Project 1: First Drawings

So for this project I have decided to do a mass continuation of my sketches of drawing on top of Holga photographs. By doing a large amount of drawings I hope to find a few that have some connections either through the background or in the drawing aspect. Below are only the first three that I have done so far.

New Photographs for Project One

Artist Post: Jean Michel Basquiat

Jean Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was an American artist whose work consisted of, "...a busy style mixing many words and images, often done on intentionally primitive handmade stretchers" (Basquiat). His unique style in painting and drawing made him a "overnight star" in the New York art scene in the 80's (Jean Michel). He is also know for his strong friendship with fellow artist Andy Warhol which affected his artistic output throughout his later career.

Personally I love this really "diagram-ish" style of painting/drawing. It is a way for both text and images to coexist in the same frame, yet draw to their very evident differences. But I like this work because neither of the elements ever look out of place; Basquiat's sketch-like way of painting and writing provides a flow in the pieces that makes you think about where would see this type of work in the outside world. Personally, I feel that the above piece would be in some bizarre, backstreet anatomical diagram book.

Of course I think it would be fair to say that I am drawn to this artist because of similarities I see between his work and that of Cy Twombly. Both artists are using a very visually messy style that, in my opinion, makes you see the whole piece at once, and then allows you to look into certain details and gain additional meaning. After looking into Basquiat's work I really want to try to work on incorporating drawing and writing in my work in a more uniform manner. I want to try this in the future because I feel that sometimes when I try using writing/drawing on top of photographs, it sometimes comes out as disjointed or two dissimilar, and I would worry about how it looks in the end. But if my whole piece has a same style from the beginning (a la Basquiat) then the work would look like something completely different.

Other Photos to Work With

Photos that need drawings/alterations:

New Photos/Drawings

Here are some new photos with drawings on top, all of which will be experimented with further:

Thoughts After Homework 1

honestly, after going through the process of the first homework assignment i have decided that i do not want to explore the medium of film further. in my opinion there are just too many factors to be thinking about when recording film (lighting, set-up, sound, actions, etc). i feel that the medium of still pictures are more what i would like to proceed with as i have more experience with them, and i feel like i could relate to the process and products more then if i was working with film.

with this in mind i was very interested in looking at the different "homemade cameras" that people have used. i particularly like the digital pinhole cameras, heliochromy, and photoacustics images. after looking at these images, i would really like to explore the relm of "blurry" photography, or some craft some sort of pinhole camera to use with either my digital camera or my film camera.

Homework 1: First Shoot

New Start (Experimental Media)

This blog has now been reclaimed from the depths of the internet as a spot to rejoice over the wonders on my work in the Experimental Media (Art 333) class.

Here is a print that I did over the summer, and one that I really enjoy:

It reminds me of a virus, or something only seen under a microscope.

And while I am on this tangent I think it would be important to point out an artist who I adore: Max Ernst. I can not say enough about this man, so I will use only words to introduce him and show you a wondrous picture: