visual issues

Gluttney, Lust, and Wrath

2007-12-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

sketches

2007-11-27T12:42:00.001-08:00

The sketch below is the sin wrath using complementary colors of violet and yellow.

This sketch is the sin of lust with complementary colors of orange and blue.

This is the sin of gluttony using complementary colors of red and green.

Together they make this tryptich with a tint of blue in each as a common color.

final - part 1

2007-11-26T15:16:00.001-08:00

I chose to do the film Lust Caution directed by Yee Ange for the sin of lust. This movie have a great color palette of many flesh tones and also prussian blue from a dress the lead character wears.

The next film i choose to use in my project is Tideland by Terry Gilliam. This film represents gluttony. In this film a 9 year old girl is taken to an old and dirty farmhouse to live with her dad. The dad soon dies from an overdose and the girl is left to frolic in the house. She finds escape in the wonderful lush orange/yellow meadow outside her doorstep and the large cloudless blue sky. She is comforted by her doll heads which she keeps on her fingers.

The last Film i choose represents wrath. This film is called

color

2007-11-14T16:54:00.000-08:00

color

Below is the dancer by andrea derain. The original is the third one down. The one just below this paragraph is the painting with different colors from photo shop.

texture

2007-11-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

Urban what?

Texture can be touched or have the illusion of touch depending on the way the artist manipulates the visual elements. This collage has actual and simulated texture. Simulated texture can be seen in the bottom right side which shows an iguana's tail The image may look bumpy but is actually smooth. Thus it simulates reality.

Invented texture are created when various media overlap or react on the surface of the paper or fabric which has an actual texture. Here the silver paint and the sticks and paper overlap giving us invented texture.

I really enjoyed making this collage. I used mod podge as an adhesive. Some of the visual elements used were found on the streets of my neighborhood. I also used oil paint. If you look at the top of the painting you will see "fluffy white clouds" that is actually the white stuff you find in a milk pod.

value

2007-11-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Value

This is an oil painting on wood i did for the value project.

For This assignment i choose singer songwriter Gary Jules' song Mad World. I choose this song to convey a mood of sadness, happiness, and contemplation. I believe the song has sad and depressing parts but also happy and uplifting parts. I did the painting while listening to this song over and over again. I had a bad headache while doing the first parts of this painting. I was able to finish the painting without a headache.

ICA - Dumas and Bourgeois

2007-10-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

The image at the top is called Spiral Women by artist Louise Bourgeois. It is bronze with a black slate disc at the bottom. Bourgeois was born in Paris in 1911 and in her early career as an artist she was an engraver and painter. From the 1940's on she mainly did sculptural work out of bronze, fabric, and wood. She was influence by the surrealists and memories of her childhood.

The next image is titled The Messengers by artist Marlene Dumas. Dumas is from South Africa and now resides in Amsterdam. She is well know for painting "explicit" watercolor nudes of adults and children. Two other paintings in this piece are missing and i was unable to find images of them on the web. Below is a sketch i did of the third skeleton image and the spiral woman.

In viewing the two works i notice lots of similarities and differences in their use of shape. Both images are plastic because the have depth. Dumas Has lots of implied shape in her work (positive and negative space not intentionally created by the artist). Bourgeois' uses biomorphic shapes (organic). The way each artist organized shape helped them both achieve great emotional effects.

Both works use the figure as subject matter. For Bourgeois it is more abstract and is the outside of the figure. Dumas depicts the actual inside skeletal parts of the figure with also images of children who are not skeletons.

Both paintings are inspired from very personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Dumas did her painting while pregnant. She said the painting was about fear of bringing another being into the world. Thus, the inspiration was derived from thoughts having to do with the future. Bourgeois's sculpture inspiration came from her childhood memories. They are both similar in that both works are derived from an internal personal experience individual to each artist. Each work has an emotionality and mystery to it. Each piece makes the viewer think about what it may be about.

The spiral and the skeleton have great spacial aspects. The spiral goes on and on forever and the image of a skeleton reminds one of oncoming death.

The way each artist used scale is interesting. Bourgeois hangs her spiral woman in mid-air about 5 feet above a black disc. The space between the disc and the spiral woman is simple but powerful. Because the spiral woman is so much smaller than the large black disc she stands out more. The color of the spiral woman also contrasts with the disc causing it to come to life more. The circle shape of the disc has harmony and unity with the circular pattern of the spiral women. The Messengers are all painted on large rectangular canvas. Dumas has 4 separate paintings lined up in a row to view. The first three are of a skeleton and the last is of a naked female child. The images are life size unlike Louise's Spiral Woman.

The Focal point in the Messengers are the skeletons. Unlike Louise's open presentation the skeletons are boxed in with long vertical and horizontal lines on the left and right side of the canvas. This creates a certain tension that forces the eyes gaze back to the skeleton.

Both artists have similar use of curvular shapes in their pieces. One can see strange rings around the skeletons arms and legs. These curvy shapes can be seen in the ribcage of the skeletons. The use of curvy shapes helps both artists create harmony in each work.

The formal elements are also very similar in that both lead the eye in an up and down motion. In the Spiral Woman one starts attending to the spiral and the eyes gaze eventually drops down to the disc and then back up to the spiral. The Messengers is similar as the eyes gaze is forced to view the work in the up and down motion because of the rectangle canvas it was created on.

space

2007-10-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

According to Art Fundamentals space is "the interval or measurable distance, between points or images." In the photo below i have created the illusion of space through motion and linear perspective.

I love the form of this image. I didn't notice the american flag until after i got the image uploaded onto my computer. The flag really makes you pause to look at it. My eye is first drawn to the focal point which is the 14th street sign. The vertical rectangular shape of the pole the sign is on contrasts with the yellow rectangular line. My eye goes down the green pole and then up the yellow line. Once to the top i view the lights to the right. These lights point to the train. My attention to the train and the red lights on it lead me to the flag.

The motion in this image is due to my manipulation of the shutter speed on my camera. The effects of this can be seen in the blurs of the people getting off the subway and wonderful long lines of red light coming off the subway. Motion can also be seen in the reflection of the fluroscent lights on the train coming from the ceiling.

Linear perspective is seen on the yellow line. This line helps give the overall image a sense of space. The subway and the walkway also recead into space and gets smaller. The small scale of the line further in the distance suggests space.

I had so much fun playing around with the shutter speed. It was great that i just happend to be in New York where their is lots and lots of movement and space. Here are a few more images.

This image is great in that you can see my friends four arms. What motion is captured as she throws up her heap of leaves.

This image above has the illusion of depth and is thus plastic.

This image has lots of transparency. Bright lights and heavy shadows create a wild impression. In my opinion the form in this image is not successful in creating harmony. Variety yes but it is all so jumbles that it is hard to appreciate.

This image shows the elapsing of time. Here my friend is facing me and also has her back to me.

Shape and Space

2007-10-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

The image above is an oil painting i did on wood for the shape project. This image has lots of biomorphic or irregular shapes. Subjective shape can also be seen in this image. For example in the area highlighted below it kind of looks like the shape of bunny ears. Visual dominance is also seen in the stark contrast of the black and orange. This contrasts helps the iguana become the focal point.

Shape is an area that stands out in space because of a difference in value, texture, and color. Shape and color are used in pictures to help create a sense of space. Below you will find some artists i have selected to further show this point.

Above is an image by Ron Davis titled Five Block Row. This image was striking to me right away. It got my attention and kept my attention. Here Ron uses a very simple shape: the cube. The cube is the most primitive shape. The cube is one of the most basic building blocks used in second life. This image is successful because of Ron's use of color and value. The color and value in this picture control the direction and duration of the observers attention. The darkest shadow on the right and the cube next to it are clearly the focal points. The viewers eye starts at this point and scans up and toward the right to the following cubes. This scanning process is easy on the viewers eye because of Ron's use of linear perspective. The wonderful colors Ron has added to each side of the cubes has further the viewers ability to recognize the various planes.

Andrew Wyeth is know to paint space in nature. His paintings are often charged with emotion. The objects he paints are often left to stand as psychological and metaphorical significance. As a child Andrew had whooping cough and because of this had a weak body that got sick often. Below is his tempera painting called Northern Point.

In this painting the focal point is the rod on the roof with the ball. I am not sure what this is. My eye is immediately attracted to it. My eye is also brought back to it after i scan the edge of the land that hits the ocean on the right hand side. It is almost as if the land is pointing at the rod on the roof. Space is created in this painting because the rod is so close and the land so far away. Space is also created in this painting between the difference in value of color. Everything in the foreground is a dark value where the rest is light value.

The next image i have choosen is a painting by Bo Bartlett. I love this painting! The horizon line in this painting helps the viewers eye find the focal point which is Bo himself. the wonderful curve of the whale bone (?) he holds keeps our eyes in the sky and makes the viewer continuously encounter the vast sense of space. Our eyes start on the horizon holding a few seconds and go onto the figure to the bone the sky and back to the horizon. The force of duration and direction are strong here.

Line continued

2007-09-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

Below is a sketch inspired from Edward Hoppers painting Morning in a city. This sketch shows a woman standing by a window and behind her bed. The window is casting light and shadows onto the bed and the woman. The wall to the left and right are shadows as their is no light source.

2007-09-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

Line and Expression

Here is a line drawing of Morning in a city. It is interesting to look and see what the image looks like with the curvy figure and then without.

Now if we put some lines in the figure we get an new type of expression.

When we add lines to the rest of the image we get an entire different feeling.

Now with the lines out of the figure

Now with the lines out of everything but the figure

go check out my youtube video

2007-09-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/iguanaboston

Click on this link and you can go check out the meter maids getting upset (see blog below for more details about this project)

Edward Hopper - Form Project

2007-09-22T14:08:00.001-07:00

This painting is titled Morning in a City and was done by the artist Edward Hopper in 1944. Edward Hopper was a student of Robert Henri (the founder of American Realism and the Ash Can School) at the New York School of Art. This painting may be about a woman who has just gotten out of bed or bath. The major formal elements of this work are space, color, and line.

You may be confused by the two photos above. The one on the top is the correct way the painting looks. The other image of the painting is not as nice and may have been altered digitally by someone. I love Edwards color! If you look at the wall just above the bed you can see how he depicted the walls various colors depening on what type of light was hitting it. This effect is dramatic. Hopper did experiment with impressionism in 1907 when he went to paris which i am sure helped him in his development of his color palette. To get the effect he did of the colors in the wall he must had really looked at the walls subtle values of light and dark. In the visual essentials vocabulary page color is defined as the visual response to different wavelength of sunlight identified as red, green, blue, and so on; having the physical properties of hue, intensity, and value.

Jo Nivison was his wife and model and most likely the figure in this painting. When looking at this image we can see how Hopper played up the sexual tension. He did so by having the light hitting the figure and also by choosing the context of a private moment in the morning. This painting along with other Hopper paintings has a sexual vibrancy. This vibrancy may have possibly come from the love and enthusiasm he had for his wife. However they were known to fight often so maybe not.

Form is the use of visual elements to create such effects as harmony, variety, and balance. Below is an image of a sketch that Edward Hopper did as a study for this painting (artstor image database). You can see from this sketch that the formal elements of this painting were very much influenced by his attention to the figure. Hopper gave much attention the figure, portrait, and hands holding the towel. Also in this sketch one can see how he practiced depicting how the light contrasted with dark. When we view this sketch we can see that from the start Hopper had the intention to create a certain mood through his use of light on the figure.

The next image Shows how Hopper studies the formal elements of harmony through his use of space and line. The room and the figure all flow harmoniously together on the picture plane. The figure stands in the center of the room facing a sun soaked window. The window and the figure work harmoniously because they are both vertical. He used this technique repeatedly with a variety of vertical shapes to create harmony. Theses vertical shapes can be found in the corner of the wall, curtains, the buildings' windows outside, and the shaded doors. You can also see a rectangular shape of light on the windowsill as well as the bed. These features help the painting have balance. The overall space of the bedroom in which the figure resides is very simple and minimalistic. This simplicity helps viewers recognize Hopper's interest in the interplay of the figure and the outside world.

kids doing guerilla art

2007-09-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

I did some Guerilla art with kids i teach during recess. I have a video of them doing it and me asking them about what they experienced when they found the art on the playground. Look at my post later for a link to the video.

I was with my student and I picked up some woodchips (cool long ones) and i noticed that you could build stuff with them. I showed my first grade guy how to do it and then he showed me some cool ways to make them connect to each other. Then other kids came by and it was great for my students social skills practice.

We left the structure we had built out on the playground. As we were going inside i wondered how other kids during the next recess would react to it.

We went to recess again that day and found a bunch of the third graders making structure with the woodchips. Thats when i told the kids about guerilla art and how it is cool to leave your art out in public for others to interact with it. They loved this! Then they told me the principal told them that they had to clean it up when they were done. The bell rang and i told them that they could keep one structure up.

The kids kept making these structures all week long. Teachers in the teacher room were even talking about it during their lunch. I told the teachers about guerilla art too and they thought it was great!

Guerilla Art helping hands Project

2007-09-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

I just did my art project. It was lots of fun and seemed like a game once the meter maids showed up. I had to race to the meters and drop in quarters before they wrote a tickett.

Then a meter maid told me it was illegal to put quarters in the meters. I looked over and noticed another meter maid filming me. I think she said "now we have you". Then one of them told me to get a life. This made me feel bad. I still was not sure if it was illegal or not. Could it really be illegal? Welcome to the United States of America where you can get arrested for being a good samaritan.

The poor meter maids. I am sure they work very hard for little pay. In the snow and rain. Yuck! No wonder they are so uptight. They also most likely have a certain quota to fill. I'm sure they can get "in trouble" at work if they don't give out a certain number of ticketts. They even said that they were going to call 911. "911 this is an emergency we have a woman feeding quarters to the meters!"

I tried to get videos of people who found their cars with my art and note. One of my notes was missing from a car which I suspect the meter maids took. For evidence! I don't think anyone did as the note suggested and began to find other low meters to feed.

I have it all on film. You can go to www.youtube.com/watchv=ojifqlr-uww and if that doesnt work you can go to www.youtube.com/iguanaboston

On my way home from i called my friend Paul. He told me that it was indeed illegal and if i got arrested I could call him and he would come and bail me out. He said he had a stash of money at his house. I think this was a joke. He did go on to say that they might give me a fine. Possibly a fine of $500.

I am going to stop into a police station to find out if it is illegal or not. Could it really be illegal!?