Simeen Farhat

I was looking through the Drawing Center website the other day, and came across this artist.  I like how she incorporates language into drawing.  Specifically, she transforms the language of her native Pakistan into a visual pattern that has graphic power beyond the mere words.

To quote from her artist statement:
"Deriving from the fact that I am a Pakistani-born American immigrant, my work is a melding of my two cultural identities depicted through social satires. Living in two cultures I view each in multiple, sometimes confusing perspectives. It is a complex subject expressed in a variety of media."






If you want to go to her portfolio on the Drawing Center website, go to their site and search for her name.  You'll find her full artist statement there as well.

Nugget 2

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA47NdUATuVcKwBcT3I3h63WoHvN1MS7QejnkTq9apDBCeBN4dPG_J0XuvXZE2lZ9c13ePidz5dSHE1P6JCIJZfO3Mh2h-1MyHtmYdjr3X1DGc12ZYnK6Z1fTDA7_mzUgR2ay5AlZ28z1w/s400/Steinburg2.jpg

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/EW-AG180_toppic_DV_20090121095034.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9jRxkaNRCPDgFD-ehxg02kBbZS52TTYldBRCVBwLbniNBb1_gjD3pWWpW-EtkEP6QAzP0Qc0NPpPH8RpA16swSmSMsDvD9vYL9bYPQh5-CiotCxJc9l4UWgUwmRGLzltWFAtGddpKNpV/s1600/Alin+Ciortea.jpg

These images are examples of what I want to work with for my body of work. The first two by Saul Steinberg are the drawing-on-photograph style which I really like. The second one, by Alin Ciortea, is a simple black and white picture, which I also am interested in doing something like for my own work.

Nugget

My concentration is going to have realistic paintings in the beginning and abstract paintings towards the end. That is why I chose realistic painter Chuck Close and Van Gogh. I am planning to use oil paint to show the details.

*I could not upload pitcures... sorry. :(

Nugget #2

Heaven Falls

 

 Panya Vijinthanasarn ('Heaven Falls' & 'Mind of The Forest') &
Odilon Redon ('Buddha in His Youth' & 'The Buddha') are the two artists I have chosen. Their techniques and styles make me mesmerized and fit with the my theme of 'Buddhism in the Future'. I really like their use of color as well as their portrayal of Buddha. I hope to incorporate the same on my concentrations.

Mind of The Forest

Buddha In His Youth

The Buddha

Takeshi Obata, Manga artist

Takeshi Obata is a manga artist. He has gained recognition via his popular manga Death Note. These are some of his other art pieces.

1. Cindy Couling

2. Ingrid Dohm

3. Bobby Abate

2nd Nugget

The artist I found interesting was Don Hatfield, who is particularly well-known in United States and Japan. What caught my sight at the beginning was his use of even bright and warm colors to depict familar scenes. They seem even more colorful than what we can observe with our eyes. Then also as you can see in the picture on the left and the center, the ineffably delicate use of light and shadows. It would be great to explore more of his works and learn to incorporate his use of color into my art.

Mental issues: Phobias

“Phobia” by Michael Whelan shows a sort of entrapment and sense of claustrophobia. The last one is an example of arachnophobia by Alexey Andreev which displays the illusions people have in extreme cases of arachnophobia.

These paintings relate to my work in terms of my concentration : Mental issues- Phobias. I especially liked one of them because it had a surrealist feel to it which I love to work with. John ashton golden’s “optophobia” the fear of opening ones eyes;

Picasso

I like Picasso’s use of his simplified imagery and the use of his simple abstract lines to express what he wants in his paintings. What I really like about this artwork is the passion the guy has and the attachment he has with his guitar.
The use of his dark color shows the dark side of life but the guitar symbolizes the comfort in a hard time. I also like the way how the guitar stands out of everything and mainly focuses on that and showing music as an importance.

The cubism artwork is also really beautiful and I really like when all the shapes being put together and forming the lady with the instrument. The use of his simple complimentary color and putting everything together as apiece is beautiful and the painting being made of rigid cubes and shapes contradicts the musical rhythm. I like the way how music is represented in such a way.

Perspective

Since my concentration is centered on how a person sees things at different stages in their life, I am aiming at making each one paintings(or sketches) different so that you can see the changes that morphing the person. The way I want to connect all the paintings is by making sure that they all look like they are memories and are seen from a human eye. I picked three pictures that seem like they could pictures from different points of ones life; they have varying colors and clarity and I think that reflects a lot about the person viewing it.

Samir Jung Thapa

http://www.clikman.com/?act=portrait

http://www.facebook.com/spillskillsamir

I chose to look at a photographer, Samir Jung Thapa . I found him through facebook. He is not established yet, but his photographs are inspirational. He does have a website, www.clikman.com but it is not up to date. He uses different techniques in all of his photographs but you can see that it is his work because he does have the same style. Moreover, all his pictures have a story to tell. I want to do the same thing in my own way, and capture the moments like he does.

The last picture is my favourite. I have provided a link to his facebook page as well if you guys want to take a look at other pictures of his.

Hope you guys Enjoy!!

:)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150092154180121&set=a.501346770120.390949.829000120&type=1&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=145970790120&set=a.145970055120.227341.829000120&type=1&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=328715145120&set=a.328705970120.336933.829000120&type=1&theater

Max Ernst's L'Ange du Foyeur

Max Ernst is known many things in terms of art. But, he is mostly famous for greatly contributing to the surrealist movement. He was born in Germany at April 2nd 1891 and died one day before his 85th birthday.

L'Ange du Foyeur by Max Ernst is one of his famous surrealist paintings, which could be interpreted in many ways. To me it first seemed like an ugly dragon/ lizard like creature stomping the ground. After I took a good look, it resembles a creature dissatisfied with its habits and behavior which is running around with a pained expression, no sense of direction; and tearing itself apart with every step. Yet it wants to retain its old self as seen by the green thing on the left, which can be interpreted as temptation. It could also be interpreted as something to do with the world wars and other worldly matters, but I feel that my opinion expressed above gives the basic and accurate idea of the possible meanings behind the L'Ange du Foyeur.

Nugget #2

I Just Looked Up A Bunch Of Pictures Both Paintings And Photography On My Concentration (ModernCityLife) Just Copy Paste The Link And Look At It ;) .
[1st Artwork- Linda, 2nd Artwork - Char Wood, 3rd Photo By Georgios Karamanis]
http://www.redbubble.com/people/lindaappleart/art/5824097-the-old-diner-city-night-life-oil-painting
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/big-city-life-char-wood.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/karamanis/1473319130/

Rivera nugget

Diego Rivera is an artist that interests me at the time. Most of his art work are giant murals and all his works deal with social struggles. In his own right, he was a chronicler of the political plights of Mexico and the world around. While some artists delve inwards to express a personal struggle Rivera expressed the frictions in the world outside... and in a way had painted in a voice for the Mexican masses.

Nugget2

My concentration is pattern, more specifically patterns of the objects that are special/ meaningful to me.

These are art works of a painter Andy Warhol. Even some of his art works are very patterned. He used same colors and different colors in each pattern.

I'm going to use different values of shading, and use of colors in my works. Also, some photographs using the photoshop.

Nugget 2

My concentration is the word "Mashallah". It is an Urdu word which, when uttered, is meant to protect an individual from physical or mental harm. The word will be repeated in all drawings and in this nugget I have posted three different styles of Arabic calligraphy that I will be using.
The first one is Nastaliq. It is known for its flow and beauty. This script is found in almost all Urdu book.The second one is Kufic which is a very rigid, complex and geometrical form of writing. The written word is mostly hard to decipher.The third one is the Sini Script. It is short,versatile and the easiest to write. It is most commonly seen on monuments and mosques.

Tina Malik (Nugget #2)

My Concentration is based on black and white Photography. After researching and looking at different photographers takes on this similar concentration, I have been enjoying looking at colorful yet simply portraits and images. I still enjoy the black and white aspect, but might try adding some color into my concentration. This can be done through different tones, or working with saturation to create the perfect color in my photography. My favorite is the 2nd image where the man is smoking. The white smoke compliments the dark shades of the mans face and it overall captures emotion in the mans faces; something that I would like to hopefully accomplish. Here are just a few images that caught my attention,and relate to the my concentration BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY; FACES;

René Magritte

I think this artist is really cool. he creates surreal art and makes it look timeless and classic at the same time. He makes humorous use of perspective and bold use of complimentary colors. I think his art is very witty. It possesses the quality to leave a viewer staring at it for quite some time.

http://www.musee-magritte-museum.be/Typo3/index.php?id=89&L=0

JR (Street-Artist Photography)

INSIDE OUT Project - Thailand

JR is a photographer who won the TED prize in 2011. He works in the spirit of graffiti/street artists, but with the unusual medium of photography. He takes black-and-white portraits of people, prints them large-scale, and then pastes them around communities. Often, his work explores social issues such as feminism and war. If you're interested, check out the Inside Out Project - you could be involved!

Artist Website: http://www.jr-art.net/

Inside Out Project Website: http://www.insideoutproject.net/

Kenya, January 2009

TED talk. 

Separation Wall, Jerusalem, 2007

Glenn Brown, UK

Glenn Brown, UK

I like this artist because he combines classical art with something modern. He was sharp colors and a tinge of one contrasting color and uses swirls and lines to promote value. He also creates surrealistic paintings, inspired by works of Salvador Dali and adds something new and hip to it.

http://www.gagosian.com/artists/glenn-brown/

Modern City Life

I chose my concentration theme as the modern city life as we all have experienced it, and how all the busy people, city lights, late nights and the pollution and the rush kind of amazes me. As i love lights, the complication of traffic and all the things that are consequential in the cities, I will work on artworks compiling them. I also want to show the bad part of it, how people have forgotten about other many important things such as religion, environment and their ethics. So I basically want to show how this modern world is and also how it has its positive and negative aspects.

കൊന്കെന്ട്രടിഒന്

the concept of metamorphosis is at this time quite intresting. the dictionary says it is a profound sort of change from one stage to the next in the history of an organism, like the caterpillar turning into a pupa turning into a butterfly... or it could be a change in the form of an object evoked by magic or witchcraft. i thought maybe i could chronicle the changes around in all thier strangeness... also... the idea that things should disintegrate and re-compose themselves, in a sort of convenient natural abandoning of self...is probably what intrested me.

Tomorrow

My Word: Tomorrow

The ambiguous future is in itself a vast and complex topic. The aim of my concentration would be to focus on how my religion, Buddhism, will transform or adapt in the technologically dominated future. I hope to combine futuristic aspects of what I feel the ‘new-fashioned’ world will look like and engrave within it a distinguished religious context of gaining enlightenment. I hope to juxtapose a meditative and tranquil atmosphere with the hectic ‘modern-ified’ future. What triggered me to choose this topic is the desire to know how my religion will transform/persist in the future. I wish to apply Buddha’s teachings/dharma of maintaining integrity and living in an impartial manner to portray how ‘tomorrow’ when the world is materialistic and when consumerism is at its peak they would only need one thing to regain contentment: Religion.

Calmness

A word that has one definition when looked at by the general population, yet has several meanings when looked at by an individual is calmness. Calmness has several definitions when looked at from different perspectives and I choose this topic to explore how one can find calmness out of anything, even the most mundane thing by trying to switch perspectives. I believe that anything can be seen in a calm manner, not just mundane things but even nuclear fallout. With an open-mind, I hope to show the calmer outlook in my artwork, even though they will all not be ‘calm’ to the general population at first glance. I hope to convey my perspective of seeing things in a calm manner.

Katamari?

There is a playstation game called the Katamari Damaci which translates some what to "clumped Spirit". The plot of the game is that there is a prince whose mission is to rebuild the stars, moon, and galaxies, that his father, the king of all cosmos, had accidentally destroyed. He goes about his mission by rolling a Katamari, a magical and higly adhesive ball around. The game starts out with the Katamari picking up small objects such as thumbtacks and small animals, but eventually being able to absorb cows and even whole mountains. Sequels for this game include, We Love Katamari, Me & My Katamari, Beautiful Katamari, I Love Katamari, and Katamari Forever. Naturally, this game is Japanese. The point I am getting to is that the Katamari theme is a concentration more than anything and just like any other artist, Keita Takashi, the game’s creator, lists influences ranging from Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro to Playmobil. The point being, concentrations don’t need to be standard, they can be of your own invention if that works for you.

Concentration Theme: Anachronism

a·nach·ro·nism : The representation of someone as existing or something as happening in other than chronological, proper, or historical order.

For my concentration theme, I chose anachronism, which simply defined, means something that is out of the time. For me, art should be timeless, therefore by juxtaposing objects and situations from another time to a contrasting one, I think I can achieve a body of work that is humourous, bold and innovative. I plan to experiment with colors, art styles and art subjects with a central theme that combines the past and the present, the old and the new.

Concentration: Disguise

Word: disguise
My concentration will be on disguise/covering. I am planning to paint and draw people's faces covered with mask or other objects. This shows how everyone tries to hide themselves and never show the real side of them. Also shows how people always hide their faces.

Concentration: Woodstock 69 to Woodstock 2011

Word: Fusion

I chose this because I've been here since 2nd grade and I've seen all the changes taken place at Woodstock for the past 10 years. Since Woodstock school has been an integral part of my life i wish to demonstrate it through my art. However, I also wish to merge music, which is one of my passions, with this and so I chose to do my art as a blend between the Woodstock festival of 1969 and the Woodstock I live in now.

Concentration: Black and White Memories

Word: Treasures
My conentration will be Black and White Memories. This basically means that I will either draw or take black and white picutres of things that bring back memories. I chose this theme surrounding memories because I believe that they are the only things you can keep for yourself as one gets deprived of time before they can come to realize it. Thus, memories help to ponder on and relive those moments that have gone. My pieces might have a hint of color at times, but the main thing I'm trying to focus on is the simplicity but depth of black and white themed art.

Concentration, Culture and Mythology

Word: HEADHUNTER
My concentration revolves around the idea of my culture, Nagaland. The idea of how my people came to be and their stories and folklore are going to be the concentration of my art. The technique of shading and capturing facial expressions and movement through the use of simple base colors are going to be used. Simple, but important jewellery has different meanings to it and practices such as headhunting and its transition to modern ethics are to be portrayed. I have great interest in my ethnicity and hope to achieve and do justice through my art.

Concentration: Shapes (Design)

I chose shapes for my portfolio concentration. I would like to creat designs using different shapes. Also I believe that shapes/ designs can express many different things not just simply picture but emotions. I would like to create designs that shows different perspectives.

CONCENTRATION:People's stories

I love taking pictures of people especially when they are doing something they love. Capturing the look of contentment on their faces and their stance gives me a sense of satisfaction. Photographs of people are always intriguing and I believe that photographs always have a story to tell. By taking photographs of these people i hope to tell someone's story.

WORD: STORY

Edgar Degas

I chose Edgar Degas, an impressionist artist from the 19th century, because his work concentrates mostly on women and artists, and has a prominent structure to it. I like how he manages to catch things in motion; like ballerinas dancing or musicians playing. I also like how there is one vibrant color in most of his paintings; it better emphasizes the emotions of the subjects.

For more information and to his body of work: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dgsp/hd_dgsp.htm

Concentration:Geometry

My concentration for this portfolio will be geometry and the medium/theme I'm using is Urdu and Arabic calligraphy. As a kid, I always felt like the greatest achievable honour for me was having a beautiful Urdu handwriting and after 3 years of training with a professional calligraphist I found that what makes Urdu writing visually appealing is symmetry. This is why I chose geometry as my concentration. However, I find that there is symmetry in almost everything around us though it is not entirely obvious. My work won't seem "geomtrical" sometimes, but that will be a part of the mystery I'm trying to create. Because geometry, a lot like beauty, confuses me.
Word: Mashallah (Urdu word said to protect one from the evil eye)

Kiki Smith

http://www.barbarakrakowgallery.com/kiki-smith
i like how Kiki Smith uses parts from mythology, fables, fairytales and folklore into her art.

Photoshop Tutorial - Cropping, Levels, Image Resize, and Saving for Web

1. Open a digital photograph with Photoshop.
2. Using the Crop Tool, drag the crop box so that it selects only the part of the photo that you would like to keep.
1. Note: If your photograph is crooked, hover over the corner of the crop box until you see a bent arrow. Once the bent arrow appears, you can turn the crop box until it aligns with your photo.
3. Once your image is cropped correctly, you can adjust the Levels (value) of your photograph. You can access the Levels window by going to Image > Adjustments > Levels. (Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl + L)
1. Note: When adjusting the Levels, keep in mind that the goal is to give the most accurate representation of your original artwork. Do not over-adjust!
4. After completing all adjustments, you need to Resize the Image. Access this by going to Image > Image Size. The AP College Board recommends the following file sizes:

Image size: The image sizes below are recommendations. Your image sizes may be different. Landscape orientation: ·        Recommended maximum size: 530 x 780 pixels (7.36 x 10.83 inches) ·        Recommended minimum size: 480 x 480 pixels (6.67 x 6.67 inches) Portrait orientation: ·        Recommended maximum size: 780 x 530 pixels (10.83 x 7.36 inches) ·        Recommended minimum size: 480 x 480 pixels (6.67 x 6.67 inches) Maximum file size: 3.0 MB per image. (Your image files will likely be considerably smaller than 3.0 MB.)

    5. To Save for Web, go to File > Save As.

1. The edited file needs to be saved as a Jpeg.
2. Save the new edited photo with the extension “web” on the file name (i.e. IMG_2543.jpg becomes IMG_2543web.jpg). Always keep your original file!

Mark Jenkins

http://www.xmarkjenkinsx.com/outside.html
Mark Jenkins is an American artist who is well known for his street installations. He mainly uses box sealing tape to create his sculpture and uses the street as a "stage", where on lookers (passerby) transform into actors. I really enjoyed looking at all his art work and I hope you guys enjoy it too.

Lillian Bassman

http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/lillian-bassman.php

I love Lillian Bassman's work and how she can manipulate pictures and make it look amazing. Her photographs inspire me because they are so mysterious and sort of twisted. It's very soothing to the eye. :) Hope you enjoy her photographs!! :D

Bridget Riley

I cannot put into words how much of an inspiration Bridget Riley and her ‘Op Art’ movement has been to me. Her captivating work consists of the most simplistic elements and is yet transformed and molded in such a way that, to the viewer, it is beyond complex. Her enchanting black and white body of artworks creates optical illusions that fascinate me, makes me realize it doesn’t take much for an artist to make an impact to her viewers; all she needs is her willingness to portray her aesthetic visions on canvas without fear of being criticised…

Of her artworks Riley said “‘the eye can travel over the surface in a way parallel to the way it moves over nature. It should feel caressed and soothed, experience frictions and ruptures, glide and drift…One moment there will be nothing to look at and the next second the canvas seems to refill, to be crowded with visual events.”

  

Bridget Riley
1961
Movement in Squares
Tempera on Board 122 x 122 cm

Bridget Riley
1961
Britannia
Emuslion on cardboard 56 x 61 cm

Bridget Riley
1966
Untitled: Diagonal Curve
Emulsion on Board 130 x 130 cm 

Light Graffiti

This is a stop motion video, but im mainly focusing and inspired by the photography of these bunch of guys (Names In Video), where they play around with light, shutter speed and exposure. Light graffiti is a form of art where you can create your own world by using any type of light source. This is a great video by these guys who has put together these light painting photos to create a light warfare video.

Enjoy :)

Bill Ferenc

This is a video from an Artist Bill Ferenc inspired by William Kentridge. A stop motion animation he made by using nothing but charcoal for everything. I really like the way that he shows life and development progressing as the man walks ahead. I really love the way that he overlaps the growing building over the old smudged ones. I also like the music background, the guitar. It gives a sense of loneliness and I really when he grows old all of a sudden after entering the door. I also like the way that he shows the long lifetime of a man in some minutes.

Keith Haring

http://www.haring.com/
This is the official website of Keith Haring. This website has his art work from 1978 to 1990.
He was a pop artist, street artists and graffiti artist.
He used bold lines, vivid colors in his drawing.
He also made some collages and sculptures.
He drew active figures which carry messages of life and unity.
I like how his drawings, painting are characters, not a real human figure. Also the way he used the colors, not mixing; the bold lines between each colors.

Saul Steinberg

http://shelleysdavies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/saul-steinberg-chair.jpg
I was JUST introduced to Saul Steinberg's body of work. The image or the idea that really inspired me right away, was his technique of taking a black and white picture of real objects and then drawing perople or things onto them. This concept is a perfect solution for me because I like drawing and I also like black and white photos; and so, this way I can blend both factors of my art style and put them in one piece! :)

Max Ernst

I chose this specific painting by Max Ernst ( surrealist) because it really intrigued me how he illustrated the moon in a geometric way. Since my concentration mostly has to do with mental issues and phobia, it struck me how this painting seems to show the innocence of the girl outside even though there might be deeper problems lingering inside. The person she is holding with such ease displays her solicitous behavior and makes the painting more powerful. The Cactus is symbolic as it makes the viewers feel like the girl is in an isolated place