art is cool ... discuss..

[snowqueen]

For me i do fashion at college, but at school i also did art textiles.. so alot of my work is more textiles based, i used alot of different materials in my work. I am not very good at drawing so tend to venture away from this. I would say alot of my work is quite conceputal in some ways. I also love to experiment with more 3d pieces sculptures etc. And i love photography. and some times i combine these things all together.. i dunno i couldnt just pick one thing i love them all ..

I know what you mean i hate the whole college system were you have to plan it etc. I normally kind of work slightly backwards as well.. i think up a few ideas of were i would like to go.. sort of think up a concept.. then do all the planning and practising etc. normally at this point my ideas for the final design is normally slightly different to what i first had in mind .. if any of this make sense ??

The thing i dont like about art in school etc. is that it has a marking sceme .. surely art is a personal expression of a given subject ?? and therefore peoplew ill have totally differnt opinions on it.??

in a second thort.. to you what do you consider question.. i guess a is not something i consider but is a limeting factor.. sometimes i have ideas and i know i dotn have or cant afford the materials to do it ..such a pain

Does any one else here who does art or goes to art school etc. find they are constantly broke ?? art materials and stuff is sooo expensive devantly the more expensive subject for sure

 

[Chrisdesigner]

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Thanks chrisdesigner , mlsnts , snowqueen for answering my question

It's interesting ..
I guess I am the only one who would have to choose B to start with

I suppose it depends on what kind of artwork it is ...
What kind do you do ?

No worries...great question.

Mainly sculpture items here.
I have done the traditional ornamental pieces, but as these are quite forgiving, i prefer the "plugs" for car body design. These are very precise in comparison, working to achieve a maximum difference of 40 thou' of an inch, difference over an area of approx six foot.

I would...time allowing...like to do the chainsaw (Might be the "animal " side in me ), ornamental pieces....large block of wood, visualise a shape....whatever that maybe....go to work.

However these things are started, i think its good to think outside the "box". Any method, that achieves satisfactory results, is great in my book.

 

[gius]

the kind of works you guys both do sounds so interesting i would love to see it if ever

Does any one else here who does art or goes to art school etc. find they are constantly broke ?? art materials and stuff is sooo expensive

devantly the more expensive subject for sure

there are materials i would love to work with that are expensive yes
but i can usually find alternatives that are cheaper
or i just work with what i have
often i learn a lot from working only with what i have... it can be a good restriction

the thing is, it's not smart for me to work with materials i like because they're not available here and i have to order them... so, that means i have to also wait for shipping; and we're not given a lot of time to create a project so it's useless lol
plus i don't like buying material first and not knowing for sure if i can use it or not

you know, this takes me back to this morning...
i was doing tests on some fabrics, using specific techniques
and i had a set plan i wanted to create
but the fabrics just wouldn't cooperate and i couldn't get what i want
so, it's like i wasted money on quite a bit of fabric

Anyway, i have to use another technique... luckily there is a few holidays next week, so i am sure i can get this finished
it's like i'm starting over

The thing i dont like about art in school etc. is that it has a marking sceme .. surely art is a personal expression of a given subject ?? and therefore peoplew ill have totally differnt opinions on it.??

it's the marking and the criticism for me...
i will ask for opinions if i want it, but most of the time it is just given to you

when you are given marks, you can't change them also
like you can't defend yourself once your mark is given
i think a few times my teacher will have the wrong impression of my work. sometimes she says the design seems very 'random' but that is her opinion of course..it doesn't justify the mark she wrote down and i could explain myself but it's sort of useless in the end

i'd like to do quite simple things actually but i find i won't get high marks because they lack "time and effort" which is silly really
anyway i guess it is something you sacrifice to do something you rather like

i actually look forward very much to ending school this spring
it's the whole environment that's getting to me

 

[BerlinRocks]

Originally Posted by snowqueen
The thing i dont like about art in school etc. is that it has a marking sceme .. surely art is a personal expression of a given subject ?? and therefore peoplew ill have totally differnt opinions on it.??

well I think if you're doing Art in School (don't know if you're studying in a Fine Art School or something like that) you have to have mark... How could you go in a upper class, otherwise???
And this system is based on a lot of things important....
BUt basically, they mark your technics, and I think they pay a lot of attention on your creativity, yes, but on the coherence of your purpose, too. and if your idea is enough interesting when you develop it onto your art medium.... so it's ok!
Your teacher are supposed to know a lot of things and are supposed to help you, too.... They are here, imo, to help you to develop your quality and ideas and the way you could develop your ideas.......

For now 3yrs, I'm doing "Portes Ouvertes" (Open Doors??? When people are free to come to see the students' work) of Fine Arts School and some students have good ideas and artistic expression but need help to develop their works... And some are doing things really boring and think they're doing great stuff.... things we're seeing for years now.... and things that have ab. NO propos....

For me, you have to pay a lot of attention of 'l'air du temps'....but don't be trendy.... You're young and have the chance to do a lot of things you wouldn't when you'll be "professional"..... OUr society and Contemporary context is very important.... You're in an art school because basically you want to become an artists, or at least work in the Art Industry....
So read, go to movies, read magazines and make your own opinion and try to develop your ideas.......
Teachers will pay a lot of attention on this......

it's like when people say "critics" are s***.... I mean those people are here to help you..... When you're a critic basically you just write reviews and critics to eat.... but then you build an artisitc family (with other critics and artists) and defend the works of your favorite.... in books and reviews....

anyway i'm going totaly off-topic....
and that's my opinion.....

oh and please people PAINT PAINT PAINT.... we really need painters nowadays!!!!
Though Painting is maybe arrived to an End.... we now are free all those avant-garde stuff so you can express what you want and say what you want....
Last time, I met a painter who was doing action painting (though she was doing interesting things in the 80s and early 90s) and this was sooo boring and her "talks" were too....(of course i said nothing bad.... that was not my job...) But I mean where's the point in doing action painting nowadays???? There's no point..... unless you bring something new.... and this was even worst than what we saw in those times....

 

[gius]

good points, BR

For me, you have to pay a lot of attention of 'l'air du temps'....but don't be trendy.... You're young and have the chance to do a lot of things you wouldn't when you'll be "professional"..... OUr society and Contemporary context is very important

l'air du temps means spirit of the times

 

[rubyfixed]

I love the quote "Art is just the start."
One of my main inspirations for my graphic work is Andy Warhol!
He's a really edgy and charismatic dude who I'd admire greatly

 

[colourmefashion]

hi thread..


im still in high school, and my school has 3 different levels of art.
i took the first level last year, and skipped the second level, so im doing the senior art course..

i love it..

to be honest, i was never really into art during middle school, because we only had it in grade 7, or in elementry school.. but i think its because we never really had the chance to be creative, it was always what the teacher said to do.

but when i took it in my second year of highschool, i fell in love with it.
its so much more creative and she only tells us what to pass in as assignments, like a collection of so many sketches, but she doesnt tell us what they have to be. in the first level art class, she does sometimes, but in the senior class (which im in now) she doesnt tell us what the sketches have to be, she just tells us to get creative.

right now, we're doing the photography section of the course, which i absolutley love because its what i want to do in the future, and its just so much fun.
she just wants us to take some pictures that show our era and such.
we did a lot of painting on different surfaces, like wood, glass, etc.
and now besides the photography assignment, we have to come up with a painting that shows on of the human rights laws (or something of that sort) and were painting it on a large piece of plywood instead of a sheet of paper or something.

i never been one for art in the early part of schooling, but high school art classes changed that.
i actually can enjoy and appreciate the things in the art galleries here..

 

[chip45]

this may seem a bit childish.. sorry! highschool art teachers.. - what was your teacher like? was s/he a good teacher? was s/he inspiring or inspired you in any way?

for me i don't feel like my teacher is.. very inspiring at all tbh. she just comes to class and tells us what to do ('ok, now do research on an artist.. when you talk about their work make sure you discuss their use of the elements and principles of art in their work' etc.) and that's it and says nothing else for the remainder of the class. like.. i feel kind of 'flat' after listening to her instruct.. but maybe because this is only high school.. that is why it's like this...

or maybe it is not the teacher's role to inspire or spark some feelings in u? i mean of course u are supposed to find sources of inspiration yourself.. but surely a teacher is supposed to.. display some emotions and cause some inner thoughts in your mind to surface a bit??

 

[Chrisdesigner]

this may seem a bit childish.. sorry! highschool art teachers.. - what was your teacher like? was s/he a good teacher? was s/he inspiring or inspired you in any way?

for me i don't feel like my teacher is.. very inspiring at all tbh. she just comes to class and tells us what to do ('ok, now do research on an artist.. when you talk about their work make sure you discuss their use of the elements and principles of art in their work' etc.) and that's it and says nothing else for the remainder of the class. like.. i feel kind of 'flat' after listening to her instruct.. but maybe because this is only high school.. that is why it's like this...

or maybe it is not the teacher's role to inspire or spark some feelings in u? i mean of course u are supposed to find sources of inspiration yourself.. but surely a teacher is supposed to.. display some emotions and cause some inner thoughts in your mind to surface a bit??

I found this article...hope it is of some interest.
http://www.yeodoug.com/resources/faq/faq_text/teacherstudent.html

 

[chip45]

ahh thanks. from that:

The great teacher makes a few simple points. The powerful teacher leaves one or two fundamental truths. And the memorable teacher makes the point not by telling but by helping the students discover on their own. Learning takes place through discovery, not when you're told something but when you figure it out for yourself. All a really fine teacher does is make suggestions, point out problems, above all, ask questions, and more questions, and more questions....

interesting.. so .. from this i've learnt that a good teacher will pose open ended questions to you that may leave you with a busy mind with much creative thought.. enabling you to to foster creative ideas, discussion, etc.

highschool is so... not like this

 

[oceanharlot]

has anyone read James Elkin's "Why Art Can't Be Taught" ?

Interesting book for anyone interested in contemporary art and art education. I'm an MFA student btw. thinking about teaching, would prefer to be able to support my life with my work though.

thought this quote was hilarious!

Originally Posted by yojimbo
art collapsed about the time when photography was invented

and to answer gius, C, B, A, D

I have my concept laid out, each painting circles around it, so that is always the first step. I then come up with the format of the work, make sketches, plot out the beginning steps, then I like to let it just happen, my work is a real battle, I just work and work and work until the piece is complete. I work in gouache, watercolor, acrylic, ink and enamel on panel, so all of those technical decisions come into play when I'm working on the piece to acheive different effects. so.. the final product really only comes into focus towards the end of the formation of the piece, thats when I start working towards the finish line, when I can see how it will lock together.

and my best art teacher was able to show me that art answers questions with more questions.

 

[cutxpaste]

^good point.

can't wait to see it cutxpaste

Ok, so I got my work from school today. I will take some photos of it tomorrow.

 

[smartarse]

painting/sketching can be just intense as sex. once you get going you can't stop ...

 

[gius]

has anyone read James Elkin's "Why Art Can't Be Taught" ?

Interesting book for anyone interested in contemporary art and art education. I'm an MFA student btw. thinking about teaching, would prefer to be able to support my life with my work though.

thought this quote was hilarious!

i think rather than teaching art
it's more about "awakening" sensitivities in a person

there is a really good book called Design & Form: the Basic Course at the Bauhaus
it's by the famous Johannes Itten
they show you a general idea of the old curriculum
the students are just let to play around with different concepts
contrasts
in black, white
textures, etc.
just to become sensitive to slight changes... it's interesting...

they also talk about students of different types
like a dark/light type
or a texture type
etc.
and these make way for what kind of career/craft they can excel at... which is the second part of the course

to specialize in textile, wood, metal or others...

 

[sweetpop]

hum. The Art department at school is probably the most interesting places in the school. barely finished/half finished/finished works are all over the place, and when you go there when there are no classes on, its a nice quiet. A quiet where you can concentrate on your work, put you 100% effort into it. I liked Art at school, chose it in year 10 as an elective, but couldnt do so in year 11 and this year it was a break from all the maths and science and writing we had to do, sure you had to use your brain and think, but it wasn't that kind of thinking. I liked most of my art teachers, the ones who wouldnt be constantly on your back asking why you weren't working like mice on the latest bit of cheese- I got to try all sorts of art- throwing, lino cutting, frottage, silk painting, clay (of course), making boxer shorts and leather goods (that was sooo much ), life drawing, studying Dada and creating our own 'found object' etc etc... yeah so I was lucky to try so many different forms; My school offered a lot more forms of art you could get stuck into which were other electives such as photography, glass making, oil painting etc and its really exciting to go to the Annual School Art Exhibition... all the girls doing any form of Art for VCE gets to set up their work in an allocated secion especially for them, everything is amazing- a few years back a VCE student made this massive glass fountain it really was amazing. One of my sister's friends made a collection of clothes from wallpaper; she makes her own clothes, and they're absolutely genius. http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/toparts/vce2006/student_3522chua.html thats the link if you want to take a look at one of them (scroll down)
We always had a topic that your art work had to be based around in years 7,8,9, but even then, the teachers would give us clues, helps about what we could do, but didn't have to. our finished product we produced was entirely our own, just as long as our work culd be somewhat connected to the topic we were fine to do whatever we wanted

 

[gius]

^ the long shirt is so well done ...

er what does 'throwing' mean? ... pottery? or wool

 

[sweetpop]

^ the long shirt is so well done ...

er what does 'throwing' mean? ... pottery? or wool

yeah, pottery! When my art teacher initially told me we were going to start 'throwing' I was going to ask just what exactly were we going to throw...in an art room then she sat on the pottery wheel with a flourish, looked at us and said, "No, girls I'm not training you for shotput..."

 

[prettypouf]

I like simply drawing or sketching whatever comes to my mind-- and I enjoy photography and simply laying back and listening. I learned a new way of drawing and that is by listening-- I'll lay back when I'm outside or when I'm trying to find a focus out of a movie or song, and I'll let the pictures roll into my mind. I think art is very thought-provoking for me because I can get lost in it and keep on going. It's lovely, and when I start, I don't want to stop and I'll miss my bedtime by 3 or 4 hours. I have quite a debt to sleep this year.

 

[gius]

this is by keri smith

 

[chip45]

^ what if you are generally just a miserable person (and it has nothing to do with yourself as an artist), and your work is a reflection of that? what if your success has no hinderence on your emotional state at all? you're... doomed!?

yeah.. just the other day my mother was looking through my folio and she said "why don't you draw something nice and cheerful?" .. made me laugh