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!

Do Fun Stuff!

I know this is a little off topic, but please take the time to CHECK THIS OUT!

I have been following the blog Pacing the Panic Room by Ryan Marshall. He has a 6 year old step-son dealing with Smith-Magenis Syndrome, which in short is a developmental disorder that affects many parts of the body. Ryan has put together a children's music album like no other! The album hit #1 on itunes!! Please check it out and buy the album or make a donation. All of the proceeds go to a grant fund available to grad students who choose SMS as their field of choice. I hope you enjoy the music and become a follower of Ryan's blog (you will get hooked)!
Please read the excerpt below written by Ann Smith of Smith-Magenis Syndrome from Ryan's blog...

Smith-Magenis syndrome was not recognized or named until after 1982 when the first two children were identified with deletion 17p11.2.  Nothing was known about what to expect for these children, lacking any previous clinical reports of this deletion.   Clinically, the spectrum of features that define this rare syndrome now referred to as Smith-Magenis syndrome or SMS are well described; however, diagnosis is often delayed to early childhood due to lack of awareness of the syndrome among health practitioners. Today almost 3 decades since the syndrome's initial description, increased clinical awareness and diagnostic advances using newer molecular DNA-based techniques hopefully will lead to earlier and correct diagnosis.

Past research efforts and PRISMS' parent conferences focused on SMS have led to further recognition of potential management and treatment strategies likely to benefit children and their families impacted by SMS.  More research is needed.  Research to understand rare syndromes takes both time and funding, but has the potential to advance scientific understanding not only of a syndrome like SMS, but provide new insight about biologic processes that impact the general population.

The ingenuity and dedication of effort put forth by Ryan Marshall and his talented music colleagues with this first release of kids music, Do Fun Stuff Vol 1, in partnership with PRISMS, has the potential to raise awareness about SMS and opens new avenues for fundraising future research. I hope you will join me in celebrating the cause and enjoy listening to all the songs - fun, humorous and catchy tunes for all ages to enjoy!

Ann C.M. Smith, MA, DSc(hon)
Chair, PRISMS Professional Advisory Board

Visiting Artist Ron Abram

Ron was the last artist that I had the opportunity to work with before the end of my summer internship. Ron is actually a UCF grad! He stayed a little longer than most artists and enjoyed a the summer here in sunny Florida...on a side note, a friend of mine actually taught his son in her summer class at the OMA!

Ron is a professor at Denison University in Ohio and he is also a printmaker (primarily etchings). I found a great little interview clip online here of Ron explaining his artwork from an exhibition in Ohio.
In the work that he was doing at FHP, he was taking his old plates (from about 20 years ago) and combining them with his new plates. As interns, we were helping him rub out some of the old plates. There were some elements from them that he wanted to keep and some that he didn't. He was also interested in using images from old books, comics, and advertisements. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product! He was a great guy and easy to talk to, so I hope he'll come back soon!

Here is a bio I found from the Denison University website:
"Professor Abram joined the faculty in 1995. He earned his MFA from Tyler School of Art of Temple University and received his BFA from the University of Central Florida. His recent work combines the traditional mediums of drawing and printmaking with other forms of artistic endeavor. As an artist and curator, he addresses the relationship of popular culture, community and personal expression in many of these ventures. He has exhibited his work in numerous solo/group exhibitions, here and abroad."


Of course, I will leave you with some photos...

Ron and an intern

some of the ads that Ron will use

Ron's work space he set up at the press

Ron's old plates

I was put to work tracing these guys from a comic

close up view of the guys I traced for Ron

Time for an UPDATE!

Sorry for the delay of this post! I had it in my drafts because I needed to add the photos!


Summer has been busy and so has the Flying Horse Press. Our last visiting artist, Nathan Redwood, left us with a complex print to make. We have been working on a reduction woodcut that has taken for-ev-er! So far we have 7 or 8 colors and still have 3-6 more to go. It has been quite a job, but the biggest challenge has been registration. Good registration is needed so that each layer of color lines up. I found a good description online-


"Reduction woodcuts are what the name implies: they are prints made by gradually reducing the printable areas of a wood block. This process involves working with a single block (matrix), printing a color, cutting more of the block, printing this new reduced image over the first print, and so forth depending on the number of colors the artist wants to print in a single image. The key to successfully making a reduction cut is a little planning and careful registration"

Nathan is an acrylic painter and wanted us use one of his paintings for the print. He didn't want/need the colors or forms to be an exact replica of the painting."


The print that the members of the FHP will get will be made from an image Nathan has created specifically for them. Collagraphy, screen printing, and woodcutting will be used in this print. Nathan has a signature brushstroke that they are trying to emulate with the screen printing. A graphic designer will be scanning in the image of the brushstroke and breaking it down in to approx 10 different layers of color. Those 10 or so layers will be made in to screens. By using this many screens for one stroke, you can see how this will be very dimensional and realistic. It will look as though Nathan actually painted each of the prints. An example of someone who uses this technique for his prints can be seen here. 

I will leave you with some photos of Nathan's visit...

Nathan making a Mono-print

Woodcut

inking up the woodcut

all of Nathan's colors 

A collector's painting that Nathan has to fix while he is in town

            

        messy YES!!

Summer and Internship

Year 2 is over and I only have 1 more year of my Masters left! This summer I am working, making art, and interning at the Flying Horse Press, the fine art press at UCF. I hope to learn more about printmaking (duh) and also meet some pretty great artists who will be coming in to print there. As interns, we will be assisting the artists with whatever it is they would like us to do, which actually can consist of making their editions. Today we stamped some box covers for Russell De Young prints (iphone pic below).

I will be creating my own mini accordion books this summer and will be using this machine to stamp the front of them with beautiful foil. I am unsure what the subject matter of my books will be at this time, but I will be making a lot of them that is for sure. I have also started making some "patties" for my new project. I am making as many of these as possible with the fabric I have and stringing them together. This will turn out to be many feet long.

Let's DO this!

Alright people, so the first try of my blog did not work out, but I am determined to commit to something. I just finished my second year of grad school and have one year left. This summer I will begin writing my thesis! I have to do tons of research on art and artists to help me figure myself out. I am not that great with words- DUH! That is why I chose art as my career long ago. Little did I know, that you absolutely need to know how to use your words in art (speaking about your art, interviews, artist statements, etc...) If you are an out of this world talented and famous artist, you might get by with out speaking about your work (and actually not speaking about your work can become part of your work and who you are as an artist). BUTTTT, most of us have to. I'm rambling.

So this summer is full speed ahead. I will be working a ton to make money and hopefully have some extra time to make art and write a thesis, lol!

Here are some pics from my final critique of the semester-

this is unfinished

Final Critique and Art Basel Miami Beach!

Well, the creation of this blog has caught me a very busy time. First, I have my final critique next Wednesday where I will be debuting some very different work from my midterm critique. I have literally gotten "out of my box". I have put some photos below of my previous work from the midterm and then my new work in progress, so you can see just how different of a direction I went in. Although I had not done my mixed media assemblages for that long (about a year), my new direction is refreshing. It took some time to figure myself out and develop new ideas. I thought about some of the found objects that I loved so much and why I loved them, whether it be the color, shape, or subject. I chose some of my favorite objects to explore, recreate, and manipulate. Writing down some of the elements that I found most appealing, which were color, texture, very large or small objects, and repetition also helped me. I work very intuitively, so once I get started, concepts are formed and things come together.

These assemblages are currently on display at UCF's Center for Emerging Media

These houses are made out of wood and vinyl. They will be used to create a neighborhood installation.

This is a 5.5' photo of a 5.5" found object that I currently have an obsession with. I also painted this "big head" on a 5.5' wooden board.

The second major event happening this week is Art Basel Miami, the largest International Art Fair of the year. Art Basel is held in the Miami Beach Convention center from Dec 3-6, but there are many other satellite art fairs that are in the surrounding area during the same time. Most of the other students in my program are going so it should be a great time. This event is extremely beneficial to our art education, especially that of the international art world. I will be posting about my experiences in Miami, so stay tuned!!