The first project was that we drew a word from a hat, and I traded my first word (toy, remembering the toy themed projects I already had to do twice in the Intermediate classes) and got children's book. So I started by thinking about art that had to do with children's book, the themes that are discussed or not discussed in children's books, and a professor pointed me towards Henry Darger for inspiration.
I found a picture of Samantha and I as kids modeling our Easter dresses and drew material from that.
69My dad doesn't like it, I could tell. He didn't want to admit it to me but this bothered him. It's about distorted memory, my childhood fascination with death (which when explained just made him stare at me oddly), and the current absence. Samantha can never return, she's gone, and the memories shift and fade a bit, and she is just absent, you know? The next painting is a little more Darger-esque, and when I told Dad about the rabbits being about not really understanding death and funerals and not being allowed (um, by him) to go to my gram's funeral he was rather uncomfortable. So no, he doesn't really like my work. (Keeps asking me to paint a picture of his Harley.)
70According to my classmates, I'm the creepy one.
71 72
73 74
75So afterwards, I was rather tired of thinking about death and darkness. It had made September, which is also the anniversary of both Sam's birthday AND death, a very hard month and I was just done with that. So I was going to paint still lifes...
76Except then, October 6th came along. I got wrapped up in Occupy Houston and lost track of painting, but my professor, Rachel, was so glad that one of her students was thinking of politics she suggested I just do something to document Occupy Houston. So I did, putting together a collection of an Occupied newspaper, collected images, statuses, websites with QR codes, arranging them in a timeline. I also documented Live-stream images of the raid in Boston in October which I witnessed live online.
I don't know how this sits with me as art, but it seemed to be Rachel's goal to get me to stop painting and think outside the brush (as much as I enjoy the brush). I have to admit: I don't get it. I've taken art history courses, one specifically on Contemporary Art, but contemporary media gets a tad lost on me. Maybe its my design background but I don't see that as art in my mind, but design. I'll just call this whole project one painting.
77
The November project was delayed by a car wreck. I was struck at a light by another driver who was running a red as I was advancing after my stoplight turned green. So I lost a week and a half to dealing with insurance and having to shop for a new car (I got a 2012 Nissan Frontier, 4 door). I had trouble thinking of a project. I ended up deciding, on a whim while goofing around in the studio losing my head with my friend Em, that I would snap a quick photo of each member of my block class. Then in Photoshop I mish-mashed everyone together and made a single person with a piece of everyone and painted that. I wish I had had more time, as it feels unfinished. Rachel liked the Photoshop better than the painting, and insisted I do some more to see how I liked it (again, away from the brush I want to study and back toward the design I walked away from...) Mixed reviews.
We'll just call this one 78.
This post is long enough, I'll write a new one to talk about what I feel like I gained this semester or want to focus on now.
1 comments:
Glad to see you back. Good you have Rachel to push you, any direction is ok. Happy that you weren't hurt badly in the wreck. Happy Holidays.
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