Serene Mysticism

Worked on this for a couple of weeks now. This is the final result. May make a few changes over the weekend though?

EDIT:

Changed up the image a bit, here is the final piece and I am most certainly pleased with it :)

SMCM Brings Back a Familiar Face

Karley Klopfenstein 

SMCM's Artist Talk featured a guest lecturer, who is also an alum (class of 1997), to speak of her work a sculptor. 

Karley Klopfenstein majored in Art and Anthropology/Sociology during her time here at St. Mary's. After graduation, she attended VCU (Virginia Commonwealth) for an MFA on probationary terms. Despite her efforts, her work was considered unacceptable. She mentioned never failing at anything, ever, in her entire life. In the midst of her figuring out her next move, she moved to Key West, FL. There, she became Director of Exhibition at Sculpture Key West. In the middle of being surrounded by so many amazing works, she created sculpture once more. 

This image is an example of what she exhibited in Sculpture Key West. I believe this piece was the second time she used this same red satin. The first time was a ribbon/bow that she tied on one of the site locations. After she took that apart, she wrapped this large tree which was floating out on the banks of Key West. The final time, she draped the fabric all along the coast line. 

 

Currently, she is using a $15,000 grant that she received to create a war tank at half scale. The idea sprung with a Carpet Bomb. She explained how the term carpet bomb meant bombs that annihilate a largely expanded area. Her sculptures are the shape of large weapons (on a much smaller scale, but still pretty large) used in war covered in soft, colorful, and beautiful rugs. In doing this, her work is making a political statement about modern warfare and the foreign and domestic relationships between conflicting nations. Below is a sketch of what her final piece will look like. 

Color Correcting in Class

USING LEVELS ALL THE TIME, NOW!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

The Algorithms in Art

ROMAN VEROSTKO

Before engaging in the world of digital artistry, Verostko painted for 30 years. In the beginning of the 1980's, he began producing algorithmic drawings with a pen plotter. The idea of algorithmic art is that an image is computer-generated, but controlled by the artist and the process is always based by algorithms. This includes computer coding and encoding; algorithmic functions used to create art.

I find it interesting, Verostko's transition from traditional painting to algorithmic art. His rationale for his art work follows the idea of early 20th century pioneers seeking to create art into something that is purely visual. His experience connecting coding and computer power with traditional art by using algorithms to mimic his own style of creating art forms. 

Below are some interesting examples of applying algorithmic functions to mimic non-rational glyphs and create a visual art form. 

Text:  Non-rational glyphs

Format: 224 characters, 8 characters per line, 14 lines per column, 2 columns.

              224 Zeichen, 8 Zeichen pro Linie, 14 Linien pro Kolonne, 2 Kolonnen.

Text:  Non-rational glyphs

Format: 224 characters, 8 characters per line, 14 lines per column, 2 columns.

              224 Zeichen, 8 Zeichen pro Linie, 14 Linien pro Kolonne, 2 Kolonnen.

Sources:

http://www.verostko.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithmic_art

Collaging Image Scans

I combined 10 images from scans my peers uploaded. I think it would have been better if I left it at about 4 or 5, but this is cool too :)

Pixels!

Pixel drawing. It looks so fuzzy when it is blown up. I started out with a much more abstract image earlier in the week, then I realized I never saved it! Here's a new one either way. I still used the same technique in the background; different colors, however. Then I decided to add robots. I thought they were very appropriate for the pixel theme. 

Photoshop Layering

Experimenting with layering on photoshop. Find all of the random objects!

Experimenting w/ the Scanner

Rhapsody Spray I, Including Sailor Chibi-Moon

CARL FUDGE

"While digital media and traditional painting or drawing, in particular, seem to occupy opposite ends of the scale in their inherent languages, these media are now frequently merged into new utilities by artists who employ digital technologies as a step in the creation of a painting, drawing, or print." As mentioned in my text. 

Basically, here we have a London-born artist who manipulated an already made image of a popular Japanese anime, Sailor Chibi-Moon (Those of you who grew up in the 90's, especially the ladies, should be very familiar with the series). Although the image followed the traditional print style, the "stretching and copying of elements" is what merges the two techniques to ultimately end with a completely new image. The following is the aforementioned image along with other images. 

Rhapsody Spray I, 2000

Final Act, 2006

Komposition X, Y, Z, 2006

For more of his work and info, visit:

http://www.artnet.com/artist/6590/carl-fudge.html

http://www.mbergerart.com/fudge/about.htm

http://www.feldmangallery.com/pages/artistsrffa/artfud01.html

I Just Really Enjoy Surrealism

I found these while browsing the web. I really love looking at surreal art forms and these are VERY intriguing, and I thought others might enjoy them as well. As far as I know, this is all digital surrealism; mainly because I googled just that, and this is what came up.

http://fantasyartdesign.com/3d-fine-art-surrealists/artists/02surreal-3dmaya/digital-surrealism04.htm

http://hanspeterkolb.deviantart.com/art/Magic-Mountain-69781308?loggedin=1

http://kosmur.deviantart.com/art/assembler-79007314

First Post for ART 214.01

Currently enrolled in ART 214, I am required to set up a blog for the class and make my first posting before we meet again tomorrow. So, here it is. I wanted to share a photograph I took while I was traveling through Vietnam, Thailand, and China last year. 

Unfortunately I'm not sure which country I was in when I first saw this plant, but I believe it may have been China. I love this photo because it is one of my favorite close-up shots that I've ever taken. Also, its uniqueness and exoticism reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite movies- Adaptation. It goes:

"Point is, what's so wonderful is that every one of these flowers has a specific relationship with the insect that pollinates it. There's a certain orchid look exactly like a certain insect so the insect is drawn to this flower, its double, its soul mate, and wants nothing more than to make love to it. And after the insect flies off, spots another soul-mate flower and makes love to it, thus pollinating it. And neither the flower nor the insect will ever understand the significance of their lovemaking. I mean, how could they know that because of their little dance the world lives? But it does. By simply doing what they're designed to do, something large and magnificent happens. In this sense they show us how to live - how the only barometer you have is your heart. How, when you spot your flower, you can't let anything get in your way." -John Larouche

On a different note, I am looking forward to the changes this blog will face. Until next time. . .