#artistofinfluence

[krystynyyyy]

Alex Katz

[denimgalaxy-blog]

Forager 36″ x 48″ oil on canvas

Meghan Howland

Meghan Howland received her MFA from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and is currently living in Portland. Her work has a wide range of styles and she often uses flora and fauna with her figures.  Her figures often appear naive to the situation surrounding themselves which aids to the figure meaning. The figures are often used to portray fragility, our individual understandings of what is outside of us, and time.

[krystynyyyy]

How come no ones ever reminded me about Gustave caillebotte before?!

[itsluzhang-blog]

Richard Learoyd is a British based photography that inspired me to take photos of human bodies. I enjoy the great details and the sharpness of each of his photo, as well as his colour schemes are simple yet full of stories. His focus point is also very interesting, because of the camera obscura he uses, it creates a great depth of filed; however, the details and textures on the skins are extremely sharp. I love very admire the huge scale of his photographs, I think the scale definitely magnified the details and it gently demands the attention of the audience. 

[briannamarie-art-blog]

Artist of Influence : Ilse Crawford

images from artist’s website - www.studioilse.com

Recently, I have been very intrigued by London-based designer Ilse Crawford. She works in the realm of interior design. I am very interested in her humanistic approach to design as she states that it is her mission to put human needs and desires at the center of all that she does. When designing, she is constantly asking questions of human experience with a place as well as their emotional connection to home based on the materiality of the work. She focuses on the senses - how people feel and respond to certain elements and textures. I am specifically interested in the idea of having connections with elements around us. In my own work, I am exploring how objects found in nature can hold personal memories of exploration and childhood. I am also interested in how materiality plays a role. In my work, I am using sheer fabric that is reminiscent of curtains. I am interested in how my work plays with the idea of home just through the materials I use.

https://architectureau.com/articles/studioilse/

In an article titled, “Making the Normal Special”, Ilse Crawford describes how empathy is the cornerstone of her work and how questioning the needs of client’s results in designs that are physical manifestations of ‘universal human truths’. She adds that design should not only look good, but rather it should feel good. Her philosophy of making the normal special aims at making the small moments of every day matter through the subtle use of functional and sustainable design that feels good. Crawford explains that furniture should be made sensitive and sensory to add to the well being of the people that use it. Not only does she aim at creating spaces and products that offer sensory engagement, but she also values sustainability in the design. In a world that can seem ‘all-too-disposable’, it’s important that design has longevity and a positive impact.

[briannamarie-art-blog]

Artist of Influence: Bill Viola

Jon Anderson was the first to introduce me to Viola’s work in our Contemporary Art Trends class and I have remained very intrigued by his work. It is amazing how the slowness and imagery of his work have an impact on my physical body when viewing them. This particular work is titled Ascension, which is part of a larger body of work called Five Angels for the Millennium. The installation of this work involves five large screens in a hallway, in which all the videos are playing at the same time. 

I’m interested in how Bill Viola’s work affects the viewer’s senses through his use of video and sound. When watching this piece, I found myself holding my breath and feeling the weight of the water on my own body. I could feel the person slowing drowning and it was deeply impactful on my own senses. Feelings of anxiety and fear came upon me when the figure was moving downward, while feelings of hope and relief came when the figure was floating upwards. I’m interested in how I can involve the viewer’s body through awareness of the senses.

[briannamarie-art-blog]

Artist of Influence

Recently, I have been loving the work of Jerry Burchfield (thanks for the recommendation Jeff and Seth)! These works are from his book Primal Images. In these photos, he is using much of the same processes that I am except all he is using is expired photo paper. He places objects on them and exposes them in the sun. I love the details and vibrant colors in the work. They are just so beautiful to look at. Although I think he is much more of an environmentalist than I am, our interest in landscape is similar. For me, the landscape of the place I grew up carries a lot of meaning and memories. Home is the motivating factor in my work. For him, I think he is in awe of the vastness and uniqueness that the land carries. In this particular series, he traveled to the Amazon and explored the different types of flora that are native to that area. 

I still have yet to finish reading his books I checked out from the library, but I am excited to continue to learn about his processes and his motivation for the work!

I couldn’t find a link to the specific series, but here’s a link to a summary of Burchfield’s work by LACMA’s associate curator of photography:

http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/P/bo3626017.html

[harumidesigns]

Artist of Influence: Petra Collins

Petra Collins is a photographer and curator based in New York.

Petra Collins has a significant impact to me as an artist, because she actively practices fine art and commercialism into her work (Professors and critics have commented so, as well!) The photos she takes are indeed captivating. While they are nice to look at, there definitely have some eerie and rebellious attributes to it, which makes the photos more meaningful. For example, she is not afraid of the blurriness or the tight cropping of her work, features that are often deemed “no-no’s” in photography. In fact she embraces them. She also shoots exclusively through an analog camera, despite the prevalence of DSLRs and it being the standard in commercial photography. The themes she explores in her work are also important; she tackles the issues of feminism, sexuality, beauty, societal norms, representation and taboos. While my work as an artist is usually geared commercially, I would like to strive to create work like Petra where I can add significant meaning to my work. I would like to create work that uses unconventional aesthetics and make it look appealing at the same time. I have always been drawn to the eeriness in artworks, and that is something I would like to experiment with my work. I would also like to visually tell stories, like how Petra does it: raw, perplexing, and relatable.

Petra Collins / 24 HOUR PSYCHO / April 2nd – 30th with ARTFORUM article

 http://sfaq.us/exhibition/petra-collins-april-2nd-may-7th/

The article first discusses Petra Collins’ exhibition 24 HOUR PSYCHO, which displayed 10 large-scale overly close-up images of young women in distress. The photos address the issue of the stereotype that women are “too emotional” and are weak due to their sensitive nature. However, the grand scale of the photos along with the composition suggest the women’s agency and empowerment even in distress. The work also brings up double-standards women constantly face.

The second part of the article is from Petra, herself. She discusses the importance of representation in media. She acknowledges her influence as an artist, and she actively seeks to represent different body types and skin tones in her work. She also discusses how social media and the internet is a powerful tool for artists. The internet allows artists to better navigate their career than ever before.