Week 2, Progress & Reading Response

Inspiration Images:

                         

Progress:

Reading Response:


Thomas Kinkade, One-For-All, Pages: 18-23

In reading this article, I feel my connection to Thomas Kinakde's goals, are reaffirmed. From his hazy and warms tones, to his famous use of light, as well as his subject matter, Kinkade evokes the desire to hold onto the beautiful, the comforting and the majestic and to inspire his audience of the better things in life; although my work is different in many ways, the desire I have to create happiness and hope in the world around me, is much the same as his.

I feel that the article's observation, of Kinkade's great financial and promotional success, can be seen in two ways. In one way, the article may make the reader feel, that Kinkade is detached from his sentiments and focuses more on the output and rewards of of such distribution; in another view, one may formulate that his ability, to sell so many works to a large population, is a reflection of his goals to meet a large audience and to ease their burdens of life. I myself, by watching and reading of Kinkade's lifestyle and character, agree with the later.

I also feel, that while humanity does desire art, which reflects sorrow, despair, alienation, mystery, tribulation and confusion, for these are all very real human emotions, I believe that there is a much greater desire to feel beauty, love and hope and to allow such sentiments to heal the effects of despair or sorrow. As the article reflects Kinkade's great success, among a wide audience, I hold that these thoughts, may reflect such truth.

Week 1 Progress & Reading Response.

Three Inspiration Images:

Image 1: I came across this picture on the web at random and unfortunately, have no idea who it's creator is; however, I was very much inspired by it, in creating the image below.

Image 2: This is a book, cover design, that in did in my Bookmaking class. The cover is made from wood and the paint is acrylic. After doing this piece, I wanted to do others in a similar fashion.

Image 3: Although it was not an image that I used for the initial creation of my book cover (image 2), I feel that I may have been unconsciously inspired by this style of illuminated manuscript, as I find my piece similar to such a style.

Process Images:

Image 1: This is the digital sketch for the final painting; I did such a sketch, for my book cover design as well and found that it greatly helped me in the decision making process.

Image 2 : For this piece, I chose to use wood as my canvas, as I did for my book cover; however, this piece is of a much larger scale. Here I have sanded it and rounded all edges, to add to the piece's softness; I used the same effect on the wood, for my book cover.

                       

Questions & Responses:

“The point is that you learn how to make your work by making your work, and a great many of the pieces you make along the way will never stand out as finished art.” Pg.6

“You make good work by (among other things) making lots of work that isn’t very good, and gradually weeding out the parts that aren’t good, the parts that aren’t yours.” p. 26

1. What work have you made that seems most yours? Why?

Some of the work that I've done, that feels most like me, I find are pieces that involve narrative, mystery, child-like wonder and lots and lots of color. Growing up, my first and greatest inspiration, was the work done by Walt Disney Studios; I am extremely attracted to the magic of the films, the great array of colors, the beauty in the stories and the feeling the stories give you, that you could do anything you like. I feel like my work reflects this inspiration, by my use of fantasy, or things that are slightly more imagined than real. Another great influence for me, are films done by Tim Burton; once again, I am interested in the unreal mysteries that movies like, The Corpse Bride, or, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, present. I also find that I am very drawn to the cool color palette, that is used in Burton's work, but even more so, his use of these cool blues and purples, against a dark, gray filter. I also love doing children's Illustrations that are fun and whimsical; since I like using color so much, this gives me an outlet to just have fun and make work that makes myself, as well as others happy.

“Chances are that whatever theme and technique attract you, someone has already experimented in the same direction. This is unavoidable: making any art piece inevitably engages the larger themes and basic techniques that artists have used for centuries. Finding your own work is a process of distilling from each those traces that ring true to your own spirit.” p. 103

2. Who are artists that are making work that relates to you? Are there other influences? How are these other influences connected to your work?

I am very drawn to the work of Thomas Kinkade; I find his use of color and light absolutely breathtaking. I also greatly enjoy his illustrations of older time periods; I love old literature, language and style of dress, so any films, artwork or writing that reflects this, greatly inspires me. I find these influences coming out in the drawings I do, of things that are long forgotten about, such as a pocket watch, or an old hat. Another type of art that I find immensely interesting is the anime, done by artists such as Hayao Miyazaki; while I have not yet done a lot of anime in my own work, I feel a relation to the storytelling aspect of Miyazki's pieces.

“And while a hundred civilizations have prospered (sometimes for centuries) without computers or windmills or even the wheel, none have survived even a few generations without art.” p. 104

3. Discuss, in your own words, why you think this is so.

Technology, while essential to living, does very little to show us, comfort, love, tragedy, hope, desire and beauty; all of the things that human beings so closely cling to, are provided through the creation and observation of artistic works. I believe that to be be essentially happy, one must connect to themselves and the greater things of humanity; one can be smart or well trained in certain technologies, but will receive little emotional response from such areas. For me, art communicates some of the most beautiful things about life, things that the world easily forgets, when we are busily distracted, by the fast pace of a a modern world.

“Art is something you do out in the world, or something you do about the world, or even something you do for the world. The need to make art may not stem solely from the need to express who you are, but from a need to complete a relationship with something outside of yourself.” p. 108

4. Which of these ideas resonates most with you? Why? If they all resonate, how do they differ?

I feel like the work I do and would like to do, tends to reveal things that are forgotten about, in the monotony of daily life; I think that if people were to hold onto the things that make them happy, let them dream, or even let them feel hope, the world would be a better place. In one sense, I feel like society "grows up" too quickly and too seriously; not to say that my work is not serious, but I feel it contains many child-like, or dream-like subjects. Such things, we may leave behind, thinking they are not useful to us as adults. For myself, I find quite the opposite; some of the wisest words I have heard, or read, have come from Disney films, Peanuts comic strips and Dr. Seuss books. In this way, I feel like the work I want to do, is something that reminds the world to hold onto the things that we so quickly release into our past.

“Making art depends upon noticing things-things about yourself, your methods, your subject matter.” p. 109

5. What do you notice about yourself? What are your methods? Subject matter? The answers do not have to be limited to art related topics.

I have noticed that not only am I an optimist, but I am a dreamer (cue the classical music). I tend to look as situations as they are and then I try to make them better. I feel that simply accepting to be miserable about certain things, will never do one any good; I like to look for the positive side or the solution. I believe this positivity, is why a lot of what I tend to do, is what might make others happy. I love using paint for its freedom of color range and intensity. I also find paint much easier to control and correct mistakes; this speaks to another characteristic, which I notice of myself. I tend to strive for precision and perfection; while this is not possible, or realistic, I find it impossible to leave out of my artistic process, which can at times, be a great interference. Another sort of aesthetic I am drawn to using, is a great variety of tones and contrast; I like to make shadows with great intensity and high dynamic range.As with my interests and what I’m drawn towards, the subjects I tend to create are usually in the realm of the fantastical and imagined.

“The only work really worth doing- the only work you can do convincingly- is the work that focuses on the things you care about.” p. 116

“All this suggests a useful working approach to making art: notice the objects you notice.” Pg.101

6. What do you care about? The answers do not have to be limited to art related topics.

Some of the greatest things I care about are, faith, family, friends, love, learning, literature and imagination. I care about the things that I admire, such as my siblings, who are extremely smart and creative, those who support everything that I do, the stories that inspire me to dream up other worlds and the dedication for standing up for what’s right.