Blog #2- Art Walk In

The art walk in was a great experience as always. There were tons of different artists and merchants, and chances to get to know each of them. The artist I choose to talk to and write this blog about is AJ Diaz. AJ is actually a student here at BU. He is a sophomore art major with a concentration in photography. He told me that he actually doesn't have much of a background in art. He took photography in high school, fell in love with it, and thats all he's done since then.

I first noticed his work because of the very real looking action shots he got. It seemed to be just a documentation of events, and I liked that about his work. After talking to him, I found that a documentation of events is pretty much what his goal is. He is inspired by the everyday events that go on in life. From seeing someone land a trick on a skateboard to watching a singer spit out lyrics on stage, these are the things that he finds important, and because of this that is what he chooses to photograph. He said that he takes his camera with him pretty much everywhere that he goes. His work is kind of like a documentation of the nature of a college student.

He also talked about why he choose photography. To him, it is the most realistic way to get an image. It also is a lot easier to carry a camera around then a canvas and paints. With photos, he can capture a lot of the small moments at once. He also talked about how he uses strictly film and not digital cameras. He feels that the tradition of using film and the process of developing is important to the 'natural' aspect of his work. Over all, I found his work very ascetically pleasing, and also seemed to remind me of the action painters of modern art, in the way they used action to describe everyday life/movement. I am curious to see how his work progresses as he continues his schooling.

Art Walk In

The Art Walk In was a great time to be had. There were many artists with numerous mediums presenting as well as selling their work to the public. There was also food, music, and a bowling alley as well as a massage area in the basement. I had a lot of fun walking around and taking in the different exhibits that the artists had provided. Every exhibit had something unique to offer. There were many that caught my attention, but one that was particularly intriguing.

Something about Jeff McGreevy's exhibit caught my eye. His works were unique and kept your eye moving to different parts of his exhibit. He had paintings, and woodworkings hung on the wall, and he also had photo books out on a table displaying his many years of tattooing experience. Though his wall hangings and tattoo designs varied they all had a sense of flow. There were lots of swirls and twists that kept your eye moving around to look at all the different parts that made up the whole.

What i especially like though were his tattoo designs. They were intricate, yet simple. you could tell just by paging through a few of his books that he had spent years of practice learning different techniques and working hard to get better at his craft. His sketchings of tattoos are also uniquely him. All his ideas come from inside of him and he expresses them by flowing with his ideas. Overall it was a great exhibit for people to be a part of.

ArtWalk-In

Art Walk-

Sarah Mika

When I was perusing the aisles and floors of the ArtWalk-In at the Moose Exchange I came across a particular artist by the name of Sarah Mika.

Sarah Mika makes art quilts. They are often of a quirky, fun, and painted style. She uses Acrylic paint on her quilts and doesn't recommend washing the quilts that have it on it. However, she does also make traditional quilts.

When being inspired to make a quilt, she is often generally inspired by the little things in life, whether that be something she hears, sees, etc. She also tends to create art in response to some emotions that she's trying to work out.

Eric Gustitus Blog Assignment #1

When i first walked into the exhibition Trading Spaces i had a much different outlook on what it would be like then when i walked out. The pieces all were closely related to each other, but i did not find them to be that great. The exhibition had a good overall meaning and was definitely showing us the meaning they were getting at well. But i did not find what i had seen to be as professional as i would have liked them to be.

Granted i am no major in photography, i can visually observe my own thoughts on how i believe other people would feel looking at the pieces. It was somewhat hard for me to choose something i liked being i can't really relate to any of the pieces. The reason i chose the picture above is due to the fact that it seemed to have the most meaning and relevance to the exhibition as a whole. I guess the reason i liked it the most was that it was the only one i could look at and focus on to wonder where it was taken, yes that is the only thing that i found interesting or wondered about.

Finally, i am not judging the photographs in any way, this is just my opinion and is not to be taken literally. I feel as if this exhibition could have used a little more preparation or maybe just a different topic. I respect the photos due to the meaning behind it, but i feel as if there is a much better way to express the work.

-Eric Gustitus

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Trading Spaces

Trading Spaces was, with a few exceptions, mediocre. The photos were not hung in an artistic manner, but rather in a striaght line across the wall. They also clashed into each other when one artist was tansitioning into the next. The only notification that you were looking at a different section of work was a piece ofprinter paper giving information about the next artist. I felt the exhibition as a whole was sloppy, and average. With the exception of the train tracks I did not get the feeling of traveling at all. I felt the pictures were haphazardly put together almost as an afterthought, rather then pieces that made up an entire show.

The only part of the show I did enjoy, were two photos that I felt were exceptional. The photo of the man standing against the stone wall, and the black and white picture of someone standing on a chair under a tree, were beautiful. I loved the simple compostition of these two photos. They don't look forced or posed in any way, but natural. These two pictures really captured my attention and held it. I felt these photos, while not cohesive for this show, are definitely worthy of being featured by themselves in a different exhibt.

Overall I felt a lot more effort and thought could have been put into this show. It could have been presented more clearly, and organized so the artists and pictures did not run into each other. Some pictures by themselves would have been alright for an exhibit but mashing them altogether was a mistake. I think if arranged differently the exhibit could have been nice, but overall it just comes across as sloppy.

The current show at the Haas gallery unfortunately left something to be desired in my opinion. Although all of the artists clearly have a good eye in their concentration, the installation was less than cohesive.

Perhaps if they had more room to display more of their works and how they work together then I would be more inclined to like it. Altogether as it is left me thinking "That was it? Really?"

The one artist I did particularly enjoy was the one who compared people and the places they come from. I thought it was an interesting concept and had some quite beautiful pictures.

Jessica Chappell Assignment 1

Sometimes with photography the intrigue of the image is within the photographer and their own intimate understanding of the person, place or thing. The photographer's memory of that experience is captured in the picture engulfing their recollection of time and space however can lack in the viewers perception of something to marvel at. I felt that the show "lacked". Be it emotion, or personal connection to the entirety of the pieces, I was bored. I did spend quite a bit of time making a deep connection to the people and their environments in Ryan Adrick's photographs, then he spoke at the artist lecture and killed it. Instead of an innovative philosophy and reason behind each photo he gave a vague connection and confusing map of social dialogue he experienced that made him think "oh that's cool". No disrespect; To each their own.

As far as the shows collectivity, not my cup of tea, however I did feel a creative and metaphorical attachment to Tracy Longley-Cook's work Fruit Tree. Highlights, shading, and perplexed subject matter compose a dynamic mood. The focus is particular and careful guiding the eye through the balance of light and dark areas, allowing the grass to twinkle with soft texture and leaving the viewer visually stimulated.

When first looking at this photograph I immediately thought of a woman and childbearing. Fruit Tree literally meaning the fruit of life, and rather than depicting childbirth in a light manner, representing it as a physical sacrifice. I really appreciate the way it was printed, as stating earlier through the compositional properties, the mood is dark and the figure itself is morphed and blurred into a deceiving object. I was uncertain in what Tracy Longley-Cook was truly trying to project. At the artist lecture she surprisingly explained it as a representation of suicide. The rope, which I had altogether looked over in the gallery, lays behind the figure representing suicide through hanging. I also wrote earlier of an attachment I felt towards this piece, and personally I have wanted to find an expressive way to portray the experience of suicide for a few years now. Fruit Tree is a compelling dark piece that intuitively captured me.