Next idea

Regarding that almost pitiful painting guidelines list I threw together the other, I am considering how to actually apply those generic little rules. I'm thinking of a portrait, and since I've been finding difficulty capturing the depth that skin actually has, I'll follow those stipulations I put in place. I'll be able to create a lot of depth using thin layers of medium. I certainly enjoy things being thick and opaque but it does a disservice to some objects since not everything is completely solid and creamy. I'm excited to capture the translucency that can be seen in blood vessels, pores, and even skin stretched thin regardless of which part of the body its on. This post will mark my official exploration of this, since I'm an amateur and fool, haha.

The Ale House

Garden State Ale House to be precise. Though I remember it being called the George Street Ale House previously? Either way. It's a nice place to grab some surprisingly gourmet food with good drinks, as I imagine most of us are aware. I'm new to the bar experience so it's probably old news, but I enjoy going there after class and reflecting on the day. It's usually when I'm not interested in staying in the building but I'm not quite ready to head home either. This is a crude sketch chronicling the spot I always happen to choose, the tables closest to the entrance on the right hand side. I'm still too self-conscious to claim one of the higher tables or the counter, maybe with a friend.

Just remember:  Dogfish Head "Fort"

Sad portrait

Granted, this is only a small sketch, but the more I look at it the more I question why I even bothered? Why does this drawing upset me so much? On that particular day I drew it to distract myself from a conversation I did not particularly like in class that day. I was becoming incredibly anxious and I was already quite tired so I started scratching this unassuming guy sitting down, looking solemn or aloof. It's not particularly good and it made me realize how awful I am at foreshortening as well as perspective since that weird thing at the bottom is supposed to be a coffee mug. I should be able to draw when I want but it seems my mood altered what little ability I have significantly, never again (eh, just kidding).

Thesis Proposal

It feels slightly embarrassing to post this but I know no one is looking... ha.

As a person that is extremely self-conscious and concerned with my own personal comfort, I think about my surroundings and my body extensively. That being said, I often observe other people as well, usually those that are close to me. Eventually, having time to myself, this coalesces into a blurring between imaginative spaces and reality after I’ve had time to digest what I’ve seen. I have a hypersensitivity towards what I see before me but that exacerbates into what I cannot see or what I wish I could see. From the micro to the macro, to reality and fantasy. It’s odd and a bit naive but I shift between wanting to paint the quiet (or sometimes not so quiet) scenes in front of me to dreaming up intensely complex landscapes and organisms that could not possibly exist in reality. It’s as if I’m piecing together a film in my mind, each frame being its own scene and painting, though ultimately there is no real conclusion that I can foresee. It comes across as a sort of attention deficit, but there is too much I want to explore to simply narrow it down to the “body” and “slice of life” as I have done in the past. Despite the disparity between the things I choose to render I feel they all aim to create a compelling or at the very least interesting psychological space. Ideas or moods that have affected me, vaguely remembered details from a previous day, or how my skin felt during a particular night. I realize this is broad and unkempt, but to pare it down in artistic language, it’s my personal narrative reflecting the multiple mindsets I may have at one time.

Here is an excerpt from a book that I hold dear, And Then by Natsume Soseki.

“Of particular interest to Daisuke was the decorative painting around the transom, the result of lengthy discussion with a certain artist acquaintance. Daisuke stood up and examined the colors unfolding like a picture scroll, and was pained to discover that they were not nearly as pleasing as the last time he had seen the painting. Disturbed, he began to scrutinize each section when suddenly… After some time, the colors no longer seemed to be painted upon the wall at all, but were leaping from his pupils and flying out to the wall, where they became glued. Soon, by controlling the colors that flew from his eyes, Daisuke was able to correct all the places that had displeased him, and finally, having achieved the most beautiful hues that his imagination could conjure, he sat in a state of rapture” (Soseki, 30-33).

The protagonist, Daisuke, is an extremely sensitive young man that takes his personal comfort very seriously, more so than the pressing matters that exist in his life that could easily upset his well-being. During this excerpt he is casually listening to his sister-in-law press him about getting married, but rather than paying full attention to her he gazes at a painting on a wall, adjusting and editing it in his mind until it no longer offends him. A petal being out of place could render him unable to summon the will to leave his home for the day.

I share this anxiety and unnecessary fixation, with a small detail out of place capable of crippling me for extended periods of time. That feels foolish to admit but I look to reflect or even “solve” these issues in the works I create. Beyond that, I aim to provide a view or perspective not normally obtainable to extract some excitement and wonder from.

Little organic friend

A gooey and veiny critter of the deep. Setting the tone for these next set of paintings.

Painting Guielines

Some extremely minor notes for these last two weeks of painting.

1. Use galkyd

2. Let it dry

3. Use large brushes

4. Try to create depth

5. 10 Layers??? or more

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6. Gesso over bad square

As I stated previously, minor.

No idea what this is

Not really sure where I'm going with this but I'm hoping it pans out.

What does it mean?

Great title up there, huh?

I'm becoming more concerned with what it is I am actually aiming to paint. It's delving further into an area I'm at once comfortable with but also find great difficulty articulating. My work involves bodies, so far mostly women's bodies, and it's hard for me to discern why. The obvious first answer is the fact that I am a young woman and could most immediately relate to my own body. However, I actively try to avoid depicting myself and, as of right now, I am comfortable stating I'd rather keep it that way. Then again, I drew a picture of two people with ambiguous genders yesterday in my sketchbook, but I positioned them in a way that implied intimacy underneath a thin veil of... camaraderie? As if they were friends. Still, they were sitting far too close, legs entwined, for it to be a simple closeness in friendship. Maybe I just wanted to draw two people blurring the line between platonic and physical relationships. Or maybe there's something more? I cannot be sure and this post is sounding really obnoxious in the "deep" contemplation and meandering of thought that is going on. I still think there's something important about that sketch, though. I've gotten further away from the abstract figurations I started the semester with though I don't want to completely abandon that idea. My problem is understanding why I even want to render these things. There has to be a better reason than "it looks cool" (though in some cases I think that's a totally viable reason to make something). I am apprehensive because this is weighty territory and it should be treated with sensitivity and a good sense of awareness. It's good to have tact, you know?

Anyhow. That's enough.

Another painting

Extremely low quality pictures of a painting I'm struggling through.

Pop Up Painting(s)

My personal favorite painting of my own from the pop up exhibition. Pictures of the others are soon to come.

30x40 in. Oil on canvas.

Small sketch

A small sketch I'm attempting to translate into a small painting. 

Drawings in Progress

Hey folks,

These are some drawings I would like to finish but likely will not this semester. However, they are important to my thought process. We'll see what happens.

Pardon the picture quality. 

I'll do better next time.

(Don't you love how they just pop out the edge of the post?)

My Interview with Matthew Chin

My Interview with Matthew Chin, a media major. I knew absolutely nothing about media beforehand but was treated to not only his video work, but programming, paintings, and drawings as well.

Nefertiti: Hello Matt. You told me you’re majoring in media. What does media entail and what does your work in media involve?

Matthew: Hello Nefertiti. To me, media is usually making videos. working with the Internet, and reaching out to a large audience. My work seems to focus on entertainment. My short film Disservice with a Smile is a comedy film that was written and directed by me. It's about a guy named Jimmy who gets chased around by a maniac with a bat, and then there's an ending that destroys all expectations. It's meant to make audiences laugh and be amused with the silliness. My Lion Fish Shooter video is of something I made in the programming language called Processing. It's an interactive program where you control a lion fish that shoots pellets at bubbles. It's meant to look like a simple shooting game that kids would play.

Still from Disservice with a Smile

Nefertiti: That’s really cool, I know almost nothing of media but it sounds profound, and definitely very contemporary with our modern age. I really enjoyed Disservice with a Smile, it had an amusing narrative and I did actually chuckle. And the Lion Fish Shooter felt really light hearted and familiar, like old flash games people our age probably played when we were younger. What was it like directing your own film? That seems rather difficult.

Matthew: It was pretty hard. First, I needed to find a time at night when all of my actors were available. Second, I needed to handle the camera and tell my actors what to do. Since my actors weren't professionals, it was difficult trying to get them to do things the way I envision. Even so, I think it turned out really well.

Matthew: My instructors have told me that the Lion Fish Shooter looked like an app game.

Still from Lion Fish Shooter

Nefertiti: Yeah, I find film fascinating in that way because each frame is like a painting, and you need to choreograph it so it all fits together well. And yes, the simplicity of the style and click based mechanics lends itself to mobile games. What is it about media, and perhaps these two examples, that you find most interesting?

Matthew: I'm not so sure myself. I guess it just feels good to make things that people would want to see or experience and have a good time with them. I usually like to keep my work rated G or PG. Media like television, movies, and video games are things that people like to watch or play, and it brings together people with similar interests.

Nefertiti: That’s a very generous outlook, I can definitely concur. What was it that got you into media in the first place? Since we’re talking about interests.

Matthew: When I started college, I was a visual arts student with no specific concentration. In sophomore year, I decided to give media a try because I wanted to make movies. After learning that I'm pretty good at editing, I decided to concentrate in that. I have also taken some creative writing classes, so I'm comfortable with writing scripts.

Nefertiti: I’m glad you were able to discover your interests and utilize them, creative writing is a really great outlet. What would you say inspires your work?

Matthew: I guess what mainly inspires me are my favorite video games, TV shows, movies, music, and other forms of popular culture. I know it sounds unprofessional, but it's what I do. I don't have any real artists that truly inspire me. If I do, they would just be game artists and fan artists.

Nefertiti: That’s quite alright, you’re being honest and I don’t think there’s any shame in deriving interest in those things. It’s good work in a different context, but individually it can have great meaning. This is for my own curiosity, but is there a video game and a movie you could mention that really impacted you?

Matthew: My biggest inspiration is the Pokémon franchise. I've been a fan since I was little, and I've drawn over a hundred fan made original characters. Pokémon isn't just a media franchise, it's a lifestyle. This is a bit of a stretch, but I'd love to work for Game Freak one day.

Nefertiti: It’s nice seeing that kind of love and passion for something meant to bring you entertainment, I have a lot of things like that myself. Since you mentioned working for their studio one day, what direction do you see your work going in? The images of your work that you sent seemed very structured, clean, and organized, are they still like that now? Apologies for the multiple questions.

Matthew: If I do end up working at Game Freak, I'd like to help in creating characters, settings, stories, and some other things. Pokémon is actually a lot deeper than most people think it is. It's not a kiddie video game-based franchise about animals beating each other up. The creators take careful consideration into their characters, settings, and stories. For example, in the Pokémon world, there is a place called Kalos that is based on France. The creators visited real-life France so that they could incorporate France's cities and culture into Kalos. I'd like to get into conceptual thinking so I can make the kind of things Game Freak makes.

I've been told that I have a great sense of humor, so I could also work for a company that makes TV shows or movies. They would need people with good ideas or a sense of artistry. If making video games isn't my thing, I could try this direction.

I consider my non-video work still structured, clean, and organized. For the Mitosis Jacks, I made a lot of measurements to cut out the foam boards into the shapes I wanted. I still draw a lot today, and I think I'm pretty good with line work. People have told me that I have careful hands.

Nefertiti: I totally see where you’re coming from, I often see video games as a medium that marries other mediums together since they need great visuals, an interesting concept, and lots of work and research. I definitely saw your sense of humor in the short film, it’s refreshing seeing something funny that isn’t bogged down by seriousness. It’s good to have that flexibility because the skills you have could be utilized in several different fields, I wish you luck.

And I definitely saw that careful intricacy and preciseness in the jacks and that Christmas Tree drawing. Clean lines are great for animations and character design, so that’s a great skill to have.

Now, as a parting question, what would you say your greatest strengths are? And what are some aspects of your work and process you think you could improve? I know you kind of answered the first question, but I’m still curious.

Matthew: I appreciate your comments about Christmas War Planet and Mitosis Jacks. I think some my greatest strengths are that I can be patient and I can stay calm in tense situations. Also, I can quickly notice things in my work that I don't like and fix them if I can. Some things that I could improve are trying to take my work to the absolute best instead of just the minimum satisfaction.

Nefertiti: Of course! I think you’ll have plenty of opportunities to improve as well as show off your abilities. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk, it was a pleasure.

Matthew: You're welcome. It's been fun sharing my life as an artist.