Art Foundations Student Blog 2k15

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Check out my newest animation!

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Mission Documentation: For my carpet square, I decided to (and just as I was typing this I realized this wasn’t the weekly mission but whatever I’m pretty proud of the carpet and its concept) cut out the word “Pure”. Ironically, the carpet is stained with several different substances. I’m not sure why but this idea just sorta popped into my head when we were given the carpet, so I was pretty excited to see it play out just as I wanted. As for the meaning, it’s pretty obvious. There’s no such thing as a pure human being, nor is there such thing as someone who’s been perfect and innocent throughout their entire lives. We have entire religions working towards creating perfect people who show what it means to be goodhearted, while at the same time people following and promoting these values have themselves committed and done things that would go against the idea of being pure. The reason a bride’s dress is white is because it symbolizes purity and innocence, but in reality there’s no guarantee that she really is pure in that sense.

The point is there’s no such thing as pure, and no matter how much people want to deny it, we’re all a little tainted and that’s what helps build character. I also unintentionally carved the E backwards, but I like to think of it symbolizing the strange backwards standard we’ve imposed on our society today.

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Event Documentation: Week #7

This week I was invited to take part in the first ever Raider Recreational Banquet, a celebration for all of the Recreational Activities (aka lacrosse, rugby, baseball, and soccer) that took place on campus this past academic year. I was part of the baseball team, so I was invited (forced) to go by my team captain. The banquet part of it was pretty lacking, as there was barely enough food to go around. Some people had to go to the SU to get their dinner (so sad). I did not have to go to the SU though, and I got to treat myself to some medicore wings and egg rolls that were a solid 6/10.

But but but, “why is he talking about this?”, you might ask. Well! There were several awards given out for different achievements. The first award, the Rookie Award, was given out to my fellow teammate Bryan Gates (and my captain Eileen got the award meant for a female who excelled in her passion and overcame adversity while stretching gender stereotypes (they named it after another teacher and I forgot her name :c)), but can you guess who was a nominee and got a shoutout? I’ll give you a hint: he has two thumbs and it rhymes with swiss fry... Give up? It was THIS GUY! Yeah, I got nominated for an award much to my surprise, and while I didn’t actually get it, I was proud of myself for sticking through with this team till the end of the season - a feat I did not think I’d be capable of doing at many different times during the season. While various people received awards based on spirit and unrivaled performances, I was still in the back patting myself on the back for my own personal achievements and ability to overcome adversity in the form of a coach that did his best to drag me down, but couldn’t because my positive attitude is so much stronger than he (or I) could’ve anticipated.

[anthonybatteryartfoundations]

Reading Response: Week #7

I always liked the idea of using something for a purpose it isn’t meant for, or at least expanding the possibilities it’s capable of. Maps are one of those things you just immediately place a very practical function on, and you never really look past it. When somebody (like me, before reading this article) is asked: “What would Art be to you in map form?”, I’d most likely have answered “Making the lettering fancy, emphasizing details in the landscape in a fancy way, and drawing a whale tail out in the sea next to the cardinal directions. Of course, it’s much more complex than that, and the points the author introduced totally expanded my idea for what an artistic map (or a map as a poem) could be. The concept of outlining certain features of a map, such as topography or fire hydrants in such a way that they are represented outside of their original function or intent is really cool. It seems like a common theme in artistic endeavors is the idea of making something mean more than it’s literal definition, and it takes real skill to convey such a meaning so that anyone (or no one, if that’s your kind of style) can understand. My favorite idea was the one where they summarized the paper boy’s route; it was really complex and you probably wouldn’t understand it without prior explanation, but it still feels like so much more than what it’s intended to be.

[anthonybatteryartfoundations]

Some other homework from Week #6

(Yeah it’s a tad bit late, so what? I dun’ care)

Reading Response: This article, in all honesty, felt very routine for me. I understand the subject was collections, and was probably relating back to our current collection shelf projects. The author was very drab in his discussion as he elaborated on the idea of collectors being connected to their artifacts on a much deeper level than one would expect. Collectors associate locations and experiences with the things they gather, and usually their arrangements in public shows propose a much deeper meaning that it seems only the collector himself (or a very close friend) would completely understand. I did like the concept of allegorists, which serve as foils for collectors as people who attribute meaning to very literal ideas. An object’s meaning is skin deep as an allegorist defines it by dictionary definitions. I’m guessing these are meant to be taken as guidelines for future collection documentation, when organization and purpose behind our collections should prompt deeper meanings. The way I see, it there are artists (collectors), and those who don’t understand Art and its connotations (allegorists).

Continuous Project Documentation: 

WE FINISHED THE BENCH. Now we’ve just got to wait for the seed to grow and grass to sprout under our butts. Starring Analee and Grace.

[anthonybatteryartfoundations]

A Love Letter to my only dear.

Dear Ipod whom I hold so close,

Where do I start? How about with the fact that when I talk to people about you, I say “I’m not sure where I’d be without my Ipod, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be alive”. It’s true, because if there was anything in the materialistic world that just gets me, it’s you. I’m not ashamed to admit that I care about you more than I care about most people in my life.

It’s just, you know me so well. You know all of my favorite songs, and you’re always able to keep me entertained. Sure, sure, there are days where I’m frustrated with your somewhat limited range of music, but I still appreciate that when I’m alone or walking by myself, you distract me from the rest of the world. You help me forget about my troubles, my issues, and that car that’s barreling towards me without any brakes as I cross the street.

Oops, I’m dead. Wait, I’m simply knocked out. In the hospital, you’re one of the first things I sift through my belongings to find, because I can’t wait to listen to Hospital Flowers by Owl City to calm my nerves. It gives me hope to know that you can take the most brutal of punishments and still work fine, something I’m astonished by.

You’ve been with me since middle school, and for the last 6 years you’ve never ceased to satisfy. While everyone’s gabbing over the latest in bending Iphone technology, I’m here in the corner living it up (literally listening to Live It Up by Owl City) with my dearest Ipod.

And now I’d like to dedicate a small excerpt from one of my favorite songs, Hiding In My Headphones by Reel Big Fish. Ahem.

“ I'm hiding in my headphones Hiding in my headphones Gonna turn them up so loud Gonna drown this whole world out I'm hiding in my headphones Hiding in my headphones And everyone can see That they won’t bother me So get, out of, my way ‘Cause I don’t care what you have to say!

[hybridbattery]

“The strings are rusty but it’s all I need.”

Recently hooked on the song Gang of Rhythm by Walk Off the Earth. Here’s a little fanart of Gianni Luminati from the band.

[anthonybatteryartfoundations]

A little thing I finished a few hours into my regularly scheduled sleep time.

[anthonybatteryartfoundations]

Art Foundations 103 - Week #4

After writing up most of my homework and having Tumblr suspiciously delete my post without saving the draft, I am thoroughly frustrated writing this, as well as ecstatic! ...Because it was technically a failure that I can go back through and redo! Albeit slightly differently, but it’s an annoying fit to this week’s homework........

Reading Response: This week’s reading on failure was a very interesting read indeed. Failure is often viewed as one of the worst things someone can do nowadays, and it’s quite unfortunate. In sports, if you fail, you’ve done the worst possible thing. If you fail in academics, it’s the worst thing you could’ve done, and so we live in a society where failure is feared and avoided so much due because of our incredibly low tolerance for it. But I liked the idea that in Art, failure can be explored as an opportunity. Artists can usually cloud their minds with the illusions of perfection, something no human being (nor any artist) can attain, thus going into these projects with a perfectionist attitude can be detrimental to one’s creativity. It’s a point made in the writing that focusing on failure will cause someone to inevitably create it, but that’s not one’s end. Failure should be seen as a chance to analyze our mistakes and accidents, and then avoid them in future occurrences. After all, humans learn by doing, and it’s through making mistakes that we learn. Such is the case with failure and repetition in Art as well. 

My favorite quote from the reading was “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Mission Documentation: 

Event Documentation: 

Last weekend I went to the Luau in the McNeal Pavilion on Saturday night. The experience was really great. For the entire evening we enjoyed some great traditional Hawaiian dishes, some fruit punch, and an amazing performance by various dancers put together by the Hawaiian Club here at SOU. It was there 19th Annual Luau Show, and the energy was great watching the girls and guys get up there and shake each ‘okole! My friend Lindsey was in the show. They also did some raffles and even had a fire juggler! I’ve been to actual Luaus in Hawaii, so it was really interesting seeing the states’ rebirth of the timeless celebration.

Collection Documentation: 

Just another week of collecting meaningless trash. No wait, I meant my collection. Actually I got it right the first time.

Small Puppet Documentation: 

Meet COPU! He’s a small shabbily built cardboard robot made to defend the Art building from small-sized intruders (usually mice or tiny demons). He’s armed with a small nail-sword, but unfortunately all of the insanity that goes with defending an Art studio caused him to lose his head....literally. He’s got a tight grip on it though, and you can bet that he’s very spiteful about his current predicament. Sure, sure. You could just attach it with some tape, but don’t tell him that. Oh yeah, his jaw moves up and down, so he can talk!

[anthonybatteryartfoundations]

Art Foundations 103 - Week #3

Alright Week #3, bring it on! I’m running through this term, though it’s definitely slowing me down here and there. Don’t worry though! I’ll tap into that hidden strength and push on forward. We’re not even halfway done yet.

Reading Response: I’ll be completely honest when I say I don’t know exactly what this is that I read. It seemed to be an instructional booklet on how to make inflatables, like pillows, balloons, and frames for fun-houses. I found some of it pretty interesting, such as the portions where building a spherical shape was touched on (something that I can’t imagine is easy). There’s also the idea that a cube shape will inflate with more pressure than an already spherical shape, as well as the types of fans needed in order to keep a large inflatable....well, inflated. These instructions and tips are quite interesting and will definitely be helpful when we start making inflatables and I can finally realize my dream of sitting inside of a giant plastic bubble and bowling into my enemies. I guess a giant hamster ball would be just as effective, but we’re not talking about that.

Mission Documentation: This week I fixed one situation (and also witnessed another get fixed the same way, though I won’t take credit for it). I’ll give a brief overview: We live in a generation of people who don’t know how to communicate, and it only seems to lead to more and more problems over time. Thus, when we take the time to be honest and direct--while it may not be ideal or the social norm--it only puts us in the right direction towards fixing the issue. Three of my friends and I were discussing the plans for moving in next year together, though we’d be in an apartment. The apartments we have access to are only 3-bedroom, though opinions amongst two of my friends were directing towards us turning my friend down. I felt bad, but we couldn’t find a compromise, thus I took it upon myself to talk to our third friend (we had only been discussing the plans, though there was nothing concrete and we never guaranteed that she’d be able to stay with us) about the decision. Being honest and straight, while it felt odd, also felt really good. Our friend understood, and since the apartment situation isn’t definite either, I let her know that if we couldn’t get the apartment, we’d be living on campus in a Shasta room. At that point we agreed that in the case of living in Shasta again, all 4 of us would room together. I’ve included a diagram of the 3-bedroom apartment below, which you would agree is too small for 4 large people (large as in ego, not size).

What felt good about this experience was the fact that we were honest and straight with each other, and there was no beating around the bush. I feel like my generation has lost their ability to be blunt with others, and we spend too much time being quiet and hoping a problem will solve itself, when in reality it takes effort and honesty in order to work towards such a common goal. Communication is key and essential for relationship-building, so if we can learn how to communicate efficiently, we can help bridge this gap we’ve created between each other.

Event Documentation:

Last Saturday I took part in the Southern Oregon Baseball Club’s final game. For our last weekend playing, we had our make-up game with University of Oregon’s Club (not their actual team, the kids who probably didn’t make cuts instead). It was fun, though we lost both games. Still fun though! For most of the first game I was a 1st base coach, but I did get to pitch for an inning too. I played Right Field for the 2nd game, and we went out with a bang! It’s exhilarating to be out their in the heat and the thick of it. It was bittersweet too, considering that this was the last game of the season I’d have with my team until (maybe) next year. It’s amazing to see how some people can bond over something so simple, like the game of baseball. I’m very glad I took the opportunity to play on this team, and I’m so glad for all the friends I met over the course of the season (which began the first week of Fall Term).

Collection Documentation:

Wow that’s a lot of trash! ...is what you might be thinking as you stare at this picture. Well I’m here to tell you that it is indeed a lot of trash! Thankfully not all of it’s mine, which I’m proud of. It’s getting harder each week to find trash on a whim, though I’d say I’m making out pretty good. Tomorrow (Friday, April 24th) I’m going to put my garb--I mean, Art on its shelf, where it rightfully belongs (and not the nearest disposal bin).

[anthonybatteryartfoundations]

Art Foundations 103 - Week #2

Get your tissues out again; it’s week #2! Things are still picking up pace as I put the finishing touches on my Common Place Log as I construct this recollection of the week that has passed us so quickly!

Reading Response: The reading this week posed a lot of interesting points, and honestly I feel as if its information could be taken in a few different ways, as well as be used for other types of education besides just Art. Picturing the thinking process described by the author, I can agree that it takes critical thinking in order to keep a mind strong, just as it takes working out to keep a body fit. You can’t better your mind by sticking with the material you know, and it even connects to the idea of stepping outside of your comfort zone: a theme that is fairly present this week. The idea of finding solutions to problems by focusing on other issues despite your best prior efforts also makes sense, as I’ve found myself in such situations before as well. A very small example is if I was working on a math test and came across a problem I didn’t understand. Most teachers would say to skip it and come back, which more-often-than-not works out in the end. I’d say that it’s one thing to read material, but to really understand and develop ideas in context is a whole different ballpark, and often takes much more skill and focus.

Mission Documentation: 

I sweep the streets I used to own. Wowie this project took a lot of guts sweeping the crosswalk in front of tons of cars full of people I don’t know nor do I care about--hey! It actually wasn’t that hard after all!

Event Documentation: 

This week I attended the Fem Slam, held in the Rogue River Room on April 15th. The slam featured esteemed poet Desiree Dallagiacomo (yes I spelled that by looking at the picture above) as well as 10 other brave poets who spilled their hearts out on stage only to receive scores from the five judges present in the audience. Some poems were funny, and others were a bit more heart-wrenching, but they all demonstrated phenomenal bravery. I applauded and appreciated the amount of courage it took these women (and a few men) to go up on stage and present their thoughts and deepest emotions for the whole world to see, and as an artist, I can understand just how nerve-wracking it can be to get up and present your emotions for the whole world to view and judge, so props ladies (and the two men)!

Collection Documentation: 

My collection sure is growing! I’ve decided to broaden my collection just a bit and include the trash of my roommate and suitmates, seeing as though I don’t eat nearly enough junk food to fuel such a collection for as long as it will take (especially after watching a USEM documentary centered around the dangers of eating excessive sugar and unhealthy foods). It’s an unfortunate realization, but also a good thing! I’m definitely cutting back on sugary foods, though if I happen to find myself eating any other excessively unhealthy foods along the way, into the box it goes!

Continual Project Documentation: 

These are the final plans for our bench, but the actual thing underwent some modifications, such as the wheel handles not being present across the bench. Instead, we have the handles on one side attached to the bench while the wheel is attached to the other side. Also the wheel didn’t fit our original measurements.

10 Puppet Traits:

Individuality - Just about all puppets are unique in their own way that nothing else or nobody else can mimic.

Character - Puppet develops its own identity outside of the person/thing it is based.

Dynamics - The puppet can be open to change for a variety of reasons, though only the creator can decide when it is perfect.

Color - Most puppets are very vibrant and colorful, depending on their roles in whatever they are included. If the puppet is solemn and depressing though, it can have a fairly monochromatic color scheme, but it’s still a color scheme.

Humor - Very often most puppets are built or constructed to display some type of humorous attitude, though this mostly depends on the puppets purpose.

Shape - A wide variety of puppets are constructed following a certain building diagram or basic “blueprint”. I’m not saying all are alike, just most are built from the same ground up.

Wardrobe - Just about all puppets are outfitted with clothes and hats in order to separate them or define their personality. Most of the time, this outfit is their only outfit and will not change.

Googly Eyes - Be honest, most elementary-grade puppets are made with googly eyes. You can’t argue this.

Heart - It takes an Artist’s mind and creativity to make something--anything! A puppet is no different, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone making a puppet might develop a connection to it, considering that it is a project of their own.

Community of Ideas - A puppet is composed of many different ideas, often helping and contradicting each other. It is the eventual compromise of these ideas that serve as the completion for the project.

[anthonybatteryartfoundations]

Art Foundations 103 - Week #1

Oh gosh it’s the first week of Art Foundations, and we got a lot of homework. Let me show you all of my work organized in a beautiful format that might make you cry. I’ll get you tissues at the end so that you can wipe your tears after possibly crying from reading my assignment. This is all hypothetical, of course.

Reading Response: This reading really posed some interesting points, and a lot of impressions I had about education (especially Art education) up to this point were immediately brought into question before the first page was even over. Art has been the target of ridicule from people with “real professions”, often associated with abstract postmodernist art that made no sense to the viewer, though there’s a certain issue or dimension that these non-knowledgeable viewers don’t experience. I also respected how the author brought up today’s attitudes not just towards teaching of the Arts, but general education as well. While reading I definitely thought of different teachers or instructors I’d had who I didn’t think were very adequate or professional in their teaching methods, thus I disregarded a great deal of what they were teaching. We live in a generation where constructive criticism is being increasingly taken as insults, when really it’s only intention is to better the student. I know I’ve taken criticism in the past and immediately tossed it aside (or ignored it entirely) because I felt I was above the advice, or the advice did not pertain to my situation, though I now recognize my follies. Learning how to take this criticism will only help us move forward in our artistic search for a purpose in this vast world.

Mission Documentation: 

First up, I found this really cool colored plastic tape. These rolls of plastic tape could be useful in future projects where specific colors were needed and attaching two different pieces together was necessary. Using this tape of the same (or at least a similar color), you don’t have to worry about jeopardizing the colors of the project.

Next, I found some sandpaper. This could be simply used when needing to smooth out certain projects (a big example would be our benches, as the wood might not be in a prime condition or so for a multitude of butts to safely perch on), though I could also see sandpaper being really effective in making buildings if you were making a scale model of a small district or town; it could even be used for roads or stone pathways!

I thought this guy was so cute; it was a bobble-head garden ornament. The turtle is already pretty nicely crafted, though I would love to do some more work decorating the shell with maybe some pretty flowers or grass, almost making his shell part of the environment or more “green” in nature. Think of a better Chia pet.

Now this one I was pretty excited for. Say you’re working on a mosaic of some sort, and you wanted to convey water or a puddle in the mosaic, so what’s better than a CD for a nice reflective surface?? I know, I can’t think of much either. Also I liked the tan CD as well, as I felt it would go great in a sunset-type mosaic, when trying to portray that deep orange glow that envelopes the landscape at dusk.

And finally, be honest, you have to say that this is pretty darn cool. I found out there was an entire Art section in the hardware store I was at. Besides being used as obvious Origami paper, I though this might be cool to cut up in a certain way or it could be used for some type of psychedelic pattern for a small-scale project in the future, don’t you think?

Event Documentation: 

Yesterday (April 8th, 2015) I took part in some of the festivities of the Arbor Day celebration at SOU. Of course, I have two classes Wednesday from 10:30 to 3:30, so I didn’t have as much time to stick around as long as I wanted. Still, seeing the environmental admiration going on was amazing, and the amount of people joining in was also encouraging for the future of SOU and its substantial love of the greenery in the world. Taking part really helps you get a good perspective of the things going on around you. Tomorrow after class I’m going to take part and help do some gardening on campus, and I can’t wait!

Collection Documentation: 

Here we have my collection from my first week of Art. To the common viewer this may appear to be a collection of trash--that’s because it is. Though the meaning of my collection is to collect remnants of the unhealthiest foods/drinks I consume every day, so that over time I will realize just how bad my eating habits really are. Until then, it’s Starburst Jellybeans and Sprites whenever I want!

That’s all I have for this week, but stay tuned as I continue to update and fight through the immense amount of schoolwork I have on my hands!