Well, hello "day before finals" day

So, I am just coming off of a weekend filled with art at Art Basel Miami, which was a whirlwind of fun. Now I am back to reality and faced with the fact that I have my final critique tomorrow. Actually, I signed up to be the first one, what was I thinking? It doesn't really matter either way because I have to have everything set up tomorrow morning, but if I would have picked the afternoon, maybe everyone would have been too tired to pick on me. As you know from my previous entries, I have been in somewhat of a rut this second half of the semester. I have had ideas and projects in the works, but nothing I am really that crazy about. I need to wrap everything up today and set up for tomorrow. I hope that I can get my thoughts straight over the winter break and churn out the first draft of my thesis. Then this will give me all of next semester to edit and format in preparation for the deadline/thesis defense.

This is my latest installation/sculpture/deconstructed book work in progress, or whatever you want to call it. I have torn up my Post Secret book and dipped the paper in milky resin. I will hang the pages on clotheslines like you see and will most likely use this stand in my installation as well. I am still dealing with other peoples lives, secrets, and the home. Hanging packaged up porcelain houses will also be a part of this (I will repost pics when everything is set up). I love working at my dad's shop because he has stands like this and all the tools and materials I need. It's kind of funny because my dad's shop is the place where I first started creating things as a child. 



Stuck in a rut!

That is how I have felt for the past two weeks! I'm not sure how, but I seemed to have gotten myself out of that rut, which is a good thing. All I wanted to do was sit around the house and do nothing. I still always like to do that, but not in the same mind set that I was in the past two weeks.

I am back at it and making some books. The pressure from school and professors did help me out of that rut. My final is in about 4 short weeks and I don't think I can beat my midterm installation. Unfortunately, there was only 1 professor there to see my midterm, so most of my professors didn't see my installation. For this reason, I am thinking about setting it up again for finals, which is not typically done. I mean, my thesis committee DOES need to see my work, geez! It's hard because our program is not on the main campus, so we have a separation and are not in the same location as the art department or the professors. The professors rarely, almost never, venture the 10 minutes away to our studio space to see what we are up to. Then they march in for the midterm and the final and bitch about how you have not been productive enough and need to have more work...um hello? You have no idea what I have been doing so don't judge me!

Enough of my ranting. I'll make the best of it.

I worked on the pages of my book last night and here's what I've got (iphone pics)-

I will be adding more pages, but this is what I have for now. I am also trying to figure out if I want to add words or not. 

What I'm into right now- Artist Books

I'm not sure why, but I am really into artist books right now. The crazier the better. I love how in the art world just about anything can be considered an "artist book". As wikipedia states, "Artists' books are works of art realized in the form of a book. They are often published in small editions, though sometimes they are produced as one-of-a-kind objects referred to as 'uniques'." I am also very much interested in mini books, probably because they are cute. I am always drawn to things that are miniature or huge. I do kind of feel like they can get a little crafty sometimes, so I must keep "fine art" on the mind. Basically anything that has a sequence, narrative, pages, or text could be considered a book in my opinion.

I really love flip-books too. I used to make them when I was younger. In fact, I used to make a lot of books when I was younger, but flip-books and "touch and feel" books were my favorite. I remember specifically making a Jetson's flip-book, I loved that show! If only I still had all of this great art from my childhood. What happened to it? Did I throw it away (doubtful) or did my mom?

We had a great artist who visited and talked with us a month or so ago at school. She started as a bookmaker and most currently does public art pieces. She has been working on a piece for our very own UCF Engineering building.  Check her out: http://www.janetzweig.com/

I will leave you with a great flip-book of hers-

Professor Obsessive and his Two Compulsions from Janet Zweig on Vimeo.

Please help me by completing my survey!!

Hello, I am working on an art piece titled "Just tell me, I won't tell anyone". 

As I stated in my last post, "I am obsessed with stories, information, and photos of other people's lives. I don't even have to know the people, which is sometimes more interesting because I am like a detective digging and searching for information to put the pieces of the puzzle together." 

I am attempting to show this interest visually (possibly a video installation with the secrets collected) and am starting by collecting secrets anonymously from willing participants.
Click here to take survey

New Video Project

So, I have really been doing some soul searching lately, which is kind of unusual. My work has never really had any deep meaning, and I don't think it ever will. I really like things for the way they look- color, design, texture, style, and so on. I enjoy things that are appealing to the eye. Even when I look at other artists work, I am always drawn to the aesthetics. Unless it is highly conceptual and doesn't even really have tangible elements, I am always looking for something appealing to the eye. So, with that being said, it turns out I am in a pretty conceptual MFA program. I know, bums for me! HAHA! In the spirit of learning and growing and trying to become a better artist, I am trying to dig deep and put a little bit of me into my art :-) I have thought about what moves me and catches my attention on a daily basis. What I have come up with is...drumroll please... other people's lives!!! Yes, I am obsessed with stories, information, and photos of other people's lives. I don't even have to know the people, which is sometimes more interesting because I am like a detective digging and searching for information to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I have always enjoyed memoirs (especially of sex, drugs, lies, and scandal). I guess you could say that I am also addicted to drama. My friends sometimes call me "20 questions" because I ask so many random detailed questions about anything they are talking to me about. The funny thing is, that I am interested in all of the details that don't matter. My professor said, "well isn't everyone like that at times?". Well, yes, but I think I am a little bit more-so than the average bear. So, I have to figure out a way to show just how obsessed and interested in I am in other people's lives visually. ART!

We have a new professor in town and she suggested that I video myself looking at the computer screen. This is something I do every morning, like a ritual (just so happens to be a common phrase used with people who have OCD). I of course look at email, facebook, and then a long list of blogs, all of which I do very systematically. I have done this for days and have layered the videos on top of each other so you can see how very similar they are each morning. Unfortunately, I was unable to upload the video at this time because it is too large. Stay tuned!