Cabinet Article

http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/7/colors7.php

Safety Orange - the color that commands your attention and ignites your imagination. Bright and stunning, this orange is the color of everything from constructing signs the vibrant neon colors of the eighties. Safety Orange has over the years become the color of the new millennium advancing in rank as the chosen color of technology and dominance and all the way to the governance of our capitalist state. Invoking the soul and providing the lust and desire of our youth orange has become the hue of everything that is fresh and new in our lives today. 

Process Book Part 1

Third Work

For this third work we were required to use a three dimensional element for the piece, in this case we utilized elements of cut out particle board. For this piece I was responding to jasmine's jellyfish design. I drew the teardrop shape from the body of the jellyfish and repeated it in a patterned symmetrical design. For the color we were asked to use a cultural color system. For my substrate I chose to research and draw inspiration from the Pacific Coast Native Americans. Combining elements of depth, symmetry, rhythm and color I created a finished substrate which I proudly add to the sequence for this project. Enjoy.

Cultural Color Research Paragraph

The artwork of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans is truly something to behold. Combining strong elements of craftsmanship and design, the artists of this region have truly mastered the bond between form and meaning as well as the relationships in color.

Focusing specifically on the coastal tribes in the area my cultural connection will focus on the color relationships in the area and how the native peoples view color in relation to their art. The color compositions of the peoples in this area are fairly stark and usually consist of only two to three colors. In more recent generations Native American artists have utilized nontraditional paint colors bought in tubes or derived from unnatural pigments.

The most commonly used color in pacific coast Native American artwork is black. It forms the thick and bold outlines of most every painting or weaving and stands as a stark flattening element to every piece. In traditional process the black pigment would be derived from charcoal, graphite or lignite coal.

The second and most recognizable color of the region is red. Used to fill the various shapes and formed outline in black the red pigment of these peoples would usually be created from red ochre or hematite minerals. Red also held a deep symbolic meaning to the artwork of the pacific coast Native Americans. Representing numerous things such as thunder, sunsets and the earth red stood as one of the most universal colors in their palate.

The minimal color palate described served as highly inspirational for me, forcing a unique composition and respect for the way forms interact. The colors of this region and the peoples that lived in it are commanding and influential and I hope that by utilizing the pigments these people traditionally implemented I will be able to create a piece that is both dynamic and simple. 

Sources:
http://www.freespiritgallery.ca/nwcolors.htm
http://www.lewisandclarktrail.com/section2/colorsanddesigns.htm

Second Work

For our second work in the series of four we were asked to draw inspiration from a fellow classmate. I was assigned to work of of Alex who had made an orange collage of cut out triangles with a distinct circular object in the bottom right. The substrate was to be covered using only acrylic paint with the sole requirement be that we utilized some set of color harmonies. For my piece I used both the analogous orange color harmony and the complimentary blue-orange harmony. The piece drew fairly literally from alex's original piece with the exception that I added a second, more subtle circle to the composition. It all turned out very well and up to my expectations. Hope you like it.

Wednesday Night Art 21 Response

Last Wednesday night in our foundations class we were shown a screening of Art city in which they covered the life and works of three different artists. We were asked to comment on their process, my immediate reaction to that night is what follows . . .

            The best part about the process is that it can completely justify a piece. Often times today in art the process can be the piece; the final product has been slowly dissolved into the ether, substituting vomit on the canvas for a honed oil painting.

            The videos we just watched clearly showed the way in which artists think of their process as the end all be all. For them the process can be almost more important than the final product. The process is what they have to deal with while they’re wasting away their hours in front of a canvas. Some have a perfectionist attitude – careful, collected, and precise, others are freer, taking risks and not worrying about getting messy. Process is not always about what goes on physically though, often process involves the thought development before the work is started - the story or memory behind it. Usually that’s more fascinating than the actually piece itself.

            My arm is getting tired from writing this semi-rant so ill close with this: process is for the artists; it is about the enjoyment of it. Artists are selfish and most of that selfishness is reflected in the process, sacrifice process and you sacrifice your ability to make intriguing art.