Group Project

For our group self-promotion project, my group made leave-behind postcards.

We realized that the initials of our first names (Susi, Esther, Amanda, Suyoung) spelled SEAS, so we decided to make seas, or oceans, our theme.

Each of us had to make three leave-behind postcards. To tie our individual postcards together, we decided to make them all be the same size, 5'x7' and we had identical backs for all the postcards that had a SEAS logo on it. The back of the postcards were all digitally rendered to create a unified look among all the postcards. We also each included our contact information under the logo since these postcards are meant to be leave-behinds.

I couldn't resist making the back of my postcard a little more individual, so I added a little tentacle design to my postcard back.

Unlike the back, the front of the postcards was our chance for each of us to show our individuality. With the front of the postcards, we wanted to create designs that were about materiality and tangibility. Emphasizing texture and three-dimensionality, we wanted the postcards to go beyond traditional flat postcards.

The front of our postcards also emphasizes the handmade nature of our designs. Since the postcards are handmade, tangible, and personal, it would be hard, hopefully, for interviewers to throw the leave-behind away after we give it to them. I decided to make designs even harder to throw away by making them functional. My designs are refrigerator magnets.

My designs are wacky and silly and capture my aesthetic. I made them by gluing Model Magic to paper and then putting collaged shapes on top of the Model Magic. My designs are therefore 3-dimensional. I decided to add a little memorable catchphrase to my leave behinds, "Oddly Original," but I wanted the text to go with the wacky designs, so I wrote the phrase in a few different fonts and sizes. 

After we all finished our postcards, to have a unified way to present them, we packed each postcard in a clear envelope. Then we put the postcards in a box with 4 compartments, one for each person in the group. 

I hope you guys  like what I came up with! All the people in my group were awesome and helpful and I think we were able to work together to come up with a great project. I hope you guys agree!

LA Art Walk 11/14/13

Tonight was a magical night to be in Downtown LA.  Mixing and Mingling with the locals really made me feel like a true Angelino.  The art walk makes DTLA come to life with vibrants music filling the streets and twinkling lights hung above through the streets.  Each studio has its own unique vibe--some grungy street art, other international influence, and some eclectic mixes of local art.  One of my favorite series of works was scratchboards by Todd Lychkoff.  I was amazed by the precision of each scratch and I wanted to know more about the process of making such an intricate piece and the ability to create depth.  My favorite piece was one of the moon reflecting upon the lake.  This piece evoked fond memories of summer nights at the lake with my Dad when we sit by the campfire and just talk about everything.  It was amazing how much time I could spend just looking at each individual board.  I wanted to get closer to see the minuscule little scratches and then stand further away to see the whole composition.  The Next Art Walk is December 12! I highly recommend it! You can take the Expo Line to 7th and walk throughout the self-guided tour.  Also, I recommend trying Big Ban Bakes--a cupcake shop along the way--try the strawberry--it is delectable! :) It is also fun to stop by The Last Bookstore which is nearby.  Here you can satisfy your literary art cravings and even see a few spokane word performers on a lucky night!

Design Principles in Famous Artworks

I went to the Norton Simon Museum and I saw two works that each perfectly illustrate a design principle. These works are the epitome of each design principle, in my opinion, and I'd like to share them because they really helped me understand the two design principles in question.

The first artwork is "Bird in Space," by Brancusi, a famous sculptor that was born in Romania but lived in France.

The artwork is the perfect example of economy. The sculpture distills a bird in flight to its essence. It is an abstract shape representing soaring and the upward movement of birds while they fly. The piece is one simple monochrome shape made of bronze, yet it perfectly captures a bird in flight.

One reason that the piece is so evocative of a bird flying is because of its directionality. The piece sends the eye upward because it is a single tall form without any other distractions for the eye. Following the form, the eye of the viewer is directed upward. "Bird in Space" thus allows the viewer to subtly experience the upward movement that the piece attempts to capture.

"Bird in Space," Constantin Brancusi, 1931, 
Polished bronze

The second piece I'd like to talk about is "Mulberry Tree" by Van Gogh, a post-Impressionaist painter who lived in the 19th century.

This piece is the perfect example of movement.

Van Gogh creates rhythm in "Mulberry Tree" by repeating similar shapes and lines. The rhythm and movement in the piece lead to a feeling of intense energy in the piece. There is therefore no singular set focal point in the piece because the eye wanders all over the canvas as this piece is viewed. This is very different from "Bird in Space" by Brancusi, in which there is only one form for the eye to focus on.

The warm color choice in the tree in the artwork also leads to a feeling of movement and vibrancy. The warm colors of the tree contrast with the cool colors in the sky and make the tree seem even more alive, on fire with life.

The warm color choice coupled with the movement in the piece, lead the work to feel dynamic. The piece feels joyous and excited.

In my opinion, there also seems to be a subtle religious feeling to the work. The tree is vaguely reminiscent of the burning bush from the Bible. The piece also seems to be praising nature with a quiet but exuberant religious reverence.

"Mulberry Tree," Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

Oil on Canvas 

(Detail) "Mulberry Tree," Vincent Van Gogh, 

1889, Oil on Canvas 

Sam Francis

I saw works by Sam Francis for the first times at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, and I'd like to talk about a few of the works that I saw.

Artwork: "Mantis," Sam Francis,  ca. 1960-61

Oil on canvas, 52 x 78 inches

Francis's work, like "Untitled" from 1975 (below) often employs a variety of forms, yet there is a simple composition in the work reminiscent of the simple aesthetic of Japanese Sumi-e ink paintings. This Japanese influence can be seen especially in "Mantis" (above). Balancing various forms with a simple composition, Francis balances variety and harmony to create unity. He makes what could be chaos into orderly compositions. Unlike Pollock with his use of chance, Francis consciously places forms and colors in his compositions in order to create balance.

Some of Francis's work, like "Untitled" from 1975, have a different perspective than usual. Francis was a pilot and so he painted his canvases while they were on the ground, thus creating a convincing perspective from above, as would be seen from an airplane.

"Untitled," Sam Francis, 1975, Acrylic on Paper, 22 x 30 in

Many of Francis's works look simple and effortless, such as "Mantis." However, like Japanese ink paintings, they are deceptive and in reality take a lot of effort and skill. Like a Zen master Japanese ink painter,  Francis had to have a lot of discipline in order to make his precise and exuberant brushstrokes.

Francis's Edge Paintings particularly confused and challenged me but also compelled me. I'll talk about what compelled me about them.With their four defined edges, the Edge Paintings create perspective and draw the viewer into the negative space at the center. These paintings emphasize the negative space and through this emphasis the negative space becomes a positive white form that takes on volume and seems to jump out of the canvas. The colorful edges becomes secondary, seeming to only serve the purpose of drawing the painting together. Because the white is not pure white, there is depth to it and the white space becomes active.

Sam Francis, "Untitled" [Edge Painting], 1966 Oil on canvas, 42 x 30 1/4 inches

Finding Design at the Pacific Asia Museum

The Pacific Asia museum doesn't have any artworks that are specifically designs, but two works I saw have a lot to do with design.

One is "Sleeping Woodcutter" by Hokusai, a famous Japanese artist who lived in the 18th century. The piece is a Sumi-e monochrome ink painting drawn with calligraphic lines. 

Hokusai, "Sleeping Woodcutter"

The piece is about different kinds of lines. The forms in the drawing are flat and simplified because the emphasis is on the brushstrokes and the different kinds of line that can can be produced through these brushstrokes. 

The piece also has rhythm and movement created through repetition of similar shapes and lines, as can be seen especially in the pile of cut wood in the painting. 

There is also no clear setting in the piece, so it looks like the figure is floating. This reminded me of something that the tour guide at the museum said about geishas. In many Japanese paintings, the pleasure district where geishas could be found is depicted as a floating world. This depiction comes from the fact that being in the pleasure district was seen as a fleeting moment transcending normal struggles in the physical world. 

With the tour guides words in mind, I think that Hokusai created a floating world by having no clear setting in his piece. I think he did this to comment on art and demonstrate that looking at art creates a feeling similar to that felt in the pleasure district. Looking at art is a fleeting transcendent moment outside of the drudgery of everyday life. 

Another piece I saw that I thought related to design was "Stone Garden in Kyoto" by another Japanese artist, Masayoshi Kasugai. This piece is comparatively much more recent. It is a paper collage created in 1952. The piece was made with hand-dyed mulberry fibers that were then attached to a folding screen. 

Kasugai, "Stone Garden in Kyoto" 

This piece depicts a stone garden. It therefore relates to design in the physical world. According to the tour guide at the museum, gardens in Japan are about unveiling. The viewer is supposed to be surprised at every turn. Gardens in Japan are also about economy. Nature in the garden is stripped down to its essential elements of land and water, with stones, such as those in this painting, representing land. The gardens are furthermore asymmetrical, as Kasugai's artwork is, in order to mimic nature.

Kasugai's work is a copy of a copy since it is mimicking a garden that is attempting to mimic nature. In order to mimic nature, the piece is simple-toned. Exercising economy in his color choices, Kasugai uses a gradation of similar colors and strategically places these colors in order to create what feels like a completed composition.