Monday, October 26, 2009

artist of the week :: dan funderburgh









PATTERN!

dan funderburgh is taking traditional and classical patterns and infusing contemporary imagery and sensibility into them... updating them for a generation that is hip on taking the classics and making them their own.
you can see more here.

thanks to ryan aquilino for the heads up on this cool new artist/designer.

Friday, October 23, 2009

ap art portfolio blogs.

for the first time, the WTHS AP art class are making portfolio blogs.
they have the choice to use either wordpress or tumblr (follow the links to see my examples).
you can check out the beginning stages of this experiment through the links on the right side of this page!

drawing 2 :: dream journaling

drawing 2 students.... don't forget you need to be journaling about your dreams each day in order to have material to use for your dream interpretation drawing.
we'll be looking at the surrealists for inspiration - heres a few links for you if you want to dig in a bit before we intro it in class...

the all-knowing wikipedia
google images
'the surrealists' website

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

a love letter to you from stephen powers.


artist steve powers, along with the philadelphia mural arts project, has been working on text-based murals along the elevated train line to and from the city of philadelphia, as well as along some of its more run-down areas. the project is called a love letter to you, and it was a collaboration between powers and the community in which the murals are painted - including ideas and stories from the residents themselves.

i am impressed by the sentiment of the murals, along with the great effect that such bright bold colors have against the worn down textures of the buildings.

check out more examples of the murals here

thanks to amy bonner for the heads up on this great project.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

jake adams interview.

the following interview is from the newsletter and website of the alliance for young artists & writers.
jake adams is an 08 grad of WTHS, and was a member of the AP class his senior year. he now attends MICA for painting. check it out!

How did a once aspiring farmer become an aspiring artist?
And what goes on inside the mind of a young surrealist painter?
Just ask Scholastic Art Award alumnus Jake Adams, currently a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Adams was recently featured as a Celeste Prize candidate (an international prize for contemporary arts recognizing works in painting, photography and digital graphics, video and animation, installation and sculpture, and live media) for a new multimedia piece entitled Friends, about the impact of digital social media networks on friendships (seen below). Recently, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers caught up with Adams, who spent his summer break in Montecastello, Italy. He tells us how his work has changed since winning a Scholastic Award and what, as a young artist, he sees as some of his biggest challenges.




AYAW: Athletes usually have a stretch, prep, or warm up routine before going out onto the "field." Do you do anything special before going to work in the studio?
JA: I analyze many things and a lot of writing usually occurs. Thumbnails and mini-sketches are also very important to me. I need something to work from because everything from my mind accumulates and I cannot control it. It's like a broken bag of pebbles spilling into a moving stream. It is very hard to catch every thought.

AYAW: How did you end up in Montecastello, Italy, and what are you working on over there?
JA: I had a desire to do different things. [In Montecastello,] I have been painting landscapes and I go out every morning at very early hours and climb up and down mountains to find compositions. It has been a fantastic experience, and I have a new perspective on painting. You could say I have learned how to see better.

AYAW: Does location (such as a foreign place) or physical environment (such as weather) have a major influence on your work?
JA: Here it does. Montecastello is another universe. It's pretty much been the same here for hundreds of years, which I think is what makes this place beautiful. I think I am-- or any artist is-- forced to just see and think about seeing. The art work I make here is completely spiritually based because of this. It is unavoidable.

AYAW: How do you feel your work has changed in the last few years? Is there anything you're especially proud of?
JA: As a student, I am still learning. I don't know if I am proud of any one piece but I always feel good when I try new things. When I do that, I usually discover something within that process which I can then use in a series or concentration of work in progress. I also believe that as an artist I shall never be completely satisfied. Making a piece of art is like trying to catch a butterfly that is too high above you. You may try and try, but you will never catch it. That's how you make the most beautiful work. If everything was "finished," then no one would have anything to talk about.

AYAW: What's the most important piece of advice you would give to people who are applying for a Scholastic Art & Writing Award, or who are thinking about applying?
JA: Make sure your work is somewhat unified. You can have different media, but keep it all together process-wise. Let it say something as a whole.
She Is Land, He Is Sky (2008)

AYAW: What do you see as one of the biggest challenges facing young artists today?
JA: It's going to be very hard to be inventive. Many things have already been done. But if you still wake up in the morning with a desire to create, then that means you should probably just keep producing. Chances are you will make something that nobody has ever seen before if you keep working.

friday wisdom.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

fall playlist.

i finally remembered to change the 'playlist' widget on the right side of this page. its only taken me, oh, 6 months.
some great fall albums in heavy rotation right now... some new, some old... but all great music to follow the changing leaves.
  • the avett brothers - i and love and you (the format + folk music)
  • pearl jam - backspacer (classic pj sound... + piano)
  • tom petty - wildflowers (a forgotten classic. make it to the end... "crawling back to you" is awesome)
  • david gray - draw the line (perfect autumn music. full of textured acoustic instrumentation)
  • wilco - summerteeth (not my favorite wilco album, but perfect for right now)