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.

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

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.