frustration

When one produces art, there is the constant pressure of explaining what you're art is about or what you're doing. At the moment this is a frustrating question. Having previously had a direct path that my work was following, I have found myself with a bit of a mental block. I am fed up and frustrated with current painting. It has a better chance of being sliced off the canvas than being completed. I don't know if my current mindset has to do with my painting or just the place I am in my life right now. However, I have decided to put my current work aside and try to paint in a new style. Whether this will be one painting of turn into a series I have no idea. I'm just hoping to loosen up and find my way back into my love of painting rather than staying in my current frustrated and exhausted state.

Peter Halley

Reading artist statements can either help in ones appreciation of an artist's work or detract from the viewer's opinion that has already formed an idea or personal understanding of an artists work. However, after reading Peter Halley's notes on Painting, I found myself with a greater appreciation and understanding of his art. Geometric abstraction falls into the "can't everybody do that?" category. As an artist one knows there's more behind the squares on canvas than just abstract shape. I found Peter Halley's idea that his shapes represent cells and networks that represent the geometric world in which humans conform incredibly interesting. An office with cubicles being the most visual reference to come to mind. All the workers have to move around and live their days based off of a geometric set up. Perhaps humans are playing in a real life game of packman. Halley claims that geometry displaces nature and the natural environment. It also then displaces our freedom to exist freely. Therefore, out entire enviornment is artificial. I am glad that I read Hally's statement. I can now find a deeper meaning and understanding of his work that didn't come easy upon my first look.

sitting with my work

The assignment was to sit with our work and try to put into words what we are doing. At the moment this is hard for me because the current painting i'm working on isn't going as planned and I'd rather slice it than sit and stare at it any longer. However, I can still get an idea of what i'm attempting to accomplish in my work. My work right now is derived from photographs however, I plan on incorporating work from life and photographs as a reference in my next work. I am also currently experimenting with medium, linseed oil, and turpenoid to achieve different qualities in my paint.
That aside my goal is to break down the color in the image. Which is why I like photos because colors get warped slightly and it's easy for me to see an array of colors that I like to portray in my work. My figures don't necessarily have to look realistic. In fact I like my paintings to be a semi abstracted version of a realistic painting. My main influence currently being Fairfield Porter.
I think that's as much as I can say about it as a moment due to my current mental block that I'm experiencing with my current work. Perhaps my next piece will allow me to comment more.

gallery visits

This Friday I went to three gallery shows in Philadelphia. My first stop was at the Peng gallery, which was showing Kelly McRaven's paintings. Kelly McRaven works with interior space and landscape in a semi abstract manner. She paints with think brush strokes that allow the viewer to see movement in her work. I enjoyed her subject matter and composition. However, I felt that her painting style could use a bit more control due to its portrayal of realistic subjects. It seemed to be on the border of abstraction. It was hard to focus on the subject matter. I either looked at her paint strokes or her subject. It was hard to view both simultaneously.
My next trip was to the ICA at University of Pennsylvania to see John Amleder's "About Nothing" show. What I found interesting about Amleder's work was the way it was shown on the walls. The enormously high walls were covered in drawings of all sizes. I found my self wondering if the wall in general was considered his piece of the individual drawings on the wall. The height of some of the work implies that the wall was more significant. However, one tries to view individual works on the wall and each viewer picks different pieces to look at. Therefore, everyone views the wall in a different way. Some take in more than others and not one person will view the same work as the person next to them.
Also showing at the ICA a small gallery show with the theme "Fables." Artists showing in the gallery were Christopher Myers, Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, Kanishka Raja, and Kara Walker. It was interesting to see the different portrayals to the idea of a fable. Many artists worked with the idea of a "fable" as a stereotype. Many artists work portray a fable/stereotype in order to show the ridiculousness of it. Through creation one can prove of disprove a point. I liked that despite the wide variety of artists showing there was a very similar interpretation of what a fable is.
My favorite show that I attended this weekend was Elizabeth Osborne's show at the Locks Gallery entitled "Floating Landscapes." Elizabeth works with diluted paint in a Hellen Frankenthaler style to create an abstract water landscape. Her color is what is most striking and the way that she obtains such brilliant color and manages to have such a wash like surface. Her shapes depict while being abstract and the viewer feels as though they are being taken into another world. Her work was exciting and fun to view.

response to "Publication" in correlation to post on "On Failure & Anonymity"

The article "Publications" clashed drastically with "On Failure & Anonymity being that "On Failure & Anonymity" warns about focusing on success and "Publications" focuses on a women's desire to have her work published and to become a success. As a painter I couldn't necessarily relate to the pressure to be published. It would be helpful if the article commented a bit more about the process than the feelings involved. However, I did find it humorous to hear the author go through similar thought processes that I myself encounter when working. Before a crit I always think my work is absolutely awful. It's as though I mentally convince myself so if I think it's bad no one else's criticism could hurt me. It's nice to know that we all struggle.
Overall "Publications" and "On Failure & Anonymity" enforce the aspect of industry vs art. It's easy to try to make work that one thinks are fashionable. It isn't as easy to stand by work that's against the norm and work through criticism. We are all born into a conforming society. These articles in their own way are a reminder that it is our own thoughts and work that make our art important and essentially make us artists.

response to seminar reading- "On Failure & Anonymity"

As an artist, reading "ON Failure & Anonymity" from the book Wet, I was originally left feeling discouraged. The artist's initial pessimistic outlook that success ruins an artist yet being poor is just and awful doesn't give to artist much to hope for. There appears to be no middle ground. However, through further analization of the article I realized that the author is taking the preacher route in trying to encourage artists to value their work rather than the scrutinizes, the criticism, the money, or the lack there of. Unfortunately, many artists will feel more of a cut when they're referred to as potentially becoming bums. Perhaps Sol LeWitt's letter to Eva Hesse to stop making sense of her art is the right way to encourage an artist into returning to their work rather than world surrounding art that we all tend to occasionally get lost in.

introduction

I am currently a painting & education major at University of the arts Philadelphia just back from Europe and starting out my senior year. Like most of the senior students I am thrilled to move into the larger studio space. I am currently interested in painting/depicting the ordinary: interactions and the daily routines of people. My newest influence is Fairfied Porter. I want to start working with paint thickness and as a painter who utilizes photographs as a reference, I find the way Porter's work is realistic but in a painterly sense to be encouraging. I am not trying to be a photo realist by any means.