Artist Post #1: Spring Semester

January 31, 2011

Artist Post #1

Billy Hunt

Relation: Taking one look at local photographer Billy Hunt's work reminded me of what I strive for.  He is a photographer from Charlotesville who shoots commercially but with a fine art edge.  The series of his that attracts me the most and relates most to my work is his "Baby Landscapes" work. The work entails exactly what the title insists- they are portraits of toddlers in these incredible environments.  My favorite element that he uses is the handdrawn elements by the children models themselves.  I would love to incorporate some sort of handdrawn element by the children photographed into my own series, and Billy Hunt's work provides me with an example of how it can be done well.

Bio:

Billy Hunt is surprisingly anonymous.  There is no artist bio on his actual website or on any other featured website I could find.  Gathering from his interviews, there are a few things I know for sure about his life.  Hunt is from a little town in Northern Virginia and he said he never felt like he fit in there. Hunt and his wife chose Charlotesville as their home, but continued to travel the world, just taking pictures for fun.  He said at some point, the natural extension of taking pictures for himself to for other people...just happened. He started adding video and motion to his commercial and personal work in 2008.

Quotes:

 "I think I have the coolest, craziest job in the world. In the last week, I photographed and filmed a Zombie Movie, Real Estate, some Architecture, and a Pirana feeding frenzy. I did a casting for an original show I am helping to write, and booked a couple of weddings. This week! How is that even possible?"

"I face the same problems everyone faces. Time and money. Its very hard to get paid what you are worth as an artist, as everyone knows."

 Source: PCA Updates,."Meet Billy Hunt: PCA Member Artist." Piedmont Council for the Arts, 04 May 2010. Web. 28 Jan 2011. <http://charlottesvillearts.org/blog/meet-billy-hunt-pca-member-artist/>.

 

Links:

Interview

Gallery Rep

Artist Website

Hans Godo Frabel Lecture

I know this wasn't one of the VCU Artist lectures, but since I missed one, I attended
an outside local lecture, not affiliated with VCU to make up for it.

Hans Godo Frabel

Questions:
1) Focusing on glass sculptures and figurines, where is the primary source of display for your work?

2) Do you keep a theme to your sculptures, or is it on an individual basis?


Lecture Response:

The most interesting quote from the lecture wasn't really a "quote," but an explanation. I really enjoyed hearing about how Frabel embosses his trademarks on the bottom of his sculptures. He separates his work into categories and signs the bottom based on which category the work falls into. His sculptures made in his studio are embossed with an "FS" meaning "Frabel Stdio" while the unique Frabel sculptures that he makes as limited editions are marked with a "GF" on the bottom meaning Godo Frabel. I enjoyed the unique way of signing his work.

Three words:
Fantastical, Whimsical, Detailed.


The most interesting thing I found out about the artist was the recent honor that was attached to his name. In September 2009, President Obama called attention to Frabel's name when he gave Frabel "Glass Tree" sculptures to 34 world leaders.

The answer to my first question was answered. Frabel enjoys incorporating his work into existing scenery. The exhibit he talked to us about that is his current ongoing on at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens is the prime example. He has sculptures around and throughout the gardens whether on specific display or blending in with actual plants.

The series of sculptures I enjoyed the most were the "Longfellow" sculptures. They still fell into the whimsical and delicate style that Frabel uses, but took on more of an editorial side. These pieces about gravity and balance were the most moving to me.

Overall, this lecture was very different than the photography lectures and I'm glad I went.

Artist Post #11

Artist Post #11

November 14, 2010

Natasha Duwin


Relation: The piece I want to feature of this artist is called "Shedding the Shadows." She uses discarded clothing from a homeless shelter to create sculpture. This piece is very relateable to what I would like to do. She uses clothing from a particular homeless shelter to create a woven sculpture of inter-connectivity to show that through hard work and introspection, beauty can be achieved. She takes the clothes, washes and cuts them, and has public "rope making" sessions before weaving the ropes. She also displays in a public space so the public is always involved in the process. All of this relates to my work: using the public, displaying in public, and speaking to a vital issue.


Bio: Duwin was raised in Buenos Aires and has lived in New York, Toyko, and Miami. She uses her work primarily to explore feminine concepts and uses feminine art forms (weaving, sewing, knitting) to reinforce this concept. Her current work focuses on birth, reproduction, portraits, and postcards.


Quotes:
"The materials that I use surround me, and call to me to be used--they are scraps of fabric and thread and vegetable dyes, as well as the words and snippets of conversation that engulf me as I navigate the world."

"Most of my work pulls the viewer in, to observe it as close as possible, with the ultimate aim of spiriting the viewer within it."

Source for both: "Miami Photo." Natasha Duwin. N.p., 23 May 2008. Web. 14 Nov 2010. .


Links:
Artist Website
Gallery Rep
Interview

VMFA

Images submitted to VMFA:
4 pieces from my Location Series
4 pieces from my most recent HDR series


Turned in to the VMFA on Thursday November 11, 2010.

Idea Post #9

Idea Post #9

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Sculpture-in-the-Round


"I really don't have a theme when I start a sculpture. The rock guides me to the final sculpture. I think that is true for many creative sculpture artists."
Jimmy Carl Black
Carl Black, Jimmy. Interview. Sculpture Quote. Web. 10 Nov 2010. .

"Painting and sculpture are very archaic forms. It's the only thing left in our industrial society where an individual alone can make something with not just his own hands, but brains, imagination, heart maybe."
Philip Guston
Guston, Philip. Interview. Sculpture Quote. Web. 10 Nov 2010. .

Marquand, Allan. A Text-Book of the History of Sculpture. Print. This book is pretty much exactly how it sounds. It is useful for anything related to the history of sculpture. It spends a great deal of the book discussing the true "sculpture-in-the-round" from greek and roman art times. This book walks you through all the important elements of sculpture.

I've recently been investigating sculpture-in-the-round because of my interest in rock paintings, rock art, and rock sculptures. I have also been looking into sculpture for some possible ideas for my chalk drawing photos. I am hoping that researching different kinds of sculpture in the round will help me get inspired for the next phase of my project. When suggesting formal product shot images to the class of proposed rock drawings, they encouraged me to rethink things. Now, I am more confused than ever and looking for inspiration in other places, such as sculpture.

Simon Tarr Questions/Response

Simon Tarr Artist Lecture
Questions: November 8, 2010

1) Is it important to you to use alternative types of technology and imagery (like in FUD) to alter the view of the audience?

2) Do you tend to use sarcasm and humor as reoccurring theme, like in Growing up Luke, or are films like this supposed to be taken seriously? Is there a further meaning in your films like this or does this just speak to childhood, fun, and humor?


Response

Quotes:

"I discovered early on that I am more of a hunter-gatherer of a filmmaker." (I think this quote really speaks to the way Simon Tarr makes artwork. He typically uses found footage or what he calls "castoff" footage and pieces it back together in a way that seems fitting for a particular project. So calling himself a hunter-gatherer is fairly accurate.)

"You guys are like my academic grandchildren."

"This may or may not be hardcore pornography- just throwin that out there."

"You don't wanna reuse 3-D glasses; that's how you get pink eye. I, however, have my own flip-ups."


Three words: Experimental, found-footage, and color.


The most interesting thing I discovered about this artist was the unexpected element of performance. I knew Simon Tarr was a video artist, and even after the announcement that he would be making a performance, I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen. I think the fact that he found out how to create a film that could be altered and manipulated on the spot was really fascinating. I really enjoyed the fact that he could shorten, lengthen, and rearrange the film as need be for the specific audience he was performing for.

Simon Tarr didn't discuss the film I had questioned him about (Growing Up Luke) but he did show the film FUD. He talked about how he made the film, with security camera footage on two different channels, and described to us the fact that he could alter the colors based on the different footage.

I found Tarr's remmake and "undit" of the Nanook of the North film. I enjoyed his explanation about his position similar to the directors as staging a film that is supposed to be a documentary. Also, aesthetically I enjoyed this film because of the interesting and unusual imagery. The fact that he was putting it together on the spot and the imagery was so unusual was really interesting.

Artist Post #10

Artist Post #10

November 8, 2010

Lee Walton


Relation: Lee Walton just completed a public art project about a month ago called, "Momentary Performances.” In different locations around Atlanta, Georgia, Vinyl text was installed in public areas everyday for a month. He would use a certain location each day of the week (a market on Mondays, a University building on Tuesdays, etc.) This simple action was used to formalize people’s everyday actions. It was used to amplify an everyday action so that daily occurrences became celebrated events in order to “blur the line between real-life and theater.” I feel like this work relates to my work because of it’s installation in a public area where the viewers reaction makes part of the piece, and also because it uses text in outdoor locations. Also, the public directly influenced the outcome of these installations, because the text was made up on the spot to speak about a person nearby at that moment.

Video documentation of this project is here.


Artist Biography:
Lee Walton calls himself an experimentalist (a term which I've come to love by the way.) His work exists in many mediums such as video games, drawings, videos, web-based performances, etc. Most of his projects are independently funded by specific groups and most of his projects serve a very specific purpose. Walton holds an MFA in visual arts from the California College of the Arts and he is now a professor at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. In addition to teaching, he gives lectures frequently around the country.


Quotes:
"I have found it more useful or meaningful to integrate art into my life rather than separate it."

"Ironically, art is thought to be the most free form of creativity, yet is a constant battle of liberation."

Source for both: Walton, Lee. In the Conversation: Art Talk Outside the Cube. Interview by Joseph Del Pesco. 16 Sep 2006. Print. 7 Nov 2010. .

Links:
Gallery Rep
Website
Interview