Saturday, December 13, 2008

william wegman

Saw I purchased the William Wegman DVD on the internet last and week and just got it in the mail yesterday. The collection is just wonderful, some of the movies feel hit and miss, but they all seem to work as a whole.

He's so creative and his movies are so thoughtful yet he works with practically nothing. His props are nothing more than things he could just find laying around.

I'm still watching it and I'd recommend to anybody. I have the DVDs so if anyone would like to borrow them sometime after the break, just let me know.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

William Wegman Pugs!


The Pug Head Tilt - The funniest bloopers are right here

Recovery


I'm still recovering from the stress and lack of sleep but am recuperating just fine. Today I finally picked up a copy of McCloud's 'Understanding Comics' at the library, I've been reading it so much, I had to stop myself from reading it all in one day. I don't think having the copy is going to be enough, I"m pretty sure I'll have to buy my won copy eventually. I've also taken the time to catch up and finish reading Print's special award edition, some really interesting stuff out there. It's a bit of a change from the design that we've been seeing in place but it's cool to see how the trends are right now and how some are changing. I'm also reading the Epic of America. The origin of the term 'the American Dream.' It's good to have a break but it's not a bad time to do some loose research. I've been loving it so far.

Have to be sure to remember to drop my key off by this monday...

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

News update: BFA, FAm-fam, new movie

Well I'm working on the templates for my coloring book. I've been thinking about printing them out on color book paper, like really light cheap paper. The cover will most likely be glossy paper.



Aside from my design work I've been helping my family decorate the whole house, we just finished the tree today. That's one of the drawbacks of living with your family, all the responsibilities you attain. I feel very confined in this house, in my little room. I've always been less productive here and it's depressing at times. I love my family but It's just too much at times.



NEW MOVIE THIS WINTER BREAK. It's about time i made a new film. I'm collaborating with my best friends and a few others. It's going to be a series of films based on exaggerated version of ourselves, our theme is going to be a couple of struggling filmmakers try to make it big while dealing with personal issues, in a hilarious way of course. I think I have 3 weeks to do it...

week 1: Writing, planning, and storyboarding
week 2: Filming
week 3: Post production, editing, writing music, etc

It's very exciting. I think originally we were inspired by it's always sunny in Philadelphia(their pilot episode specifically because their budget was 100 dollars), Seinfeld, curb your enthusiasm, and flight of the conchords.

We're going to be basically playing exaggerated, and much more shallow, version of ourselves. It should be funny how this plays out, it's so exciting!

Monday, December 1, 2008

William Wegman - funny man



I love his videos, I actually remember seeing some of his sesame street material on television. I recall watching the videos when I was younger and I remember being deeply confused and confounded as to why dog heads were attached to human bodies.

I had no idea that the man behind that idea was such a brilliant artist/filmmaker. I instantly fell in love with his vibrating chair, and who knows, maybe it'll inspire me to do some more video work int he future.

Artist Statement

Artist Statement

The Social Coloring Book

A book with multiple illustrations show different people of different socio-economical backgrounds. Their distinction in wealth is made obviously clear by their attire and positions. Some are positioned to show power and some show weakness and vulnerability. The illustrations are outlines of people, simplistic face-less representations of people as symbols. The pages have text explaining to the viewer what they are seeing, although there is more to the eye than just the description.

This all started with illustrations I made intended as stickers and magnets. The idea was similar, to show wealth inequality in America. The inspiration came when doing research on sociology and politics for a paper in Latin America. After reading about the social inequalities from afar I had wondered what it was in the home front and I realized it was very similar. The outcome came to be almost the same, with a small number of people owning the majority of wealth in the nation. I always pondered as why so many suffer while a few live in absolute luxury.

The work will have individual booklets with crayons for people to take. There will also be larger print outs for people to draw on collectively.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Old School


The Shock of the New readings we did really reminded me of pieces that I really like from the 19th century. One in particular is the oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David. The painting is just a masterpiece, the symmetry, the detail, the symbolism.

I don't know why I like the neoclassicism era so much. It's definitely nothing close to what's popular in art these days. It was some time before realism and the avant garde and something that distinguishes from it is the patriotism that is the instilled. Just a look at this painting can show a real urge or sense of patriotism, a message that one should always stand up and fight for ones country. I'm sure paintings like this were helpful to more conservative politicians.

I'd really like to see more paintings like this these days. I'm sure a big problem is that it takes too much time to make, and wouldn't make much money. I don't think there should be another revivial of classicsm( neo-neo-classicsm?) but it would be nice to see people today trying to emulate the style. I'd do it myself ifI could, but I can't draw human figures, just terrible at it. bleh.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Design Remix

http://wefunction.com/2008/10/50-stunning-examples-of-a-great-redesign/

These remixes are great. It's not really the same thing were doing in class but it's nice to see how these memorable logos have changed. Good stuff.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

DON'T VOTE!

DONT VOTE
DONT VOTE
DONT VOTE
DONE VONE



I really like these posters. They're just so clean, and vivid, I really wish I could design posters like this. The message is really clear and is somewhat thought provoking. I don't think this will actually change anyone's mind but I like it either way.

Showing your process

Just some experimental 'documenting' of how I process my ideas. I don't usually do this but I thought it was kind of fun.

Enjoy:

Thursday, October 30, 2008

I'M SO STARTLED!



So South park concluded their adventure in Peru this week. Artistically, it almost up to par with their 'heavy metal' episode. Some many different types of design were integrated into the episode. The houses and town were transformed into a simple yet stylistic 3D form, improved illustrations and animation(incan ruins and the people running), and even live motion with the Guinea pigs.

I was kind of surprised that they ended up killing more people in American than they did in Peru. That's kind of how it goes I guess. Peru's role wasn't as big as I thought it was, it really focused more on the cloverfield parody and craig. The show was a bit of a hit and miss, but funny nonetheless.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Understanding Comics

I really enjoyed looking back at this book. I haven't read the entire thing but I love the bits and pieces I've read over time. Comics are really what inspired me to become an artist. Reading Garfield and peanuts really inspired me to do my own little comics. I would draw them all the time in middle school but that's a different story all together.

I don't want to write too much about the scans we read, I have read chapter two god-knows how many times. I never really looked at it through the aspect of design so it was a different experience reading it this time through.

I have to say Scott McCloud is a genius and has a vast knowledge in comics and an extreme talent in being able to explain the nature of comics and design with such clarity. This really has sparked some interest in making my comic again. The premise for the comic was suppose to be music and relationships. It's a little broad so maybe I'll go for it this week. We'll see.
Add Image

Monday, October 27, 2008

Purest form of Art


I found this interesting little piece here

I thought it was interesting because it ended up on the internet, gaining attention, and acclaim. It's funny to think what art really is, and if art can ever be 'PURE.'

I doubt the artist himself took the picture and posted it on the internet because that would be very hypocritical. But I do consider him an artist, and I do consider this art because it makes you THINK.

The picture actually made me stop, and think about art itself. I haven't been stricken with such curiosity in a while and I'm glad to have seen it. I guess since the picture ended up on the internet, the artist/s was sabotaged. There'll always be people there to question you and your art, and that's another great quality about art itself, that it can conjure up such great discussions.

Good job toilet-wall artist, ya done good pig, ya done good.

Friday, October 24, 2008

TV Shirts



I love these tv shirts. I think it's a really innovative approach to advertising, and not to mention a new way to sell out. It's lovely and I really look forward to see how advertising takes shape in the future.

This actually reminds me much of an artist who dressed a model with a dress that was full of tvs. She would play an upright bass while the tvs would play interesting images, it was all fascinating. unfortunately it caused her to develop cancer but her commitment to the arts was vastly admiring.

South Park Plugs Peru



So it finally happened. South Park takes a shot at Peru, Peruvians, and Peruvian culture. My friend had actually predicted this happening, i don't know how she was right but it finally happened. I'm of Peruvian descent just in case you're wondering.

This episode was a real test to see whether I could take a joke about myself, it wasn't directly against me, but it did make fun of me and my family's culture. I've been laughing at the shows incessant racism, prejudice, potty humor, and just outright twisted humor. I have to say, it has influenced me A LOT.

So I watched it and I have to say it was pretty funny. I wasn't too offended and actually laughed out loud when army personal in the cartoon couldn't find the a country called 'Peruvian' on the map.

I think a really important aspect of humor is being able to make fun yourself. Not in a self-demeaning way like a certain George Costanza, but in a throw a pie in your own face kind of way.

Speaking of which, I really hate peruvian pan-flute music too.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Medium is the Massage therapy


So I was happy to find that the book, 'The Medium is the Massage,' a book by, Marshall McLuhan, was available at the Beaverton City Library. I rushed over there and picked up my copy. I was very interested to find that it was between books about historical black social movements and other social causes. I thought this was just going to be another artsy-fartsy book but something about its placement told me something otherwise.

I've read about half way and it's very stimulating, the aesthetic and the mental process of it. It's visual approach is very interesting, I very much like the 4 pages consisting of just toes. The backwards quotes are annoying but actually cause you to work, and read them in front of a mirror(or in my case a BRAND NEW MAC LAPTOP). Reading the quotes reminded me much of a kid and having to put my comics in front of the mirror to read and solve the secret mystery about something-who cares.

McHulan raises good points but reminds me of people who have subtle, paranoid on views about technology and the media. He's not crazy in the way a homeless man fears for his life because of constant fear that government radios are invading his mind. He had made his intellectual rant about what might happen, and what he thought was happening at the time. Even thought he wasn't right about everything he brought up very interesting, many that can be applied to the internet today.

I still open my laptop backwards sometimes. end.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Awesomeness, to the max.

http://www.fusionbrands.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&zenid=6vu6qca89qin8107gau7bpng75&products_id=194

Monday, October 13, 2008

Laptop + Bauhaus

Well today after being somewhat embarrassed and vulnerable today in class(kidding), I bought a laptop. It's pretty nice, it's my first time owning a mac or a laptop. I've never used one extensively like this before. I've never really favored laptops, I always found them somewhat annoying, just being able to go to the internet and do whatever wherever you like? I dunno, it just never really appealed to me. I like just having one spot, where I can sit, relax, and do my thing. It's kind of like having your own study room, a single place where you can just work or do whatever...anyways...this is laptop is nice. I look forward to using it in the future.

The Bauhaus establishment sounded very interesting. I was excited to hear about it yet disappointed that I did not know about it earlier. It's really easy to learn about, and be influenced by, older artists and older movements because they are big parts of history being told time and time again. They've inspired many and continue to inspire but it's harder to learn about contemporary artists because they haven't been a big part of history yet. They're definitely vital to the progression of art but as far as being known, they're surely no Picasso or Van Gogh.

I'm glad this class exists basically. I like to see how my profession originated and evolved over recent time. I feel it was something that the UO lacked. I think a class like this should be required for the digital arts major, I mean, architect majors have to take history classes based on architecture, right? Anyways, I'll try not to rant but I truly believe this is an eye-opening experience.

I really like Herbert Bayer's work in typography. His 'Architype Bayer' font is really wonderful. I love designing fonts, althought tedious, it's something I've always wanted to invest more time in.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

The Lava Lamp, a brief history

Edward Craven Walker was the inventor of one of the most psychedelic pieces of furniture ever invented, the lava lamp. Originally called the 'Astro Lamp,' Walker was first determined to invent the unusual piece when he was inspired at a pub in Hampshire, England. He walked into the pug and saw an interesting object that was composed by a Mr. Dunnet who had deceased. It was an egg timer, a cocktail shaker with wax in it. To make it work, you place the cocktail shaker in the boiling water with your eggs, when the wax inside the shaker melts and reaches the top, your eggs are done. Walker was fascinated, he saw a money-making opportunity here, so he bought the patent from the widow of the inventor and continued for 15 years, perfecting the invention until it was released in the UK, then the US.
Walker tinkered with his idea in his backyard, he replaced the wax with heavy oils so that they would take shape when heated. The lamp is an interesting mix of science and art. Oil and water do not mix, so of course there's need to work about the materials in the lamp mixing. The way the blobs work, what makes it goes up and down, usually comes from a heat source such as light bulb. The heavier liquid(oil, 'blobs') absorbs the heat, and as it heats up, it expands. As it expands it becomes less dense. Because the liquids have very similar densities, the formerly heavier liquid is suddenly lighter than the other liquid, so it rises. As it rises, it cools, making it denser and therefore heavier, so it sinks. There are many different types of ingredients for lava lamps, the patent for the lava lamp says: "a solidified globule of mineral oil such as Ondina 17 (R.T.M.) with a light paraffin, carbon tetrachloride, a dye and paraffin wax.". Though it is somewhat vague, there are different versions on the lamp on the Internet today including many DIY models.
What's very interesting about Walker and his lava lamp is that there's nothing in his past that could have predicted, or lead up to, it. He was not a scientist nor was he an artist. He was born July 4th, 1918 in Singapore. His father was a shipping agent and at the age of three, Walker was sent to attend a boarding school in England. During World War II he was a pilot for the royal air force, flying reconnaissance missions. After the war, he started a travel agency and home-exchange program.
There's not much that would predicted his aspiration, and willingness to create such an interesting piece of work. What a compelled a man, with no artistic background and no architectural or scientific background, to design the 'Lava Lamp'? It could have been possible that he was an innovator, possibly a risk-taker. It could have come to him like a sign, like a shinning light, but whatever it was id definitely the start of an interesting and artistic experience.
Walker was an avid Naturalist, an advocate for social nudity in private and in the public. A lifelong interest, he eventually made nudist films in the '50s and '60s. In '59/'60 made a hit film called 'Traveling Light' promoting nudity and helped him found a nudist club called 'Bournemouth and District Outdoor Club.' The profits from his movies and lava lamps allowed him to create and sustain his establishments.
His Lava Lamp was completed in 1963, called the 'Astro Lamp,' becoming very popular in the psychedelic era of the '60s. Walker's slogan at the time, when referring to the lamp was: “If you buy my lamp, you won't need drugs.” In the '70s the BBC did an investigation showing that some of the chemicals in lava lamps were toxic and harmful to consumers. This and the transition of minimalism in the 70s destroyed the sales of the Astro Lamp and it's company from which it was manufactured was all but shut down. There was revival in the 1990s and sales from this decade and accumulated more profits than the 60s, 70s, and 80s combined. In an interview, Walker lists two reasons for the lamp's enduring appeal: ''It's like the cycle of life. It grows, breaks up, falls down and then starts all over again. And besides, the shapes are sexy.''

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Edward Craven Walker and his Lava Lamp

So I've started a little research on my artist,

Edward Craven Walker!


I have to say the man sounds interesting.
I thought it was really neat that Edward was inspired to make the Lava Lamp by something that he saw, much like our assignment, it's based on a previous object.

The lava lamp was inspired by a homemade device made of an egg-timer and a light-bulb. For some reason, Edward was taken by this, and it inspired him to eventually make the lava lamp. I'd really love to know what this device looked like. I mean, I can't really visualize an egg-timer and light bulb together, as an object.

I definitely want to look more into the origin of how the lava lamp came to be. Maybe there's some interviews I can find online... I'd also like to see if there's some connection between his lava lamp and his love for naturism(nudity).

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

9 Evenings - Variations VII by John Cage


So I got my DVD in the mail and was very excited! John Cage has been a favorite composer of mine so I was thrilled to learn that he was involved in the group. I had first learned about him in my Electronic Music class back at the UO. I instantly took a liking to him after seeing this video:



So I popped in the DVD and turned the speakers up, waiting contently for the composition to start. The transition from silence worked very well, before I knew it, I was already listening to the piece. The speaker on the screen was wailing loudly, like a war siren. It was a very intense yet subtle introduction to Variations VII.

The radio frequencies were filling the air and feedback of all sorts could be heard. I was starting to feel numbness from the collage of noises. Although it must have been noise to some in the audience(you could tell by some disappointing faces), it was music to me. The sound came together and really seemed to reach a climax after 3 or 4 minutes. The sounds just came together so well that it felt like nothing could possibly make this better.

It felt as if the sound had ended as soon as it came. There was only silence followed by applause. I thought it was one of his greatest piece of works, his ingenuity, his innovations, his quirk. It all played a roll in how all this came to be.

I recommend this DVD to anyone. You might want to be familiar with his work first, but you really don't have to, it's just that great.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Open Score - Robert Rauschenberg

So a friend of mine was able to loan me the movie documenting Robert Rauschenbergs work, 'Open Score'. I really didn't know what to expect, it was kind of eerie as the movie started with an explanation of what 9 Evenings was and then jumping right to the performance.


I enjoyed it but it really made me wish I was there to actually witness it. You definitely get a reaction out of watching it, but if one were to actually experience it made me wonder how my view on the piece would change. The film in color was very beautiful as well although I did enjoy watching more in black and white, it suites the performance much better in my opinion.


I did not understand the part in the end(might just have to watch it a couple more times), but I really liked a commentators explanation of how you wish a piece or performance would never end, and even though it does, there will always be a part if it you take with you, forever etched into your mind. I think he's describing that as the man is carrying the ghost person away, taking it with him, wherever he goes.


The explanation of how the technology was used in the piece was very interesting. I didn't know how far and how much work was put into Rauchsnbergs performance. These artists were very lucky to have the engineers fulfill their vision, and these engineers were lucky to have the artists stimulate them creatively and intellectually.


I recommend this DVD to anyone who's interested in Rauscenbergs work, here are some screenshots:






Tuesday, September 30, 2008

E.A.T 9 Evenings

I found the event, '9 Evenings,' a very interesting collaboration. Artists, Engineers, scientists, and more work together and took an interesting and technological turn on art. Although it doesn't seem unheard of today, I bet it was quite innovative for it's time(1960's).

Rauschenberg's piece, 'Open Score' was really neat. I love the manipulation the rackets and ball pose on the lights and sounds emitted from the speakers. It gets really eerie as the lights go down and starts to feel less like a tennis game.





Along with Rauschenberg, is John Cage. A composer of mind which I really enjoy, he busts out the crazy gadgets/musical instruments and starts making music most unheard of. I wish to watch the entirety of 'Variations VII'




Overall, I really enjoyed reading about the collaboration but It doesn't do the event much justice without watching it. I think I'd really enjoy watching the performances, the DVDs can be purchased here: http://www.microcinemadvd.com/about/about/storefront.html


There's another blog that reviews the DVD and history of Evenings 9, check it out!: http://arttorrents.blogspot.com/2008/01/robert-rauschenberg-open-score.html