what do you like best?

Now that our intro to printmaking class is almost over, I wondered what was everyone's favorite process? I liked everything, but found some processes harder than others, but the harder the process, the cooler the end result was. One thing that is really cool about printmaking, and scary too, is that you don't have complete control of how the final product ends up. It is a trial and error experience. This was really true during the etching assigment for me. Etch and proof, etch and proof, but I learned so much from the experience and can't wait to do it again. I learned a lot from everyone in class as well, probably my favorite part of the class. Seeing the creative inner workings of such talented artists was inspiring. Thanks to all for everything. ann

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

The Perfect Critique

To begin with, the perfect critique is one where I learn something that makes me a better artist. A good critique should inspire one to want to go back and create an even better piece of art, either through reworking an artwork or in the next artistic endeavor. I really liked the formal analytic approach we took on Monday because it made us really look at each piece and consider each line, nuance, and compositional detail. Then we were able to make objective conclusions about what was going on in each etching. Sometimes, when we start with our own personal aesthetic opinions, we forget to talk about what went into the art making itself and the critique becomes more of an opinion poll instead. We don't learn as much, other than what someone else likes, and it can be hard or confusing about what we need to improve on while staying true to our own vision. The approach we took on Monday made us look and then really see how the piece was constructed and worked as a whole. ann

Suffering for your art

Today, Hannah and I learned what it means to suffer for your art. In our painting class, we had to paint a still life that consisted of dyed dead fish, ice cubes, rice crackers and vegetables. Visually, it wasn't bad, but the smell was horrible!!!! The point of painting the dead fish was so we would have to adjust for the difference in the fishes' appearance as they decomposed. At the end of class, the fish went into the freezer. On Thursday, they will come back out and the smell will probably be worse. This set me wondering if anyone else has had to suffer for their art in a similar or even worse way. I will let you know if we get through class on Thursday without passing out or throwing up due to the smell. ann

Impact

Emily and Brooke said interesting things about the big art lecture this week. Brooke's comments about Kerry Williams remarks about art from the past influencing us as artists, like or it or not, resonates with something Annette LeZotte talked about yesterday during Sophomore review. Someone asked her why graphic designers and studio artists have to take so much art history at WSU. Her major point was that you have to understand art history so that you don't misuse it. She mentioned that you could end up using the wrong image in a graphic design project that could alienate or offend the customer or the public. The same could be said about any images that a studio artist creates. I also think that knowing about other cultures' art history is helpful too, but not just to artists. It helps the public understand and consider new or different kinds of art. Chris Ofili's The Holy Virgin Mary painting with a black primitive women, partly covered in elephant dung shocked and angered the New York public when it was exhibited there in the 1990s, but if people had understood that in Nigeria (Ofili's family came to England from there) elephant dung is sacred and used in everything important, perhaps their religious feelings would have been enhanced and re-evoked. Of course, Ofili was banking on causing controversy, but he had to know history to manipulate the audience he wanted to shock. Because of art history, one can argue that James Maplethorpe's nude male photographs are just a form of humanism instead of porn. Anyway, it's amusing that old, dusty ideas from the past are capable of generating lots of "buzz" when they are resurrected in a new way. ann

The Power of LIne

I just spent the hour studying Lasansky's Nazi Drawings, and despite feeling a little raw from such brutal images, I am blown away by the power of the simple lines that the artist used to convey such horrendously cruel atrocities. Seeing these drawings in person must be overwhelming because most of them are so big, and imagining how the artist must have felt while making this art reminds me of Mel Chin's recent comments about having to be compelled to create his art. Lasansky's spiral mark making reminds me of piles of unfriendly and cruel barbed wire, perfect for depicting the clothing of both executioner and victim. If anyone else is interested in anti-Nazi art, check out the Berlin Dada artists of the twenties and thirties. Lasanksy's drawings remind me of George Grosz's paintings and John Hartfield's collages.

Also, I really enjoyed seeing everyone's work at Critique this week. It is clear that everyone has very interesting ideas and lots of talent. All the different approaches to the same assignment were marvelous, and I am please to be included in such a great group of artists. ann

Kathe Kollwitz is an amazing artist! She drew some pretty serious subject matter like people, particularly women and children, in abject poverty, sick, or dying. These were not polite, feminine little colorful paintings that went well with one's decor, but rather, they were stark and mostly black and white drawings. Her subjects' features were really carved out on her paper. I think of her as the German version of Toolouse Lautrec, but the Paris academy would have had a real issue with her, I suppose.

I liked Lee's comments about music and art, and wondered what everyone likes to listen to when they have music on and are making art. I like almost everything but really like Mozart or Bach when I need help with ideas. I've been listening a lot lately to Al Green, Nirvana and anything funk, like Parliament and the Ohio Players. Hope everyone has a safe Sunday. The frozen rain is really pinging off the windows. ann

Amazingly Small World

Hi- I was talking in class Wed. about how one of my best friends for over 30 years is the grand nephew of art critic Clement Greenberg. Having known Bob so long, I never knew this little factoid until this past Monday when he called. Ok, so, my daughter Ellie and husband, James, stay with Bob on Thursday in Dallas while Ellie was visiting a little college as a perspective student. She is really into ceramics and took a bowl she made to Bob and his wife as a thankyou gift. It turns out Bob's wife, Elise, throws pots at her neighbor's house across the street. Elise takes Ellie over to her neighbor's ceramic studio to meet the owner, Louise Rosenfield. It turns out that Louise is a BIG patron of ceramic artists and everyyear sponsers a gallery showing for them where she picks up the gallery's cut so that the artists get the entire profit of their sale. When she hears that Ellie is from Wichita, Louise asks her if she's ever heard of Ted Adler. Ellie tells her that her nut mother is an art student at WSU. Then, Louise takes her inside her house to show her the pieces she owns made by Ted. He even stayed at their house once. So, check out Ted Adler's artwork/website. One more little snippet of info. Bob tells me Vincent Van Gogh's "The Potato Eaters" was his first painting in color. It is a small world. ann