Week 16 Blog

1. What were you expectations for this course and where they met?
 I expected to learn more about the concept of Art, and to better understand how art is made. Yes, I would say my expections were satisfied immensely.

2. Now that you've been through this course, What is art? How would you define it now compared to your intial posting?
I think my initial response to what art is still stands, however I feel I have a much better understanding of what it entails. Art is anything created by mankind, whether that be through a statue, sculpture, painting, or photograph and is something that can be shared with others portrayed visually that can be appreciated by others and evoke an emotional response in its viewers. 

3. Who was your favorite artist in your original posting and who is your favorite visual artist now? If there is a difference, why do you think so? If you have the same favorite artist, why do you think so?
My favorite artist at the beginning of the semester was Vincent Van Gogh, however after seeing some of Claude Monet's painting in the Albright Knox art gallery, I've come to appreciate Monet painting a bit more, considering his style of painting and the immense detail within them. I must have stared at Monet's painting of "Water Lilies" appreciating every detail for at least 10 minutes.  I think I have appreciated painting techniques more since the start of this class, and different elements of art now stand out more to me than before.

4. Now that you've completed this course, how do you feel about taking an online course? Is your answer the same as it was in your first posting? How is it the same or different?
Yes my answer remains the same. I have taken several online courses before in the past, and am registered for more this upcoming fall semester. I enjoy them because of my chaotic work schedule and I can get to the classes whenever is convenient for me, even if it is 1130 at night.

Extra Credit: Questions about the Course

1. Which assignment did you ENJOY working on the best? Why?
I personally found the Art exhibition project the most enjoyable. Once I found a theme that I could go with, I enjoyed finding pieces of art that went with the theme, and putting it all together to create this "around the world" type of mindset. Taking my viewers on a visual journey to some of the wonders of the world and top known landmarks was enjoyable to me.

2. Which assignment did you ENJOY working on the least? Why?

I had a tough time with the mask assignment. Creating the mask alone was incredibly time consuming and was incredibly difficult to create. By the time I had completed the mask, I had little time left to actually decorate the mask the way I truly wanted to, and was forced to settle with the final product I submitted. 

 

3. How did you like using BLACKBOARD?

I am very firmiliar with the BLACKBOARD program, since I have taken several 100% online courses in the past few years. I found that the format and locations for the course material was easy to locate, and easy to follow

 

4. What is your opinion of the Discussion Groups in this course?

I thought the discussion forum was good in the sense that I got to see what other students thought about the other projects. I do not feel, however, that it was good for actual conversations. Often times people would post the inital discussion, but then never respond to other peoples posts. This didnt do well to create the "classroom discussion" atmosphere that I know you had strived for.

 

5. Did you participate in any of the extra credit projects in previous modules? If so, what was your opinion of them? (mandala, elgin marbles, culture, art critics)

N/A

6. If you had the opportunity to change this course:

What would you keep?

I would keep the Art Curation project (final project) for sure! It made me incorporate a lot of what we had learned this semester into the project.

 

What would you remove?

I would remove the mask assignment. creating a 3D mask required a lot of materials, time, and effort that I found challenging to overcome within only 1 week.

What would you add?

 

7. Would you recommend this course to your peers?

I would, and already have to several students who were looking to find elective classes for next semester.
8. Please list any other comments you would like to share.
Overall, great course! I learned a great deal within this semester from this class!

Self Portrait

Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?
I chose to select charcoal/digital media for my self portrait. This was due to the fact that I found charcoal to bring a sense of balance to the picture, as well as define certain aspects of it, such as the eyes. Charcoal seemed to have brought out the best in this particular piece.

What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?
A big challenge I had when doing this was playing around with the digital media. Using a new program installed to my computer, I had to play around with different artistic capabilities until I finally came across the final draft of the project. My picture changed drastically from there. It took me awhile to tweek the charcoal to my liking as well.

 How does this piece represent you?
I feel this piece does well to represent me because of the detail that was placed within my face, and not really through the background. There is a hint of my mustache within the portrait as well, which usually is not visible, due to having blonde hair :( I feel the charcoal effect does well to make my eyes stand out as well, which I have been told is one of my best facial features.

What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?
Some of the main elements and principles of art I used in this particular assignment were color, value, line, and emphasis. Color is used by displaying red, which is my favorite color and it stands out well in the picture. Value for the shades of light and dark throughout the photograph. Line for the outline and shape of my face and effects on crucial elements within my face. Emphasis because when a viewer looks at the photograph, their eyes first lay eyes on my face and shoulders directly, since it lays within the middle of the picture and is the largest thing within the picture.

Did you enjoy working on this project?
I found that using a new painting program to create this portrait was challenging, but once I got the hang of the program, I found it rather fun! I look forward to using this program on other pictures I have taken throughout the past and continue to use throughout the future to edit and create my very own pieces of art. 

What do you think of your final artwork?
I think the final piece of artwork came out well. I think it does well to define me, and while it took awhile to actually use technology to tweek it to my liking, overall, I like how it turned out!

Blog 13 and 14 video review

Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.
Yes, I feel like the videos help to better understand how important a theme is when it comes to a successful exhibition.  All of the videos conveyed this message effectively. They also do well with explaining how important it is to incorporate different types of art in an exhibition. Examples include paintings, sculptures, monuments, ect. This provides viewers with different ways of interpreting art and the theme your displaying.

What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?
 I found it difficult to finish  The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art, but I enjoyed the other two. It gave me a lot of good ideas for my own art curation project.

Journal Entry on Project 4 - Art Curation project

At first, I had a significantly hard time trying to decide on a theme. I tossed many different ideas in my mind, but eventually came upon a theme of a trip I would like to take someday. Hitting all of the major landmarks in the world, I wanted to incorporate artwork that involved all of the places I wanted to visit someday before I passed on.

After I knew what I wanted to use for my theme, next was to acquire pictures of art that showed the places I wished to visit. While searching I found a really good site that provided a lot of the material I was looking for, Fineartamerica.com. This site provided me with all of the necessary information on a lot of my pieces of work, and provided me with many of the locations I was interested in. After that, I decided it would be fun to take my viwers on a "tour of the world" per say. Starting in California and eventually ending in China, I made each slide represent the next stop on the tour as we proceeded around the world.

I found a lot of the work I chose to be enjoyable for myself as well. I liked everything I chose, and it covered a large range of different styles of art. My personal favorite though would most likely be the construction of the Eiffel tower, or the Statue of Liberty.

M11 - Art Gallery Visit #2 - Blog

Step 1: The Exhibition

Questions about the exhibit:
1. What is the title of the exhibit?

Charles E. Burchfield's Gardenville Studio

2. What is the theme of the exhibition?

The theme of the art was to display the workshop of a painter in 1983-1967.  Charles E Burchfield spent many days within this shop, creating new and exciting pieces of art in all types of forms.

Step 2: The Gallery

Questions about the physical space:
1. What type of lighting is used?

The lighting was set up to purposefully shine down on specific pieces within the collection that held significant value. For example, a big bright light shined down on the easel, but there were other lights shining down on the other smaller pieces of art throughout the room. This added value to those items as well.
2. What colors are used on the walls?

What appeared to be an off-white backdrop. This was done to purposefully make the deep wood color of the furniture and rocking chair stand out that much more in my opinion.

3. What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space?

Many different types of wood were used throughout the exhibition. Even a giant bird that sat up within the rafters was made out of a different colored, darker wood than the rest of the exhibition.

4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?

When you first step up to the exhibition, the first things your eyes catch is the easel, stool, and rocking chair in the center of the layout. the light shines bright on these three things

Step 3: The Artwork

Questions about the artwork:

1. How are the artworks organized?

There is a big piece of art on the easel that immediately catches the eyes of the viewer since it is practically front row center. Second is after your eyes shift around you notice the chair, stool, and pieces of art that are scattered throughout the site. Images of what appears to be a landscape portrait and record label. after viewing the art as you turn to leave, there is a portrait on the right hand side of the exhibition portraying Charles painting on the stool that can be seen, using the easel also seen inside.

2. How are the artrworks similar?

They all have to do with collective works that Charles Burchfield had created, and they are similar in the sense that everything about the exhibition is to show what his shop used to look like. There are shelves with more art stacked up, with other random samples of other collections of art scattered around.

3. How are the artworks different?

Some pieces of art have to do with music, some of landscape. One is even a piece of art showing Charles painting a picture at his easel, the very one that is on display in front of the audience.

4. How are the artworks framed?

The main art is the portrait on the easel, which is framed in a nicely finished dark wood frame. It appears to be a portrait of an older man leading against a table. Another piece of art is the portrait of a record label titled "Handel"

5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?

Since the artwork is all placed precisely within the exhibition where you are unable to get too close, the portraits you see are listed on a plaque next to the display (also pictured) This prevents viewers from coming too close, and keep the displays intact and undisturbed.

6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?

 The major artwork was placed rather evenly spaced throughout the center of the exhibition. other portraits of art were placed on the far right side, and there were shelves in the background layered with art.

Module Ten- Art Making/Material Exploration Blog: Mask Making

Share your opinion of your finished mask and what you thought about creating the mask.
I found creating the mask to be incredibly challenging. Attempting to find a material that I could mold to make the 3D sculpture was rather difficult. I used an incredible amount of glue on the inside of the mask to have it solidified. I kept the design of the mask incredibly simple. This was due to the fact that simplicity is sometimes more stylish than having a mask flooded with color, shapes, and symbols that it often makes the masks look crowded. This mask makes the viewer focus more on the dynamic and shape of the mask, and makes them appreciate it more than if they were to just focus on the colors.

Module Nine - Art Making/Material Exploration Drawings - Exploring Line

1. What was it like using your hand as subject matter for a drawing?

I found using my hand, something that was right there in front of me was a great matter to draw. I was able to position it how I wanted to, and view the angle I wanted to all by a simple shift of my wrist. Sometimes in art, you are not so fortunate, so this made this particular assignment rather easy  

2. What media did you select - pencil or charcoal? Why?

I chose to use pencil for the media for this assignment. This decision was made because I find that its easier for me to use a pencil with my non-dominant hand since I have such a lack of experience with it. This made this half of the assignment easier, since I am familiar with the feeling of pencil and not so much charcoal.

3. How did it feel to create a drawing with your non-dominant hand?

At first I found it rather challenging to trace my left hand using my right. I am naturally dominant with my left hand, so drawing my right hand I found to be rather easy to do. However in terms of performance, I found myself impressed with the overall shape and detail of the thicker lines on my hand with my non-dominant hand.

4. Compare and contrast your final drawings. Do you think they are successful studies?

I feel looking at the two drawings you honestly cant get a good feel as to which hand I truly feel dominant with. This particular study did not work for me, simply because both drawings came out rather exactly the same. If someone was attempting to prove which hand was clearly my dominant, I think at first it could be a struggle.

 

5. Would you consider using your non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future?

I would in a situation such as this one again. I was impressed with how my non-dominant drawing came out, and would be inclined to use my non-dominant hand again sometime to see what other details I find myself good at drawing with my non-dominant hand.

Module Ten - Blog: Video Review

1.    Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

The two videos I selected were the Buddhism and Hinduism videos. I chose these videos because I had very little knowledge with both of these types of religious and cultural background of the people who believed in these concepts. I especially didn’t know what they believed to be considered art and was curious to learn a bit more.

2.    For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Hindus believe in reincarnation, and can worship literally anywhere. Also that there are a great number of gods and goddesses they worship. They believe it is these gods that give them great deals of art, such as architecture. I also found it interesting that a Hindu literally cannot touch a dead body, as this ruins their belief.

For the Buddhism video, I found the art that was inscribed into pillars and cathedrals were a means of spiritual release. They depicted these symbols of art as what the gods believed should be expected of them. Buddhism split into two or the little and big boats which hurt this particular religion however.  This particular video even points out these extensive carvings on all of their ancient pillars, signifying its importance.

3.    How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

Both videos showed a significant connection to the text because of the architecture of Vananessi as well as the architecture shown in the pillars carved hundreds of years ago within the Buddhist pillars. Back in ancient times, architecture was considered to be a type of art, and explained through symbols and designs the importance of their religion. Certain architecture that still stands such as the Buddhist archway still holds a significant value to their religion today.

4.    What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I found the Buddhist film to be of more interest to me, simply due to the incredible amount of effort that apparently went into creating their holy pillars. These pillars still hold so much significance to their religion for so long, it’s amazing to see this type of artwork still so highly regarded.

Module Nine - Blog: Video Reviews - DROP BOX

VIDEOS SELECTED: 

 The Drawings of Michelangelo 

Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master

  Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I chose “the Drawings of Michelangelo” and “Albrecht Durer: Image of a Master”. I selected these films because I have always enjoyed the paintings and creations of Michelangelo. I believe his accomplishments supersede so many that I have always enjoyed his work. As for the story about Albrecht, I chose this one completed at random.

   For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

I found the story of Michelangelo to be the more interesting one. First, I found it interesting how many of Michelangelo’s drawings he created to act as practice drawings were actually mostly destroyed by him. This was because these particular sketches usually showed his errors, and he was embarrassed by them. People only ever usually saw his final productions of his art. Also, the story about his design process for the Sistine chapel I found to also be interesting.

In “Albrecht Durer: “Image of a Master”, I found it interesting that his mother gave birth to 18 children and buried 15 of them. The charcoal drawing of his mother showed his immaculate talent to show age in the people he drew. I also liked his fortress painting that he drew through his trips through the alps. The drawings of the landscape once again showed such detail in the one type of art I have always enjoyed.

What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

 The “story of Michelangelo” video I found to be more of interest to me primarily because of my interest in the artist in general. I have always wanted to visit the Sistine Chapel someday, and seeing what people believe his thought process was for something like that was great to listen to. In “Albrecht Durer: “Image of a Master” I found his particular work fascinating with how good he was at his ability to show age in people. While I found his landscape drawings nicely done, I felt his passion in art was with people, and it reflected well in the detail of his work when it came to showing people.

Project 2: Albright Knox Visit

Artist: Jean-Francois Millet
Title: Les Falaises De Greville
Oil on Canvas

Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Title: La Maison de la Crau (the old Mill)
Oil on Canvas

Artist: Willem de Kooning
Title: Gotham News, 1955
Oil, enamel, charcoal, and newspaper transfer on canvas

Artist: Marc Chagall
Title: La Vie Paysanne (Present life)
Oil on Canvas

Artist: William LeRoy Metcalf
Title: Pelago - Tuscany, 1913
Oil on Canvas

Artist: Albert Gleizes
Title: L'homme au hamac (Man in a Hammock)
Oil on Canvas

A.) Which artworks make an impact or impression on me? Why?
Two pieces of art that really caught my attention, and made me pause on them were Vincent Van Gogh's painting Titled "La Maison de la Crau" and Albert Gleizes' "L'homme au hamac" First, Van Gogh's panting stopped me in place because of his incredible ability with the strokes of his paint brush. Many of his passes are clearly visible, and its even more remarkable how he blends the colors together to create the image. The way the mountains in the background look, as well as the greenish tint in the sky. Van Gogh was known for his distinct ability with a paint brush, and now seeing one of his works close up you can really tell how his style of painting is remarkably different than that of any other painter.
    Another piece that really caught my attention was Albert Gleizes painting of "L'homme au hamac", simply due to his technique at creating his visual. At first, it was hard to make out the man as well as the hammock, due to the way it appears that pictures of other objects seems to make up the overall picture. But once I saw it, it made me appreciate the work that much more. Again, the different style technique used with this particular piece made have to really focus on the bigger picture, and not just the sharp lines of the polygons or triangles that are visible. 
 
B.) Which artworks do I feel a connection with? Why?
Two pieces of art I found a personal connection with was Jean-Francois Millets painting of "Les Falaises de Greville" and Willard LeRoy's painting of "Pelago-Tuscany". Both of these pictures I stood and stared at for quite a length of time and felt they spoke to me in many different ways. First, both of these painting are of a landscape of another place. Landscape pictures have always held a special place in my heart, for the soul purpose of my belief that when an artist paints a landscape, they are simply capturing beauty in its natural form. Second, They both remind me of a place secluded, beautiful, and without complications. Being a simple minded man, seeing a view like the view shown in "Les Fallaises de Greville" would be a view I would happily see every day for the rest of my life without any hesitation. Waves crashing along a shore bank with water would be a dream view of mine. Lastly, both pieces of art encompass a sense of harmony. the water in "Les Falaises de Greville appears to move in harmony with the coastline of land, and "Pelago -Tuscany" has the road move in harmony with the mountains in the backdrop. These two pieces, along with Claude Monets painting of "Water Lilies" which could not be photographed, were amonst my favorite pieces within the museum.
 

C.) Which artworks would I like to know more about? Why?
 Two pieces of artwork that I would like to know more about, as well as the artists, would be Marc Chagalls painting "La Vie Paysanne" and William De Koonings "Gotham News". First, Marc Chagalls painting stumbled me in the sense that I couldnt really decipher what emotions he was feeling when he created this painting, nor as to how his drawing of a peasant really depicts the life of a peasant. Second, "Gotham News" was another one that stumbled me a little bit, simply do to the chaos on the canvas. I feel like with as many tools he used to create this work of art, it was, in some aspects a little too much I feel. Although even though I could not fully comprehend this piece of art, I still found it to be moving in a way, and that is why I chose it.

Module 5: making a logo

1. Discuss what you thought about creating your logo.
I had a lot of fun with this particular assignment, I found it gave a great reason to draw something I have always had an unusual talent for drawing, dragons. Fantasy and dragons has always fascinated me, and over the course of my lifetime I have come to draw really good dragons with my experience!  With it, I expanded my creation with him blowing a type of fireball, which spell the words "Love, Faith, and Hope" which are 3 values I live by. This type of logo is my own personal logo, which holds significant value to me.

2. Describe the process: creative thinking skills and ideas you used in the logo creation.
When I was creating this logo, I got the idea of the dragon because of my fascination of dragons and fantasy growing up, and the idea of the words inside the fireball were simply my personal values I hold dear to myself.

3. What was the most important discovery you made in the creation of your logo?
One primary problem I had with creating the logo was the tail of the body going into different directions. This was incredibly difficult to accomplish, and took me some serious time on my brown papered sketchpad, as well as a lot of research on the designs of the bodies. 

4. What is the most important information you learned from watching the videos, powerpoint, and reading material  for this project? What is your opinion of the videos?
I think what I learned most from the material was the importance of color and to try bring the attention of the viewer to what is most important in the image. In this particular case, the important thing to focus on is obviously the fireball in the dragons talons. These being the things that matter most to me, therefore it should be something that shows a more significant value than the rest of the drawing.

Week 3 posting

1. Describe Color and it's effects on emotions. Use the appropriate vocabulary of color in your posting.
Color plays a crucial part in human emotion. It is when an object absorbs light a specific way, it triggers certain emotions in each human. Certain colors associate differently to every human. For example, for me, when I think of the color red, I think of evil. Anger stems from evil. How often have we heard someone associate a color with an emotion, such as "man, you're red like a tomato right now, you must be furious!" It is these types of points associated with color that play such effects on human emotions.
2. What is a theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues/fascinates you? Why?
I would have to say the number one thing I find most interesting in the aspect of color is how many different ways color can be interpreted differently from person to person. When I think of the color Blue, it brings to mind big blue oceans, or clear blue skies, both of which are a comfort to me, which in turn makes me happy. However, to a friend of mine, the color blue strikes him very differently. As a young kid, he had a blue dirt bike which he rode often and loved deeply. Then one day he got into a horrible crash with it, and to this day believes that buying a blue motorcycle is a bad omen, and needs to be avoided like the plague. People have different emotions for different colors, and it is this concept that most fascinates me.
3. In the Color video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?
The number one thing that made the biggest impact on me regarding color in the video with effect on emotions was clearly seen in June Redfern. The entire time you can see the emotion in her face and she struggled with each color, which can actually be seen in her work as she goes along. She poured emotion onto the canvas with every fell swoop, and although she worried about not getting it right the whole time, the end result was still a beautiful piece of art.
4. In the Feelings video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?

I think what made the biggest impact on me was the overall message concerning feelings and emotions displayed through art. Whether it be using light colors to tell tales of happiness and prosperity to using mostly darker colors to feel a sense of darkness, dispair, and sadness. Art tells a story, and behind every story, there is emotion. The challenge when studying art is to determine what the artist was feeling as they created the work of art that they did. Colors help drastically with creating that emotion.

Module 2 Questions

1. For each video and article list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
 In Aesthetics: the Philosophy of the Arts, there were several key concepts that were identified as well as many keynote individuals who created the fundamentals of the word "Aesthetics" One such person was Alexander Baumgarten, who created the word, and the true meaning of how art must have a sense of beauty within it. It also shared how Emmanual Caunt expanded on Baumgartens philosophy

2. Which philosopher's theroy on aesthetics do you feel is most important? Be sure to mention the philosphers name, era (time in history), and contribution to the aesthetic theory in your response.

Within 18th century England, the proper form of aesthetics was founded, which was the first modern system of the art. This was believed to be founded within nature. Joseph Addison was considered to be one of the most influential people of aesthetics within papers he wrote concerning "the pleasures of imagination" which began the works of modern theories that we commonly use today.


3. What do you think about Changeux and Ramachandran scientific view of aesthetics and art? What was the most interesting fact you discovered from each speakers lecture?
 I found it particularly interesting how Changeux and Ramachandran discuss how art and science meet is within the human mind. I believe this is particularly important within art because when a person views art, it sparks a sense of passion and creativity within themselves, which in turns tend to create the desire to create art.

4. How do the videos and article relate to the readings in the text?
 There were several points that were made in the videos that related to the text, however they were covered a lot more in depth through the video and with a visual presentation made understanding the dynamics of the points they made that much easier to understand

5. What is your opinion of the films and article? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics in your reading in the text?
 While I did find the information very informative, I had to break these videos up into several sessions due to my busy schedule. I found it difficult to have practically two hours to dedicate to just watching the videos, however the visuals and descriptions provided were of great value in terms of information.