My favorite painting (for today)

Vassily Kandinsky, or Wassily Kandinsky's Improvisation 31, "Sea Battle"

I love this painting because it is loaded with movement and wonderful color. What I like most is the fact that every time I see it, I see something new and different. If you want to see it in person, you will have to travel to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Fortunately they usually have a bench to sit on so you can spend some time with it. Usually I look at art very quickly, this one makes me stop and stare. You can buy me this one.

http://www.joshuaellingson.com


Joshua Ellingson
This illustrator is doing a lot of interesting things in the here now, and his portraiture of Godzilla is spot on. I don't know how he got the guy to stand still for him, but I'm sure it was worth the blaze of fire I'm sure left all of Tokyo in ruins. Who doesn't like monsters, this guy really knows his line work and makes awesome designs.

Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus was awesome because she photographed people who lived unconventional lives. This photo, taken in the early 70's, is of a group of people with Down's Syndrome. I heard that she found it interesting to photograph them because she could not control the image in front of her as she could with other models. I really want to learn more about her.

Saturn Devouring His Son

Francisco de Goya was a Spanish painter and printmaker regarded as the last of the Old masters and the first of the moderns. My favorite work from him is "Saturn devouring his son" painted between 1819 and 1823 in the walls of his house. This painting belongs to Goya's series of The Black Paintings and it depicts the Greek myth of Cronus, who feared his son to overthrow him and therefore ate him once he was born. This artwork was conceived when Goya's mentality was one of concerned of his own mortality and the artist was increasingly embittered by the civil strife occurring in Spain.This work was one of six that decorated his dining room. After Goya's death, the work was transferred to a canvas and nowadays,it is in exhibition in the Museo Del Prado in Madrid.

Chuck Close

I have always been a fan of the way Chuck Close makes use of grids in order to create abstract designs. He also uses a variety of colors. It is interesting the way the grid distorts and changes the face, but still allows you to see the whole face.

-Tara Petty

Texture Resources

For all you photo manipulators, 3d modelers out there, and even some of you digital painters, a new image gallery has just popped up that lets you download royalty free high resolution images. I am going to point out that it is specifically stated in the license agreement that you CAN NOT stockpile images... which means no going there to create a personal huge image library.

the site can be found here

Here is what every stylish professor needs.

Welcome to a new semester

Wennie Roast at College Camp on Thursday, September 3rd. 6 till whenever. We will meet at the computer art lab Fine Arts 321 at 5:45 to shuttle people to the camp. Bring something to roast over the fire. Tell all the computer art and art majors you know about it.

Interesting Use of Text

Just thought some of you graphic designers might be amused by these text-based ads.

Suggestions for Spawning Inspiration

Hey all. I've been wondering for a while if anyone else seems to get "artist's block" or if it's just me. What types of things do you do to get yourself through it? I'm especially looking for some of you "professionals" to reply to this since I can only imagine that it's pretty important in your line of work that you stay inspired.

Thanks in advance!

-Maureen

A Project Proposal

A Project Proposal

 

For those of you that have no special plans for this Summer, like saving the planet or curing cancer, here is an alternative idea.

 

The Neverwurzorwillbies

A Modern Ancient Civilization

 

I would like to embark on a team project this Summer to create/recreate the modern/ancient lost or never found civilization of the Neverwurzorwillbies. This culture never existed nor will it, but I don’t want to let that stop us from finding and documenting all of the facts about them. If you are interested in helping in this project, please read on.

 

The Neverwurzorwillbies:

They are or were an ancient modern tribe/civilization that left us many clues about their existence but no concrete information about much of anything. We have no idea of where they came from or why they disappeared.

 

The Project:

We will create all of the archeological evidence of this culture, including the artifacts, maps, religion(s), customs, habitat etc.

 

We will “discover”* the objects that they left and interpret their meaning to enable us to get an understanding of their culture. These objects will give us the needed clues to piece together a culture that has, until now, gone totally unnoticed.

 

For this project we will need:

Dreamers

Story Tellers

3D modelers

Photoshop Gods

Artists of all kinds

Cartographers

Linguists

Rune readers

Nuclear Physicists

Liars (no politicians please, we do have some standards)

Geologists

Cosmologists and Cosmotologists (practically the same thing)

Anthropologists

Archeologists

Web Designers

Psychologists and probably a psychotherapist or two

And of course, one Woodchuck

 

If you or anyone you know or anyone you think you know is interested, please have them contact me, I am considering this as either a giant independent study project or actually as a class.

 

 

* “discover” may include photoshop compositing, 3D modeling, or other means of outright fabricating a document of fact that may not in fact be so factual.

Pinhole Day

Well, the "Good Students" showed up for international pinhole day. click on the link above to check out their work.

Ryan's Ceremony Badge

Here is my attempt at a badge that Ryan could wear at the Graduation Ceremony. I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks of this!

My turn

First off: thank you for uploading examples, I was WAYYYY off on my work. Also upon reading

this I took your contest and used all of the photos to make this one. I may add some of mine later on but right now I like the results. I like how the colors from the lights and that curtain thinge blend together and even the colors themselves. The best thing I like though is how the black and white picture is deeply shown at the center but the light picture makes an illusionary copy of the black ends right behind it. It's a bit complicated but I'll explain it when we present it in class.

Ok, so here I am so far

I imagine it will change drastically from here but this is where I am at so far.

This includes all of the images except the one of the radiating lines from a window shade.

Faces of people are over rated

I think I may paint using this one layered with other stuff. I like the geometry.

In fact, I guess I'll make a painting of these images tonight and show you what I come up with.

So if you would like, go ahead and steal these images and make a composite image using them and then paint. Show me what you come up with. We will make a little contest out of it. extra credit on the line.

Phone Photo

I particularly like pictures of nothing

Phone Photo

I love cell phone cameras. They let me forget about the technical aspects of "Making a good picture" and just go with the flow.

And another

Cayambe

Geometric and Photographic Abstraction

Here is an example of geometric and photographic abstraction. This image contains numerous layers of photographs, paintings and 3D renderings. A ghost of one photo remains and the sole remnant from a painting gives it its title of "A Slice of Orange". Each image had meaning to me but by the time they are all combined it becomes a little bit like a stew. Each individual flavor is hidden behind the rest and together they create something new.

A Slice of Orange