On Friday 4/22/2011 I went to an gallery opening that was unlike any gallery I’d ever been to. The gallery is whitespace.
The entire collection played a lot with perspective. The second showing by the SCAD student took what we were doing in visual thinking (taking an idea and giving it formal elements resulting in a composition with a message)- – – she was, obviously, successful.
5.6.2011
” I have to look at it. It’s my face looking back at me.”
My nose could smell the fear on my person when I walked into critique today.
Discussion: overall comments…
-emotional relationship: attached to the piece of you that takes so long; “the headache” part of your drawing is what gives the most joy and excitment
-one-side was more difficult than the other- – most people think this way, with one side remaining dominant in almost all situations.
-It makes a difference whether or not you feel in the void or in the game. If you feel in the game you can do anything- you are powerful. If you feel in the void- – as if no one sees the work you are doing- you just sort of drift.
-have AGENCY- – be powerful – – create your community
-Nobody’s face is symmetrical. THANK GOD.
–instead of changing the thing you’re most focused on — make other slighter changes & you will appreciate it in relation.
NEXT STEP
-16 panel piece of my entire face—–no due date
5.5.2011 11:30 am - 2:30pm
There may not be pictoral evidence but I made a lot of progress today in and around the upper-mid region of the drawing. I added eyes so I would feel no pressure for anything to be perfect.
5.6.2011 early morning
It then dawned on me (literally as the sun rose) that… I was did not have dark skin…and that I was misrepresenting my face. That had to be dealt with.
up until 2:00 pm
I spent the rest of the time attempting to smooth the lines down and polish it to the best of my abilities.
3.02.2011
LAURIE ANDERSON
is fabulous. and into performance art. and large moving Adirondack chairs.
RICHARD CERRA
1. Views drawing as a dialogue and the eye as a muscle to be trained.
2. Wanted people to experience sculpture right inside it- – so they have no frame of reference, no touchstone. He is dealing with a large scope.
SALLY MAN
1. She uses a “magpie esthetic”: using whatever she finds as inspiration and subject for her photography.
2. This is her prayer: Don’t fuck up but…mess up a little to be interesting.
MARGARET KILLGALLEN & BARRY McGEE
MK 1. Margaret finds beauty where people’s hands have been.
2. “My hand will always be imperfect,” there is a certain joy and relief in that.
BM 1. “being a working artist is pure & tainted,”
2. “I wanted to know everything. Art School Jock. No way I was going to be lousy at it.” If you want something- – if you have it in your head- – even if people oppose you – – being an individual means going all out and then deciding whether it worked for you or not.
4.4.2011
the assignment: to imbue formal qualities on words so it has a message.
Nell Ruby being supportive during critique.
Discussion…
-What is the point of focus.
-replicate: what is contrasted
-what works– literal & formal values in abstract form
Creative process:
-the idea in my head is the THEORY I start with and change/mold/shape when working with the materials. “Whatever comes up, comes up.”
-Dialogue between you and the materials
Boisterous & Restrained
NEXT STEP:
-include all of piano- – no photoshop because it feels deceptive.
WHAT I ACTUALLY DID:
-went to kinkos and was frustrated with 1. the sassy lady at the counter who bombarded me when I entered the door 2. the price of prints …
-then I went to my aunts house and used her photo-paper printer…and it was too big. But she needed to get on the computer and I was exhausted and over it.
-But I did take the comment to heart and attempted to make the change to the piece…but I just didn’t.
8:30-8:46 Wednesday stared at my portrait: The lightest-light places and the surrounding colors blend together. Most of the time because my pores create extra dimension within’ the shading- – The Perrys are known for our large pores.
I have two things to accomplish/think about for today: 1. if I continue with this large of a scale it will take a lot of time- – a considerable amount of time and 2. I should focus on finishing the bottom half of the nose.
Nell had us stand away from our portraits and talk to each other- – daring. The hardest thing I have having trouble with is measuring- – even the straight edge is seemingly inaccurate.
Side note: Only in Georgia can it be raining like cats and dogs while the sun is out. M-m
Asked Polly how she was getting her lightest light so…light. She said she goes in with a piece of paper and erases on the edge on the large sheet so that there is enough tension for a high quality rub. – – thanks
4.27.2011
-I was 50 minutes late today. It’s one of those days.
-A friend of mine in high school taught me a valuable lesson in perspective: before he does anything at all unpleasant, boring, difficult, etc. he will say, ” This is going to last 2 hours. I can do anything for 2 hours.” Even though it is this project is difficult I can do anything for a half hour, 2 hours, whatever time.
3:00-3:30
Getting the value around the bottom triangle (nostril) is difficult because of the various shades which are seemingly all the same until proven otherwise.
This complexity is just the thing I was looking for to get me going: this is a problem I am willing to spend time to solve.
An Impromptu Lively Discussion:
Difficulties:
skin tone: developing own technique
the varying shades in pigment in only a small area is so interesting. I’d never seen that before. @Lathasia
Scale: some included necks and others (me) focused on one aspect of the face.
QUOTES:
@Kelly ” I have lines…I mean, linear shapes and craters on my face. how do I get all of that included?”
@Nell ” all there is to it is LOOKING, EXPRESSING & TIME.”
@Bethany “this drawing captures the composition of an idea rather than just a form.”
@Nell “a drawing is made from marks. viewing a drawing is such a different experience from viewing a snapshot. not better…just different.”
@Nell “you define the physical heirarchy- – what is most prominent on your face?”
@Cee cee “we’re all beautiful. I don’t want people to get hung up on what they look like.”
When I stop idealizing and categorizing my face it becomes meaningful…like I get something out of looking at my actual face. I am totally obsessed with the extreme slant of my left nostril and the dent above my eye because that is what will make this drawing a true “map of my experience.”
If someone were to compare my portrait to the work of other’s in our class it would seem as if I am far behind- a slacker. What that someone doesn’t know is that I enjoy being the slowest- – I have always enjoyed taking my time, stewing over a problem or situation and slowly chipping away until I hit a point of inspiration…or I stop what I’m doing and realize I’m just not that into it. My aim is to set my own pace and be o.k. with that.
4:25-4:50
Again, these are intricate shapes and shadowing. On the cusp of the nostril it is especially complex with getting the shades of like-shapes to be consistent.
5.2.2011
I did not work over the weekend. Although I thought working in a larger scope would be easier to grasp- it is not. It makes me anxious just thinking about sitting down in the chair. Or at least that’s how I saw it when I had 2 analsyis papers, a response paper, and 2 research papers to write.
I chose to complete all those assignments over the weekend so that this week could be devoted to the mission of finding TRUTH in every linear shape and crease of my face and show that using kneaded eraser.
starting from here
2:05-2:25
Nostril trouble. I have yet again fallen into the trap of symbolizing what I think instead of what expressing what I see.
2:30-3:10
Everything is wrong. The measurements I took are of two different shades…which is bad. I see a shape that I will attempt to conquer next.
3:10-3: 40 & 3:50-4:40
I need to start making progress. I’m so slow. So. painfully. slow. It’s my own fault- – which makes it that much worse. Hopefully, someday, I will take the time to be slow instead of forcing myself to be speed-cat when that is not my style.
By finding the shapes that cross across other already made shapes it makes it possible to make unit measurements and angles as a comparison. Nell came by the stand and we talked about my nose having angled instead of curved nostrils. I also found that I was not locking my elbows when measuring- – thus my frustration. The decision has been made: I am nothing but a nose. That is my goal- to finish the nose and make it as absolutely finished and detailed as I can instead of manically attempting to make 2 other half-assed attempts at the other parts of my face. I’ll leave the rest for summer.
4.18.2011
blank sheet
the sheet after an hour of work.
What was most frustrating about this was that either the toilet paper or the art paper was coming off when I was rubbing the charKol so that it made for a confusing/uneven tone in some places on the page. This was semi-therapeutic.
the result
I saw Bethany got hers even darker so I asked for her trade secret and she says “long, sweeping strokes- – don’t wad the paper.” check.
The Hatching 