Zoe Strauss

I recently did a presentation about Zoe Strauss. She's bad ass, check out this video that the ICA did about her.

Lots of Things!

This past Thursday, April 14'th my friend Ana Thomas had a show at the Bahdeebahdu Galleryin Fishtown. Due to lack of money I could not make my way up there for the opening of the show which is titled "Fresh Blood". The show included work from Rebecca Pulver, James Hughes, and Ashley Goldfinger. I suggest you all try to make it out there to see the show, I know the first free second I get I will! The show runs until May 7, 2011 and check website for their hours! http://www.bahdeebahdu.com

What I did do this Thursday was go to one of the Philadelphia Art Alliance's Commonwealth lectures. This past year they have been offering a wide variety of artist lectures (free to students) which have so far all been amazing. This past artist was Adelaide Paul. Adelaide is currently a ceramics professor at MICA, but does not limit her work to only clay. She uses taxidermy forms and a wide variety of fabrics stretched over the form. Her work is not limited to clay or fiber materials, she brings in found objects which help bring the point of her work across. She owns seven dogs studying them closely, which she then bases her work off of. My opinion of her work is in one word AWESOME. She made me think of how the idea of perfection in the body and how it can be distorted.

This is Adelaide with one of her many dogs!

This is a piece she did titled "Bitch". This was made in 2008 using porcelain and pink leather

On the first and second floor of the Art Alliance Tania Mouraud, an artist from Paris, France has a solo show currently being displayed. The show titled "j'entends les trains depuis toujours / I keep hearing the trains for ever" is a video installation. In each room their is a new video being played. I thought it was particularly interesting to see her work along side Adelaide's due to it's content. In many of the videos it shows vicious dogs with others showing clapping hands and fish. I've been very attracted to film and video art lately. Hopefully I will one day be able to explore it!

This is a video of Tania Mouraud. I could not find any from the present exhibit. If you can, I recommend you go and seethe show! It is up until May 8, 2011. The Art Alliance is opened Tuesday-Sunday from 11am until 5pm.

Artist Statements...blah blah blah

After a miserable trip to NYC last week my hopes and moral were lifted by the great Sheila Hicks. I still can't believe I got to meet her!

I was talking to a few friends of mine outside of the crafts/fibers department and I was amazed to hear that they do not need to make an artist statement. They also laughed at mine but I did too. This is my first draft of my statement, I made it for my junior review.

"As an artist beginning their career it may be difficult to find what moves us. That being said I feel that I am moved by the feelings and jesters that occur in my gut. When making I know that I am progressing positively when I feel the sensation of being sick, as if my creative process needs to be vomited out of me."

ZZZZZZZ

When ever I come to studio I am filled with A) rage and B) the uncontrollable want to take a nap. I am choosing B today....like I did yesterday.

Sheila Hicks

My sculpture teacher is the man! Barry Parker you are now in my top 10 favorite people!! I told him how excited I was for the Sheila Hicks show opening, and he mentioned that he and her were close friends and that if I wanted to he would tell her that I was interested in meeting with her....well my dream has come true!! I GET TO MEET SHEILA HICKS!! He told me that she would be interested in meeting with a few fibers students and that she will be in contact with me! AHHHH!!!

glen ligon

On Sunday (March 13th) I went to the Whitney Museum with my family to see the Edward Hopper show they had up. Needless to say I have fallen in love. Not with Mr. Hopper, but with the amazing artist Glen Ligon. I spent almost the entire time on the third floor looking at his work. I didn't even make it to the second floor to see Edward. His work is so raw and inspiring to me.

This is his self portrait.

This is titled "Invisible Man". It's made with oil on canvas along with gesso and charcoal.

SPRING BREAK

SPRING BREAK! WOOOOOO Why is it called spring break if it is in winter?

This time last year I was dancing with the idea of weaving with monofilament...well I've got that itch again. To bad there aren't any open looms. The above photo is my sophomore projects final. It's all monofilament, and 15 feet long. We were supposed to base our objects from either a book, song or poem we like. I based mine of off the Beatles song Revolution 9. I actually spaced out the weft to represent patterns in the song, I don't think that was a very successful idea. The viewer really can't see it. But still, this is probably one of the most influential pieces I've made for myself. Ken took this picture, it was a real challenge he said because it is so reflective to light.