Hi guys I'm Alice, I'm a BFA major and am from New Zealand!
These are some photos from my school portfolio which I based on the Christchurch earthquakes. Some of my artist models were Josef Koudelka and Aaron Siskind.

enojoy!

Leaf Print Headdress- First Class Project

Leaf Print Headdress 

By: Savannah , Samantha & Soo

Hey guys! I'm Claire, I'm from Chicago. I'm a Freshman pursuing a BFA at Roski. My art in the past has ranged from drawing and painting to large installations--I don't really have an emphasis, but I would say installations are my favorite. When it comes to painting, I usually use spray paint because of the instant gratification. I also love doing hair and makeup, and hope to pursue a career in special effects makeup for TV and Film. Here's some pictures of my work, and feel free to check out my blog for additional pictures! (I haven't posted in a while oops) clairehowesartwork.tumblr.com

Popcorn! (our first project in class: Claire, Morgan, & Maya)

This is our first project for Design Fundamentals 102. We took popcorn and dipped it in ink to make a sort of 3D collage, and then we photographed it. Then we took the photographs and made an iMovie, using the images for shorter and shorter durations to simulate the popping of popcorn. Enjoy!

Roski Talks: Stefan Bucher

April 1, 2014

Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture given by Stefan Bucher.  Bucher is a writer, illustrator and graphic designer.  He is California based and is the creator of the design firm, 344.  Before Tuesday, I had never heard of Bucher.  I am always excited to learn about and explore the work of artists and designers, whether new to just me or to many.  Bucher took us on a journey through his own independent artwork and projects he had worked on for companies.  It was amazing to hear him explain the evolution of his ideas; I felt like I had an inside look into his mind and his thought processes.

He discussed his book, The Graphic Eye, first.  This was one of his first creations, and by the end of his lecture, you could truly understand how much his work had evolved from this first coffee table book.  He went on to discuss the creation of the Yeti Story, a project he initially developed as a window display for Saks 5th Ave. that developed into a story book and stuffed animal toy.  After this, Bucher was hired to put together the graphics and design the space in the Monte carlo for the Blue Man Group.  It was neat to hear how much Bucher enjoyed this task and how fun it was for him to design simple things such as the carpets, lights and gift shop; they all came together and looked magnificent!  

Finally, Bucher discussed his Monster series, probably what he is most well known for.  His monsters are creations from ink blots that all have such outstanding personalities.  I found his idea behind them fascinating, that he started with an ink blot so he didn't feel as if the monsters were created out of nothing.  I enjoyed Bucher's talk, mostly because of his extremely eccentric and outgoing personality.  He is a quirky guy, but an excellent public presenter.  He engaged with us as the audience.  

Bucher's website: http://www.344lovesyou.com 

Stefan Bucher talk

Last week I went and heard Stefan Bucher talk at the Roski talks. He was extremely funny while being informative and I definitely got a good glimpse of his design life. I found it interesting to hear his concept of greed management and how it is important to do things for money but at the same time not give up your artistic vision. In particular, his work for the Blue Man group was something where this concept came into play as this client would tell him exactly what they wanted, making the design process very boring and untrue to Stefan's vision. However, doing this paid off as he was then allowed to design the entrance for their show.

Another one of his project that particularly interested me was the Yeti that he designed for Saks 5th Ave. This project is more true to Stefan's vision. In the first year Stefan only designed the toy and left all the other design to another designer, however, they did not fulfill Stefan's vision and failed to generate sales for Saks. The next year Stefan ensured that he went back to Saks 5th Ave and worked on the Yeti to fulfill his vision. He created a book with fur and gave the Yeti a personality. Surely enough, this turned out to be a success. The following year, the window display of Saks 5th Ave, complete with moving figures, was based on his book.

Stephan Bucher Talk

I really enjoyed the talk tonight from Stephan Bucher! He talked for quite a while, but his witty sense of humor helped pass the time. As he went through the projects, I enjoyed seeing how so many of them (at least the ones that he showed) had a personal slant to them, particularly with the monster characters. It was also refreshing to see that he included projects with mostly personal value or connection, rather than ones for big name brands, or that made more money. On the money note, Bucher's "Greed Management" concept was awesome. I myself deal with those money vs. pleasure/responsibility dilemas, and it's refreshing to see someone who acknowledges a scale, or balance, rather than pushing an extreme. It takes self-assurance to admit faults, so it was cool to hear Bucher discuss his own ups and downs as a creator and business person. His few moments of self-congratulation were balanced out with an acceptance of difficult work and hours spent in potentially unfullfilling ways. I personally enjoyed these more philisophical nuggets from the talk, but the work was also interesting. It's awesome to see a project such as the time travel charity store that was quick, fun, and refreshing balanced out with a grueling corporate process such as the Blue Man Group, where he had to squeeze out creative moments from an otherwise dull process.