project variation!!!

Mike & Bri's Pickle Delivery!

My recent inspirations

Alexa Meade- website and flickr

Richard Baker- interview

Manifesto

I agree with Nicholas Bourriaud’s definition of art in the realm of Relational Aesthetics.

1. General term describing a set of objects presented as part of a narative known as art history. This narrative draws up the critical geneology and discusses the issues raised by these objects, by way of three sub-sets: painting, sculpture, architecture.

2. Art is an activity consisting in producing relationships with the world with the help of signs, forms, actions and objects.

To get more specific, I would like to examine art in reference to the domain of exchanges:

An interstice is a space in social relations which, although it fits more or less harmoniously and openly into the overall system, suggests possibilities for exchanges other than those that prevail within the system. Depending on the degree of audience participation demanded, the nature of my artwork that is represented or suggested, an exhibition can generate a particular ‘domain of exchanges’ on the basis of aesthetic criteria, or in other words by analyzing the coherence of its form, and then the symbolic value of the world it offers us or the image of human relations that it reflects.

I believe that art does not transcend our day to day preoccupations; it brings us face to face with reality through the singularity of a relationship with the world, through a fiction.

In Creating Democracy with Kryzysztof Wodiczko, I felt particularly drawn to the idea of the fearless speaker. I feel it is a necessary state of mind in order to be a successful female artist. Truth and honesty is oftentimes difficult to articulate since oftentimes the truth is painful or unwanted. I will work to be a fearless speaker and remain honest and truthful to myself and my audience in order to establish and maintain a flow of trust.

In terms of relational aesthetics, I would like to establish recognition that we are strangers who recognize and accept the strangeness of each one of us. Once established as a fearless speaker, we can use and trust eachother. And once we trust, we can begin to play.

I believe that art is empowering. It will not retaliate, and it can be used in multiple ways.

I believe that the world needs artists to accept multiple roles and visions. Not only an artistic artist, but a life-artist, one who manifests art in everyday life and through multiple physical and emotional senses and situations.

I am fascinated with the unknown. The ambiguous. I feel at times that the people and things in our life that ignite feelings we are unable to articulate are the things we are most drawn to. It is to the unknown that one yields most impulsively; it is toward the unknown that one feels the most total, the most instinctive obligation. That is one of the rules of the game and part of its arbitrary nature, which alone inflames the passions.

I like challenges. I like to challenge myself in the studio. I challenge myself with the canvas size, the subject matter, and changing techniques. I believe one cannot opt not to respond to a challenge, but one can very well not respond to a request.

I want to be seen, be heard, be acknowledged and be wanted. Nothing is sadder than having to beg for existence and returning naked among the others. I would rather let down emotional walls and blocks and let my viewer find myself in my artwork. It’s better not to know how to play well; its better to know how to let others unmask you and to endure the rule of the game. Not too fast, not too late.

Semiotics is the study of sign processes (semiosis), or signification and communication, signs and symbols. In other words, it is the study of signs and symbols as a means of communication. I feel semiotics is no longer the dominant critical framework for the interpretation of the relation between art and power.

The unknown extends to situations of chance. Engaging with the mysteries of cause might be a way of questioning one’s identification with any given reality system. Cage’s chance-based reality is an example that illuminates this concept.

I am drawn to the art and life of Francis Bacon, and the following two quotes I feel best describe the creativity and conception behind my craft.

“The creative process is a cocktail of instinct, skill, culture and a highly creative feverishness. It is not like a drug; it is a particular state when everything happens very quickly, a mixture of consciousness and unconsciousness, of fear and pleasure; it’s a little like making love, the physical act of love.”

“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.”

-Francis Bacon

Painting has always been a mystery to me because I have found it difficult to articulate why it is a necessity in my life. This semester is the one where I finally felt confident in my decision to dedicate myself to painting and drawing. I have learned an abundance of techniques and facts from professors, and through my practice and persistence, I always find myself constantly drawn to the body. I feel this is attributed to multiple factors, such as my interest in the beauty of the human form and the desire to maintain mystery for myself and the observer, my recently newfound strong identification with femininity, and my desire to actively participate in the sensuality of mixing, spreading, blending, covering up, smoothing out paint, all while activating the materiality and tactility of the medium. I feel my paintings are a work in progress, and need attention, patience and observation. I would like to engage in studying the human form, either through figure painting or portrait painting. I would like to activate and heighten the mystery of my subjects through a sensual handling of brushstroke and color choice. I would like to paint straight from life, not from photographs. I aim for a poetic narrative in my paintings, one that the viewer can actively engage with and relate to on any level. I want to fuse together relational aesthetics and elements of theatrics, interaction, performance with my painting style. I aim to challenge my ability to convey visceral qualities of paint and of subject matter. I hope to achieve this with a creative fusion of color and design. I want to transcend the traditional painting surface and bring it to the dynamic level of living things. I want to experiment with the interaction of the location and space of “the gallery” with my artwork. I hope to challenge the conventions of the gallery and conceive of innovative locations and surroundings for my artwork to reside. I want to activate the space with my work, or have the space activate my work.

My latest inspirations: Alexa Meade and Richard Baker.

The reverse trompe l’oeil series is Alexa Meade’s spin on reality. Alexa has invented a painting technique that makes 3 dimensional space look flat, blurring the lines between illusion and reality. Typically a painting is an artist's interpretation of the subject painted onto another surface. In Alexa's paintings, she creates her artistic interpretation of the subject directly on top of the subject itself. Essentially, her art imitates life - on top of life. By wrapping her subject in a mask of paint, she skews the way that the core of the subject is perceived.

Part of the physical pleasure of painting is to explore the limits of what is possible in paint. Is it possible to render the feeling of flesh, the sheen of the ceramic, whatever it is? Objects in the painting force me into the pleasure or agony of figuring out my own limits.
— Richard Baker

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Manifesto of Certainty and Doubt

Manifesto of Certainty

Too much static

Heart pace quickens

Lump in throat, dry mouth

Head pounding, hands clammy

Cramps, tightness

Deadlines, projects, work

Hurry up and get there.

You draw me in close,

Exuding a soft inaudible chatter

Seduction and desire.

I gaze at the blank white square,

And run my hand across the surface.

The woven material stretches across the wood

Like a cotton sheet tightly hugging a bed.

Solitude

The buzzing softens

Self consciousness, shift my eyes

Am I in my body?

Inhale, Exhale

The tightness loosens

The quickness slows down

I squeeze the tube

And release a red oil mass, glistening and brilliant

As i grasp the handle, dip and immerse the tiny bristles

And lift the brush to the square

I push the thick lump back and forth.

Seconds, minutes, hours, progression, break.

In the bathroom I grip the sink and look into the mirror…

Honey eyes, shimmering makeup,

Gold necklace, tiny paint smudge,

I am female, I am painting.

Manifesto of Doubt

Follow me

Slowly walk back

Enclosed, insular, immersed

Dead end

I cross my arms across my body

Squint my eyes, tilt my head

Stare, scrutinize, sigh

Is it good enough?

Can it be better?

I shift my stance and shake my head.

Restlessness creeps in, I become anxious and uncertain

My furrowed brow deepens the frustration,

And my stomach tightens.

I run my hand across my collarbone

Rub my chin and yawn

I check my phone, it’s been hours

My body heat rises, face becomes flushed

What time will I be done?

I need to leave, my eyelids are heavy

Like there's weights attached to my eyelashes

The silence in the room emits a soft buzz

Alerts me to my solitude, aloneness and oneness

Am I good enough?

Is it good enough?

When can I stop? When can I start?

It’s tough

It’s repetitive

Irritating

But it’s not permanent I suppose

So I proclaim
Exclaim
In my most certain state
My uncertainty

...Female Painter?

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