The Finished Product

Working Hard

Doing some last minute melting!

Last Critique

Our last critique went really well. My fellow group members told me that what I explained I wanted it to appear like at the beginning of the term had finally come to life. I extremely happy about how it turned out and I'm glad I had good time management. Some of my other group members haven't done so well with time management and still have a lot to do. I tried to support them and help them create a schedule allowing them to finish before the show!

Obsession with Wax!

For my final project I'm melting candles to create something that can be considered a wax ocean! Here is the start of it all.

Critique!

I had a critique today with Geoff, Pierre and Murray and it went much better then I expected. They gave me some great ideas.

• make sure the entire plank is covered with wax, almost like an "ocean of wax"
• make the outside of the plank look more finished
• do a "finishing" melt to make the ocean one layer.

I am glad we had this critique and will take all of these things into account.

artist at work- wax edition!

The Critique Handbook

I think the role of critique is to give the artist an outside opinion. It is already really hard for an artist to look at their own work critically, so and outside eye can be extremely helpful. It is hard to relate this to our specific class because we are all doing things on different levels in different time frames. Its not as if i could compare myself to someone help while I'm melting wax and they are drawing tattoos. However, I think it is really important to open our eyes to the art being created around us. I can get most of the the critique of my own work by really stepping back and listening to what others have to say. I am also always a helpful participant in my classmates' critiques because I am a very assertive person that always needs to get a word in.

Art & Fear

"If you but into the premise that art can be made only by people who are extra-ordinary, such down periods noly serve to confirm that you arent."

This summer while I was in an art class with some of the most talented artists I have ever met. Everything they created was unique and seemed almost too perfect for a human to create. As one of the more ameatur artists in the class I immediatly stepped back. I didn't understand why these people could create unbelievable art while I struggled. After weeks of frustration, a self portrait was assigned. I aggonized just thinking about the hours I would have to spend on it after going back to my dorm. As I sat down at my desk and started to draw, things seemed to go smoothly. Before I knew it, my self portrait was done and I was finally excited to go into class the next morning and show off what I created.

artist at work!

Creative Endeavors.

Tharpe makes a statement that really stuck with me. "Your creative endeavors can never be thoroughly mapped out ahead of time. You have to allow for the suddenly altered landscape, the change in plan, the accidental spark-- and you have to see it as a stroke of luck rather than a disturbance of your perfect scheme." This is a quote that I can immediately relate to. There are many times in the classroom when my go with the flow attitude comes to a random stop. I have no idea what I am going to do next. I think that at some point an artists plans there needs to be some planning and there are many times when I have absolutely none. Another issue is disorganization. Disorganization is not always a bad thing, but when extreme disorganization comes into play, there can be negative effects on the work being created. For example if I was extremely disorganized while using beads, the beads could easily look out of place and messy. Using organizational skills I was able to make the beads look neat and put together.

Response to Power Point

Make a list of the types of things you see in most of the studios you look at.

canvas

tables

plates

wire

windows

paint

unfinished work

Why do you think these things show up more than once?

I think these things show up more then once because many artists use the same materials, even if they are used in different ways. All artists need the medium they are using, something to put the medium on, and a room to work in. All of the spaces are extremely different, varying from huge studios to small side rooms.
How do artists develop spaces and methods for making their most authentic work as part of a daily artistic practice?

I think that artists spaces reflect directly from the art they are making. The mood of the room and the surroundings within the room can immediately effect how the piece is going to turn out. The mediums they use can stain the room, in a good way. These stains are the ghosts of old pieces of art, and it will always remind the artist of what they have created.