APRIL 19th GUEST SPEAKERS 1

Alex Acevedo: Illustration Major.

Graphics were incredibly impressive. especially the movies he created (one from sketches, one from sand) which I also thought was related to what we did with the stop motion videos. I feel like I wouldn't have appreciated it as much if we hadn't done the project ourselves. Its interesting hearing his views on working for a customer versus working for himself. And thats accurate, if your creating someone's else's vision you really cant let your own opinions show through. Which is not to say the assignments shouldn't be taken seriously. Looking at the sketch books was definitely the best. The sections of the sketchbook that were studies and demos were the most interesting and a view into the thought process. On regular paper his marks are more defined as well which in my opinion ads to the illustrations. He has a definite talent

Soundtrack to my life...1. I love country music. I love Keith Urban. 2. I have always ridden horses 3. Sometimes I get tunnel vision with things, I'm either too stressed to notice things or too excited about something. whatever. So I feel like sometimes I look up and realize that alot of time has passed. Which is why I thought the image of the stop motion horse was fitting.

For the public/graffiti art project I created a stencil of the gatorade "is it in you" campaign font with an outline of a Keystone Light can. I thought that it would be a sort of comedic take on college culture. I will admit that I was a bit nervous putting the tag up on and off campus because, well it is truly illegal. But it became sort of a game, driving around picking perfect tag spots, cutting the lights of the car, getting ready for a perfect getaway, leaving the car running as I jumped out and left my mark. I realized that I wasn't a true vandal, I didn't feel so strongly about my design that I would be offended if it was taken down. I wasn't planning on going to extremes for it, or marking up anything too sacred or disrespectful. Churches, cemeteries, museums, or actual buildings. Nor was I particularly nervous about getting arrested (worst case scenario of course). I could afford the fine, I could manage a night in a cell which couldn't possibly be much different than my dorm. And to top it off my i knew my parents wouldn't care, it was an art project. They'd understand. It kinda got me thinking that it might be fun to take the project to new levels. Like installation gardens in some of the more industrial areas of places. Or murals on old dilapidated buildings. Nothing too heavy or political, just pretty. I tutored a boy from center city Philadelphia who loved taking the 45min bus ride to our school because he loved seeing the neighborhood gardens and stretches of horse farms. Just might be nice. Odd that an altruistic idea would come from a satirical stab at some college fratties.

The second artist featured in last weeks class also used a multimedia three dimensional approach with his work. The work though varies from the first artist because rather than leaving the three dimensional aspects in the work on display, he photographs the pieces and shows the photographs as his final work. The gun has a very pop art style to it, which is interesting in the contrast to the nature of a hand gun. The last portrait is also done in this pop art, almost "paint by numbers" style. I like the revival of the popular style and I can see how its adapted to our current technologies and views. The goat on the wall definitely displays the concepts of three dimensionality. The goat is cut out of cardboard and pinned to the canvas, the colors are not natural colors for a goat which makes the image interesting and makes me question if it is meant to be a political statement. I am not sure that if it is a political statement that I pick up on it. I do find it interesting how this artist interpreted the concept of multimedia and dimensionality. Personally I find the first artist more interesting and relatable.

The two multimedia paintings done by the first artist, though not to my taste are an interesting use of material. I like how the three dimensional aspects of each piece are not overwhelming the subject, but subtly enhancing it, like the dark lines that are featured around the iris of the one on the left and the body of the duck like object on the right. I find the way he made the iris of the painting on the left leave the original plane. Its an interesting way to create motion and play with the restrictions of the canvas space. Even though the artists style is not necessarily my own style I like his use of material and use of space, I can see myself toying with the ideas he has manipulated here in my own style.

Wednesday night at 7pm I attended a Catholic Ash Wednesday service at a local church. The service attracted a wide variety of worshipers. Two rows in front of me a mother sat with her severely autistic son, the muffled woosh of her rubbing his back throughout the service to pacify him was a constant background melody to the preacher's sermon. She moved her hand in a circular motion over his canvas jacket, which created a ripping sound in sets of three beats. At points in the hour and a half service the heater would click on and hiss as warm air traveled through the filter. The radiator was clearly an older model, the sharp metal clicking would snap five or six times before the air filled the room. A sort of personal pep talk. The heat itself was released in a satisfying hiss, like a deep breath out when you've been holding it in. The warm heat was a welcome change to the almost hail like snow that fell outside and the sound of the wind rattling the windows warning the biting cold that waited for the service to end. Despite the muffling sound of snowfall, the flakes created a weighty thudding noise on the roof and windows. Not loud enough to hear all the time but at intervals when no other sounds could be heard. The wind was even less constant but overpowering and demanding attention. Once or twice during the service the sound of the wind tearing at the windows screamed above every other sound, drowning out even the sound of the sermon. The church was modest in size, which kept the sounds close and magnified even the littlest sounds. Out of context the sounds would not seem particularly spiritual but the nature of the holiday and the contrast of the night really added to the meaning of Ash Wednesday.

For the project my team was inspired by the work of Isabel Launches, a current portrait photographer in NYC. Her work can be found at http://www.portraitsbyisabel.com/ they have a very posed quality however without seeming contrived. The subjects are rarely looking at the camera and are often posed in their own homes. I personally picked to talk about Sarah Dobari. She incorporated personal effects into her photographs to add an air of familiarity. She conveys scenes of physiological drama, she leaves the true nature of the situation open to the viewer however. The image featured in the article showed a man and a woman lying in a bed. Her underlying theme throughout her works are of stating that life is not a fairy tale, there is anxiety and pain that riddles our lives and she aims to make those pains visible through her images.