Contemporary Art Center



Left: Lonnie Graham,artist  Righ:t John Stone, installation consultant





It was so cool to be a small part of this installation. Mark and I flew done to Cincy...My friends Grant, Vicki and Nancy gave me canned goods for the Grandma's house. We bought canned vegies and mason jars on the way to Cincy so that I could make some fake canned goods. It's hard to do that in the back seat of a car at 70 mph...I had vegie juice all over my legs. Lonie wanted pies to add to the kitchen feel...the visitors were helping themselves to the pie!! No forks or plates but they found a way to dig in....We were able to sit and watch them through the window....Lonnie loved that people were making themselves at home and interacting with the installation.

me bopping ballons

This exhibit had large silver pillow shaped ballons filled with helium...I couldn't resist hitting and kicking balloons. Mark swatted 1 ballon and this musuem woman went after him and said "sir, you are striking the ballons too hard and I would ask you to stop striking the balloons so hard". LOL we ran from the room.





Left: famous artist

I'm peaking behind a famous artist...sorry I can't remember her name. Nope didn't talk to her...Mark was having troubles seeing his phone...so it was a bit awkward for me to stand there that long.It's blurry and I don't know who she is....but I got it!  LOL

Week 4: On the way to the studio

You just never know what will happen on the way to your studio....

Natalie Bookchin is sitting in front

I got swept up in a small group to have lunch with Natalie Bookchin. She is the visiting artist from Los Angeles, California. She is well known for her work in media, and serving as the co-Director of the Photography and Media Program in the Art School at California Institute of the Arts. She is currently at work on a participatory documentary composed of intersecting video diaries made by people in the United States hit hardest by the recession and its aftermath, as well as on a multichannel video installation about the mass online retelling and unfolding of the Trayvon Martin case. She also talked about CIA's focus on instructing their student how to talk about their work...I'm realizing that the MFA program is all about conceptualizing and narrating your work....I guess they assume that skill will come with the overwhelming amount of work that we have to produce!

Lonnie Gram is centered in the doorway.

After a nice salmon and walnut salad, I was asked to go to the Contemporary Art Center and help build and installation by Lonnie Graham. Lonnie is the Director of Photography at the Manchester Craftsman's Guild (MCG), where he teaches photography to Pittsburgh high school students. His work reflects his views on responsibility to reality and the communication of human experience. This installation will be a basket and inside he recreates his grandmother's kitchen.  Joe (the one with his back to us....not his fanny) the is the Art department's head director....he is high energy and be quite funny....he announced that I'm a sculptor extraordinaire and I can do anything....LOL hmmmm I thought I was a painter but hey what the heck. I got to use a saber saw to cut shelves...but I had to pass on soldering....The opening is tonight at 8pm. Mark and I are going to go down early....Lonnie needs canned goods to put on the shelves for decoration....So I am now pestering my friends for old canned goods! 

Week 3 Painting, Sculpter and Art History oh my

Now that I'm starting to get my feet on the ground, I can do a little self reflection. I can be very territorial when I'm face with a new environment and when things get real bad I run for my car in the parking garage and sit....I've had so many unknowns thrown at me. School, people, motels, morning rush hour, getting lost everytime I leave campus, different ways of looking at and approaching art, setting my own schedule, reading about art history and having to look up every other word in order to attempt to understand what I'm reading.....and the dreaded papers that I'll be expect to write and use the Chicago Style WHAT THE HECK IS THAT ONE!!



Mini sketches



I signed up for painting studio but I have been focused on these small graphite value sketches. I've drawn 20 mini's. My painting prof wants me to continue with my drawings. I'm also exploring with painting with graphite powder....



Sculpture: proto type and plans



 In order to build my skills using tools int the shop, I'm going to build this piece out of galvanized steel. It is actually a steel table top that I'm reworking....I got to use a grinder to remove the flanges on the table.

Week 2 Sculpture

Monday was a holiday, so my week was short...which does not translate easy! Tuesday morning I had to present a proposal of work to my Grad Sculpture class. I like that the class only has 6 students...We could talk about our ideas and get great feedback from the Prof and the other students....I am interested in working with different metals to recreate my thumbnail sketches and then using different patinas to add color to the metals. I am also curious about incorporating Model Magic in the my work...it's a moldable foam...My prof said that I have material I want to work with but I don't seem to have a direction...I guess I'll be searching for a direction for my art to follow....I guess I just want people to feel good about looking at my work. hmmmm maybe I'll follow that path for a short time.

This is a view of my Sculpture studio from my desk...It's a small space that accommodates 4 artists.

 I'm glad to have the space!

 Even though you should have an idea of what you want your work to represent, we are told to make a lot of stuff...It's been suggested to make small and make a lot....My friend Julie said that's my middle name!! Now I just need a statement...

This is another metal landscape. I created it from a salvaged  aluminum file folder. I din't have much success with values and I need to play with the edges some more.  I have another folder so I'll try again...