I looked at the work of Beauvis Lyons, the reference artist for the lithograph project, on the Internet. It was interesting to see what Lyons had done with his artwork and creating the Hokes Archives. He presented a whole, well thought-out social commentary on science and religion and our culture while being humorous. The lithographs of the animals are fun and interesting to look at but also create an uneasy feeling with their unnatural combination of familiar features. The images of the animals look like old encyclopedia illustrations and they depict strange creatures with familiar elements put together in unfamiliar ways. Something so absurd is presented to appear creditable and it is interesting how much more believable it becomes to people. The animal images Lyons creates are brilliant, they seem to comment on society, science and religion. The ridiculous nature of the animals reflects the ridiculous beliefs people hold on to.
Brenna Russell

Frustration

I came here (late) to blog and have nothing to say except that I hope to make it to school tomorrow! Margaret

Printmaking

Although printmaking can be a long process in producing, I've come to be quite interested in it. So far I'm only interested in the processes of the linoleum and monotype printmaking techniques. I don't know if I'd make this a major, but I wouldn't mind creating more printmaking projects. The part I really like is the printing and seeing what the result will come out to be; whether bad or good, either way its nice to see how it all works.

Lee Jones

Weird and Strange Art

At trying to find a topic to blog about, I came with the idea of finding unusual art and I found a web page dedicated to this kind of artwork which I will share with you.

http://bertc.com/weird/bunnies.htm

-Victor Villanueva-

2-D art work became 3-D!!

M.C. Escher is famous for lithograph, and most of his works are unnatural, but that looks naturally. And I found the M.C. Escher's Relativity that is made by lego.



That's amazing work, and I like Escher so, one year ago I created that and it took three days. That was so hard.



Ichie Kawasumi

reflections on printmaking

Doing so much laying around, I have done a lot of reflecting lately, particulary about art. Wanting to be an art teacher, I think about art as an important part of any education. Printmaking isn't as prevalent in public schools because of the cost of equipment and caustic chemicals, but it is such an important discipline because it really reenforces not only drawing and mark making, but how we see and construct. For me, printmaking is a type of visual gymnastics, at least in the constructive process because sometimes you work backwards and you end up with a mirror image of what you have drawn, inked, carved or etched. You have to rethink how you place color because it's different from painting and drawing. One of the things I really appreciate about printmaking is that it makes me think about visual communication and the potential for seeing the world in a new way. ann

Trippy

I found this sweet website that features psychedelic artists. Check it out, there is some cool art to look at on this website. And who knows maybe it will strike a new idea for you. It did for me!!!!
-Susie McHugh

Here's the link
http://www.psychedelicartists.org/

Awesome Printmaker Taro Takizawa-katie Brown

Taro Takizawa is currently one of my favorite print-makers. This might have something to do with the fact that he too is an arts student going through college and having to deal with the same things we currently are. He does silkscreen and lithography with a precision I find fascinating. I found him on DeviantArt one day when i was trying to get inspired for class-searching silkscreen prints oh how original i know-and have been following his account for the last couple of months.

Take a few minutes and check his prints out!

link

Random Artists - Emily Ritter

I was looking through artists on the Art:21 website, and here are a few I found interesting. Check 'em out:

Martin Puryear - A mixture of sculptures, installations, print, etc. My favorite is the ladder piece.
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/puryear/index.html#

Matthew Ritchie - A mixture of paintings and mixed media installations. There is a lot of texture and color in his work. Busy, but a good busy.
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/ritchie/index.html#

Kara Walker - Paper silhouette installations. She explores race, gender, and sexuality through these cut outs. Magnificent.
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/walker/index.html#

And one of my all time favorite artists: Kiki Smith!!
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/smith/index.html

Text and Drive -K-State Artist Brian Bookwalter

I received this e-mail and thought some of you maybe interested or have friends that would be interested considering this is located in Topeka. I'm not quite for sure what it will be like, but figured I'd send on the info!


The Kansas Department of Transportation and AAA will be hosting a “Don’t Text and Drive” news conference on April 27 at 9:30 a.m. on the south side of the State Capitol. (In the event of inclement weather, the conference will be held inside the Capitol, room 144-S.) The event will feature the work (http://www.bookwalterdesign.com/TextandDrive/) of K-State artist, Brian Bookwalter, who found a unique way to encourage people not to text and drive. Bookwalter, Kansas Legislators and traffic safety advocates will serve as speakers. Please feel free to distribute this invitation to others in your network, as we would love to have a great show of support for this important topic.

Brooke Gluszek

Three Dirty Dwarves

I don't know if any of you ever owned or played a Sega Saturn, but it had a lot of great games. A good deal of pretty artistic games, too. Maybe not in that stuck-up, experimental "artistic" sense of the word, but they looked amazing and had a great style all their own.

One such I used to own was Three Dirty Dwarves. I forgot the plot, but I think it has something to do with these dwarves coming out of a board game and going on a rampage.

Anywho, check it out. The characters are so distorted that it's almost cute; you sometimes forget that they're hideously deformed. That kind of spaghettification of characters is really interesting, though. You don't need a laborous amount of detail to showcase certain qualities of someone with that style.

So here's a video. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJfTuaagsRA

(My favorite is Taconic, the one with the football helmet)

-Salem

An Interesting and Frustrating Book-katie brown

I was recently given a book by a friend of my mom's-I know a bad sign from the get go-and the title was another tip off. Why Art Cannot Be Taught by James Elkins is a self titled Handbook for Art Students but I have found it closer to a rant against art programs and any sort of regulated curriculum. It has some good points about the differences in the purpose of art-comparing the mindset of different time periods with our own. The interesting part of this read besides the conflicting attitude of the author that is-is the fact it was given to me by a self title artist-one who actually attended WSU.

I am mainly interested in seeing if the term "ART" will ever been adequately defined in the book. The logic bind of saying art cannot be taught while attending a University for an art degree cannot be accepted without raising an eyebrow. So I'll continue reading the book and see if it clears up some of these frustrating inconsistencies.

Project Run-a-way and Stuff - Emily Ritter

It was my first time attending Project-Run-Away, and I had a blast. I was impressed with almost all of the pieces, but of course there were some that I wasn't very fond of. I'd have to say one of my favorites was Gina Bryant's. I love how her piece was like wearable sculpture. I didn't feel that any other pieces had that sculpture quality.

Now for a random link! I found this website while sumbling (of course), and it is pretty interesting. It is a website where you can be smothered and educated about art. Enjoy!

http://www.dailyartfixx.com/

Crit-o-rama & Project Run-a-way

What a fun day I had Friday! Free food, looking at art, getting valuable feedback on my work, and excellent entertainment. Loved being able to see the work of others in a large room rather than a narrow hallway. Really enjoyed the run-a-way runway. Not just costumes but performance art as well. My favorite categories were the edibles and dark matter. The coffee filter dress and parasol were the best constructed of everything. Other of my favored exhibits included Whipped, Fruit Roll-Up outfit, Jellyfish Boy,and Exploding Chicken.
I took one small assemblage for critique and received some positive comments and good tips for display. Next year I will plan to bring more of my art.
Margaret

Jim Cunningham

Lately i have been looking at this guys web sight, Jim Cunninghamand his sculptures. I find his abstractly to be quite nice and fulfilling in the ways in which he describes his work and comes up with his concepts. -Todd Bryant-

Dedication

So I've noticed that I have a great interest in drawing people and luckily I have life drawing this semester because I get some practice of how to draw the human anatomy accurately. Unfortunately though I still need more practice until I'm able to just create something without a reference or is that even possible? I'm sure it is and hopefully I can get to that level of drawing, but of course, like I said before, I need practice. It's crazy to think that there are artists who are so dedicated to art that they will spend minutes, hours, days even, drawing or painting or whatever type of art they may be interested in. Someday I hope I can be that dedicated to my work because right now, I'm quite a lazy artist. Maybe this dedication comes with years of experience, I have no idea really, I'm just trying to come up with some type of answer to my question of "when will I have that type of dedication".

Lee Jones

Amazing Friday

Hi!! Did everyone go to see the Crit-O-Rama at the campus or Project Run-Away at Shift Space? I went to both and both of those were amazing!!! Those also stimulate me and make me think about the reason, comcept, and style of my arts seriously. I've never though about those, and always created the theme that I want to creat at that time. So, those made me develop better than before as the artist. And this is the costume which gained grand prize and the my favorite one at fashion show.

Ichie Kawasumi

Political art

My latest projects have been kind of political. So I decided to write about political art.

Political art depicts current events, historic events and the ideals of the people, but it can also be created to make political leaders appear more valiant and admirable. In my current project Im working on showing the heroism of the fathers of independece from Mexico. Also I'm basing my ideas on the Mexican national anthem, and I really enjoy making this kind of art, it's interesting to create art based on important events.

-Victor Villanueva-

art?

what is art? art seems to be relative to everything; the experiences the viewer has had, how it's presented, the time period, what color shoes you have on, etc.






according to dictionary.reference.com art is:
the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

what do you cats think?



-benjamin

I Like America and America Likes Me

In my Acrylic class, Emily mentioned a German artist named Joseph Beuys who was an artist of many sorts, dabbling in performance art, sculpture, installations and graphic art, to name a few. She talked about a specific performance he did in 1974 titled "I Like America and America Likes Me." Beuys was transported to America (a country he wasn't very fond of) and brought a live coyote with him. He was transported by ambulance and carried on a gurney to a gallery in New York where he basically lived in a small room with this coyote for three days without food or water. To him, the coyote symbolized America as a scavenger and a beast. He would interact with the coyote and, ultimately have to fend it off with only a felt blanket and an umbrella handle (the coyote went without food or water, too). After three days, the coyote died, and Beuys was taken to the airport to leave America. He never set foot on American ground, and the performance itself was quite the "fuck you" to the country. This performance struck me as so intense. I'm pretty sure Beuys got into some pretty big trouble for allowing the coyote to die, but the piece wouldn't have been nearly as effected if it hadn't died the way it did.
Performance art always seems to be so shocking and intense. He was making a strong point was definitely effective in doing so. I'm sure today PETA would be livid with a performance like this. But I've heard of other performance art pieces that are just as shocking. I guess that's what performance art is known for: shocking behavior.

Here's a photo taken of Beuys while in the room with the coyote.


Hannah Scott

Fun Website

My roommate showed me this website and i thought it had some great examples of type used in coordination with photography and sculpture. And there is some really cute and sweet pieces in the mix as well. I would recommend you take a look if you have some free time. not that any of us really have much of that these days! -Katie Brown

God of War III-Katie Brown

I just had the chance to watch god of war III being played and the quality of design and graphics were simply astonishing. The game play was like watching the most airbrushed and fine tuned cut scene. It really was amazing how far video games have progress in only a few years time. I still remember being amazed at Epona's realistic design in the Zelda games growing up and i'm excited how the future of game design and advancements in technology will continue to open up this art form.

I have really found those new processes Monika showed us in class to be AMAZING!!!! I used the method of putting the gum stuff on your image then rubbing ink over it. Since I used a canvas to transfer it onto, it didn't show up too well. However this gives me the opportunity to use paint to make the design more visible. How exciting is that.?!

-Susie McHugh

Repeating it is

I wanted to use this blog to reinforce the site society6.com. It's a really great site for artists and has a lot of very different artworks. I find myself going there a lot now to check out all the varieties of works and to get ideas and inspiration. There are so many different kinds of works that you would be hard pressed not to find anything you liked. If you like an artist you can click on their image and usually find more work from them and can even buy it. It's a really great site and I hope everyone takes the time to check it out and are blown away by all the art they have their. Later, -Jason R.

At the park

Today I walked to Watson park with my three-year old daughter. We always have fun there but today a I was remembering how the yellow brick road use to be full of wooden sculptures by Gino Salerno. When I was young I use to really enjoy walking down the yellow brick road and looking at all the characters from the Wizard of OZ and I know my daughter would have thought they were so cool if they were still there for her to see. It's a shame that we can't have public art like that without people vandalizing it and ruining something for everyone. The art the city does have for the public is something I enjoy and can enjoy with my daughter I like the things that were done at Riverside Park and the Keeper of the Plains is truely awsome; it is just unfortunate that Gino Salerno's works were so often subject to being vandalized to the point that we can no longer enjoy them.
Brenna Russell

Hard

Printmaking is very time-consuming, but I'm starting to get the hang of it..sorta. Also, I can't remember to post in this darn blog. I want to be as good as the little Japanese girl, she rules at printmaking haha.
Corey Rausch

Depth with Screen-Prints - Emily Ritter

So, throughout this class, I have been trying to figure out how to make my prints not look flat. With some of my prints, I have gone along with the flat looking medium by making stencil looking images and simplifying my subject matter. I came across an artist that amazes me. Apparently, all of his images are Silk-Screen Prints. It is hard for me to believe it since they are so detailed. Anyway, here is it. Check it out and be amazed. http://www.seejbdraw.com/purchase.html

Culture in Art

This week I found out something about how culture plays a part in art work. I don't think that I've put much of "myself" into what I create. I think I just create something just because it's for that assignment. I don't put much of my culture into things. And my culture isn't a specific thing really, it's who I am or what I am about. Maybe what interests me even. The reason that I haven't put much of my culture into artwork is probably because I feel as if no one would understand it. And even if I explained it, no one would really understand the subject except probably someone from my own culture.

Lee Jones

Benjamin Roman

I had not liked American cartoon and anime characters, because I have spent more time in Japan, my life. And their features are very different from Japanese characters. However, finally I found the American comic, "I luv halloween", by thartyist/Illustrator Benjamin Roman. I haven't reat it yet, but I like its characters!!! Little creepy,but his characters are so cute!!!

http://www.buried.com/interviews/benjamin-roman-artist-illustrator/172/

or search "i luv halloween"

Ichie Kawasumi

Green Jello

This is a pretty sweet video. It's got claymation, puppetry, and uh...well, that's about it. But it's pretty nifty. I think the puppets are just terrifying to behold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO1rfdDjNGI

I figured you guys might appreciate it. It's artistic and such. The song is also really fun.

-Salem

Ready to print awesomeness!!

Soooooo I have a fantastic idea for what I'm going to do on the next project.I am going to try and do the bird print again but using a different technique. Like Zack said I need to explore out of my style. So why not give it a shot....


-Susie McHugh

FRACT/ONS

Fractions is a local art journal that publishes an array of art forms; from painters to poets to musicians. They've put together a few local release concerts, as well as having two installments of the journal already out. Most of the work published is from local artists.
Their website has current publications along with a collection of music. [both of which are free to browse and download(the music)]

http://fractionsjournal.com/

enjoy,
Benjamin

good website

Thanks to Margaret, I visited www.theimagematrix.com and found several of the artists and their monotypes really interesting. I loved the atmospheric creations of Deborah Moore, and as a huge Paul Klee fan, found Ivan Fitt's work resonnating.
Also, "Forest" by Patricia Vega is a wonderful example of rich texture and reminds me of Charles Burdchfield, one of my favorite watercolor painters. ann

Monotype Printmaking

Today I Googled images of monotype printmaking and quickly found a couple of interesting items. Two web sites I looked at were www.theimagematrix.org
and www.perrinefineart.com/Bertolia.html
Harry Bertolia (1915-1978) was a sculptor and metalsmith who experimented with monographics techniques while teaching at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.
He is considered to be an innovator in the use of this medium. His pieces include wood block,flat plate, brayer and hand pressure techniques. His mark making includes application of ink using a brayer. Layering is also evident in his work.
Of the several artist listed as members of The Image Matrix, my favorites are Ivan Fitt, Susan Blackadar and Silvia Damar Radvansky. Fitt works in monoprint and collage.
Blackadar works in watercolor and printing. Her pieces are graphic examples of sophisticated use of color and layering techniques. Radsvansky also shows great use of layered printmaking techniques. All of the artists have backgrounds in drawing and or in painting with watercolor or acrylic. Their printmaking styles reflect these skills.
Check these web sites out and let me know what you think.
Margaret

I'm really in to the Intro to Printmaking class I've been taking. Everything that we have done is something that I'm doing for the first time. At times I have felt intimidated when doing something I'm so unfamiliar with but each time I try something new I get that much more comfortable with the process. I honestly didn't know much about printmaking before taking the class and ended up in it because it fit into my scedule. The experience I've had trying something new with printmaking has made me more confident with my artwork and now I think I will be more likely to try new processes.
Brenna Russell

Ketchup Blogs...

Well I got my phobia prints done, but they did not turn out as I planned and I'm going to rework them. My biggest problem was using the drawing fluid and filler fluid to create my work. I've finally come to the conclusion that these techniques do not work unless perhaps you're creating an abstracted piece. Meaning from now on I will only be using emulsion to create work and most likely only printouts as well. But not all is lost due to the fact I got some experience printing on canvas. At any rate I'm going to rethink this print and keep in mind my color options and the realization and less is more. Also I came across at interesting site that has some pretty awesome and different art on it: Society6.com if anyone wants to see what other artists are creating. -Jason R.

Hippodrome!

Hey guys! If you have free time this Saturday you should check out Hippodromes performances. Each organization designs their own play, sets, costumes, and dance numbers in their play. It's really entertaining and cool to see what a group of college kids can come up with! It costs to get in, but with your ShockerID it's about $6 I want to say?..could be wrong tho! It's an all day event on Saturday-tonight and Thurs the shows are broke in half, but Satuday everyone performs!
Hope to see ya there!
Brooke Gluszek

Topiary

I watched some of a movie called "A Man Named Pearl" which is about a man who has taught himself the art of topiary. I am not very familiar with topiary as an art form so I looked up this man, Pearl Fryar as well as topiary art from other sources. Generally I am the type of person who appreciates trees and bushes in their natural, unaltered form but I could appreciate topiary as an art. The gardens I looked at seemed dreamlike and kind of created their own reality. Looking at the images of topiary gardens reminded me of the illustrations of a Dr.Seuss book, which is fun. Some trees and bushes were made to look like an animal or some specific thing while others were just nonspecific forms, it was all pretty cool to see what a person can form shrubbery into. Now that I know a little bit more about topiary art I have gained an interest in it.
Brenna Russell

Heavy Metal Albums

I grew up listening to my older brothers' music, which usually consisted of heavy metal, rock, grunge, rap, and so forth. I really enjoyed all the heavy metal album covers because...well, just look at those damn things, man. There be all sorts of action goin' on.

A zombie charging a battlefield carrying a bloody cutlass and the U.K. flag? Does it get any better? Hellmazingly, yes it does.

http://sleevage.com/iron-maiden-discography/

So here's some Iron Maiden album covers. What I really enjoy is the playfulness and the high-energy attitude that they all seem to have, even with their morbid and horrific art. I guess that's what I love so much about heavy metal and punk. It has a kind of dark humor to it that I've always loved.

Enjoy.

-Salem

Busy, busy, busy...

Man, I've been so busy lately I haven't even been doing my posts. And I'm going to continue to be busy for some time yet. Due to this and the fact I left my essential printing material at home last Thur. I've been forced to put printmaking on hold. But time never stops and I'm going to be working over time to get my printmaking projects back up to speed. Really I'm just interested in this semester to get over. I have things I want to accomplish that I can't get done with school in process. One of those things is getting my printmaking "equipment" set up and getting some stuff ordered. I spend a lot of hours on the net last night searching for the right kind of equipment to use. I've narrowed down my search finally and know what kind of emulsion, ink, and cleaners I'm gonna get. I'm going to try some more Eco-friendly chemical for cleaning since I feel they will be safer, I just hope they work. I'm gonna be trying some new things with my prints and am excited to see what the results are going to be. At any rate tomorrow will be here before I know it. -Jason R.

Phobias in Art-Katie B

I just wanted to say how much i'm enjoying this project and the work environment. It seems like everyone is really getting into the spirit with this project and giving it there all. i'm really excited to see how everyone's turns out! After looking at the google image results for phobia, i think we should all post our work somewhere online when we're done and contribute to the stock pile some awesome hand made work!

Commericals; art or not?-Katie B

Over the weekend I had some down time and watched a little tv. I was surprised by some of the commercials i saw because of their creative and playful style. The Asics commercial promoting their new shoe had some beautiful typography and texture work as the runner sprinted through sheets of glass, each knocking off more the smoky typography spelling out things like fear, stress, anxiety etc. While usually i find commercials to be mostly annoying, i am beginning to think there is an art to them beyond the normal marketing techniques. It seems like commercials are evolving along with technology to be more than moving billboards

Esref Armagan

My dad showed me this video a while ago and I think it's so amazing and inspiring. Esref Armagan is a painter from Turkey who has been blind since he was born. Volvo approached him with an offer to paint their newest model - their S60 sedan - before it's revealed to the world at any car show or through any media outlet. You can see in the video how he does this, and the end result is truly magnificent.
Of course I didn't expect a hyper-realistic rendition of the car in his painting, but the little things in his final piece amaze me most. Armagan incorporates perspective into the piece, with the trees clearly placed in the background of the piece, and the car as the primary form in the foreground. I kept thinking about how he has been blind his entire life - he has never seen a landscape or experienced a sense of perspective through his own vision. His world must look completely different from our own, since he's had to develop it from his own range of senses. It really blows my mind. Anyway, here's the video. Watch and enjoy!


Hannah Scott

Something new - Emily Ritter

So lately I have being trying to do something different with my work. As well as finding new inspiration.
Craig Kosak's paintings I find intriguing. I like how the pieces are broken up into sections, and how color helps in doing this.
They are beautiful works.
Enough words, Look for yourself.

http://www.craigkosak.com/2007.html

Peter Marcus

Marcus' Horsehead series is astounding. I hadn't thought that so much could be achieved with collagraphy. His images are vivid; his space well used. I'm a novice at all these printmaking techniques, but after viewing Lasansky's and Marcus' work I feel inspired to master each and every process of printmaking. I know these are high hopes, however I've fallen in love with spending time in the studio and creating art.
-benjamin

Seeing in lines

When I was attending Pitt State a few years ago, I was assigned a reading about a man, an artist, that always had drawn things in perfect perspective. The reading was interesting in that the man was describing how he always saw things in lines, or rather forced himself to see in lines until it became normal for him to do so. He saw vanishing points for everyday objects as well. This made things easy for him to draw because he already saw everything as a drawing. This seemed very strange to me, but also very interesting. For the next week, I am going to be working on my drawings in my sketchbook focusing on perspective and drawing what I see more accurately. I encourage every to try to look at things a little differently, not only in lines, but in any form that you see fit. I think it is very important for artists to look at everything differently, I think it is what makes us artists.

-Aaron Rivera

Fluximation

Fluximation is a whole different type of animation. Yes it could be considered anime, but the movement and how fluent the characters move makes me see past that. What I've seen so far on youtube are just short little clips, but they're still pretty interesting to watch. Very vivid and quite creative in my opinion. I believe these cartoons are mostly produced by Studio 4°C.

Lee Jones

Children's picture book

Since I was the child, I like to read the children's picture book. I have enjoyed to read and see illustrates even if I have read the book more than ten times. It never makes me boring. And last year, one of my favorite children's picture book, "Where the wild things are" became the film. I have not seen it, but I will. So, this week, I introdure its writer/illustrator, Maurice Sendak.

Ichie Kawasumi

Myths and Art

Myths are stories that explain why the world is the way it is. All cultures have them. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by myths and legends and have given them visual form. Sometimes these works of art are the only surviving record of what particular cultures believed and valued. But even where written records or oral traditions exist, art adds to our understanding of myths and legends.

--Victor Villanueva--

Collagraph Takes Time

Am now in the neighborhood of 18 extra hours on the process and halfway there.
Margaret :)

Back to Reality

It is time for Susie to buckle down!! Starting tomorrow and after I set up my art for sophomore review on Monday, I will be living in the screen printing room.... Being sick this week really screwed me over. I'm trying to look on the bright side of things. I pretty much know what I want to do for each print. I think this assignment may be my favorite so far. I'm looking forward to doing some art tomorrow. If any of my fellow students want to join me I will be there from 1:30-5.

Can't wait to get back to reality

-Susie McHugh

catching up

Hi, everyone. Still being stuck in bed, I have caught up on my blog reading. The comments are all so interesting, particularly the ones about the ideal critique. After reading them, I have a few more thoughts to add. First, it is ok to make mistakes, both in our comments and art making because that is one way to learn a lot in a short time frame. We are in this together and we are empathetic and understanding. Keep talking! It is hard not to a take comments personally when our art is so personal, but comments when made with good intentions are meant in a positive way to help us grow and improve. Comments can keep us from repeating blunders or help us problem solve in future projects. And, it is also ok, important, to point out the positives. We need to hear both. Lastly, I really liked Todd's comments about having us all come up with a question about everyone's work for critique. That is also very helpful and illuminating for both the artist and audience. Does anyone want to consider what the most entertaining critique would be? For me, it would be Monika delivering her comments in Polish. ann

In the Intro to Printmaking class I'm taking we are working on collagraphs so I looked at some work by one of our reference artists, Peter Marcus. This is my first time doing a collagraph print so it is helpful to look at the work of a talented and experienced artist in that medium. In works by Peter Marcus that I viewed I noticed that most of them combined collagraph printing with some other media like digital photography. It is interesting to see a process like collagraph which seems somewhat uncontrolled and loose in combination with digital photography which is sharp and precise. I like the way the images of houses that Peter Marcus does in digital photography look like they are under the effects of some weather that the collagraph is bringing upon them. The two techniques were combined to look like they are a unified image. It was interesting and informative to watch the video on the Peter Marcus website and see how he makes his prints. The large scale of the prints was also noticeable when watching the video which made me appreciate the work more.
Brenna Russell Intro to Printmaking

My ideal critique

The ideal critique of my artwork would involve someone telling me what I did that worked in my piece and what may not have worked in the piece. I would be interested to know if the person critiquing my piece liked it personally and if they find it interesting. If someone likes my work I want to know what things specifically they find pleasing, if it's subject or color or whatever it is. I want to know what the person looking at my work thinks it means and compare that to what I was trying to communicate; I would want to know if they thought the piece was successful at communicating my ideas. I want the person critiquing my artwork to tell me if they found it interesting or exciting and what elements made it so. If the person critiquing my my work didn't care for it then I would want to know what it was that they didn't enjoy. I would want them to offer me ideas about how my work could be more successful and suggest different techniques that could be employed. The ideal critique of my artwork would be objective and insightful with positive intentions.
Brenna Russell Intro to Printmaking