Exhibition - Brain art exhibition and unconference
From Silvia Damiano…
Dear Readers,
I want to share with you a venture I am undertaking with my daughter Relmi (photographer and graphic designer), who is 21 years of age.
We are putting together the “First Annual Brain Art Exhibition & Unconference” at Global Gallery in Paddington march 2011. There will be a Brain Art Competition for 15 - 19 and 20 - 30 year olds. Take a look at the website and see what you think.
http://www.aboutmybrain.com/whats-on/brain-art-exhibition
I am currently searching for more ways to connect with lots of people who want to get involved in a project like this so feel free to let people have the link.
Regards Silvia
Subscribe to keep in touch…
Get updates when new things are added to the site. Take this link to the Feed Burner site and you will get email updates… a great way to keep up with new ideas and info on Visual Art. and NO I don’t put new things up here all the time day in day out, so you will not be pestered by lots of emails… 
Subscribe to ArtStuff by Email
Exploring Culture in Visual Art
Culture, generally refers to “Patterns of human activity and the devices, which give such activities significance and importance.”
With this definition in mind Artists might find themselves saying, “So when am I not exploring culture…” Great point, and while you are pondering that let me get on with some other bits… Thanks…
Patterns of human activity, things we might do repeatedly, things, which have significance or importance, which are repeated.
Therefore there are a lot of things, which could fall into these category’s, the Artist using these to communicate and or explore “stuff” about them could find some interesting starting points, here are a few, I am sure there is more.
- Popular culture - Looking at the popular things of the time and their impact - Social - Sports - Politics - Art - Philosophy
- Religious culture - The history - The rituals - The beliefs - Structures - Development
- Historic culture - The things that happened of significance - Wars - Natural disasters - Other
- Social/Organisational culture - Shared knowledge - Values and beliefs - Cultivation of concepts and philosophies.
Take any of these and consider ways to utilise them as a starting theme, then figure a few ways to make art with the “cultural” starting point.
© Steve Gray 2010+
How about this as an example, War - There are many ways to depict war in art, but what if I was to collect copies of war time newspaper articles and create a collage of the cut up articles… I could cut out shapes of guns and overlay them, I could make patterns out of the collage of guns, the result is a starting point on the theme of war. Of note here is the way I can explore the idea and fit it to the cultural theme, therefore I can explore the theme in a range of ways which may lead me to examining the topic at a deeper level and hopefully communicate that to others visually.
© Jesse Nivens 2010+
So there’s a start, you could take almost ANYTHING you are interested in and explore it this way. Perhaps a collage might lead you to thinking about a drawing or painting, or ideas for photographs themed from the collage.
By following a train of thought, then exploring it further, you could be creating your own level of significance and importnace about something, so you would be creating your own culture! I figure that’s why art is a called a cultural activity. Hmm if I use that sort of thinking sport could be art… or at least the catalyst to the way we might explore the culture of sport.
Activities to take the concept further;
Exploring the definition of “Culture”.
- Find at least five definitions of the term culture (Dictionary and or Internet search) and from those distill a series of points to assist in strengthening your understanding of the term “culture” (make sure you do all this in your visual diaries to reference it later on.)
- As you explored the definitions of culture, did anything relate to a topic or subject of interest to you? Do a quick brainstorm and see what happens, based around your interests, asking the question, “What things am I interested in which can clearly relate to “culture”? (Make your brainstorm, at least 21 points long).
- From your brainstorming, pick out a few points which are of strong interest to you… Now jot a few points in your visual diary on ways you might be able to use these points.
- Create a word based mind map of whats been happening since you started this process.
- Make a purely visual mind map to go with the text based one, perhaps search the net for images you can copy and paste, print out and then paste into your visual diary.
- Make some notes and or drawings on any key themes you have come across which might be showing up… Are there any strong enough for you to explore as an art work?
Further concepts…
- Look at the project 1000 journals this will give you a range of ideas on how others have created journals and make a mini journal on your efforts so far for exploring “culture”…
- Create a large drawing using one of the pages from your mini journal as inspiration. (tape together a bunch of pieces of paper to make the image BIG.)
- Write about the process thus far in your visual diary and the things you have discovered, what has stood out to you?
- Select two of the interviews on Contemporary Visual Artists at our sister site. Take notes about their work and their way of working and how they explore the concept of “culture?”…
- Create a few quick drawings or actual pieces in any medium to abstractly explore some more random notions about the term culture.
- The culture of various societies is often developed from their history, can you find any links to what you have done in this exploration of the topic and the history of your social background (Country of origin, social position etc.?)
Copyright © Steve Gray 2010+
Stencil art centipede…
Every now and then something comes along to amaze, intrigue etc…
Regionalis exhibition starts soon…
The exhibition starts on Aug 19, will you be checking it out too?
Your own art book…
I have been looking into this sort of book publishing site for a while and I saw one that seems quite good, impress your friends, psyche out the gallery guys! you download some software, create your book, upload it and sell it online…
Here’s one I prepared earlier called Urbane. Check it out and see what others are up to while you are there.
The thought of having my own glossy “coffee table book” was to good to refuse, oh and if you want just one, then so be it! the possibilities are endless!
What is art?
While out jogging one afternoon it came to me, an epiphany; ” There is a simple, comprehensive definition of “art”, it’s an acronym for itself”.
The Aesthetic Rendering of Thought.
In order for Art to exist, the following three (3) criteria must be met. First of all, there must be some sensory manifestation (Rendering), fugitive or permanent, which is based upon a creative, intellectual process (Thought) with the intention of a beautiful or pleasurable (Aesthetic or Anti-aesthetic) action, or reaction, in one or more of the senses and/or psyche.
Encircled within this definition are more than the traditional concepts of “art”: painting, sculpture, ceramics, writing, architecture, drama, music, dance, and photography. It’s now easier to understand why cooking can be included as an “art” and more than just a craft.
|
Robert E. Bear is a professional educator and national award winning wildlife artist. He has been recognized in Who’s Who In America, Who’s Who In American Education, and National Honor Soceity Outstanding American Teachers. He has created the Star Poster Progra, the game of Gig’l(TM), and the team sport of Bearball(TM). His additional writings on art and eduation, as well as, paintings may be seen at http://www.ursidaeenterprises.com |
Matrix concept
Coming to terms with the wide array of works and styles in the art world is a challenge at times, this “matrix” MAY provide some useful starting points for us to explore with. Where do you “fit” as an Artist? Using the comments facility at the end of the post, feel free to add information I can use to improve this.
Note it is intended to provide a guide to appreciating various “categories” of art in the market place rather than a device to indicate if a style “better than another”. Perhaps it’s “best” use may be for a beginning investor or collector wanting to appreciate what they are looking at and if it may have a possibility of increasing in value due to critical and or peer review.
This “matrix” has been through several versions starting at No: 7 (the previous 6 were for my eyes only and took a while to gain a format which I felt worked for a wider public audience.) this one is currently version 9.1.
12/2/10
Analytical Frameworks
I have just been introduced to the Visual Art Analytical Frameworks which is a device utilised to analyse artworks for students studying Visual Art at VCE (Australia) levels. This framework device looks at four areas to analyse works buy and it can offer readers of the matrix another way of exploring artworks, I would like to think the two could be utilised together to enable a faster understanding and greater depth of analysis could happen.
1. The Formal Framework - Visual analysis - Technique - Style - Symbolism and metaphor.
2. The Personal Framework - Reflects the artists life - Links to other aspects which may relate to the artists life.
3. The Cultural Framework - The influences of time and place - Connections to contexts and cultural purposes.
4. The Contemporary Framework - Exploring contemporary issues.
If you were to follow these frameworks for analysing artworks I guess it would be possible to negate various aspects of hobby and simple decorative work and find yourself wanting more from an art piece when you realise there is more to be had than just the formal framework. A viewer could do well to use these four points in discussing works with artists and soon be able to asses the merit or otherwise of the artist and their works.
I would love to hear from students, artists and general readers about the four points listed, the matrix and or the whole lot! (check out the comments section at the bottom of the page, its a simple link.)
Copyright © Steve Gray 2009+
Creativity Starts Here, Or Not…
I came across this website years ago and was blown away with the simplicity of what Michael Hewitt Gleeson chats about. His 10 part email training is simple and as effective as you might want it to be. Simply put it’s about thinking, but not in a heavy science kind of way, this is practical material you can use daily, regularly, easily.
I urge you to take a look and see if it can assist your creativity to be all it can be.
http://www.schoolofthinking.org/about/
Oh and it’s free!
Note when you have a look you will notice it’s not an art site, nor does it mention art in any way, but the principles for developing creative approaches are in here, so go take a look, sign up, get the emails and let us know what you think.
Creativity is… And?
Here is a little snippet of an article on creativity from Linda Naiman at Creativity At Work feel free to explore her website and find more information on creativity.
I define creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. Innovation is the production or implementation of an idea. If you have ideas, but don’t act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.
“Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being…creativity requires passion and commitment. Out of the creative act is born symbols and myths. It brings to our awareness what was previously hidden and points to new life. The experience is one of heightened consciousness–ecstasy.”
— Rollo May, The Courage to Create
“A product is creative when it is (a) novel and (b) appropriate. A novel product is original not predictable. The bigger the concept, and the more the product stimulates further work and ideas, the more the product is creative.”
— Sternberg & Lubart, Defying the Crowd
That’s a basic foundation to work from, now the question could be, how do we develop it? Or perhaps the question should be why should we develop it?
Why indeed, the artist or the student of Visual Arts is a person interested in creating things anew and exploring options around subjects and concepts, so the notion of creativity and fostering it should be of high value, especially if you get writers block or you see a blank canvas staring back at you in times of creative drought.
So understanding creativity is one thing, developing it is another, and as such I will leave the development of it for another time. Essentially creativity, it’s develoment and understanding is vital to the artist and finding ways to over come challenges in the development of concepts and subjects is an importnat set of skills to learn.
Visual Art Diary - Art Journal
Many Students have these, and most have them because they are told they have to as part of their studies! Ok get over it, you should use one because you want to, not as a have to.
So what’s the value, the benefit, the reason… Well most people who say have one, will have seen the benefit and should be able to tell you, it’s for exploring, writing, gathering, giving you points to reflect on and not just as a sketch book, it’s more than a diary to write in, note the title “Visual Diary” or “Art Journal”.
My suggestion is to see the Journal as a way to keep things together, so that when you want to show how a work or your thinking has developed you have the “evidence” rather than just having some new art tangent you have miraculously plucked from “thin air”.
In simple terms it’s a diary on steroids, not just a collection of past events, but of present thoughts and ideas as well, that you can reflect on and use in the future. A personal resource of information (it can include anything and everything you can think of that fits on to a flat page.)
Do a bit of internet searching and you will probably find lots of outlines for how to create a journal, but the key to creating one is making it work, and that’s simple, get one and use it all the time. Example, I bet you have a mobile phone with you all the time, same with this, you can even have a small one so you can carry it with ease then add your entries to a big one if you want. If the first one gets filled up grab another one and add to that to. One thing I will say, NEVER throw out rip out any part of the diary, keep it in tact, you never know when some info you were going to throw out will be useful.
The Journal can be great to have at an interview for courses of further study, as it can reaveal a great deal about HOW you work and back up the actual work.
If you want to see journalling on steroids (go on take a look…) check out the 1000 journals website and see how others have tackled Journal writing on a massive scale!
And here’s a video to give you more ideas…
Finding out More
When you want to know more about Visual Art there are plenty (these days) of ways to explore, once all you had was art galleries and a library or two. Now you have access to the internet, which means you have a great way to explore techniques, styles, find inspiration, learn about artists, history, theory and much much more.
So to use this all to your advantage start searching and make a great list of sites that are or could be of value to you. Bookmark them, make favourite lists, then break it down into categories so you can easily find the things you have find in the right place. store these lists, back them up on paper (in case the system dies…) that way you will be able to explore the extensive world of Visual Art with ease.
Start searching and share your findings with your classmates. Not sure where to start? grab an art history time line and start exploring the various art styles through the ages and note the things that grab your attention. Keep building ideas from that and seeing where things developed from, note key artists and historic events that happened at the same time. Now that you have started you will probably not stop, as there is so much to explore and be fascinated by. Any key things that stand out, drop a comment in…
So You Finished Secondary School Art…
You finished YAY! but hang on a minute now there is tertiary studies, what have your teachers told you about that? Maybe not much, except for the fact that most tertiary institutions you will need a folio of work to gain entrance. It’s a bit late to panic, and knowing what they want to see in the folio to give you the edge is like guessing the length of a piece of string…
If you have read this article early you might be in luck. You see I would like you to have the best chance you can to get into higher level study (if that’s what you want…) So may I suggest that you add to your portfolio of works well in advance, so you can prune out any works, which are not as good as you would hope and get on with presenting your best work (what does that mean anyway?)
In the VCE+ section of this Blog you will find a range of practical exercises that you could do at home, these could be works to bolster your folio by adding depth to the theme’s you have been working on. For instance if you were into a theme that included people and their emotions and had created some larger works, which had taken you time… what’s stopping you from exploring the theme further with some smaller works, which might look at details or some other tangents of your main work.
I guees the thing is making sure you have works to show the interview panel which will give you the edge, so you can put your best foot forward. Knowing what they want to see is another thing altogether.
Artist Web Sites… 8 Things to consider.
In putting together this Blog site I have looked at probably 50 - 100 sites now, some for art galleries and some for “artists” from the high end contemporary ones to leisure painters and lots in between.
After looking at so many I have come to the crashing reality that my own site is not all it can be (a few more tweaks yet!) however I have found there are MANY sites that are a down right pain in the butt to look at! Simply put they have a few things that annoy the daylights out of me… In this list I highlight a few and give a few pointers you might like to consider yourself.
- Splash pages - Don’t waste my time, get me to the site, and give me a good dose of your best when I get there! What’s a splash page? Well it’s like in a book when you open it up and get the title page, not yet to the text and so you have to flip another page to get started… Usually it says “Click here to enter…”
- Flash sites - If your web dude says “We’ll do it in FLASH!” you might think it sounds great but folks unfortunately its not overly useful for search engines to find them (not enough text usually) and they can take a while to load… (anything over a few seconds and I am out of there!) Sure your web dude will show you some snappy creative bits but hey that’s not always useful for the end user to find and use your site.
- Dud’s - You see the small pic, “Click here to enlarge” so you do… “Error image not found” ARRRGH! not good guys, check your site is operational, or if an image has been taken off, take off the link to it. Do this regularly even if you have not added things to it, and don’t think for a minute that your web dude (or dudette) will do it for you.
- Failure to make it useful - Do some research on artists websites and see what the “big guys” are doing, Art Galleries for instance are acutely aware (or they should be) of how to market to the end user, and the good sites seem to belong to the good galleries. The same with artists, think big time artists (cutting edge, avant garde, contemporary, edgey, street wise) you can find them via edgey art - culture - type magazines on the web that have a link to the artists site if they have reviewed them. VERY USEFUL, some of the ones overseas are really up there and happening in relation to the latest technology, design and making a decent impact, yet your “web dude” may not know about them. Heck find one or three and show the web guy what sort of look you want and utilise the research others have done.
- Blog - This is all about keeping connected to the end user, the buyers, the galleries, the patrons of the arts, students, teachers you name it. Many of the sites I have seen recently have either failed to keep their blog active (if they have one) or have put lame entries about some kids birthday party they went to… That might be fine for Twitter, or a forum, but not so big for your blog. A blog can also show a work in progress, which can be a fabulous way to engage a possible patron.
- Fast loading pics - I get there, I want to see it and I want to see it now, not in five minutes time. Have the site checked by people on a range of computers with varying download speeds, from dial up to high speed broadband. Then make sure the images load fast on all of them.
- Know your aim - Is the site for selling, your ego, keeping people informed, making comments about the world around you? Know the aim and set your site up to do one of these well (the other things can be a side consequence).
- Get subscribers and do the math - My web guy did this early on for my blog, and I can (some how) check to see how many people are following my blog. It lets people know when I have posted a new article or interview on the site. Also have intstalled Google Analytics and know your stats, the best site in the world with only two people looking at it in the last 6 months is not useful, in fact it’s a waste of money. It’s one thing to be able to be seen 24/7/365 but another thing entirely to be found and regularly checked out. If you are not getting visitors, put your marketing hat on and figure out how to inspire people to go to your site. Being active in Vis Art forums and having links to your site from there is one way, look also at social networking sites…
So make it easy on the viewer and easy on yourself. If you are aiming to sell your work, the end user will want to be able to to connect with your site fast, get a look at what’s going on and go from there.
Art Can…
“Soothe the soul • be awe inspiring • relax us • aggravate • communicate • annoy • colour our world • build skills • raise awareness • form ideas • scintillate • shock • inform • make us laugh • show a way forward • tell us about history • imitate nature • give us an outlet • fill a space • cause dissent • create unrest • make us think • create miracles • inform us • teach us • lead us • create passion • build character • be three dimensional • tell stories • build esteem • give us culture • alter our environment • keep us human • infuriate • give us a place to hide • show us how to explore • build our vocabulary • hold us back • light new paths forward • ease our pain • show others our thinking • make the dark light • make the light dark • increase our knowledge • hold us true to ourselves • influence our thinking • manipulate our feelings • teach us about others • show us other views • give us energy • cause us to explore • show us new worlds • cause us to be introspective • make us extroverted • cause interest • build wealth • health • strength • make us sing • cause us to rejoice • mislead us • take us anywhere • drain us • be unconscious • make us incompetent or competent • illustrate • paint • give form • cause us to write • be two dimensional • massage the mind • brighten the world • make money • build metaphors • break down barriers • build bridges to new experiences • persuade • liberate • be useful • fascinate…”
Are there more? Of course! Drop a few suggestions into the comments box, take the link below.
Geometry in Art
Throughout the history of Visual Art there has been a series of reference points to the use of geometry in art and quick search on the net will show many examples of Persian tiles and mosaics, Indonesian Batiks with repetitive patterns, Japanese screens with patterns, right through to Op Art and in the digital age in the use of fractal formulas to create designs and images of intrigue and great visual depth.
It can be an interesting area to explore and often the designs have stemmed from nature, with floral patterns, symmetrical flowers, sea shell sections and crystalline structures, there are many ways that geometry manifests itself.
Finding ways to explore geometry is limitless and can often give designers and artists an intriguing source of inspiration and starting points. Look up the work of Bridget Riley, M.C. Esher or Victor Vassarely as a start…
What is Contemporary Art?
Contemporary art is a term used a great deal, but what does it mean? Let’s take a look at some possibilities and explore a bit further from there.
“The art of the late 20th century and early 21st century, both an outgrowth and a rejection of modern art. As the force and vigour of abstract expressionism diminished, new artistic movements and styles arose during the 1960s and 70s to challenge and displace modernism in painting, sculpture, and other media.”
Fine art registry – Glossary of terms.“Contemporary Art encompasses all art being done now. It tends to include art from the 1960s or 1970s through the present.”
Tennyson Gallery – Glossary of terms“Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced since World War II.”
Wikipedia
Some Contemporary Art Movements, styles, variations.
1950
Abstract Expressionism
Bay Area Figurative Movement
Lyrical Abstraction
New York Figurative Expressionism
New York School
1960
Abstract expressionism
Bay Area Figurative Movement
Colour field
Computer art
Conceptual art
Fluxus
Happenings
Hard-edge painting
Lyrical Abstraction
Minimalism
Neo-Dada
New York School
Nouveau Réalisme
Op Art
Performance art
Pop Art
Post minimalism
Washington Colour School
1970
Post-Modernism
Photorealism
Ugly Realism
Video Art
Arte Povera
Land Art
Body Art
Feminist Art
Yunnan School
Neo-Conceptualism
Neo-Expressionism
Bad Painting
Post Minimalism
Demoscene
New Image Painting
Nuovi Nuovi
Ascii Art
Aboriginal ‘Dot Painting’
Gerakan Seni Rupa Baru
Mühlheimer Liberty
Trans avant-garde
1980
Free Figuration (Figuration Libre)
Neue Wilde
Chicago Imagism
Collaboration
East Village
Appropriation Art
Mail Art
Neo-Geo
Multiculturalism
Graffiti Movement
BritArt / Young British Artists (”yBa”)
Neo-Pop
1990
Net Art
Massurrealism
Information Art
Arte factoria
Toyism
Lowbrow
Grunge
New Media Art
New Leipzig School
Tiki Art
Bitterism
Post colonialism
Cynical Realism
Internet art
Young British Artists
2000+
Demoscene
Environmental impressionism/expressionism
Funism
Pluralism
Post Conceptual Art
Relational Art
Software Art
Sound Art
Street Art
Stuckism
Superflat
Thinkism
Ungraven Image
Videogame Art
VJ Art
The above list is created from a range of resources on the internet (Wikipedia is but one), the validity of any of the categories listed above is probably rather subjective in many cases, so in the end it comes back to you and your research to be able to “verify” what’s listed and not just accept it as “fact”.
Lets explore the notion of contemporary works of art and their categorisation further. Note in the opening quotes, the idea of any art created now can be classed as contemporary. As true as this is there is another factor or two that needs to be explored here. Take a look at a range of art you might see every day in peoples homes, framing galleries, or as posters etc. the works are often decorative, things of “beauty” to decorate not so much to push boundaries and or cause people to think.
Note the lists above do not have a category for decorative art, fantasy art, art therapy, nor leisure painting. What needs to be mentioned is the role of art curators, art critics, artist’s peers and the like have in supporting artistic directions, styles of art and or groups of art. In a sense art that communicates on a deeper level could be a way of summing up “serious art” and in this case contemporary works. Therefore some of the categories left out are probably no considered “High art” although the artists may have very serious intent.
In exploring the fractious and nebulous world of art, take in all comers, and check out where they “fit” in the scheme of things. It’s important to be able to measure and find a place for things, push boundaries and check out what’s taking place so you can explore things in their right context. Perhaps from this article you can create a checklist of things to consider when viewing an art work to see if it is indeed a contemporary work of “value”, decoration or a piece of therapeutic merit.
Painting on Paper
A video about painting on paper, I like the process the artist uses, rather prolific and an interesting way of working.
The Art Student and the Value of Art
There is an ongoing question about the value of art, and a quick search on the “Internet” will show some results. But of equal note is the notion of art students doing their bit to come to terms with how something that may not have mass value or appeal is a useful niche market to pursue especially in challenging economic times. perhaps the title of this piece should be “The Artist and the value of art”.
So is art something which is vital, a need or is it a non vital want that merely fulfills the desires of those who wish to express their status, and buy in at the highest they can afford and hope for the best, or are they connected to the work at some higher level? Perhaps they just “like it” and have the $$ to splurge (ignorance may well be bliss!)
So ask yourself about the value of art and the pursuit of it, explore the notion a bit at least, you may well be chasing a noble cause or causing a noble chase!
Art Matrix
Here is a link to a discussion on an art matrix device. http://www.artforum.com.au/vtopic9601.html
Perhaps it’s something that could be debated further here in our comments? Your thoughts?
Interesting Resources
I came across a couple of resources which may be of value, can anyone tell me if they are? esp if you are a member…
http://www.artistcareer.com.au
I found things a little difficult to navigate but the potential seems to be there.
Ok when I sign up to something I expect it to be useable, hell I am reasonably web savvy… So when I get lost in a site trying to figure things out surely others might too, is that good? short answer… no.
Brian the Angry Art Teacher
This was a neat little find and one I will put in the links as well, a good laugh for the Art Teachers among us, and a learning opportunity for the Students!
Art Elsewhere
Amazing what you can find when you go looking… some amazing things lurking in here…