This semester has allowed me to feel like an artist again. Making time for my own work helped me formulate meaning through metaphors and made me reflect about why I value art in my life. I have also been expired to go home and continue exploring the themes I researched over the past few months. There is no doubt that this semester will have an impact on the way I paint in the future, but also how I will teach painting to my students. I see this past semester as a small amount of time serving as a new beginning for me. There is always more to learn, to explore, and to practice. I will never be finished :) Great last critique in one of our brand new spaces. One of my favorite paintings from the semester. I know I will continue to explore the oyster as my subject, but this painting really captures the oyster beds I have come to know and love and want to protect.
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Dr. Ellis, an ecologist from Maryland not only explains the Anthropocene Era, but also calls us to be proactive. This is an awesome video I could show students to introduce the Anthropocene Era. The Baltimore artist, Robert McClintock captures the soul of Wachapreague, Virginia in his paintings of the town and surrounding waters. This town has become home to me over the past five years and is one of my favorite places in the world. I love these painting for their expressive movement. I can almost feel the salty wind hitting my face. Studying the artists shown on this blog over the past semester has helped me formulate a plan for when I return home to the Shore to teach art. No matter what level I end up teaching when I return home, the themes and artists I have found and researched over the past few months will help me begin a new phase in my teaching style. I want my students to first be aware of their surroundings, then be inspired by their surroundings to elicit change through their artwork. I really believe that the Eastern Shore could benefit from some young environmental advocates. I hope that my students will see my passion for the natural land and decide to be passionate with me in helping to raise environmental awareness.
Mural Artist David Fichter travels the world facilitating community murals as way to give local artists a voice.Mystic River Mural Project 10' X 450' Somerville, MA [acrylic paint on MDO panels]The Mystic River Mural Project began in 1996, when I worked with a group of high school students in Somerville to explore the wildlife, history, and environmental issues around the Mystic River watershed and then paint a large mural on panels that were installed on the concrete retaining wall for I-93. This became an ongoing project, resulting in an enormous mural about the watershed that is enlarged every summer with the work of new students. The Water Science Mural 12 ft. X 6 ft. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI [Acrylic, directly on wall]This mural is painted directly on a wall of a conference room at the Water Science and Engineering Lab at The University of Wisconsin. The theme is the study of water science including biology, hydrology, limnology, and chemistry. The image of the hands holding water in the shape of Lake Mendota evokes stewardship of water as a vital goal of science. It was funded by the Wisconsin Art Board, through the Percent for Art Program. I have been inspired by the works in this blog to create an 8th grade art unit based on Environmental Awareness on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. I have added the lesson plans below.
Paula Roland's work speaks to my need for studying abstract expressionist work. I love her attention to detail and her organic and natural forms. From her website: "With these works I use an intuitive language of repetitive mark-making. As the patterned elements flow, disperse, gather and interact, they suggest to me a narrative revealing the interplay between the natural world, art, culture, and spirit."
I admit, I had to look up the definition of Anthropocene. This is the definition from Wikipedia: The Anthropocene is an informal geologic chronological term that serves to mark the evidence and extent of human activities that have had a significant global impact on the Earth's ecosystems. THis work by Mary Mattingly is titled Pull, 2013 and I giggled when I saw the photo in Art in America, February Issue. I think I giggled because I loved it. Straight and to the point. There is no doubt when you look at her hauling this ridiculously large ball of human trash what her point is. I love the enormity of the ball and I think it serves her well. Eleanor Heartney writes "Against this backdrop of of an increasingly endangered planet, eco art gains new relevance, as artists dare to tread where scientists, politicians, environmentalists and other specialists do not. These artists work centers on the recognition that we have entered into the "Anthropocene" -a new geologic era marked by the impact of human activity on earth." Reading about this work reminded me about something that happened over my Christmas break. Last year, Tommy and I adopted the two mile stretch of road in front of our house. One Saturday afternoon, we spent about 3 hours walking in the ditch and collecting 10 large trash bags full of litter. We had a great time and really enjoyed the nice weather, beautifying our home, and even enjoyed talking with a local woman who stopped to thank us. My feelings were very hurt when we were walking back to our house after we strategically placed our trash bags to be picked up by VDOT. A red corvette crept up behind us and scared us by revving the engine and then speeding past us. I held my breath as the exhaust blew right in my face. I looked at Tommy as he reacted to the rude driver. He just shook his head and said, "what an idiot." We were both shaken and continued home. Waking up the next morning to watch the sunrise, Tommy came to wake me up when he discovered what was in the ditch directly in front of our house. An entire case full of empty beer cans was sitting right next to our mailbox. This little scheme someone thought up during the night made us very angry. Tommy even thought about calling VDOT to take down our recently new signs that had our names printed on them. I told him I wanted to keep the signs and that who ever did this nasty thing is just one person and that we cannot let this one person scare us or make us mad enough to stop cleaning the road. We were upset for the whole weekend, but we decided together that we would continue to clean our road, however, for our own safety it might be smarter to walk when less people are driving on our busy road. This story made me think about the amount of litter that accumulates on my road alone. Part of me wishes I could clean every road on the Shore. I want to find some way of utilizing the trash from my road in my artwork. I want to focus on how this trash directly affects the Shore and I really want to publically display my work in my community when I get home. I am going to make the effort to show my work in many public places in Onancock, Onley, Exmore, and any other town that will allow me. Seeing Mary Mattingly's work really inspires me to be bold and obvious so that my art is accessible to everyone. I want that person who threw the beer at our mailbox to see my artwork made out of their trash. Below is a link to Mary Mattingly's official site
The second piece in the room may have been the most compelling work in the show. “Thousand Islands Thousand Laws” 2013 is a new work by New York based artist Ian Cheng. It was commissioned by MOCA and the Lyon Biennial. Cheng is known to create works with special consideration for the user experience (UX). Working with choreographers and motion capture technicians he creates lived and invented experiences. “Thousand Islands Thousand Laws” guides you through an imagined swamp compelling you to explore it’s constantly mutating surroundings. It draws you into a video game like atmosphere with unscripted contingencies and irreversible changes. There is no scheduled end. The button below links directly to the exhibit's website where I found this information. I love the idea of creating a "virtual world" for the viewer to experience. I feel like this work speaks to my longing to show the relationship between the technologies of man and endangered animals- specifically birds. I love Cheng's integration of technology to bring the viewer to another world where he can make a statement. I specifically love his use of space and how he combines realism and surrealism in a way that feels new and fresh. An article in the magazine Art in America, February 2014 says this about his work: "an algorithmically driven projection, features tropical birds, plants and at least one weapon-bearing commando struggling against a constantly evlovlng gaming space." -Hunter Braithwaite
As I begin a new painting I remembered a story I read about one of Rockman's recent works. I remembered this image. Rockman painted it in response to a newspaper article about a dolphin swimming into a New York City waterway and dying the very same day. The article was published in the New York Times, January 26, 2013.
This painting really got me thinking about what the problems are on the Easter Shore of VA and what are the effects of population growth there? I want to begin basing my paintings on actual newspaper stories I find from the Eastern Shore Post and how they relate to the degradation of the beautiful place I call home. I think I will start with the infamous arsonist couple who are being prosecuted for a long string of fires they started in Accomack County. They really had everyone wound up for many months last year. I even attended a prayer session at the local high school called by some local pastors. The whole community was praying they be caught. Too many people lost property, thank goodness no one lost their life. No matter where you go in Accomack now, you are bound to stumble upon an outbuilding or barn that has been burned to the ground. An airplane hanger not even 500 yards from my own house was ruined by a couple who were acting under the influence of illegal substances. These fires have created eye sores all over my community. Oysters are an important part of the Eastern Shore's ecosystem....and I also LOVE to eat them :) I love the way Carlos Lopez embodies their natural beauty and enhances their magical powers. from his website: I paint from life. My work is based on direct observation and meditation through the interaction of space, light, and form. I paint the figure, still life, landscape, and abstract. My work is rooted in the tradition of drawing and painting. I have studied with modern impressionists, modern figurative sculptors, and classical realists. I primarily studied with Auseklis Ozols, the director and founder of the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts and master realist painter. Housed in New Orleans, loving this city and its seafood, I began painting the oyster shell. I found that when sunlight bounced off the shells, I could see so much beauty and colors. They have become my models and I try to always portray them differently. Brooke ShadenBrooke Shaden is a fine art photographer living and working in Arizona. Her passion lies in creating new worlds through photographs. Her vision extends beyond the realm of the camera, creating images that resemble paintings and speak of an era that is not our own. Each image is a story. I love the style in which Brooke portrays her figures. The photographs have a "fantastical feel" but remain erie and dark. I love her landscapes as they relate to the female body. Her style appeals to my "inner mermaid."
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AuthorI am excited to start this blog as a way to keep my artist research updated and inspiring. Archives
April 2014
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Contemporary Artist Research
Focusing on themes of human interaction with wildlife, urbanization, mechanization, environmental identity, and special ecosystems.
Many of the artists listed below were found in this magazine. I have linked the website below.
My research this semester helped me organize my thoughts and inspired me while painting my own series. I ended up using the Oyster as my muse.