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WEEK 12 Activity: Automatic/Tandem/Partner Drawing

So, what exactly is automatic or tandem or partner drawing? The best way I can describe it is Ouija art. Two people have all 4 of their hands on a drawing utensil and just let things happen. For the first, oh I don’t know, 5 minutes, my boyfriend and I felt pretty silly just sitting there holding a pastel crayon that WASN’T MOVING. We tried playing music, we tried closing our eyes, but none of these were very fruitful in terms of getting any movement to happen. At some point, he said “I’m just gonna get it started.” He just started moving the pastel and we tried really hard not to look at the canvas to prevent any deliberate movements in any specific direction. I made a comment that I was just following his lead and he said he was just following mine! Maybe we weren’t doing it right, maybe this is exactly what we were supposed to be doing. The world may never know...

In the end, our final product looked like something either of us could have done on our own, and probably at age 3, but it definitely made for a good story! I took it to my grandma’s house and she decided to keep it. She loved the abstract style to it. I didn’t love the final product so I was all to happy to give it away. 

I think that it will probably spark some interesting conversation and it was a form of art that I had never heard of so it was fun to try. However, I have decided that this is probably something I will not do again in the future. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it, but each new experience adds to the color of life. I fully embrace new experiences and stepping out of my comfort zone. However, in terms of automatic drawing, I will probably step in a different direction. 

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WEEK 12 Artist OTW: Mahasa Soroudi

About the Artist

Mahasa Soroudi was born in 1981 in Tehran, Iran. She has traveled and lived in various countries across the world, but now resides in Newport Beach with her husband. She describes her family as moderately religious and talks about watching American movies and traveling to close Asian countries with her family. This probably helped foster Soroudi’s sense of curiosity and artistic exploration. Soroudi received her BFA in Visual Communication from the Azad Art and Architecture University in Tehran in 2006. In addition to being an artist, Mahasa Soroudi also works as an art curator. 

Formal Analysis

Mahasa Soroudi mostly works in photography and captures a variety of different subjects. On her website, she has a link to product photography. This appears to be in conjunction with a jewelry artist and consists of single pieces of jewelry staged and photographed. 

Her job as a curator comes out in her project 7500 Miles. Soroudi gathers art from other artists in or from Tehran. The collection brings attention to many different artists. Another of Soroudi’s recent projects is Nature’s Cadence. This project features Soroudi’s work with succulent plants. 

Content Analysis

Mahasa Soroudi’s About page on her website says that she is “interested in interdisciplinary topics that can evolve into thought provoking and meaningful exhibitions.” This is very clear in her works. 7500 Miles was named because of the distance between Soroudi’s current residence and her birthplace. This obviously has a strong meaning to her as she has a lot of fond memories from her childhood in Iran, but is very excited about her future, wherever that may take her. This project also brings some other Iranian artists into the spotlight. Nature’s Cadence focuses on succulents that Soroudi has grown. She relates the replanting of succulents to the various uprooting and moving to other countries within her own life. She talks about the success and failures in the replanting process and also the resilience of plants. She took inspiration from the succulents in resiliency and adaptation to a new home when struggling with the move to the United States. This project is a sharing of emotion and experience between people who have struggled with adaptation and resiliency and remembering to appreciate the nature. 

Synthesis / My Experience

I really love Mahasa Soroudi’s vision and the deeper meaning behind her works. However, it was pretty difficult to find the photographs tied to her projects. I was able to appreciate her more casual photos found on her Instagram profile. However, the 7500 Miles website requires a password to access content and I believe that the photos under the Nature’s Cadence description are stock photos from the website generator she used. There are a few pages on her website that are under construction or seem unfinished. The photos on the Nature’s Cadence tab also don’t seem to fall in the same style as the photos on her Instagram. I would really love to be able to see more of her works because I do appreciate the meaning behind the projects so much.

Picture:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNjCYTvo8xw

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WEEK 11 Activity: Your Turn

This week, my boyfriend’s parents came to visit from Indiana so we decided to do some sightseeing. Among many other activities, we decided to see Beverly Hills and the famous Rodeo Drive. We walked in to Galerie Michael and I was immediately in awe at all the works by world famous artists. These were pieces that, for the most part, I had not seen or heard of before. There were quite a few sketches and more casual pieces than we normally talk about when considering artists like Dali, Picasso, and Renoir.

For this week’s “Your Turn” activity, I decided to pick a couple of my favorite pieces from the Galerie Michael to discuss.

The first piece I wanted to discuss is Picasso’s “A Las Toros” sketches. The Galerie Michael has two of these sketches, La Pique and Les Banderilles. Both are lithograph on wove paper and depict crudely drawn bulls and a person or two. The settings are not quite clear. Pablo Picasso is most well-known for developing and utilizing the style of cubism. When thinking about Picasso’s works, I most often picture colorful paintings in the cubism style. However, these sketches couldn’t be further from that. These very simplistic and abstract sketches give us a little peek into the depth of Picasso’s artistic styles and abilities.

The next pieces I wanted to discuss are Dali’s “St. George and the Dragon.” There was a big sketch, etching on wove paper, depicting the scene. The details of the subjects on this sketch are incredible! Then, the scene came to life as the Galerie Michael had two more of Dali’s sculptures of this scene. One quite large, the other quite small. Both bronze sculptures, the pair were quite impressive, but not quite what you think of when picturing Dali’s works. These pieces were not at all the surrealist as Dali’s most famous works are.

BONUS: Since talking about copyrights, stealing others’ works, and sharing ideas, I wanted to note some of the other pieces by Salvador Dali displayed at the Galerie Michael. Many of his pieces here are based off of other artistic works. There are many pieces depicting scenes from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Carmen, and Hamlet. He also created renditions of pieces by Rembrandt, Velasquez, and pays homage to Leonardo da Vinci.

Pictures: https://www.galeriemichael.com/

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WEEK 11 Artist OTW: Eva and Franco Mattes

About the Artist

Eva and Franco Mattes were both born in Italy in 1976. Eva and Franco met in Berlin in 1994 and have not separated since. They now reside in Brooklyn, NY but travel throughout the United States and Europe frequently. They are also known by their pseudonym 0100101110101101.org, which is also their website. Eva and Franco Mattes are considered the pioneers of the Net Art movement and primarily create art involving a theme of political and social issues that have risen from the Internet age.

Formal Analysis

The Mattes’ work crosses many boundaries in terms of formal qualities. The first work listed on their website is “Stolen Pieces.” In this work, the artists spent two years stealing 50 parts of works by famous artists from museums in America and Europe. Eva and Franco Mattes then displayed them for the public 13-15 years later. This work compiled by the Mattes combines the formal qualities of all the pieces of the other artist.

In their other works, Eva and Franco Mattes create art in forms anywhere from sculpture and installations to website interactions and Net art collections. “Ceiling Cat” is a sculpture, based on a meme, that involves a taxidermy cat poking its head out from a hole in the ceiling. “Vaticano.org” is a piece in which the artists purchased the website domain Vaticano.org, replicated the Holy See website with a couple changes, and interacted with users of the website.

Content Analysis

Eva and Franco Mattes incorporate social and political themes that have arisen from the Internet Age into their artistic works. “Ceiling Cat” is a representation of our society’s attachment to the Internet. The Mattes describe it “always watching... cute and scary at the same time.” Since the inception of the Internet, our society has continued to grow an unhealthy obsession with it. Because we are so obsessed with the Internet, we often don’t think about how easily we can be surveilled and have our every move watched.

“Vaticano.org” explores the trust many people have while surfing the Web. The fake website ended up sending many pilgrims off to remote locations in the name of the Pope. The Mattes created such a believable website that their users didn’t question its credibility for over a year. This shows how easily people believe things on the Internet. The lesson here is to be critical of the information online and to check the credibility of the sources so that we don’t travel to remote location because some fake pope online told us to.

Synthesis / My Experience

I think that Eva and Franco Mattes’ works are very interesting. My favorites are “Ceiling Cat” and “Stolen Pieces.” I think that the themes behind their works are really interesting. The age of the Internet is such a controversial topic. It seems, though, that it is generally regarded as a necessary evil. We have become so dependent on the Internet, but it has its many consequences. From a lapse in social interactions to the lack of privacy, the Internet has its share of negatives. The Mattes do not come across as opposed to the Internet, in fact they use it much to their advantage. However, they want their audience to be aware of the truth of the Internet. I personally do not love Net art, but the Mattes’ sculptures and installation pieces are right up my alley.

Pictures: http://0100101110101101.org/works/

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WEEK 10 Activity: Designing a Flag

So, I didn’t totally love this project. I strongly believe that flags hold a lot of history in their design. I think that a lot of thought and consideration goes into a flag’s conception that concerns the entity it represents. For this reason, it was really difficult for me to design a flag for an existing city. 

While looking at the current Los Angeles city flag, I couldn’t think of anything to change. It’s a very simple flag. It comprises of the city’s seal in the center on a background of green, orange, and red. The green represents olive trees, orange the orange groves, and red the vineyards. These elements are all important to LA’s history and therefore deserving of being flown as a representation of the city. 

HOWEVER, since I had to create a new flag for this week’s activity, I decided to try to keep the integrity of the current flag. I kept the seal at the center and changed the background to the rainbow flag, representing LGBTQ communities. With all that is going on, I think that we need to show our support by standing by our brothers and sisters (and those who do not prefer a gender). I wanted the flag to be unique and to include the artistic qualities of LA. So, I used an app to paint the rainbow stripes myself with an attempted ombre effect. I also added angel wings behind the seal to acknowledge the origins of the name of the city. The original name of LA was “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles Porciuncula,” which in English translates to “the town of our lady the Queen of angels of the little portion.” “Los Angeles” translates to the angels so I wanted to pay homage to that. 

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WEEK 10 Artist OTW: Ragnar Kjartansson

About the Artist

Ragnar Kjartansson is an Icelandic artist. He was born in 1976 in the town of Reykjavik, where he still lives and works. His parents, a well-known actress and a director/playwright, introduced him to theater at a very young age. Kjartansson participated in many different bands, including the Icelandic band Trabant. He later switched to visual art and attended the Royal Academy, Stockholm, Sweden. He also attended the painting department at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts. Today, Kjartansson creates in a variety of different media.

Formal Analysis

Ragnar Kjartansson’s works vary from performance pieces and installation to paintings and drawings. In his performance pieces, Kjartansson combines elements from his theatrical background. He uses music much to his advantage in his pieces and also incorporates repetition and endurance. Some say that the elements of repetition and endurance are reminiscent of practicing lines in theater. Some of the performances are live, some are filmed, but they all feature people. While they can be simple in lines, the performance pieces often include many theatrical elements. An example of this is “Woman in E.” In this performance, women individually come up to the rotating pedestal and strum an E minor chord on a guitar. However, the setting is entirely gold: background, strapless gowns, guitar, pedestal, etc. The combinations of settings, music, and costumes create a well-rounded performance experience.

Kjartansson’s drawings and paintings are much more simplistic in contrast to his performance pieces. The drawings and paintings can stand alone, but also often come as collections. “Omnipresent Salty Death” is one of his collections of drawings. It comprises of a couple dozen different drawings of the ocean. They are all simple and abstract in style, but feature the ocean in both calm and stormy conditions.

Content Analysis

Ragnar Kjartansson is well-known for incorporating seemingly opposite emotions in his works. For example, he combines sorrow and humor and he uses this technique to connect with the audience and encourage them to discuss concerning or controversial topics. He uses a dry sense of humor that fits well with the emotion of sorrow and this can be seen in his drawing “Grey Suits.” This piece is a sketch of a man in a suit accompanied by the words “Troubled by Love (killed by death).”

Kjartansson is also known for his pieces being dark in nature. There is no better example than “Die Nacht der Hochzeit” which are watercolor paintings of the night sky. However, he is known for a more playful darkness. His performance pieces often have a theme of a utopia where expression is free and accessible. This sense of longing might also contribute to a darkness in nature.

Synthesis / My Experience

Ragnar Kjartansson is one of the few Artists OTW that are not super politically involved with their artwork. It has been quite refreshing researching Kjartansson’s work and being able to appreciate simply for the artistic qualities and not analyzing every little political innuendo. I appreciate those who fight for what’s right with their artwork, but I really enjoyed a respite from politics with Kjartansson’s work. I do not much care for performance pieces, but I loved his paintings and drawings. I really enjoy the darkness that seems to hang over all of his pieces, despite bright colors or the sense of humor he incorporates. Kjartansson’s style of drawing and painting very much reflects my own preferences. The simplicity, the abstraction, the ambiguity. These are all things I admire in art work and aesthetics and thoroughly enjoyed analyzing for this week’s Artist OTW.

Pictures: http://www.artnews.com/2016/10/14/mr-kjartansson-goes-to-washington-ragnar-on-his-new-survey-at-the-hirshhorn-museum/

http://www.luhringaugustine.com/artists/ragnar-kjartansson/artworks/paintings-and-drawings

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WEEK 9 Activity: Museum Visit

For this week’s activity, I visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and chose to analyze two of the outdoor exhibits. The first being Michael Heizer’s “Levitated Mass” which involves a large piece of diorite granite suspended at ground level over a descending concrete walkway. The second exhibit is Chris Burden’s “Urban Light.” This is a piece of 202 restored cast iron antique street lamps at the front of the museum on Wilshire Boulevard.

I chose these two exhibits because they have garnered so much attention from the public. “Levitated Mass” was a spectacle for many SoCal residents as it was carefully transported to the museum in LA from Riverside. “Urban Light.” has a huge social media presence. It’s almost like the stamp of approval for anyone visiting SoCal to take pictures with this installation. I had seen hundreds of pictures of the piece on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, etc. before I even knew what it was.

Other than the fact these two pieces are displayed outdoors, these pieces are completely different in formal qualities. “Urban Light.â” Has a much more refined look. The lamps are evenly spaced apart, grouped together by size and type with the tallest in the middle, and all are similar in appearance. They are painted the same color and have similar qualities, especially the size and style of the cage around the bulbs. “Levitated Mass” is a much more natural looking piece. The granite piece is rough and unfinished, as if it were pulled from the earth exactly as is. It looks as it would be when it was naturally occurring, with jagged lines, rough lines, smooth lines, curved lines.

The pieces are somewhat similar in conceptual qualities. They evoke similar feelings of awe. The two pieces are large and would not perform as well in an indoor setting. Personally, I was disappointed in “Levitated Mass” and therefore, did not have much conceptual analysis for this piece. “Urban Light.” however, lived up to the hype for me. All lit up at night, it was a beautiful piece and took my breath away. Normally, my preference tends toward the more natural pieces, but in this case, the opposite is true. 

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WEEK 9 Artist OTW: Chris Jordan

About the Artist

Chris Jordan, born in 1963, is a photographer based in Seattle, Washington. He studied at and received his BA from the University of Texas in Austin. His photos often have a theme of mass production and its negative results. More specifically, he focuses on the mundane habits of our society and how each has its devastating consequences to the world around us. Jordan’s “Running the Numbers” project portrays statistics on such habits in a unique and creative photograph series.

Formal Analysis

Chris Jordan photographs a variety of different subjects, though they all have some tie to the environmental aspect of our world and society. In his “Running the Numbers” series, Jordan arranges and photographs groups of everyday items that represent a statistic about mass production and consumption. He uses a variety of items including cigarette butts, children’s building blocks, car keys, credit cards, light bulbs, Barbie dolls, paper bags, packing peanuts, and Vicodin pills to name a few.

Jordan has also photographed more natural settings. In his “Midway: Message from the Gyre” project, he traveled to the islands at Midway Atoll and learned about the Albatross seabirds who nest on the islands. The adults fly out to sea to find and retrieve food for their young. Unfortunately, many of these birds mistake plastics and other non-edibles for food and feed it to their babies. Jordan photographs the carcasses of albatrosses whose bellies were full of various plastics. A similar project, “Camel Gastrolith,” shows the unaltered contents of a deceased camel.

Content Analysis

Chris Jordan’s works all have a common theme of mass production, consumption, and their effects on the environment. Sometimes, the themes are more obvious. In “Running the Numbers”, Jordan includes shocking numbers and statistics in the description of the related photographs. For example, the photograph of children’s building blocks has the following description: “Depicts 1.2 million children’s building blocks, equal to the number of students who drop out of high school every year in the U.S. This averages about 7000 students per school day.”

Sometimes, the themes are more ambiguous. The “Midway” and “Camel Gastrolith” projects show the contents of animals’ stomachs but require the viewers to analyze the man-made materials comprising of most of the contents. Plastic shards and even plastic bottle caps can be found in the albatross stomachs. Cloth and pieces of fabric are seen in the contents of the camel’s stomach. The viewers would have to recognize these products of man and realize the negative repercussions of our habits.

Synthesis / My Experience

I have actually encountered Chris Jordan’s works before while taking AP Environmental Sciences in high school. Since happening upon his photographs of the albatross carcasses, I have had a great appreciation for the artist and what he is trying to communicate to his audience. In researching Chris Jordan for this week’s AOTW and seeing the rest of his projects, I have a renewed affinity towards Chris Jordan and his works. I wouldn’t say I’m an environmentalist, but I think about sustainability often. Unfortunately, I don’t have the financial means to make significant green choices in my life, but looking at Chris Jordan’s projects, I am inspired to find little ways to change my habits and help change the world.

Pictures: chrisjordan.com

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WEEK 8 Activity: e-Portfolio

The original goal of my e-Portfolio was to get an A on the assignment in HSC 301. I think that the assignment really set me up for a website that fits in my field and communicates my skills for to future employers and colleagues. I started with a home page, my personal statement, my resume, and the 7 areas of Competencies for Certified Health Education Specialists. My home page included a short biography, contact information, a picture of me, and a short video. Along with the competencies, I included a few samples of work in relation to the areas of competencies.

Over the last several weeks, I’ve made some tweaks to my e-Portfolio. I have added some more recent photos, including a headshot and an environmental portrait. I’ve added a button that leads you to my Linkedin profile, which is incomplete but it’s a start! I’ve also included a button that links to my Art 110 tumblr blog for more samples of work. I also check on my resume every once in a while to make sure it is up to date and still relevant information. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but I am constantly questioning each line of my resume to make sure that it is still appropriate.

My intended audience for my e-Portfolio is... anyone willing to hire me! Actually, anyone that has any power with the potential of hiring me. That includes employers, colleagues, and any other connections that might be able to help me. The goal is obviously to find a job and I really hope that my e-Portfolio is attractive for job prospects. I want to make sure that my related volunteer and academic experiences are showcased on my site and that I come across as mature, professional, and eager to work.

Please click on my link to go see my e-Portfolio!

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WEEK 8 Artist OTW: Marina Abramovic

About the Artist

Marina Abramovic was born in Yugoslavia on November 30, 1946. She is a pioneer in performance art and, in my opinion, leans heavily toward the intellectual art side, like former Artist OTW Allan Kaprow. In her work, she explores the performer-audience relationship, the limitations of the body, and possibilities of the mind. Abramovic has had an extensive artistic educational background. She attended Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade and post-graduate studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, SR Croatia. Then she taught at the Academy of Fine Arts at Novi Sad and was a visiting professor at the Acadaemie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the Berlin University of the Arts, and the Hochschule fur bildende Kunste Hamburg. Most recently, she was a professor for performance-art at the Hochschule fur bildende Kunste Braunschweig.

Formal Analysis

Marina Abramovic is most well known for her unique and amazing performance pieces. She is known as the “grandmother of performance art” for pushing the boundaries of the art form. Her works include performances for extreme lengths of time, putting herself at the mercy of her audience members, and even injuring herself, all for the sake of a great piece of art.

In her performance, The Artist is Present, Marina spent 736 hours and 30 minutes from March 14 to May 31, 2010 in a static, silent performance piece. In Rhythm 0, she laid out 72 objects on a table and informed her audience, with a sign, that they could use any of the objects on her in any way. In a number of her performances, she has caused extreme pain to herself and lost consciousness. These performances were extremely unique and unlike what other artists had attempted before Marina Abramovic.

Content Analysis

Marina Abramovic’s performances pieces tend to focus on a theme of humans. She explores the way humans think and act and the physical and mental limitations of the human body. In Rhythm 0, Marina Abramovic learned firsthand the capabilities of human beings when they feel that they are safe from consequences. Some of her audience members were bold enough to put a gun to her head when she was immobile, but scattered in fear when she moved toward them at the end of the performance.

In Rhythm 5, Marina Abramovic performed with a flaming star. This performance evoked a tremendous amount of pain for the artist who stood near the flames and tossed her hair and nail clippings into the fire. She lost consciousness toward the end of the performance and later voiced her frustrations on the physical limits of her body. Marina Abramovic puts herself at risk to show her audience the most extreme performances and the human boundaries.

Synthesis / My Experience

I think there is something really special about how Marina Abramovic combines the formality of pushing the boundaries of an art form and the content of pushing the boundaries in your themes. While I admire Abramovic’s work and the themes she incorporates into them. However, by the descriptions of her performances, I personally would not enjoy her pieces. That kind of extreme, self-inflicting performance piece just doesn’t suit my tastes.

Pictures: marinaabramovic.com

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WEEK 7 ARTIST OTW: Allan Kaprow

About the Artist

Allan Kaprow was born on August 23, 1927 in Atlantic City, New Jersey and passed away on April 5, 2006 at the age of 78 in Encinitas, California. Due to his chronic illness as a child, he was moved to Tucson, Arizona. Kaprow later attended the High School of Music and Art in New York. He then went on to NYU, studied arts and philosophy as a grad student, received his MA in art history from Columbia University, and attended the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts and the New School for Social Research. After all his studies, he co-founded the Hansa and Reuben Galleries in NY, became the director of the Judson Gallery, and started teaching. He has taught at Rutgers University, Pratt Institute, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, the California Institute of the Arts, and finally at UC San Diego. One of his most famous pieces, Happenings, was influenced by the style of action painting, which he became interested in while attending the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts in 1947.

Formal Analysis

Allan Kaprow was an extremely well educated artist and talented in many different art forms, including painting and assemblage. However, he is most well-known for his performance pieces. Kaprow was one of the pioneers in transforming performance art and began to break down the barriers around traditional performance components. Some of the things he changed in his performance pieces were manipulate the space he had for the piece, incorporate the audience into the performance, and only perform pieces once. Though he was not the first to do these things, Kaprow influenced many artists to follow his lead.

Content Analysis

Allan Kaprow was constantly challenging the definition of art and the conventions surrounding the various forms of art. He believed that anything could be art and that it was all about the experience of the everyday world. With his art, he challenged preconceived notions of art and encouraged other artists to do the same. He focused on the intellectual side of art and this came across in many of his works.

In his essay, “The Legacy of Jackson Pollock”, Kaprow urged his fellow artists to turn to non-concrete productions of art. Influenced by artist Jackson Pollock, Kaprow wanted others to focus more on their processes of creation. In his piece “Yard”, Kaprow created an immersive environment mimicking a junkyard in the Martha Jackson Gallery’s backyard. This piece was meant to encourage audience interaction and to blur the line between life-like art and “art-like” art, or what is more commonly presumed when discussing art.

Synthesis / My Experience

I think Allan Kaprow is a really inspiring person. I do not identify with his personality at all but I do appreciate his creativity. I love that he was so focused on the intellectual side of art and that really does come through in his works. He was constantly pushing boundaries and challenging the old ways. I admire that and his call to action for other artists, though I think his demands were hindrances to his message. Many descriptions of his essays use the word “demand” when discussing his calls to action. I get the impression that Kaprow really wanted to broaden horizons for artists, but demanding a paradigm shift for all artists defeats this purpose. 

Pictures: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-kaprow-allan.htm

http://allankaprow.com/about_reinvetion.html

https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/midterm-monuments-71-634-art-since-1945-fall-2011/deck/6675616

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WEEK 7 ACTIVITY: Home

It's about to get real up in here. I never really had a strong connection with my hometown. Yes, there are some fond memories of my old stomping grounds but when it came time to leave for college, I couldn't have been happier. My hometown is where my depression started and manifested itself into my biggest demon. My family and close friends have admitted that they saw how much I had changed after leaving town. Depression had become my personality, my only personality. When I moved to Long Beach, I began to revert back into my happy, goofy self. However, now I live between a hometown with bad sentiments and a college town that doesn't quite feel like "home" yet. "Home" is not a place, its with the people I love.

This is my mom. We have so many differences and often don't see eye to eye, but whenever I'm with her, it feels like home. This picture was taken by my sister and sent to me on Mother's Day of this year. I remember feeling so upset that I wasn't there with my mom on her day.

My dog, Stella, passed away a little over a year ago, but she was definitely my best friend. She was home to me, too. Whether I was back at my parents' house or she made the trip down here, her greeting was like coming home. She had a way about her that eased my mind and brought me so much comfort.

And lastly is my new home. My boyfriend and I have been together for almost a year and he has changed my life. He is my home, wherever we go. He takes care of me and always makes sure I don't slip back into dark times. He comforts me and loves me, just like any good home.

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WEEK 6 Activity: Sketching in the Garden

This week’s activity was to sketch in the garden. Now, when you look at the pictures of my sketches, you will quickly realize that I am no artist. Having said that, I enjoyed this week’s activity a lot. I am pretty disappointed with my lack of artistic ability but the time I spent walking around the backyard was very relaxing. I felt absolutely no stress while wandering around looking for things to draw.

So we were tasked with some quick sketches, some longer sketches, contour drawings, and abstract drawings. Most of quick sketches were of various plants in my parents’ backyard. I felt a little better about posting these sketches. I justify it by saying that these look bad because I drew them in less than 30 seconds. I did not post my longer sketches because I have no excuse for why they look bad (oops). I also posted the contour drawing of my hand. This one was super hard because I had to try really hard not to look at the paper. I also tried my hand at some abstract drawings. I tried to take some of the finer details away from a flower pot and a flower in my parents’ front yard.

With each activity, I am learning that I have harshly overestimated my artistic ability. Just like my other projects, my sketches did not come out as well as I had imagined. I wish I could have spent more time sketching and perfecting my sketches, but I know that I can always come back to it. Though the actual activity of sketching and the final product were not what I had expected, and a bit of a letdown, I really enjoyed the environment. It was really nice to just slow down and spend some time outside. It has been a while since I spent time in the backyard. This art class has encouraged me to spend more time outside, but I have been toward a goal, the end of a project. With this particular activity, I spent a lot of time roaming around looking for things to draw. While there were tons of things I could have drawn in the backyard, I had to decide whether I wanted to draw it or not. Even though I was unhappy with the end product, the activity was entirely not stressful. With each sketch, I cared less and less about how they looked. I had a really great time with this activity.

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WEEK 6 Artist OTW: Nadya Tolokno

About the Artist

Nadya Tolokno was born Nadezhda Andreyevna Tolokonnikova on November 7, 1989 in Norilsk, Russia. She attended Moscow State University in the philosophy department. Shortly after, Nadya met her husband and had a daughter. She is part of a group called Pussy Riot. With this group, Nadya creates films. In 2012, she was arrested with another group member for “hooliganism” and was sentenced to 2 years in prison. After she was released early, Nadya and Pussy Riot made a few films. Nadya has also participated in various performances and protests.

Formal Analysis

Nadya Tolokno is much different from our previous Artists OTW in the formal qualities of her artwork. For the most part, Nadya makes her art with her punk rock group, Pussy Riot. The group has made a few short films, for which the group is famous. In 2013, she acted in Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer and Pussy protiv Putina. In 2016, Nadya acted in Pussy Riot: Make America Great Again. She also is credited with writing and composing for this film. This short film is a kind of music video which shows clips from when Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. It also shows parody scenes filmed with Nadya as she is arrested for being Russian, branded multiple times, and eventually killed.

In addition to her works with Pussy Riot, Nadya has also participated in other various performances and protests. For a short time, Nadya and her husband were part of the Voina art collection. They participated in some of the provocative performances Voina organized but were later expelled for being police informers. In 2011, Nadya took part in Operation Kiss Garbage, which involved females kissing policewomen in Moscow, Russia.

Content Analysis

Like our other Artists OTW, Nadya has very strong political and social views and uses her artwork to express them. Most of the pieces Nadya participates in have political themes and are political satires. Because of the political climate in Russia, many of Nadya’s works are satires of Russian government and politicians. However, her most recent work tackles the issues of the new political environment in America with Donald Trump as president.

Nadya’s style of art is provocative and bold. She is not afraid to address topics such as sex, homosexuality, feminism, and other political issues. She is an extreme risk taker and does not let anything stand in her way when standing up for what she believes in.

Synthesis / My Experience

Nadya Tolokno is an extremely inspiring artist and creates in unique and creative ways. I admire Nadya for standing up for what she believes in, especially in such a delicate political climate. I personally agree with many of her political and social stances, however, I do not love how she expresses them. I firmly believe in the freedom of expression and that people should be able to make their own artwork in any way they see fit. The boldness and provocativeness of Nadya and Pussy Riot’s works are not in my preference. I personally would prefer a more subtle approach, but I think that Nadya has such a large following because of her candor and openness. I appreciate what Nadya does, even if I don’t love it myself.

Pictures: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5247378/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadezhda_Tolokonnikova

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WEEK 5 Artist OTW: Dread Scott

About the Artist

Scott Tyler, also known as Dread Scott, is a contemporary artist who was born in 1965 in Chicago, Illinois. He currently resides and works in Brooklyn, New York. Scott Tyler took on his professional name for multiple reasons, including the racism aspect tied to historical Dred Scott and the aspect of fear in the word “dread” Dread Scott is known for his controversial art pieces, starting with “What is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?” This piece attracted so much attention and was so controversial that it prompted the “Flag Protection Act of 1989.” Dread Scott continues to make artwork that forces questions about social and political issues.   

Formal Analysis

Dread Scott’s artwork crosses over many different forms of media. He creates mostly in the forms of installations, performances, photography, and prints. He also has a few collections of paintings and a handful of videos. Because many of his pieces force people to question their values on social and political issues, they are often displayed in a way that shocks the audience.

Some of Scott’s works are interactive. “What is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?” is a comment book mounted above a US flag on the floor in such a way that one would have to step on the flag in order to sign the book. “Sign of the Times” is a print stating “DANGER POLICE IN AREA” that was displayed as an aluminum street sign. The formal qualities of Dread Scott’s work varies from piece to piece but is largely focused on the presentation. His art is displayed in many settings, all the way from contemporary art galleries to urban street corners.

Content Analysis

Dread Scott is not at all subtle with his thoughts and the meaning behind his artwork. All of his pieces incorporate a political or social aspect. Some of his most famous works are ones that cause the most controversy. Scott uses his voice through art to bring about questions of morality and justice. He pushes boundaries and encourages thought on such matters and works to bring about awareness to as large an audience as possible.

“What is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?” forces the audience to consider what the flag actually represents. “Sign of the Times” brings awareness to police brutality. “On the Impossibility of Freedom in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide” puts the spotlight on America’s history and what our “freedom” actually means. To some, these pieces might be offensive, but to others, they are empowering. Whatever you may feel when experiencing Scott’s art, it undeniably evokes strong feeling and thought.

Synthesis / My Experience

I really enjoyed researching Dread Scott for this week’s Artist of the Week. Every single one of his works either evoked a strong emotion or intense thought. Though I understand and respect that some find Scott’s work offensive, or even repulsive, I find it extremely powerful. Dread Scott shows us how much of an effect one person can have. He has no regard for being polite and that is what makes his art so powerful. It demands our attention and the questioning of our morals. We often do not think about our history or are unaware of some events that are not covered by the media. Scott brings these to the front of our attention. He forces us to think about these controversial issues and I respect someone who asks the tough questions in life. He is clearly passionate about fighting for justice and morality. In addition to demanding attention, Scott demands our respect.

Pictures: http://www.dreadscott.net/

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Week 5 Activity: Environmental Portraits

This week’s activity can be found at

https://sydneyfujioka.wixsite.com/eportfolio

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WEEK 4 ACTIVITY: Mobile Activity

Escape

I really liked the idea of the Deep Ethnography activity, so I derived an activity with a similar theme. I think its wonderful to ask students in this age to go without technology for an evening but society has become so dependent on technology that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to participate in the activity. Going without screens and electricity might seem like a punishment, but I think its really more of an escape from the stresses of life. Without a smartphone, laptop or TV, you can almost escape responsibilities and the pressures of society.

This week, my boyfriend and I visited the El Dorado Nature Center and went on a beautiful walk. The path came to an area circled and shaded by trees. There was a bench in the center and the two of us sat, quiet at some times and talking about whatever came to mind at others. I didn’t pull out my phone until we were ready to continue walking. We almost left without snapping a quick photo for memories. In the moments of sitting there in the quiet, I felt no stress, no pressure, no responsibilities. This helped me to develop this week’s mobile activity.

My activity is to find an escape from everyday life. It can be away from technology, but it doesn’t have to be. I urge the other students to find whatever it is that relaxes them. It could be out and about, at home, by themselves, or with a particular person. It could be out in nature or shopping, or at home playing video games or cooking. Whatever it is that helps you to escape, do it. Then, document it. Take pictures, sketch or whatever helps promote the idea of escape. (I wish I had a sketch book that day at the Nature Center so that I wouldn’t have even had to take out my phone, but I wasn’t planning on having that urge.) After taking part in the experience portion of the activity, it is important to reflect. I want to know what exactly it is you are escaping from and how your experience helps you to get away from those things.

For example, if I were to have completed my activity at the Nature Center, I would reflect on now nature is my escape. I don’t get out into nature often enough but I always feel so carefree and relaxed. I feel like I need to escape the stresses of being in school or the obligations to my friends and family. Even though I generally enjoy school and I love my friends and family, there are a lot of negative stressors there. Also since struggling with mental disorders and low self-confidence, I often feel a lot of social pressures. I worry about my outfits and if I look skinny enough, I worry about if I’m having the appropriate amount of fun when I’m out and if I’ll suddenly decide I’d rather be in bed. The constant notifications from my Instagram, Facebook, and email accounts keep me tied to my phone and stressing about how I appear to other people. I go out on hikes or to nice parks to get away from all those things. When I sat there on that bench, I felt none of these worries. All that mattered was that nothing else mattered. I was sitting with my favorite person who would never even dream of judging me in a place where no one else was around to care about what I looked like. The weight of life was off my shoulders for that short time. I had no makeup on, I was wearing my comfy clothes, I was sweaty, and I was happy.

There can be multiple environments where you feel at ease. I have attached pictures of my nature excursions, the beach, and food. All of these are settings in which I feel like I have escaped and where I am happiest.