Assignment #2

Fluency is being able to generate ideas. For an artist this is important because first of all, you have to be able to have an idea to go from in order to produce something. Another reason that fluency is important is if you have the same idea over and over again, your work will become predictable and boring, so being able to come up with new ideas is important. Flexibility is to be bendable: being able to move from one idea to another. It is vital for an artist to be flexible. An artist could possibly have multiple pieces of work going on at the same time, and must be able to switch from one piece to the other. Also a painter must be flexible because there could be limitations on what they had envisioned and what needs to be done in reality. Also the artist, while working on their current work, must be able to focus on one aspect of the work, but then be able to switch and think about another component. Originality, or being the first or new, is important because nobody wants to see something they have seen before. The point of art is to grow and push for new ideas or new thoughts. Doing something that someone has already done and has been seen before really has no purpose. Elaboration is having intricate, rich detail. Elaboration is also an important element to have. If a piece of art is not finished, and the fine detail has not been attended to, the work is just lacking. However, when every detail has been placed the art comes together.
Feldman’s method of art criticism begins with description. To describe something you must explain what was seen, felt, heard. Included in this could be the artist, the venue that work was at, and anything that could help a non viewer understand what it is was that you saw. The next element of the critique is to analyze. To analyze, you use the elements and principles of the work to further describe the work of art. In order to do this, you must dissect the work and try to understand why it was put in the work. The next step is to interpret. An interpretation explains what the work means, how the work works as a metaphor, what feelings does the work give you, and any overall meanings the work has. The step is to judge/ evaluate whether or not you like the work, why or why not.

BLOG ENTRY ASSIGNMENT #1: BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Have you ever made art? What kind of art do you like?
I have been in various art classes since elementary school through my senior year of high school. My favorite art class was during my junior year at Williston. The class was fundamentals of design. In this class we got to experience all kinds of things, and our teacher set guidelines for us, but as long as we met her criteria, we could do whatever we wanted. My favorite project was a sculpture that had to be made from our initials, and the piece had to represent you. I ended up making a guitar, with the strap in the shape of an "m", and then a cowboy boot with a stitched "e" on the front and a cowboy hat with the top portion being in the shape of an “m”.
I generally like visual art to be bold and bright. I don't know why, but I have always been drawn to loud things. I also rally like looking at pictures. My dad is a photographer, so I guess pictures have always been part of my life.
 Have you ever made a drawing? A painting? A sculpture?
I took a drawing class my senior year that I really enjoyed. One of our big projects was to draw our own hands, and by playing with contrast, make our hands look like they were real, and jumping off the page. I have painted in earlier art classes, but I was never too good at it. The project I described in the previous question was a sculpture. I really enjoyed making the sculpture out of paper mache, but the clay sculptures that I would have to make were never too good.
 When was the last time you went to a museum? Gallery? Artist studio?
The last museum I was in was the Charleston Children’s Museum while I was babysitting over the summer. The museum was actually pretty neat, and I definitely understand why the kids enjoy going there. I went to the national art gallery in DC when I was in 8th grade, unfortunately I do not remember it at all. My dad is a photographer whenever I step into our garage, I enter his studio.
 Have you ever been to a play? Opera? Art Film? Do you dance?
I really like Broadway musicals. I saw Mama Mia and Chicago a couple years ago. And of course, I've seen A Christmas Carol once or twice during the winter. In high school many of my friends were into performing, so I would always go see their plays. I may have seen an opera in middle school, but I don’t remember it. I don’t think that I have ever seen an art film. I have seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind which to some is considered an art film. I like to dance in the privacy of my own room, but I don’t dance in public
 Under what conditions do you learn the most?
I have found that I learn the most when I am actually interested in the subject. If I am interested in what I am learning about I can retain information very easily. When I am not interested, I tend to procrastinate and day dream when it comes time to actually learn
 Why are you taking this class?
This is a required class for Athletic training majors.
 Has any of the arts ever moved you in any way? How?
I have been known to cry in movies, so yeah, art has moved me. When something devastating happens to a character that I can relate too, I put myself in their position and it upsets me. Also, pictures can "take your breath away," or even make you feel sad, blessed, and many other emotions.
 What inspires you?
I am inspired by amazing true stories. The book "The Last Lecture" really inspired me. I think the most inspiration a quote from the book was when the author was talking about not feeling bad for himself after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and being told that he only had a few more months to live. His response to the diagnosis was not "poor me" or "why me" by any means. Instead his outlook was why not me. He viewed his limited time as a gift because he got to make sure that his family would be okay emotionally and financially, and he would be able to give all his loved ones a proper goodbye.
 What is art?
I don’t know if there is really a proper definition for art. To me art is a creative expression that appeals to another person’s senses.
 Do you consider movies art? Music? Video games? Comics? Television?
I consider some movies art. To me, dumb teen movies are not appealing and there is no creativity involved. However, movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind do seem like art to me. For movies like this there is some level of interpretation that takes place. Music is definitely an art. I think that video game creators are artists along with comics. I don’t really consider television an art.
 Who decided what is good art? How do they know?
If something seems beautiful, or amazing, or creative, or any other pronoun then I think it could be considered art. Not everybody has the same tastes, that is why there is discrepancy about what is and isn’t art. In other words, art is in the eye of the beholder
 When you debate music or movies with your friends, what critical elements or standards do you hold them to?
I don’t often debate music, but when there is a disagreement about music amongst my friend we usually argue about the beat, or temp of the music and whether or not the singer can actually sing in our opinion.
 What was the best movie of last year?
I actually haven’t seen too many movies in the past year. I saw Black Swan a couple weeks ago. It was good, but really disturbing at the same time. After the movie, I was still thinking about the movie and analyzed the movie probably a little too much. Easy A was also a surprisingly good/ funny movie
 What is an “Art Film”?
Wikipedia says that an art film is a serious film targeted at a specific group of people... so I guess this is an Indy film
 What CD or MP3 is in your player?
I hate to admit it, but I love Taylor Swift. I feel like she writes songs about my life.