Reading #3

Jan Harrison

Pg.126-132

After reading about Jan and her artistic process I have come to the decision that I have mixed emotions about her work and her creative process to achieve her finished outcome. First, I was very interested with her definition of monsters stating, “Monsters stir fear and loathing and violate the natural order by sprouting appendages and fusing incongruous species.” I was interested because I think the concept of “monsters” is typical to everyday life, how creatures are feared because they are abnormal. To me, I like things that are abnormal and posses unique forms. Forms that are different receive more attention because of our culture. Her artwork was very interesting portraying unique forms consisting of different creatures. I enjoy her clay work more than her pastel paintings, because her sculptures have great depth, shape and form. Her paintings don’t offer me enough, they are beautiful but don’t interest my taste. The only thing I did not like about her was her creative process. Although it is very creative and the finished work is beautiful, her thought process is a little too deep for me. Not saying it is to complex, it just recalls bad memories. I am not a fan of the subconscious and the thought of it, and this artist really digs deep in her thinking pulling out biology and before the beginning of mankind in her thoughts. I respect her concept and her conceptual thinking, but that whole mental process is a bit too much for me. Besides the negative aspect of this artist, I overall enjoyed viewing her work and learning about her and her creative 

Inspirational Images

Found on Tumblir/Unknown Artists

  Found on Tumblir/Unknown Artists

New work 

Reading #2

Thomas Kinkade 

pg. 18-23

After reading Thomas Kinkade’s article I can see why the “art world” or other artists could dislike his style of painting or how commercialized his artwork has become. In my opinion, Thomas Kinkade is an artistic genius. Being born into a family who owns art galleries I see a lot of fine art paintings.  Throughout the years, I have observed which paintings sell most and what the most common style people purchase. Mostly it is paintings that are recognizable and illustrate a landscape or photo. Having said that Kinkade not only realized that, but also took it to a new level, to market his artwork. He is very intelligent when it comes to marketing his artwork and that is why he has been so successful in selling his work. Not only is he a good business man, but he paints paintings that illustrate beautiful scenes that most people can not resist. What grasped my attention was how many companies want a piece of his work and how they want to integrate them into different common objects.  Aside from the marketing aspect, I enjoy Thomas’ works. I feel relaxed and comfortable as I stare at his landscapes consisting of little cottages and beautiful gardens. I think everyone feels the same way about his paintings, the way he captures his audience attention is remarkable. I don’t have a negative thing to say about the man. He is truly a brilliant, intelligent entrepreneur of the art world.





Inspirational Photos

Derbyblue

Anonymous

Leonid Afremov

New work

Inspiration Images

      Samuel Morrison

Questions

1. What work have you made that seems most yours? Why?
-My portraits are paintings I feel are mostly mine because I feel in control of all
the decisions I am making in terms of who I paint, what colors I use, as well as
the surface I paint on. I also feel they are mostly mine, because I have done some
research and have not found another artist with the exact same style of shaping out
all the values in the face and painting them according to there tone.

2.Who are artists that are making work that relates to you? Are there other influences? 
    How are these other influences connected to your work?
-Samuel Morrison, he is an artist that I really enjoyed, his line work throughout peoples
faces intrigued me and lead me into painting the way I do now. Another influence would be
illustrator. In a computer graphics class, I shaped out a face with the pen tool according to the
different shades in a persons face. Once it was shaped out I took color and filled in the shapes.
My artwork now plays into that theme, but instead of doing in on the computer I paint.

3. Discuss, in your own words, why you think this is so.
-Art is so broad and universal. It can be done by anyone and there are so many different forms
of art, it is hard not to do in everyday life. Also, it allows people to be creative and express their
inter being no matter what your education level is.

4. Which of these ideas resonates most with you? Why? If they all resonate, how do they differ?
 -The idea that resonates the most with me is art is something I do for the world. I enjoy that idea
because I love making artwork for people. What I mean by that is artwork is something I like to do
for other people, not just myself. I like to get a reaction out of viewers, either good or bad. If I gained
there attention for even a second and have them trigger a thought I am pleased.

5.What do you notice about yourself? What are your methods? Subject Matter? The answers do 
not have to be limited to art related topics.
- What I notice about myself is that I love painting and being in control. I love painting with oil paint on wood and following my initial idea rather than getting half way through a painting and changing my mind. I enjoy when I have peace and quiet with no one to interrupt me. I also try to keep my style of painting clean and fluent, trying to avoid rough brushstrokes. My subjects do matter, I try to paint portraits of people that mean a lot to me and that leads me to really caring about my paintings.

6. What do you care about? The answers do not have to be limited to art related topics.
- What I care about is everything. There is nothing in this world besides violent acts, and acting like a fool that I don't care about. Certain things that really stand out are people that are close to me that I can trust. Another thing is being in control and having things look clean and pristine, as well as recognizable and functionable. The ultimate thing I care about in my life is being happy.