END OF THE SEMESTER

Throughout the semester I definitely learned a lot more about digital art. On top of exploring it more than I ever have, I became a lot more comfortable with the programs. I feel like I can actually do some digital art and am working towards what I want to accomplish, which is becoming a graphic designer. Digital art links together all different types of art, it can link together actual drawn art with created art, 3d objects with 2d pictures and it can link art and creativity with a more commercial industry. Of course the list goes on, but that is just the beginning.
I find it interesting all the different ways there are to do things with digital art. Not only are there about 100 different ways to accomplish one task, but there are about a million things you can do. When first working in digital art this seems daunting, and it is, but then I realized that this leaves so many possibilities. With digital art there are so many different directions in which your work can go, which I think keeps it interesting and fun, and something that I'd want to do for the rest of my life. I also learned that you have to just experiment and play around with things because that really helps you learn. Anything can usually be undo-ed and sometimes you stumble across something that actually really helps and enhances your work.
My favorite program is kind of a toss up. I am more familiar with photoshop, but for the one project we used illustrator I really enjoyed it. But I haven't really explored illustrator much past the project we did in class, so who knows what else I would think about it. I do like photoshop and I like that I am starting to feel more and more comfortable every time I use it. It's also cool that I keep finding new things and tools on it to experiment with. Overall I really enjoyed this class and all of the projects!

Interview

So I didn't realize that this was due.. TOTALLY my bad, definitely forgot. But in my hope to salvage my grade and maybe get some credit i decided to interview my sister, Kelsey Griffith, who graduated from the University of Buffalo with a major in Communication Design. I know this isn't the exact blog description, but at least I'm trying?!

So here it goes,

This is Kelsey and her beloved dog, Jackson, named after Jax on the (greatest ever) show Sons of Anarchy. Kelsey is currently working at WIVT/WBGH-TV, a news station in Binghamton, NY. She graduated from the University of Buffalo in 2011 with a bachelor of arts in communication design. At the TV station she has the title of Master Control Operator, which yes sounds like she belongs on a space ship. Because the station is so small she gets to do a lot of other things too. She is responsible for creating station promos, commercials and PSA's for air and web. She also is responsible for the creation of all TV, web and print graphics and creating video segments and promotions for NBC and ABC to air. 

Kelsey draws a lot of inspiration from literature, novels and just other things that she has read. She combines that art form with the graphic art form.  She creates a narrative by using words in her art. She became intrigued by the idea of taking letters and words and making them into something different, like using the forms and sentence structure to create something else. That way it was readable, but also had another different element to it that a book doesn't have, creating something totally new.

Kelsey's art making process has been an exploration through college and now into "the real world."For the specific work here, The Logic of Decay (below) she used masonite board, paper, transparency and light to tell a story from different people's perspectives. By placing an emphasis on specific sections (the bigger, more pronounced words) she created a narrative in an abbreviated form. Her process for this work was to create the back board with just some of the words on it. She then created the transparent layer with more words on it, and hung it over the back board.  She used a lot of transfer letters and transfer techniques to create this piece and others as well. Each separate narrative is shown through a different typeface and color,  but all the different layers and narratives work together to create a sense of movement and three dimension. In Kelsey's words, "they push the fictional narrative past what it has traditionally been on paper."

november 11 2012

pretty boring day, but its Sunday so......

my work

Thinking back on my artwork I'd say that there are a few underlying themes. A lot of my work has an underlying theme of nature. I never really realized this before but thinking back on it a lot of my artwork has this in common. Another theme in my work is text. I like to use text and pictures together, and like the idea of them working together to convey something that neither could fully do alone.

I have done many different types of media, but the theme carries over. Not only do i use the nature theme a lot, but I like to use it to convey something else. I don't like to just draw a bunch of flowers and call it a day. I have used nature to display growth and change. I like that there are so many different things to convey with one subject matter.

I also really like to draw hands. Like nature, they can convey many different feelings and such, which is kind of strange to say considering its a hand. The action, placement and shaping of the hand can seem to convey different emotions. Hands have such intricate shapes, cracks and shadows that every time you draw one they're different. I'd really like to continue to explore these themes and look into other ones as well.

Walter Iooss

This photograph is called Carl Yastrzemski, Boston, Ma 1967 taken by Walter Iooss. Walter Iooss is a famous sports photographer who has been in the business for a long time and still producing great photographs. This one is obviously older but still great. I love the way he captured so much area in one small moment. Seeing all the faces in the extremely crowded crowd and the way Yaz is walking(hopping/running?) makes you feel like you were actually there too.
The photo has a sense of unity with all the people and it makes me happy just looking at their faces. It may help that I am a Red Sox fan, but not a die-hard so I think its the picture more than the team and place in the picture. Everyone is so clearly focused on Yaz walking out and everyone seems genuinely happy. I was really looking for action sports photos when I started this, because of the emotion and intensity they capture, but this photo does the same thing. Even though there's no actual sport action happening the crowd is so emotional that I was drawn to this photo.

This photo is Slamdunk 88, Jordan Chicago by Walter Iooss. This is the intensity someone expects when thinking of sports photography. Jordan is clearly the object of everyone's attention in the picture, and is truly captivating. You can see the passion and intensity clearly on his face as I'm sure everyone there was seeing and probably imitating because of their anticipation. You almost are 100% sure the dunk goes in but the photo captures right before the "yes!" moment.
Michael Jordan is such an iconic figure that of course this photo is going to draw attention. But besides from being Jordan and being a slam dunk the photo drew me in itself. The pure athleticism and focus is something that any athlete can appreciate and be in awe over, and especially because it's Michael Jordan. This photo captures that, almost as a poster for athletes saying "be this great, have this feeling." And right about now I'm wishing I had this hanging in my room!

This photo is titled Brazil 2001. Although they kids are not famous athletes the picture makes me want to know every one of them. The picture makes me think of the reason any one would want to play soccer or any sport for that matter. It's so clear they are just having fun and playing because they love the game. The whole photo just looks so carefree and makes me want to be there too.

I guess if anyone imagined kids playing soccer on the beach in Brazil it would look something like this. I like that a lot about this picture, it just seems right. The picture, the movements and the background all come together to show what "Brazilian futbol" really is. Brazilian soccer is quick, energetic, tricky and fun and this picture captures that. This picture makes me wish I was there!

Aggregations

Kwang-Young Chun recently came to Towson University to exhibit his show Aggregations, and to speak to the people there. I wasn't able to attend the talk but I did get a chance to look at his work and it is amazing. The amount of time that must have gone into every piece is incredible. Not only are they very large pieces, they are all made up of small (some are even really small) styrofoam wedges that are then wrapped in Korean mulberry paper that are then hand-tied with more Korean mulberry paper that he has twisted into string. The precision in the placement of each individual piece blows my mind. I was trying to take pictures but looking at them now, the photographs I have and the ones in the exhibit brochure can not do justice to the actual work itself.
My favorite piece that I saw of his was really more of two pieces side by side. They were two trapezoid-like shapes next to each other, one was inverted so it looked like if they were pushed together their shapes would fit together. They both had a range of colors that was kind of a gradient from white to a reddish/orange color. The color darkened in a gradual way with a few colors from each previous color slipping into the next darker color. Both pieces looked like they were made of long horizontal tiles that were all placed on top of one another. I hope that I am not explaining this is a completely confusing way, but it was so intricate but also so simple at the same time that it might have come off that way. Chun is an extremely talented artist who combines simplicity and intricacy, Korean history (with the mulberry paper) and art that can be enjoyed all over the world, creating remarkable works of art.

Here's a link to the show!! http://events.towson.edu/event/aggregations_paper_sculpture_by_kwang_young_chun?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=Towson+University

And some pics

piece piece piece

This piece is watercolor on watercolor paper. It is underwater looking up towards the sky. I wanted to keep it loose and simple. Watercolor doesn't always go exactly where it's supposed to but always seems to make something interesting even when that happens. This painting may not look exactly like a view from underwater looking upwards but that is what i like about it. I did this piece to show the fluidity of watercolor and to show how simple colors and strokes can create a piece alone.

 This piece is also watercolor but I put salt on the watercolor after i painted it, this creates a cool effect of white spots and a look of texture. Then I stippled calla lilies using the colors and textures on the paper to shape and position them. Once I had the lilies I still needed something to root them rather than just having a bunch of lilies hanging on the page. I didn't want to just stipple stems down so I used a quote as the stem. I used the quote, "Fairytales don't tell children that dragons exist, they already know that. Fairytales tell children that dragons can be killed." I thought that this quote went well with the background and the colors and the overall character of the piece. Calla lilies represent beauty and I think the quote does too, showing the beauty of belief and childhood.

This piece is an ink drawing. When i started this piece I began cross hatching but then really liked the way the ink looked when it completely filled in the page. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the ink creates kind of a rough texture on the page in certain spots which goes nicely with the drawing.

Strange

I never pinned myself as much of a blogger, but here I am blogging. Although it is for a class and I probably would not have gone and done this on my own, I'm actually glad I'm doing this, mostly because I tend to keep ideas to myself. Although it's unfamiliar now, hopefully I can adapt and start sharing. The problem for me always seems to be based on other people, when realistically I should just worry about myself and my ideas. So for me the purpose of this blog is to do just that: worry about my ideas and my artwork. Also I'd like to get feedback from others, all the while allowing myself to convey my ideas and thoughts freely.

I'm beginning to realize that this is starting to sound selfish. I'm just trying to say that I usually worry about other people and what they will think of me and what they do think of me and what they thought of me and on and on. Of course I can see the value in this, but I can also see how over-valuing it can lead to less risk and less creativity. I want to be creative and let it happen. Strangely enough I was not looking forward to this blog but in writing this I've realized that it maybe I actually am. I just need to let it happen.