Hand Drawing

1. What was it like using your hand as subject matter for a drawing?

Starting out I had a very difficult time trying to get the basic outline for my hand. (using my good hand) I got really frustrated. After I took a break and went back I got a little better outline. It was pretty difficult though.

2. What media did you select - pencil or charcoal? Why?

I used pencil. It's what I had, and also I felt that charcoal would be a little less forgiving.

3. How did it feel to create a drawing with your non-dominant hand?

It was extremely difficult. It looks "abstract." I kept wanting to switch hands but I forced myself through it. 

4. Compare and contrast your final drawings. Do you think they are successful studies?

I wasn't thrilled with them, but it was a learning experience. I think the hand I drew with my dominate hand turned out okay, but the drawing I did with my dominant hand looks like a child did it. No matter how many times I erased and tried I couldn't get the proportions right for the drawing of my right hand. 

5. Would you consider using your non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future?

No. I found it to be frustrating. I do however have a new respect for anyone who is ambidextrous. 

Ancient Art Videos

1.     Explain why you selected each of the three videos you choose from the selection listed above.

A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript

·         I chose this film because I find the history of writing and reading to be fascinating and I love the details that were used in handwriting in the Middle Ages.

Cairo Museum

·         I was interested in learning more about Egyptian art, it’s so different from what we have around here and I think it’s beautiful.

2.     For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript

·         In the Early Middle Ages only the elite and monks knew how to read and write.

·         Monks wrote to spread the word of the bible and ward off demons.

·         “For every line, letter and point a sin is forgiven.” This was a common inscription used with monks in the Early Middle Ages.

·         Illuminators got paid by the length of the work.

·         Printing presses eventually replaced scribes.

More Human than Human

·         The human body has been of interest to artists for many many years.

·         The Venus of Willendorf started off an obsession with humans unrealistic views of humans in art.

·         The Egyptians of the Nile did not use the exaggerated features when depicting the human body in art.

·          The Greeks depicted their gods in human form and placed them inside their temples so they could hear the peoples’ prayers.

·         Greeks expanded on Egyptian sculptures and focused on more detailed representations.

Cairo Museum

·         5,000 years of history is included inside the museum.

·         The basement of the museum has thousands of art pieces and artifacts that have never been visible to the public.

·         The process of restoring and putting back together ancient pieces of art is overwhelmingly painstaking and takes a great deal of effort from multiple people.

3.     How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript

·         It elaborated on the information given on page 352 of the book, and showed more examples of how illumination is done, and how the scribes worked.

More Human than Human

·         By starting from the beginning and showing how art has evolved and especially the art of the human body and including the history that goes along with it.

Cairo Museum

·         This video told the stories behind what is written in the book. The textbook has many facts but the video provides more of a history and examples of stories of archaeologists.

4.     What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript

·         This film added a deeper understanding of what was given in the book. The actors portrayed the people of the Early Middle Ages that used to work as scribes and illuminators.

More Human than Human

·         I enjoyed this film. I especially enjoyed the story of the man who found two Greek bronze statues under the sea. The videos go into a deeper understanding of art history. This video also added interesting stories to add to the understanding of how art in regards to the human body evolved.

Cairo Museum

·         This video was very interesting, and probably my favorite of the three videos. The human foot with the plastic toe was very interesting. All of the mummies are so interesting, they are creepy but the preservation of the mummies is amazing. The intricate details of the museums basement are crazy, it must be amazing to be able to go down there and look through everything. 

architecture videos

1.    For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Last Call for Planet Earth:

-       It’s not a style or label, and it should not be a trend

-       Insulating is an easy way to save money

-       Old buildings with solid structure can be built in new ways

-       We should be trying to do less demolishing

-       Use buildings for more than just a normal 9-5 day, as well as sports stadiums.

Prairie Style

-       Frank Lloyd Wright was a firm believer in designing single family houses to reflect their time, place and landscape.

-       Houses he built in the Chicago area were layers of horizontal bricks and stones to reflect the landscape of Chicago which was a Midwestern flat prairie

-       He placed the doors to some of his homes in different places so that the experience of entering the house is a unique one.

-       He made people rethink the organization of the house

-       He believed in open spaces, not segmented rooms

-       He changed the image of exterior and interior of the home

2.    How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

Last Call for Planet Earth stated a lot of the same ideas that were talked about in the book, especially with reusing old buildings, and that green architecture correlates closely with small everyday things that we can do to improve the quality of life on our planet.

Prairie Style mentioned some of the facts about Frank Lloyd Wright that were in the book. The fact that he completely redefined how houses are “supposed” to look, and the breaking of walls within the homes to make for more free space.

3.    What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of Architecture?

I really enjoyed Last Call for Planet Earth. Living green and reducing our carbon imprint has always been something that I care about and do my best to take small steps in my own life to do.

Prairie Style was wonderful. I loved seeing all the beautiful homes he has created. My favorite homes he built and designed are always the ones that are most incorporated with nature and the ones in the woods and forests.

4. From the group of four that you had a choice: Why did you choose that film?

I chose Last Call for Planet Earth because I am all into the Earth Friendly movement, and take pride in trying to live a somewhat green life.

I chose Prairie Style because I have studied Frank Lloyd Wright a little before and I enjoy learning about his work, I think he made beautiful homes. 

mod 6 videos

1.)For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Through the Eyes of a Sculptor

-Sculptors must check the stone they are sculpting from before they being working with.

-For large sculptures they keep reinforcements on fragile parts until it is in it’s final place.

-First they work with clay, then put silicone over it, then pour a casting over that, then they make a mold and pour caster into it to make a caster model. From that caster model they then begin working from stone.

Glass and Ceramics

-Glass is made from sand

- Glass is actually a liquid that stiffens when it’s heated.

-Glazing can be done by dipping a piece into a tank of glaze or by spraing a larger piece with glaze.

-Ceramics can withstand very high temperatures.

-Double paned windows help keep the noise inside from going out and the temperatures from changing through the windows.

Installation Art

-The artwork takes over the space, it defines the space.

-The actual art can be anything it’s more about filling a room with art and surrounding the piece with art.

-It seems like anything goes when it comes to installation art, from videos on walls, to crushed macaroni with manikins painted with spots, to a room painted yellow with black dots and inflatable shapes.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

These videos expand on the readings, and provide further depths and a more hands on feel for the different arts. It is real artists speaking and explaining how they define their art. It makes the learning process much more relevant.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics: Sculpture, Installation, and Craft?

The videos were very informative. I had a bit of trouble hearing the installation art video, for some reason the audio was very fuzzy. It is always easier to get a grasp on a topic when you can see the actual artists and exhibitions, although it may not be as good as seeing it in person it is a second best and suites well for an online class.

Installation Project

A. What is installation art?

Installation art is a form of 3D art that involves the artist redefining an area of space.

B. What materials are used installation art?

An artist can use any art materials to make an installation piece.

C. Why make installation art? 

It gives the artist freedom in creating what he or she wants to, and using more than just the actual art materials, it incorporates the space around them as well.

D. Which artist/installation did I find most interesting?

I found Thomas Hirschhon's Jumbo Spoons and Big Cake piece most interesting.

A. From the material reviewed, is there a inspiration piece that I feel a connection with?

Dan Flavian's Untitled piece, I liked the simplicity and the peacefulness that the piece gave off. 

B. What theme do I want to explore in my installation? Refer to your textbook if you need to review Themes of Art. (chapter 3 in text)

I want to explore Art and Art. I have always taken art as something to be looked at and enjoyed, so that's how I want to work off of my piece.

(Nature, Environment, Self, Mass Media, Consumerism, etc.)

C. What materials will I use?

I will be working with clay, Styrofoam, and a wooden stick. For the backdrop I will use a cardboard box painted with spray paint and dribbled with different color paints.

D. Where will this installation be located and why?

This installation is located in my sun-room because we needed a pop of color in there.

My installation project started off by buying the materials I needed. I bought Styrofoam balls and blocks, a long wooden stick, and clay. I found a large cardboard box in my basement and prepared that for my backdrop. I took the cardboard box and cut off the top and the sides. I spray painted it black and used acrylic paints to make the splatter effect. Then I began working on the main piece. I cut the stick in half and used a hemisphere to prop of the stick. Then I began cutting the Styrofoam into shapes that I wanted to use. I positioned them on the stick to see how I wanted them to be laid out. Then  I covered them all in clay and placed them back on the stick. I let them air dry over night. I painted them in the morning. I then positioned the main piece in front of the backdrop the way I wanted it and began taking pictures. 

This project was the hardest for me to grasp so far. Looking at the videos and different examples there is so much you can do it seemed so open. I really didn't have a special place to begin working on the installation, (and nobody was jumping for me to set one up in their house). So far this has been my least favorite project due to the amount of time spent and the lack of places to work with. My final piece I say turned out okay, I like the abstract and colorful feel of it, but I can't say that it is my best work. 

I honestly wasn't thrilled about the site specific installation planning. I found that to be the most troublesome, and confusing aspect of the project. The actual making of the piece was enjoyable, although very time consuming. 

Reviewing peer responses to artwork.

1. Hyperlink the Blogs you reviewed into your Blog

http://peterjaysperoni.blogspot.com/

http://aed200metc.blogspot.com/

2. When looking at Project #1: (Elements and Principles), did you agree with the element or principle the artist listed with the images? Did you see other elements and principles in the images?

http://aed200metc.blogspot.com/

For this blog I loved all the pictures, the only one I questioned was the emphasis. I couldn't quite tell what the emphasis was supposed to be of. However all the other pictures I agreed with. For many of the pictures there could be other elements within one pictures. For example her picture of the knives she listed as proportion, but I could see it also being used as balance because every other knife is facing in the opposite direction.

http://peterjaysperoni.blogspot.com/

For his blog I agreed with all of the photos being correctly used to illustrate the elements and principles. His photo he used for variety could also be used to represent space, the photo used for rhythm could also be used for line, the photo used for lines could also be used for space or balance,  the photo used for shape and emphasis could also be used to show texture. 

3. When looking at Project #2: Where there any images in the Peer Blogs the same as your own? If yes, what were they? Where the reasons the image was selected the same or different as your own?

http://peterjaysperoni.blogspot.com/

We both used Jason Pollock's painting, and yes we had the same reasons- (it's size and location in the gallery draw you to it). 

http://aed200metc.blogspot.com/

We did not use any of the same images for this project.

4. Where there any images that your Peers selected that pique your interest now? If yes, what are they and what is your connection with them? What would you want to know about them?

http://aed200metc.blogspot.com/

I liked the photos she selected of the bubbles by Marika Mori. They are very unique, I am curious to know if they were photos that were taken under water or paintings. The description says photo paintings which sounds intriguing. 

http://peterjaysperoni.blogspot.com/

The photograph of a girl, taken by Rineke Dijkstra looks like the background is actually a backdrop, I'm wondering fi it is or if it is really the ocean. It's a beautiful photograph, and as he said it does capture the somber essence of Coney Island.

5. What do you think about  the process of reading your peers reflection? Do you find this to be a valuable in your learning?

Yes this experience is valuable, however also very time consuming. I did enjoy looking at what other people have been doing in this class, it gives the online experience more of a human connection. I especially liked looking at other people's photographs they used for the Elements and Principles projects- photography is probably my favorite form of art- maybe because ti is one that I can actually do. =]

6. Check your Blog and read comments posted by your Peers. Do you find their comments helpful?

I do not have any comments yet, but I am all for constructive feedback, especially since art is not my strong suite.