aghgHhgGgh the deadline is rapidly approaching and there is still lots to do. Deadlines serve an important purpose (motivating us to work harder and allowing us to focus on what's important) but they also suck.
A fun thing that happened: When putting in the blue sky, the brushstrokes showed very prominently and it really wasn't attractive. So I decided to embrace it and used the most bristly brush I could find to create a textural element in the sky. And it turned out pretty well methinks. But it's to show that sometimes when artmaking things go directions that you don't expect them to. You learn to deal with it and make something better out of it. Progress with the colors is slow. I chose a relatively small size (12" by 18") to ensure that I would finish on time. Oil painting takes lots of time, especially for beginners. Maybe in the future I will choose a subject that is more tonal and less detailed.
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awareness Okuda San Miguel is perhaps one of the most globally recognizable artists in his style. His work is often brightly colored, geometrically rendered, and containing street art influences. Okuda rose to global prominence gradually for the last two decades. His art career began in the late 90s, when he painted murals on boxcars in his native Santander, Spain and after 2000 in Madrid. During this time he developed his distinctive visual style. He graduated from the Complutense University of Madrid (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) in 2007 with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. Complutense University one of the top universities in Spain with a strong reputation for prestige. In 2009, Okuda began working from his own studio space. This is the time that Okuda's work became internationally prominent. Okuda had been featured in a few international group exhibitions in Spain, France, Brazil, and Japan before 2009 and a few solo shows in Spain. But, partly due to the IAM international tour in 2009, his work reached more mature audiences and developed. Today, Okuda works personally from his Madrid studio and for large clients like Adidas and Kellogg's. Okuda's visual style is very unique. Described as Pop Surrealist, Okuda is known for his geometric, colorful, surreal style. Skulls, animals, triangles, and nude women frequently appear in his work. His work "[raises] contradictions about existentialism, the Universe, the infinite, the meaning of life, the false freedom of capitalism, and show a clear conflict between modernity and our roots; ultimately, between man and himself."
One thing to be learned from Okuda is that his work is successful because it's not safe. It is impossible to miss. He makes a name for himself in a way that no one will forget. His work takes up entire buildings, includes distinct visual imagery, and contains unconventional subjects. An observer cannot fail to notice Okuda's work. John Freyer's lecture was fascinating. His openness seeped through in the content and tone of his speech and I respect him a great deal for it. In addition, his craft, thought, and vision were particularly impressive.
I was amazed at the enormity of Freyer's work. When we think of art in the traditional sense, we think of paintings and sculptures in museums. The meaning of art is tied a great deal to the physical artwork, the aesthetics of it, the process of creation behind it, and the content it carries. But Freyer's work is more complex than this. For example, in Free Hot Coffee, the artwork is not just the bike or the coffee itself. The meaning of the artwork extends way beyond this. It isn't just the coffee, it's the conversation behind it. It's the mutual understanding and the personal camaraderie. It's the physical experience of grinding the coffee. It's the aromatic experience of the coffee. It's the temperature of the coffee; it's called "Hot" coffee for a reason. It's the sense of purpose for those in recovery. It incorporates allies along with those who are recovering. It's an artwork that has inspired international action on this issue. It is a symbol for civil protest on the Virginia Capitol for better substance laws. In this way, Free Hot Coffee is not about the physical artwork. It's about the huge, complex web of humans and experiences surrounding it. Free Ice Water has a similar effect. The artwork is focused on the physical object much more, but the object is just a token of the conversation. Again, the artwork is the conversation, the personal connection, and the art of listening. The jar just serves as a reminder of that personal connection. According to Freyer, participants cherish their jars for this reason. The most remarkable part of Freyer's work for me is this escape from the physical object of the art. It is another level to think of artmaking as a social process instead of a physical one. As a student, I've developed the physical process of creativity a good deal. But at this point in my artistic career, I rarely operate in the next level. Truly meaningful art rarely fits into our traditional perception of what art is. |