Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Julian Schnabel response

The lecture was not quite what I had expected. I though it would be a question and answer session about his work, with a large focus on his films since that is what he is most known for. However, the lecture was more about Picasso. The lecture revolved around making far fetched connections between Schnabel's paintings and Picasso's. There was only a brief conversation at the very end about his films.

To me his most compelling work was his film the Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This could be because I was more aware of why he made this film more so than his paintings because the discussion of the film was more about him than Picasso. His talk about how he came up with the scene in which the man looked like he was floating in the water was very beautiful. He showed us a picture of a piece of a pier floating in the water and how when the tide came up high the pier dissapeared. I found this to be quite beautiful.

My question about if he planned to make anymore mainstream films was answered. He will most likely continue to make films but not with the intention to make them mainstream. His films are already widely accepted but not blockbuster hits. He did not go into the making the film with the intention that it would be nominated for an Oscar but made the film to tell the story of this exceptional man.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Julian Schnabel Questions

1. After the mainstream success of your film The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, do you plan to make more films that will become popular outside of the artwork?

2.What made you decide to use plates to make your early images?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Final Contest Submission



I submitted to the Center for Fine Art Photography show: Dreams



Monday, April 11, 2011

Display


I now need to focus on how to hang my work for the show so i can figure out how many prints I want to make and if I need to create any more images. I've been looking at ways that I can hang my work and have many options. I could hang my pieces side by side with a few inches apart which will give my work a nice clean standard look. However, if I want to show more work I could display my work at different heights so there is more of a collage effect. This could give more of a narrative feel, but make the flow of the work less temporal.

Quotes:
"The eye gravitates more naturally towards framed pictures and representational pieces"


"If you're hanging multiple pictures together on one wall, pick one to go in the center. Kamps gives the bull's-eye location to the most important piece, regardless of its size. You can pick your favorite. Then he radiates the rest of the works out from that focal point, always separating two same-sized pieces with a smaller one."


Source:

Wagenberg, Melissa. "How to Hang a Picture Frame: Skill Set - Popular Mechanics." Automotive Care, Home Improvement, Tools, DIY Tips - Popular Mechanics. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. <http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/skills/4215826>.



This article gave some great pointers on what I should do when hanging artwork. The article got advice from a curator who has hung hundreds of pieces so know a lot about hanging work. It also is making me start to think about not only arrangements but also how I will literally hang the work. The article noted different tools needed in order to easily hang the work. it suggested not using wire because the work can easily go off balance.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Confinement

My project deals with how although one is free, in truth they are confined by their burdens. The light at first seems like a way for the subject to be free yet it confines the subject because of a struggle for power. The article on the Stanford Prison experiment deals with the same idea of a power struggle. Those is power  use fear and violence to keep those they oppress down. In turn the oppressed become angry and turn violent in order to gain power.



Quotes:
"The prisoners began to suffer a wide array of humiliations and punishments at the hands of the guards, and many began to show signs of mental and emotional distress."-Experiment Resources

"On the second day of the experiment, the prisoners organized a mass revolt and riot, as a protest about the conditions. Guards worked extra hours and devised a strategy to break up and put down the riot, using fire-extinguishers."- Experiment Resources

Bibliography:
"Stanford Prison Experiment - Roles Define Your Behavior." The Scientific Method, Science, Research and Experiments. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.experiment-resources.com/stanford-prison
experiment.html>.


This article described the reasoning behind the experiment as well as the methods for carrying out the experiment. The article described what the prisoners went through in detail and explained well why these deeds had been carried out. The experiment wanted to document a tear down of humanity through the use of a severe difference in power between guard and prisoner. It was amazing to read about how easily the guards abandoned their humanity and became extremely brutal. The experiment though cannot be seen as sufficient research data because it cannot be duplicated due to ethical reasons. 

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Alicia Suarez

I find although my work is very vibrant in colors, I keep being drawn to artists who use black and white in their images. Somehow I seem to associate colorless images with a distortion of reality. I wonder then, if my use of color in my images is hindering my attempt to distort reality, or if it is helping it by staying in color. I feel I am pushing the light enough to make the images unrealistic, but I wonder if the colors are too close to those in reality. 

Biography:
Suarez was born in South African and recvieved her BFA in printmaking there. She later got her MFA in Spain. "Suarez was educated and has exhibited widely in Spain (where she received a number of prestigious awards) and since 2004, in New York, Berlin. Johannesburg, Edinburgh, Barcelona, Brooklyn and Strasbourg." - Ghostprint Gallery


Quotes: 
"...her origins are quite apparent in the exquisitely detailed portraits of people and animals she creates. " - Ghostprint Gallery

" Her work combines graphite with African and coffee-based pigments, producing an elegant amalgamation of delicacy and strength."- Ghostprint Gallery

Since she is not an american artist I found it impossible to find a website, interview, or review of her work.






Thursday, April 7, 2011

Michael Shunke Response

It was interesting to go to this lecture because I am so used to lectures in which the concept is usually much more important than the design or visual quality. For Shunke though, the overall look of his products is what he is going for, over concept. His work can be described as process focused, relaxing, and design. To him the process of making his pieces is central to the outcome of his work. He told his audience that "when I'm making goblets I'm thinking about something else". Through doing this he says that is relaxes him and makes him less concerned with how the piece will come out, which means that he makes less mistakes because he is less tense. I find this could be an interesting approach to making my artwork, because I tend to run into a form of writers block due to my intent focus on trying to create good work.

The quote that stood out to me most was when he said that "the function of art is to remind us that what we see every day is beautiful". Although many of his works are design oriented rather than conceptual, he still pulls inspiration from every day life. He says the key is to "find beauty in the mundane". I find these ideas are central to the direction that my work is going in.

His piece that I find myself is so drawn to is his goblets that he makes for himself and for sale. These simple objects have such an interesting design element to them, and they become much more than something that one simply drinks out of.

My questions for Shunke were answered. My first question dealt with weather or not his goblets were used for aesthetic purposes or for conventional methods. To him they are more for aesthetics due to how to designs and crafts them but since he sells them through his business, they must be used to practical use. My next question asked if he considered himself a fine artist or a product designer. Although he uses his design skills to make a living, he sees himself as a fine artist first and foremost.

Trevor Paglen Response

I thought that the lecture was extremely interesting because of how he presented the thought process behind his work. He is extremely dedicated to his research and instead of creating projects about his research he creates projects using his research. I would describe his work as daring, complicated, and symbolic. First off his work is daring because it is based on exposing parts of the US government that are secretive, and also reveals operations that are going on that our country likes to think doesn't happen, such as with the kidnapping planes by the CIA. His work is complicated because he has to go through pages and pages of research in order to find one little clue and then use that clue to look through more pages of research to find another clue. I found his connections with the suspected front airline business' travel and the story of the man who claims he was kidnaped and taken aboard that plane. His work is symbolic because he presents this evidence that he finds, whether it is in text format or pictorial, and presents it to an audience, but leaves it up to his viewers to draw conclusions from it.

I found the work I was most interested in dealt with the story of the man who was kidnaped on his way to Macedonia, taken aboard a CIA plane and then brought to a prison in Afghanistan where he was kept for five months and tortured, until his captors realized they had the wrong man. This kind of story many people would have trouble believing, but through Trevor's research he was able to dig up that this story could be very truthful. The second work I found myself drawn to was his work in which he takes pictures of hidden government sites from 20, 40, or even 60 miles away. Though his photographs become difficult to make out at this distance, the images still have a startling symbolism.

I found that most interesting quote of the lecture was not something that he said, but something that was written on the back of a t-shirt in a picture in his slide. It said: "Democracy is not a spectator sport". I felt this quote explained everything that his work deals with. Instead of making work that abstractly has to do with the government, he creates work from his findings, and is much more straightforward about his concept.

Both of my questions were answered during the lecture, the first about whether or not he has gotten in trouble with the government for what his work is about. He said that this is a unique country in the fact that he was not immediately imprisoned for what he does. All the research he used was from public record and he is not making any assumptions about his research, he is just presenting what he finds and coincidences he comes across. My second question dealt with if he would consider himself more of a photojournalist than a fine art photographer. Above all else I think he considers himself a researcher who uses the art work to communicate his findings.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Michael Schunke Questions

1. Are you interested in having your glass blown pieces be used solely for aesthetics or also for practical use such as consumers using the goblets to drink out of?

2. Would you consider yourself more of a fine artist or a product maker?

Monday, April 4, 2011

Trevor Paglen questions

1. Have you been confronted by any government official for your work since it is of sites the general public is not supposed to see?

2. Would you consider yourself more of a photojournalist or a fine artist?

Lauren Simonutti

I find Simonutti's work to be extremely interesting due to the strange nature of her images. They are truly thought up in moments of insanity. They take place in mundane places yet the images are not taken of realistic life. She successfully makes the mundane interesting and even scary. I want my work to have this same effect. This idea of taking everyday places like the kitchen and my bedroom, and turning it into part of a fantasy novel.


Biography: 
"Imagine being diagnosed with “rapidly cycling mixed state bipolar with schizoaffective disorder” (hearing alien voices in your head ), being a photographer, being on meds that allow you some clarity, isolating yourself in your digs, and recording your responses to your condition in straight toned scenario shots; and you will grasp Lauren Simonutti’s amazing project of projecting subjective images of mental disease into small-format silver gelatin contact prints," (Newcityart.com).

Quotes:
"The problem with madness is that you can feel it coming but when you tell people you think you are going crazy they do not believe you." - Lauren Simonutti


"I am aware enough to know the things I see and hear are not real, but that does not mean I do not still see and hear them. " - Lauren Simonutti

Website
Gallery
Review




Thursday, March 31, 2011

Ryan Mcginness Response

Ryan's lecture was very different from most artist lectures I have gone to. Most artists talk about their work for a majority of the lecture and then do a short question and answer session. This lecture seemed extremely question based and dealt less with concept. His work could be described as complicated, laid back, and design oriented because it seems heavily influenced by his early years immersed in the skater culture of VA Beach.

I found his work at the VMFA was the most interesting because it became a graphic design type piece that was directly influenced from art history. I found it extremely interesting that he successfully mixed work that had more commercial nature with a concept rooted in the fine arts. His quote "Art History is not linear" was extremely compelling because I felt it applied so well to this work.

My questions were not answered but I feel that the second one about if he was influenced by graffiti was somewhat answered. He seems very interested in icons, and logos rather than graffiti. The idea of identifiable icons is much more obvious in his work rather than graffiti.

Environment

Environment has become extremely important in my work because it is supposed to be this unrealistic event taking place in a mundane space. The spacing of objects and furniture in a room has become very interesting to me because the environment has become so important to my images. Feng Shui is all about how to arrange your room in order to have perfect harmony. I am interested in doing the opposite of this in my images. I do not want harmony, I want imbalance. 



Quotes:

"Feng shui manages five main elements which we should always have in mind when harmonizing our environment: water, wood, fire, earth and metal"


"Feng shui is an ancient and wise approach to the way our environment affects us. "


Feng Shui Tips & Tricks. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. <http://www.fengshuicrazy.com/>.
This article explained what Feng Shui is and how it can affect our day to day lives. It was very easy to read and understand. It also the map of Feng Shui which is a way for us to figure out where we need to place the furniture in our rooms. The article explained that this is based on the natural elements of water, wood, fire, earth, and metal.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Ryan Mcguiness Questions

1. Would you say that working as an intern right after college at the Andy Warhol museum influenced your work?

2. Does your work have a heavy influence from graffiti?

Friday, March 25, 2011

Jack Spencer

I find Spencer's work finds a way to set his ordinary subjects within nature and create fantastical images out of them. His use of soft focus is what makes his images so compelling. The way that he captures movement and pieces of a scene makes his images a mystery. My images are quite the opposite of these. They are in color and in sharp focus but i wonder if this style would work within my series.

Biography:
"Somewhere along the back roads of small towns dotting the Louisiana and Mississippi landscape is Jack Spencer, a self-taught photographer, searching for beauty. Driving through forgotten towns, lush bayous, overgrown cotton fields and visiting weathered porches filled with the sound of authentic country blues, Spencer watches and listens, always looking for that one moment, interaction or ray of light that inspires him to take a picture. His photographs illuminate a singular mood, person or place, exposing us to the raw beauty etched into the faces and landscapes in the South, as he returns time and again to his subjects, peeling away layers, offering us a glimpse at another facet of their character."- Catherine Edelman Gallery


Quotes:
Throughout his travels, Spencer looks for the unexpected, waiting patiently for images to emerge." - Catherine Edelman Gallery


" It is here, among the ceremonies, festivals and sun drenched streets that Spencer has created his newest works, photographing everyday heroics prevalent in ordinary life" - Catherine Edelman Gallery


Website
Gallery
Interview





Lauren Nakadate Reponse

I found the lecture to be extremely inspiring because her work deals so much with connected in with those outside of the art world by making them a part of her work. I would feel uncomfortable doing the kind of work she does because I do not like approaching strangers or going over to strange men's houses. Nevertheless I am impressed that she cares about her work so much that she was willing to do this.

I would describe her work as documentation, connecting, and gutsy. Her work is a constant documentation of connections that strangers share with her. Even her early series in college is a documentation of this by photographing these women she doesn't know as they party and live lives that are opposite of what the stereotype is. Many times she uses men that the average women would not want to go into an apartment with, let alone get in their underwear with. She says that being a stranger and going up to someone and asking them to have this experience with her was "heartbreaking and funny". She said that many these men in her early work did not have a female presence in their life so her connections with them was important.

Her most compelling work to me was the OPPS! video in which she danced with strangers that she approached in parking lots. The reaction that they men had were funny but also compelling because it was obvious they were enjoying the company. Watching the connection they shared through dancing to a pop song was extremely intriguing.

My question about if she tries to have a narrative in her still work since she also working in video was answered. Her work does not really have a narrative in her photographs, instead they are a documentation of reality or like with her pin up pictures, they are a statement and also about connections due to the finger prints. My other question had dealt with if her work had any feminists undertones since she was in her underwear for most of the pictures. For the most part she is in her underwear for reasons other than a feminist attitude. She seems to see nakedness as another connection between two people.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Anderson Gallery Submissions

Discovery

Discovering an idea or an object can be very exciting to its keeper. It makes this person feel special. But these discoveries can sometimes have a detrimental effect. With looking at what's going on in the news lately, one beings to wish no one had ever discovered how create nuclear power or weapons. Something that is seen as so important has such a terrible effect. The object in my series eventually has this effect. Although the subject loves this object and wants to spend time with it, in the end it has a detrimental effect.

Quotes:

"TEPCO is now battling to avert a catastrophic meltdown at three of the six reactors at the Fukushima facility­, with a second hydrogen explosion early Monday morning signaling the difficulty of that effort."

 "At the Fukushima plant, a suspected hydrogen explosion early Monday blew the roof off the building housing the Number 3 reactor. A similar blast damaged the outer building of the Number 1 unit on Saturday. And at the Number 2 reactor, officials have indicated a complete failure of the cooling system caused the water level to fall, leaving the fuel rods fully exposed. The situation means that the rods will heat up, and increases the risk of an uncontrolled meltdown."

Chernobyl aftermath today

 "Japan Battles to Avert Nuclear Power Plant Disaster." Daily Nature and Science News and Headlines | National Geographic News. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/03/110314-japan-nuclear-power-plant-disaster/>.

This is a very interesting article explaining why the nuclear reactors were damaged and why it is so hard to cool them down. The article explains that the site was not built to withstand an earthquake as large as the one Japan experienced. Most of the damage though was done by the tsunami. All residents in a 12 mile radius are being evacuated due to radiation leaking out.

Laurel Nakadate Questions

1. How would you say your films affect your still image works? Do you try to have a narrative in each photograph?

2. Your photographs deal with very sexualized women, and many of you videos seem to revolve around women unconcious on the floor surrounded by men. Are these two themes connected in some way or are they simply two different concepts?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Alyssa Salomon

I love the way the technique Salomon uses works well with her subjects. She turns her work into something small and delicate. Her work has a very illustrated feel to it due to the contrast and painterly feel that her techniques use. Like my work, most of her environment are in nature but are more of a documentation of it, it is more of an interaction.

Bio: 
Salomon was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Kenyon College for her BA. She has been in many solo and group shows in the Richmond area and also has work that is part of the permanent collection for Capital One. She also received a VMFA fellowship in 2000.

Quotes:
"Alyssa C. Salomon is a photographer and sculptor who explores the use of photographs as objects through which we narrate our everyday lives."-Newdags (review link)

" She came to daguerreotype making in 2000 in her quest for the ultimate photographic object. Daguerreotypes are physical: you hold the weighty thing in your hand. Daguerreotypes are precious: made with pure silver, sheets of copper, and gold chemistry. " -NewDags

gallery
review
Website

Friday, March 11, 2011

Whirlpools

I realize that this has nothing really to do with my series but after seeing the video about the whirlpool that has developed off the coast of Japan, I have become extremely interested in the idea of whirlpools. They are always something that you hear of in medieval and fantasy stories or in movies about pirates. The idea of an actual whirlpool has a fictional feel to it, so it becomes terrifying yet fascinating when one hears about them occurring in real life. I feel therefore this connects with my idea of taking things that actually exist in the world but making them become part of the subject imagination.



Quotes:
"It is merely a matter of size. If the maelstrom is large enough and the boat or other object is small enough, the object will be drawn down through the vortex along with the water. It is understandable then, that fables exist about large ships being sucked down and eaten up by giant whirlpools, but actual documented cases that we would consider trustworthy do not exist"

 "But most people are more familiar with smaller less dangerous whirlpools that occur in streams or at the bottom of waterfalls. To be sure, these whirlpools can cause lots of problems for watercraft, and they can pull people down and not let them up. So they are dangerous, but not to the scale of a maelstrom whirlpool that can swallow a boat."

"Spiral Wishing Wells." Spiral Wishing Well Coin Funnel. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <http://www.spiralwishingwells.com/guide/whirlpools.html>.
This article was extremely informative and easy to read about the actual facts of whirlpools. It admits that there are whirlpools that can suck down a boat, but that these are rare. The average whirlpool can suck down small objects like people and rowing boats, but now ships. It also explained how whirlpool form, and why a vacuum occurs.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Keith Carter

I love the distorted realities that Carter creates with his work. His images have a surreal effect despite the fact that they take place in ordinary settings and of ordinary subject. The way he uses shadow, blurring, and vignetting creates a new world. I find this is an interesting approach to distorting reality in comparison with how my series' interpretation.


Biography from website:
"Keith Carter is an internationally recognized photographer and educator. Born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1948,he holds the endowed Walles Chair of Art at Lamar University Beaumont, Texas. He is the recipient of the Lange-Taylor Prize from The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, and The Texas Medal of Arts. In addition Keith Carter has been the subject of an arts profile on CBS Sunday Morning, and Anthropy Arts produced a documentary DVD of his work. He is the Lamar University Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, as well as being named the 2010 TSUS Regents Professor."


Quotes:


"I don’t think science is necessarily incompatible with mystical or spiritual sensibilities.  I often weigh them equally in my thinking, which sometimes finds itself into the work" - Keith Carter


"I like to work in the real world, so I do a lot of searching or just simple looking.  But I’m not above tweaking reality and making something up. I don’t think there are any rules in art. It’s not so much what you see as it is the significance you, the artist, see in it." - Keith Carter







Gallery
Website
Interview

Precious

Precious possessions is a running theme in my series. It is represented as a material object but in concept it is actually an idea, a want, sometime that cannot be touched. It is interesting to see thought how the value of a material precious possession changes constantly. Owning sometime considered "precious" has become a business transaction, a way for people to make money. I find this affects to the way that my subject views their "precious" object.


"Gold had gained 2% from Friday through Wednesday's record settlement of $1,437.70 as tumult in the Middle East and North Africa boosted the metal as a so-called safe-haven investment. A surge in oil prices on the news also helped lift gold as an inflation hedge."-WSJ.com


"the dip in gold prices may provide opportunities for bargain hunters, said Haberkorn, who expects prices will resume their uptrend."- WSJ.com




"PRECIOUS METALS: Gold Pulls Back From Record As Haven Need Wanes - WSJ.com." Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110303-709905.html>. This was a very informative article about how the value of gold has gone down somewhat. Due to the economy and current affairs, the cost has gone down which means that this is the perfect time to buy gold. I found the article was very easy to read as someone who does not know much about the gold business or economics.



Thursday, March 3, 2011

Kathy Rose response

I was not a huge fan of the lecture today for Kathy Rose. I found it odd that she barley spoke about her work during the lecture, and did not mention concept or much about inspiration. her work has definatley evolved with the changing technology due to her early work dealing with hand drawn animation and her later work being extremely digital. I feel overall I would describe her work as vibrant, moving, and intentional. Due to the performance aspect being such an important part of her animations, she must make sure that everything is planned out. Like I had wondered before the lecture, she does plan out each part of the performance, but whether the movement or the animation comes first, all depends on the project, and changes constantly.

Her earlier work I found the most interesting due to the mixture of animation and dance, and the polished look due to the cohesiveness of the two. I did not know that she had dance experience which obviously inspired her work in the 80's. I feel the fact that she merged two art forms into one performance made her work very interesting. I find this body of work to be the most compelling because everything has to be planned out, yet the performance looks like an improvisation, due to her movements.

Rose's most recent work I was not as impressed with as her early work. I found it seemed too digital and the overall effect did not have the finessing that her earlier work did. The videos were awkward and became boring to watch. I also did not like many of the special effects because they did not seem to work well and the technical downfalls overshadowed the overall work. I wonder why she has not considered going back to less computerized approaches since those worked much better with her vision.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Katy Rose Questions

1. When creating what you will project, do you think about how it will interact with the live subject, or do you plan out the placement of the subject after?

2. Your current work is very different from your earlier work in the 70s and 80s. Does this have a lot to do with better technology being available?

Thomas Hager

I love Hager's series Catharsis due to the motion or the subjects and the mood of the images. I find I connect to the concept of this work, through seeing how the subjects are struggling with outside forces effecting them. This is like my series in which it deals with how one thing can create a completely different world for the subject, wether it is bad or good.

Biography: 

Thomas Hager is a fine art photographer who received his BFA from the University of North Florida and currently lives in Florida. His work has an antique affect to them which he says gives his images a "painterly" effect. His work revolves around studying the organic forms such as flowers, shells, the human body, and much more. His work is extremely popular in corporate settings due to the subject matter he chooses.

Quotes:


"The process enhances the dimensional quality of the image due to the chemicals’ ability to get into the fibers of the paper rather than staying on top of the paper as with traditional photographic paper. This creates a soft, tactile surface which is congruous with nature. " - Thomas Hager


"My investigation of this vintage process has not only increased my life long exploration of the medium of photography but has helped make a profound statement for my subject matter. " - Thomas Hager








Screen Shots from his website


PDN Submission






Friday, February 25, 2011

POV

Point of view will play an important role in my narrative now that I am interested in having first person and third person perspective. It is important to study the writer's view of how to appropriately change point of view. What will make this work is by using proper editing to make sure the view is not confused.


"Writing a Multiple Viewpoint Novel - Novel Writing Help." Expert Novel Writing Help and Advice. Web. 25 Feb. 2011. <http://www.novel-writing-help.com/multiple-viewpoint-novel.html>.
This article was a great beginners course on the different perspectives one can use in narratives. It explained different ways in which one could incorporate multiple points of view on a story line. The article gave advice on how to effectively switch the view points with in the story.


Quotes: 


"But in most multiple viewpoint novels, you have the novel's protagonist, who gets to be the viewpoint character in most of the chapters (not least the opening and closing ones), with the remaining chapters being told by one or more of the lesser characters."


"Let's start with the basics: a multiple viewpoint novel is one in which two or more members of your cast list are viewpoint characters - that is, those characters through whose eyes we witness the events of the novel and whose thoughts and feelings we have direct access to."



Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Sarah Jones

Sara Jones work is conceptually similar to mine. She deals with creating unnatural scene from the natural and creating surreal photographs in very familiar settings. I am interested in how our images are visually different despite dealing with similar concepts. Though her images have a flat look to them, they transmit a plethora of emotions and interpretations. I also enjoy how the subjects are placed within the photograph, becoming part of the background despite being the largest subject.


Biography:
"Sarah Jones was born in London in 1959 where she continues to live and work. She studied Fine Art at Goldsmith's College, completing her Master's (Distinction) in 1981 and her first degree, in Fine Art and Contemporary Dance, in 1996."- Royal College of Art (http://www.rca.ac.uk/Default.aspx?ContentID=503338)


Quotes:


"This image was part of a series of teenage girls with whom Jones has been working for some time, photographing them in and around their comfortable middle-class homes. The girls inhabit an in-between space that bridges childhood and maturity. In pointing to a haunting narrative beyond the frame--a childhood "uncanny" -- Jones denies her work the genre-portrait status to which it might otherwise be consigned."- Junk for Code (Review link)


"What is explored is the ‘analytic frame’ that marks off the different kind of reality that is within it from that which is outside it; but a temporal spatial frame also marks off the special kind of reality of a psychoanalytic session. "- Junk for Code (Review link)

Gallery
Review




Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sarah Moon

I love how these images use movement as a central part in creating the composition. They have a dreamy feeling due to the low contrast and soft focus. I feel this could work well with my concept. My previous images had a focus on keeping the details nice and sharp and making sure the colors and lighting are exactly how they should be. This was partially so that no one could say that I didn't mean to have something look a certain way and had just screwed up since i am taking self portraits. I feel though, now i can experiment with my process more, most likely in photoshop so I can still use my images from last semester. I like the borders and the mucking of tones, that adds to the dreaming feeling in Moon's work. Even in her color work, the colors are not vibrant and perfectly balances and perfectly in focus, the images work because they are purposely not any of these things.


Biography:


"Texture, surface, seeing, believing, dreaming. It is difficult to summarise Sarah Moon’s fantastical photography - almost thirty years of image making has made Sarah Moon a legend in her own lifetime. Well known for her very personalized commercial work since the early 1970s, Sarah has continued to investigate a world of her own invention without repetition and also without compromise."


Quotes:


"The dream world is quintessential to her work; her images lead us into a world bewitched. When men appear, her pictures move towards a more disturbing surrealism and a dangerous mystery is inferred. These are photographs in which the bizarre and unusual confront ordinary reality."- Michael Hoppen Gallery


"Sarah Moon’s current project Circus brings together the powerful ingredients of fairytale darkness, beauty and tragedy"- Micheal Hoppen Gallery