project #1

excercise

image

This is the image I'll be working with for my project. I've already made some alterations; I darkened the overall image and added a tinge of green so that it would have more of the mood of the picture taken without flash. I also whitened up her pants.

greg, tuen, jeff, and cindy.

Gregory Crewdson was my favorite out of all of the artists we discussed. I loved the dark, moody feel and his use of lighting, but what struck me the most was just the honesty of his work. I'm really curious about the people in his pictures, and their lives. They were always unaware and generally in some kind of unfavorable situation, and it made me sad but it also made them feel real, even though the photographs have a very surreal quality to them. I feel like there are so many clues hidden in his photographs and you just need to find them. Above is my favorite, from his Beneath the Roses series. It's just so striking.

I wasn't as into Tuen Hocks, but I do think his process of oil painting over colored pictures and black and white pictures is really unique and gives his work a really interesting touch.

Jeff Wall is similar to Crewdson in the way that their photographs feature a people in somewhat every day environments doing somewhat everyday things, but Wall's are much warmer in color, with a 70's vibe. They also don't grab me the same way Crewdson's do. I like the motion of the milk in the photograph above but the one of people just walking doesn't do much for me.

I really like Cindy Sherman's photographs because they don't really look posed. They really look like "Untitled Film Stills." Or maybe I just like them because she's beautiful and I love the whole concept of pin-up girls in their off-time, caught unaware. They're very soft, and a little sad but brightly lit. It's interesting because I really didn't dig Tuen Hocks photographs of himself, but I do like Cindy Sherman's. While it seems vain at heart I guess it's really the only way to acheive exactly the photograph you want.
This picture is my favorite because I'm pretending that's me in my city apartment someday. "Oh, this old thing?"

inspire

I had trouble finding "inspiration" pictures because as soon as I was asked to explain what inspires me, I couldn't remember.
I like Polaroid pictures because they provide instant gratification like nothing else.
And I like Piet Mondrian because I like sharp, contrasting colors against black or white.
So I Google searched "Polaroid Piet Mondrian" and found this.


I like printmaking.



That is my favorite piece from my portfolio. It's from a printmaking/collage class I took at UArts. Ever since that class my artwork has taken on a style similar to relief prints.


I also like Toothpaste for Dinner. I really appreciate that cartoonist's sense of humor.