I really enjoyed the presentation that Susan gave on Suzanne Lacy, consisting of the rape awareness maps, and public walks. I also found out that Susan lacy is also known for her "grotesque" displays of dead animals showing thier insides, and sculptures / photographs of women mutilated. These displays also where to bring awareness to crimes such as abuse, rape, murder, etc. I most of all love to hear that in the 80's when she did the awareness walk in California that the amount of rape cases dropped dramatically. I hope it continues to drop and more people stand up for others and themselves and do whats right.

 

Mind Games with Color and Food

Recently while eating at a fast food joint, my friend had asked me if I was aware that most restaurants had begun incorporating the color red into their marketing. While I had noticed it happening individually between the companies and their logos, I'd never actually stopped and thought about it collectively. According to my friend, the reasoning behind it was that it "makes you hungry", a rather bland answer, but plausible nonetheless.

Needless to say my curiosity had been piqued, so I looked into it a bit more. Turns out there was in fact substance to the claim, because according to a page on Bluesky-Web, the color red has the power to stimulate appetite and hint at the speed that the food would be available to you. Likewise, other colors can have different effects on us! For example, we'd hardly go near any food that's colored blue unless it's filled with sugar and artificial flavors, but the most popular color for appetite supplements is blue! Coincidence? I'd say not!

It's astounding that I'd never taken the time to observe the use of color around me for the purpose of thought manipulation, and I love that it works the way it does!

Patricia Piccinini

Kids have a way of proving adults wrong when it comes to beauty. I think every adult is jealous of children and their innocence and how naive they can be. But what if your child wanted to be friends with a creature that was grotesque to look at and maybe even disturbing, would you let them? "Patricia Piccinini a sculpture from Australia pushes the boundaries between disturbing and ethical issues." - She really challenges adults to see what is truly important beauty or a good heart, and I think that's a challenge every human lives with daily.

John Williams a modern, impressionism, expressionism oil painter captures the life in his paintings. I love expressionism paintings because when a viewer looks at these types of paintings most of the time they can relate to the painting, because the painting is understood by what it is, but not always exactly who or where it is. paintings like these two done by John Williams allows the viewer to put themselves in the painting and relate to it. Especially in the first image the negative space it so beautifully done with the different shades of grays. 

Maryanna Williams

Maryanna Williams creates these beautiful art pieces by reduction linoleum prints. I love how they are so simple using color blocking for shading and layering to create a picture. I love that the viewer can see the real picture of the koi fish but it also looks modern with the lines of paint with color blocking. In the second image it really reminds me of a Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night.

From Galleries to Shops

I stumbled across the article listed below and thought it was very relevant to today's day in time. As the article states, a lot of people don't take time to go to galleries to appreciate art. To solve this problem, Corpus Christi decided to display works from local painters, sculptors, photographers, etc. in 16 local businesses for their Contemporary Art Month. I think this is a great idea, and since I work in the fashion industry, more retailers should consider bringing fine art to their windows. Directly combining fine art with fashion might be a great way to attract new customers.

http://www.caller.com/news/2013/mar/03/contemporary-art-makes-an-unconventional-this-in/

Alyssa Monks

Alyssa Monks is a contemporary painter in Brooklyn. She uses oil paints and focuses on realism that has been distorted through water, glass, and other means. She states, ""When I began painting the human body, I was obsessed with it and needed to create as much realism as possible. I chased realism until it began to unravel and deconstruct itself. I am exploring the possibility and potential where representational painting and abstraction meet - if both can coexist in the same moment." These are some of her works.

Ron Mueck in his Studio

Hi class,

Just came across some photos of Ron Mueck (guy who makes super realistic sculptures) at work in his studio. His work will be featured at the Fondation Cartier pour L’art Contemporain in Paris from April until September. I thought it was cool to see him at work and to see all the tools and materials he uses to create his sculptures.

more photos on designboom