Non Western Art

I decided that I would like to learn more about Chinese Brush paintings. Over the years, I've gone to many flee markets and am very intrigued by the style. India ink is kinda like watercolor in needing much control over it and knowing the paper. I see a lot of calligraphy so my vision is to create a poem and then have a scenery landscape of sorts. I've been working on whether to write about my painting scenery or whether to write about how i feel... I already have been journaling a lot of poems. I've lost my imagination... and I know that when I write poems and stories I can tap open the lock downed memory. I miss being random and seeing thing differently I love the acedmic drawing classes i have chosen for myself but it seems to be leaving me no room to imagine. So my personal homework assignment is to open that.
Back to the project.
Chinese Brush Paintings started around 4000 b.c. it started from the Buddhist culture... there are many styles -figure painting popular during the Song dynasty -landscape 4th century -flower and bird painting 9 th century. The ink wash is a very popular technique. They used rice paper a lot of the time. Rice paper usual
ly comes in scrolls. I am going to experiment with different types of paper.

MFA has new stuff

I was recently at the MFA and I was lost... I can walk in from the front or side and have a routine of seeing different categories. I was ridiculously confused when I found doors being shut off and new ones being opened. I was very excited to see new sculptures in the Greek and Roman wing. Seeing that I am trying to get more in-tune with the sculpture and looking up to other artists is life changing... there were sculptures and reliefs I remembered learning last semester. I was very satisfied that I could run my hand over the marble. Its the most amazing feeling seeing a piece of art you've always dreamt of seeing in person. I think its like meeting a famous singer like Paul McCartney or something.

I loved seeing Homer paintings and it was beautiful how he works with thick oils and that is something that I've been trying to stretch my skills by the paint thickness and style. I think I could live at the MFA...

Exhibit!

I went to the new exhibit on the first floor of South. Amazing, I loved it! It was great to see work that you would see at the ICA. There is a lighting up ant farm with a bicycle, everything is very interactive. I enjoy being able to touch and play with different objects. There are different types of hand and arm rests that are to be place on the neck. I loved the paper curtain! Amazing, I can't believe at how beautiful it looked with the green light shinning on it.... I can't believe a student made it. My favorite room had to be a little room to the right of the first room. You open the door to a small padded room. It looked like something from a space ship. Through the hall their are mirrors lining the ceiling and floor. At the end of the hall way there is a white round stool. If you sit on the stool, an led light from above turns brighter and brighter. The room and seat start vibrating from the noise of like your going to be beamed to a different planet! Then BOOOOM lights off. Its scary and claustrophobic, but it was awesome. Art is supposed to evoke emotion, this exhibit definitely did.

Sculpture #1

My first attempt at sculpting! I really enjoyed working with the material, I got aggravated about the fact that the clay would pick up every finger print or nail mark. I like my sculpture smooth and not heavily marked; Although the heavily marked sculpture has more "character". I believe the smooth soft look is more appealing especially for a female. Female figures I draw is usually draw in a dreamy/hazed state. It has a softness unlike a male figure that has heavy indentations, that is at least within my art work.
I m not completely satisfied with the way it came out. I didn't get to into hair or facial expression. But I believe i really captured the weight of the figure. She really feels like she is leaning all of her weight onto the right arm. It feels like if you pushed her elbow in she would collapse. Its been a trial run, I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

Work in Progress

I have a photo here of a oil painting I did during a life drawing class... I enjoy the colors I created with a limited palette yellow, red, black, and white. I found it to be extremely hard to keep the paint thick. I've become so used to the transparency of watercolor that I've taken that technique into my oil paintings. Which is nice for a unique style but disappointing when your supposed to be layering it on. As in the world, and in art... love and hate run hand and hand. I love how oil moves and stays wet for days. And hate how oil moves and hate when it stays wet for days.

I was really inspired after this class to push my figure to the next level. The limited palette makes you lay down the foundation colors of light and dark. The more I practice this the more likely I will be able to make a better sculpture. Every-time I touch the canvas or newsprint all I can imagine is what it would be like to actually create what I see.

Water

I feel freedom within this India ink painting. Something about the flow gave me the most calming sensation. I would like to work with India ink again. I hate how it stains your fingers! I've been trying to work on my project for this class but I have no money. All I can do is research and sketching. For my project, I decided to do a sculpture of the human figure. The figure I want to express would be female. I want to show the details of light and dark and the contortions. Water forms around the body beautifully like a silk scarf I wish i could do the same.

Painting

I added a class Painting from Observation... I love it. Its my favorite class. Its very difficult because I'm not used to using oil in a gesturing manor. I like being intimidated... and challenged this class does it for me. I also have a very difficult time with using thicker paint blobs. I've always been told to use more oil. I guess sub consciously I worry about running out of paint. I need to buy supplies... I have no money to right now. Its hard being able to afford paints and sable brushes etc.. I did this gestural painting of a female model. I layered it over two other gestures, I had done earlier in the class. The ghost like figure is more haunting in person. I like to try and fill up the picture or play with it more. The fear, the fear of ruining a painting can make an artist choke. I'm having an artistic block. I'm seeing the world through stills not movement... I'm not sure how to break out of the frame I've built.