Check It Out!

My girlfriend Katherine's dad (probably my future father-in-law) has a master's degree in fine arts and his specialty is ceramics. Here are a few of my favorites. Let me know what you think!

If you wanna see more including a picture of Rick back in the day then follow the link. : )

http://allinto.com/ArtistPort.asp?ArtistID=453054460&ArtistName=Rick%20Childs

Reflections on Conceptual Art

This week's topic has made me ponder quite a bit. What is conceptual art? What sets it apart from the other art forms that we have already studied this semester? I am not sure if I fully understand the "concept," but if I had to take a crack at it (and I do because that is what this blog assignment is all about) I would say that conceptual art is more about the process which took place to create the art and less about the art itself. We are used to looking at a piece of art and having to speculate as to its meaning based upon what we see, the title of the work, and perhaps the artist's background and experiences. Conceptual art is different. It is like art that can speak for itself. I believe it is more bold and in your face. I think it allows for more freedom to create beyond the subject matter and technique. You get to think way outside of the box. It seems more customized and unique. It has a sort of "Awe Factor;" I like it.

My favorite type of conceptual art came from the reading. I really like the idea of works that change depending on your perspective (sculpture in-the-round is an example of this idea). David Smith's "Blackburn: Song of an Irish Blacksmith" and Giovanni da Bologna's "The Rape of the Sabine Women" are two examples in the book that implement this idea. I also like site-specific, public art where the site where you go to view the art piece was literally designed around the piece being showcased. If moved from this location, the piece loses much (if not all) of its luster and meaning. So, if we combine my favorite "concepts" thus far then we get a public, site-specific piece that changes depending on the viewer's perspective. Now, that is cool.

David Smith's "Blackburn: Song of an Irish Blacksmith" seems to be trying to convey at least two different sensations. If you look at from the front it appears "airy and open," whereas the profile view appears "densely compacted." I have to agree with the book and say that the compacted view seems as if two parts of the sculpture seem to be trying to escape whereas the frontal view appears symmetrical and balanced.

Giovanni da Bologna's "The Rape of the Sabine Women" is a very dramatic scene that evokes fear and violence. With more background of the characters I might be able to give you a deeper analysis : ) The book says that: "it is in part the horror of the scene that lends the sculpture its power, for as it draws us around it, in order to see more of what is happening, it involves us both physically and emotionally in the scene it depicts." Neato.

Yes, I am intrigued by conceptual art and it is definitely "my thing."

Two Worlds Collide

This week's topic was really fun to explore. I really enjoyed reading the lecture and visiting all of the links that were incorporated within. It was a good way to break up the reading with fun, interesting websites and videos. My favorites had to have been the Dove Evolution video and the other videos that I took the liberty of watching on that website. It was funny to see the lengthy processes that are involved in a complete "make over" or transformation from a pretty, but fairly average looking person into a "perfect" model. If you watch the other videos you can see the torture that they put people through to get a certain Hollywood look. This torture can range from more conservative changes like hair, nails, and make-up to the more extreme like plastic surgery and botox. It is ridiculous, in my opinion.

Has anybody seen America's Next Top Model? The majority of the girls on that show wouldn't even catch your eye if you saw them walking down the street and then they take them and completely transform them to the point where they are hardly recognizable. They then take those images and "touch them up" even further. The final product looks nothing like the original. I must admit, that show is actually kind of funny to watch. The shows that really make me want to throw up are those extreme make-over shows that do all of the plastic surgery. Gross!

I think it is really cool that videos and publications that are against this kind of thing have come out and are trying to inform the public about "the truth" behind Hollywood and media advertising. I wouldn't say that the manipulation of digital images has affected me as much as your average person because I probably watch a lot less television, read a lot less magazines, and listen to a lot less radio than most people, but I am definitely affected by it. I mean you can't turn on the television, go to the check out stand at the grocery store, turn on the TV or radio, or do any number of normal activities without being exposed to manipulated media and advertising gimmicks.


I think, in general, women are more affected by media and are more likely to have low self-esteem and a negative body image due to the direct influence of manipulated digital images and media in general. However, men are anything but exempt. We are influenced as well and we are given a certain expectation of women that is unrealistic and naturally unobtainable. I would say that probably 99% of images are altered or "improved" before they are printed. The people that we see as a final product look drastically different than the original photograph. They don't even look like the same person much of the time. These people we are seeing are NOT REAL. Not everybody has the perfect body. Not all girls look like Victoria Secret models and not all guys look like body builders or professional athletes. The bottom line is that this junk gives everybody false perceptions, outrageous physical expectations, and lower self esteem. However, that isn't what's important. What is really important is how much product you sell, how many viewers or subscribers you have, how many hits you get on your website, or ultimately, how much money you make, right?

I do want to comment a little bit about the Spirit Photographs because I found them amusing. I understand that when photography was still a new phenomena that it would have been really easy to buy into this belief of being able to capture an image of spirits in a photograph, but come on people still believe this nowadays? The website we looked at was just funny to me. I don't believe it for a second. I actually saw a snippet of something on the news the other day that is relevant to this topic of spirits. There was video captured from a camera at a gas station that showed a blue, hazy, spirit-looking thing flying around the cars and gas pumps and it was present for an hour or so. They interviewed people to get their opinions on what this thing could have been. Some people said it was a spirit or a ghost; some thought it was just a blur or a problem with the camera; some thought it was a blue bag that just kept blowing around. The owner of the gas station said he didn't know what it was, but he was glad it was gone because it was creeping him out. I just thought it was funny.

The artwork of Keith Cottingham and Aziz and Cucher from this week's lecture is very interesting and just further demonstrate how images can be manipulated to create something completely false. Keith Cottingham is able to essentially create the illusion of clones by taking several photographs of the same subject and manipulating them so that the final product looks as if they are identical triplets in three different poses. It is kind of neat and creepy at the same time. I just imagined that being me in the photo and got the heebie jeebies. Aziz and Cucher's "Dystopia Series" takes all of these normal portraits and manipulates them so that their eyes and mouth all appear as if they are completely sealed over with their skin. This looks like some freaky zombie horror movie in my opinion. i guess it is cool that they can do things like this, but I would be really creeped out if I was the security guard at the gallery and I had to walk by this wall at night with all of these huge, scary, portraits looking at me or "not looking at me." I would get the feeling they were watching me (even though they don't have eyes), and that they would like crawl out of their frame and eat me (even though they don't have mouths).

These works are just extreme artistic examples of what we are capable of when it comes to digitally manipulating photographs. You might or might not believe that these images were real, but I bet that "back in the day" they would have believed that the boy really was an identical triplet and that all of those Dystopia creeps were AAAAHHHHHH! REAL MONSTERS! These altered art works really aren't that extreme compared to what we are exposed to on a daily basis. We may not see many models or posters where people are duplicated or have their mouths and/or eyes sealed over, but they definitely trim waists, enhance busts, clear up skin, enlarge muscles, and remove this or add that. It is sad really, but this is the deceptive world that we live in. You definitely can't believe everything you see.

Hung Liu Reflections

This week has been very educational and enjoyable. I appreciated that the work load was a little lighter this week and I was able to just relax and enjoy looking at some paintings, reading a little bit, watching a few videos, and checking out a couple of websites. I have been having kind of a lazy three-day weekend and I hope everybody else is enjoying it as much as I am.

Paintings seem very soothing to me. I mean a painting can evoke a variety of emotions, convey many different messages, and contain a whole world of meaning, but when it comes to viewing the paintings, I think I approach them all in much the same way. I just have this overwhelming peacful feeling and I marvel at the beauty and complexity of the work. I just want to sit back and ponder its meaning. It is very easy to create assumptions about the artist and their life Sometimes we are fortunate to know a lot about the artist's life and relate that to their work and sometimes the connection is a complete mystery. I like the mysterious one's better. It lets my imagination run wild and nobody can tell me my assumptions are false because nobody really knows.

Specifically, this week I really enjoyed watching Hung Liu videos. I must admit that I couldn't get the 30 min. video to work. I was even very patient and waited for it to begin and I tried a couple of different days this week, but my efforts were futile. So, I just googled Hung Liu and I found a couple of videos. The videos I saw were amazing. I love Hung Liu's attitude and approach concerning her art. Her voice, technique, and pace were all very soothing and I was able to just sit in awe at what she was bringing to life before my eyes. She took photographs of people and she said that she would look at them very carefully to see if she could feel the soul of that person's face come out. If she could feel something special about the person in the picture, maybe something that needed to be said in the person's eyes or emotions, then she would paint the person and tell their story. She incorporated symbols, colors, and different techniques to convey different messages and make the viewer connect with the subject in the painting and understand how they felt.

I loved her painting that had three women on a scarlet background and there were flowers and other things in the foreground. She told us that during a time of war that these women and hundreds of others were taken prisoner and taken to a place and buried alive in a giant hole/tomb. The pain, suffering, and brutality of the scene really touched me and the expressions and body language of the three images were serene and haunting at the same time. The scarlet background spoke of blood, pain, and death. Despite the tragedy of the story behind the painting I got the feeling that that wasn't what the painting was all about. I got the feeling that these women somehow overcame their fate and were alive in some sense of the word.

I really enjoyed looking at all of the different techniques this week. I knew that there had to be a wide variety and that there are really unlimited combinations of techniques that can be incorporated into a work of art, but it was interesting to see a few and I was amazed at how involved and time consuming some were and on the flip side how simple and elegant others can be. I really enjoyed browsing through the websites (John Lovett's Watercolor Techniques, Sistine Chapel Ceiling, and the Buon Fresco website). I learned a lot and gained a new appreciation for the detail and work that goes into each and every painting. It can be, but usually isn't as simple as setting up your eisle, getting out your paints and canvas, looking out the window, and just painting what you see.

I love what Michelle said about the rich history of painting and I have chosen to close my blog entry by quoting that here:

"There's certainly no shortage of content to discuss when it comes to the topic of painting! It has the richest history of all media in western art. Painting has been used by prehistoric "cave people" to render likenesses of animals, by the romans to decorate the lush villas of the wealthy, by monks, nuns and renaissance artists to illustrate the Bible, by modern artists to express their angst, by postmodern artists to critique tradition, by children to have fun and by you to paint your walls!"

I love it because it is "everybody's medium" from cavemen to little children. It's fun for everyone! : )

What's up with Thomas Kinkade?

Wow! I have heard a lot of good things about Thomas Kinkade so it was a big surprise to find out about this FBI investigation and the possibility that there is some foul play going on behind the scenes of his work. Or is it somebody else's work? I don't know. I do know that I am not prepared to make any kind of assumption before knowing all the facts, but everything that I have read and seen seems either genuine or really fishy depending on the bias at hand.

I received contrasting feelings when viewing the Thomas Kinkade website (before I had read the article regarding the current FBI investigation and again after reading it) and my increased level of skepticism affected my experience the second time. Instead of being touched by the captions describing each painting, I felt a little nauseous because of the possibility of them being somebody else's words and work. I cringe at the thought of him just putting his name on everything if it really isn't his.

The same thing can happen with the video that was intended for an audience of potential future gallery owners. If I would have viewed it without knowing there is some suspicion of foul play then I would want to jump on the band wagon and open up a Thomas Kinkade gallery. It sounds wonderful. I was convinced by the music and quality of video, the beautiful images and ambiance of the gallery in the background, and most of all the genuine testimonies of the current owners. They were so sincere. The video just made it sound like it is such a wonderful company; it is a fantastic work environment; the customers are great; it is profitable; it's good for families; it's relaxing, non-stressful, fulfilling, etc. What is there not to like? Now, I wonder if all of these people have also bought in to the same scheme that tens of thousands of people have bought in to...are we all being tricked?

This whole thing reminds me of the Martha Stewart ordeal that surfaced not too long ago. If it is true that we are all being duped, then shame on him. Thomas Kinkade should be strictly punished. What those punishments will, or could be, I don't know. However, on the contrary, if nothing concrete surfaces that proves this conspiracy true and Thomas Kinkade saves face and comes away clean and innocent, then I think that his accusers owe him a public apology. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen. They would just say that he got away with it.

It would just be really sad if it were true, especially because of what he sells and who he sells it to. He is not just selling paintings; he is selling the spirit of families, holidays, national pride, fantasy, nature, life, religion, and much, much more. His target group seems to be middle class America, particularly those that are religious, sentimental, and family-oriented. If you take all of these things that are held in such high regard and use them to fatten your pocket book while covering it up with "tricky marketing" then you deserve whatever is coming to you. I just hope that Thomas Kinkade hasn't established himself as a "master of capitalism" by taking advantage of the wonderful, trusting, and God-loving people along the way.

It will be interesting to find out more as investigations progress and more information is released to the media. I want to find out how this mystery of Thomas Kinkade ends. : )

Art Visit

OK! Well if you couldn't tell by the picture...I did my art visit at the Crocker Art Museum in beautiful Sacramento, CA. I went on Saturday October 13th. The Grandma Moses exhibition was on display at the time. If you have no idea who she is, then here is a brief explanation I found in the Columbian Dictionary: "Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson) (1860–1961) U.S. primitive painter. Grandma Moses only began painting when she was in her late 70s. Her scenes of country life, based on recollections from her youth, became world-famous through prints and greeting cards.

I found the Grandma Moses exhibition pretty interesting, but the art did look very much like a greeting card. In addition to her art, she is well-known because she is a female artist that started at such a ripe, old age. Most of the stuff that we saw on display were a lot of country scenes painted on relatively small canvas and a lot of art that was put on china plates (very grandma-ish).

That was interesting, but I found my next stop (the California room) to be much more appealing.

The California room is the big room upstairs with wall to wall paintings and there is a hallway that wraps all the way around it. I really liked a lot of the paintings, but there were two in particular that really caught my eye. The first was a very large painting in an amazingly ornate frame. This beauty was painted by Charles Christian Nahl. He was an American, but he was born in Germany. He lived from 1818-1878. It painting is entitled "Love Chase" and it was created in 1869. Nahl used oil on canvas to create this very life-like representational masterpiece. I really liked it because it was realistic, fun, flirty, and in your face.

The second painting that I liked was a beautiful landscape. There were a lot of landscapes and some of them were "ginormous," but surprisingly the one that I liked the best was one that was a little more inconspicuous. As you can see, it is a pretty simple and serene scene, but really beautiful. I think I liked it mainly because I really like tropical landscapes better than mountain and valley lanscapes. The painting is untitled and it was created in 1866. The artist is Arriola Fortunato of Mexico who lived from 1827-1872.

After viewing the California room, we walked around a lot more and checked out everything, but nothing really intrigued me until I went into the room filled with modern art. There was all kinds of cool stuff to look at. It was perfect for anybody that may have A.D.D. However, you can't touch anything. I didn't like the creepy, digital, kinetic art that was basically a pair of eyes that looked back and forth. I really liked this work that was all of these tiles that had random images carved in them. From close up it didn't look like much more than that, but from far away you could see the face of our president George Bush Jr. It was pretty neat. Even after reading the description, I still don't really get how they did it.

That was very note-worthy, but my favorite work out of the whole museum was this one by Stephen Kaltenbach. He lives right here in Davis and he was born in 1940. This fascinating piece was made over the course of seven years from 1972-1979. The medium Kaltenbach used was acrylic on canvas. I found this painting to be grand in literal size, but also in meaning. I think it is of great value to include the description of the painting that was on the wall next to it:

"Portrait of my Father is the artist's major achievement in painting. In a barn near Winters, California, Kaltenbach labored for seven years creating this testament to the spiritual grappling with life, love, and loss that confronts us all. Inspired by a photograph of his father, who endured a long illness, Kaltenbach conceptualizes the fleeting moment of his father's last breath and ultimate acceptance of death. The haunting realism of this portrait is both masterful, offering homage, and poignant, celebrating the universal experience of the human bond.

At every intersection in the intertwining of abstract arabesques with details of whisker and pore is the presence of color and light. This shimmering ornament infinitely expands off the canvas, speaking to the presence of holiness in light and inspiring our own reflections upon spirituality."

I just loved reading that. This is just such a cool story and the background and analysis that you get from the description is awesome. I have a new appreciation for viewing art in person. This painting is a perfect example of how viewing art in person is better in so many ways. It was just so much more impressive viewing it in person compared to viewing it here in this blog. The painting is showcased on a huge wall and you can see so much detail and the beautiful arabesques add the perfect creative touch. You can't get the same feel from looking at a picture in a book or on a computer screen. Art can change so much depending on where it is presented, the scale at which it is presented, the time of day at which you are viewing it, the intensity of the lighting, etc.

I found my trip to the Crocker Art Museum to be really enjoyable. I went with my brother, sister-in-law, and my wonderful girlfriend Katherine. We all had fun viewing and commenting on all of the different works that were on display. I thought the trip was very possibly going to be kind of boring and somewhat of an inconvenience given my busy schedule, but it turned out to be really fun. It probably would have been boring if I went by myself, but we made a field trip out of it. We even capitalized on our opportunity to go to Sacramento by going to Chevy's on the river. I think it would be fun to go back sometime especially if they have an exhibit that sounds interesting.

Yay for the Crocker Art Museum! : )

Analyze That!

I found this picture on Heather Brown's Analyze This! and it just jumped out at me. I had to use it for my Analyze That! I fell in love with the vast array of intensely saturated color that is present (the color scheme is without a doubt poly-chromatic). It reminds me of a kaleidoscope. I was so fascinated with kaleidoscopes as a kid. I would love to see some kind of digital, kinetic art like this that can change like a kaleidoscope. That would be awesome and they could display it at the Crocker Art Museum in the modern art area next the creepy digital one that is a pair of eyes looking at you.

The medium of choice appears to be watercolor. This is my assumption because the way the colors transition and mesh together seems so fluid and natural. You can tell that the artist used a very open palette because of the wide variety of rich hues that are present. If you look closely you will notice that the placement and combination of color is very important. You have cool areas with blues, purples, greens, and then you have warm areas with yellows, oranges, reds, and this vibrant pink that really steals the show.

There are also many complimentary colors present that can usually be found side by side. This enhances the beauty and brilliance of each color beyond it's own capability. I see blues with oranges, purples with yellows, and greens with reds. This work is just so vibrant, bold, and "in your face." This is due to the composition that the artist did a masterful job of arranging. I have never seen a flower, or bouquet of flowers for that matter, that was quite this breathtaking. I love how this piece presents itself and I would gladly showcase it in my home or office : )

I love the parable of "The Prodigal Son." I found this picture on Elizabeth Bacon's profile. I enjoyed the picture and the wonderful music that was playing...I believe I heard some Newsboys. They are a good band, but anyways...

I love the angle at which this work is presented to the viewer. The horizon line looks as if it is slanting downward to the the right. I think this accomplishes a few things: My eyes seem to follow that line from left to right. It seems natural and comfortable like reading a book. I pass right by the focal point of this painting which is the weeping father's face. It also appears that the father's arms, while embracing his son, are at a similar angle to the landscape in the background. The background appears relatively plain. This may be on purpose as to not distract the viewer.

One thing that you can't avoid noticing is the emotion evoked by this depiction of a father hugging his son, let alone the parable that it represents. If you know the parable of "The Prodigal Son," then even more meaning floods your senses and maybe even your tear ducts. This isn't just your normal, every day hug. These two have gone through a lot and much time has passed since they last embraced. This represents repentance, forgiveness, family, humility, and much, much more.

I thought I would choose these two works because the one is so beautiful and in my opinion pretty simple in meaning (objective)and the other is so chalk full of meaning that you could probably write a novel just about its significance or how it makes you feel (subjective). I like them both for their simplicity and complexity, respectively. I had some fun playing "Analyze That!" : )