Q3

            The Stac Intensives were more stressful than intense, I wasn’t used to working in an environment were we actually had to do work and had to be so close to everyone. What I mean is, usually even at art school we are all scattered. I think that’s why it was stressful for me because you know how I fear judgment and all of that, so I didn’t like sitting in a room with everyone’s eyes having easy access to my work. The intensive week was harder but nothing I couldn’t handle but by putting stupid stress on myself I found it hard to work but I tried to use some of my confidence and that turned out positively because at the end of the week, I was able to take a breath and I was really happy with myself because I gained more confidence in myself and I was able to prove to myself that I can draw/paint on my own without my teacher from art school and I was able to assure myself that I DID learn something. The intensive was perfect for me because It made me really focus and “push me into the world” in a way because I’ve never done anything without my art school so I feel a lot more independent now.

The second week of intensives though was more comfortable because I had more confidence and we started to learn different techniques. The face drawings were the most helpful because we had packets with techniques on it and books with interesting portraits of people with…interesting faces. I’ve always had a problem with portraits but with the packet I was able to try out new techniques and find one that I was comfortable with and able to work with. Now I use it all the time! And I’m able to help others by telling them about the technique! It feels good to know what I’m doing. Now my portraits actually look like the person I’m drawing. Another technique that really helped me was the grid drawings because it really is important to pinpoint where the important features are and get them right. I think techniques should be used to develop skill though, so not everything should be done with trick like techniques. I try to develop a sense of my own skill and grow that when using the techniques so I’d eventually start using and leaning on something I learned rather than a technique…I don’t know if that makes sense.

            I got a lot more than just an expansion of art from the “artist” intensives because it also helped me a lot with other things such as confidence, and direction in everything because art is related to everything in life! So I feel like I have a firmer hold on everything and I learned to just trust my own instincts when I’m drawing, I can’t wait to learn more and I’m definitely open to more intensives.

Virtual tour of Sistine chapel

I actually saw this before, I think it's awesome to be able to have a clear 360 view of the chapel. I wish I noticed all those detail when I was actually there though. I was staring at my computer screen when I positioned it to the ceiling and I was just thinking about how pretty it was:) HAHA that is all.

Michelangelo and da Vinci

I always find it interesting when I learn about these feuds between these famous artists.
Anyways though, I though this handout was really interesting, it told the story behind "the ceiling" it was also cool because I saw the chapel a few years ago. Obviously I didn't know anything about it and didn't really care or appreciate anything hahahaha. I always find it comforting though to learn that these amazing artists struggled more than most artists today (my opinion) and face human things such as jealousy, stress, and failure. I wish I knew the time period better though so I could better understand how they might have felt. I also want to learn how to paint with Fresco! I'm pretty sure I'd hate it...

(more to come)

IONISM!

I didn't really know what Expressionism was until today, or at least i've never seen it..I don't think haha.

I think Expressionism is a lot of things, but the one thing that stuck out to me the most is the body language. Despite the singing, shouts, and talking about death and other dark things, I saw that a lot of raw original uniqueness was given to the body language. I saw "raw original" because the way they moved, especially with the 91 year old man and the woman who did the "witch dance" they use the body in a way that we're not used to seeing. I felt like they really focused on the simple details of the body. Their dances were untouched by this generations type of dancing that mainly involves just looking good/cool. Dancing is also movement of the body, and to do that you have to know it well and let it move the way it wants to when we're inspired by music. I almost forgot that until I saw the videos today. 

I guess I can also say, I think expressionism is expressing the soul, sprit, mind, in a fervent, unrestrained way. Going back to the basics if you will, and studying that. 

The city of lost children

At the end of this film I understood what Luke meant when he said it was such a beautiful film. I thought this movie was so different in so many ways and though it got a bit confusing it was so eventful, I loved it!

I thought the directors artistic issues was the relationship between kids and adults, and the way they are as individuals. There were many interesting relationships between the children and adults. Many of them where the adult was more of a tyrant...but I thought it was interesting how it seems like the kids are more responsible than the adults. For example, when we were first introduced to the girl and the other orphans that work for the "octopus" their independence, and tough personalities hit me right away. They were more responsible than many of the adults such as the man with the fleas who always seems to be sleeping...

For the dream symbols, water is what first came to my mind. Constantly throughout the movie, whether it was relevant or not I saw random showings of water. In the beginning when there was water dripping on the man who got stabbed, the constant scenes near the water, and the most strong showing, when the girls tear drop flies off her face and eventually is the cause of her survival. I thought that was so interesting....
Other dream symbols I found was the darkness or nighttime. For some reason I remember most of the movie being In The nighttime. The last symbol I found/could think of was the circus, or circus like things. The twins, strongest man, fleas and their music......

I think tragic isn't just sad, it's sadness involving pity, there's usually some injustice-ness (word?) like being "so close" and not getting the happy ending. An injustice-ness that brings out pity because of an unfairness or stupid misunderstanding. When I think of tragedy I think of Shakespeare because so many of his stories like Romeo and Juliet are so complicated and have stupid misunderstandings that lead to death and unhappiness. Romeo and juliet were so close to being together, and the fact that Juliet wakes up right after Romeo kills himself, therefore causing her to kill herself is a tragedy because it's SO misfortunate and they were "so close" to having their happy ending. That was a long example but basically I think tragedy is sadness with pity..
That's why I think that the identical brothers are tragic. I feel pity for them because they don't have a real life, they're so childish and have no idea why they're doing what they're doing. The original is sort of tragic too I guess but I did t really find him tragic.
The Siamese sisters ending is tragic but for THEM, it was a good thing they died and was stopped but they almost got away with it, the ship didn't hit them but it was their own gasoline that ended them.

A Stac Thanksgiving

I'm so excited for my first Stac Thanksgiving!
I'm really looking forward to it, and what it'll bring out in us.
Today was interesting because, as a group we came up with ideas
(although i think we need a better system of getting our ideas out there...)
and i thought it was cool to see how our idea went from a T-Shirt to the web
on the Stac wall.

**I'll write more about this after thanksgiving when my actual 1st Stacgiving will happen ahaha

"I Can Make That"

We all have our definitions of art and they're all right...who is anyone to say that somethings not art? "ART IS ART". I think that quote that is as broad as ever sums it up. I think that when you enter a museum one needs to adjust their state of mind because it's a place filled with controversial things all coming from an emotion of some sort, from people we're never met and from people who aren't alive anymore. Emotion is a confusing thing so I feel that it's important to try and think in different ways so you can get something out of the art. Who are you to classify things or judge art? I'm sure that there are artist's who may have bullshitted things but like some of you said today, it still leaves an impact and thats enough. Also, you don't know the background on everything, there is so much art history that comes into play, for example Salvator Dali's Crucifixion work. The first time I saw this was in the summer with my art school and at first i thought it was cool but a bit stupid because it didn't make sense. Esp as a christian i was even a little offended because of how the painting was perceived though after I learned about how the women in the bottom left is his wife, and how at the time painting in the fourth dimension was a new thing that wasn't accepted well yet I saw a whole new meaning of not just that painting but everything i saw that day. My point is, that at the time the painting first came out it wasn't really accepted and i'm sure people thought it was dumb. Well maybe it'll turn out the same way for modern art now. Obviously everyone can "make it" thats not the point. You can do it but...you didn't. So instead of standing there criticizing it maybe think about what could have provoked the artist to do something so "dumb" and then maybe you'd get something out of it and thats part of art. Many artists try to make a point through their work and sometimes doing things out of the norm (which is what they're known for and what STAC is known for!) is how they try to get the viewer to think even further from outside the box. There can be so many different meanings behind something and so many different meanings that can be extracted from something.