Writing 5 (blog posts) for Crit 4

Back Again for my final critique! As you know, I have been visiting Golden Living Center retirement home here in Pittsburg and getting to know a few of the residents. I've been creating portraits and other illustrations, incorporating their words into the work in an attempt at "illustrated journalism."

In the two previous critiques I presented 5x7 pencil drawings. Last time I drew Richard from Room 203 in an 8x10 format and used watercolor! 

These are cropped images of the illustrations.

Rhona and Emi were critiquing us this time and they liked the addition of the watercolor. They also encouraged me to continue with this project and look into Illustration Societies and competitions which I intend to do. 

In the upcoming critique, I will be presenting Penny Roller (yeah, that's her real name, pretty dang cute if you ask me.) 

I truly enjoyed talking to her and hearing about her life. FUN FACT: She told me that Richard is one of her very best friends at Golden Living and that he LOVES to play practical jokes on people, doesn't surprise me at all!

For this series I intend to stick to the same format that I used for Richard, 2 8x10 watercolor pieces with text. 

A few sketches for this installment. 

ARTIST POST

This time I am here to introduce Rebekah Parrish, a photographer and illustrator. Her illustration pieces are expressive, with vibrant colors and movement. It was nice reading her blog and seeing that she is progressing as an artist and taking the suggestions of the professors into account when moving forward. Please go check out her work here https://rebekahmparrish.wordpress.com/ and if you need any professional photos taken, I suggest Rebekah! She is down to earth, charming, and talented.

Writing 4(blog posts)for Crit 3

In my last critique, Portico and my peers gave me lots of suggestions on how to improve my project. She thought that it would be interesting to change the text in my pieces to better suit the personality of the subject. i hope to incorporate this idea into my next installment in the series. 

For this round I interviewed the self proclaimed "wild child" Richard! Talking with him about his motorcycle organization, his tattoos and all his adventures was quite the experience and I'm glad I met him. A truly kind and gentle soul. 

I would like to switch up the format on this installment of my project and create larger but fewer panels. This will be simply a portrait with text and a drawing of his leather jacket he wore with his crew, "his colors." I think the two images I present will best represent Richard and his character. 

This critique will be more "in process" than my other critiques.

A few live sketches here and his written quotes.

ARTIST POST

I would like to introduce you to the immensely talented Cat Jepson! Since my first day here at Pitt I was always told that Cat was the goal to aspire to. TRY TO BE LIKE CAT! Since having her in classes and seeing her talent, work ethic and professionalism I can see why she is so loved (and envied) in the department! This semester she is working on a very personal shadow box project that will incorporated her love of nature, family, textiles, and the letterpress. I beg you to troll her blog, read all of it! http://catjepson.blogspot.com 

Writing 6 (blog posts) Artist Lecture

On January 23^rd I attended the artist lecture presented by the lovely Teresa Harris! Her exhibition, Storytellers, is set up in the Harry Krug Gallery until April 30^th.

Mrs. Harris presented her work with professionalism as well as an air of relaxation. I felt very comfortable and at ease when she spoke. She took us through her artistic journey and showed a progression of her art that led her to the exhibition that is in our gallery. In college she became fascinated by the delicate craftsmanship of The Book of Hours.

Her first works were paper sculptures and involved the “book” format. However, as she progressed artistically, as did her book sculptures. Some of the works remain hinged like a book but became much more dimensional. They started coming off the walls and began featuring metals, wires, beeswax, and other found objects. Her inspirations for this shift were Jasper Johns (his creative use of encaustic and his printmaking skills), Timothy Barret (papermaking extraordinaire).

She said that the works she creates now are less about the book concept, and more about CONTENT. She incorporates old photos and her work has a familial influence. She likes the idea of physically writing out the text of her “stories.” The narrative is fragmented and she hopes that the viewer can finish the story for themselves.

She is drawn to delicate simplicity and purity. Her work is simply lovely. I asked her after her lecture if she had ever considered creating pieces that were interactive, much like books. She also included many hinged elements in her work that I was drawn to. She said that she had considered it, but that she wasn’t quite there yet! Later in the lobby she told me that if I really wanted to I could play with the hinges and I said that I better not!

The thing that I took away from this lecture was the inspiration she drew from other artists and works, such as Johns and the Book of Hours. It really inspired me to look at historical works with fresh eyes, not just as something to memorize for a test, but to really be inspired by their artistic abilities.