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.

GSA workshop

This past weekend I along with some of my classmates attended the GSA workshop at LO. After registration we were sent to the library to wait, and I have to say personally it was very daunting so have so many young and extremely talented people in one room. I met people from all over the district all with very different talents and interests. They then showed us all a video about the GSA program and it went through each discipline Visual Art, Vocal, Drama, New Media, Instrumental, and many others. I have always known what GSA was but this gave me much needed information about the program and real people who have participated and what they have to say to us. After the video we split up into our groups Visual to the art room, Vocal to the choir room, and so on and so forth.

The Visual program was very crowded and we all barely fit into the art room. Our instructor for the workshop was Mr. Bobby he was very nice and friendly, also extremely helpful when he reviewed our portfolios. ( ill go into that later). For the workshop we were making sculpture and personally I had a hard time thinking of something to create. Mr. Bobby was very helpful and soon my ideas were flowing, aside from the regular Gt art at LO I usually never get to meet many people who enjoy art and see what they have to say about it. At the workshop I met so many people, some with helpful advice and unique views all of which I greatly enjoyed.

Then we broke for lunch and afterward we returned to continue work on our sculptures. Then one by one Mr. Bobby called us out the hallway to help us review our portfolios and what he thought and how we can improve etc. It was one of the first times Ive actually had someone sit down and go over exactly what they thought and how I could improve (except you stamp you have) I really appreciated the instructors to take the time to talk to us and give us feedback from such accomplished people. The GSA workshop was a great experience that I am very glad I had the chance to partake in, I think I am more confident now and comfortable in doing art related things. So heres a shout out to all the great staff, instructors, and volunteers that helped out this past Saturday at the GSA workshop I believe that everyone else appreciated it and enjoyed it as much as I did.

Here is the link to the GSA website so check it out get some more info sign up for classes and workshops Im sure you will have a great experience to walk away with. :) http://www.kentuckygsa.com/

Job # 2 not for me :P

The second art related job that would not be for me would the job and or career in Cartooning. I have never been able to draw cartoon it just does not come easy to me. I prefer to draw and paint more realistically, it just seems to come naturally. However I just because I could never enjoy the life as a cartoonist I do greatly enjoy political cartoons and animated art and all those other types of cartoon related art forms. I think it is a simple art form but also a very good way to communicate your ideas in a way that is on another level and one that appeals to your inner child. Cartoons can be humorous and educational and that is why I respect the art form. Soooo what's your favorite political cartoon, animated character, or t.v show character :) comment if you love me! -jen

-MAY YOU HAVE A WONDERFULLY BLESSED DAY!!!

Dave Morris's Perfect Tone

Dave Morris's Perfect Tone is a contemporary piece that I found earlier in the week and to be totally honest I didn't find this style very appealing. Then after awhile it started to grow on me and I decided to take a closer look. It is a 3D sculpture made from mismatched pieces of metal and plastics. He seems almost ironic in the fact that he made this into a bird a free and happy animal where as forgotten metals and trash is unappealing to us a society. The sculpture seems to be getting ready for something as if to take flight at any moment. Dave Morris gave new life to things broken and forgotten and thus creating this very interesting piece. I am not usually interested in 3D design but this piece has changed my mindset and I feel as though now i am more open to all types of work.

below i have posted a link to Dave Morris's page and where more of his work lives :) Check it out and see for yourself

http://www.modernartistsgallery.com/artistdetails/236_DaveMorris.php

HAVE A TOTALLY AWESOME DAY!!!!! - JEN

Vinci, Leonardo da (1452-1519) Lady with an ermine.

http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/ermine.html

Above is Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an ermine his style of painting follows the typical suit of this time period. (1452-1519) While he was painting and creating art during the Renaissance. During this time on rebirth for the arts some artist decided to take a more natural and abstract view on art while others (like da Vinci) still typically followed the realism route. With that being said his Lady with the Ermine is a very interesting painting. This beautiful woman is dressed in fine red and green garb the contours of her clothing is soft and smooth and almost blends into her pale complexion. Her face is deep and three dimensional, his use of shading and shadow makes her seem like she is standing right in front of you. The line quality of the lady and soft and flowing while the ermine (For those of you who don't know is a weasel type animal whose coat is white in the winter) is more wild the lines used to create the ermine is jagged and choppy for create its fur and to contrast to the soft and daintiness of the lady's hand. Da Vinci's color scheme contrasts the rich and beautiful colors of her clothing with its rich greens and reds to something wild and maybe even dirty but also white and beautiful as the ermine. I really enjoy this painting I think it was very well in its concentration and the line quality and color really make the lady seem real and right in front of you.

-jen. :)

Art Article Response

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/questions-raised-about-dylan-show-at-gagosian/?ref=arts

Above is a link to an article in the New York Times about the controversy over Bob Dylan's work. Bob Dylan was born in May 24 1941 during his life we worked as a poet, writer, visual artist, and director. Looking for inspiration he had traveled the world looking for inspiration. From these travels he used many places and people he had seen or met during this adventure. This is where the above link comes into play, some of his work show similarities to other photographs taken by other artists. Some of these photos are well known and widely used. “Asia Series” exhibition on the Gagosian site, appears to be closely modeled on a picture by Léon Busy, an early-20th-century photographer." From the article

- Mr. Gray, an author who has written extensively about Mr. Dylan’s work and its artistic influences, writes on his blog:

“The most striking thing is that Dylan has not merely used a photograph to inspire a painting: he has taken the photographer’s shot composition and copied it exactly. He hasn’t painted the group from any kind of different angle, or changed what he puts along the top edge, or either side edge, or the bottom edge of the picture. He’s replicated everything as closely as possible. That may be a (very self-enriching) game he’s playing with his followers, but it’s not a very imaginative approach to painting. It may not be plagiarism but it’s surely copying rather a lot.”

Another opinion from the article is - “There’s no need to be an apologist for that,” the post continued. “It’s often a part of making art, that’s all. Good grief, y’all..From this recent article is it clear that there is a difference in opinion behind Dylan's work and its originality. I found this article extremely interesting and informative.

Take a look at this article and decide for yourself if you think we was original or not in his work. :) - Jen

Architecture :)

In contrast to my pervious post, I do do however very much so enjoy architecture. An architect is someone who designs and plans for structures and buildings. Ever since I was little I have enjoyed building and creating things using whatever I possibly could. To become and architect formal schooling is needed and salary varies from job to job. Here is a link to a website showing information i have gathered and other interesting facts about architecture and pictures and other great stuff.

http://education-portal.com/articles/Architectural_Designer_Summary_of_Architecture_Design_Career_Education.html

Architecture seems like and interesting and fun job to have. I am also going to apply to the GSA architecture program. Below is a link to the Kentucky GSA website so other people can take a look and get information about the great program offered.

http://www.kentuckygsa.com/

HAVE A AWESOME DAY!! -jen

Graphic Design :(

Graphic design has always been a medium that I have struggled with. It has never come easily to me one factor in that is probably because I am not very tech savvy. So with that an career in Graphic Design would not be ideal for me. It would be too stressful and I would mostly likely become bitter because i would not enjoy it. Although I struggle making graphic designs I do enjoy them so below are some links and pictures of some graphic designs you might enjoy. :)

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=graphic+design&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=684&tbm=isch&tbnid=4w7KEB9pDxo4bM:&imgrefurl=http://maheshwarioffsetprinters.com/graphic_design_18.html&docid=Lb-jqbn9sWuHgM&w=900&h=900&ei=9DtyTuqWOMqgtgeBmdmXCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=438&vpy=199&dur=108&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=157&ty=141&page=2&tbnh=134&tbnw=137&start=15&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:15&surl=1

http://weburbanist.com/2009/09/21/communication-dedication-15-amazing-graphic-designers/?ref=search

This is a link to a site called urban artist joshua davis. Its really awesome check it out :)

LIz Jones the contemporary artist :)

Liz Jones is a contemporary artist that concentrates on painting and photography. She studied oil painting at Washington University, and has a master level certificate in Art Psychotherapy.
Below is one of her works, its an abstract watercolor piece. Her main concentration in the piece is her line quality and the color. She wants to ask the viewer what we see in nature not in the actual images but what makes up what we see in nature. The lines vary from sharp and precise to flowing and soft giving the illusion of depth and layering. She is comparing the earth to the sky using both colors and textures found in both. I really enjoy this piece because even though it is very simple it tells a story and makes you wonder how you would view the world not in a visual and actually seeing things way, but more of the color and lines that make up what we see in the world and in nature :) - jen

The positive effect of art on the people during the Renaissance.

As I'm very sure that anyone in the entirety of this wonderful thing that we call the internet, would already know but I am going to share with all of you the positive effect that the renaissance had on the poor and grief stricken people of this time period. Over the years the good and sometimes bad people of Middle Ages had many trials and tribulations ranging anywhere from death and disease to famine and poverty. And yet in spite of anything and almost everything these flea bitten and tired people found something to be proud of and to lift their spirits. That my overly excited audience as I am sure you all are, was ART! Yay wonderful and magical art, this new found site of expression and relief from their hard lives. Renaissance art ranged anywhere from painting realistically to sculpting imagination. This gave the people an escape from their terrible reality something to live for and something to leave behind for the rest of the world to see and enjoy :) Renaissance art is basically the foothold and the jumping off point for modern art of today! :) YAY!! -jen