Final Project

This project was an extension of my body painting, micro project 5:

Before I started this project, I was feeling inclined to do something new, rather than pushing an old idea further simply because I felt like I had to.  After a lot of discussion and thinking it through I decided that this was what I really wanted to do.  After all, I knew I wanted to continue with body painting after micro project 5... so why not for my final?  I also felt more confident because I actually had experience with the medium already.  I had a better idea of what to do and what not to do.  In keeping with the idea of a narrative for the final project, (instead of just presenting a photograph of the final product) I decided to take long exposure photographs of before, during, and after the event itself.
The most important thing I learned, and wanted to fix, from my first attempt at body painting was the amount of paint used.  We put it on thick, which was originally what I wanted because my action word was 'to mix,' but it made the canvas too slippery and there weren't a lot of legible forms in the painting.  This time I wanted to use only a thin layer of paint, applied with a sponge, so that there would be more of an impression of the event on the canvas.
So, we prepped our studio and got painted up.  It took a long time to mess around with the angles of the camera because I don't have a tripod but I figured it out eventually with the help of miscellaneous objects.  I wasn't completely positive if I wanted photographs from before, during, and/or after the process so I took photos of every stage.  I'm really glad I did this because I really fell in love with each one.

This image is from before the painting in our individual colors.  These are two images I juxtaposed together into one.  I love the contrast of the colors.

The colors/bodies begin to mix.

During the process.

The final product (in case you're interested.)

This project for me is really about the photographs because they tell the narrative.  However, I think the canvas tells a narrative as well, just in a more static way.  

Final Project Brainstorming Session

I've had numerous underdeveloped ideas for this project swimming through my head.  I still think the depiction of the visual experience of unconsciousness would be really interesting and I may end up trying both that idea and the following either for the final project in this class or otherwise.  In my last project I mentioned wanting to expand on it and after meeting with my super awesome instructor who happened to bring it up without my initiation, I feel even more excited to do so.  This time I want to focus more on the narration of the process rather than the final product.  I'm essentially going to do the same exact process (with a little adjustment in the painting technique, based on newfound experience) but this time I want to document it a little differently.  I still plan on using a canvas because I really enjoyed the first one, but this time I'm going to take one (or more) long exposure photographs to capture the movement and process as it's happening.  

If I end up doing the sleeping idea as well, I'm not sure if I'll have it finished for class but I think I would use paint.  I think a really large depiction of the colors and light a person sees with eyes closed could be really stunning.  

Blah, blah, blah idk.

"Cathedral" by Raymond Carver

Sight, and the distinction between 'seeing' and 'looking,' were of major importance in this short story.  The narrator initially feels superior to Robert because of his blindness, reasoning that because he cannot see, he therefore cannot live a normal life (i.e. a satisfactory marriage.)  As the text goes on, however, we begin to understand that Robert actually 'sees' on an far deeper level because, having no sight, he truly listens.  The interactions between Robert and his wife are far more meaningful than the narrator and his wife, whose interactions are short and irritable.  I thought it was a more interesting way of communicating the message, which I think can often be a bit cheesy.

Micro Project 5: Identity at Play

My action words were 'to mix' and 'nature.'
Here is what I produced:

40" x 60"

At first I had a hard time picking an 'object.' Mostly because I couldn't think of a good reason to pick any certain thing and I didn't want to just randomly use the first thing I saw at my house.  I started thinking about different definitions of 'object' and the idea of the body being seen as an 'object' really started to stick in my mind.

I don't think of my body as an object (but what is an 'object?'), but it many ways I do sort of forget it's there.  It's always there and always has been, end of story.  Through this thought process I started thinking about the stereotype of women being sex objects, which I really despise.  Sexuality is something I like to study through my artwork, especially when it comes to the female form and empowerment.
I decided to play with the notion of 'object' in my project.  The word could be interpreted differently.

So, I have my 'object.'


The word 'nature' sort of automatically went with my idea of using the body and what I was doing with it, but I was more interested in 'to mix.'  Specifically, the mixing of bodies.  My boyfriend and I painted ourselves from head to toe--him, blue and me, red; traditional male/female colors.  The mixing of the paint represents the physical mixing of our bodies.  It sort of takes the notion of the female body as an object and fights against it, while also embracing the beauty of what it can do.  The male and female forms come together, connect, mix.  Red and blue make purple.

I would like to make a series of these.  I like the spontaneity and absence of control.  There wasn't a thought about composition or aesthetic.  The product is only that--a product of the process, a documentation of an act.

Micro Project 4

This is a depiction of my transformation to invisibility.  I chose this 'power' because social anxiety and stress are things I've struggled with my entire life and I often feel like disappearing for a while.  I kept my eyes because I still like to know what's going on from a distance, a 'fly on the wall' sort of effect.  I chose a brick wall as a neutral background but also because when I think about feeling anxious, I usually picture myself at some kind of outdoor party or bonfire with a lot of people I don't know.  I often find myself posted on a wall in those sort of situations.  Not sure why that's the scene that pops in my mind, but no matter the reason, it just felt right to put myself there so I went with it.  I really like the way the bricks look in the second picture.  I'm pretty happy with my cutting/pasting in this piece, I'm usually not so great at that but a friend let me borrow a mouse to use.  I think that helped a lot.  I also experimented with a lot of different filters and applying them to different parts of the picture.  At first I felt like it was too subtle but then I realized, if my power is becoming invisible, why would I want it to be anything more than subtle?  So I think it works well.  As far as things I don't like about it, I wanted to figure out a way to make the transformation all in one image, but I couldn't think of a good way to do it.  I tried a couple of different ways of pasting them together but it looked sloppy to me.  I think the three separate images are okay though too.  I wish I had more dramatic lighting in the photographs but Ohio winters don't really provide.  In general, I like this piece.  I feel like at first it looks like a simple, whimsical, silly sort of "Look at me I can become invisible!!!! OMGLOL!!11!"  But it also has depth and underlying emotions.  I think I've already mentioned that this theme often pops up in my work, usually unintentionally.  I really like when I'm making something and not trying to take it in that direction at all, then realizing I've done it again.  My sub-conscience seems pretty determined.

Micro Project 3

Here are my images for micro project 3:

I chose to use the stadium as 'my place' because I am there more than any other spot on campus.  Mostly because the art ed department is there but also because that's where I park even when I'm going to a class that is not in the stadium.  I've always loved the architecture of the stadium entrance.  I chose to use my hammock as my 'sculpture' for this piece because, for me, it represents security and relaxation.  I used a couple of different versions of the hammock, because I couldn't decide if I wanted it to be empty or have a 'person' in it.  Although I think it would be really sweet to actually be able to go up there and hang out, this sculpture would be more of a symbolic piece than a functional one; I want to be up there, but I can't.  I think it would really instill a sense of longing to the viewer, something I feel pretty regularly.  I am *pretty* happy with how they turned out.  I tried to experiment with puppet transform in photoshop but wasn't really able to get the hang of it, resulting in some iffy perspectives but I tried really hard to get the saturation pretty balanced to make it look real.  I love the third image.

Micro Project 2: Final

This is my final product for Micro Project 2.  Although it kind of looks like I just threw a bunch of crap together, I actually had a pretty complex system for how I decided to layer my objects.  I took into consideration both physical size as well as how much I interact with each object.  I also included repetition of each object in an average day and its level of importance.  To explain as clearly as possible, I will start with the furthest layer and work forward:

1.  The first layer is my Radiohead poster copied over and over.  I chose to include this object because what I put on my walls is very important to me.  It's the backdrop of my life.  Thus, it is the backdrop of my project.  I like my walls to be completely covered.

2. The second is my compost bin.  My compost bin is very large so I depicted it as such in my project.  Although it's very important to me, I don't interact with it much.  I go out probably once a day to empty our kitchen waste but other than that, it's not something I think about a lot.  It's in the back of my mind.

3.  The third is my polymer clay oven.  I love making beads but it's not something I have much time for anymore so I chose not to repeat it. I did however make it a bit larger than most other objects because, when I do use it, I usually go crazy and make a ton of stuff.  It's also the first medium I ever worked with and got me interested in art in the first place, so it's very sentimental.

4. The fourth layer includes my wooden spirals.  I exaggerated their size and made it to look as if they're hanging on the hammock.  I wear them every day and love them a lot, but they are not something I interact with much, other than the fact that they are in my ears.  I think they're something other people associate with my personality even more than I associate them with myself.

5. Fifth is my hammock.  It's winter, so I obviously am not using it now.  However, in the summer I love to go camping and lay around all day.  I put some of my favorite things in it to symbolize this cozy comfort I find while laying in it.

6. Sixth is my iPod.  I use my iPod all day long but I don't necessarily 'think' about it a whole lot.  I made a lot of them to symbolize this.  It's just a small thing that fits in my pocket but I use it all the time.

7. Seventh is my book.  I love reading but my reading habits are very erratic.  I don't sit down for long periods of time to read.  I'll read a couple chapters over a course of a day, maybe 20 or 30 minutes at a time.  I tend to be a bit spacey so I am constantly switching tasks.  Reading pops up all through my day.

8.  Eighth is my chapstick.  Now, I kept the chapsticks small because they are small in real life.  But I think about it a lot because I find chapped lips extremely uncomfortable, which is why it's above my iPod and book.  I'm very conscious of it.

9. Ninth is my mug and teapot.  It starts to get a bit confusing here because I have two different layers for these.  One being ninth and the other being thirteenth (frontmost.)  This is because I do love tea a whole lot, but sometimes I don't drink it out of enjoyment.  Sometimes I drink it for the caffeine or simply because one of my roommates made some and why not.  Thus, sometimes it's at the top of my list and others it's somewhere in the middle.  Regardless, I use these items quite regularly amongst my other daily activities.

10. Tenth is my TOMS shoes.  I love these shoes so much.  Unfortunately they're not very winter friendly but I still look at them every day and wish I could wear them.  I put them in a stepping pattern in my project.

11. Eleventh is my hula hoop!  I repeated it a bunch of times not only because I play with it all the time, but I put it in a sort of spinning pattern that it often emulates while I am doing tricks.

12.  Twelfth is my laptop.  I do almost everything on my computer.  Research, school work, movies, etc.  Thus, I repeated it in my piece a lot, but didn't want to make it very big because it's another thing I don't consciously 'think' about a whole lot.  It's just always there.

I tried to create sort of a surreal account of my daily life in thought.  I really wanted a sense of space, though I feel like it may look a bit flat.  Or maybe I've just been staring at it for too long.  My Photoshop skills aren't that great but I think it looks alright.  I like this piece because I feel it shows the sense of whimsy and surrounding of fun things in my life.  However, I don't like it because that's all it shows.  I, like everyone, have a lot of dark parts of my life that this piece does not reveal at all.  I also feel kind of uncomfortable when I look at it because it's so materialistic, which I try not to be too much.  But nice things are nice.

Micro Project 2

Personal objects.

A little information: my Canon is at a friend's house so I had to use this shitty point and shoot.  Some of the shots were too abysmal to accept so I downloaded some from the internet instead.  I felt kind of dishonest so I'm just throwing it out there.  Not that you wouldn't be able to tell upon looking at the images.  But at least you heard it from ME.

This is the current book I'm reading.  I like books.  They open my mind and make me feel make me feel really accomplished.  I enjoy learning and expanding my knowledge.

Expand

I effing love chapstick.  Especially Burt's Bees because it's made from natural products and smells awesome.  It is always on my person.  Just like on the container; it's soothing, cooling and refreshing.  What's not to like?

Soothing

This is the compost bin I got for Christmas!  The Envirocycle.  It's about half my size and super awesome.  I am very environmentally conscious and like to take steps toward becoming a greener individual and reducing my carbon footprint.

Conscious

I also got this eno hammock for christmas.  It's the best hammock EVAR.  I love camping and have wanted this hammock forever.  Laying in a hammock and watching the sunset is one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had.  It's so relaxing and eye opening.  True tranquility.

Tranquility

Ignore the shoddy backdrop.  This is my hula hoop, I love to hoop dance!  It's a very sensual, centered art.  It combines physical athleticism with illusion and grace.  It keeps me fit while helping me to connect with my body.  Very similar to yoga and other forms of dance.

Centered connection

Music's ability to make a person feel is truly amazing.  I like to make life soundtracks.  Sometimes it surprises me how deep a rhythmic meditation I can enter whilst listening to my favorite artists.  

Rhythmic meditation

This is my laptop, I decorated the cover with window paint.  I'm not a huge fan of technology but I'd be totally lying if I said I didn't totally adore my Macbook.  I do everything on it from social networking to personal research to school work.  Even though I could go on and on about the things I dislike about computers and the internet, I feel that it is a vast portal to the universe that I would otherwise have no tangible way to explore.

Explore

I chose to include this mug for two reasons.  Firstly, I like to drink beverages such as hot chocolate, tea or smoothies out of it.  Secondly, I made it.  I looooove hand made things; especially if they're made by me!  It makes me feel warm and cozy.  I like the way it feels in my hands.

Warm

This is my polymer clay oven.  I use it to cure the beads that I make.  I love to create.  Beads were one of the first crafts I ever got into so there is also a nostalgic aspect to it.

Create

This is my Radiohead poster.  I chose to include it not only because I love music (and Radiohead) but it also symbolizes my love for wall decor.  My walls are literally COVERED in everything from band posters to pictures to ticket stubs and other things.  I like to personalize my space.

Personalize

This is my beloved sketchbook.  I flipped it open to one of my favorite pages.  I like it because, although I do still create art inside of it, it's not 'for' anything.  It is complete freedom.  I experiment with all different mediums in my sketchbook for the soul purpose of personal growth.  I can do anything in my sketchbook.

Growth

These are the wooden spirals I wear in my ears almost every day.  They are 1/2" in diameter.  I'm really interested in body art and self expression of this kind, especially lobe stretching and tribal traditions.  I was a body piercer for a while.  These are also handmade which I love.

Self expression

I chose to include this teapot because I love tea and other hot drinks.  I also love the homey, traditional feel of putting it on the stove and waiting for the whistle.  It reminds me of staying in on cold nights and spending time with friends; sharing a pot of tea.

Sharing

This is one of my TOMS shoes.  I love this company because they give a pair of shoes to children in need every time someone buys a pair.  They're also very versatile, simple and comfortable.  They remind me of giving and to always appreciate what you have in life.

Giving

Micro Project 1

Maps.

It took me a while to come up with an idea for this one.  After doing some journaling and trying out a few things, I decided to take shots of the view of my windshield on my way to class.  The result was about 400 photographs I then had to sift through.  I picked the ones that I recognized the most.  I was surprised to find how little I pay attention on my morning commute.

I narrowed it down to 32 shots, starting from the back of my house to the parking lot of the stadium.  I then used one of the photographs to cut the window out of.  I picked the one that captured motion of my turning the steering wheel.  I then proceeded to cut out each sliver of all 32 photographs, stitched them together and blended them into one.  It took forever, but the result turned out pretty cool!  I was surprised, because for me this assignment was more about the idea of what the product was rather than what it looked like.  That is a trend that seems to pop up a lot in my artwork.  Fortunately, I go to a conceptual art school so they usually appreciate it.  Anyway, when you first look at the picture I feel like you don't necessarily notice there's something wrong.  Maybe it's just blurry or something.  My favorite part is that I can still make out little recognizable pieces of my trip.

This is a map of my journey from home to class every morning.  It's pretty dern accurate too.

Kimmelman Article

Just realized I never actually posted this.  Oh well.

I found the Accidental Masterpiece to be a nice alternative to the more traditional 'article' that you read in most classes.  The dialogue aspect was really interesting for me.  One of my favorite things about it was this sentence on the very first page, "Before I plunge in with observations and queries, let me lay out my qualifications for writing about art: none."  I was excited to see that this would be an analysis from essentially a laymen's perspective conversing with the artist rather than two pretentious art snobs mindlessly name-dropping and such.  I've read enough of those.

Something I wasn't super into was when Michael mentioned that, "Most new art is unoriginal and unexciting."  What a statement.  Personally I feel that's just kind of a stupid thing to say but everyone is entitled to their own opinions I guess.  It's just such an astronomical overgeneralization, I feel kind of insulted by it.  That one little sentence kind of turned me off to the whole text, but ignoring that little blip, I liked most everything else.  Like I said, it was a different perspective than what I'm used to reading so I found it refreshing and enjoyable.

Walker and Barret

I really enjoyed "Big Ideas and Artmaking."  The whole question of big idea v. theme v. subject matter is actually something I've been struggling to define recently because I want to have some kind of direction with my portfolio as I apply to the art ed program.  The article really helped me open my mind to all the different possibilities and interpretations on the matter.  It was really nice to have specific examples of other artists' work, such as Segal and Motherwell.  I liked the organization of the text and found it easy to follow.

Something I found a little confusing about the article were the side tips throughout the entire excerpt about how to interact with students and efficiently incorporate the ideas of the article into lessons.  Mostly just because I had a hard time orienting myself as a "teacher" figure while reading the rest, so they felt a little out of place to me.

In the Barrett article, I really like the paragraphs that described children of different ages identifying connotations and denotations.  I thought it was really interesting to see how the different age groups responded to the questions and was surprised to see how insightful they were, especially the really young kids.

I kind of wish there were more pictures to go along with the different scenarios.  I feel like it would have really benefitted the article as well as the reader.  In particular, the paragraphs about the artwork by Michael Ray Charles could've used some illustrations.  The text reference multiple works by Charles and I found myself having to go back and reread the words because I didn't have any visuals for all the references.

The Cheese Monkeys and The Heresy of Zone

After I read through the excerpt from "The Cheese Monkeys," I scrolled back up just to read the first page again.  The first time I read it, having not seen the rest, I wasn't sure what to think or how to analyze it.  After reading the rest though, I think that the passage is some kind of lecture on aesthetics of advertisements or promotion.  Visual communication or graphic design, perhaps.  THEN, I thought the first page was fantastic.  Referring to the audience as "the enemy," "engine" and "a virus."  I thought it was brilliant.  "...their serum is Indifference."  Awesome.  I love the way this text was written.  The analogies and metaphors are great.  It's quick, robust, and almost funny in a way.

I read through this excerpt a couple of times and I really can't say there's anything I dislike or don't understand about it.  Except maybe I wish it was longer.  The assignment part at the end was a little confusing for me.  I'd be interested to get a little more information on what the lecturer meant and what the product was.  It seemed like a really cool idea.  "...design a moment in time."

I was surprised to realize how much more respect I had for basketball after reading "The Heresy of Zone Defense."  I'm not really interested in sports so I was pretty turned off at the first paragraph but after reading the entire passage I've gained a lot of appreciation for the game.  One part in particular that I really enjoyed was number four under the "Guiding Principles" at the end.  "The model for football is the drama of adjacent nations at war. The model for basketball is the polyglot choreography of urban sidewalks."  Not only do I think that's an excellent quote, I think it really tied the entire excerpt together for me.  Basketball really is much more positive than most sports and I feel very enlightened after reading this passage.

Something I really wasn't sure about in this text was the paragraph about Pollock.  The author was talking about "rules" and "control" in the arts.  I'm not sure if I agree with his statement.  The magazine article he references seems to be more of an interpretation than actual content so it's difficult to tell if he is restating the article's true message or just interpreting and exaggerating it as he wishes.  In my opinion, art is too subjective to make such accusations.  I also don't like the sentence, "Discovering this, I was a little bit more free than I was before, and I know that it was a 'boy thing,' about privileging prowess at the edge of control and having the confidence to let things go all strange..." mostly just because it's sexist and annoying--but that's just a little pet peeve of mine.  I also didn't understand a lot of the basketball references just because I'm really unfamiliar with the game but I was able to get the gist.

Overall, I think both passages had a lot to offer and I'm glad I took the time to really read and analyze them.  I look forward to future readings in this class.

I am the one your mother warned you about

My name is Nicole and I am currently a third year sculpture student considering switching to art education. I'm 21 years old and I'm from Cincinnati, Ohio.  I live, think and breathe art.  It's my passion, it's my serenity.  My walls are covered from floor to ceiling with art of my own and others.  I didn't discover my inner artist until after high school.  I come from a lower class area near the city where funds are tight and quality educators are scarce.  Especially when it comes to the arts.  I was always mildly interested in the pinch pots and finger painting we did in grade school but it was during an 8th grade drawing assignment that I really wrote it off as an interest when my teacher hit me with a, "Do you like to draw?"  No, I do not like to draw.  I've taken multiple drawing classes here at OSU and I still don't like to draw.  It's memories like these that make me want to be a teacher.  I often think about how different my life might have been had I discovered art before I was 18 years old.  It kind of pisses me off, actually.  I never got the praise that some of my peers did for their careful line drawings of super heroes and dogs.  I assumed it was just not a talent I possessed.  I wish I'd gotten more encouragement and guidance through those times.  I want to give to someone else a gift that which I did not receive.  I want to be someone's fondly remembered art teacher.

My schoolwork is primarily focused on art with a few general courses scattered here and there.  I'm taking a painting class this quarter.  I've never painted (traditionally) before.  I'm excited to see where it takes me.  I'm also taking pilates.  I have been a dancer since the age of 7 so I like to keep up with my strength and flexibility.  I'm really into hoopdancing right now.  You should google it.  It's at 8:30 in the morning too so it helps me to stay on a nice schedule.  I'm kind of a night owl.  I live with two other girls.  Alex is a double major in philosophy and psychology and Emily is a double major in Business and Arts Management.  We have naked drawings on our walls and a compost bin on the porch.  I like it.  My boyfriend's name is Joe.  He just graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Chemistry.  He's a lecturer at OSU now and planning to apply to med school.

Outside of school I like to watch movies, dick around on the internet, listen to music and hang out with friends.  I do not like to blog but it's not the worst assignment I've ever been given.  I'm also an advanced open water scuba diver.  My dad and I have traveled all over to go diving.  It's an extraordinary experience.  I'm also certified in underwater digital photography which is pretty kick ass.  I like to party and go to raves and concerts and music festivals.  I like a pretty huge range of music from electronica to indie folk.  Here are some of my favorite things!

Music:
Bassnectar
Animal Collective
Pretty Lights
Sufjan Stevens
Fleet Foxes

TV Shows:
Breaking Bad
Archer
Arrested Development
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Weeds
Dexter

Places to Eat:
I'm a low-glycemic pescetarian so I mostly make my own food.  I'm kind of a health nut.  Or trying to be.


I also used to have dreadlocks.  I also love glow sticks and unicorns!

...and myself apparently because this is blog is really long for someone who hates blogs. :)