Art Gallery

Art galleries… You know as an artist you would think I would like art galleries but for the oddest of reasons I never really cared for them.. apart of me enjoys going to be inspired and the other part of me becomes un amused and I'm not quite sure why.. am I alone in this? ITs not out of disrespect because there is some fantastic stuff, heartwarming stuff, and inspiring stuff. I really enjoyed getting to see the work of the professors that I would be studying under. Everything from plain doodles on a sunday morning and fancy pictures of foreign people to pottery and digital art. One of the big inspirations to me was the sketchy and doodly esk pictures that I saw because I love doodling and sketching thats one of my favorite things to do. I inspire to freely doodle and sketch well some day. The conversations that I got into about just that we're quite fascinating as well. I hope that someday those sketchy thoughts about doodles (haha get it haha…)  will be true some day. I inspire to create. Also I don’t know if its me but every time I go to an art gallery I am always extremely tempted to touch every piece of art… the unspeakable thing that you should never do in a gallery! (... Sorry vincent and Pablo…)

Art Gallery

          I went to the Art Gallery show a while ago and I really liked it. The Gallery had pieces made with different media; there were photos, drawings, animation reels and many other things. I really liked a clay cat that resembled the cat from Alice and Wonderland which happens to be one of my favorite stories. In the gallery I talked to two artists; one was Leeper the man, and the other one was Prof Barb Michel. I really liked Leeper's story about St. Thomas and i'm excited for the final product. When I was talking to Prof Michel she told me a lot of interesting things about her inspirations to do the prints and the photos she was showing; one of her prints was a print that portrayed a forest in a very abstract way. Though sometimes I find it hard to understand abstract art, i really liked this piece. Another piece was a photo of a close-up of a rose, and she titled it "Untitled" and though it is obvious that it is a flower the title gives the viewer the chance to see other things in it.

The Art gallery...nope no eye catching title for this one...absolutely not. Just read the friggin blog!

What's What! Glad you read another one of my blogs and I....HEY GET YOUR EYES BACK UP HERE! NO SKIMMY SKIM HERE! Sorry to those actually are reading instead of skimming, my wrath is not directed towards you. So I went to the art show that HU held not too long ago and I decided to dress up for it since it was optional(but leeper hinted that we all look ragged all the time so I took some action :)) I walked over to be greeted by Dr Lance Clark of the film department(great guy if you havent met him yet) after which I entered the gallery to find a tall black spandex figure with clothing and accessories as if it were part of the exhibit...yeah it turned out to be Katy Seymore....I dont know either. Aside from these happenings, the exhibit was quite delightful(fancy words ftw) with works from prof. Ballinger and the leepster himself taking up quite a portion it. Both profs had good work and I could see that Ballinger's work had the same distinct style of his new animal gas series which Im sure helped his cause. Overall the exhibit was a great way to experience new art forms I had yet to really explore and Im thankful for the opportunity to do so.

Glass Paintings

Nicole and I went to the gallery on the second day of its exhibit. I liked it because there was no one around, so we got to look at things closely. There was one exhibit in particular that I REALLY liked. I was taken away by the beauty of the series of photos that were on the left wall near the door. The pieces were all named after different strong characteristics of a person. You could really see the detail in the women's faces. All their imperfections made them beautiful. When I looked at these women, some of them strong, some shy; I felt something. Their eyes told stories about their lives and spoke a thousand words that they couldn't. I started to tear up at how wonderful it all was.

Faculty Art

The Show was pretty darn great! I really enjoyed all of the work by Brian Ballinger! His stories in his art were humorous and still had a high quality that surprised me. He had some cool photographs but they weren't as good as W.K Hopper's photos. Hopper's photos all were superb. Professor Leeper's art was
spotless as always! I am so happy that our professors actually know what they are doing!
       One thing I have a hard time appreciating, is the art form of pottery. I just don't get it. I'm not a very artistic individual anyways. However, that Cheshire Cat teapot was really well done.

 When I look at art I never really study it. I look at it, enjoy it, and move on. I leave amazed at what people can do and wish I had those skills. I'm working on developing my appreciation for these forms of art. My snail of a mind is progressing slow but sure.

The Art Show

   To be completely honest, I had no idea that this was a faculty art show. I had imagined this to be some of the work of seniors and juniors. As I looked around and saw the name Stephan Leeper I thought to myself, “ohhh.” However, my enjoyment of what I saw certainly continued, if not rose. As any art show though I had a few favorites, but I loved most of what I saw.

   First up is Terrible Yellow Eyes by Bryan Ballinger done through digital photography. When I first saw this it immediately reminded me of a music video done by Flying Lotus called Putty Boy Strut. They both come off as chaotic messes, but through cartoonish design the observer takes the corn flakes with a spoonful of sugar. That way it’s accessible to everyone rather than non-art schmucks. Either way, I loved the color tone, the faces, and the overlapping. I felt like there were people around me as I was looking at it, there wasn’t.

    The next piece is W.K Hopper’s Jackson Hole Number 9 done through digital photography as well. This is a complete change up from Ballinger’s work, for this is an actual photograph. A splendid photograph of the shore of a perhaps pebble beach. Pebbles of blues and yellows were abundant. Some were just barely in the water while others were just on the outside. I felt as though those on the outside were desperately trying to reach the others in the water. It brought life to simple pebbles. How many people do you know that can do that? That alone is why this one was as awesome as it was.

    Finally, a piece from The Temptation of Brother Thomas titled Brother Thomas Makette done by the legendary Stephan Leeper! For real, I loved this piece of work. I’m not sure if I’m grasping the point here, but based on the title I would assume that this is similar to Pleasantville. Where Thomas is all religion or simplicity, thus grey, until the day that a dragonfly zooms by and he becomes infatuated with it. The dragonfly, colored, then leads him through the woods in the storyboard and he witnesses all sorts of things. I feel that this dragonfly is a temptation for Thomas, because maybe he has been sheltered due to his religion? I really don’t know for sure, but all I know is that I enjoyed the contrasting figures. To me it was the best piece there and I’m excited for the final product.

Faculty Art Gallery Blows My Mind

         I was absolutely blown away with the artistic talent and beauty shown at the art gallery! I really appreciated the opportunity to observe the faculties’ art work and talent. As a student I have repeatedly been told the accomplishments and credentials of the faculty that teach within the DMA program, but hearing and seeing are completely two different things. Sometimes a person’s reputation exceeds ones actions and I am glad to report that this was not the case! The faculty did a superb job in their creations and I am so glad that I attended!

Films

In complete honesty I was anxiously anticipating observing Professor Dawn Ford’s work, and she did not disappoint! I had the opportunity to watch some of her PBS show dealing with gardening and I absolutely loved the cinematography and the various angles. Hell’s Bells poster attracted my immediate attention because the poster graphic resonated power and intrigue through the deliberate color and composition as well as the bold font. Upon watching Professor Ford’s video reel I was immediately captivated by the vibrant colors in Hell’s Bells and I have put this film in my top films to watch list. I am pretty giddy with anticipation to watch this film! I also enjoyed seeing images from Thieves Rush In and some behind the scene images with Professor Ford, it painted a picture of reality and implemented some of Professor Dawn Ford’s history. Her video reel spoke volumes! I also immensely enjoyed learning new techniques, had a very insightful conversation with Rich Ford, and talked editing, which if you know me I normally won’t shut up about that!

                I also got the opportunity to observe Dr. Lance Clarks wedding cinematography and enjoyed observing the different techniques and objects he focused on. His video reel implemented the idea of capturing memories while also capturing and noticing the small things in a ceremony, which is typically the most sentimental. He had some very powerful shots.

                                                               Animation

 

 

 

 

 

 

The simplicity of the character's action really struck a chord with me. I appreciated the complexity involved within such a simple action and the lack of a plot did not bother me. It actually epitomizes human curiosity which further captivated my attention.

 

 

 

On the other hand I am a sucker for a good plot and the storyboards I saw at the art gallery satisfied my need for a story. The illustrations were amazing and I am fortunate to have seen them! It was at this exhibit that Amanda and Rachel informed me about the differences between 2D and 3D animation.

 

I thought the puppets displayed in the video reel were composed very well and I loved the communication that occurred between the characters.

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to say I was also impressed with the clay objects. In the past I have attempted to create some kind of clay form and they have turned out pretty bad … I am not very good with play dough either, so I have a lot of respect for those sculptors out there! They were the perfect combination of delicacy and imagination.

 

 

I feel extremely blessed to have had an opportunity to attend the art gallery and observe the wonderful art. I also feel extremely blessed to be learning under the guidance of these great faculty members!

 Feeling Blessed,

Randi Orr

 

 

               

 

 

Faculty Art Galleries

Art galleries are interesting at their best

Faculty galleries are galleries at their best

There’s nothing better than a teacher’s chance

To show their students their work at a glance

It proves they have a right to teach

Makes their students easier to reach

A common ground easier to find

A common cause to rally behind

It entertains the artist’ keen eye

While begging the students to ask, “Why?”

Why are they wasting precious time teaching me

Instead of being the artist they could be?

The gallery screams they are not

Teaching isn’t hindering their shot

They continue doing what they love

While teaching you what you are made of

Thank them the next chance you get

But don’t you worry or fret

They still bless the world with their art

They just ask that you do your part

Art Gallery

     I was very impressed with the work that our faculty has created! While I was writing down my name in the book for attendance, I saw that in one of the note columns someone had written, "No wonder you guys are professors!" and that couldn't be more true. It makes me feel so honored to be mentored by such a wonderful and talented group of people. 
     Each professor's works were so unique and different from each other, and it made me more confident in my art, because that gallery is a real life example that shows that there is no right way to create art. The possibilities are literally limitless! There was a beautiful rainbow and spectrum of media and colors that were exhibited, from sculptures to photography to cartoons and animations! The food was also super yummy, if I do say so myself. It put me in a good mood even before I saw the artwork, and afterwards I left to go see fresh faces with an absolutely ecstatic disposition.
     I think it would be lovely to have another faculty gallery exhibit so we can see all of the progress and projects our wonderful professors are working on; it's an awesome way to support them and to shine some light on the people who will influence how our futures will be after we graduate.

Art Gallery Showing

I went to the art gallery on Friday evening to see the art of the faculty from the Visual Arts and DMA department. And I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was fascinating to see the art that my professors created and seeing different types of art such as sculptures and photographs.

My favorite photographs were taken by Professor Hopper. The photos of the scenery and nature really stuck out to me and I thought just how beautiful God's creation really is - nature is His artist's canvas. I was mesmerized by the quality and pictures of Hopper's photographs. (despite photography not being one that I would choose for myself)

Another style of art that I enjoyed looking at were Professor Coffman's sculptures. I fell utterly in love with the teapots that she made! They were gorgeous and beautiful to look at. I also enjoyed the collaboration between Professor Ballinger and Coffman with the sculpture of the elephant.

One of my favorite drawings was of Professor Ballinger's "My daughter's alien". I found it so adorable and cute that he transformed his daughter's drawings into a 3D picture (and the fact that he brought the alien to life!).

Lastly, I really loved looking at Professor Leeper's art. His storyboard of "The Creation" was beautiful and breathtaking. I also loved his "Sunday Sketches" is was really fascinating to see the movement and gestures in his drawings. Furthermore, I am excited to see how "Brother Thomas" will turn out!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the different mediums of art all come together in one place. It was very nice to see all the different styles and outlets of art created by the faculty and if you did not get to go see it then you missed out because it was utterly beautiful and enchanting to be there.

Friday's Art Gallery

     I attended the Visual/Digital Media Arts gallery on Friday. It was fun to see what my professors were working on as well as see some of the things professors in the Visual arts side were doing as well. I think my favorite pieces were Ballinger's photographs and Leeper's Brother Thomas animatic. No, I'm not being a suck-up, they really were my favorites. I actually got to see the Brother Thomas animatic last year during story board class, and I really dug Leeper's Stained-Glass cartoon style. To be honest I was a bit disappointed to find out he doesn't plan to use said style in the final film, but rather go with making it in stop motion, but that's just my opinion. I don't really know why I liked Ballinger's photos, but I did. I just really like photos of scenery. That being said I liked the photo's of Jackson Hole as well. They remind me of all the trips my parents used to drag me on to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I took a few nice pictures out there myself. The sculptures were cool too, the animal teapots were really creative (but I question their practicality) All in all it was cool experience and I'm glad I went.

Pots

So I guess I’ll be the one to kick off the blogging about the faculty art show.

First of all I thought everything was really great, and I was encouraged that these talented people are the ones teaching us.

The things that interested me most though were the 3d pieces, as seeing them was a unique experience that could only be done at an art show like this. It was really cool to be able to circle around the objects and look at them close up, seeing all the little details the creators put into them, such as the texture on St. Thomas’ clothes.

Another cool thing about the 3d pieces was the variety. Whenever I thought about ceramics I would only think of boring clay pots. The shapes would vary a little, but the main thing would be the different paint jobs. I had no idea that how you put a piece in a kiln would change how it looked. Furniss’ ancient-looking pots were unique and so much different than Coffman’s work, who also surprised me with some not-pot-like pieces like the Cheshire Cat.

But that’s what was the coolest thing about this art show. I saw how every faculty artist is talented, but none in the same way, and I’m so glad that we have all these different approaches to art to learn from.