"Welcome Back" Exhibition

The "Welcome Back" exhibition included works from faculty members, second year MFA students and staff members.  Overall, the show appeared organized and well thought out, which made for an enjoyable experience.  I felt that there was a good diversity of works that caused me to question the direction of my own practice. Unfortunately, while there were a few pieces that really stand out, others felt flat and were uninspiring.

I felt Gary Schneider's portrait, "Young Man," to be one of the strongest of the show. The subject, standing center of the picture plain, confronts the audience with an anxious gaze.  The viewer cannot avoid this nor the unknown skin condition that covers a majority of his body.  Scale also lends itself to the idea of confrontation as it is near life size.  The black and white, nude portrait also evokes a sense of timelessness. It is nostalgic, romantic and almost cryptic.

Although I felt the location at the front left of the red room to be effective, it did not seem to work well crowded next to the two other paintings and photograph.  The integrity of the image may have been better maintained had it been distanced a bit more from the others.

I was also very intrigued by Stefanos Milkidis's video installed in the video gallery.  In my opinion, the content was very distinctive from the rest of the show. Sexual content has universal appeal to viewers but it was the originality of his ideas that kept me sitting down and wanting to watch more.  The audio was heard throughout the room which overshadowed Ardele Lister's video, which was to be listened to with headphones.  This posed an significant issue as both works should receive equal attention.  Jason Shepherd, who was directly involved with curating the exhibit explained that lack of communication and organization was a key factor for this incident.  At the least this is a good example for the thesis students as we prepare to curate our own show.

Initial thoughts.

The conversation within my thesis group was different from past critiques.  I now have the attention of artists from mediums other than photography and that is exciting!  I haven't had the opportunity to discuss my work with others too much and I'm curious as to how effective we can be for one another as it is in fact the most important project here at Mason Gross.

I've explained to my group and to James what a pivotal time these past months and onward will be.  My life has undergone the most dramatic and ever so positive change I could have ever hoped for (after an almost 20 year struggle)--timing couldn't be any more sweet. There will be a direct correlation between this and my work this year.  As a result, my head has been ssssspinning these past few days.  I'm determined to push my ideas to evoke as strong a feeling as I am experiencing on a daily basis.  I feel like it is the strongest point to branch my ideas from.

Some questions that I have been and will continue to consider are:

What exactly has changed. A very broad question indeed but it is a starting point.
How did I induce change? Variables.
What sort of relationships have helped/deterred throughout this looooong journey?
What situations reoccurring/not are significant?
What are some images/visual/audio etc. remembered?
How does the present differ from day one, week 5, year 17? Stages/Phases.
How much do I want to reveal to my audience? Degree of ambiguity.
How does it appeal universally?

These are just a few to get me thinking as there is a lot of work/research to be done.

Considering performance as well--a first.  Also considering video.

Interview--Cormac McCarthy

T  Why have you chosen graphic design? Do you have any other interests in visual arts? 

C  Design as a practice is attractive to me because like most fine arts it involves visual problem solving. But unlike fine arts it is characterized by utility, and its purpose is more apparent as function. This quality to me is more relevant and appealing for me, which is why I chose to study it. But I am also interested in painting and sculpture as well. I do a lot of painting in my free time and have been considering the inherent correlation between both design and painting.

T  What type/s of design are you mostly interested in? (i.e. logos/branding, web sites, publications, advertisements, product packaging.)

C  I am interested in web design and motion graphics. I think there is a lot of exciting new possibility with both that I am learning about. I think knowing the fundamentals of web design and motion graphics are valuable in the growing world of multi media. 

T  Who do you consider your influences?

C  Well, Julian Schnabel is my hero, but I look at a variety of people and, it is good to stay current with whatever you are doing. But I recently I have been looking at designers like Sol LeWitt, Wally Olins, Saul Bass and  B.Martin Pedersen. I also look at various magazines/websites, like Art in America, Juxtapoz, Wooster collective.

T  What is the process of learning how to do such work/editing etc.? How/ when did you start learning?

C  Depending on the project but its most likely in the Adobe suite. Sometimes I do multi media stuff if a project will allow it i.e. using photography drawing painting collage. I would really like to understand coding html CSS for webpages (as boring as it may sound). 

T  What sort of style would you characterize your work as?  As far as communicating a message in your work, how is yours discernable from others work?

C  I guess if you could characterize my "style", you might say it’s minimal, but bold. Form follows function is usually my method for designing, so most work I have done is predicated with that in mind. 

T  What would you say is your weakest point in design that you would like to overcome this semester?

C  Well I would like to master the Adobe programs, but I am hoping to get better using typography. 

T  What are your plans after school? Graduate school? Freelancing, magazine, etc.?

C  I think all of the above if I'm lucky, maybe in reverse order though.

T  Have you done any thinking about what your thesis maybe? If so would you like to share?

C  I have done a lot of thinking for thesis, but at the moment I do not have any definitive ideas just yet, but I am interested in the fundamentals of visual interaction and communication. I’m hoping I can create a compelling topic out of my own process as well insight and discussion in class.

T  What sort of long term career goals, if any, have you set for yourself?

C  Well I have had several ideas/ goals for when I graduate. Some more immediate than others. But again finding a job is most important, then perhaps graduate school, teaching, traveling, and beyond.