Filters and Color

I wanted to play around with a bunch of different media.  I used a photograph I actually took with a film camera and ended up bringing it into Photoshop and messing around with the colors and filters.  I wanted to create a piece that kind of looked like a Nike advertisement, or something you'd see on an interesting artistic poster.  And this is what I ended up creating.

ART EVENT # 2: Carl Plansky

The opening of local artist Carl Plansky was an interesting event.  There were lots of his pieces that were expressive and colorful.  Also on display were his “studies” and even paint palettes.  Carl Plansky unfortunately passed recently.  However, people are still recognizing his wonderful artistic abilities.

            I really enjoyed looking at his “Tree studies.”  Looking at artist’s studies and practices help the viewer to get a look inside their brain and see what they were thinking.  I could see all the different brush strokes he used to see which one he liked best.  Plansky used a lot of paint.  He liked to put layers and layers of oils on one page.  These studies were interesting because they were almost abstract, but you could still understand what object he was creating.  The complimentary blue shadows and orange highlights created a really interesting play off one another.

            His piece “Winter Landscape” was created with the help of some of his tree studies.  I was amazed at how long his brush strokes were.  They weren’t precise and intricate like lots of famous art pieces.  Even though he used the longest brush stokes, you could still understand the wintery cold, but beautiful snowy day he was trying to recreate.

            Carl Plansky really enjoyed using oil paints.  However, when he traveled he would often use acrylics so the paint would be able to dry faster.  A palette that Plansky applied with oil paints in August is in the museum and is still in the process of drying.

            This event was a great one to go to.  I enjoyed getting to see the work of a local artist, and being able to see studies instead of just the final pieces he created.  It was almost like I had set foot into his art studio, which I thought was overall the best part of the show.

            

Photoshop

I just got CS5 photoshop on my own computer and I'm so excited about it.  Being able to just play around with it whenever I want is really great.  It's so amazing how you can take a photograph you took so long ago and make it something new years later.

Here's one image of a nature sculpture I actually completed.  I loved playing around with getting rid of extra seaweed you could see, and some of the contrast with the waves and sand.  I think I'll play around with it more (it may be too contrasty), but this is what I have so far.

London and Paris

About 8 months ago I studied Art History abroad in London and Paris.  It was one of the best experiences. I've learned so much about so many different artists and can't believe all the wonderful art I've been able to see in person.

One of my favorite art museums I've ever been to was the Tate Modern.  Because I'm so drawn to modern art, this museum had many things I could look at all day.  Everything from paper sculptures, to Andy Warhol, I am determined to go back.

In Paris, I actually stood in line for an hour to get tickets to a Piet Mondrian showing.  There were so many rooms filled with his paintings.  It was like walking into his brain and seeing the way he brainstormed every single art piece.  His line paintings may seem so simple, but each one is mathematically planned.  I could see the calculations on some of his unfinished pieces.

It's so interesting being able to learn about other artists and how they created work.  It's even more amazing being able to learn about specific pieces and then being able to see them in person.  This year I'm going back to London, and can't wait to experience even more that it has to offer.

Michaela Shipman: Line Painting

I did this line painting about a year ago after being inspired by the work of Piet Mondrian.  I wanted to explore graphic arts using more hands-on products than a computer.  Using masking tape and paint, I finished the project in about 10 hours.  

ART EVENT #1 Richard Deon: “Paradox and Conformity”

CLICK HERE TO VISIT RICHARD DEON'S WEBSITE

         When going to the opening for Richard Deon’s “Paradox and Conformity,” I had an open mind and looked at every single art piece.  By the end of the viewing, I was puzzled and confused.  There were so many shapes and people reoccurring throughout the pieces, I felt like I was in some sort of suspenseful movie the whole time.

            My favorite piece in the show was called “Matter of Perspective.”  It was made with acrylic and was 114 by 143.5 feet.  This piece was the most confusing to me.  There were two men in the painting.  One was very stiff, his arms were at his side and he was standing in place.  The other seemed to be a professor of some sort.  He was pointing with a pointer as if teaching a lesson.  There was a large, abstract shape in the middle of the men.  This shape reoccurred throughout the whole gallery, in every single piece.  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t identify what it was, or what it could mean.  However, I thought the most interesting part of the piece was the background.  There was a bridge of some sort, train tracks that one of the men was standing on, land, and water.  The two men reflected on the ground.  What confused me most was their reflections.  How does someone reflect on train tracks, and how does someone’s reflection show perfectly in the grass?  The piece had me questioning absolutely everything.  Was he really standing on train tracks, or was it something else?

            The other piece I focused on a lot was “Madam I’m Adam.”  Like the other works in the gallery, this one was hard to figure out exactly what was happening.  But I looked at this piece more because it was aesthetically pleasing to me.  The bright oranges and yellows stood out against everything else.  The bold black lines created great contrast within the piece.  The people in the work were only black and white, giving them a cartoon character feeling.  However, the bright background colors really made the people stand out from the piece.

            After looking around the gallery I read an article saying Richard Dion explored 1950’s social studies textbooks.  This show was inspired by the illustrations found in these books.  After reading this, the whole concept made a little more sense to me.  However, the way he placed images, used his colors, and kept repeating similar shapes and objects, really made his viewers think about his pieces.  Making the viewers stop and think about your artwork is really important, and I think this show was extremely successful in doing just that.

Flickr: Michaela Shipman

Go to this link and see my Flickr page.  As you follow this link you'll be able to see photos and other art projects as I upload them.  Feel free to make comments!