Hi Everyone, I went to the Sunnvale Art Gallery yesterday. I did'nt even know that Sunnyvale had an art gallery until I looked in the pamphlet that Kirk gave us. The art gallery I went to was actually a different gallery than what I found in the pamphlet though. This gallery just opened about 3 or 4 weeks ago so it's pretty new. The Sunnyvale Art Gallery has a cafe and sells art supplies too. A lot of the artwork I saw was realistic but there were different kinds of artwork like abstract photography, abstract painting, traditonal Indian (like from the country India) and cartoons. Many of the artists at the gallery are members in the Sunnyvale Art Club. There were a few artists there who were not in the club but most of them were. The club has been around for 50 years. I'm not sure if all of the members have been apart of the club for 50 years or if the club has just been around that long.
Anyways, I thought that the gallery was nice. It's on El Camino Real close to the Rooster T. Feathers comedy club.
One of my favorite of the artworks was a painting called "Swine Flu" by Angelo Lopez. I hope that you like the pictures.
Hey everyone, I went to Seattle this weekend and while I was there I found some of my old school work from elementary school. I wanted to share this one with you. I was in 2nd grade... I thought it was cool because I remember being more creative than the other kids but I don't remember wanting to be an artist when I was young. I never thought of it as a profession until college...but apparently, back in 1995, I wanted to be one.
"In ten years I will be 17. I will be an artist. I will paint pictures and I will do a lot of pictures. Then I will put it up on my wall. Then my wall would be nice."
My drawing totally shows how much Bob Ross influenced me! See my happy trees? RIP
I love the idea of this show in SF. The title is: "Kinkade Cannibalized! - An Exhibition of Augmented Thomas Kinkade Paintings." I do not consider Kinkade an artist so this is a sweet revenge for me. Anyway read the article and look at some of the flicker pics. Some are hilarious. My favorite is the toilet paper one.
The post about the movie "Untitled" made think about this other movie I saw called Art School Confidential which also had to do with art. I liked this movie a lot. It was pretty funny. I have mixed feelings about the end though. It's on DVD now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3oKgf3c87Q
Today, I went to see the work of Ruth Asawa at the Rena Bransten Gallery. Asawa is an American artist of Japanese descendant who creates biomorphic, three-dimensional sculpture composed of crocheted and tied iron, brass, and copper galvanized wire. She learned basketweaving techniques while at Black Mountain College and during her time in Toluca, Mexico. Some of her crocheted shapes are reminiscent of traditional Mexican egg baskets, while others feature patterns she derives from her childhood experiences living on a farm (they mimic the watering lever she would stand and play on as a child). The shape of her standing on the lever resembles an hourglass, which she recreates in her work. She considers these sculptural forms line drawings. She states they're transparency and interlocking/interweaving in space can only be done with line. Light is also cast upon her sculptures to create different shadow configurations.
Asawa describes her tied sculptures in terms of nature, calling them "trees" or "branching forms." Modeling first from nature, she then turns them into more abstract forms, using geometric centers with four, five, six, or seven points. The number of points define the shape and form of the branches.
Lastly, Asawa's two-dimensional works on paper, drawn in charcoal or brushed with ink, feature abstracted pine trees, pointillist-inspired landscapes, and stylized ocean waves. She draws out each surface with repetitive paint smears or charcoal markings, which later become larger organic shapes (some of the images may be blurry).
How many artists does it take to change a light bulb? ---Ten. One to change it, and nine to reassure him about how good it looks.
How many surrealists does it take to change a light blub? ---fish.
Hey guys, so I'm sure everyone has heard about how difficult being an artist is after graduating. You're not around your peers anymore, there are no teachers to come by with their insight and no critiques to go to for constructive criticism. All of a sudden you're on your own. Seeing how well this blog has been going, I've made a new team blog that acts like an online studio. I'd like this blog to be a way to stay connected with each other long after we all graduate. Like our teachers stress, it's important as artists to stay in touch for networking and support. We've created a small supportive art community here at CSUEB and I hope that we will all continue to be apart of it after graduation and beyond.
The blog is 510studiovisit.blogspot.com If you want to be a contributor to this blog, comment with your email address and I will send you an invite to be an author.
Ways to use this blog: -upload pics of your sketches or studies for feedback -show works in progress/completed works for feedback -promote any shows you are in -to talk about any conflicts with your art making or use as therapy because you know we all need it [senior "seminar" is actually code for senior "therapy" ;)] -art news/opportunities
For those who already have their own blog--feel free to forward blogs to 510 studio visit that you want everyone else to see.
I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who completed my survey!!!! I really, really, really appreciate it!!! I don't know who filled out the survey, but I did receive comments and a couple of those comments were things only art people would say -thanks for the laughs.
Debriefing Information: The survey was a measurement of learning and thinking processes based on dominance of the left hemispheric brain or the right hemispheric brain. People who are dominantly influenced by the left hemisphere of the brain often process information using sequences, logic, structure, verbal expressions, and symbols. In contrast, people who are dominantly influenced by the right hemisphere of the brain often process information holistically, randomly, intuitively, creatively, and through imagery. Those who equally use both hemispheres of the brain are considered balanced or “whole brain” thinkers.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more information, let me know. Thanks again!!! :D
I found this on the movie guide section of EB express. The movie has good reviews, and its out now. goodstuff check out the trailer on the youtube link below or go to www.untitled-themovie.com
Here are some more photos from the Oakland Art Mur Mur this friday. This is part.2 to Kathleens post. We all had an idea to put out a free art table in the street between Johansson Projects gallery and Rock Paper Scissors. We were among all the vendors that were trying to sell stuff- but instead of selling, we gave away art for free.
What does giving away free art mean? How does it make you feel? Are we making a statement? It was a fun night, made people smile, got to talk to strangers, interact and hang out.
If anyone is interested in giving away free art next month at the next art murmur, you can contact me through my email- tonyhoang1@gmail.com. I can try to answer any questions you might have, or talk to mostly anyone on this blog and they can inform you.
Found a great subterranean show on our last day in NYC at Nicholas Robinson Gallery. The exhibit by MARTIN WÖHRL was made to look like a subway station. Sharpie markers were left in a cup to encourage visitors to make their mark. I took the opportunity to do one of my poetic surrealism sketches titled "Bye Bye NYC". My friends band, Slide 5, provides the vibes, a tune called Rhode Trip.
Just wanted to share the site of an artist that I have been in communication with recently. His name is Gerry Simpson and his art is very urban and colorful. Check out his site. I feel that his artistic style is original and honest.
I was at de Saisset museum in Santa Clara University last Sat with my families. We were enjoying taking photo in their front door, the flower and roses looked so great and it was a nice day. I went in the first thing is to check if there's a sign of no photo, fortunately no sign. I saw some nice works and start taking photo, after couple photos, the museum lady told me "no photo"....
oh~~ok~~(good I took couple of them already~ha)
I like this piece a lot. It's an Iris print by Arnold Kemp, titled (Them) Trees in 2009.
Trees is part of a series of photographs taken for an exhibition at the Studio Museum of Harlem. Instead of focusing on the usual street scenses, Kemp chose to capture the variety of trees that line the street of the famous New York neighborhood.
Cyndie Lauper- Goonies R Good Enough I first found this video on the Goonies DVD. I thought it was going to be about 3 or 4 minutes long but it's more like 12 minutes. It has a lot of weird things going on it. I like the song too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMi9tvuuZY
Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins- It's Like That I think the remix of this song came out in 1999 but I only first heard of it about a year ago. I heard the original version but I think that I like this version better. I like the dancing in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7q-eHWfpzM
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Heads Will Roll I think this video looks neat. I like the dancing ware wolf. It kind of reminds me a Michael Jackson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK4SUof_yv8
When I first heard of emo I got the impression that it was a new kind of punk who was in touch with their feelings. The last thing I read about it said that it was pretty much the same old goth with just a new name and a new look. I think that I like the first definition better. Anyways, I thought this was a funny video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QHJzWddOa8
This is a large collage by Harry Clewans at Kala Art Institute. Ckeck out the upper right area.
This is that area in close-up. These collages are made from block prints he makes and then cuts up to form the collage. The vision, detail and skill required do this is phenomenal to me.
We tried to do FirstFriday but it didn't turn out quite as we had planned. I have an old friend, Bob (he is 87 and a little cranky), I thought his views would be interesting. Bob is a retired Hayward High English teacher, and he is very well versed in contemporary and modern art. We started in Berkeley at the Kala gallery but it appeared to be closed so we went down the street to Blankspace and Compound Gallery and they were both close too, we were too early. Bob's frailty, what with the walking and stair climbing, had him a bit irritated so we decided to go to dinner in Berkeley. After dinner we dropped Bob at his home, and Martha and I went back by the Kala gallery and found that to enter you had to ring the bell. They kept the door locked. It didn't seem very hospitable to us. Harry Clewans’ collages made from prints he had created were remarkable. Maizie Gilbert’s photography puzzled me. It appears, from my perspective that out of focus is the way to make photography contemporary. Christopher Romer’s work at The Compound Gallery is interesting, but I found myself drawn to the exotic grains in the wood that he used as opposed to the painted protuberances sticking out of the blocks. I was reminded of a conversation I had with a sculpture instructor about mounting one of my works on an exotic piece of wood. His advice was to not do it because it is hard to compete with all the motion and intricacy in a polished block of natural wood. Daniel Healy was at Blankspace explaining his work. I didn't listen much. Hopefully next month I'll be a little more personally involved, and, as much as I love Bob I won't bring him along.
Maybe some of you are familiar with Art in the Park??
I went to the one in Golden Gate park. But they're pretty much everywhere. You can see a similar thing going on near the Embarcadero or the Ferry Building.
Anyway. This can be a pretty nice experience. You've got art. The artists are nearby, taking it easy. For the most part they are pretty quiet, though. They watch you as you view their art. Sometimes they seem a little uneasy.
WHICH MAKES ME FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE... GAAAH!!!
haha.
I used to stroll around here with my family. I used to think it was cool to be able to talk to the artists and ask them questions.
But I don't think I like this set up any more.
I guess I am more in tune with the artist's sense of urgency to sell a painting?? I don't know.
Can anyone else relate? Or does you guys feel differently?
The free art was awesome! It was cool to see everyone there!
I hung out with Zsuzsanna and her husband for a little while, roaming the streets, looking for galleries
Zsuzsanna had her face projected to the wall! It was pretty epic. Anyway. It was interesting to see what type of people showed up to this event For the most part, the crowds kinda bothered me, in terms of trying to get into the galleries.
I loved the street scene though. Even if there were some pretty annoying peoples out there.
They were all just kinda doing their thing.
I think I'll try to make it out there next month too ^_~
This weekend I went to First Fridays for the first time! I've known about it but I never realized it was so close to where I live. A bunch of us art students showed up including Dickson and his wifey Katina. We gave out our free art and it all got snatched up in about 2 hours. I took one of Katina's art ;). I had to leave early but next art murmur I plan on having much more free art, visiting more galleries and staying till the end. oh and everyone should make it next time with some free art!
Saturday I went to Expostwave's show at the Stork Club. A few of you guys were there too. I got to see Rene look really cool with his bass guitar for the first time. :) Here are a couple pictures.
On Wednesday I attended an opening reception at YBCA for a show called, When Lives Become Form: Contemporary Brazilian Art, 1960s to the Present. It was a lot of fun and totally worth getting a mild sore throat over the next day.
It started out slow and the place was swarming with security. I took two photos but got stopped because only press were allowed to take pictures (I later found out they needed special stickers because I had to work at the press table). As a result, most of this blog is going to be compiled of pictures from online. Anyways, the night started a little slow, but after a couple of hours it was crowded with people. There were live Brazilian bands (both traditional and contemporary), Brazilian cocktails, ladies dressed in pink feathers and half naked, and there was art too. It was a show that could only be fully experienced at the reception because it really transformed the atmosphere from a museum to a party.
Purpose of the Show: The art show was about using cultural, historical, traditional, and societal influences that were deeply rooted in Brazil in order to create a movement of contemporary artistic statements using modern American and European inspirations, such as Dadaism and Deconstructionism to name a couple. Made up of Brazilian, Japanese-Brazilian, Jewish-Brazilian, and Afro-Brazilian artists, the show consisted of visual art, music, fashion design, sculpture, film, and architecture. The central theme revolved around Tropicália.
Tropi-what?:
Tropicália was an art movement in Brazil from 1967 to 1972 that focused on how art was shifting from what was considered “high brow” to commercial art. The idea originated from Hélico Oiticica –who was also the central figure of the art show. In 1967, Oiticica used clichés and tropical tropes, such as palm trees and tropical birds, to show how the culture had been consumed by commercialistic art. It was a form of expression that protested what society was becoming.
By 1972, a military dictatorship emerged in Brazil, which established censorships on art and freedom of speech. Many of the artists who led and followed the ideas and beliefs of Tropicália were incarcerated, exiled, or executed. Despite years of having a military dictatorship, Brazil returned to its democratic government in 1985 and the spirit and ideas of Tropicália flourish once again, but with a modern twist.
Enough with the History: I will show some artists that I really enjoyed at the show and briefly discuss their work. Some work may relate to other issues and themes depending on the artist’s ethnic background.
Fashion Design: Jum Nakao. Sewing the Invisible.
This is a modified version of the video at the museum –the one at the museum is better. Fashion designer Jum Nakao created all of these clothing articles out of paper. Yes, paper. The featured fashion show was based on traditional Japanese dresses. Nakao wanted to show the rigidness of the past and how people tried so hard to conform to these ideals and to obey governmental authority. By busting out of the delicate dresses, the models were breaking away from the rigid past and governmental restrictions and becoming free to the modern ways of self-expression and freedom. It was stated that some people who saw the fashion show had cried because they could not picture a life without the strict traditions.
Installation: Lygia Pape. Roda dos Prazeres (Wheel of Delights).
(this was not taken at YBCA)
Lygia Pape constantly worked in different media. This piece of hers was presented because of its Tropicália theme that involved antropofago*.
*antropofago or anthropophagy: a.k.a. cannibalism
Long story short, antropofago is a metaphorical explanation of cannibalism practiced by one of Brazil’s largest indigenous tribes, the Tupi. After capturing their enemies, the Tupi would select certain body parts from their enemies that they felt were "superior." By eating these parts, the individual would receive the strength and power of their enemy (eating other people was common in Mesoamerica). The strength was not to emulate the enemy, but to enhance one’s self through the actual process of ingesting, digesting, and absorbing the blood and flesh through one’s self (I guess you can look at it as a meditative thing where you put all of your attention on what you’re eating and how your body is absorbing it. In this case…nevermind).
With Pape’s piece, the bowls are filled with water, food coloring (I'm assuming), and a flavor that you would not associate with that color. For instance, a bowl with green water would be coconut-flavored. The purpose was to drop some of the liquid into your mouth and to focus on what you were tasting so you could embrace the senses –resembling the practice of antropofago. (Someone told me they saw “double-dipping” going on, so I didn’t try it).
Installation/Film: Hélico Oiticica. Cosmococa CCI Trashiscapes.
(this was not taken at YBCA -the walls were painted black)
This piece by Hélico Oiticica was interesting. Hours before the show started, I saw people scrambling about, painting the walls, and installing things. The walls for this space were installed and you could still smell the paint when you walked inside –but I think it helped this particular piece. There were large cushions to lie down on, nail files, a video of drug references, and music that played both reggae and even some Jimi Hendrix-inspired music. It was actually a nice place to hang out for a while because it was dark and completely chilled. Well, I think you can guess where this is going and I don’t think I really need to add too many explanations. The only important thing I could say is Oiticica was a man who “was influenced by his observations and experience[s]” and felt that art should not divide the artist from the viewer –the artist and the viewer should be able to experience the same thing.
Visual Arts: Osgemeos. Title Unknown, sorry.
I really liked osgemeos’ work. I have seen this spelled Os Gemeos, but everything at YBCA spelled it as osgemeos. Osgemeos is Portuguese for “twins.” The artist is really twin brothers who create graffiti art using mixed media on canvas and on the streets. I have seen a lot of graffiti art, but it generally uses the same media. What I liked was their art consists of incredibly thin ink lines, backgrounds made with printmaking techniques, spray paint to emphasize shadows and texture, and paint rollers to cover large spaces. Something about it really struck me and I really enjoyed staring at their pieces because there were so many details. The picture I posted is not what I saw and I searched like crazy to find it, but it is a painting from the same series.
Osgemeos creates art that reflects the graffiti streets of Brazil. However, they also add their own elements by using mixed media. Their themes range from culture to politics. Osgemeos also use bright vibrant colors to reflect how their contemporary art still consists of the roots from their cultural past.
Visual Arts: Rogério Degaki. Vicky.
This was the only thing I was able to take a picture of, so it’s going in the blog. When I first saw this piece by Rogério Degaki, I thought it was a giant crochet of a dog with a beret. When I read the label and discovered it was an oil painting on canvas, I was shocked because the piece consisted of a lot of texture that made it seem like it was painted based on each strand of yarn. It was very bright and I enjoyed the rich colors. This dog with a beret is the only proof I have that I was at this event. I hope you all believe me.
In Conclusion: It was a very fun and exciting event. It’s still open, so if you get the chance, you should definitely check it out (keeping in mind that they don’t offer cocktails on normal business hours). There’s more to look at and I wish I could have taken pictures.
Apologies: I apologize for any long and unnecessary explanations that may have bored you all to death. If you got this far, thanks for reading!
Resources: My sources came from what I learned at YBCA. They give tours that explain everything too.
I’m taking a statistics class and we have to create online surveys. I wanted to incorporate a measurement that somehow combined art with psychology, so I created this survey about hemispheric thinking processes. If you wouldn’t mind clicking on the link to fill it out, I would really appreciate it (it's completely anonymous). More surveys = more data. :) Where it asks you to give a subject ID number, just put 9999 (it’s also stated on the survey).
