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Artist Statement

Sculpture Artist Statement
For my last project I want to follow my subject of sculpture. I would like to take it into its own element. Where did this stem from? My passion for sculpture started a long time ago, after seeing the limestone carved faces of the Romans and Greeks at the Museum of Fine Arts. I remember being very little and looking at pictures in books and hoping my play dough would magically transform itself. I've been compelled ever since, to attempt it. Though in this class and within my life time I haven't attempted lime stone or anything of the kind, sculpture fascinates me.
The Greeks had such an elegance and flow throughout there work. It resonates with a continuing line within a gesture. The predominant poses showing sophistication and royalty.
In the drawing aspect of art, I have been taught to make one line or three lines to create a figure that has weight to it or movement, which hard to explain in words. A line when crossed can have a weight whether it be pressure coming down or leaning. I've tried to keep that skill and bring it forth into my sculpture.
I have done about 7 sculptures each has been an experience in making. The last ones where done with sculpey and where amazingly fun! I felt for a while I had lost my imagination which I still am slowly recovering the pieces. I am not positive when it left or why it did... I believe that my major and college have a minor influence on my lack of imagination. I felt the freedom to express my every emotion in the clay, looking at by sculpture I see I've created that emotion to be its own being outside of myself. It's almost like I pulled out the "emotional person" moping in my head and it froze over into a statuette.
Taking in the magnitude of "Venus di Milo", "Pieta", and "David" are just have of my favorites. Something about recreating a human form is amazing, every detailed muscle and flawless face. My skill isn't half of the Greeks or the Romans, but it would be interesting to try and take it into the final. I am finally becoming more filmier with the material and looking foward to showing last piece that will show were this semester has taken me.

Topic Research

For my last project I am to work with the continuation of sculpture... I am in the process of researching more information on soapstone. I am wanting to play with it and just experiment with something the masters have used. I am also going to continue using the white clay I have become familiar with.

It's exciting to think of my little statuette collection I have coming along... I have yet to have all the pieces aligned. I need to fix up the last sculpture I created... the hand was really throwing me off during its presentation. I have yet to plan another way of the burn... the funds are just not there. And the weather isn't generous for grilling.

I just want to get started creating!

Dennis Hopper

Last Week, I went to the MFA to a artist lecture with Dennis Hopper as the guest speaker. I showed up extra early and was fortunate enough to greet him. Dennis Hopper is a well known actor, who has starred in many great films. Blue Velvet, Easy Rider, and famous Rebel without a Cause. While in his acting career he would shoot photo's of many of his costars working on set. One day while photographing James Dean, he was confronted by James for taking his photo. James said to Dennis not to crop the photo that if he cropped his photo's he'd regret it. At the show Dennis said he thanks James for that advice!

He was very close to the Pop Art king himself Andy Warhol. They were friends and Dennis is in one of Warhol's paintings. Dennis's work is most a mix between pop art and impressionistic. His images look very photo like... when the are oil on canvas. He was very intriguing in his evolution into the art world. I was very inspired to go home and find my missing imagination.

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.