this is art

2006-05-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

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things to look at

2006-05-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

http://en.http://wikipedia.org
http://www.observer.co.uk/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
http://www.artmonthly.co.uk/home.htm
http://www.artsjournal.com/
http://www.oxotower.co.uk/
http://www.artfacts.net/

a journey

2006-05-14T13:48:00.002-07:00

Today was quite a journey. I woke up at eight o'clock, which is surprisingly early for me. after going into college and getting some work done, I headed back to home to catch some sleep. I knew the rest of my day should probably involve me getting more work done. My flatmate Jon woke me from my short nap. He was broke and needed ten pounds to go into London for a rehearsal and I loaned it to him in my sleepy stupor. I dozed off for another five minutes and then woke with a start to the realization that I needed that ten pounds to give to my brother later that night that I owed him. Jon was gone and I was a little worried. In the afternoon my friend Helly called me and asked me if i could possibly give her a ride from Barnett to Marylbone. I really couldn't be bothered at that point, but when she offered me ten pounds for the favour, I kindly obliged. It's nice how journeys move in a circle.

an art web site

2006-05-14T13:48:00.001-07:00

For my research i use lotsof surprisingly different web sites, mostly, i do a specific Google search and look at as many web pages as possible, a few of them lead me too other web sites , and so on . I Look at Art forum...... www.artforum.com specifically to find out what exhibitions, art faires and other art events are going on in London and around the world. I find the colourful web site full of enthusiasm for the subject inspiring me to get involved. I also look at www.artfacts.com , for reviews and other intersting links .

A n art journal

2006-05-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

Rafał Bujnowski, Snow, 2003, oil on canvas, 60x43 cm

An magazine is practical for numerious reasons , i was especially enlightened by this months isue {may}. There was a twenty page suppliment just on degree shows happeneing around England, being a first year Ba student im keen and nrevous to find out what other students are producing, firstly to make sure that im on the right track for success but secondly for inspiration. An magazine was colourful, in comparison to Art monthly magazine, which in my opinion is terrific for random resaerch due to the lenghty essays in there. In the twenty minutes that it took me to read the magazine i learnt about what exhibitions are going on a re ound london [ not just degree] and was enlightened to the artist Rafal bujowski, who is a painter who was born in 1974 in Wadowice, just a touch of Rafal bujowiski's work has given me the idea to try working in a sweeping stroke and explore how lucid i can manipulate paint........... They had many , many pages of adverts which i would usually find a bore but these were advertisments for compatitions such as the Jerwood drawing prize which sounds very inviting .... if you are interested to know more look go too jerwood@wimbledon.ac.uk.

more competitions ........ hattongallery@ncl.ac.uk and www.ncl.uk/hatton . The adverts also promoted residence opportunities, living arrangements, studio space and buying and selling art advice. not bad for a twenty minute

= Rafał Bujnowski, How to paint The Pope, 2001, oil on canvas, 120x120 cm.

my love for the Saatchi Gallery, private gallery

2006-05-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

SAATCHI GALLERY

The Saatchi gallery is tremendiously successful due to a number of reasons, The main one being Charles Saatchi himself, he has influenced the British art world for the past thirty odd years, just buying, showing and disregarding known/ unknown artists work. He buys what he likes, sometimes launching an artists career and he sells what he likes which too has knock on effects from the artist and the public. It's a fact that He himself never goes to any of his openings and when asked why he said "I don't go to other people's openings, so I extend the same courtesy to my own" . He likes to show the public contravercial pieces, such as marcus Harvey's painting of Myra Hindley, made from the painty hand prints of young children, this caused contraversy and outrage in Britain. Chris ofili's black "holy virgin mary" was part of Saatchi's travelling Sensation exhibition, has been called " aggresive, vicious, disgusting attack on religion" in New York by the mayor Rudolph Gioliani. In March 2001, the police visited the gallery to see the " i am a Camera" exhibition because saatchi had permitted Tierney Gearons photoghraphs of her children some of them, nude. Appart from Charles attracting some of the 600,000 visitors per year, not to mention the number of school visits, the attraction to go to the gallery is the site itself, firstly because it keeps changing. Origonally in north london, then in southbank's county hall by the river thames and soon to be residing at the Duke of Yorkes HQ building on the kings road . Saatchi's teritory is getting larger and the buildings are getting grander, What art lover wouldn't want to go and see the obscene for themselves!! It cost around eight - nine punds to get in but the free tshirt is worth it , trust me , Well i'm looking forward to the Saatchi return.

camden arts centre, is up there!! public.

2006-05-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

CAMDEN ARTS CENTRE

URL: http://www.camdenartscentre.org/home.asp
E-mail: info@camdenartscent

I grew up around north london and enjoy the stability and the closeness of the Camden Arts Centre, i went to the courses when i was younger and for some unknown reason, my school reunion took place in the garden area a few years ago, so i was quite familiar with the place until it was fully refurbished, Tony Fretton designed the building with light and space in mind, this is very apparent by the arches and large windows all around. I went to the Bas Jon Ader exhibition which is actually still on until july. i fully recomend a FREE!! visit if you get the chance. I was intrigued by the way that they publisized the exhibition........."Dutch artist Bas Jan Ader (1945-1975). He lived and worked in California until his mysterious disappearance whilst attempting to cross the Atlantic single-handed for his last unfinished work" That is all that they had to say.

On the web site it states that " Camden Arts Centre is where ideas about contemporary art are made visible through our exciting and frequently changing programme, exhibitions and education courses" Which they are true to their word, artists like Wolfgang Laib, Daniel Sturgis, Simon Starling, Marlene Dumas and Matt Collisahw, But to students or recently graduated youngsters, we dont stand a chance!! They state several times on the official web site that "The majority of exhibitions and residencies arise from direct invitations to artists and curators" and "Please note that as the majority of exhibitions arise from direct invitations to artists and curators, we are unfortunately unable to accept proposals from individuals. Instead you may wish to send proposals to some of the small artist run spaces or small commercial galleries. " Have a look on the site for more rejection..... All that side Camden Arts Centre provides all kinds of talks, events courses such as Ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture and clay and they hold five to ten exhibitions a year usually lasting six weeks each. So i have decided that The Camden Arts Centre is a neat, public gallery with the plus of having a garden and a cafe which to be honest is a wonderful contrast to the very busy, noisy Finchley road.

its ok to be a private artist.

2006-05-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

I feeel like a vunerable artist, in the sense that i cannot perform on demand, and i feel intimidated working in public, and hate the scrutiny of the public eye while i'm mid painting or thought, but just from reading the weekend guardian art section i have settled my fears by confirming that i am not strange !!! The article was by a keen Colm Toibi, on the artist Howard Hodgkin. Colm writes that " Howard Hodgkin dislikes talking about his art and hides his unfinishes canvases behind screens. No one has ever seen him at work," He even describes that on entering the artist's studio he is faced with 16 coverd up canvas's becasue the artist cant bear to have anyone see his unfinished/ in progress!! work. Thank you Howard. i can relate to that kind of frightened but controlled art, i just dont understand people like Piccaso, Pollock, and even ALEX CATZ has been recorded on film for over four hours completing a painting from scratch, well done to those that can .

some of my own

2006-05-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

THE Alex Katz.

2006-05-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

i hadn't actually heard of the american 'pop' artist before i had my final assesment for this year. i've been focussing on flat, linear portraits on canvas and expressed my desire to take my work futher than painting and start exploring etching and screenprint............ My tutor recomended that i look at Alex Katz,
which i am greatful, i love his solid use of line that is apparent in every single painting, etching and print that i have managed to look at. i also like the his use of composition, creating a sense ofstillness . each image is crisp . expression is very important to me especially when representing strong figures, to me they become the focal point, what also interests me is his use of repatition, for example his series of soft grey tone and simple linear drawings of his class profile in 1972, of mary, nany, naomi and thalia. Im interested to try this as a form of identification and documentation.

ALEX KATZ ON PAINTING! , NEW YORK STYLE.

" My theory is that if you get the surfaces right, yuo get everything else right. I want the manner of painting, to be the dominant function. Style is part of the thing of elegance, the look that New York painting has. ou find it's wpsitome in Jackson Pollock's work. Big, not fussy, small . Pizazz. Count Basie seems like New York style, you know?"

1927: born july 24 in brooklyn, New York.
1946-49: Studies at the cooper union, New york.
1949-50: studies at skowhegan school of painting and sculpture.skowhegan, Maine.
1954: makes his first collages.
1955: Moves to present home and studio in New York.
1974: Alex Katz, prints, a traveling exhibition at the whitney museum of american art .
1986: Alex Katz, a travelinng retrospective exhibition at the Whitney museum of American art.
1988: Alex Katz, a print retrospective at the Brookyln Museum of Art
1995: Alex Katz, American landscapee at Staatliche Kunsthalle, Baden-Baden, Germany.
1996:Alex Katz AT i.v.a.m. Centre Julio Gonzalez, spain
1996: Alex Katz A drawing retrospective , a traveling exhibition at Munson - Williams proctor Institution, New York.
1996-98: Alex Katz under the stars: American lanscape 1951-55,
1998: alex Katz, Twenty Five Years of Painting at the Saatchi collection, London, England
2000:Regarding Alex Katz at Carnegie museum of art, Pittsburg.

view from the tate modern, im passionate

2006-05-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

View from Tate Modern.

The image that I have chosen to talk about is a photograph of one of my favorite views in London. The photo was taken by a photography student called Mathew Shamash two years ago on the Tate Modern’s balcony, facing St. Pauls Cathedral. In my opinion the symmetry of the buildings and the view is aesthetically pleasing. The structures link together to create an overpowering block symbolising civilisation and industry. The photograph also represents a mixture of modern, contemporary structures such as the Millenium Bridge and the prominent skeletal office buildings, juxtaposing with the traditional and elegant structure of the Cathedral, the mix with the old and new combines to give a sense of grandeur and celebration of London.
The general overtone of the photograph is a thick, murky grey, which England is notorious for, which could possibly distinguish the photograph as London.