Moleskine Sketches (found online)

While skimming online I found some of the most interesting photos people had posted of their sketches. Some were done by freelance artists, and others simply travelers and observers. At the moment I'm considering taking up more sketching again, and perhaps investing in a portable notebook to take around. Rather than try to set up projects, drawing from observation this semester brought back a lot of nostalgia for simple observational thinking (that I don't do enough of by far). Back home in Honolulu, I'd used to take a camera and ribbons out on the weekends and tie blue ribbons around the abandoned factory sights or small diners i'd come across while biking. Perhaps in the interest of getting the feeling of simple exploration back, it'd be fun to pack up when summer hits and take a singles roadtrip down route 66 to do some sketching.

Parallels of art and architecture

After taking 2 art history architecture classes I have come to see the strong parallels that architecture has to art. In the time of John Ruskin, architecture was an art form but now in out contemporary society architecture has to do more with engineering than with our. In the rush to become modernist societies, the idea that form should follow function left out form completely. This also has to do with out capitalist society of production and functionality over all. Even though more consideration was made to from following the end of the modernist era and into the Bauhaus, that idea of functionality first always came before the aesthetic concern of the building.

I feel that as an art student, I have become that contemporary architecture that only focuses on production and not on substance. If we really think about it we all have become that in a way. We, as an American society, have harbored this meaningless culture of eclectic styles that we have slapped multiple styles to things that don’t belong. Meaning is also slapped into artwork as an afterthought and others dig up meaning out of nothing. Building blocks are not emphasized and creativity is always limited by prenotions of what assignments should look like. We work by trying to make our work look like someone else’s work. Every art student is guilty of this. We don’t allow ourselves to really become inspired by anything at all. We are overly concerned with wanting to make artwork look a certain way. That doesn’t mean that we should look to other work for inspiration, it just means that we need to deviate from things more. I think most importantly, our work should really mean something; stem from our beliefs, impressions, expressions, etc.

Picasso Drawings

"Art is the elimination of the unnecessary. " – Picasso

Picasso was born in October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain and died April 8, `973 in Mougins, France. From an early age Picasso showed an interest in drawing which lead to his father formally training him. When his family moved to Barcelona, his father took up a professorship at the School of Fine Arts and convinced the academy to let young Picasso take an entrance exam. He passed and was admitted into the school at the age of 13. Picasso’s father later sent him to Madrid to attend the Royal Academy of San Fernando where eventually dropped out because of dislike the instruction at the school. He also had realized that he no longer wanted to be part of his parent’s plan for his future. He set out for Paris shortly after dropping out and maintained connections in Paris and Barcelona. His career set out after this.

His early life really defined his life’s work. He had been a formally trained artist who had met all of his parent’s expectations but realized that he no longer wanted to be a part of that. His work is very distinct in that he never settled on a single style or medium but was able to express himself in so many ways. His work is a dissonance of his training. It is not precise but expressive.

I saw some of Picasso’s work when it was exhibited in the Nasher last year. I was very impressed by the wide range of work he had produced. There were a series of sketches and charcoal drawings that were standouts to me. The sketches were rough and incomplete but were still cohesive and well made. In many ways those sketches were his way of sculpting his subjects with lines instead of stone. He was able to eliminate all the unnecessary visual noise to create work that got to the core of the subject.

I hope to see his work next semester when I visit Barcelona.

A bit stuck

Even though I am still a junior right now, I am already thinking about the senior distinction project/capstone course that I will most definitely pursue next year. I've been pretty restless over the past several days thinking about what exactly I am going to do for such a long and important project. I know already that I will do oil painting, but everything else, from specific technique to the subject matter/theme, is still unknown at this time. I thought about doing a series of satirical/parody pieces of famous paintings throughout history, but then again, I really wanted to be more orginial and unique. I thought about doing a series of self portraits, each individual piece representing a specific idea, but then again, this sounds a bit too cliche/boring - it seems like something that has been done to death. So as of right now, I have no idea what I am going to do for my distinction project. But fortunately, I dont have to worry about it for at least another semester and summer. For now, it would be wise for me to turn my attention towards the independence study I have with Bill next semester.

For my independent study, the current plan is to do a Rockwell-inspired colored pencil drawing. Colored pencil is my favorite medium, and I have a lot of experience/practice with this wonderful and demanding medium. Since my drawing is going to be quite large - 30x40 inches - it will be an extreme challenge for me to even FINISH the drawing to the level that I want to. But somehow, I am confident that I'll successfully see it through, even if it means spending, I don't know, several hundred hours on the drawing.

On a last note, my painting class just had the opening reception of our show last night. As you have probably noticed already, the entire second floor of Bay 12 of Smith is filled with paintings of all sizes, styles, themes, and techniques. All were created by our painting class taught by Pedro Lasch, a wonderful professor who really pushes you beyond your comfort zone and embrace new techniques/approaches. For any of you who are interested in art, be sure not to miss the painting class!

The Story of My First Painting

It was more than 4 years ago when I first try try oil painting. At that time I knew nothing about it. I mean it, because at first I painted on the wrong side of the canvas. First I tried to paint some shape, just to get the feeling of oil painting. Oh I also didn't buy oil because I don't know I need it...so I painted dry, on the wrong side, a triangle, and a circle, then another triangle...

Then I recognized it look like a mouth and a nose, so I went on and fulfilled the face, which I call Maverick. It is to some extent an very abstract self portrait that describe my nonconforming nature.

Later, to my very surprise and delight, I found it very like one of my favorite writer, William Somerset Maugham, the author of The Moon and Sixpence a story of a crazy, amoral and nonconforming artist, and Of Human Bondage, which appears in my latest drawing.

Free Post

Taking this drawing class opened my eyes to the large amount of art that surrounds us daily as Duke students. Art is evident in most every aspect of the Duke campus from the Bryan Center, to Perkins Library, to Cameron Indore stadium and everywhere in between. As soon as you step onto the Duke campus, the gothic architecture is immediately evident. The distinct architectural style is just the introduction to the impact that art has throughout the rest of campus life. The impact of fine arts is probably shown primarily through the Nasher museum. The art seen here allows Duke to be viewed as a place with a distinguished collection rivaling some of the larger art museums in other cities around the United States. Complimenting this art on a smaller scale, the Louise Jones Brown Gallery in the Bryan Center is another place to find collections of art on the Duke campus. Outside of the galleries, art is also spread throughout all of the academic and other buildings on campus. Student artwork and photographs of students participating in everyday activities can be found in most places. These small details make art more relatable and inviting to all the students on the Duke campus. Also, these pieces are placed in areas where numerous students go on a daily basis. Even these small touches of artwork enhance the Duke community.

Without taking this class I don’t think these small details would have been as apparent to me. I think that the influence of art adds something intangible to life at Duke. Having these small hints of different types of work makes the school more inviting and a happier place to be. Art acts as inspiration for student in many different ways and plays a critical role in the learning atmosphere. It is important to have this additional stimulation so that students can work up at their highest potential. I think that art should be continually updated and added to the environment. Just being a part of an art class made these small details of campus stand out. For this reason, I think that if everybody had the chance, taking an art class would positively contribute to their time at Duke.

Free Blog: DISNEY

I LOVE Disney and everything about it. From the magical world of Disney to the adorable Mickey Mouse, Disney never fails to cheer me up. One of the main factors that makes me go crazy for Disney is the animation behind it all. Without the hit movies and silly cartoons, Disney would not have become what it is today. Almost everyone is familiar with Disney's renditions of Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and other classic fairy tales in addition to the heartwarming Pixar movies, ie. Toy Story, Monsters Inc., etc. I loved attempting to recreate the characters, especially the princesses, in my sketchbooks. I wanted to capture their elegance on paper.

After many failures, however, I was introduced to an animation studio in Walt Disney World. It was at an attraction called "The Magic of Disney Animation." I got to watch a video that explored how Disney animation comes to life and the many steps behind it. It was such an interesting process of how many sketches one had to complete in order to make a character take only one step! After the video, we were given the opportunity to learn how to draw the legendary, Mickey Mouse. It was such an amazing moment for me, because I was given proper instructions and it didn't look too bad. Ever since then, I would always doodle Mickey Mouse in the corner of my homework or notes. Being able to learn how to properly draw something opened my eyes to other possibilities. One of the techniques included the guidelines that people include in their rough sketches. This would help with placement of certain features, such as eyes, and was a good way to plan everything out. Although this only helped for drawing characters, my constant doodling made me realize how interested I was in art. So I guess Disney's magic opened my eyes to art :)