Week 6 - Terracotta Fetus Warrior

Reading response #5

Marco Maggi
Page 270

This guy is awesome. First of all, who thinks of petrifying an apple. That s an amazing and awesome idea. I love the humility this guy shows, which explains why it is one of the subjects of the article. The writer did a great job of explaining just how much painstaking work went into his pieces. I think my favorite part about Marco Maggi is that he achieved success at age twelve and immediately denied it to work on other things. I appreciate that a rejection of the modern world is the basis of his work however he takes the complete opposite approach I do. Like him, I try to reject the the basic outlook that society now shares of bigger is better and newer is better. However Maggi chooses not to get angry and instead of rejecting it or making a rejection of it his theme or motif, he simply chooses to ignore it. I cannot do this. I believe that there is a basic process:
Rejection
Destruction
Reflection
Reconstruction.
Most of all I would like to emulate the way he does exercises in the morning to always further hone his skills. That, to me, is just awesome.

Legs and Tentacles don't make up for a shitty liver

My only regret is not taking a photo of the log before I started. I actually have more regrets. Could you imagine? One regret, and its about a photo of a log! Absurd. 

Direction? Future. Week 4

I've decided on a direction for my artwork. It was inspired by Bryan Lewis Saunders self-portraits. Which he did on a different drugs every day till it took a toll on his body and he had to space out his drug induced portraits. These drugs were both elicit and pharmaceutical(which lets be real, are more powerful than most illegal drugs)

90mg Abilify

10mg Ambien

Bathsalts

Buspar ( 15mg snorted)

Cocaine

Cough syrup 

These self-portraits really spoke to me. I think that the idea itself is inspired and an incredible way to work from different perspectives. I do not plan on doing self-portraits that are so literal or drug induced. My reactions, thoughts, and behavior change drastically over the course of a very short period of time, multiple times a day. These different "personalities" or what I like to call emotion faces are the reason most people have trouble putting a finger on me. At my core, no matter my personality, I always retain the same basic beliefs, I still know the same information. The change is how I would react to a simple hello, to whether or not I would leave my house,  or for instance how I would address any given subject in a conversation. My friends often find themselves frustrated with me because of this. 

I want to make visual, three dimensional representations of my emotions that rule me.  

Reading Response #3

Communicating through expressiveness
Lorna Simpson
page 262

I chose this article because I thought it may give me some insight into new ways of expression. And ironically, it managed to succeed by not succeeding. Simpson's strategy or direction is one of non expressiveness. She reveals to the viewer their own preconceptions by eliminating the variables that would normally go overlooked. I find the idea of making art that intentionally is non-biographical in anyway and without meaning hard to understand. However I think that while no personal opinion is stated or preference, it is still an expression whether Lorna Simpson likes it or not. I understand that her work is often socially based and by removing faces, distinguishing features, ect. she can force people to come to terms with a point. But my making that point she is expressing something she is passionate about. And while not everyone will consider the artist personal input while evaluating a piece, I think that anyone who makes art will and would agree that it isn't possible to create without expressing.

Wood Burnings Week 2 and 3

Bent low with the weight of the day his shoulders reach towards the ground, like a naked lady, laden with poison, bends her once proud stalk. Like Sisyphus, he straightens his spine in the morning, only to let monotony drag him back down.

Run, run away

consider yourself amongst the lucky,

who are not fool,

who's bulwarks hold steady.

You may peer into this visage

into my eyes;

and say "I see no evil here."

You won't.

You may ask what I've done, and think, "I've done worse."

You may have

Do not be fooled

Run, run away

for beneath these waves lay sharp coral,

behind these doors, a burning house.

Do not think you can float on the surface,

you will sink when you find the water warm.

The coral cuts and tears

fusing you to itself.

Do not rush valiantly through the doors,

determined to extinguish the flames,

this house was meant to fall.

Run, run away;

make no mistake,

it is a Disguise.

Pop fish, MDF board/Soldering Iron