I think my strengths as a student in the class came in the long table discussions. I feel that I tried to edit my words to very precise and coherent topics at the table. This is very difficult to judge with such a huge class but I feel I contributed to the best of my ability with the class discussions.

I also feel my presentations were thorough and full of important information. I did my best to fulfill the requirements while offering important information for the class on my topics for presentation. I actively participated in all aspects of the class and tried my hardest to fulfill all the requirements in the syllabus.

Our small group functioned very successfully. We met every week in my studio, so I had to be there and we had pretty great conversation and more importantly relationship building every week. I feel I connected with a few people from different areas that I might not have without the group setting. Bravo on that idea. My role a member was well received. I always addressed the reading and produced my own ideas based on what was read.

My weakness would probably be engaging the reading in the blog and long table. Usually when I stepped up to the long table it was on a tangent from the book, also in my blog I found it difficult to reference the book coherently. I did the readings but didn’t always find something to talk about in the blog. I also did a number of things that I never brought up in the blog like multiple visits with other grad students and many visiting artist lectures.

I feel my blog was fairly consistent with completion. I think I missed a few comments but completed all of the blogs, other than my amnesty two weeks ago. My blog served mainly as a place to talk about my experience in the studio as well as critiques. I feel this was very important for me because it gave me a time to digest and think about the work I had done so far in the week. The blog writing was never poetic or epic or beautifully written, but it did serve it’s purpose for me as a place to record my work. Studio work was really my main focus this semester (as it should be for three years) and I feel I fulfilled this to the best of my ability. I worked every week very consistently in my studio for my studio class but also for my own body of work. This has really been my strong point I feel for the semester and the thing I am most proud of so far. In the end I am here to become a better artist and make work so this all was my priority.

In terms of the other class requirements, I think I fulfilled them all. I went above and beyond with visiting artists. I attended almost all of the lectures and had critiques with four visiting artists. This was a great experience and something that I plan to continue in the future. I had critiques with katie Hudnall, Lavie Raven, Hilary Wilder, and one that escapes my mind. They all had unique views on my work and contributed to the work that is being made.

My collaboration was with Sandra. The idea sprung from my installation class. She was willing to participate and have full reign over the installation of my work. This was a pretty great experience and something I hope to continue as well. My public show was the 908 show in which the collaboration took place.

I had difficulty getting  faculty member to visit. I contacted a number of people. It looks like Michael Jay will be visiting sometime this week or next before break. My visit with a third year was early on with Matt Martin, a painter, as well as a later visit with Roger, a second year painter.

Another weakness I have noticed is trying to find time to make it to openings around campus. Due to my work schedule this is very difficult, but something I am trying to improve upon.

I think the weakness of the class has to do with the size. It was very difficult for everyone to get their opinion in, while others were almost forced to step up and speak. This is frustrating to me. The long table didn’t always get to a point of interest partly due to the fact that people felt an obligation to speak. I think if you are in grad school you should have something to say personally. But overall, I think everyone in the class really has been doing pretty good work so far for the class. I was really into most of the presentations, especially the first round. Seeing everyone’s influences was really inspiring for me.

My main weakness I would say is being engaged in the class as a whole community. This has more to do with my dislike of large groups probably but I feel at times that I stayed a little in the background at times. I have always had problems fitting in with a large group of people and not feeling left out somehow. This is something I am always aware and try to avoid.

Overall I have been happy with many aspects of the group, the main I would say is in the small group sessions, just getting to know a few people pretty well. The large group was a little overwhelming, but is unavoidable it seems with such a huge class. Hopefully my fear of social awkwardness will dwindle as I get to know my fellow classmates over the next few years.

My small group met for lunch for our final meeting. We chatted, it was good. The finale of the book I think was pretty good. I really enjoyed chapter nine quite a bit. Really this was one of my favorite reads of the book. There is often a division between the worlds of art things and science things. It was nice to see a chapter in the book devoted to such an important topic in todays society. Visual culture really being a study of popular culture definitely needs to speak of the sciences and technology. The video they mentioned of the slices vertically of the human body is also pretty amazing. Chapter ten I really didn’t enjoy too much to be honest with you.

I stopped by a couple of shows on campus recently. The ceramic show, sclupture show, and Katie Hudnall’s show. I was really into the sculpture show I think the most of all. The work was pretty great and had showed the diversity in the program. It was good to see some of the work that I usually don’t have a chance to see because it is in Hummanities.

Here is my loose plan for the next three years with scheduling and everything. I am taking art history next semester, probably an art history or outside academic over the summer. Then finish up my seminars with Michael J’s in the fall and finish up anything else in the spring. I plan on taking a number of other studio courses. I am taking drawing in the spring, I would also like to take screen printing, animation or video, neon, we’ll see what else comes up. Next semester I am working with TL, Nancy, and Fred, I also would like to work with John Hitchcock, Michael J, Michael Connors, Aris, Paul S, maybe others.

My committee is really up in the air right now. I imagine Derrick will be on it and maybe TL. I am planning on doing my MA as well. I would love my qualifiers to be in the spring of next year to give me the most of my time. In terms of my MFA show I would like it to be maybe in the lofts gallery, or perhaps some where off campus like the project lodge or something. I really don’t know what the work will look like at all. I have been experimenting a lot this semester with new directions and mediums so to think of my work two years away is just too much of a leap right now. It probably will include paint in one way or another. Hopefully next semester I will nail down a number of things such as my committee, vision for my work etc. I have really changed my work in the past three months and hopefully it will all pay off next semester so I can start thinking more seriously about things like the MA show.

This past week was pretty slow. I worked a little in the studio, not too much though. More of my time was spent catching up on end of semester duties for this class and others. Creatively I have been lacking recently. I think my brain is just trying to catch up with my work from the semester. It will be nice to have a little break and just think and sketch. I will be going out of town for about 10 days over break but then plan on hopefully making a painting after new years.

I am getting pretty excited about next semester. I can’t wait for my drawing class just to be able to sit and draw for a while every week, also really looking forward for Nancy’s crit group and getting to know TL better. As for art history next semester I will be taking a class in design studies. Hopefully my committee will accept this as art history credit.

Abruptly saying bye.

The first part of my week was wasted with sickness.

Monday: 103 fever, doctors office, started to freak out about my 2-d first year review.
Tuesday: laid around and fought my chills and heat flashes. But, I did start doing some drawing in my sketch book for the first time in a while which was great.

Wed: Class was pretty great I thought. Some very needed information was dispelled just in time to finish up enrolling for spring. Seeing the whole degree laid out so carefully is exciting but also nerve racking to see what is coming up in the next two years. This makes me think of the past two years and how they flew by. I have only been painting really for maybe three years so to think of two years in the future is terrifying imagining how quickly it will whirl by. So in less than a year and a half we will be setting up our MA shows. This scares the shat out of me. I am still really trying to figure out what I am doing so to think of a show for a degree really makes me want to get to work. I feel that I have done a sufficient amount of work so far this semester for the most part, but am still stuck in a rut of sorts. I am really excited to start next semester with new faces and voice about my work. My schedule for next semester has been a hurricane of change and uncertainty, and still is as of right now. I was planning on taking LB’s crit class for seminar credit, but it conflicts with Nancy’s crit group. I think I will do Nancy’s class just to have someone new. This means sacrificing a seminar credit though. I think I will also be taking a design studies course in built environment. Hopefully I will be able to convince my comity to give me art history credit. I still need to talk to a few people about this aspiration. The class seems interesting enough I think, at least a lot more interesting than any open art history courses that are available. I will also be taking credits with TL and Fred in his drawing section.

Thurs through now, no work really done. Some reading and sketching, but other than that nothing too great.

Over the holiday I had ten relative in-laws in town to eat Turkey. They all wanted to see my studio. So we went. In this group was a wide array of ages from 70ish grandparents, to a two year old boy. After the grandparents trying to figure out what the hell I was painting, (combs? eyeballs? body parts? naughty body parts?) the two year old just started freaking out and climbing all over my paintings. The work was really engaging him which was interesting. There has always been a sense of interaction or play in this new work and seeing a two year old react was interesting.

So last week I posted an image of a painter that I was looking at. To be honest I really just posted that for some retinal stimulation, but after really looking at the image I started doing some exploration of the artists work. I am posting some more images of him (Jonathan Lasker). Seeing his work really makes me want to make a painting, on canvas and everything. This is something I thought I would leave behind for quite a while longer but I really just have an ich to make a painting for the first time in a long time. I will probably let these desires brew until winter break when I have a little free time and no expectations from school. Lasker’s work really speaks to me like few paintings do. Whenever I find artists who work in a similar manner as me I feel rejuvenated and legitimized a little I think. His work is serious but still playful and curious. The handling of the paint is really mesmerizing. I am the first to admit I am a sucker for gooey gloppy paint. I love seeing the hand of the artist and history in the painting. The quality of the object that is created by seeing the presence of the paint is really what is so engaging about paint for me. This is why I am thinking about making large minimal painting. That is what I am imaging for now at least. I also recently went to a gallery down on Monroe street that made me think more about painting. The gallery, whose name slips me, had mostly mediocre things but a few really interesting things to look at. It as all 2-d work. Frances Meyers also had a few nice prints on display. Seeing some new paintings is really invigorating right now. I really need to make it a habit of spending more time researching other artists and going to galleries. I used to do this in every spare second, but have been distracted recently.

This week will be filled with critiques for installation class and my scary first year review with the painting faculty. Maybe I’ll build a panel to paint on.

Classes I talked about last week, Asian American studies 560, afro-asian fusion- hip hop and martial arts, Dairy Science 300- Lactation.

Oh boy.

Luke

Weekly break down:
monday: was a long time ago, my memory is failing. I think I worked in the studio (more on this later)

tuesday: critique for my installation class. We tried another (3rd) form of critique this week. It went very well, best so far I feel. Pretty excited to see how this format of crit will be with my work. It involves one period of the group talking and leaving out the artist that made the work, sort of a fly on the wall situation for the artist. This is a really great thing I think. As a critiquer I was able to feel comfortable saying things to the group that I might not say right to the artists face. What a great dynamic.

I also had another visiting artist critique Tuesday with Hilary Wilder. We had a pretty good talk and it made me question a few major things in my work. Her main concern was the lack of content that I have been consciously avoiding recently. The reason for this is I have been really just trying to make work and think about it as I go. There is something really exciting about what this work is saying I think, but I just need to figure out exactly what that statement is. She mentioned that the colors seemed sort of dated for contemporary painting. I though this was interesting. I guess I was sort of aware of this but never really thought about it. The conversation has prompted me to start making some work with only earth tones, or just in a gray scale to see how things change. We also talked about walls and surfaces, two things that are of major concern for me in the moment. It was nice to have a talk with a painter. Certain issues are always brought up when talking about painting to painters, but it is nice to get this perspective from time to time, not always however. I feel overall she like the work and saw it going in a good direction in the future. I really wish sometimes that I could have another talk in about a year with the same visiting artists to get new reactions to work that has been developing.

Went to Hilary’s talk, good, not great. Some of the images I really wasn’t into, a little too romantic for me I think. There were some aspects of her work that I wish were talked about a little more. I wish I had extended time to really just pick her brain about professional practice things. She has an amazing resume and I would love to talk more in depth about how she got her foot in the door. After her talk there was a reception for the 2-d folk at Nancy’s that was bunches of fun. It’s great to see all the students and faculty at the same time not just shuffling in and out of studios. Got to see some great art in Nancy’s house.

Wed: class, I thought the long table was more fulfilling than usual. I liked the edge of the seat tension that built at times.

Thurs: installation class, studio time. Which was refreshing. I worked on this wall painting more. I am really starting to loosen things up in this work, not sure if that is good or bad but it is what it is. It could also be because I am painting on the wall with no latter over a table which is quite awkward. It is time to find a better thing to stand on a paint. I am preaparing for our 2-d area first year reviews that happen the week after thanksgiving. Having all five painting faculty in our studios talking about the work will be a little nerve racking I am sure, but never the less I am kind of excited about what feedback I will get especially because most of them have not seen any of this new work recently.

Friday: got some more studio time in. Have been really thinking about some new things to work on recently. I really need to get some supplies and start working with some new materials. I just don’t what exactly. I am imaging some colored plastics, like transparent vinyl type things that could be cut into shapes. Also thinking about maybe doing some screen printing work to quickly get some repetitive results.

Saturday: no school time allotted. Did have jazz practice though. Dec 11, 5ish at the cardinal my jazz band will be playing again for happy hour. Come check it out. Some of the music is a little cheesy to be honest, but it is a lot of fun to play with some great players. Hope to see you there.

A painter  I have been researching.

bye

This week I had some down time with LB being out of town so I got to catch up on some studio time which was great. It was kind of nice not having a week off from my installation class so I could just relax in my studio and think and stare some.

I have been working on a wall painting in my studio. I really wanted to make something big and quickly so the wall was the best place. This is the first time in a while that I have just painted without having to think of it as sculpture. It was kind of refreshing to be honest. Painting this way has made me start drawing in a sketch book more, which is always beneficial. Watching this wall painting evolve has been really great. I plan on continuing working on it and just keep layering and layering until it gets out of control. Hopefully soon it will move to another wall in the studio.

I am also working on the sculpture/ installation work still, it is going well still as well. I sent a few pictures in for that show at CAA that the art department is involved in. Hopefully that will end positively.

Tuesday, I honestly wasn’t really into the visiting artist that much. I kind of spaced out a little in the middle. I can’t wait for this week’s artist though. It is the first painter that has been here so far and her work seems really great. I was fortunate enough to be one of only two to get a critique this week with her. I am pretty excited for this opportunity. Her work is painting/ installation, which is where I am headed so I think it will be a really good talk for me. I must say these visiting artist crits are some of the best things I have done so far as of late. It is such an amazing opportunity for us and I hope others are taking advantage of it. I have had I think three so far and plan on more in the future. A great thing about these critiques is that it doesn’t matter if you make a fool of yourself. With other students and professors  you have the fear of being with these people for years to come. With artists that just come in for a few days you probably won’t ever see them again so it is a great opportunity to be brutally honest and really say what you are thinking about without worrying too much about future judgment.

Still working on enrolling, damn it. I didn’t realize that  I needed to turn in my final transcript proving that I really did get a degree in my undergrad. I found out about this fact about a day and a half before my scheduled enrollment time. Why is enrolling always and I mean always like pulling teeth with a rusty pair of pliers in hell. I plan on a few indy studies with TL, and Nancy, maybe Derrick, and drawing class with Fred, still need to find an art history, that is really frustrating me.

I have contacted John Hitchcock about a studio visit in the next few weeks. Hopefully we can make this happen soon, I really want to talk to him about my work.

Friday: 4-d show. What an experience. I have had little exposure to 4-d work so I really had no idea what to expect. I walked in the lofts and was hit by the smell of beer and the sound of drunkards. The piece, “the best art is drinking with friends” was the loud hit of the show I think. Every few minutes a bottle would crash to the concrete below and then you would hear the egging on of participants convincing others to perhaps shotgun a beverage. Overall, a lot of the work looked great to me. I was fascinated  by the of Andrew, Marina and Sandy. I also really enjoyed the video with the parachute and Dale’s work. Some of the work really didn’t do anything for me but overall it looked great. There was a curious couple playing a little tonsil hockey on the floor for a few minutes. I heard this was sort of an impromptu work. I kind of wish if this was going to happen there was more thought and planning put in. The couple just would lay on the floor for a while and then get up and walk around to catch their breath and then go back at it. It seemed almost just like something to shock the audience which is usually thoughtless for me. Overall, great job 4-der’s.

Saturday, I was a domestic goddess and put up a christmas tree, slightly prematurely, but we (my wife and I) will be out of town for xmas so thought we would start early this year.

Thanks bye.

Sunday: driving back from Ohio.
Monday: STUDIO DAY! I worked a most of the day on this wall painting that is in my studio write now. It was an interesting process. It felt really liberating to just paint something that was large. It was also nice not having to prep any surfaces, I could just paint and there was this huge blank canvas in front of me.

Tuesday: Crit for installation class. I set up an installation that I informally called, “party crevice”. It was, in a nut shell, two long strands of party table skirts hanging from the walls in this weird little alley downtown. The place was pretty magical and really made me think about the architecture of the area, and more specifically flaws in the architecture. I spent a few hours walking around the seedy areas of downtown trying to find a place appropriate for this work. This alley I stumbled upon was pretty great. It is the length of the buildings, and about 3 or 4 stories high. But, it is only wide enough for a grown man’s shoulders to fit in. It is quite a place. Unfortunately I have no pictures because I forgot my camera when setting it up and when I went back later that night it was torn down. I really enjoyed the process of searching and exploring this space. Hopefully this public arena will make it’s way into my painting work as well in the near future. The crit went well over coffee. Peter Sparling talk in the evening for colloquium, really didn’t do anything for me to be honest. Looking forward to next weeks artist though. There are a couple of good ones coming up I think. Our small group also met tuesday to talk about “Art Papers”. The main consensus was the beginning of the magazine had some really interesting articles, but the last 50 pages or so is just small quarter page write up about various artists. The paragraphs are really too short to gain anything of value and the pictures were arranged confusingly. But over all a pretty good publication. We did appreciate that it is non-for-profit so compared to many magazines this had far fewer ads.

Wed: class, then….work, unfortunately missing the open studios in the lofts

Thurs: open studios. I really loved the open studios day. I have never seen everyone in their studios at the same time so this in itself was exciting. During the first session I got some good short feedback from a number of faculty. It was good to finally put a face with the names of many of the faculty members that I have yet to meet. I really want a few of them to come back and talk more at length. I have emailed a couple of people hoping they will find some time to stop by again for an extended chat. It was interesting to see some undergraduate students. There is such a huge separation between the grads and the undergrads ( at the lofts at least) so it was new to see so many younger faces. They all seemed a little curious and nervous. It is hard to believe for me that I was in their shoes just about six months ago. I feel that my undergrad experience was ages ago. The most important thing that I got out of the open studios was the ability to succinctly talk about my artistic practices. I usually lately have been stumbling around ideas in my talk about my work due to the new nature of how different the work is for me. But in this setting I was forced to sum up months of thinking and doing into short twenty second blurbs of information. I think for the most part I was pretty successful at this. No one really asked to many pressing questions however, which would have made me stumble I am sure. I was hoping to talk with a few people that I didn’t really see, but this is part of seeing so many studios in two hours I guess. It was also great to walk through everyone else’ studios, many of which I have yet to see at all.

Friday: some more studio time. Mostly just still cutting things out of wood and preparing the surfaces for painting.

Studio visit with third year: this was a while ago but need to bring it up in the blog. I met with Matt Martin in his studio. He also met in mine which was nice. I talked to him about his process of painting and materials. We also chatted about some artists that we share interest in. I have also had some good conversations with other upper class grads, but we can call this my “official visit for class”.

Here is an interesting show opportunity for painters, I will be applying hopefully. The premise is how are young contemporary painters dealing with a medium that is so ancient and has such a huge history. It is only for MFA students and the gallery is in Chicago.

Bye

The Wexner Center is part of Ohio State university. It is a pretty great museum that shows the solely contemporary art.  The museum typically exhibits mostly new media work such as video, installation, performance work etc. The current exhibit was really unusual for the Wexner Center I think. The show that is currently going on there is a retrospective of the paintings of Luc Tuymans.
Luc Tuymans is a contemporary painter from Belgium. He is described by many as one of the most important and influential contemporary painters of his generation. The show is saw is his first exhibition at a major institution in America to date. He is not nearly as well known here as he is in Europe. He is considered on the level of painters like Gerhard Richter. If you know anything about painting, that is a huge deal.

His works were almost all small scale oil paintings. This in itself I think is a pretty interesting decision. I could write a whole blog probably about just small oil paintings in contemporary art, but I will paraphrase. What makes this choice so interesting is a mix of art historical context as well as trends in today’s contemporary art scene. There is obviously a rich history of small scale oil painting, but especially in Belgium. But more interesting to me is painting modest paintings in oils in a art scene filled with lights, sounds, color and technology. The obvious denial and rebellion of these recent trends is on the fore front when this medium is chosen. Tuymans is obviously aware of the fact that he is really swimming upstream by painting this way. By painting with oil on small canvases with hardly any color he presents a serious challenge for the viewer. He requires the viewer to really be invested in the act of looking. I am used to walking into venues like the Wexner Center and being bombarded by sensory stimulation. It was a really foreign sensation to be honest. There were just little paintings hung at eye level. It was kind of breath of fresh air to be honest. To see an artist this committed to the act of painting was pretty refreshing. This exhibition really shows the relevance of painting in a postmodern world.

The thing that made the paintings so remarkable to me was not the traditional aspects of a good painting. I wasn’t blown away by the rendering, or quality of the paint. The colors are almost non existent in the work. The thing that makes the paintings so difficult as well as mesmerizing is the intellectual quality of each individual painting. Every painting he makes there is an enormous amount of research and thought put in hours before the paint is even squeezed from the tubes. One painting in particular that was on display, Tuymans read twenty books about portrait he was painting before he started anything. This was amazing to me and really makes the work relevant today. Every painting has this sense of dedication to the narrative within the piece.

“The Nose” oil on canvas, Luc Tuymans

Much of the work focuses  on the subject and people of the Holocaust. Being Belgian, obviously this is a very important topic for the artist. The exhibition as a whole was thoughtful, modest, subdued and loaded with content. It is really the kind of show that needs to be visited multiple times to really absorb. Hopefully when I am home for winter break I will be able to go back and take in a little more of the work. The intelligence of the work is hidden behind thin, monochromatic oil paint. Every painting seems to be a novel of insight and thoughtfulness. Seeing an exhibit like this really brought me back to how beautiful the language of painting can really be and why it is so important.
“Tits”, Luc Tuymans, oil on panel.

My studio practice was cut short this week due to traveling. I spent time finsihing up this installation for  the group show. I can’t wait to see the show by the way. I mentioned last week that I was interested in having someone else install the work with their own freedom and luckily my plan worked out nicely. Sandra was gracious enough to volunteer to take on this task. She took all the work and put it all in her studio so she could look at it for a few days. She really put a lot into the installation process, which I am really excited about. This was really a interesting collaborative process. I made the work, but she got to install without any input from me. The installation of the work as as important in my mind as the actual painting, so her role was vital in the project. This definitely fulfills the collaboration requirement for class. What was also interesting to me is that it was sort of a loner collaboration. When I think of collaboration I usually imagine people working together on a project. But with this we didn’t work together at all, I did my work, then handed it all off to her. It was a sort of backwards collaboration, but still was pretty great in my mind. I have only seen a picture of what she did and can’t wait to see it in person soon.

Quickly through other require topics:

I really enjoyed the reading this week. Reading about realism versus abstraction is really important to my work. I deal a lot with abstraction that at times has a reference point to this chapter was really pertinent to my painting. The whole book in general so far has been pretty applicable to things that I make and think about. It was a worthy investment so far.

The visiting art colloquium this week was pretty interesting I think. I have found though that usually I really prefer talking to the artists one on one instead of in a huge lecture. I really enjoyed that she is trained in philosophy so she really has a lot to think and talk about in everything she does. This is what my challenge is currently. I need to figure out more of what and why I am doing these things I am doing.

Thanks for reading.

So unfortunately I was unable to go to Chicago, which I imagine will be the highlight of everyone’s blogs this wee, so mine will be less interesting.

My stress level has started to rise as of this past week. I am frantically putting together some work for the group show, putting together something else for an installation crit in a week and a half, and trying to find a little bit of time to be a decent husband and have a job to pay some bills. What a run-on.

I am really excited about the group show to be honest. I know we have all seen each others work in presentation maybe or on blogs but most of the work in the show will be things that have never been seen by most of us I would imagine. It should be a really good show I feel. The reception should be a blast as well I hope. I am hoping to have some sort of installation with these painting things I have been making so far but need to find someone to install for me. If you anyone is interested in installing my work for the show on Friday let me know. I will be out of town for the installation but am open to anyone installing the work to their own desire and with their own creative freedom. This kind of collaboration seems interesting for now.

For my installation critique nothing really has sprung up yet. I have a few ideas but part of the problem is everything I have been working on will be in the group show at the same time so I need to find an alternative for the class. I think we had a really good discussion this week in class. We have been working on this new book about site specificity and it is pretty interesting so far.

Oh I forgot, I had a critique with Lavie Raven this week that went swimmingly. I really had no idea what to expect because I didn’t know anything about him. All I knew was that he worked with graffiti. He told me he had never really been involved in an art critique which was exciting to me. He asked many unconventional questions about my work that really got me thinking. He asked about the spiritual ramifications of the work. Which is something I really need to think about more thoroughly. He also asked if my work had a voice what would is sound like. I have never even imagined this scenario, but looking at my current work I think it is a really valid question. I told him I didn’t know what it would sound like and then he told me he thought every piece within the installation would have a unique individual voice. He then proceeded to imitate some of the voice he heard reverberating from the work. It was truly a unique experience. We then sat and just talked about art and life and the convergence that can happen so beautifully. Being a graffiti artist he is all about seeing art in the world not on a wall for sale. I told him this is something I am really interested in right now, which was good. It was a pretty great experience. I really wish I had time to meet with every visiting artist.

I feel Lavie’s talk was a little less interesting that our critique but still pretty good. I enjoyed hearing his knowledge of the history of graffiti and where it all comes from. I still have no idea how to read the work. The lettering is so abstract that it just looks like shapes and lines to me. I also really love that he is a high school teacher, it is so humbling to see someone accomplishing so much who doesn’t have to sell himself to some gallery scene in Los Angeles.

I’ve been looking at classes for next semester and am getting pretty excited. I wanted to take a neon class, but it isn’t offered so I will take a drawing class with Fred I think. After seeing him present his work last week I decided I should really try to get to know him. I will also be working with Nancy and TL for independent studies. And hopefully a class with Michael J.

This weeks studio time was spent cutting, gessoing, painting, etc, etc. Working on making these shaped paintings still but starting to make them larger. Size really changes  them I think. These new ones will be installed with the existing smaller pieces. Still pretty excited about it for now. I spent the whole day while everyone was in Chicago in my studio which was a relief. It felt great to have an uninterrupted period of just pure work. Got a ton done.  As I make more and more pieces I think more and more is becoming clear in my head which is exciting. I need to sit for a while and write some ideas down and really figure out what this is all about.

I really love my studio. It’s a good thing I’m not single because I would probably live there and get kicked out of school for being a squatter.

Friday night I had a gig with this latin jazz band I have been playing with and it went great. If you want to check it out we will be playing again at the Cardinal at happy hour (5:30 -7 ish) on November 13th. It should be a great time again.

Thanks, bye.

My studio practice this week was a lot of sitting using the term “studio practice” as an excuse for listening to some music and staring at my work. I’m starting to realize though that just being in my studio surrounded by my work is itself an important part of my practice. It really keeps my mind and eyes sharp by being near all this new work.

Thursday I got a bug while working. I was sitting in my studio looking at this piece for my installation class that I had finished and just got the “bigger bug”. I was looking at these drawings and painting things I have made and was really excited but also felt something was missing. I really need to take this work to a different level and go out of the box some more. I need to work huge, or directly on the wall, or in a public space somewhere. I don’t know how or when any of this will happen but it will eventually.

On the other hand, I need to be careful not to move too fast. I still need to focus on forms, colors and painting. This work away from traditional painting is brand new so there is an infinite amount of territory to explore in the future.

First installation critique.
I had my first crit in my installation class this past week. I feel I got some really great feedback from the session. I really had no idea what to expect going into the critique but was really happy with the conversation that was had. A general consensus was move the piece away from a gallery setting, into a more public or pedestrian space and make everything larger. My work is purely abstract so naturally there is a search for reference within the images. I actually have started to become interested in the interpretation of what others see in the forms. It is natural for most I believe to “cloud gaze” at work like mine, and this referential look into the work is pretty interesting to me. I tend to make these forms with a blank slate and see what they can become afterwards. The critique reinforced some ideas I had about the work but more importantly gave me some ideas so move outside of a white room. This is something really foreign and exciting to me and hopefully will be something that I pursue in the near future.

Here is a detail of my installation that was identified as a popcorn kernel. This is great and I would have never noticed it by my self.

Have another visiting artist critique with Lavie Raven tomorrow that I am really excited about.
I forgot to include the artist in my presentation a few weeks ago…sorry, here they are better late than never.
Thomas Nozkowski
Katie Hinton
Claes Oldenburg (soft sculpture)
Elizabeth Murray
Carrol Dunham
Franz West
Phillip Guston
I think that is it….I’ll get back to you on it just in case when I find the files.

Are group meeting has been going really great I think. More than just chatting about the reading I have really enjoyed getting to meet a few people from outside if my area that I might not have really had much of a chance to catch up with otherwise. Our conversation usually starts with the reading and casually drifts in and out of context of the book and onto other topics in a really natural way which is nice. We have been meeting in my studio where it is warm and comfy usually. We are starting art papers this week or next I think.

Some random art school notes….

I can’t wait to find out the class schedule next week! Ready to enroll for next semester. I’m thinking about taking a neon course if it is offered.
We (us 2-d kids at least) are signing up this week for our first year reviews in November. Knowing this is coming up really puts a fire under me and makes me a bit nervous. I really feel like I need to get some more work done. I finally made a wood run and a paint purchase so my supplies are replenished for now and I am refueled to keep working.
Need to invite a faculty member to my studio to chat. I talked to Nancy and just need to catch up and shoot her an email to confirm a time to have her in and talk for a bit about the work.

Random life notes…….
I am not going to Chicago, grrrr! I really wish I was but couldn’t get enough work off for the weekend because I have to go out of town weekend next week as well. But, Friday while you are all in the windy city I will be playing with a latin jazz band at the Cardinal for happy hour. This band I am playing in will be jazzin’ it up every other week it seems at the Cardinal so you all should come check it out around 5:30ish I think. Another side note, we have a new puppy at my house. My wife got a little dog that will be trained as a disability dog so she can take it to school with her (she is a special ed teacher). So my lack of a sleep schedule will be even more altered while house breaking is in full swing, how fun. At least he’s cute.