2-10-10 Idea Post

Last night I stopped by Tan A Grocery Store and picked up 2 squid, 2-3 different kinds of whole fresh fish, pork bones, and a frozen duck. Asking the attendant to weight and price everything for me was awkward. I'm pretty sure he thought my random combination was near insane. =) The good news is that all that great material was only around 20 dollars!

I really wish I had a photograph of their amazing seafood/meat spread in the back of the store. It's pretty intense... and so is the smell.


I am planning on executing the meat pile still life this weekend and visit Staunton, Va the following Friday.

During the 'snow storm' this past weekend, I spent several hours inside another Barne's and Noble searching for information. I came across a book filled with 19th century animal wood engraving reproductions. "Animals" (Jim Harter) is filled with over 1,000 species of copyright-free illustrations that I eagerly snatched up and brought home. I scanned over 160 pages of the book and plan to reprint and use as a collage wallpaper or place mat in some of my images. The choice of animals to include in the photographs must be considered carefully, of course. This is why I checked out Hope Werness' "The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in Art."




I also put in an order for several furs at Moscow Hide and Fur (hideandfur.com). I hope they arrive SOON! I have been feeling stunted on ideas as of late and hope these new materials will spark something.

2-7-10 Artist Post, Peter Gronquist

Does this font look familiar? I simply love that his home page is titled using the Disney font! Coincidence? I have been running into a lot of coincidences lately. The more research I do, the more interconnected different aspects of my life become.

Peter Gronquist

I found Peter's name in a magazine at Barnes and Noble: "Hi-Fructose". His sculptural work relies heavily on juxtaposition, particularly his Sculpture + Weapons series. Disabled grenades, chainsaws, and guns are embellished with designer fashion labels as humorous commentary on "our culture's [Western culture] glamorization of violence, rampant consumerism, [and] war profiteering."

"I really wanted to make something completely ridiculous. Then people gave me money for them. So, I made a ton of them because I'm a whore. I find that it's a parody of myself because I also like rediculous things sometimes for no logical reason. I'm a victim of the rampant consumerism that I parody. It's all very confusing."
http://lostinasupermarket.com/2009/08/sculpture-weapons-by-peter-gronquist/

Gronquist's weapons have become so popular that Louis Vuitton sent him a Cease and Desist. This doesn't stop his production.

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I am also interested in another series in which he pairs animals with designer fashion labels and guns. One word: juxtaposition.

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petergronquist.com

2-4-10 Idea Post

I have been doing so much research lately, I don't know where to start. All of the images I produced last semester were still lifes, so I thought it was imperative that I research still lifes. The most recent book I read was about the early history of still lifes ("Still Life" by Norbert Schneider). I was particularly interested in the use of dead game, meat, and the inclusion of live animals.

Still life: a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made in an artificial setting.

The abundance of game, fish, and meat in still lifes reflects the economy. Only royalty and aristocrats were permitted to hunt (15th century law) and only they could afford to overindulge, therefore large spreads of meat (particularly in kitchen settings) came to represent wealth. Dead animal flesh also represented the temptations of the flesh and a lack of sensibility known as "voluptas carnis."

"Kitchen Scene" Adriaen van Nieulandt, 1616

"Kitchen Scene" Joachim Antonisz Uytewael, 1605

16th/17th century representations of dead animals were also warnings to religious followers.

"You who with much pleasure
Slay a swine or calf,
Think how on the Lord's Day
You will stand before God's Judgment"
"Still Life," Norbert Schneider (pg 34-35)

"Butcher's Stall" Pierter Aertsen, 1551

Finally, paintings of dead game were forms of trophies. These trompe-l'oeil pictures were often hung in hunting lodges.

"Still Life with Dead Birds and Hunting Weapons" Willem van Aelst, 1660

I came across many Latin sayings or words that I find relevant and I have been considering incorporating them through title, artist statement, or in the photos.

"Vogelen" - 'to catch birds' AKA 'to have sexual intercourse' (pg 40)

"Sub specie aeternitatis" - in the face of death (pg 79)

"Vanitas" - emptiness, meaninglessness of life and the transient nature of vanity (pg 76-87)

"Omnia morte cadont" - everything decays with death (pg 77)

"Mors ultima linea rerum/sic transit gloria mundi" - death is the line that marks the end of all/thus passes the blory of the world ("Still Life" by Gian Casper Bott pg 14-15)

In conclusion, this reading, as well as several others, has given me an idea for a photograph. A pile of meat (whole fish, slabs of beef, uncooked crustaceans, and generally anything else I can find of a similar nature) rests on a large platter while two animal figurines (children's toys) appear to be engaged in sexual intercourse in the foreground. I was thinking of using horse figures because of human intervention with reproduction (breeding), even from the days of early still lifes- particularly for 'the hunt.'

Other ideas will branch off from my research on still lifes.

2-2-10 The Humane Society Photo Contest

Though this contest may not be as well respected as National Geographic's International Photography Contest, I thought I'd enter it just the same. I love my pet!

This is Sergeant Pepper, adopted through the Richmond Ferret Rescue League:


Support the Humane Society's International Spay Day here:

https://photocontest.humanesociety.org/contest.html?page=viewInd&id=59488&contestId=2

1-28-10: Individual Meeting with Tom

I brought both images from last semester and more recent photos to the meeting today. It was great to get more response to final images from last semester (since we all didn't see or talk about them) and to discuss my current research/ideas.

Images from fall semester:






The major breakthrough I experienced at the end of last semester was my realization that I had been using animals to represent myself. In "Still In Life," I had been projecting myself into stiff domestic landscapes in which I was forced to coexist with humanness and impermanence. Asking myself why I had made this animal-human relation, I found several great resources.

The most informative book I found was "The Idea of Nature in Disney Animation" that finally opened my mind to the realization of man's drive to domesticate nature AND anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, material states, and abstract concepts. I was first introduced (as a child) to anthropomorphism through Disney's animations that used and continues to use animals (anthropomorphically) as totemic-devices. As the viewer, I associated myself with the animal's imagined capacities and values. Disney also used these animal totemic-devices to heal man's (or my) separation from wild nature (particularly in western culture). I had been feeding off this established relationship that had been subconsciously ingrained in my head since I was a child.

It all makes sense now, right?

Tom simply smiled at me as I read him this quote:

"If our only access to animals in the past is through documents written by humans, then we are never looking at the animals, only ever at the representation of the animals by Humans." -"Representing Animals, Erica Fudge, pg 6

From here I stated that I want to continue the work from last semester, but building off this recent research. I narrowed down that my work applies to Western Culture, that it originates in childhood (particularly mine) and that it is an exploration of innocence through my anthropomorphic relationship with animals.

Tom suggested that pop culture, neo spiritualism, and animal effigies are all subjects I need to continue to research and consider including in my work. He told me to focus on determining how my work is supposed to function (a commentary, political statement, narrative, etc) and how the creation of images will be driven (aesthetically, intelligently, etc). I have a lot to think about and even more to experiment and RESEARCH!

Several questions I posed during the meeting included: How does Western Culture (based on the above explanation of anthropomorphism) relate to dead animals? Does the anthropomorphic behavior continue to take place? Do you think the above works are more aesthetically based (in terms of composition, subject matter) or intelligent? What are particular responses you are having to any image above?

2-1-10 Photographer's Forum 30th Annual Spring Competition

1-31-10 Artist Post, Josh Keyes

Josh Keyes

I discovered Josh Keyes this past week when I was browsing Barnes and Noble. Several of his illustrations/paintings were in the most recent Juxtapose magazine. I'm seriously considering buying a subscription to this magazine because they had some REALLY great artists and imagery.

Keyes says he likes to think of his work as "a chess game without a board and with very few rules, and instead of chess pieces there are artifacts or specimens" that he uses in juxtaposition to tell a story. His work moves back and forth from political messages involving the urgency of natural conservation, moving images of death, and the coexistence and love of animals.



"I tend to think of objects or structures such as street signs, monuments, mailboxes, and pavement as a metaphor to illustrate the conscious mind or ego... The animals are used to personify and express unconscious drives and energy. The tension that is created when the imagery from the unconscious meets the conscious landscape holds tremendous mystery and fascination for me. It is in this space that I am free to explore the depth of archetypal and mythical potentiality both personally and collectively."

www.joshkeyes.net/biography.htm

Though Keyes expresses the importance of his work being accessible to others, I think he directs his work primarily to the people of North America. The animals he uses are primarily located within North America or along its coasts (accounting for migration), but the animal's interaction with human environments is something that can be understood everywhere.


"Incubate" 2009


"Shedding" 2009


"Burst I" 2009


"Scortch II" 2009

www.joshkeyes.net/paintings.htm

Sometimes life has strange coincidences. I just connected one of Keye's installations to a recent Black Eyed Peas music video, ""I Gotta Feeling." Look his "A Thousand Points of Light" installation (pictured below) in their music video!

Idea Post/Visiting Artist Lecture: Alec Soth 1-27-09

Alec Soth

Alec Soth is a photographer with not only an amazing sense of humor, but a strong dedication and yearning that drive the creation of his work. He began his lecture with a film of Lee Freelander's traveling photography. The short film was light and playful and showed the joys of creating work on the road. This idea of being able to move freely throughout the country driven by nothing but pure desire with no constraints or requirements is THE driving force behind a vast majority of Soth's work.

His method of traveling from photograph to photograph is also unique. Soth makes connections between subject matter through intellectual development. He takes a sheep's portrait and then relates that sheep to the study of dreams and sleep (counting sheep as you sleep), so he makes a portrait of a patient hooked up to a polysomnograph (a machine used during sleep to aid in detecting sleep disorders and research).


"Joshua, Angola State Prison, Louisiana" 2002


"Bonnie (with a photograph of an angel), Port Gibson, Mississippi" 2000

Because of his image development method, Soth's concept also changes throughout the birth of a series. For example, his series "Niagara" first began as an exploration of love and an interest in why people often travel to the Niagara Falls for wedding ceremonies or honeymoons. Later, he found his project evolving into the sexual exploration and "distrust of new passion."


"Two Towels" 2004


"Impala" 2005


"I can't go on like this" 2005

Soth describes his developed photo method as "photographing democratically" inspired by William Eggleston. Hearing him speak of his connections below the surface and simply photographing whatever he wants was inspiring. Trusting instinct (instead of planning) can lead to works of art.

http://www.alecsoth.com/

Visiting Artist Lecture: Ayumi Horie 1-28-09

Ayumi Horie

Ayumi Horie is a potter/ceramic artist whose work combines duality, comfort and narrative. As a Japanese-American, Ayumi assimilates her racial duality to her pottery by blending materials, relationships, and illusions of comfort. She also relates the height of her work (generally short) stems from the Japanese belief that the human soul is located closer to the center of gravity (stomach region) than the heart. Her shorter vessels speak to comfort and control.

Horie's creation of mugs, bowls, etc also differs greatly in that she throws dry and instead of traditionally shaping the clay (throwing/pulling it upward), she carves pieces out of clay or porcelain.

Often, she incorporates animals by carving through slip or adding decals. She explained that it is easy to relate to animals as they are frequently anthropomorphized in cultures throughout the world. She often thinks of her ceramic pieces as paper in which she uses drawings and glaze to create relationships of a didactic, narrative, or comforting nature.

Summing up her lecture, Horie explained the importance of creating objects for touch in a world that is "going digital." As a potter, she has the power to communicate with people in a manner that will never die. People will always need to eat and she has the capability to provide the vessel through which people fulfill their survival.




http://www.ayumihorie.com/

Informal Craft Dept Artist Lecture: Ashely Lyon 1-25-10

Ashley Lyon

My interest in material studies and the love of working with my hands led me to investigate and eventually establish a craft minor here at VCU. The line between my craft and photography work often becomes blurred, and the two run together. Thus, a majority of artists and research I accumulate fall outside of the photographic field and the visiting artists I choose to attend are brought to VCU by the craft department.

The major difference between photo/film and craft visiting artist's lecture topics is concept vs technique. Photography/film artists speak (almost entirely) about the conceptual side of their work while visiting craft artists base a majority of their lecture on techniques and materials. Critiques within each department follow in a similar manner, which is always eye-opening for me.

Today I not only listened to Ashely Lyon speak briefly about her ceramic and sculptural work, but I participated in an hour and a half long hand building demo. Demonstrating techniques, tools, and the importance of 'looking' rather than perceiving were a few of the topics she touched on, but the most significant thought I walked away with today was the amazingly individual relationship our human hands have with the texture and characteristics of clay. Clay is one of the most forgiving materials an artist can work with. It may even be the most human. When clay is wet, it gives off the same sheen as our very skin- a texture or finishing that many artists strive to maintain within their ceramic work, but will never be able to successfully preserve.

Lyon continued to reiterate the importance of taking time to look at and study the object you are modeling. Recreating objects from memory or perceptions is almost always unsuccessful when attempting to be realistic. "You should spend almost more time looking at your object than you do recreating it," she says.

An excerpt from her artist statement:

You look you trust you doubt you trust you look again. I view art as a circular pursuit of knowledge. Above all, I want my work to be honest. This aim is complex in a culture where truth can be extracted from both the sincere and corrupt... Realism is not an experiment in the reiteration of a hand, foot or head; realism is to locate the sensation of being human.

ashleylyon.com

1-24-10 Artist Post, Jennifer Khoshbin

Jennifer Khoshbin

“My work expresses the idea of the story, fable, or tale, attempting to sort out the past and create new beginnings. How these stories have affected me and my culture are represented through a combination of book and animal sculptures, drawings and writings. I am artificially re-imagining things in a handmade wilderness.”

Khoshbin creates her animals/insects from paper mache and decoupage covered resin casts. They then get coated with nature, home, or life inspired paper.

She domesticates these animals by transforming their outermost layer with false sedentary, familiarized paper- trapping them and making them safely available for YOUR living room. The truth is, I desperately want one! And so do many other people, as she sells these sculptures on Etsy for a fancy dollar or two.


"Big Bad"



"Deer Trophy Project"


"Ferdinand's Friend"

http://www.jenkhoshbin.com/home

Why the sudden revitalization of taxidermy? I have found myself drawn to it since I was a child and don't see my fascination dying anytime soon (no pun intended). Taxidermy use seems to be growing in many art fields: fashion, fine art, interior design, furniture design. Maybe I only think taxidermy has seen a revitalization because I have been researching it so much lately. What do you think?

Graduation: Eminent

We are about to graduate and the pressure is ON! I have no idea what I will or even want to do after I graduate. Where could you see me working? Will I even have a camera in my hand? I hope so.

Here are some interesting college facts...

http://www.onlinecollegesanduniversities.com/college_america