I just really like what she's doing :)

   I was given the task of interviewing someone in the School of Art that I'm really enjoying. I picked Lucy Carey, a good friend and someone I really admire. She is very calculated, but her works after usually focused on the more natural aspects of life. Her work is grounded in nature and most often depicts the sky. I really love the juxtaposition of her meticulous process and more ethereal subject matter.


What do you hope to do with your degree? Grad school, a specific job?

1. I have no immediate plans to go to grad school. It's not out of the question for the future, though. I would like to go together with a few fellow artists and get a studio space with a small gallery/store area in the front to display and sell our work. I'm imagining a storefront on a city block with the store in front, a nice studio in the back, and an apartment above to live. This would be perfect for me, because I want to work for myself, or at least with people I know well and trust.

Who are your favorite artists?
2. I love Alphonse Mucha. I was first drawn to his female personifications ofparts of nature, such as the moon and stars and the seasons. Nature plays a huge role in my work, and he portrays it in an interesting, beautiful way. I also like Amy Ho. She incorporates images of nature in cool installations. I love her piece Skylight, where she projects an image of the sky onto the roof of a subway tunnel. Gerhard Richter does wonderful work, too.

 What first got you into art?
3. Art was always one of my favorite classes in school, and I have been drawing since I could first hold a crayon. But I really started taking art more seriously after getting excited about the anime Sailor Moon, around 6th grade. I was obsessed with it. I would constantly draw the characters and write my own stories for it. That led to my own original stories and characters and eventually expanded into what I do today.
 

 Who are your least favorite artists?
4. There aren't a lot of artists I completely hate. I try to find at least about them or their work that I can appreciate. For example, there's Milton Avery. He uses nature for his imagery, but he abstracts it in such a way that it it looks like simple planes of color. I enjoy abstraction, but not as he does it. That said, I can appreciate his approach to color. He prefers to let color be the dominant force within his work. What look like solid shapes of colors in his paintings are actually many similar colors that the eye blends together from a distance. This is very interesting and something I would like to explore.

Is there anything you dislike about being an artist?
5. I have a love/hate relationship with enjoying many different kinds of art. I practice several kind of printmaking, oil painting, digital and film photography, digital painting and animation... On one hand, I have lots of different experiences to draw from; each medium can provide a bit of insight into the other. On the other hand, exploring all of these media at once makes me a bit of the classic "Jack of all trades, master of none". Not to mention the money spent on basic supplies for all of these media.

Vastly Different Spaces

    In an earlier post I spoke about visiting Prairie for the opening of "Forms of Authority", and I was just today at the Reed Gallery, located inside The College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP).

 Outside view of The Reed Gallery

   The Dorothy W. and C. Lawson Reed Jr. Gallery hosts exhibitions that focus on the fields of study associated with the College of DAAP, with emphasis on current work in those disciplines brought in from outside the college to enrich the exposure of students to work produced elsewhere. It is a very clean and organized space.

   Like Prairie, the walls are white and kept very neat. However, the floor at this location is a nice polished wood finish. The Reed Gallery seemed more put together, and very formal. It seemed like a small piece of a museum stuck into a school building.

  Currently The Reed Gallery is being set up for the student Dry Run showing, which acts as a dress rehearsal for DAAP Works in June. 

An Image from the student Dry Run showing 

   I did enjoy the more informal atmosphere of Prairie. The floors and small size of the space give it a more casual feel. A narrow flight of stairs leads to the second floor, which is separated into two main areas by a crisp white zigzag wall that stops a couple of feet short of the ceiling. Long windows overlooking the street are unobstructed. Darkroom and photo lab are at the rear.The whole space is very streamlined.

    “It suggests opportunity, openness, the United States,” says David Rosenthal. “I think the arts crack society’s barriers. They voice social issues and break out of convention.”

   I have recently learned that the gallery owner, David Rosenthal, splits his time between the gallery space and his community outreach programs. He works tirelessly on giving art to the masses. He transports what is essentially a portable photo lab with him to different schools in the Cincinnati Area. His gallery space is second to his humanitarian work, and for some strange reason I appreciate the simpleness of Prairie more after knowing those facts. 

"Cake Sprinkles" by Caren Alpert, shown at Prairie Gallery

   "I spend 15% of my time in the gallery. The majority is spent on my work bringing art to students who would have no other way of getting it." - David Rosenthal.

Gallery Visit

I was recently at Prairie Gallery for the opening of Forms of Authority. After hiking up the steps to the gallery, which is located on the second story of a small building in Northside, you reach Prairie. Prairie is fairly simple in presentation. White walls, unfinished wood flooring. The place was full of people that I felt that I should know. I saw a few professors that I know through school, but most of the people seemed to be wealthy wasps...And since I do not fall into either of those categories it was very interesting to listen in to their conversations. Many of which were about how conceptual the works were. However, none of them ever said why...

 A piece by Hanry Navarro

On display were three artists, Hanry Navarro, Stewart Goldman and Joseph Winterhalter. Each artist worked to explore the contemporary institution through painting and drawing.

 # 26 by Joseph Winterhalter

"Together they explore the tension between natural forms and processes and the increasing complexity and power of contemporary social institutions, said gallery owner David Rosenthal.

I felt strongly that two of the artists really fit into the theme of the show. Both the works of Navarro and Winterhalter reflected a strange look into the idea of the institution.However, Goldman's works seemed to reflect more of the natural world. The images looked more like landscapes, rather than something to do with modernization. Unless the piece was trying to come off as a stark contrast to the others in the space. Yet, I think that the artists should have tried more to work together to really make the theme present. Overall, I liked the show, but I did leave feeling a bit confused.

A collective image of Winterhalter's works

Artist's Statement

In the last four years of education, I have begun an introspective approach to creating artwork. Prior to my self-examination, my work was mostly obtuse and directed by some sort of requirement for a specific class. I soon realized that my art meant more to me than a grade. So, I began to create my own projects to take steps toward doing art that mattered deeply to me. 

Currently, I have taken the time to focus on my childhood. It has always been my opinion that children are much closer to themselves and their emotions than adults are. Childhood innocence is a wonderful concept. However, as children grow into adolescence and adulthood, they lose that true sense of self. As we age, our emotions and thoughts begin to slip into a more even state of awareness. However, I miss the sensation of being in tune with myself.  

I am not exactly sure when I lost the freedom of childlike feeling, and when it transformed into a strange coldness of adulthood. However, I have come to the point where I have realized that the feeling is gone and that I want it back. My art lacks an element of whimsy that could possibly push my conceptual work to a new level. Therefore, my most recent creations have been an experiment into the idea of fighting to reclaim something I have lost, my childhood innocence.

Most of my introspective works are in the form of printmedia. My printmaking process started as an experiment. I was looking for a new method to create, and produce work at a rapid pace. I had previously worked with Lithographs, and had enjoyed the work I had created with photo plates. However, I wanted to learn other techniques. I then moved to Intaglio printing and found the result rewarding, but the process very complex. I recently was watching a demonstration on the technique of silkscreen printmaking, and was greatly fascinated by the speed of the process. The idea of multiples, and having a series of works was a very interesting concept. Therefore, I have begun the transition to creating most of my work through silkscreen.

 I have begun using different materials in my printmaking work to capture the youthfulness I desire. In my “Eat Me” series of images, I used different packaged cereals, that I remember eating as a child, to create patterns for silkscreen exposures. I created simple patterns using the simple cereal polygons to mimic childlike fabrics. I plan to expand to other foods, simply because of the senses attached to food; smell, taste, touch. The senses open the possibility of creating something that examines the viewer artwork relationship.

To date, I am still searching, with no exact way of retrieving anything from my past. Yet, I would like to continue this exploration. I want to utilize silkscreen processes with other media. I’d like to combine my printing with photography, creative writing, collage and digital image composition to create more quirky work that relates more to my personality.  However, I would like to study more about child psychology and relate my findings to my artwork. I want to remain focused on reclaiming youth and finding the point at which our feelings become buried within ourselves.

Eat Me

I’ve decided to upload some of my more recent printmaking work. I have been working larger after so good advice from my professor.  I have also shifted to a more scientific conceptual mesh when it comes to subject matter. It’s more of a trick or sleight of hand, while my images look like bacteria cultures or microbes, they are actually breakfast cereal. Without their signature colors, and organized in little clusters, they take on a new form that is very clinical in nature. 

 I'm really enjoying the circle shape. It reminds me of the cereal bowl without being too literal. I'm actually enjoying my art for once, and it's pretty refreshing.

In the Event of an Art Crisis

1.  Step away from your work. 
2. Just do it.
3. Watch this video.
4. Then repeat after me: "I do not suck at art. Practice makes perfect. Keep going."
5. Have some hot chocolate.
6. Try again tomorrow.

Silkscreen Hero

         IN GREAT NEWS, my comedy of errors during my screen coating process didn’t impede my final product. Under the watchful eye of a close friend and a veteran screen printer curious to see what had happened, I washed out my screen after my first exposure. And suddenly...HELL YES! My screen had the images intact. My exposure process had worked, and worked well.

          I will post the images of my screen on Monday, along with images of my prints, but for right now. I will simply celebrate that I now understand the process :) Sweet Success.

Mylar!?!?!

Let me start this off with how worried I was when I realized that I had decided to sign up for Advanced Printmaking… (Insert terrified girl screech). It had sounded like a great idea, and I had really enjoyed my Lithography class last winter. However, I still was nervous. On the first day, I realized quickly that I’m one of the youngest in my class. Looking around the room, it was very intimidating collection of printers. We read the syllabus, and I was soft spoken when I was my turn to speak. And to make matters worse, for some reason I was called on twice to read…and I could feel my voice shaking as I listed the required materials. The word Mylar felt foreign to me as I skimmed the list, even though I know very well what it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mylar: Used for registration for multi-layer prints and for centering images, great for a more professional print look. 

I would greatly advise all printers to have AT LEAST one go-to sheet of drafting Mylar. It can  be purchased at most art supply stores, and comes in  a few different varieties. Personally, I used the single sided frosted. As the name suggests, one side is frosted and the other is smooth. My reason is very simple as to why I choose this type. The frosted side holds my pencil marks better than the smooth side. A double smooth would smear the pencil marks that are measured out to center your image, and a double frosted would make it hard to see your registration when you flip over your Mylar to print. 

So what is Registration? I've been throwing around a word that might not be familiar to non-printers. Registration is the method of correlating overlapping colors on one single image. There are many different styles and types of registration, many of which employ the alignment of specific marks.

"First Color Run"

When printing an image that has more than one color, depending on the method of printing, it is necessary to print the image one separate time for each separate color. Each one is called a "color run," and they can be pulled from the same surface, inked differently, or from a completely different surface. So that the final image is consistent, and so each of the colors lines up correctly, a system of registration is necessary. Different printing devices have different methods of creating separate color runs.

 "Second Color Run"

And from there it's simple! Just keep layering your colors until you're finished, and there you have it. A beautifully registered, multi-layer print is easier than you thought. That is...if you have Mylar. Oh! The joys of Mylar :)

So What Do You Do?

     I'm one of the motivated members of my family. I've valued my school work and opportunities. However, recently I was asked by a family member, "So what do you do?" I'm not a person to just go into some grand, self-promoting rant about how I'm going to be a professional artist, as I adjust my monocle and take another sip of my dry martini. Nevertheless, I do have a standard response.

     My interrogation usually happens at family gatherings that I choose to attend. So, I guess it a way, I subject myself to it. The QUESTIONING. It usually starts like this (if I'm speaking to a certain Aunt of mine):

    "So Megan, since we last spoke it has been x-amount of time...WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?"
    "I go to college, and I work."
    "Oh...that's nice. So what do you do?"
    "I work..."
    "I mean after college, with your degree in...what was it? Crafting?"
    "No...it's Art...just like it has been."
    "Oh, my mistake."
 
     At this point I'm done, but this point is key. I'll entertain them with my uncertainty for as long as I can stand to see them struggle to make sense of my life choice, it's my own personal joke time.

    "So what do you do?"
    "I'm happy, and creating things that really matter to me and could potentially matter to other people too. I'm leaving my own footprint that doesn't damage others or the earth. I'm discovering my own path, instead of letting you or the other members of my family push me into some sort of trade...And what do you do again? Work at Famous Footwear?"

    I know it's pretty forward, but why question my choice? I've never questioned theirs. I guess because I've chosen the unconventional route it causes problems, but I'm really happy with what my exploration had brought to me.

    Below I've gathered a few of my more recent works. I've be dabbling into the photographic field for a while now. Most of my photography work would be labeled portraiture. One of my main obsessions in life is the human body. People are such magnificent subjects. You can never see the same thing twice. Muscles undulate underneath skin, shadows cast different patterns on flesh, and so many other little changes that make people amazing.

 "Kyle" - Digital Photograph

 

"Kyle II" - Digital Photograph

 "Beth" - Digital Photograph

 "Beth II" - Digital Photograph

 "Claudia" - Lithograph

A Few Inspiring Images

When asked about inspiration, the title of my blog really explains it. I’m in love with music; infatuated with tones and the different timbres of sound. My creative process is fueled by music. I listen to music while creating art and my works are often related to music. My love of art blooms from the same central stem that my love of music grows from. It’s all about exploring. Everything is an exploration when it relates to my process. I want to learn through my own hands.  

There are many questions I’m asked about the creative process, but they all just boil down to one thing: Where do you find your spark?

It’s very simple really. Usually, I just stroll around tumblr looking for something inspiring. I just put in my headphones, and cruise the net until I stumble across something. There is no real science or method to my madness; just perseverance. I’ll search of hours until something finally hits me. I’ve been collecting a glut of images that have really struck a chord with me, and I figured I would post a few of them that will give an idea as to what catches my eye. 

 "Doll" - Griffblut

"Samantha Lying" - Ian Reynold

"MF008" - Eric Lacombe

I have also recently discovered Ivan Alifan's website: http://www.ivanalifan.com/

I really enjoy his work due to the use of color and heavy paint application. The tactile quality of his pieces really draw in my sense of touch. I almost attempt to touch with my eyes as I study each piece. He does a great job of rendering human forms, and I highly recommend his work. 

Digital Composing

I was recently in a Digital Image Composition course at my university. I really enjoyed the freedom to create my own project, but would have liked a little more guidance as to what my prof was really looking for. The class was open to all different skill levels and we were charged with the task of creating our own plans of study. They ranged from creating an animation using Adobe Flash, to simply using the scanner to digitize images. I’m not sure how he plans to grade something of this nature. Can you fault someone for something you gave them the freedom to do? He also made an offhand remark about how tangible printmaking methods (silk screen, litho, and intaglio) are too archaic to be considered art…but I’ll leave that alone for now.

In my program of study, I utilized Adobe Illustrator to vectorize different map images using the livetrace setting to remove information from the maps by reducing the threshold the eliminate lines from the image. Then from those altered map images, I created scribble-like images. The scribble shapes are an attempt to pull some of the lines out of the maps to look like epicenters. Like the beginning of a memory that drifts off into space with no final resolution.

 I have no memories of these experiences and not many childhood memories at all. Everything is fragmented and only ghost images of what was once there. I often wonder if something happened to me to make me block out all these memories. I plan to explore that someday.