Wk 15 – Art Activity – Finger Painting

I really enjoyed the art activity this week! It is possibly one of my favorite activities too. I’m not sure if its because of finals being so close or that this activity is so fun in its own right but it was very relaxing and enjoyable. I put on some music and let my hands lead the way and I’s happy with the results. Having no real subject to draw is what really makes this activity so great. Compared to the graffiti writing we did earlier on in the semester, I prefer this one because you literally get to feel the paint and your creation come to life. Graffiti writing is similar but to me, you don’t get the same connection as you do with paint. Regardless, they are both very interesting forms of art that are relatively accessible to many people. That being said, I am really glad that I was able to take this class and learn a lot more about art and I know how a greater appreciation for art overall.

Wk 15 -Artist Conversation – Patricia Martin

This weeks artist conversation was with Patricia Martin! She is currently an MFA student here at CSULB’s College of Arts. When I met her she was displaying some of her works at the Holiday Art Sale at the CSULB SOA Galleries. During her undergraduate years she studied color reproduction. Now she has her own business and also teaches privately.

She said that in her work she likes to use natural colors but if something works more efficiently, then she will go with that. This is easy to see in her works because they are all so vibrant and colorful.

She  said that this is something that she always wanted to do before she went to college. I am so glad that she has the opportunity now to practice her art and share it with other. And if she can get money for her creations, then more power to her! If you want to contact her or check out her works just visit patriciamartinartist.com.

 

Wk 14-Art Activity-Instagram

    

This weeks art activity was to use Instagram and document the happenings of your whole day. At first I wasn’t all that jazzed to do this activity because although I do have an Instagram account, I haven’t posted for a long time. That being said I didn’t want to make a bunch of posts all in one day, but this mentality went away after my first post. It just got easier to share the more photos I put up.

Looking at the groups album under the hashtag #art110f16 I found that many people do and were doing very similar things on that Wednesday. Of the pictures above, only the Ginkgo biloba leaves picture is mine, but they all show things that I did or interacted with that day. As someone else did, I interacted with a dog but with one on campus and took a picture. In the second picture, I also went to In-n-Out with friends that day. Before I never really understood why people use hashtags on pictures but now I do. Hashtags really help people to connect and find similar people with similar interests they may have. I now think that Instagram can be a great way to connect and share with others and hopefully I will remember to capture moments to share in the future.

Wk 14 – Classmate Conversation – Amanda Martinez and Tina Tran

For this weeks classmate conversation I was able to talk to not only one, but two classmates. Their names are Tina Tran and Amanda Martinez and they are both pretty awesome. Tina is a fifth year biochemistry major and Amanda is a fifth year environmental science and policy major. While discussing this weeks, question of the week, we found out that we all share pretty similar views toward the future. Speaking of the question of the week, it was: Describe what the college experience will be like for a student in 2036. In response to this, we all thought that is would be very integrated with technology in order to not only connect with others more but to also use technologies awesome power. Us all being science majors really helped too because technology can cause us to lose everyday interactions over time but it also allows us to discover, collaborate, and share in ways that were unimaginable not that long ago. With the ability to code computer programs and sequence DNA we will soon be integrate these technologies to cure human disease in a similar way as getting rid of a computer virus.

This immense potential has us all excited for what the future holds, and since colleges usually at the forefront of technology and research we see this as being a big change to the college experience of tomorrow. To learn more about Tina or Amanda you can visit their websites for more information.

https://miisstinatrn.wordpress.com/

https://amanateeblog.wordpress.com/

Wk 13 – Classmate Conversation – Daniel Schmitz

This weeks classmate conversation was with Daniel Schmitz. He is a fifth year majoring in Biology with an option in molecular cell biology and physiology. He likes playing dungeons and dragons with his friends and his dawgs. Speaking of which he has a bunch of pets including a rabbit, chickens, a cat, dogs, and birds. But his true love is his pug Cooper. He works at school as a tutor and also does undergraduate research.

For the Question of the week we were asked whether we would take the red or blue pill from the Matrix movie. Many would say that knowing would be better because at least your would know the truth. Many others would say that not knowing would maintain their happiness. As for Daniel, he chose neither of these option. He said that he would take both of the pills and probably overdose. This may be a bit extreme but so would finding out that the world you live in is fake. I respect his choice because it could definitely be too much to handle for some people.

Check out some of Daniel’s work at: https://danielsamazingart.wordpress.com/

Wk 12 – Artist Conversation – Sage Garver

Artist: Sage Garver

Exhibit: BIO

Gallery: Dennis W. Dutzi Gallery

Media: Sculpture, metal, foam

About the Artist

Sage Garver is the creator of the exhibit, BIO. She is senior BFA major here at CSULB. She is currently concentrating on the sculpture discipline of her fine arts degree. In the past she had more of a focus on studio art but decided to changer her focus to sculptures. She is from Hermosa Beach, CA but her dream in the future is to move to Hawaii with her sister. In Hawaii she hopes to work and continue refining and producing art. Garver also enjoys hiking and swimming but doesn’t have much time for them now. Hopefully she will have enough time to enjoy and take advantage of all Hawaii has to offer in the future.

Formal Analysis

At a glance the BIO exhibit seems to be nearly empty. But when you look closely and pay attention, there is so much more to see. At the center of the gallery is golden chain draped over itself and running along the ceiling. At the top of the chain is a ball of cellophane. This part of the exhibit is the most attention grabbing at a glance. Although with the use of shadows and movement from the viewer, the walls come alive with numerous shapes and sculptures embedded in it.

Content Analysis

All of the sculptures in the BIO exhibit have to do with biology and life itself. They represent the maturation and development process in living organisms. This process is something that is very close to Garver because of the amount of illness that she has had to endure throughout her life which has kept her from eating certain foods. The entire room stands to represent a living cell and all of the complexity that lies inside and outside of it. The wall sculptures act as the different organelles in the cell and some of these are mutated which are the cause of the illness Garver has to endure. The centerpiece of the exhibit represents the nucleus of the cell which not only is the brains of the operation in life but it acts as a central hub and light for the exhibit.

Synthesis

As I mentioned before, just glancing at this exhibit really does not do it justice. Approaching the entrance of the exhibit, I thought that it might just be an empty room and I should just move on to the next gallery but I am glad I didn’t. Looking around at the walls and the centerpiece was very strange at first. But it is like that when you have never encountered something before. Looking at the walls I thought it was kind of weird that some of the sculptures looked like they were eating some of the other sculptures and this reminded me of phagocytosis. This and seeing that the exhibit was called BIO made me realize that I was essentially standing inside of a cell! This was so exciting, and made me realized just how subtle some aspects of art can be to pick up on if you are not in the right frame of mind.

Wk 11 – Artist Conversation – Kyle Kruse

Artist: Kyle Kruse

Exhibition: Janus Maxim

Media: Film, Sculpture, Wood, Fabric

Gallery: CSULB School of Art –Marilyn Werby Gallery

Website: kylekruseart.com

 

About the Artist

Kyle Kruse is a very interesting artist here at CSULB. He was born in Northern California but has never live in one place for more than a year for most of his life. That is until he moved to Long Beach, which he lived in for six years. In the future he would like to move to the U.K. or New York and try to get his Masters in Fine Arts. He is currently getting his BFA with a focus in Print Making. This is his last semester at CSULB and this exhibit is his senior project which took him ten months to complete.

Formal Analysis

The exhibit takes you into a dark and somewhat eerie room. There are four components to the exhibit. On one wall are circular sculptures with masks painted on them. On the ground are the corresponding masks that go with these paintings of the masks. On the opposite wall are three different screens playing different scenes. These play a fire or video of a person in the mask in the middle of the desert. And last of all is the ground of the exhibit itself. It is covered in dirt and small rocks from the paintings all the way to the screens on the other side of the exhibit.

Content Analysis

This exhibit is based on Greek mythology. Kyle chose this as the base of his exhibit because of the near universality and recognition it has in Western civilization. He also chose it because of his own unfamiliarity with the topic. But the main take away that Kyle wants his audience to have is a sensory experience. Even if this is just experiencing the feeling of being creeped out, the exhibit will have fulfilled its purpose.

Synthesis

I really liked this exhibit, not only because the masks and art looked really cool but because of the atmosphere and feeling I got walking into the exhibit. Walking in it was very dark and I really couldn’t see what was in the space between the masks and the screens which made me a little nervous. Once my eyes had adapted to the low light I was able to see more and explore the exhibit more. Having the masks and the paintings lined up with each other gave me the sense that I was in the middle of a ritual or sacred place. The dirt and rocks on the ground especially made me feel uneasy because I could not see what I was stepping on and gave me the feeling that something might be lurking in the darkness. Overall I really enjoyed Kyle’s exhibit not only for the art but for the entire experience it gave me.

 

 

Wk 11 – Classmate Conversation – Esmeray Lopez

(Esmeray and I in the center)

This week I had the pleasure of talking to Esmeray Lopez. She is a third year Sociology major here at CSULB. In the future she wants to become a lawyer and eventually become a district attorney. One of the reasons she wants to become a district attorney is because of the show Law and Order which inspired her to pursue this dream. Aside from school, Esmeray enjoys traveling and goes down to Mexico a lot. She would also like to see the Northern Lights in the future. Other than travel she likes doing makeup and special effects type makeup.

In regards to this weeks question of the week, Esmeray thought that Demi Lovato overreacted to the fan art and just took it the wrong way. I thought that neither Demi or the fan was wrong because they were seeing the art from different perspectives. I think this miscommunication happens a lot in all aspects of life, and it is difficult to be able to see it like this in the moment because we can be swept up by emotion. None the less, Demi did react a bit strongly to the art. Esmeray and I both agreed that even if we don’t truly appreciate someones art you should be a little appreciative because they took the time to make if and meant it in a positive way.

If you want to learn more about Esmeray you can connect with her on her blog:

https://esmerized.wordpress.com/

 

Wk 10-Artist Conversation – Tony Nguyen

Artist: Tony Nguyen

Exhibition: Neoteny

Media: Metal, Ceramic, and Wood

Gallery: CSULB School of Art – Merlino Gallery

Website: eltigresite.wordpress.com

Facebook: facebook.com/RoboticTony

Email: robotictony@aol.com

Instagram: elll_tigre

 

About the Artist

Tony Ngyuen is currently a fifth year student at CSULB, pursuing a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Metal. Originally an illustration major he changed his focus to metal, and hasn’t looked back. His exhibit, Neoteny, means someone/something that keeps their childish behavior even as an adult. Tony’s feels that this is a good descriptor of his work and of himself. The work in this exhibit reflects Neoteny and having taken two years to create, it is safe to say that Tony’s has kept this same style for a while. In the future, Tony hopes to build props for Hollywood and later on become a professor.

Formal Analysis

Most all of the pieces in the exhibit are made of metal and give everything a sort of cold and sharp feel. Although this cold feeling was subsided by the content that each piece expressed. All of the pieces were very detail oriented and ranged in size from a small ring to a headpiece or glove. Most of the pieces in the exhibit were made of aluminum as well. Even the number labels were made of metal.

Content Analysis

All but one of the pieces in Tony’s exhibit were made to pay tribute to his childhood and the memories he has of those times. The Many Tonys piece was an expression of himself and the different versions showed the many fun and childish ways he still thinks about the world. Kimlee the Pothead and Conrad Jones the Watering can are another perfect example of how Tony expresses his childhood and childish thoughts through his art. Even on some of the pieces that were required to make for his classes his style and childishness shines through to the audience.

Synthesis

Going through Tony’s exhibit made me remember moments in my own childhood and even thoughts I have today. I remember making a pot for a plant and making pothead jokes to others, and Kimlee the Pothead, does exactly that in a more professional and elegant way. Green lanterns ring and the Black Hand also really took me back to my younger self because thinking back I wanted my own of these items but not know how I could possible make them unless I lived in an alternate universe or comic strip. Seeing these items in real life brings me a lot of joy, knowing that someone else has had a the same thoughts and was able to make that thought into reality. It is important to keep a sense of childhood and innocence when going through the world, and this exhibit does just that.

Wk 10 – Art Activity – Fiber Art Social Network

This weeks art activity was to create a physical social network with the rest of the class and make a more personal network on paper. In class we made a big network with everyone. It did get very full in the room we were making the network in though, but luckily we I was able to get there relatively early. This did leave it so that I wasn’t able to see the end result, but I can’t wait to see the fully realized product. For my personal one I used a mix of people I know from work, college, high school, and my own family. I used the different colors separate the groups. Doing this I realized that many of the different friend groups could potentially become one group due to the types of friends I make. If put together they would most likely all get along well.

I mainly associate the term social network to online tools because I think it is kind of weird when you refer to your friends as a network. When I meet people I don’t want to try and make them part of my network, but want instead to make them a good friend. In this way I hope to make a stronger friendship and one that lasts a long time. That being said, I do think that Dunbar’s Number makes a lot of sense. I do try to make a great impression on people in hope of having that relationship last a long time because it is likely that I will not be able to interact and keep in touch regularly with that person. Personally I find myself pretty busy everyday so I am not able to keep up with everyone else’s lives all of the time even though it would be awesome if I could.

I think having 1000’s of Facebook friends can mean a number of things depending on what you do on a day to day business. If your job is to network with people all of the time then you probably dedicate more time to preserving those relationships. If you don’t spend that time then the connections can be a lot weaker and more prone to fading into obscurity. When making my own social network, I did realize that the people who popped into my head first were the ones I work with or see on a daily and weekly basis. I would have to concentrate on peoples face and name to recall people not as close as those I had written down.

Personally, I would love to be able to have a close relationship with everyone in the world in order to gain a better understanding of the world and the problems that occur in the world. Although this would be awesome I know that it is physically impossible, so being realist I would say probably 50. This number may still be kind of big just due to my schedule now, but I think it is a good number to strive for in order to keep people close and have a fairly large group to rely on. I think I may have a few friends on Facebook who I only met briefly and were not able to make a really strong bond. I think I is good to have these weaker ties though, because if you are only friends with people you are close to then you are sort of closed off to new opportunities and perspective.