Visiting Artist 1 January

Alix Pearlstein: What the h


Pearlstein is based in New York City and she has received a lot of recognition for her work. I was expecting to see some captivating video's. However, the second the first clip started titled " Two Women" , I started laughing and figured that this lecture would probably not do much for me. Alix began with an interesting introduction but as her speech continued I couldn't help but notice the many "um's" that came flowing out of her mouth. It was unfortunate for her because it automatically made me think she didn't know what she was talking about. She introduced each of her clips but her concepts she described were not apparent in her films. Its like she just made a bunch of crap up and hoped we wouldnt catch it. She said her work deals heavily with time and points of resistence. I did not see any of this in her videos! Very odd presentation.

Thursday 2

Innocent

"Does it matter that she has no knowledge of these artistic precedents, and most likely, no clear concept of "art" itself? Is Marla a prodigy or a primitive? Can a work of art transcend the intentions of its maker? If a child can make great abstract paintings, does this mean that modern art is itself a hoax, a high-culture con game?" - Mia Fineman

Her first piece was complete when she was just shy of two years old. Marla Olmstead has taken the world by surprise with her captivating abstract paintings. Soon after her parents realized what kind of a natural talent their three year old daughter had, they threw together a small show at a friends coffee shop in Binghamton NY just to see what happened. The response was unreal and her career took off. She booked show after show, sold over 300,000 worth of paintings, but that all came to an abrupt halt when 60 Minutes aired a report done by Charlie Rose. Mr.Rose implied that her paintings had been guided by her father who just happened to be an amateur painter. In February 2005 when the show aired for the first time, her parents sat on their couch , horrified by what they were seeing. Her sales plummeted just like that. "The New York Post gleefully piled on the puns, reporting that "the juvenile Jackson Pollock may actually be a full-fledged Willem de Frauding." To get the story straight, the Olmsteads signed on to do a documentary film later titled " My Kid Could Paint That". Their main goal was to get Marla to paint an entire piece on video so the hate mail and accusations would stop. The tape proved the media wrong and Marla was able to stand on her own again.

Abstract work is hard to justify and I know it's important for me to be able to defend my work. I fear with my photography that people won't appreciate my style. For me it's becoming more and more about abstraction and I want to make sure my objects stay unrecognizable. I believe Marla is extremely talented and I do not think just any kid could paint that way. She will have a life long battle of defending herself and staying up with the standard of a "child prodigy"

Fineman, Mia. " My Kid Could Paint that : Does Malra Olmstead's Work Belong in a Museum or on the Fridge?" Slate.com. 5 October 2007.<>

Monday 2

Steven Laxton

Laxton was said to have a "one track mind" since he was just a kid. Steven studied photography at a university in his hometown of Adelaide, Australia. After his college years he started shooting for small fashion jobs in London. He dreamt of New York City and knew that the best of the best would be found there. In 2004 at age 26, he found himself assisting some amazing photographers including Mary Ellen Mark and Craig McDean. Recently he has been recognized as one of the Top Emerging Artists 0f 2007 for some of his personal work. The subjects of this series are dancers from the New York City Ballet. "Each time we do it they understand what I want and I understand what they're capable of and it just gets better and better," he says of the collaboration. Although these abstract body shapes are beautifully lit (one of Laxton's specialties), he's also tried to leave them "quite raw" with bruises and bumps. - Miki Johnson

Website: stevenlaxton.com

Article: http://www.popphoto.com/americanphotofeatures/4747/steven-laxton.html

Thursday 1

Doubtful

"Whether because of its visual complexity, its oblique perspective, its lighting, its degree of abstraction or the unfamiliarity of its subject, it’s the kind of photograph that makes you stop and think, “What the heck is that?” And it keeps you looking until you’ve figured out what it is you’re looking at." - Ken Johnson

The writer of this article stated that photographs are shameless- whether its a revealing photograph of a famous celebrity or an exotic place you've never seen, a photo "'will do anything to get our attention". The images up for discussion are a part of an exhibition at Yale University Art Gallery titled “First Doubt: Optical Confusion in Modern Photography.” There are over 100 photographs ranging from the mid 19th century to the early 20th century. A majority of the work came from the collection belonging to Allan Chasanoff. Each image is untouched, no digital enhancing, no darkroom work, nothing. They are representations of exactly what the photographer saw while taking the photograph. Some of the artists in this exhibition include Andre Kertesz, Bill Brandt, and Larry Fink. The viewers appreciate the experience they have when looking this type of work because its intriguing to try and identify what we're actually seeing.

I pay really close attention to the fine details in every image that i come across. If there's nothing to spark my eye within that first second, I'm done. Clean lines, movement , and beautiful but dramatic light are important to me and the photos in this exhibit incorporate all three. My viewers have an extremely hard time figuring out what i photograph and i really enjoy that about my work. It's a compliment to know that my goal of abstraction has been achieved.

Johnson, Ken. " In Photography, What Puzzles the Eye May Please the Mind" NYtimes. 31 December 2008..

Submission 1 PDN

Monday 1

Daniel Sroka





Sroka grew up with a father that had a passion for photography and at age 12, Daniel's life as an artist began . When he was 12 years old he laid hands on his first computer and for the first time he felt a sensse of " unrestricted creativity". He loved incorporating his photos into the work he created on the computer, it just seemed natural. Photography ended up being something that he did on the side and after a few years with it on the back burner, he found a new love for graphic design. Daniel was one of the original creative directors for yahoo, however he grew tired of helping his co-workers reach their personal goals and dreams so he left to pursue his own. Today, his work is represented in multiple galleries including the Karin Newby Gallery in Arizona. He is proud to say that over 800 of his prints are in private collections.

Website: http://www.danielsroka.com
Represented by : http://www.karinnewbygallery.com/
Interview: http://www.areaofdesign.com/featuredartists/2007/sroka.htm