Idea

So now that I have had my first crit it's time to think about what direction I'm going to take from here. I received enough good feed back to get me thinking about several possibilities for exploration. I was happy with my work going into the crit, and I feel that it can only get better from here.

So one of the biggest things that was mentioned was keeping the images consistent. Jeff mentioned that the laundry place, the pizza and the printing press convey different meanings as stores. Each one has a different mood and there for a different conceptual idea behind it. The laundry is unique because it is not a place that one would normally window shop at, or even glance at on a late night walk. It is basically an invisible business that everyone assumes exists but never really gives any attention to. I think this idea of sublime beauty that exists in the every day working class shop is very interesting and worth perusing.

The second Photo containing the restaurant and the pizza sign gives off a completely different vibe. There is a much greater use of figure ground ambiguity creating a loss of specific location. By melding the back, middle and fore ground together along with the location behind the viewer there is a sense of confusion as to where exactly we exist. This process is interesting to me because it shows the interchangeability of each of these locations. This could be played up to an even more extreme point where the line between reality and fiction is questionable.

The third photo is much more abstract and painterly. Tom mentioned that at first he thought that it was a city scape of industrial buildings rather than an interior shot. The simplicity of the image and large amounts of negative space plays a big role in how the photo is received. Also the unnatural vibrant colors amplify the question of reality and where it is that these colors can actually be seen. Fooling the viewer to me is a great achievement. Showing something that is abstract enough that the viewer starts to draw their own conclusions and formulate their own reality I think is a great strength to this piece . This image seemed to get the best response from crit so it will be the main avenue that I explore.

The crit was a massive help and really got the ball rolling on me being able to nail down what and where exactly I want to shoot. More soon!

Walead Beshty

Jeff recommended artist Walead Beshty after my crit on Thursday so I decided to look into him. The photographs that drew me in the most were a series of work where he photographed an abandoned Iraqi embassy. When he was returning form one of the trips to Iraq he accidentally put his film through the x-ray machine with out any protective case on it. Apparently he was about to throw it away but decided to get it processed anyway to see how the rays effected it. He was so pleased with the results that it became the central theme of his very large wall sized prints. The x-rays became a symbol for crossing an international border as well as serving as a great ascetic plus.




The color, cropping and composition all remind me of what I have been working on. The idea of the process mirroring the concept is really interesting to me and it is something that I am going to look into. Beshty also included a partner piece to go with the x-ray images in sculpture form. He made bullet proof glass boxes the size of fedex boxes, then put them into actual fedex boxes and had has them shipped between shows. The result is that the boxes get damaged with every move and show their travel through their wear. It seems like incorporating sculpture with photography is a new trend emerging now in modern work. Being able to have both 2d and 3d work in the same space that have the same general concept and meaning is a challenging thing to achecve, and I think he pulls it off quite well.

Idea

Shooting was the main theme for this week, and a lot of it. I figured that since I decided that I was going to progress with the window work for now I better accumulate a solid base of photos to choose from for the midterm crit. I went out three nights in a row, this time after 2:00 A.M. to avoid people and decided to explore the Carrytown and campus area as opposed to going down Broad like I usually do. After I shot for a few days I really felt like I had made progress in terms of my subjects and the way that I presented them. Some of the images are more intertwined and difficult to read than the others and I really enjoyed that ascetic. The figure ground play is to the point where it almost looks photoshoped. The images that require you to really question where you are and what you are looking at are the ones that excite me the most. So I have chosen a few for my crit and can't wait to hear what people have to say, and judging by what responses I get I will decide weather to continue in this direction or not.

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Recently I have come across some new work but a favorite artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. His 2008 series Lightning Fields was new and exciting to me and I felt that it was worth mentioning.





When I saw these prints I imminently thought of the processes and techniques class last semester. I often list him as one of my primary influences and seeing the similarities between this work and the glow stick work i did in processes was a real treat for me. Sugimoto wanted to re-create the major discoveries of scientific pioneers in the darkroom to be able verify these discoveries with his own eyes. He discussed scientists such as Franklin and Faraday and their discoveries of the way electricity works and it's possibly applications. Using dry plates in the dark room he was able to capture theses electrical currents in vivid detail.

The simple elegant beauty of this work can be seen in all of his pieces. From the oceans to the theaters his work has always been amazing to look at, especially in person. He has a way of taking a large scale, deep concept and expressing it in a simple manner. They can be viewed and enjoyed on a surface level and admired for their technical perfection, but the concepts are brilliant enough to cause you to really think about what he is presenting. Are they just sweet pictures of electricity? Or are they something way deeper than that? Both conceptually and ascetically Sugimoto has continued to be a major source of inspiration and general excitement about art and the artistic process.

Idea

So I have made the decision that the windows project in one form or another is going to be what I pursue for my final senior portfolio. I took a look back at all the various projects that I have been pursuing over the last few months and made the decision that this one was the strongest of the bunch. And while the other ones will not be abandoned or forgotten I feel that pushing forward with the windows is the best choice. This is not only the project that I enjoy shooting the most, but is also formally and becoming conceptually the strongest.

A discussion with Kate over lunch the other day helped me to reach this conclusion. When she asked me why it was that I was doing this I sort of froze up and was unable to give a clear answer. The more we talked it over the more we came to some conclusions. I'm definitely initially drawn to why it is that stores leave their lights on all night, this I knew. But why does this matter? Why does it effect me? As we thought about we realized that there is a massive subliminal almost teasing aspect to it all. The stores are closed, but all the product is still lit and the windows are clear to see in. A lot of the time the windows are big enough to see in as you are whizzing by in you automobile. They are like loud, flashy reminders that all this product is waiting there for you, but you'll have to wait for morning!

So why the reflections? I could eliminate the glass windows by simply shooting with my lens on the glass, and I've tried that, but I feel that it is an element that is worth examining and including in the image. When we look through the glass at night we see not only the product inside, but what is behind us and also ourselves. In a single instant we see what we want, who we are, and what is around us. Now not everyone thinks about this when they walk up to a window and look in, but I think it is something that is often overlooked. I don't know if I want to include my own actual reflection in the image but at least hints of me like the one image where my car can be seen in the background. I also want to push the abstraction like the one on the left so that there is less of a focus on just the product and more on all the elements that are being presented.

As far as presentation goes I think they should be large and close to each other, to emulate how strip malls are set up. What I have posted here is just a mock up of some of the images I have already taken. I like the idea that they can be viewed on a surface level and appreciated for their color and form, but the little hints and subtleties in each piece will hopefully be enough to make you think twice about what it is you are actually looking at.

Artist Lecture, Brian Ulrich

To say that my work is similar to Brian Ulrich's work would be a bit of an understatement. I had seen some his images before today but had never really taken the time to study them. Our work is similar in a conceptual and ascetic sense and I feel there is a lot I can learn from him. He was well spoken for the most part and said a few things and showed several images that I feel will stick with me for a while to come. Immediately I was drawn to the way he composed his his photos as well as the settings he chose. I always find it interesting when you come across an artist who who shoots so similarly to you that you wonder if you met him and looked at his work early on and has been subconsciously inspiring you somehow.

My favorite work that he presented would have to be a toss up between the retail store interiors and the abandoned mall interiors. I'm always completely enamored by the beauty and clarity of the 4x5 and 8x10 and can sometimes find that hard to get past. What he said about using a large format to make things appear epic is something that I often think about myself. Sometimes when I look at large format work I wonder if it is the art or the technical that I am drawn to. But for the most part I think he showed a very good balance between the eye candy and the backing concept.

The retail store shots are something that I have often thought about myself and have taken many cell phone photos in but never even thought about bringing an actual camera right in the front door and just going for it. The freedom that is in each of these images because of his willingness to take a chance is awesome to me. The interesting thing about the mall shots was that he was able to take something that we all have seen, and abandoned building interior, and make it fresh again. I admire the fact that he goes online and uses others photos as sources for where he wants to shoot next. If I see something online that I was thinking about doing myself then generally I will shy away from it with the old 'its been done before' phrase, but he presented it in a new way. Just because someone has done something and posted it to the internet does not mean....well anything, and I think I often over look this.

I was and am generally inspired by his presentation this afternoon because I feel that it really got me thinking about my work, which has been hard to do lately. Seeing someone else succeed in the same artistic field that you are in is a great reinforcement that what you are doing is not just shooting some buildings or store windows...sorry was that to directed towards myself?

Jessica Stockholder

Part two of my ask a friend for an artist led me to Jessica Stockholder. Stockholder is a contemporary sculptor with a schooling background in painting from Yale. Her pieces are explosions of color, found objects and can be seen as paintings in 3D space. Her pieces range in size and can be staggeringly complex and unusual. The work is all site specific and most of the time only exist in a space for a limited amount of time. While her work and mine can not be farther from each other at times, I am still intrigued by her process and the sheer amount of activity in her pieces. There is a strong mix of freedom and precision in each piece that allows you to enjoy it on the whole, but also move in and explore each nook and cranny. The individual parts that make up the whole of each work are generally completely different in shape and content, but in a bizarrely genius way they all come together to create a compositions that work. The last image in particular looks like it could easily be a painting with it's rolling pink waves and impressive depth. There is also a particular attention paid to the lighting in each of her pieces and in some cases it becomes a part of the work itself. Hopeful some day I will be able to experience one of her pieces in person.

Idea

Thinking has been the focus of this week. The last two artist lectures I went to, Finch and Umbrico, were really inspiring to me and sent me into a whirlwind of mental activity about what I am doing a how I can make it better. The main idea that I kept coming back to was that I think I am trying to over complicate my work in a visual sense. I focus way to hard on if it is going to be visually awesome and spend less time thinking about what it is going to make the viewer think. As I spoke about in my lecture blog I feel that the best work becomes naturally beautiful when the right idea and thought process is behind it. Both the lectures gave me that feeling and made me start to think about what my process is and if it really is successful.

The windows project is a perfect example. I love the images, and I know that they are aesthetically pleasing, but when I go to try and take them to the next level all I can think about is how to add more interesting visual aspects to them. I'm not saying that this is wrong, but I'm starting to think that this way of thinking will only serve to over complicate the image. I think that only when I can address the where this work needs to go at a basic, conceptual level will I be able to push this forward, or take a new direction. Why am I doing this? What does this mean to me? What is drawing me to working like this?

Now I know that this will be a challenge for me because I usually do not work this way. Generally I have a random idea or vision and just go for it and see what comes out. I'm not saying that I am going to stop doing this but I feel that it is time to challenge myself and really find out what it is that I am thinking about deep down. I guess I am a little scared of that kind of deep inner thought, I just never make the time for it. I'm going to give it a try and see what happens and if nothing positive comes out of it then I'm going to reevaluate the situation again. I've also noticed that I am putting way to much pressure on myself, basically all aspects of my life. I think that this pressure has been seriously inhibiting my works progression, but over last few days I had some talks with some friends and am starting to look past it and get over this unnecessary stress.

Deep breaths

Artist Lecture, Spencer Finch

Like a fair amount of the lectures that I go to I generally have no prior knowledge of the artist. I actually prefer this because most of the lectures are a retrospective of what the artist has done up until this point. The down side is since I do not know what to expect I sometimes write the artist off to quickly when I see their early work. This was the case with Spencer Finch, but fortunately all of my very premature notions about him were completely false and I ended up thoroughly enjoying both him and his work.

I'm always drawn in by an artist that clearly deeply loves his work and puts countless amounts of physical labor into each piece. I'm also very interested in the new wave of 'art scientists' so to speak, like Finch and Mark Dion. It's inspiring to see someone who is very interested in a solid science or mathematical subject and be able to turn it into beautiful and meaningful art. This first became clear to me when he explained the piece where he translated the scientific theory into a color language. It was the perfect mix of science and art, a theme that would run through all of his pieces.

The piece that really intrigued me the most were the light bulbs that were in the formation of atoms of the light of night sky. The fact that you could easily walk by them and not even notice them, writing them off as a simple sculpture made it all the more interesting. I respect that he creates these pieces knowing that a large portion of his viewers will not know the meaning, or even think twice about the purpose. This is something that I often struggle with and it is liberating to see that someone with such abstract and difficult to understand concepts can be so successful. The research and experimentation that goes into each of his pieces is incredibly intelligent and inspirational. So glad I went!

Artist Lecture, Umbrico.

Yesterday was the lecture for the photo based artist Penelope Umbrico. I have to say that she completely kept my attention the entire time with her inserting work and intelligent way of speaking. She seemed happy and generally excited about her work, which always puts me in a good mood and sets the tone of the lecture. The works that stood out to me the most both ascetically and conceptually were the sun and the TV projects. I think that I was most fascinated by these because they are based off of ideas that I myself have been working with. Ideas of appropriation and use of Internet and mass distributed images is the basis for the google maps project that I have been working on. The sheer beauty of the final suns image projected on the large screen was so overwhelming to me, it reminded me of a Rothko painting.

Works that are a collection of seemingly ordinary pieces that come together to create a whole body that is on it's own ascetically pleasing have always been interesting to me. The content and idea are there at the beginning but when put into a physical form the presentation and ascetics becomes a entirely stand alone aspect. Jenny Holzer also comes to mind when thinking about this topic. The idea was clearly there at first, but the beauty that the final pieces gave off seemed almost like a perfect after thought. The amount of avenues that Penelope has the possibility of exploring with her work is amazing and have inspired me to look further into this direction myself.

Julie Mehretu

Sometimes the best way to learn about new artists and receive inspiration is to simply ask a friend. Up until this point I have only studied photographers that I found through my own research so I decided to ask a friend who is in the painting department. After a random "know of any interesting artists" question from myself, she quickly responded with Julie Mehretu claiming that she was one of here favorites. A quick Google search reviled to me how truly awesome her paintings are. The mix of color, line and depth come together to create a vortex like composition that is very overwhelming.




What interests me the most are the layers, both physically and conceptually. When looking at the pieces you can see the overlay of organized methodically placed lines with more organic and chaotic shapes and forms. The more chaotic the shapes become the more brightly colored and larger they grow. The sharp contrast between the madness overtaking the calm is what suggests her concept and themes. She uses maps and city layout diagrams as references for a lot of her pieces when designing what the under image is going to be. When these structured forms are taken over by the organic explosions it suggests urbanization, globalization and the demise of the traditional city as we know it.

I feel as though the work also contains a performance aspect to it. Each pieces contains two different styles that would require two different processes. A more methodical approach for the under images and a more free-flowing manic approach for the top ones. The contrasting styles create a certain depth that makes the painting appear to be in motion, like a swirling torrent of doom raining down on the viewer. The scale and image weight play a huge part on how the viewer will respond in these pieces. These are definitely pieces that I would love to see in person. The overwhelming scale and the often top heavy compositions create a tension and act to overpower the viewer.

I think that its important to study all artists, not just ones in you medium. While I will never be a painter, Mehretu's concepts and processes are incredibly interesting to me and being able to draw from them is an invaluable resource.

Idea

So I've been thinking about another project to do in addition to what I have been doing so far. Like a bonus project! I feel that I have enough time to continue on with the windows and the Gmaps as well as one other project. I'm not 100% sure yet but I feel that this will not be ultimately what I decide to do for the final portfolio, but it is another avenue of exploration to keep my mind rolling. Lately I have felt that it is completely necessary to keep my mind busy in order to be able to continue to produce successful work.

I have been thinking a lot about why I chose photo over any other more study oriented major. In high school I was always interested in physics and chemistry but when it came time to decide what it was I was going to choose, it just didn't feel right. I often try to imagine how different my life would be had I have chosen a science major over art. The list of differences is enormous and would basically effect every part of my current life, from where I live, to what I would have done during the summers, to my girlfriend and roommates. Who knows, I could have even gone to a different school like tech, and been there at the wrong moment.

It's daunting to me how one decision as small as it may be can effects virtually everything for the rest of your life. So from here I plan to make a personal study. The other day I was in the library studying for a Sociology test when I ran into an old friend from my high school guitar class. I haven't talked to him in years and as it turns out he is majoring in some kind of science because he was there studying genetics. As a way of trying to realize the differences of our lives and the possible path I could have chosen I am going to meet up with up and photograph him and any of his friends that are willing to participate. I hope to be able to apply these portraits to my self and be able to insert myself into that way of life and thinking. Possibly form there making a entire series of myself in different roles and different majors.

I'm not planing on putting an excessive amount of time into this side project but I think it will serve as a good exploration of myself and into people in general, whom which I usually do not photograph in my art work.