October Lecture 1

Simen Johan

Johan digitally composes his images which is a big change from the way he used to work. Each image he makes usually takes a couple years to perfect before its complete. In the lecture he said " Our world is unexplainable, we don't know our purpose." In a lot of his work this statement is evident with the overpowering environments the children exist in. His pictures are very disturbing and creepy. He said that children have minds that are too complex and he imagines them as psycho. Johan likes to base his work off of the idea of play and insanity.

Evidence of Things Unseen is a series he created between 2000 and 2002. Each picture was photographed by him and he wanted these to be about play and creativity. He wanted to expose emotions such as pain and fear. Simon said that he works intuitively and often works with religious pieces. By having ritualistic images in his work, he hopes that the viewer will see something special. In his series titled Until The Kingdom Comes ( 2004-present ) he uses animals rather than humans. These animals are more comfortable in their enviroments that hes created. He wanted these pictures to be about fantasy and how they have the ability to shape our lives. His images are sharp and have very bold content and seem to be perfectly composed.

Sunday 9

Nanna Hanninen was born in Finland in 1973 and currently lives there in the city of Kuopio. She studied at the Lahti Institute of Design in Finland and the University of Art and Design in Helsinki. Over the Past 10 years she has shown her work in solo shows and some of her images are a part of the International Institutional and Private Collections.
"Nanna Hänninen's minimalist photographs are dominated by the tension between the named and the unnamed, the visible and the invisible. Her works are aesthetically refined and delicate, cleared of noise and superfluous effects. One is prone to view Hänninen work as a purely formalist based photography. In the series "Fear and Security" however the artist reveals her obligation towards the social reality and her understanding of the psychological and mental mechanisms of society. Here as well the titles of the works are carrying sense, they are not just descriptive, but contain references to the artistic intention. Her works are both a commentary on the rational, functional society and at the same time a visualisation of the fundamental fear of anarchy within the system." - fiedler contemporary, Cologne, Germany.

gallery- http://www.brycewolkowitz.com/www/

website- http://www.nannahanninen.com/

Thursday 9

"Abstract art is a genre with facets that have developed a keen rapport that plays wonderfully into all of the established interior design plans--from the extreme minimalism offered by such prestigious firms as Minotti to the relaxed formal interiors of the Kreiss collections to the more traditional interiors of say, perhaps, Baker or Ethan and Allen," - Deljou

"It's an exciting time to be in the abstract market," says Steve McKenzie, CEO of Artaissance, an online art publisher that represents more than 110 artists. "All things modern are really resurging with all of the mid-century furniture and clothing. Abstraction is a part of that trend." Today, the market for abstract art is increasing and Mackenzie believes that Generation X is part of the reason for the popularity. He says that those born in the 60's and 70's generally dont like to be told what to do and how to think and this style of art allows them their freedom. Cristi Smith, President of Ford Smith Fine Art believes abstract art is growing in the corporate world too becuase, "Most abstract art is androgynous, not committed to a subject matter and most often not controversial," she says. "This is a huge appeal to this audience."
Trends are hard to distinguish becuase the abstract market is so broad. Randy Hibberd, an abstract artist represented by Third & Wall Art Group has noticed a few trends himself. He has seen more abstracted landscapes being created and he has also pointed out the trend of oversized work. The palettes for abstracts are changing to more sophisticated, muted tones. He believes that peoples understanding for this style of art will continue to expand.

This article was entirely about painting but the same issues exisit in my work dealing with photography. Its good to know that abstract art is continuing to grow in the marketing world. Its hard for a lot of people to understand the meanings behind abstract art. These types of images deal more with light, space, and shadows rather than content. Its not a style thats appreciated by everyone but its something im really attracted to and I think my work will stay in this direction.

Hilary Masell Oswald "Into Abstraction : Abstract art crosses new boundaries". Art Business News. FindArticles.com. 24 Oct. 2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HMU/is_3_35/ai_n24940802

Thursday 8

Still



"With the surrealism of the 1920s and 1930s, the world of things metamorphosed into a mystical universe. Most notably, the objects exude an aura of ambiguity. They reveal their hidden beauty, frequently erotically charged. Josef Breitenbach depicts the New Yorker's dynamic attitude towards life in a magical composition: high rise buildings illuminated at night, in conjunction with a human circulatory system from a medical textbook. In his fotografia metafisica, Herbert List investigates the mysterious marriages of randomly generated constellations. Man Ray's rayographies explore the expressive potential of photography without a camera. "

Dietmar Siegert is a fiml director and pruducer in Munich and he has collected photos from the 19th and 20th century. These found images have now become whats known as " The Life of Things". It is a collection of 150 pictures from the Idea of Still Life in Photography 1840-1985.
This Exhibit will be going on through Feburary 1st 2009. This collection is one of the most private and significant collections of this medium in the world. Its purpose is to provide insight into the concept of still life in photography. The subjects of these pictures vary from flowers and foods to " special finds" which are more abstract. The 20th century exhibit is a basic overview of the expansion of the traditional still life. " A Focal point is the broad selection of French and Czech surrealist works such as Emilia Medkova and Jan Svoboda." Other artists whose still lifes are being presented include Erwin Blumenfeld, Lewis Hine, Anton Stankowski and Hans Finsler. This exhibit covers still lifes from the past 100 years and its focus is "on depicting the world of inanimate objects that assume lives of their own beyond their utilitarian value."

My portfolio contains work in the still life genre and this article was perfect for me to find. The focus of my photography is very similar to the focus of this exhibit. One hundred years ago, still lifes had no purpose in the commercial world. Today, we have magazines devoted to these topics and I'm thankful that advertising continues to flourish.

Sunday 7

John Villinski grew up in Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson in the early 1980s. He bought his first camera in 1984 and fell in love. He left the University of Arizona to travel around the U.S and ended up returning to college five years later . John was unable to print or develop black and white film so in the 1990's he decided to start using color photography. He felt that it was the best medium for the images he wanted to capture. He recently was awarded 1st Place Photography: Southwest Arts Festival, Indio, CA, 2008. "After 24 years in Arizona, I cannot imagine moving back. The views, the canyons, the mountains, the desert, the sunsets; the sheer variety of the Southwestern US boggles my mind. This large-scale beauty is most noticeable first. But it was not until I looked closer, at the subtle aspects, or inner beauty, that the relationship really began to take hold."

Represented by Gallery M

http://www.abstractsouthwest.com/about.htm ( Home Website )

Sunday 8

Mark Raymond Mason grew up in British Columbia, Canada where he found his love for nature. His creative and curious mind led him in the direction of the arts but it wasn't until high school that he used his first camera. He left home and went on adventures for long periods of time. He enjoyed learning trades and teaching English. After selling an old beat up car, he purchased his first camera. Photography did not supply enough money for he and his family so Mason is currently studying to become a professional land surveyor. Most of his free time is spent making photographs, studying art, and showing his photos to others. He recieved the Merit Award for his " Brilliant Branches" in B&W Magazine's 2008 Single Image Contest Award Issue, Landscape/ Nature Category.
"My creative process has never been easy; navigating the rapids of a fresh idea can be rewarding but thoroughly exhausting. I work abstractly and non-linearly - however, my designs do have trends over time, usually with the goal of delaying recognition so a photograph may better dialogue with its viewer, free of labels. Recent techniques have included seeing without gravity, designing in soft focus, and using shapes to continue the photograph beyond the physical frame"


http://www.markraymondmason.com/

Ameila Douglass Gallery

Thursday 7

Surrealism


“Whether or not his movement of poets, painters and provocateurs won any wars is debatable,” said Michael Rush, curator of “Invisible Rays: The Surrealism Legacy,” and Henry and Lois Foster Director of the Rose. “But what is certainly true is that the surrealist preoccupation with dream states, the unconscious, and the blending of objects and ideas from different disciplines and cultures has had a profound influence on artistic practices to the present day.” The surrealists, Rush added, sought nothing less than the liberation of the human race by unleashing the powers of the unconscious. For artists this meant both a formal exploration of dream states (Georgio de Chirico, Salvador Dali) and a free form expression of ideas in collages and assemblages (Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst). - Michael Rush
The Rose Art Museum in New York City unveiled both a historical and contemporary look at surrealism. "Invisible Rays: The Surrealism Legacy" is a collection of historical works from the museum which includes contemporary paintings and videos that " carry on the legacy of surrealism". Over thirty artists are included in this showcase, Dali, Max Ernst, Gregory Crewdson and Joan Miro to name a few. Since 2005, The Rose Museum has been able to collect 60 different contemporary pieces that reflect the most current trends. The exhibition is curated by Randi Hopkins.

"Exploring Surrealism, a New American Century and the Manipulation of Film Stock". Artdaily.org. Oct 20, 2008..

I have been exploring the real meaning of surrealism this semester and I'm hoping I can get to NY to see this exhibit. I think it would be an excellent source of inspiration for me.

Sunday 6

Sara Remington


Sara grew up in New York but eventually moved to California to escape the snow. She recieved her BFA in cinematography and photography from Syracuse University's School of Visual and Performing Arts; film studies at famu(Academy of Film and Television) in the Czech Republic. Her inspiration for her photography came from , " the beauty of raw, unprocessed foods, organic ingredients, natural light, and fresh air." Sara has the "ability to tell stories with such poignantly simple, yet elegant images that speak volumes." Currently, she is working on a cookbook on organic soul food called Soul Grub. In addition to this, she is writing a book about the Big Sur Bakery for Harper Collins. Sara is also working on a personal project she has titled Swordfish. In this series, she has photographed hundreds of nostalgic objects from her grandparents house in New York. Her clients include : Food Arts Magazine, The Fruit Guys, LIFE Magazine, NY Times, and Williams Sonoma.

Website
http://www.sararemington.net/index.html

Interview
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/member/ProPass/magazine/V207/pdn30_breakingintobusiness.jhtml?id=0.1.14.12.82&lc=en#Sara%20Remington

Thursday 6

Valuable

"There is so much emphasis put on [website] design, whereas I think the photography trumps all that," Haggart explains. In his opinion, art buyers are looking for "a signature style," something unique that people connect with and that distinguishes one photographer from the rest. The best websites are transparent venues for that style. "I want these portfolios to be like your black leather portfolio; they just hold the pictures and make it easy to look at them," -Robert Haggart

Robert Haggart is the creator of "APhotoFolio.com" which is an online company that promotes the work of current photographers. He began his career working at Mens Journal but proceeded to do bigger and better things. Haggart left the Journal because he wanted to help photographers and in his words, " Push the photo industry to what he thought was the right direction." With this idea, he introduced himself to two very important people, Erik Dungan and Mike Caston which are the creators of BigFolio.com. In January the three became business partners and put together all of the details necessary to start their company. Haggart discovered that two designs would be appropriate for his site because he felt that photographers either liked big and bold, or simple and clean. Their website was made so that each photo on their flash sites can be linked to individually. They even have a website that is iPhone-friendly version, since iPhones don't support Flash. To have your website be shown through APhotoFolio, you must pay the high price of 1,000 plus $17 a month for hosting fees.

I found this article interesting because i also feel the Internet is an awesome way to have your work noticed. I'm glad that people are taking the initiative to try and help artists like myself. I'm just getting used to the whole "blog" thing and it's taken some getting used to. I definitely see the importance of knowing how to present yourself and your work over the Internet.


Johnson, Miki. "A New Online Portfolio Option". Popphoto.com. 04 Aug 08. 2 Oct 10..