Brian Cronin

Brian Cronin is an illustrator who utilizes the silkscreen look in his work. Although only some of his work is fabricated with a silkscreen the ones that were not look like they are still prints. In each piece he instills a narrative, but not an explicit one. He lets the viewers fill in their one with a suggestion from him. I struggle with this simplicity in my work. I want to say more, guiding the viewer along the way I want them to go.

nakaSHAMU? waht no---nakaSHIMA

George Nakashima, a 'traditional' wood worker strives to emphasize the beauty that each slab of wood was meant to be. He holds a reference for nature and the power of its growth. To him, the trees seemingly intertwine together and hold the world together. He has created many structual feats within his work ( like building a two legged chair- who can do that?!)
He does not want the finished piece to be a representation of himself but of the material and what it, alone, can portray: simplicity along with complexity, beauty, peace, etc.
Altars of peace has been and will be a long-going project, the goal being each country having a table of peace where the human race can worship, come together, become one through the value of peace. Each table will be made from large slabs of black walnut dovetailed joined together. The first was installed in New York at a cathedral.

man on a wire

man on a wire is an incredible documentary about this french tightrope walker whose dream is to walk between the twin towers. it is very inspiring to listen and see how hungry phillipe is for dream to come true, no matter how impossible it is. he fails once, has many men quit on him, almost gets caught right before the rig.

the negative space between the two buildings is a whole other world for him

william kentridge

This week i was introduced to William Kentridge, illustrator/animator. Looking at his sketches and shorts had helped me in my own work. He works very loose which gives his figures movement even though they are still. in his short, the History of the Main Complaint, he seems to work with soft charcoal were after he draws one still he wipes it away on the same page he draws the next. Using this method leaves a ghost image of the past. the above image is a still from that animation and the viewer is reminded of the past action of the doctor by faint lines. he lets previous actions become the roots of the next. In Automatic Writing the words become figures and figures become words, both faint and recognizable but not necessarily readable.

PAPER clay

Lately... i have been thinking about utilizing paper clay for my sculptures. the media has been mentioned to me qutie a bit for the past year or two...

so i started to look into what others have done

Angela Mellor is one of my favorites. Even though she uses paper clay for her utilitarian work, she inspires me with her delicate, whispy expressions upon each piece. She bases her work off of the environment: water, earth, light, etc. The textures on her pieces have been from her exploration in nature.

All of her work is slipcast with bone china to create a thin translucent form to harmonize and emphazise the surface.

can decay bring understanding of life?

Lisa Merida-Paytes' childhood, of observing her father's taxidermy and slaughterhouse business, left an impact on her that still lingers to this day.

Her work now addresses the sacred life she saw in those animals. It explores the strength and structure of the skeleton as well the strength and structure of the living creature. A synthesis of various materials ( paper clay, aluminum, wire), together, create a powerful yet fragile sculpture.

The collision of such opposites creates tension, wonder, and an identification with the piece.

The surface harmonizes with the clay's figuration to re-enforce the combination of death and life simultaneously existing together.

static action

Robert Longo packs his drawings full of life. I get caught up in the movement of each of his figures, almost to the point where I feel I am flailing and thrashing my tie. I had the pleasure to one in person, the larger than life figure before me, I felt like I was staring(when I shouldn't be) at someone next to me in the gallery; but I couldn't look away. My head told me it was just a drawing and not a person but my eyes told me other. This tromp d'oeil effect mystifies each of his figures along with their strong line of motion.