We were assigned to create a unique Agenda cover for next year's DRHS students. We had to include the Wildcat Logo, the name DRHS, and use only blue, black and white. This is my piece for this assignment.
"Art should never have a limit because there are infinite possibilities and outcomes." -Jinny Kang As I walked into the hallway, the first thing I noticed was the origami swans hanging from the ceiling, a few white flowers hung upside down by their stems joining them less frequently. The art begins immediately on your left, with a mural by Jinny filling up blank wall space. There is a sense almost like euphoria in the gallery, a sense of mystery. I feel as though this is a different world than the one I left behind at the door. This is the world of these artists, each expressed through their art, each personality displayed separately and yet all at once. This is a place of discovery, a place to learn about new people, and the art that they have created. The aesthetic of the gallery is an interesting one; the three artists are very different. Joanna displayed her portraiture, Jinny her almost abstract shapes and designs, riddled also with portraiture, and Alex his photography. Each artist has their own style, and although at times it is hard to transition between such differences, you are really able to experience each artist, and can clearly tell which piece is who's. Joanna's pieces are warm, inviting, and pleasing to look at. They are masterful painting that capture a person's being. Jinny's art is almost introspective; she paints and draws not only what she sees, but what she feels, and she expresses the inner workings of her mind. Alex's art is exploratory, and almost disturbing. He takes pictures that are full of mystery, and you really have to look before you truly understand anything. Over all, I found the gallery to be a pleasing experience, and find it wonderful to be able to peer into these aspiring artist's minds through their work. This assignment was to create ten separate but cohesive works within two weeks. It was hard to choose a top three from this project, due to the fact that I feel as if many of the pieces are still developing and feel unfinished. Even though I felt this way, I received positive feedback from my peers on almost every piece. This made it hard to distinguish which pieces were truly the top three. I ended up picking the three I did because these three felt finished to me. They are simple, rustic, and everything I like. My approach to this project was really just to go with it and get it all done. I would be inspired by things I found around the barn, and would take them and use them in my work. Hemp was a recurring factor mainly due to the fact that I have a very large roll of it and nothing to do with it, and also because I like how it looks when incorporated into the works. My plans from this point are varied. I want to explore the clean-yet-rustic look of the wooden plank and hemp. I want to experiment with different sized canvases and wrapping materials; I feel as though that could lead me somewhere wonderful. I also think that incorporating horse shoes more often could become interesting as well, as I explore different uses for the shoes. Thirdly, I think I will try public installations Perhaps wrapping lampposts, trees, etc., with hemp and other ropes, taking a picture, and then removing the evidence. This would possibly be a collaborative effort with a friend of mine, who also takes art classes as well as photography. But we will see where this project will lead me, and I'm looking forward to finding out.
To view the top three pieces associated with this post, click this link (http://morgan-wood.weebly.com/portfolio.html) and scroll to the photo of the three horse shoes tied together with hemp. This collection was purely driven by instinct, and a process that was not planned before hand. The only thing I knew going into it was that I wanted to incorporate a wagon wheel. So, with my mom in tow, we went to this wonderful shop call Class and Trash (http://www.classandtrash.com/) and looked around. I asked if there was a wagon or cart wheel available, and she pointed to this wonderful wooded wheel on top of a large armoire, and then it began! As we looked through the store, the little things that caught my eye would just spark ideas and fuel my imagination, and I actually was overwhelmed but so excited. There was so much! So many possibilities, and everything was full of a history and told it's own story. So anyway, once I left with everything I needed, and full of the intention of coming back to re supply for other projects, I went home an lied everything out. I would come up with ideas of how to get my vision to work, and once I chose one that I liked, I did it. And that was my process, that's what it took. Of course, executing it took some time, but coming up with the plan did not take much. I just kind of went with it, and let the objects take me on the ride.
I am amazed that the yearning for a wagon wheel turned into something so much more for me. This was a new idea for me, the idea of antique objects. I've always been drawn to these things, and my style has always been rustic and earthy, but this is a direction that I truly enjoy and am very much looking forward to. I want to be able to take things that are no longer wanted, things that have their own history and person, and I want them to tell the story. I want to make minimal changes, but make them all the same so that the story flows and matches the object. So this was a door opener for me; although it was not ridiculously difficult, it did have it's challenges, but really opened me up to a whole new world of possibilities. And the pieces are almost introspective. In a sense, they tell there story, but also reflect upon me, and remind me of things that I enjoyed or struck me, and hence become part of my own story. I incorporate them into my life, and they incorporate me into theirs, and it is a wonderful thing. In conclusion, I am very much stimulated by these objects, and I am looking forward to trying to interpret their stories, and also give them a new one to tell. Matteo Pugliese
I stumbled upon Pugliese while I was on Pinterest under the Art category. The picture was of a painted beetle with something in its shell. I clicked on the photo and went to the link and voila! I had found an artist to study! Pugliese is a modern artist and he uses metal and paint to create awesome sculptures. He has three distinct styles so far: The Guardians (right top), Extra Moenia (right middle), and Beetles (right bottom). I liked Pugliese because he really displayed how versatile art can be; there are some many styles, medians, and ways to make art, and he really exercises that. Check him out: http://www.matteopugliese.com/ William Adolphe Bouguereau
When I first saw Bouguereau's work I was pretty mind-blown. How the heck does someone have that much talent to create something that looks like that! Dear Lord, bless me with these mad skills. Amen. I think I really chose Bouguereau because he could make such a mundane scene look like something of great importance. And he made paint look like it could have a conversation with me, could start breathing and moving. He can capture deep emotions and feeling with a paintbrush. An excellent example of this is The Hard Lesson (pictured above). Bouguereau lived during the realist movement, living in the mid- 19th and early 20th century. Bouguereau really showed me how important emotions can be in a piece, and even though we have different styles, his message still came across. Link to artist info: http://www.bouguereau.org/ Note to reader: An attempt at trying to describe what art has taught me may be somewhat challenging, so please keep that in mind. I am trying to express that art has not simply taught me, it has shaped who I am and what I will be. When you enter the art world, you do so to learn, to be taught, and to hopefully teach. But what you really get is much, much more than that.
When people think of art, they see the commercial side, where skill is most important and the only road to success. I cannot begin to describe how false this is. Of course, skill is an important aspect to any practice, but there are things that do not depend on skill, but on determination, inspiration, and thought. With art, you can make a single stroke or line, or any change for that matter, that makes a piece, that embodies everything you wanted the piece to be, that expresses your feelings in a way you could not achieve with words. At this point it does not matter what other people think, you will always have a connection with that piece, that manifesto of your inner being, and other opinions do not mar nor tarnish that beacon of inner expression. Skill will come with practice, but skill will be of no importance if a piece does not have meaning. Be it a whim, a random interaction, or a carefully masterminded idea or image; Something inspired you, and it is of the utmost importance that you do that inspiration justice. So really, art has taught me to work for myself; to achieve something because I want to, not because I was required or asked. Art has taught me to express myself with complete honesty when the time comes, and to wear my emotions and feelings on my sleeve. But it has also taught me how and when to hide them; in essence control, understand, and express my emotions in ways I could not have learned by myself, be it through paper, computer screen, canvas, or speech. Art has challenged me to know myself, to love myself (and if there is something I don’t love, to change it), and to take what comes with absolute, fierce determination that everything will be fine if I do my best. It has taught me to be strong and to fight no matter what obstacle, and to recognize that my greatest weapon is myself, and only I can make myself what I want to be; if I want change, I must make it happen, because it most likely won’t happen by itself. But in contrast art has taught me to go with the flow, and not to worry about petty things on our journey through life. It has shown me that always fighting will break us, and we must also learn to be at peace and try to understand what is going on around us and to choose when to be ok with it. It has shown me that we create our own concerns, and we choose what will affect us, and that fighting everything will only cause us pain. It has taught me balance. In conclusion, art has taught me to fight, but it has also taught me to choose my fights wisely. It has enlightened me to the truth that there are things out of our control, but then there are things that we can control; the trouble is knowing the difference. So choose your fights, and be strong and attempt to be smart with your choices, but learn from your mistakes, always be yourself, and do something because it is the right thing to do, not because it is wanted of you. Do it for your family, friends, loved ones, and for every person that your life has touched and will touch, not just for you. Do it because it’s what your heart is saying, what your mind is planning, and because you believe with every fiber of your being that this is what you were meant to do and to achieve, that this life is why you are here, and it is a gift, a gift that is yours to make it what you will. |