Hysteria- Installation and Opening

 Posting this quite late (better late than never), here are the installation and opening images. Top images are by myself and the bottom two are by my significant other. Please pardon my squinting... I can not remember why I was not wearing my glasses that night.

Pending show

Figure No. 1
February 16-March 12

The human body is a singular subject that has inspired innumerable creative projects. Five young artists Katherine Bellman, Iris Cho, Faye Darmon, Erin Loree and Sam Singh share their diverse, contemporary takes on the venerated figurative tradition. Viewers can expect a mix of hybrid, metamorphosis, pun and metaphor.

Curated by Vanessa Nicholas

Aboveground Art Supplies is a proud supporter of the OCADU Student Gallery.

Bought

I was glad to head down to the TakePart Fundraiser after a long day to discover that my work had been bought. They had only opened 20-30 minutes before I had gotten there. Whom ever purchased this work, Thank you for supporting this wonderful annual fundraiser. Sarah worked realy hard on this show and made it work. Next year I hope many more artist submitt peices so that there is an even larger selection for patrons to purchase.
Again thank you~

Thesis exerp - Past Work

Past work
I received a quote from Cathy Daley attached to an assignment on child hood memories, “We are all rooted in our childhood” from Ida Appleboorg, perhaps this is what fueled my work. My ink work began in her class Representation from Memory and Desire (third year), each assignment consisted of a series which tended to be more than 5. All my work from that class related to a childhood memory, but my final series on fear relates to it most. My fear of carrying a child to term and delivering, something my mother will not be told till after I have my first child. Twenty ink drawings 9.5 by 10.5 rice paper I had purchased at The Paper Place to experiment with the summer before.
The year (second year) before that I had taken Chinkok Tan’s watercolour class, where he taught us to work without prior drawing before putting paint on the surface. I tend to switch between drawing before and direct painting since this class. It also fueled my admiration for Chinese brushes. Not only were they more than affordable but their ability to hold the ink was much better than the acrylic brushes I had before then. I have acquired squirrel hair brushes since then but I still find myself going back to these goat hair brushes you can get as cheap as a dollar.

Thesis e=Exerp- Day in the life of a girl

Day in the life of a girl

Men stare and lick their lips in anticipation. As if tasting the air will give them a taste of the woman in their sight as they pass by her. She sits alone contemplating her own existence slowly becoming disgusted by the constant looks from them. A feeling of dirt latches upon her skin, as each one attempts to look past her dark glasses to possibly see what kind of creature lies behind them. Each one of them look at her then when her gaze meets theirs they look away or (as she dreads) stare even more hungrily.

Is it how she is dressed that day in particular that attracts these looks? Hair tied up at the back of her head with a clip. Lips and cheeks pink from applying a touch of make-up that morning, to hide the acne which lingers. Tight jeans cling to her body, hiding the signs of cellulite. A thick coat wrapped tight around her petite fills out her tiny waist and bust. Knee high boots disguise aching feet from her afternoon walk in two inch heels. Her stomach grumbles angrily as she has yet to eat that day, a reminder of a hidden bloated belly.

Sipping her Starbucks she notices that women as well are looking at her. Looks of jealousy, appreciation, hate, and admiration- These women do not want her as these men do. They see and understand the looks she receives, they want them in return or have experienced them and offer sympathy to her. We all have our silent screams we want the world to hear, but keep them to our selves.

Inspiration- HIV Advertisements

So I finally found the advertisements that I mentioned before. There is one more but I did not like it as a reference as the models are on a couch laying down with less arms covering the body.

Large works?

Been so busy with papers and such I took a moment to start some larger pieces. I have always been fascinated by the old art of the east. Gods and Goddesses, Buddha, immortals and demons. Especially the Bodhisattva with a thousand arms.



After thinking it over I have decided it was time to reincorporate my old themes into my new work. I am hoping this piece turns out as well as I wish it will. In addition I have plans to create an even larger piece which will play out the HIV advertisements I saw last year. Bodies covered in many arms, clining and possesing the body. I am beginning to wonder if these new pieces are still part of this collection or not. They do not invoke innocence but desire and the want to be loved or held by someone. It has been perhaps too long since I have seen my girlfriend that it's unconsciously being put to paper with my ink brush. Oh well time to get back to work <3 ----------------

Now playing: ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION - Rewrite

via FoxyTunes

Back to my roots

So in the end after much debate I went back to ink, but with better paper. This series is much more enjoyable compared to my past work. With exception of my fetus series and cats cradle. There is something just simple and yet complex to the drawings that come out when I use sumi-e ink and Chinese brushes. Perhaps it is because I had so much "training" in water colour that it just comes naturally now or because of it's simplicity?
I an currently working on a rough copy for my artist statement, max 100 words or so for the catalog and I think it's 250 for the final copy. In addition I have to come up with a artist statement of 5 sentences max for my submission for the Retrospective show (due friday by 4pm). Things are slow to fall into place but things are getting there.
On another note I realized I'm near the end and I have done next to nothing for the paper, so I'm getting it going now. I also have a curatorial project to make a power point for (got it going so no big there) and an essay about Simone De Beauvoir for Modernism: Critical perspectives (I have everything I just need to pick out what I will use and start it). Even though there is a lot to do in such a short time I'm thankful that I have at least got things going.

Today I paid to stay for the summer or rather paid for august and I have to pay for the others as it comes up. I applied to jobs to stay, if all goes well I will hear back from someone soon. Well that was just a quick update on things that are going on. Back to writing! ( will post images of what is going on with my work soon<3)

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Now playing: Laibach - Nippon
via FoxyTunes

Midyear citique over

I was told to work on the figure more and to try to put the same "power" from my black-n-white work into my new direction (I worded it nicely though). Too decorative but I need to work with colour harmony and meaning, I doubt I will work with meaning of colours but harmony/theory of colour is a definite.


I quite enjoy this new direction I am persueing, though I need to find new ways of applying the duck-tape or if I should stop useing it or paint on it. Catherine and Danniel said to leave as is, I like it but I guess (from Paul and Michele's recomendation I should look into meaning of it or find other ways for it to be used). The work below is the direction I am going to work with for the time being, though I plan to try out other possibilities in the mean time. Things I have in mind range from knitted series of "sculptures" and some photography collection series. I might start this Monday December 7th, I should work really on the projects I have to finish for Advanced Painting. More to come soon.

Studio- mess and progress

Studio progress/mess images. Working away at various things at the same time, thinking of heading out early to work on a writing assignment due this week and maybe write out more notes for Thesis Report. We will see how this goes.
The piece on the far left is for Advanced Painting, which I'm trying to work with the idea of the Cyborg in Donna Harraway's Cyborg Manifesto. Still have to come up with a composition for the figure. The piece beside it is putting two different images together, in this pieces's case it's a cover of a (I hate the term but,) Shemale pron magazine and a shot from some straight Porn review magazine. Inset duck tape and Voila.
I really adore the duck tape and what it refers to. Still playing with how I can add it to works or how I can subtract from it to add imagery. Really is open to alot of possibilities for me to work with.
Really anxious to go home, I think I have a cold or something from my unit mates on the north side of the apartment. Going to pack up now I guess and work the whole time tomorrow. Elizabeth get's back from Montreal tonight at 3am, so we will see how awake I can be for class. Have a good night everyone, wish me well.

Who Dunit?

So the final works are finished for whodunit, I am not sure i like these two considering they got submitted alredy, oh well. I might start some small works ,same size, that I could submit next year if I feel like it.
I hope to get these two back so I can improve on them and also compare it to my progress since. Now to finish other things for the night.