Final Projects

For my final I decided to do a series about nature. Nature has been a big part of my life and I enjoy every moment that I spend hiking or relaxing in nature. I made the series on photoshop. Each collage incorporates a personal photograph that I took when I went home, and also some of my favorite aspects of nature.

Melinda Steffy

Melinda Steffy spoke during our lecture series about the use of the internet to sell work. Steffy talked briefly about her work, which involves a lot of different materials and ideas. She said that she also has several other jobs that she needs in order to support herself. She said she has a day job on top of her studio art and exhibitions and free lance design and writing. To sell her art though she mostly uses Etsy. Steffy said that this is an invaluable resource for artists, and she personally has two different accounts on this website.

Superflex

Jacob Fenger, member of the Danish art group Superflex came to Tyler and gave I believe one of the most interesting lectures of the series. Fenger and his fellow group of artists have an interesting approach to art. They spread their influence in so many aspects of the world through their art. For instance they have made a company that gives out free beer, they made Guarana Power, a guarana berry soda that helps the farmers make money, and also they make bio gas systems in third world countries. Most of their art deals with appropriation, which is a subject I find extremely interesting and thought provoking, especially since we spend a lot of time talking about this issue in my other classes. Next year, Jacob Fenger and Superflex will be working on an installation, Phillagrafika, which delves further into pushing the boundaries of appropriation.

Silk Screen

Last week we silk screened during our class. It was so much fun, and I really enjoyed the process. For my image, I decided to make the image of the Venus Fly Trap. I think this plant is fascinating not only in its aesthetics but also in the way it functions. For this particular screening I chose to print on brown butcher paper, because I liked the natural feel it gave the image. I also printed on a nature print of beetles and several magazine pages.

Doug Bucci Lecture

The latest lecture in the series was by far the best. Doug Bucci, a jewelry designer and Tyler Instructor, came to speak to us about his field of work, and how he got to where he is today. I thought everything he had to say was extremely helpful. One of the most interesting thing I thought he said was that  being an artist is all about finding opportunities and seizing these opportunities. After graduating college, BFA from UARTS and MFA from Tyler, Bucci worked in the industry at Bailey Banks and Biddle until he had enough of a nest egg to start his own studio. From there he started his own business. Now he has designed jewelry from medals for Prince Andrew to bling for jackass stars. He has also collaborated with artist Jeff Koons and fashion designer Stella McCartney for a jewlery line based off of Koon's Rabbit.

Eileen Neff

Eileen Neff came to 2D Lecture to talk to us about her art. Neff works with photography and photoshop to make her pieces. One aspect of her art is taking a photograph and then blowing it up to a large scale and then making them a part of an installation. She also creates images using photoshop. Interesting abstract play begins to appear with her photoshop images. One thing Neff said that I found quite interesting was, "as young artist you must learn which happy accidents to go with, and which to put the side."

Photoshop Painting

Here is a painting I did on photoshop.

Exaggerated Current Event Project

Last week's homework assignment for foundation computers was to take a current event and exaggerate it using photoshop. I chose to depict the current ACORN fiasco that has been happening since last November. I wanted to incorporate not only just the voter fraud but also the more recent humiliation involving James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles dressing as a pimp and prostitute and asking ACORN employees for advice on how to open a brothel.

Sharon Louden Lecture

Last Tuesday, New York based artist, Sharon Louden came to speak to us about her work. Louden can be considered multimedia, because she dabbles in most fields of art like drawing, painting, film, and installation. Instead of focusing on just one form of art, Louden likes to look at all of them and above all else considers herself just an artist. She has a minimalist approach to making art and finds herself inspired by many things especially by a sense of motion in things like dance and sport. Overall, I thought she was very worthwhile to listen to. She was a really good public speaker and has very interesting ideas and concepts about art and material. Shown in the picture above is one of her installation pieces, Reflecting Tips. This piece can be found in Dallas, Texas at the Connemarara Conservancy. It is made up of twenty-two units of high intensity reflective sheeting and powdered coated steel epoxy. The generated effect I think is quite whimsical.

Illustrator Self Portrait

In class we scanned our faces onto the computer and then made self portraits based off of the scanned picture. Here is mine.

The Jack Wolgin Exhibition

I recently got to go to the opening night of the Jack Wolgin Exhibition at Tyler. It is an amazing show. It features the work of artists Sanford Biggers, Michael Rakowitz, and Ryan Trecartin. I found all of the artists' work to be extremely interesting and well executed. The work of Ryan Trecartin proved to me to be the most interesting. His installation was built around a film he made, P.opular S.ky (section ish). It was thought provoking and hypnotizing at the same time. The longer you watch the movie, the more disturbed but entranced you become. It caused me to think critically of the post-gender, post-race, post-family world we are living in today. Kudos to all the artists for an outstanding show.

Pairs

My first pairing was of a father and a son on South Street. I also included a sketch of people around a fountain and a local church because I think all of them evoke a sense of community that is present in Philadelphia. My next pairing was a photo of a pigeon, a sketch of pigeons on stairs, and found pennies. I paired pigeons with the pennies because both are all over the city, but few people take the time to notice them. Next I have pictures of people walking, driving, and taking the subway. There are man ways of transportation in Philly, these are just a few. 

October 6th Lecture

Last tuesday, funny guy Bradley Litwin visited Tyler School of Art and spoke to the Foundation BFAs. Litwin brought with him his amazing handmade machines which are in display in the front gallery of the Tyler building. Litwin spoke about how, ever since childhood he has been making complex machines. He has also started a visual communications business when computer made art was just beginning. When making advertisements and such, Litwin relies mostly on programs such as photoshop and illustrator. He said that although his work is done on the computer, one still has to rely heavily on the composition and the color of the piece. Litwin said that while technology is important to art, drawing is still the fastest way to communicate. As for the amazing machines that are on display, Litwin said that he, "likes to celebrate the human eye's attraction to movement."

Slow Walkers

I find slow walkers very annoying.

September 29th Lecture

Kate Cuffari, art conservation at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, came to speak to the Tyler Foundation BFAs about the repair, restoration, and analysis of art. She posed some very interesting questions such as: How do you sell a piece of art if you know it won't survive? Does it matter to you if your work survives? Cuffari used very interesting examples from both present day art and art from the past; Jackson Pollack for example willfully destructed all of his early works, and every so often Damien Hirst has to replace the Formaldehyde Shark. Her lecture reminded me of an article I had previously read about how art collectors are becoming more hesitant to spend large sums of money on the works of Andy Warhol because he used cheap paints to make his portraits. In turn, they are becoming harder to preserve and therefore recognize as well. People now are wondering if it is worth their money to spend a fortune on a painting that will not make it another twenty years. Overall, I found Cuffari's lecture very helpful and interesting. One of the best yet!

Text Pictures

It is a beautiful day!

Birds in Flight

Mouse

Philip Glahn

Tuesday's speaker at lecture was Philip Glahn. The concept Glahn spoke about was the critical relationship between art and technology. It is a bond that has been strong for quite some time now, and according to Glahn, can never be broken. He explains that when one does try to break away from technology in art, a de-skilling occurs. I thought his concepts were interesting, perhaps not presented in the most affective way for a group of tired freshman art students, nonetheless however he presented some very interesting concepts. I especially liked when Glahn explained that part of the tension between art and technology is the need for humans to feel individual and not machine, however we need to find the balance with technology to become masters of art.

Coffee Houses of Philadelphia

As I walked down Walnut street last week I realized just how many unique coffee joints that exists in a five block radius. This doesn't even include the Starbucks that can be found on just about every street corner, I am talking about the cafes like Bonte and the Chocolate Cafe. There are many very interesting places that I am dying to try out... if only I can venture out from my safety blanket (a.k.a. Starbucks).

Check out my photos of Walnut Street Coffee Houses

Basekamp Comes to Tyler

Scott Rigby recently visited Tyler School of Art to talk to the Freshman BFAs about the artist commune Basekamp that he co-founded. Basekamp got it's start in 1998 and has grown to a worldwide level since. Basekamp is a group of artists in Philadelphia that live and work out of their Chestnut Hill warehouse. Every week, Basekamp has a potluck dinner and skype meeting. Everyone brings food and they discuss issues around the dinner table, and the world by using skype. Rigby said many collaborations come from the discussions but there is no formal agenda. Rigby said it is interesting to see the changes that have occurred in the eleven years Basekamp has been operating. The group started by using list serves to communicate with people. They then used web forums and facebook, they even tried web cams. Now Basekamp relies on twitter and skype to communicate with people all over the world. Anyone is invited to join the potluck dinners... just bring food!

The Feel of the City

Today I went down to South Street with a friend of mine. With the Walk/Ride/Bike assignment in the back of my mind, I wandered through the bustling streets looking to take the perfect picture to capture the feel of the city. We made our way down South Street, past the many eclectic store fronts and mouth watering restaurants. On our way, we stumbled across a Green Street Fair where we were given free bags and organic food samples (which were surprisingly tasty!). After we finished walking through the fair, we made our way up to Walnut Street. On our way, we saw beautiful old churches and, although kind of creepy, very interesting cemeteries. We stopped at one of the many Starbucks on Walnut Street, there seems to be one on every street corner, for a refreshing drink. After a long day, we made our way back to Temple.

 More Photos and Sketches for this assignment

Peter Hanley Speaks at Tyler

Peter Hanley spoke to the Freshman BFAs on the September 8, about how to be a successful artist online. During his lecture he stressed the importance for artists to get their name out to the public. Hanley says that a very good way to do this is by using the internet. By using the internet the audience can easily find the artist, so the artist isn't having to constantly seek out the audience in order to sell their work. Hanley suggests personal websites such as Facebook or a personal blog in order to stay in touch with the audience, and sites such as Etsy, Spoon flower,or Ponoko to sell work online. Overall, I thought Hanley's lecture was interesting and extremely helpful.

The First of Many

I just finished the first week of class! The end of the week brought a lot of homework and an interesting first BFA lecture. While the first week's lecture was mostly introductory information, it was exciting to hear about the many visiting artists that will be coming to Tyler. I look forward to the many more to come in the future.