Idea Blog for 04/01

Untitled, Photograph, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

Untitled II, Photograph, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

Untitled III, Photograph, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

I had another fashion shoot for Ink last week. This spread focused on clothes designed by fashion majors at VCU, which I wish I had the chance to shoot more often. I think it's wonderful that Ink has chosen to work with these designers and uses resources at VCU instead of the surrounding area. There are plenty of incredibly talented people here! Anyway, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed working with each person on set. There were about 9 of us total (including models). We took these specific shots at the farmer's market but also moved to the slip for a wardrobe change. As I've said before, it's nice to be able to get away from mostly photographing for school work; it's always very refreshing.

For some reason I thought I was supposed to have my meeting with Tom on Tuesday, so this weekend I mostly prepared my binder as well as any questions I had about panel portfolio review and what needed to happen with my work over the rest of the semester. Tomorrow we go to the exhibition space so I'm hoping we'll have time to address such questions there. Anyway, I haven't done much post-production work as I wanted to discuss a few points brought up in my midterm critique, mainly the one about elevating my work out of the "good work" category and what that might entail (the moths, I'm afraid). Part of me really wants to fight my decision not to include them, but as time passes I'm slowly starting to wonder about the possibilities the moths could open up. We'll see. I still feel very strongly about not including them, but perhaps Tom and I can reach a compromise. I'd really hate to feel like I'm being cornered into something. But that all depends on how our discussion goes.

Time is flying by and I'm really starting to anticipate everything we have to do in the next few weeks. I'm really excited to start organizing the show and my final portfolio for review...I really just want to start tying up loose ends! My meeting with Tom cannot come soon enough!

Artist Blog for 03/29

Samuel From Behind, Photograph, Year/Size unknown, Rodney Smith

The Grass is Greener, Photograph, Year/Size unknown, Rodney Smith

Ocean, Photograph, Year/Size unknown, Rodney Smith

Haystacks, Photograph, Year/Size unknown, Rodney Smith

Rodney Smith studied photography at Yale under Walker Evans before receiving a fellowship, which allowed him to travel to Jerusalem. After publishing a book compiled of images from this journey called “The Land of Light,” Smith was asked to lecture at many prestigious universities, all of which he declined. Instead, Smith found himself “riding slow trains in India, bicycling through the Camarque, strolling the streets of Paris.” Eventually, Smith returned to Yale to earn a degree in Divinity (of all things).

“Today, Rodney is a celebrated photographer with a wonderful breadth of subject matter and feeling. He’s had dozens of shows. Won 75 awards. Is collected by Carnegies, Whitneys and Rockefellars, plus, scads of orchestra and museum patrons and a few enlightened rock stars…His work is represented in every important gallery across the globe…”

There is great mystery about Rodney Smith that one could argue he reveals-and at the same time conceals-in his photography. I enjoy following his hatted friend(s) through woods, fields, over fences and up tall trees-though-I have no idea what he’s up to and how he got there. The narrative and escapist qualities of his work along with the repetition of a man and his hat lead me to believe that this obscure figure is how Smith perceives himself. Or the man he wishes he could be.

I don’t know how I didn’t come across Smith’s work earlier. The parallels that I enjoy drawing between my work and Smith’s is that there is a considerable amount of mystery in our images that both reveal and conceal our intentions or concept not only as photographers and artists, but as who we are mentally and emotionally. Unfortunately, it would’ve been more helpful earlier in the semester to view his work, as I was heavily considering how to vary my own while using the same subject matter repeatedly. Though, fortunately, I am still inspired by his work and can apply to my own in other areas such as composition, lighting, and posing.

I have not mentioned the fashion-esque aspects of Smith’s work; at first fashion was something I was inclined to incorporate into my images, but over time that slowly started to dissolve. Having not considered it in a while, I decided that that wasn’t something I wanted to include in my images. However, I’ve now realized that it is part of my style and I do it somewhat subconsciously. Smith’s work seems much the same. Looking at his work that follows around the man with the hat next to his fashion photography, I can easily observe similarities between the two in much of the same areas as listed above. And, at points, these two bodies of work appear to slip into each other: a clever facet of Smith’s portfolio.

Rodney Smith Portfolio

Rodney Smith Bio

Artnet: Rodney Smith

Idea Blog for 03/25

Hayley 14, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

Hayley 19, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

Hayley 20, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

Hayley 21, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

Hayley 22, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

Hayley 23, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

Hayley 24, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

Hayley 25, Kerry McDonnell, 2010

So-the very first thing I did the day I got home for spring break was take pictures of my sister! I think it was Arlie that suggested I try photographing in the rain, so that's just what I did! I do like the larger group of images taken in the creek but I'm not sure how they'll function with the rest of my portfolio because the colors and light are much more harsh, as opposed to the atmospheric, diffused light and presence of snow in the majority of my others. Actually, the reason why I included the 3rd to last image was because the white foam in the bottom right looks a lot like snow and I'm considering putting it in another image. That particular image I'm not too crazy about, generally. The first image I think will replace the other like it where she's sitting; I like the language in this one more as I think it has a more specific message.

The 2nd image was taken just before driving back to school. My sister was in the WORST mood that day, and-fortunately for me-it contributed wonderfully to the image. During my midterm critique Chris pointed out that the reason why the snow mound photo was so successful was because the snow acted as something other than itself; it became more than just a snow mound. I tried to achieve that in this image (and I think I did so effectively) with the tree branch and the way the light functions. I guess I kind of see the branch as this claw (masked by the beauty of the sunlight) that is reaching out to steal her away back home. I'm also concerned this photo may be too different from my other images and not fit into my final portfolio.

Anyway, my main concerns at this point are post-production and organization. I have a couple questions that I want to discuss with Tom about what can be-or needs to be- included in our final portfolio as well as artist statements, as I have two different ones for fall and spring. Also, I'm unsure about combining last semester's work with this semester's into one portfolio for panel review.

Anderson Entries

Untitled, Digital print of film photograph, 20x30", Kerry McDonnell, 2009

Images entered to the Anderson (as a diptych) are cross-processed images from last year.

Visiting Artist, Kerry McDonnell, 03/11

Mandala of the B-Bodhisattva II, hand-carved colored rubber tiles, 16x16', Sanford Biggers, 2000

Sanford Biggers is a sculpture and installation artist currently residing in New York. His work encompasses African spiritualism, Buddhist rituals and urban culture. Through his work, Biggers investigates predominantly cultural/race relations and history. “His works suggest that we transcend divisive social realities through the interconnectedness inherent in our shared affinity for the symbolic and the spiritual.”

I thought his first piece (Mandala of the B-Bodhisattva II) was the most accessible. It incorporates all of the major elements his work is influenced by. The piece is a 16x16 foot hand-carved linoleum mat meant to represent a Mandala. The mat was originally used for a dance competition and was later shown (scuff-marks and all) in several museums where time was allotted for people to dance on it. Biggers made an interesting point that, while the pattern of the mat is referencing a Mandala (used in Buddhist rituals/meditation), the dancers approached the mat as though it were actually a religious or sacred space. Another piece called Constellation was interesting, but required quite a bit of explanation. For this work, Biggers created “star maps” that are actually maps of the Underground Railroad in several large cities; the stars reference the major safe-houses along the way, becoming brighter with each place’s significance.

I have to say I was a little bit lost whilst listening to Biggers’ lecture. He seemed to jump around quite a bit and I found it conceptually difficult to follow. After having gone to the lecture and before reading further about Biggers’ work, I was frankly not entirely sure what to think of it all. I understood the references to urban culture and his Buddhist influence, but I suppose I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be taking away from his lecture; I suppose his work’s purpose was lost in communication.

Sanford Biggers Website

Sanford Biggers: Office for the Arts at Harvard

Artist Blog for 03/08

Lower East Side, oil on canvas, 70x74 inches, Inka Essenhigh, 2009

Green Goddess II, oil on canvas, 72x60 inches, Inka Essenhigh, 2009

Molly Waiting in Field, oil on canvas, 72x64 inches, Inka Essenhigh, 2009

Minor Sea Gods of Maine, oil on canvas, 74x68 inches, Ink Essenhigh, 2009

Inka Essenhigh is a painter based in NY. She studied at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio and the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her work has been shown around the world including the Royal Academy in London, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and MOMA New York.

Essenhigh pulls inspiration from oriental art, 19^th century caricatures and contemporary comics, among many others. Patricia Ellis describes Essenhigh’s paintings as “both exotic and operatic: envisioning futuristic mythologies frozen in dynamic moments of suspended animation.” What is most interesting about Essenhigh’s work is that it fluctuates between abstraction and representation. The glossy finishes of her more recent paintings create a sense of “hyper-artificiality.” They reference the perfection of 3D animation and virtual reality. Ellis goes on to say: “Inka Essenhigh's paintings overtly celebrate their superficiality, embracing humour, violence and chaos, within their vapid, magnetic allure. Inka Essenhigh conceives her paintings as being quintessentially American; a brand of futurism that's instantly attractive and sublimely infinite.”

Essenhigh’s paintings are immediately attractive. Her use of color and the fluidity of her subject matter is instantly gratifying in that it’s easy on the eyes. I am effortlessly lost in her work, contemplating the multiple possibilities of what direction her tableaux’s will take. Her work seems to reference an invented mythology or legend. However, specific event(s) her work is referencing seems not to matter; her invented mythology seems more of a back-story, letting the beauty of her style speak for itself. I envy Essenhigh’s style and envy her ability to draw attention to her work through her aesthetic. I strive to achieve that in my own work and can appreciate and pull inspiration from Essenhigh’s capability to do so.

Inka Essenhigh Website

Art.com Patricia Ellis excerpt

Idea Blog for 03/04

I kind of wanted to wait to do this blog post so I could review the recording of my midterm critique and comment on it, but I suppose I can do that on my own time afterwards, anyway. I don’t really have all that much to say at this point. I suppose I could recap all the supporting research I’ve done, just to have it all in one place. Yeah, I think I’ll do just that.

The crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honor, and perfection. It can also be used with irony; worn by jesters, fools and pretenders.

The color orange (in the context of family crests) represents ambition.

Neurosis: Neurosis is the way of avoiding non-being by avoiding being ~Paul Tillich. With the threat of non-being, the Neurotic is often creative in his attempts to deal with it by creating an “imaginary world” for himself.

Neurosis represents a variety of mental disorders in which emotional distress or unconscious conflict is expressed through various physical physiological and mental disturbances, which may include physical symptoms like hysteria. The definitive symptom being anxieties. Neurotic tendencies are common and may manifest themselves as depression, acute or chronic anxiety, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, phobias and even personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD).

Simply defined, Neurosis is a “poor ability” to adapt to one’s environment and an inability to change one’s life patterns.

Struggle is what keeps a child from feeling his hopelessness. It lies in overwork, in slaving for high grades, in being the performer. Struggle is the Neurotic’s hope of being loved. Instead of being himself, he struggles to become another version of himself. Sooner or later the child comes to believe that this version is the real him. The ‘act’ is no longer voluntary and conscious; it is automatic and unconscious. It is neurotic. ~Dr. Arthur Janov, Neurosis

Symptoms of OCPD are anxieties, obsession of cleanliness and organization, perfectionism, rigid moral or ethical values and disinhibition (A term in psychology used to describe a lack of restraint manifested in several ways, including disregard for social conventions, impulsivity, and poor risk assessment. Disinhibition affects motor, instinctual, emotional, cognitive and perceptual aspects.)

Now, to explain all this: My dad suffers from OCPD and I’m convinced (though haven’t been diagnosed, and for that matter I don’t think I need to be—I see enough of myself in him to just know) that I suffer from it as well. The crown is the perfect metaphor for the versions of herself my sister is assuming, not to mention that it sits on the head, thus acknowledging the mental disorder (OCPD) and their connection to perfection or perfectionism. The symbolism of the color orange also relates to form(s) of neurosis or the Neurotic in that it stands for an ambition to become something greater: a bigger, better self. Consequently, the person taking on these other selves is so they can escape the life they belong to realistically; reconstructing things they’ve been denied as who they really are as how they wish they could-or should-be. In my attempts to escape the issues at home, (I) Hayley has physically and mentally removed herself from her home and family. In a sense, she is allowing herself to exist in her own mind.

I think that covers everything! I hope that all makes sense.