THE 2009 ICE STORM AND DRAWING

Well, both the day and the evening drawing classes took a big hit this week with three days of cancelled classes. But both are also on their way to the realization of the first out-of-class projects.

The day class (F100) is exploring the spatial potentials of linear perspective and will have that project ready for viewing and discussion on February 4.  The syllabus due date is February 2, but that's been extended to the 4th. Clearly, I will be more lenient with the criteria of composition since we've not have enough exposure to that.

The evening classes (S200, S301, S401) are exploring the concept of "Bridge", providing passages over obstacles (see your Oncourse message).  The syllabus due date on that project is February 10, but that's now been extended to the 12th.

I hope that everyone is weathering the weather and that you get the chance to see past the headaches to the beauty of the jewel coated world we're currently experiencing.  Keep warm and see you next week.

Thursday Night Drawing Group

Here are a few responses to the ice-storm drapery still-life. Click to enlarge.
Slightly edited...

We'll be looking at these drawings on Tuesday evening (No we won't, the weather outside is frightful!), so any extra time you can put into them between now and then (Thursday since the 'still-life' is still hanging.) would be good. There were some very strong pieces cooking this evening (last Thursday) so we'll see where they finish in a few (more) days; that's the weekend (and first part of the week) assignment.

Text in Art

During our discussion in Drawing class the other evening, there were three or four images that included text with the images.  Most, if not all, were MKL Jr. quotes: "I have a dream." "In the end we will not remember the violence of our enemies but the silence of our friends."...and so on. These quotes felt a bit like add-ons to the images rather than being an actual part of the image integrated into the structure of the image.  There are many artists who use text in their imagery that may be worth looking into, such as Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger (see above image), Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns.  Below is a site that looks at a lot of different artists who combine text and imagery.  Check it out.

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MLK Jr. B-day drawings

Here are five images from the group of drawings commemorating MLK Jr's Birthday.  There were 14 images that we discussed, more so about form/content rather than some of the more formal issues (use of media and composition, or how the work is put together), although we did get into some of that if the image warranted that more critical kind of dialogue.  Form is sometimes confused with content, but there may be distinctions worth examining, especially if we look at one as the manner in which the drawing was created (Form) and the use of the art elements (line, value, shape, texture, and color) that essentially become the structure of the image.  Maybe the content has to do with narrative quality of the image, what is it saying about MLK, or how is his birthday being commemorated through the image.  In all actuality, you can't really separate form from content, unless we're looking at an image that is only about that image (a piece of paper totally blackened with charcoal). In the drawings above, how is the story conveyed? Content must be, on some level, that which is expressed through form (that manner in which the idea is expressed);  maybe not.  Is there a clear narrative in these images, and does there need to be a clear narrative?

MLK Jr. B-day

My evening drawing sections are creating images commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.  His birthday was last Thursday, 80 years old.  This Mahalia Jackson song, "I've been Buked and I've been Scorned" is the one she sang at the march on Washington in 1963 when King delivered his famous "I have a Dream" speech.  It was Jackson who shouted from the crowd, "Tell them about the dream, Martin." That may have been what propelled King into the "I have a dream" speech, which was originally titled, "Normalcy, Never Again." The drawings should be interesting, I'm looking forward to seeing them.

Concepts and Ideas (some definitions)

Concept

• Something understood, and retained in the mind, from experience, reasoning, and/or imagination.
  
• An idea; often used specifically of philosophical ideas.
• An abstraction from observed events; e.g., liquid.
• A general notion around which ideas are developed.

Idea

• The content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about.
• Your intention; what you intended to do.
• An idea is a form (such as a thought) formed by the consciousness (including mind) by the process of ideation.
  
  

Brian Harper Exhibition Opening

Brian Harper will open his solo exhibition, Strings in the Aether, tomorrow from 5:00 - 7:00, in the Ronald Barr Gallery, just down the hallway from the drawing studio.  It is a provocative installation that he will talk about at 6:00.  Since this is during our evening drawing class, we will meet at the gallery first for his talk before returning to the studio. See you there.

Henri Matisse said:

"Drawing is putting a line (a)round an idea."

Artists' Sketchbooks On Line

This is a pretty interesting web site with lots of artists' journals.  Spend some time with it off and on during the semester for inspiration and motivation for working in your own sketchbooks. Some of the links may be expired, but there are a lot that function taking you to some pretty amazing pages about images and ideas, both historical and contemporary. 

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American Print Alliance

As President of the American Print Alliance, I couldn't pass up the opportunity of sharing this site with you because printmaking and drawing are disciplines connected by the democracy of communication.  Drawing is a fundamental communication tool that when joined with printmaking essentially forms the basis of our mass media culture.  Mark making and hand prints have been traced back to the earliest forms of human expression in cave paintings, and printmaking is one of the earliest methods of mass communication.  I think you'll find some very engaging images and ideas at this site.

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BBC Drawing Line of Inquiry

This short video is part of a series, the British Broadcasting Corporation's The Secret of Drawing, presented by Andrew Graham-Dixon, that explores how drawing has shaped our lives and it's relevance to our world today. In this part, what's engaging is how clearly connected the drawing process and its importance are to all the visual arts, as well as to the sciences.  In the whole series, which I hope to get posted over the next month or so, our understanding of nature as well as our perspective of reality are explored through a variety of folks throughout history who used (and are using) drawing to expand their awareness (and our awareness) and their sensitivity (and our sensitivity) to the vastness of that creative knowledge. Enjoy.