Finished with my first and now onto the second!

                 Well I have finally finished my first project and begun on my second. The cuff bracelet turned out to be a challenge with lots of problems that I have finally overcome. But in spite of everything I am now finished and proud to be :) Now I am doing a less complicated but still related prisma color drawing of a native indian pony. On a side note I just have to say congratulations on your new arrival!! :) Well Im walking down the hallway to turn in my computer right now and so here my last thing to say. I have really enjoyed the freedom of this year and the ability to self direct toward my concentration I think it has really helped me grow so I have happy to say during this closing time and crazy schedule of days I have almost totally completed both of my projects.

My arting continued. (23-27)

         Well seeing as this week being at total nightmare with scheduling testing and making up two classes each day and then rotating to the opposite day, I have been able to "art" only two days this week and even then time has been limited time. BUT I have almost finished chamfering and texturing my pieces, experimenting with solder and wire effects to be used in my piece.  Next week when time is a little less crazy and schedule goes back to normal I will being accenting my cuff with either silver domed balls and solder to my piece or try other techniques to make it more sophisticated. I will also being annealing my pieces and bending them to the curvature that I want and then either rivet or solder my cuff together. Once I have done that all that is left is a quick polish and to show it off to the world.

         Im also starting thinking of what my second project will be my first thought was clay but now I see with the late arriving metal and testing schedule for the end of the year that might be problematic. So Im thinking of either doing a charcoal or prismacolor portrait of some kind that ties into my concentration of the different aspects of native american culture. Ceremonial dressing or war painted faces are somethings Im an considering. Well then that's it until next week. -Jenn.

What I've done this week. (April 16-20)

What I've done this week. (April 16-20)

Well since we have finally received our shipment of metal I have started construction on my cuff bracelet. I plan to make it entirely out of copper using chasing tools and etching to texture my metal and add my designs. For my center capturing I'm going to use a oval piece of copper and enamel it sometime next week. I think I want to do either a blue or purple enamel so it will contrast nicely with the copper but I will play around with that and figure out exactly what I want on this coming monday. This week I have finished sawing out my copper pieces and filing them down smooth and to the exact size I need. Yesterday I started using the copper chasing tools to stamp into the copper my designs. The designs are those found in jewelry, pottery, and costumes of the Native American culture I've combined some and added my own personal additions to the patterns. So without further ado here are my picture of my bracelet in progress and some up close of the designs that are coming along nicely. :) -jenn.

What I've been doing this week.

As we are still waiting on the metal to come in, and the evening of the arts is rapidly approaching during this two day gold week I have been working of the different size mugs for the evening of the arts. At the moment I have fully completed two (only one do I have a picture of) and have semi finished another which I will finish Friday after school. For some of my sketches for this week i researched the different types of handles and attachments for different kinds of mugs. Sketched a few and copied some pictures to my desktop on my computer. So without further stalling here are my completed and semi completed mugs and some inspirations I plan to create after school on Friday. :)

College!:)

The university of Pikeville is a private liberal arts college in Pikeville Kentucky (who would have guessed) . University of Pikeville is a small private school the home of alone about 1130 students, with interests ranging from Visual art to Sociology and much much more. Only being about 25 acres big the campus is small and specialized to the students needs.

On a 4.0 scale, the average high school gpa for students that are entering Pikeville College is 3.2.

and the average ACT score is about a 20. This particular university offers two bachelor degrees in art the visual and performing art, and the art and art studies degree. Personally I would shoot for the visual and performing art one in order to have a more general and various studies. Aspects of this degree include painting, drawing, 3D design, and sculpting just to name a few.

This being small and centralized this will still one on my list to either visit or request more information. Below I have posted the link to Pikeville website with our school has so graciously decided to block during school hours I can only assume that means they never want us to leave :P

http://www.upike.edu/

Félix Arauz

Felix Aruaz is a contemporary artist he is regarded as a very important very important Latin American painter from Ecuador. During Felix's childhood he was often alone and isolated, because of this he began to start doing his artwork. He used his emotions of loneliness and sadness to translate the world he saw into something better something like a dream. His artwork all hold a personal dreamlike aesthetic but in an abstract and dreamlike fashion.

His subjects usually include flowers, children, trees or landscapes all of which with his unique twist of this abstract and surreal vision. Aruaz uses bright colors and sharp and precise lines to give these common everyday objects something odd and worth taking another glance at. Aruaz has won many awards for this strange abstract style of art. I really enjoy this style of art its a wonderful dream land full of wonderful colors and dreamlike images. Arauz used his emotions to create beautiful and unique pieces of work, he turned his situation into something better by using his talents.

:) -jen

Art in Lebanon – the Last Thirty Years by artist Joseph Mattar, copyright 2008 LebanonArt.com (Published in Byblos Art N'2, 2009)

Art Related Article :)

"Contemporary reality animates the forces of our imagination, stimulates our faculties and manifests itself in works of every kind, with as support here a white sheet of paper, there a panel of wood, elsewhere some canvas, stone, a wooden block, various materials or even sound, taking on various forms as monuments or as words." - Joseph Mattar.

Art through out the ages has changed from age to age and influence to influence. Gradually changing from the religiously dominated art form during the 1600s changing to the more humanistic form through the renaissance and across oceans and time to Modern or Contemporary art of the days today. Obviously art styles differ from country to country especially in the middle east, an area characterized by old world thoughts and beliefs and strong customs. So in Mr. Mattars article about the changes of art in countries like Lebanon and other middle eastern countries examine not only the physical changes of the art but also its meaning and cultural ties developing.

Artist change with the world around them and the inspirations that motivate them, so it can be inferred that popular artist like Assadour, Sursock, Nakhleh, Ghali, Naomi to only name a few. These artists expresses political and religious concerns through their work. Giving you an image to a problem instead of just and abstract idea or feeling. Art in the middle east makes connections to your emotions or evokes a feeling within you.

The artists mention in my pervious paragraph gave way you more modern artist from the middle east like Abdallah Dadour, Bonfils and Jean (John) Lahoud, together with poets following the example of Joseph Abou Daher. Using more modern styles of writing and art now using computer programs and digital media. Art that is developing in the middle east (mostly lebanon) is not limited to paint and sculpture it now is including writing styles like poetry and digital media. As the world advances and "matures" in its ideals flow out and influence the people of the world. The people of the middle east have a rich and vibrant culture and now since of the recently acquired abilities to show their work around the world sharing their ideals and customs with people like us sitting here in America translated through their art.

And finally.......

"Art has conquered all the frontiers of countries and races and even of souls, with communication become so general." - Joseph Matter

This to me means that art and personal expression that connects the world through out time and the world. Its a special sort of communication to not only the world but yourself as humans. To observe a piece and decided how it makes you feel and how it communicates messages and emotions to people of completely different "worlds" that your own. It doesn't matter what you do or where you came from art is way to strip away all the expectations and basis of the world and show something special and meaningful.