COLLAGE/ LAYERED project. 
DUE: 3/19! Right after Spring Break!

You will be collecting images in your sketch pad/ sketch book (ALL sketches from this course are fair game, though you are not limited to the figures drawn in this course) to combine (collage) and create a UNIQUE composition with a purpose/ message. Think about who you are as an artist and what you are trying to say. Do not sell yourself short! 

Once you have an idea PLEASE RESEARCH it and find out what others have done with this idea before you and what new perspective you can bring to the table. Think about WHAT, WHY, and HOW you are hoping to get this message across.

~18" x 24"(unless you are wanting to work on a specified surface. This must be prearranged)
~OPEN media, use of color acceptable but NOT requisite.
~Must utilize at least three different collage/ image layering techniques (six distinct techniques done well can earn you extra credit. Just because they are there does not necessarily qualify.)
~Must incorporate 5 objects observed from life, 3 of which must be figurative.
~Composition MUST be graphic in nature, does NOT have to be flat (2-D), however, can have    layered, or stacked elements. EACH ELEMENT must be graphic and show the artist's hand.
~Stylistically open.
~Artist statement required. MUST CHECK GRAMMAR. I have read far too many of these to care to read bad ones. They do not have to be long, but they DO need to be thoughtful and well-written.

GOAL: Manual transference of collected data into NEW/ UNIQUE image (composition). Think about a NARRATIVE. What are you trying to SAY with this work? Who is the piece for (audience)? What are you hoping your audience to get from interacting with your piece? Do you care about your audience? Is location important for you? Purpose? Is this simply an exploration in materials? Mark-making? Etc. How is what you are presenting any different from any other figurative work you have seem that is attempting to say something similar? I want you all to THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX on this project!!

Homework: 2/26

FOUR 10-minute drawings, one of each of your hands and feet. After blocking, and proportion, focus on DETAIL (shifts in value: how much and how big are these transitions?)

Bring in 2 sheets grey drawing paper, 2 sheets mid-tone paper (any color), one sheet black, and conte crayons: red, white, and black.

Start work on your COLLAGE/ LAYERED image project. Think about the WHO, WHAT, WHY and HOW of what you are doing. I want this to be as complete and creative of an endeavor as possible. Think outside of the box and of how you wish to portray yourself as an artist.

Note to classmates...

Hi y'all!  I have come across a problem with the transfer project and I wanted to pass them along you guys in case you are having similar issues.

1.  If your printer uses instant-dry ink no amount of oil will transfer the image to another surface.  Trust me, I tried the leftover essential oils I had around the house (wintergreen, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender).  The only option that I found worked was a transfer method using an acrylic gel medium, but of course that will make the paper warp.

2.  If you are on a budget, printing your image on wax paper works like a charm.  I simply a printer with regular ink.   Here's a link on this technique (I know the blogger transfers his image to wood, but I managed to transfer onto paper just fine):  Wax Paper Image Transfer.

Artist statement (Jennifer Moya)

Susan Grace

http://www.susangracestudio.com/statement
I find this artists work very effective because although they are collages of different images they still remain unified. The figures and heads are portrayed in several works within a series, much like characters in various scenes of a single drama. For each new depiction of the subject, certain modifications, such as a change in gesture, a subtle shifting of the position of a head, hand, or torso, or a different configuration of figures or heads in a group, allow the viewer to contemplate fresh perspectives.
The artists audience is anyone who cares to look.  She is very critical and plans her pieces so the view may view them in a particular way, For instance, she mentions this in her artist statement; "Evoking a sense of solitude, they are absorbed in their own isolation and rarely face the viewer.  However, I imagine them as having some kind of eventful life that takes place beyond the boundary of the canvas, and I hope the viewer is drawn in to this world and willing to contemplate its possibilities."

Homework: 2/21

Bring in your COLLAGE/ TEXTURE sketches from class and your transfer drawing. I am sending you a couple of different options for transferring images. Remember to wear gloves when using wintergreen oil! It is also not the absolute cheapest solvent, so you can use rubbing alcohol if need be to dilute. The stronger it is the better the transfer though (generally). It helps for many of these techniques to make a copy of your image or try different transfer surfaces for different techniques.

Remember to START SMALL! Do NOT ruin ANYTHING PRECIOUS! Draw something over or sketch something new if you need.

Good luck!

http://leahs-stuff.blogspot.com/2009/07/wonderland-week-wintergreen-transfer.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4uiVdVn928
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba11j1rI0fs
http://www.graphicsfairy-diy.com/2012/01/12-easy-image-transfer-methods-for-diy.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Image-Transfers-with-Acrylic-Gel-Medium/
http://www.squidoo.com/imagetransfer
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2011/10/how-to-transfer-a-photo-to-fabric.html

For class Tuesday:
1. TRANSLATION image (5 images redrawn in single new image)
2. VALUE image (cut and paste)
3. REPURPOSED MARK-making image (cut and paste)
4. TRANSFER image (see above)

Artist Statement, Huy Phan

http://christinesusskind.com/statement.htm

- I find the author's work effective because she attempts to incorporate her subjects personality through her pieces. Each piece used for the collage is chosen specially to represent the subject in a certain way.

-I believe her portraits are a little bland compared to her more abstract collages. Her portraits seem to be missing something. On the other hand her abstractions seem substantial and complete.

- In her statement the author doesn't seem to appeal to a certain audience. It seems as though the audience is herself. She creates these meanings in the collages and each part of the collage and seems to do it for her own enjoyment. Her intended audience could be groups of people who are aware of her intentions.

-In this piece the composition is very symmetrical. There is a contrast between the figure and the background due to the colors and pieces used for creation. Overall, I feel as though the piece is a bit weak and needs more to establish itself as a finished piece.

Mia Casesa's Artist Statment

I think these figures work well here. Their compostions and use of color are well balanced. The cut outs make the figures very graphic in nature which only emphasizes the composition more strongly. Even though the fugures are in center, the patterns within the drawing are in thirds and quarters.

Artist Statement (Yvonne Gandert)

http://www.demsteader.com/www.demsteader.com/profile.html

I found the work of Mark Demsteader to be very effective, and well-described in his artist's statement.  His paintings and drawings are uniquely styled so that portions of the composition have fine detail and a wide range of values, where as other parts of the composition are contour lines with little change in values.

His artists statement seemed to emphasize his expertise and prestige within the genre of contemporary figurative art.  He worked with life drawing in order to develop figures with emotion and an interesting narrative. These would inspire people to want to know more about the figures in the paintings or drawings.

Artist statement - Ashley Blanchette

http://www.johaneamirault.com/Pages/About/23810212_x8xhtr#!i=1929488737&k=jQ4wSzx

I really enjoy this artist and her artist statement because she seems to really enjoy creating images that represent her love for children and family and friends. She uses many different colors, mostly bright, that brings a great amount of energy and excitement through her work. The images seem to be based around people that look to be in the there teens. Some have piercings and have wholes in there jeans.

Artist Statment (Casandra)

Rebecca Nolda, “Fragments I”

Nolda’s statement does not mention a specific audience outside of herself.  She relates her attraction to collage work to her interest in antiquated and “eroding” buildings or objects.  Her goal it to create images that give the appearance of layered history just like a crumbling structure in which you are able to see the pieces of what it was and what it’s become.  Nolda’s collage process is additive and subtractive—she will add layers and later remove colors or images to build a “history.”  Once she feels that a work has enough narrative she feels it is complete.

Her collage, titled “Fragments I,” is successful when judged by her personal standards.  Each layer appears to contribute to a visual narrative while not clearly designating where each layer beings and ends.  Finally, her choice to break up one face and use it as individual collage pieces has given the picture a more cohesive composition.

                                                                Saner, Muralist 

                                             http://blog.kidrobot.com/saner-artist-profile/
- Saner is a graffiti artist who was born and raised in Mexico, he studied Fine Arts in a university in Mexico as well. His work is inspired by nature, he believes life is precious and we should savor each moment before it passes us by. In his series of work he does mostly figurative creatures/ people, He also likes to combine symbolism, and story telling within in his body of work.

-I love Saner because I think he closely relates to my work, because I am inspired by nature as well and I try to incorporate a lot of elements from nature into my ceramics and my painting.

-Saner does focus on audience, one example is his latest installation on his website which is the link I posted which demonstrates a series of figurative works with black lines of dynamite strung along the front surfaces of the paintings, and the strings of dynamite were later lit on fire. Each painting engolfed in fire in a beautiful way, leaving almost nothing left of the original work. I think he likes to give his audience a show when they view his work, whether its in the streets of in a gallery. The audience in mind is everybody, all classes of people, He likes to give the audience a story of moral.

-In the drawing I chose, the composition displayed is large group of figures all in black and white with splashes of sepia. All the figures are interacting with each other in a violent way, most of the figures take up the composition.

Artist Statement (Renee Cox)

This photo is made up of a black mans distorted body, made up of 11 photos resembling a lynched Christ. Renee Cox believes that slavery stripped black men and women of their dignity and identity and that history continues to have an adverse effect on the African American psyche.

The composition of this photo is clearly disturbing. The limbs are deformed which makes the cross off-centered leaving an uneasy feeling while looking at it.

The intended audience, which I believe are men and women of color, might initially be jolted by this image, some might turn their heads, but I believe that is what the artist intends to happen. Cox considers her audience very carefully while still trying to convey her message. She is trying to convey oppression. She wants to invite the audience to experience Herstory.

Cox’s story shines through in all of her work. I believe that she effectively does this by the use of dramatic lighting, bright color, and no inhibitions. She pushes the boundaries of comfort and safety.

In her black and white pieces the use of lighting is very dramatic which easily feels overwhelming. They are both beautiful and intimidating. Her color photos are bright and vibrant which lends to a feeling of urgency. She uses these elements very effectively to convey her message.

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base/gallery/renee_cox.php

Artist Statement (from Alexander Korzer-Robinson)

(above) By Alexander Korzer-Robinson

"Family Book", cut medical book, ca. 1910

25cm x 18cm x 4cm

 (By Ashley Peralta)

 

          The artist builds composition and narrative by using only images found in books (sometimes encyclopedias) and cuts around some of the illustrations while removing others. "We create our own past from fragments of reality in a process that combines... remembering and forgetting with the coincidental and unconscious." (Korzer-Robinson).

     Effective vs. Ineffective: I find the artist's work to be effective in his pursuit of giving the encyclopedias and books new meanings or purpose to the viewer. As the artist suggests in his statement, the books are no longer tools to learn about the world, but rather a way to gain insight to oneself.

     Audience: The audience can be anyone who views Korzer-Robinson's works. He considers the audience very much which is seen by his desire to create a composition that may invoke a narrative that the viewer envisions.

     Aesthetic / Composition: The compositions are balanced and use both color and black and white in the image created. Some images overlap others and the size of the figures (or animals and plants) in the works vary. These aesthetics help create depth in the work, forming a foreground and background. The different angles and positions of the figures forms a captivating, interesting structure. The frame of the works are created by the covers of the books used.

Artist statement HW - Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper’s work successfully captures the emotion and feeling of real people living normal city life.  Though he did do landscapes, his figure paintings were by far his most popular.  I believe his figure paintings were successful because he found a way to depict loneliness in large urban areas.  The scale and placement of his figures gives them depth and expression.  His most successful works were bought or commissioned from museums, but his audience was always the American middle-class.  Hopper tried to depict normal middle-class Americans as they really appeared.  

Artist Statement Bao Nguyen

Derek Gores

I find this collage/composite to be very effective in displaying both motion and figurative form. The colors are very vibrant and appealing to the eyes. The background really helps the ballerina stand out in the image. The color scheme gives off a calm and relaxing atmospheric nature of the ocean, while the pink/red creates a sort of spark that can really draw the viewers attention from the vibrant background to the detail put into creating the figure.      

Artist Statement (Isabelle Lydick)

The artist I chose was Lisa Yuskavage.

I really enjoy the feel of Lisa Yuskavage's work. They are beautifully painted, especially her "pie face" paintings.  I love the texture of the icing in this work; it looks real.  And most of her work is very in your face, and much of it is provocative, dealing with women as subjects.  But what I enjoyed about her artist statement was that she doesn't apologize for any of it.  She paints for herself, not for others. 

Artist Statement/ Elizabeth Halfacre

The artist I chose is a Figurative Collage artist named Elizabeth Halfacre.

I think this artist is very effective in what she is attempting to achieve. It seems her art is attempting to tap the subconscious. She is trying to evoke a response by triggering a memory or emotion from her audience. Her methods of layering the pieces, sections of light and dark, and her creation of depth really do help her audience connect on a conscious and unconscious level. Every piece I looked at seemed to have a lot of depth and meaning to it.

Hey all!

I'm just reminding you that Best Student Essays is still accepting submissions through MARCH 8TH.  They would love magazine cover art and photo essays (the theme is open).  This is a great way to get your artwork published and out there.  The pieces can be anything you have done; either for class or recreation.  Just go to beststudentessays.org or you can email Elizabeth Thayer at bse@unm.edu if you have any questions.

Homework: 2/19

FINISH COLLAGE FROM CLASS (or complete new image)! Focus is on OVERALL COMPOSITION and balance in frame. Think of WHOLE PAGE: figures, marks, texture, value, foreground, background, BALANCE.

Read AT LEAST 4 artist statements from figurative artists, 2 must do collage/ composite work. Post link to your favorite and 2 comments on WHY you find this artist's work is effective/ineffective, along with one comment on audience (who is intended? does the artist consider audience when working?), and one comment on aesthetic/ composition (what is HAPPENING in frame).

Figure Collage Examples

Collage Examples

Collage Examples (Ashley Peralta)

(above) By Jens Ullrich

(above) By Efraim Rodriguez Cobos

(above) By Matthew Cusick

(above) By Selina Trieff

Collage examples/ Ashley Blanchette

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Mia Casesa's Collage Examples

4 Collage/Composite Examples

Kelsey HW