Wednesday, November 18, 2009

First Year MFA Show

today's mfa show was a lot of work that ranged materials and qualties. I enjoied the ideas displaied and even more concept and excution. It was over all very interisting but a little packed. Each artist had a different amount of work and a varied amout of space and section. which i thought was a little rediclious. there were some that took up a ton of space and then a view of a peice that was blocked by a enterence or other another peice. i didnt really understand why it was so juxtaposed until we heard it was not curiated. i felt like the idea of the first wall in the center gallery area was a little strange, the way it cut the room in half like that it gave a strange view of some art and cut other things off. its L shape was poorly put together. i still find painting most lauring for its skill and intellectual idea of art. but all of the work did a good job presenting ideas throught medium and works themselves. it seemed like there wasnt many of the artists at the opening itself, and i really didnt understand that. all in all it was a decent expereince other peices that i really enjoyed were the video project that was set up, i thought it was hullarious but the music did overwhelm the gallery in a good way becuase it wasnt outrageiously loud or rediclious. another peice was the wooden blocks with holes. it was a very modest peice that was about nature, shadows, and our effect on nature. it was a very interesting peice. i liked all the photos, but there might have been a scuplture or painting i didnt really care for, i wasnt sure about the massive canvases that were in the first room. it almsot seemed to much of an add for paint supplies or store. it created interest but wasnt outspoken with anything crazy particular.

Eileen Behke, What would you do for love?
anyway I was most interested in Eileen Behke, What will you do for Love, for it's color and style, and of course because I am working with paints. Like I talked about in my thesis proposal, they went into detail of building up colors and balancig them to form faces and weights in light and depths in shadows. I was taken by the use of specific colors and exaggerated enhancements. It was very bright and lively that it popped off the canvas. One of the most interisting elements came from the woman in red. She stood out the most to the point that I wondered at her drapes and this intense landscape that tells a story in itself. The use and variation of their brush strokes was also elemental. It looked like they used a palad knife to juxtapose colors and define space. And the curvacious strokes that define the clothing and placement of weight and posture embelishes the strokes in this realistic painterly style. It had just the right amount of clarity mixed with an exaggerated style that leaves alot of room for interpretation.

with all these fantastic elements I find that It would almost be benificial to attempt a big long drawn out process. I liked how there were just 3 works, it wasn't overwhelming or forcing anything it was set in the back and it presented the artists Ideals of majestic painting. This massive and so refined work really was a great experience with paint and is definally something i want to get working on. it was enjoyable to see other painters with a couple paintings that were really just long drawn out processes and contained a bunch of thought and considerations. hopefully these finals with julie will kick me into a good habit and allow me to consider more paintings and intellectual aspects of art.


Thursday, October 29, 2009

"the fair"

fair...

the quote- "so our success freaks some people out. We've played it the way we wanted. Thats why we are doing so well for our artists. We belive in them and we work like motherfuckers"
my responce - this is so fucking insperational i dont know what else to say... you have to hustle. you have people that depend on you, you have to strive for it and want it like nothing else.

the quote- "gladstone protests, with a laugh. "My taste in art comes out of conceptualism. I know that! Even when I like paintings, they're conceptual paintings. I like artists who have an individual vision, and I want each artist to be seen on his or her own."
my responce - i think this really just keeps being the major factor in everything that happends... concept, and individual mission. what if others keep saying the same thing with such passion over a work and the same ideas fire throught. its actually much deeper when your hearing 1 on 1 commentes. i feel like im obligated to not go out "trick or treating" this weekend, seriously. well maybe one night.

the quote - " lately the globalization of the art world has accelerated. and art fairs have been good for our business."
my responce - well i like the way that sounds, my favorite thing was being able to show the world something universal. Ya know, art that responds to human beings alike, not just a particual nitch. isnt that just incomprehendable.

the quote - " the worst collections are scrambled, disjointed, and fickle. The best have "a driving forice."
my responce- well umm... concepft. i had a even crit last week...not enough work... we talked for a while about ideas concept whats what and this is that. it was hectic with the 2 awesome profs but a bit nerve racking, really things are crazy i know the feeling shit just flys by... i thought this class was next week well what the fuck....anyway yeah we talked about concept and it was cool left me with ideas and some ideas to explore and ride out. time to do it isnt it. cant wait to have 3 classes next semeseter if shit works out

the quote - " you cant use money as an idex of quality. That is a fallacy. that will drive you crazy!"
my responce - haha isnt that how the world works, people just go for the expensive prices to look like they are someone or something, haha y do we sell art if its so personal. I have seen the chelsea scene and they busted out a price book, ba that shit is like payin for a yankee, its sooooo america so we love it. go yanks mmm yea! haha does beegan get angry when he reads this and never sees any capital letters until the 3 sentence's capital letter, haha and the fact that i didnt highlight the first quotation mark.... haha is that bad typography haha.

the quote - " ...its chaotic, bewildering. the amount of art in the world is a bit depressing. the worst of it looks like art, but its not. it is stuff cynically made for a certian kind of collector." and he goes on talking about how money dosnt influnce him and the rest says ahh yaaa... concept concept in a public venue
my responce - did we need 5 or 6? is that it...ok anyway. wow concept. anyway

grad schools

i havnt considered it yet, i was kinda waiting for that career servies thing to come around and was defintally gonna travel europe and south america before i even consider blowing all my money on anther round of artschool

Rutgers university MFA program, for its program, location, teachers, and teaching
Savannah School of art and design, for its location
Otis College of Art and Design (LA), its degree of personal vision
Rhode Island School of Art, ODV CUASE ITS THE FUCKING #1
Univeristy of CALI, for its awesome #7 ranked program and its location location
Columbia Unversity, for its ranking, location
also looked at georgian court college for a 2 year Masters in TEACHING DEGREE is the only one i really went to visit... isnt that sad

my exhibit of choice...


this week i went back to the james ensor show that i saw once before...
the show was just a multitude of work at the moma. the reason it suck with me is for its deveristy in drawing and painting. i found his works are so interesting in his work of figures and faces and their distortion into a frightingly obsucre view of people. i found that all of his works were very articulated and based on a specific demsions of work. this has really been haunting me as of late, being a multi media artist, cutting the fat and deciding where i want to go. His view concerning people is to depict the nature of them, i was heading in this direction but not any longer, the idea of social and figural abstraction depicting a specific view is played out into so much work now.
there were a few specific images like the drunkards that really just seemed to catch my eye. the drunkards was a scene that emphisized social aspects of his life, being a massive bar fight and house party. the depiction was funny and compellingly detailed. i enjoyed his sence of goya. another was a mass of people that were fighting and skulls and heads. his sence of death was kinda scary and odvious. my favorite as a whole was his abstraction and busy quality.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

sooooo busy post will come tommrow


to whom it may concern....
these past 2 weeks have been hecktic with 2 exams last week and one tommrow and 2 crits with hanna and julie that happend today... i will not be posting the homework till tommrow but it will get done... everything has been good, my exams last week got a's and hanna and julie did alot to help me into a multitude of work. gotta study post tommrow sorry.

Friday, October 16, 2009

whops, last weeks gallery visit


tonight i went to chelsea and the Whitney.
nothing in chelsea that we saw was really really note worthy, somethings i already saw and then others were somewhat not my style, and i didnt think they were that great, alot of minimalist ideas, i forgot my list from julie and hannalina so that will be next weeks post....
anyway, at the whitney, we saw georgia O'Keeffe. i really enjoyed the use of her colors, they were so extreme but created sutch depth and dynamic abstraction. there were a ton of paintings and only some of them really cought my eye, its really unbeliveable how many things you can look over becasue one painting is so striking. it was very crowed, a friday night when you way whatever for enterence, it was just hard to stay in one spot and really enjoy a painting but there were times where one would really hold your eye and you could see the different hues, tones, saturation, and balance. it was almost musical the way they flowed together so well but the way it bounced back and forth. her flower paitings i thought were incrediable, i just really enjoyed her use of color. but more the abstract landscapes really held me in place, i just throughly enjoyed staring into these feilds of color and abstration. the landscape ones made less sence to me, but i enjoyed them more becuase i didnt already have a preexisting veiw of "flowers"
anyways i would really like to see what the painting class list has in store...

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Chapter 6, the Studio visit

the studio visit was to marakami's studio workshop in japan
1. The status of creativity is much lower here, the art market is weak
its strange to think that someone so huge here isnt as big in his home country

2. What is the dealers role in the studio? ... Dealers are editors and conspirators. We help determine what gets shown and how it gets shown, and we help put art in production. At the end of the day, our business is to sell symptoms articulated as objects.
i like the idea that the artist donst have to think completly about what hes doing everytime in the long run certin peice will stand out, its about making things over lingering on one concept

3. I'm thinking alot about how to connect with people who are under 30 in japan. I have to cumminicate with a video game feeling- marakami
he has his target market, where do we come up with this, am i to write about things like this?

4. This peice had the grudge of those sculptors" marakami he talks about how rigerious his plan is, how they make small sketches of it,
this kind of thing remined me of chully the glass blower that he really dosnt do his own stuff, but its his design, we talked about designers not really being artists, and also talking about how everyone contradicts everyone.

5. MarakamiIs talks about his workfor louis vuitton his "Honest and completly canny relationship to commercial culture industries" says its "My urinal"
he makes millions on his shitter? is this for real? hahaha i find that crazy, but they also talked about how imprortant his branding ideas and way to connect with the millions of people, i bet no one who buys that really knows what he says about it... crazy

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Chapter 2, "the Crit"

this has been the first time ive read this book, since i got it yesterday afternoon via FedEX. it has been more than insightfull, ive read all the previous chapters, but these are some of the most interisting points that ive stumbled across.

1. talking about the staff and educating the wrist down & and wrist up(the intullectual side) one cal arts faculty says, "we all contradict each other, but the prevailing beilief is that any artist whose work fails to display some conceptual rigor is little more than a pretender, illustrator, or designer"
This was particually inportant to me because i feel that ive just really stated to venture into finding deeper meaning and deeper thought into my work. instead of doing tons of work, ive just been pondering, thinking and putting things together in my mind that dont make any sence. and its almost daily that people contridict eachother, one see onething the other sees the oppisete, what do you run off ov.

2. "Creative is definitely a dirty word...it's almost as embarrassing as beautiful or sublime or masterpiece."
I don't really think that words truly can describe a picture and to place them into categories is a matter of context.

3. when describing a group cirt, "They are social occasions that reinforce the norm. they impose a standardized discourse. they privilege unfinished, incompetent ar. if your not sick, dont call the doc." further..."I dont care about an artist's intentions. i care if the work looks like it might have some consequences." Dave Hickey
This statement was even more impacting today when we had a crit, talking about everyones artworks. you know if your art is ready to be presented into a group or gallery, to sit thought things is kinda reductive, talking with other artists in non formal situations is more realizing. ive only been to one single group cirt about a large body of painting that was done self directed, i got nothing more out of it than i already knew about my painting. you know your art, its there to make an impact(consequences)


4."Talent is a double-edged sword. What you are given is not really yours. What you work at, what you struggle for, what you have to take command of-- that often makes for very good art."
insperiating is the one side? and what you take from everything and what you find passion in is a merge of talent. everything has more meaning when its done with passion and insperation, and to find restarint and clairty, thats where you really take command.

5. A crit this long....
i mean after a while it must open up to some pretty wild shit, something there in the begining was nothing but then has a powerful balance after taking it in for so long. i think a crit this long would really actually give me some more passion and open up for some serious discussion, given that it was a body of work that was truly thought out and done rite.

Friday, October 9, 2009


These are some more of my paintings from last year. Also there are two drawings from figure drawing class. I also still have been doing ceramics, this is from a raku firing we did at the end of september.



Wednesday, September 30, 2009

my interview with Andrew Schweighardt

these are some design peice that i really liked. the design of this speaker is very cool, with representations of exaggerated musicians. this is one thing that we covered, his very free hand in design. i also took well to this very classic modern back cover of a bands cd. the use of photography and design. his works are very calming and fun.



Q: When did art really bloom for you, and what inspires you to be an artist? as a student in design, its good to see that you are a learned artist,
understanding one aspect of art allows you to enter another in my mind...When did you start really working in design, and why?

A: Art, or rather “the impulse to create” as I like to call it, began for me when I was young. I would draw, doodle, construct, and attempt to build my own tree fort at the age of 7. I very much enjoy the zone I find myself in as I become immersed in a project. All track of time is lost when I let my intuition be my designing guide. As for inspiration, I tap into nature, reality, dreams, forms, shapes, clever saying, witty humor, pretty much anything that makes me take a second look. When I take a second look I then think to myself what compelled me to do so. I find this to be an important aspect of what I do.


Q: Your Fine arts run from very graphic, to life like, to abstraction...is this style of hand made works repeated into the way you work with graphic design, or does it all come from the computer? What artists/ works motivate you most? What is it about their work that you identify with and how does this translate into your own work?

A: My graphic design aesthetic can be catered. It can be abstract, it can be modern, it can be Art Nuevo. I believe that a lot of people get hung up on the fact that graphic design does not simply mean doing work on the computer. Graphic design is design that manifests itself graphically. Whether it is a photograph with typographic elements, hand-cut lettering scanned onto a computer, photomontage, etc. I consider this all to be graphic design.
I am inspired by work by El Lissitzky, Saul Bass, Kadinsky, Moholy-Nagy, and Will Burtin to name a few. I am interested in Constructivism and the Bauhaus legacy of design.
I identify with the Constructivist for their anal-retentive aesthetic. I like my designs to generally be clean, efficient, but subtly playful and humorous. I like shape, dynamic perspectives and extreme contrast.


Q: do you mind sharing any ideas you find floating around about your thesis you would like to share? & As a graphic designer will you be sending us a message with your work?

A: My thesis will be concerned with information design. I never considered myself very good with mathematics or various units of measurements, so my idea is to explore the graphic representation of units of measurements or quantification in a compelling and informative manner.



Q: Where do you find yourself in ten years, Any major Changes?

A: Hell, I don’t even know where I’ll find myself tomorrow.

Andrew's Qs towards me

1. Discussion regarding the tangible aspects of Matt’s work:

From the pieces of work I got to take a look at, it is obvious that you do not limit yourself to a single medium. I’ve observed oil paintings, acrylic paintings, sculptures with glass and some other material I cannot determine, graphite/ charcoal illustrations, etc.

a. When and how did you realize that art was something you wanted to pursue?


When I was very young, I started drawing before I could write at like 2 because my grandfather had done some artwork, mainly drawing. But I’ve always gravitated towards it I’m enthralled by almost all aspects of art. Those are ceramic vases, which are now glazed. I also oil paint, do the glass blowing, and draw; I don’t work in acrylics yet? But art has always stood out to me, it was differently intense in a way that excites me; math was a process with a single answer, spelling was bullshit, and gym was to much fun for monsters; I was always too outgoing and creative to want to stop finding new ways of doing things.


2. Discussion regarding the materials, forms and subjects:

a. Tell me more about the glass vase. I am fascinated with the process of blowing glass into shapes and the forms.


Glassblowing is very intense. It’s a process, sometimes you find in ceramics or an under painting and sketches in a notebook. Everything must start right to finish different, its one of those arts that can be unpredictable. Speed is its game, its so unlike every other art where your not bound by time or physical pain. Science, math, and art converge in this experience; I feel my ideas differ somewhat in other mediums. But aspects of art always over lap one another.

3. Discussion regarding themes in the work:

a. Your work has an organic aesthetic, is this a theme you consciously incorporate into your work?


Umm, nature happens I think. I just recently started noticing this as I started to see my artwork converge in photo albums on the computer; on the contrary, yes I am aware of it when I’m working with either clay of glass the two mediums have so much to do with nature, science, motion, creativity, and impulses; when the wheels move there’s no turning back. With my painting and drawings I find the nature just happens it is such a passionate experience and so connected to the hand of the creator, I find it happening. But there is also a refining quality where you know what your doing, everything has a reason, and I find some of my paintings I enjoyed thinking of as human experience landscapes. So nature is bound by no limits, effects just generate new life and kill old ones.

4. Discussion regarding influences, artists, writers, movies, etc:

a. What artists/ works motivate you most? What is it about their work that you identify with and how does this translate into your own work?


This list can go on f o r e v e r . Every aspect of what I do I try to respond to someone that has pushed me in a direction at the moment, but I like to keep my beliefs to specific artists.



5. Plans regarding the development of thesis proposal:

a. What ideas/ goals do you have in mind while beginning to formulate your thesis proposal?

Maybe to get noticed, to be able to build from a portfolio and jump into real world situations. Most defiantly to understand what it takes to make it, and the magnitude and minute experience we endeavor towards. Of coarse every artists dream is to support their family with a creative career, nothing more nothing less.

b. Do you think you will be using more than one medium for your thesis?


I have no idea things move so fast and there’s so much going on I don’t even know what I’m going to be doing tomorrow.

c. If you could use one or two words to summarize your over-arching thesis proposal, what would it/ they be?


If I can sum up my over arching thesis proposal in two words… let it roll.

6. Developing work over the next couple next years:

a. Do you think you will make any radical changes in your work in the next couple years?

b. If so, what direction/ area are you most interested in learning more about?


Yea, I’m sure funding will be cut dramatically, but I’ve always been good with kids and I think I can find some alternate route program I can bang out in a few semesters and pull off being a miserable teacher in some shithole elementary school. But that wont stop me from drawing and ect., I’m too passionate about it to leave it behind, I don’t watch the television so I always find ways to be creative.


Monday, September 28, 2009

Chealsea visits

over the past week i went to visit chelsea's gallery scenes
these are the shows i saw,
James Turrell- Hollograms @ Pace Wildenstein
"the Female Gaze"@ Cheim & Read
William Ryman- A New Beginning@ Marlborough Chelsea
Anselm Reyle And Takashi Murakhimi@ Gagosian Gallery
Group Show @ Mary Boone
Janine Antoni- "Up Against"@ Luhring Augustine
Paulina Olowska, Stephen Rhodes, & Catherine Sullivan @ Metro Pictures
Maya Lin- "three ways of looking at the Earth"@ Pace Wildentein
Min Bavington@ Jack Shainman Gallery
D'Amelio Terras- Hollywood Squares @525 W 22nd St.
Chris Ofili- "Afro Margins @David Zwirner

most of these gallerys had a few random peices that i would really enjoy.
i dont really know exactly what was linked to what, it was just a big blur of arts, running from gallery to gallery, amazing peices, and complete garbage. some of my highlights i would have to say would be "the female gaze" show that we saw, defintally Joan Mitchell was an insperation to me as i staired at her painting for almost a half hour. the way she used such vivid color on the body was just thrilling, the stern look upon the womans face, and the exuberant style with the thick paints and charm of color just invigerated my body. Another was Chris Ofili, usually i dont care much for his dung paintings, but his drawings were just so creative, funny, and containted this mejestic surface and movement as these forms from little afro people grew into this nature like creative repition. Maya Lin's "three ways of looking at the Earth", was this epic landscape weaved out of wooden 2x4's, and another wooden woven creative perspective of a geologoical formation. I was blown away by how this was almost more fun and interisting than it was bueatiful. i also took well do D'Amelio Terras for his geometric colorful paintings, and Tim Bavington's color theory and awesomly inspring compisition. Most of the other ones i saw wern't that awesome, i didnt like whatever garbage was this eye and wrecking ball and this exaggerated view of women. I was inspired by the price of James Tarrell's work.
i also went to the moma with drawing teacher Hanneline Rogeberg, she is one of the most descriptive and genius people ive met at this university. when she showed us James Ensor, it was such a bulk of work that it had so many dimensions of inspriring me, with his goya like etchings to his picasso style masks. this was such a great study of an artist.

this is some of the work i did last year throught out the semester



this is some of my work, i like to let it speak for itself. there are a few more comming... i cant find my camera wire at the moment.
oh and the clairity of these pictures are garbage

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

new museum

new york is always a fun trip. in the past few days we went to like 15 galleries in chelsea, hit the moma this morning, and the met like every time we went, cause central park is my favorite spot and its been nice out, and Sunday was the new museum- which was this assignment. i felt it was a cool buliding and an overally nice location, but it was more like the chelsea galleries. little to look at but an experience none the less. every artist had their own specific awesome peice but the overall content wasnt really directed towards me. i respect photos and graphic design or silkscreen what ever have you... but i just had more fun and more of an experience in chelsea and defintally seeing some chilling classics at the MoMA today. in the end its good to try to jump into these things not knowing what to expect becuase anything and everything was out there. It was quite invigorating, and spun me into a web of ideas

Alex Bag video

at first i thought this was some painfully serious garbage, but as i slowly started to see humor in this, i found it semi funny. i didn't really understand her projects or hand puppet, but everyone is entitled to their own. Some areas of the personal log had some relations to whats going on, having a studio and cant wait to get to work on my ideas, or lack there of. but most of it was over exaggerated antics that were either trying to hard to make me laugh or show some hidden message. i didn't really think this was the greatest example of what thesis should be, because didn't she hate art at the end? Either way in the end i was just as confused as when it started. but it did have some highlights and things to consider as we continue thought this majestic journey.