us what's right to do in this situation and we are basically all just doing whatever we want on the internet because we either don't know what's right or just don't care because no one is stopping us. This leads me to think that the first issue in all of this is that there should be set rules and set statements that everyone is aware of before we had gotten into all of this rather than now where we are all too wrapped up in everything that we can't make changes.

Foundation Lecture #2: Peter Hanley

     From my first glance at Peter Hanley I already though he was an interesting character. I mean... he does have a mohawk and a nose ring. But besides his appearance, I felt a connection with him as an artist. Peter Hanley described his artistic journey at this lecture and how he goes so drastically from poetry to generating technical computer art and installations. I specifically liked Hanley because I could tell that his mind is in twenty different places at once just like mine. And the fact that he goes through these artistic phases I can also relate to because I like exploring new media in the same way as him. But even though Peter Hanley currently works with mostly computer art (which I will probably never understand or care enough about), I feel as if he is just like me and every other artist-- constantly searching for a new way of expression and a new skill to master. Hanley is also a very down-to-earth guy and has great talent especially for having no college art degree, and seems like a great person to be around and work with. I am definitely going to research his work and exhibitions, and hope to actually see one in person sometime soon.

Exploring Philadelphia!

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     Since I am now living in Philadelphia and will be for the next couple years of my life, exploring of the new scenery was definitely needed. For my adventure I took the subway (for the first time!) to South Street and then to City Hall. South Street is a great place to be-- full of vintage thrift stores and artsy shops that I've come to love dearly. South Street is also reassuring to me because it reminds me of the downtown section of where my family lives with its handmade crafts, cafes, and thrifty feel. My main reason for traveling to South Street was to finally see Magic Gardens. One of my friends had been there and fell in love with the place, so I really wanted to see it for myself. As I came up to Magic Gardens, I was already in awe at the use of materials and the structures of the walls and composition of mosiacs. I absolutely loved the outdoor part of Magic Gardens. The walls made by Isaiah Zagar of bottles and porcelin pottery were amazing. The structure of the garden also impressed me because Zagar was able to intertwine his style with nature as well as other environments with man made walls and tiles. So after wandering about South Street and the nearby neighborhoods filled with murals for a few hours, I got back on the subway and got off at the City Hall stop in hopes of seeing the New York-ish buildings and LOVE Park. On arriving, I really didn't want to see the LOVE sculpture or the wedding parties flocking around it, but I did thoroughly enjoy the fountain and people at the park mostly because I was exhausted and needed to relax in the shade with my feet in the water. I'd like to fall asleep one day just laying on that outer wall with my shoes off and a big hat over my face-- but I know this is pretty unlikely of me to do. Once I tired of the misty air, I wandered over to the large sculptures and nearby buildings of City Hall. The architecture is truly amazing here and it is a nice spot to just marvel at the work humans and machines are actually capable of. I ended up returning to the Temple campus later that evening ready to sleep but having to draw my dorm room. Kind of a bittersweet day, but definitely a great start to college life and living in the city of Philadelphia.