Body as Surface

For thousands of year the body has been used as a canvas for self-expression and cultural representation. This has been done in many ways, the most common methods being tattooing, scarification and body painting. The original purpose of such practices was usually of symbolic or ceremonial nature, but the idea of using the body as a surface has now expanded far beyond anything the first practitioners could have ever dreamed. From the chewing gum cicatrices of Hannah Wilke to Orlan’s elective surgeries, the concept of humans as canvas has left a permanent mark in the art world.

Though I have never had the guts (or the money) to acquire a tattoo, I went through an artistic period in which body piercings were my favorite means of self-expression. Indeed, I did identify with a specific countercultural group, and I was eager to show the world that I lived my life without fear of the restrictions of the social norm. Now that I am older and on my way to becoming a respectable teacher, I find myself wishing there was a way to make those holes disappear without a trace. However, I do not regret the initial decision to modify my appearance. I appreciate each one as an artistic experiment and a learning experience.

Concentration #1

I am working with the big idea of consciousness: to be awake and aware of one’s own actions and their potential effects on the self and the surrounding world. This exclusively human attribute is married to free will, forming a dynamic duo that is both the perpetrator and the solution for every obstacle in life as we know it. There are many veins of thought that branch out from this fascinating concept, all of them worth exploring, but this specific piece reflects my own experience and interpretation of what it means to "wake up." This oil painting (untitled, for now) is my best attempt at visually explaining that first moment when I opened my heart and mind to the inextricable presence of my own consciousness and the power within. To be a part of the solution rather than the problem, one must consciously release all vices, distractions and prejudices in the name of focusing on how one might direct their own consciousness for the betterment of the world at large. In this moment, I found my purpose. The lifelong question of “why am I here” was answered in one word: Love. To be aware of this for the first time was an outpour of overwhelming relief and dazzling color over my previously black and white world. Tears fell like rain, and to this day my heart swells to bursting when I remember the moment I was saved from everything inside of me that didn’t belong there. Once purged of the dredge of politics, religion, the media, materialism, societal pressures, and the guilt of our pasts, we as human beings can be truly free to think for ourselves. Only then can we know wisdom. Only then can we know peace.

Documentary

Though art frequently serves documentary purpose, its visual nature makes it impossible to shut off all imaginative properties. Visual art, no matter how straightforward and factual it is meant to be, can always be interpreted a bit differently from person to person. British filmmaker John Grierson described his documentaries as “The creative treatment of actuality.” For filmmakers and photographers, artistic endeavors are often investigations of reality requiring both critical thinking and creative analysis. Art can serve as a means to provide a first-hand account of one moment in history to be honorably preserved and passed on to generation upon generation.

I feel that this chapter left out a critical aspect of art as documentary. Yes, art can be used as an objective record of facts and events, but it is also a most excellent means of recording personal growth. One of the projects I am working on right now involves a culmination and analysis of my own artwork created throughout my 22 years of life. It is my treasured artistic autobiography, an honest record of my progression from scribbles to full scale photo-realistic paintings. I can look back on my past works and reflect upon how life’s events influenced my development as an artist, as well as how I dealt with those events through my artwork. I own no other artifacts that cause childhood memories to come flooding back in the same way. It’s the most accurate and meaningful documentary I will most likely ever have in regards to my own life.

Satire

Satire turns the traditional purpose of art on its head by means of brutal and often humorous honesty, rather than an appeal to the ego of the viewer. Appearances are manipulated to depict some kind of truth about the underlying reality of the subject, and the further apart these two factors are, the more satirical a work of art becomes. However, it is imperative that the meaning be crystal clear. Satire, when used appropriately, has the power to effectively diffuse the tension of a touchy subject with cleverly crafted humor without distorting the truth of the matter. Metaphor and analogy are often key ingredients in a satirical work, and the content of these works is often intended to speak to a specific audience. Not everyone will agree with such comparisons, and it is because of this that satire has the keen power to offend as well as much as it does to amuse.

My use of satire in my personal artwork is humble at best, but I adore most satirical works created before the year 1950. As a viewer, I know how important it is to possess the historical, social and cultural background knowledge needed to understand satirical artwork. I also recognize that satire is only appealing if I agree with what the artist is trying to say. If these two things do not fall into place, it can be either puzzling or quite repulsive. In recent years modern artists have become much bolder and more controversial than ever before, and due to my personal values and belief systems I have been absolutely offended by some of the things I have seen in modern satire. Case in point, Chris Ofili’s “The Holy Virgin Mary.” While this artist is absolutely entitled to his opinion, I cannot stand to look at his work.

Expressing Inner States

       Throughout time and across cultures, artists have been using their talents to give face to the unseen. Toward the end of the 18^th century the Romantic dissociation caused artists to further explore their role as depicters of inner truths gone unnoticed by society. I think Kandinsky phrased it best when he said, “The form is the outer expression of the inner content.” Since art is typically created to be viewed, public attempts at interpretation are to be expected. How is the artist using line/color/shape to tell us about what is going through his mind? In the early 20^th century, artists began to intentionally combine social and cultural conventions into their renderings of inner states. To this day, this sort of expressionist art is often a very political endeavor, though individual and personal consciousness remains the driving force.
      Art is an incredibly powerful means of communication. I believe that, as artists, we owe it to ourselves and to the world around us to be as expressive and honest as possible in our work. For me, giving tangible form to my own unseen thoughts and feelings through my art is the perfect excuse to speak my mind to the world. However, it is also a valuable opportunity for personal exploration and meditation. Though many people prefer to hide what goes on behind the curtains, the artist’s fire is fueled by such things. If there is anything that ordinary folks are hesitant to discuss with words, you can bet that subject will make for one juicy visual experience.

The Unconscious

            Though the idea of the unconscious has been around for thousands of years, it was not commonly understood as an honest revelation of inner desires and/or demons until the time of Freud toward the end of the 19^th century. This idea had a profound impact on art. Dream content and analysis began to manifest artistically in an unprecedented manor after the emergence of Freud’s studies of the unconscious. Surrealist art was founded upon the premises of Freudian psychology and Marxist economics, and often echoed much earlier Romantic ideas of mental anguish and hidden psychological truths.  After WWII the surrealist movement began to diminish, making way for more socially practical artistic endeavors.  However, the power within use of subliminal content stuck around, not in efforts to lead the world to a brighter tomorrow, but to sell products to the people of today.

            I have always adored the work of the surrealists, particularly the work of Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte, because of their ability to recreate a dreamlike scene as if it were truly happening in front of our own eyes. To delve into the unconscious is a daring move for any artist to make, but often times those efforts create especially intriguing work because of the drastically differing interpretations such works are capable of generating. Personally I tend to gravitate towards a surrealist approach to depiction of conscious reality in my own work. The conscious is a comfortable and trustworthy hook upon which I can hang my artists cap without question. The exploration of my own unconscious could get messy, to say the least.

New and Improved 50 Ideas

Recycling - leaving the world a better place than you found it by using recycled materials to construct something useful (Example = a homeless shelter constructed entirely out of found materials)

 

Resilience -overcoming life's pitfalls -the journey from low to high using wire as medium and sculpture as process

 

Collaboration - group artwork in the form of a spray painted mural -process promotes teamwork and finding common ground with fellow individuals

 

Symbiotic Relationships - exploration of mutually beneficial partnerships that exist between living things –clay sculpture –option to include natural elements such as rocks or twigs

 

Forgiveness -and the doorways it opens -the only way to truly move on is to forgive –each student gets one doorway in the school to decorate –can depict their own experience with forgiveness or an inspiring story by use of silhouette –detailed black or white paper cut outs

 

Technology -(reverse cyborg) - we all know that machines would not exist without human beings to create them, but what about the way our machines are reshaping us as humans? –sculpture from found technologically related material such as electrical wire or old circuit boards

 

Stereotyping -How might a stranger stereotype you? Choose yours and render it as your personal artistic protest –charcoal drawing - self-portrait with chosen stereotypical characteristics exaggerated

 

First impressions -how important are first impressions to you? Though it is not necessarily fair to judge a person based upon your first impression of them, no one is completely immune to this unfortunate phenomenon. What would be someones first impression of you? How can you compare this to what you would want thier first impression to be? –using body language, make-up, dress, setting and lighting, students will partner up and photograph each other as the person they would like others to see upon first impression

 

Despair -the absence of all hope -how/why do we get here? How can we get out? –watercolor on paper –progression from one solid color to use of all of them

 

New Beginnings -artistic interpretations of concepts such as birth, growth, transformations, or just the beginning of the rest of your life! –this would have to be a springtime project –students create a mini garden-canvas, a constructed 18”x18” square filled with dirt –plant flowers or other plants in an artistic arrangement or symbol that signifies hope

 

Risk taking - Depicting the feeling of standing on the threshold of making a decision that could have serious consequences –heavy acrylic painting on surface of students choice

 

Consequences -a result of risk taking - Can you think of consequences that have resulted from your own decisions? What (if anything) have those consequences taught you? –carved wood pocket sculptures students can carry with them always as reminders

 

"The Prince" -Machiavellian philosophy -"the ends justify the means" -Do you agree or disagree? -Why or why not? -How do we see this way of thinking being practiced in the world around us and what are the effects? –students have freedom to choose objects for medium, but it must be something of a somewhat controversial nature that ties in to the theme –i.e. bits of genetically modified foods, prescription or over-the-counter pills or bottles, an exhaust pipe, etc.

 

Influence -What influences you and how do those influences make themselves known in your artwork? –chose an influence that you can have with you while finger painting –make your first piece without it, and the second piece with it –compare and contrast

 

Hodge-podge -Artistic conglomeration of seemingly unrelated objects, media, or ideas –content and process = students choice

 

Nature -using the environment to create new and insightful works of art

Selfishness - We are all guilty of it... Allow yourself to put pride aside and depict your interpretation as honestly as humanly possible –abstract forms and designs burned onto wood

 

Selflessness -What can living in this mentality do for the world around us? What can it do for you? In what ways can you actively be selfless and how can you depict them? –design an multi-media inspirational poster to be hung in the hallways of your school

 

Process - a journey? a struggle? a learning experience? all of the above? Set an artistic goal (end product) and document your process to achieving that goal –students pick what they believe they are best at and record their progress from start to finish, then present to the class

 

Functionality -creation of art with an every day purpose (clothing, kitchenwear, bookmarks, hairpieces, etc.) –can be medium and process of students choice, but they must have a well done and fully functional product as their end result

 

Multi-sensory -How can you make art that you "see" with more than just your eyes? Can you see potential in a multi-sensory experience? How/why? –start with a special memory that is triggered by sight –recreate what you saw and add at least one other enhancing sense to the first

 

Paradox -conflicting ideas or principles that exist at the same time –design your own perspective paradox (See M.C. Escher) through use of graphite on paper

 

Personal struggle -We all have (or have had) one -Depict it through the medium and method of your choice -

 

Destruction -creation for the purpose of demolition -Modern day example = Burning Man: Artists spend weeks making amazing art installations and then burn them to the ground at the end of the festival –if art is a piece of the self, to destroy it could be critically viewed as self-destruction –What do you define as self-destructive? Build your personal interpretation out of dead brush and leaves, then set it ablaze, thus destroying self-destruction

 

Sacrifice - giving up something you hold dear for the sake of the greater good -What have you had to sacrifice in your life? How can you pay your experience homage with an artistic tribute? –encaustic painting/sculpture –show the transition from before to after –can be realistic or abstract

 

Consciousness -self-actualization -living life so as to leave the world a better place when you are gone –requires perpetual awareness of other human beings and all living things –the self is secondary -use of combination of still life and abstractions through oil or acrylic paints

 

Brainwashing -the everyday citizen is manipulated by the powers that be into ways of thinking that may not be beneficial to our own interests but beneficial to those powers (i.e. the media, the government, etc.) -3D clay sculpture

 

Passion -giving a tangible form to the fire that drives us -finger painting to music that fuels this passion

 

Spirituality -connectedness to a higher power/connectedness to each other –installation art –may be very small or very large, depending upon how much space is available –available space divided into one even space for each student –use of fabrics and wire to fill each space

 

Sacred Spaces -creation of one’s own sacred space through use of rocks, stones, sticks, plants, etc.

 

Time Travel -Chose a historic artistic period and create a work of art in that style through the medium originally used

 

Sensuality -photography of the human form –use light, environment, space and photographical abstractions to create your interpretation

 

Portals –find your happy place -imprinted beaded or shredded curtains/doorways

 

Vessels -creation of any kind of transportational container through medium of students choice –can be literal (i.e. a cup, wallet or handbag) or metaphorical (a heart, a hand, a classroom, etc.)

 

Culture -research a part of the world that interests you and design a postcard to send to yourself from that place –watercolor pencil

 

Memories -lifesize collage composed of material objects that represent personal memories (ticket stubs, photographs, posters, etc.)

 

The allure of excess -multi-media -create something tasteful, photograph your work, then intentionally overdo it

 

Idioms –“pot calling the kettle black”, “raining cats and dogs”, “pulling my leg”, etc. –choose your favorite and used colored pencils to render the expression and then see if your classmates can guess what it is

 

Success -to the best of your abilities, recreate a well-known work of art that you consider to be successful with the closest to original medium you can find

 

Energy -wire wrap jewelry -research rock or mineral being wrapped -historic ritual uses? supposed metaphysical powers? document your day wearing another persons wrap and then discuss –also builds upon principle of trust –Can you/will you trust your classmate to take care of your work?

 

Community -work together as a class to create a life-size sculpture out of random objects

 

Love -show love to a fellow classmate by creating and exchanging a work of art you are proud of -also ties in with selflessness -make something you love so much you would rather not part with, then give it away

 

Recreation - charcoal drawing of you (and/or friends) doing what you most enjoy in your free time

 

Inspiration -paint two series of mini-still lifes, one painted while close to your source of inspiration (music, sunlight, other artwork, etc.) and one without

 

Food -make a self portrait out of edible items

 

Juxtaposition –use fashion design to combine two contrasting styles from any culture or time period into a runway-worthy ensemble Past & Present –study master artists of the Italian renaissance, choose a favorite and then depict a modern scene in the style of your chosen artist –OR- use a famous renaissance composition but make use of a modern style

 

Individuality –create a straightforward, succinct list of attributes you believe make you who you are, then choose an object, symbol, or pattern to represent each of these attributes. Form each out of clay, combine your choices into an unexpectedly abstract sculpture, fire in kiln, paint and repeat

 

Emotion –everyone in the class writes one down, drops it into a hat and draws another one. Then each student will create a still life charcoal drawing depicting their emotion with objects of their choice

 

Ugly is the new beautiful – use beauty products (make-up, nail polish, etc.) to create the most believably unattractive portrait possible –OR- use materials typically associated with ugliness or imperfection (mud, Band-Aids, toenail clippings, etc.) to create the most beautiful portrait possible

 

Commercialism –collage –take bits and pieces from advertisements and packaging to create a collage of the many unnecessary things the advertising industry tells us we need