finals for everything, artist's talks

final work: playing with adjustment layers & blending modes

team : Caleb & the Kicklighter's

my role : color script, poster organization/design, intensity chart

Gnomon video: The Mechanics of Color (see write-up on March 1 post)

talks: Andrew Ellis Johnson, Thecla Schiphorst & Mike Levy

1. Andrew Ellis Johnson

 Of Andrew’s works, I think the easiest to understand was the “Charge,” the trumpet with the altered mouthpiece. The inspiration was clear, and he executed well making a visual pun out of the hypocrisy of the world’s reaction to the Rwandan genocide. 

I’m not sure if it was the aesthetics necessarily, but his apocalyptic piece with the millstone balanced on the wine glasses appealed to me. It would definitely intrigue me if I were to see the installation in person. I mostly enjoyed his emphasis on the materials employed–and how those ought to be significant to the idea behind a work, too.

2. Thecla Schiphorst

I enjoyed the fact that Schiphorst's large-scale pieces almost all stemmed from her postcard sketches, which I loved. I liked her beautiful linework, and was less interested in her later works which seemed to stray from that. Her "hobby"-comic strips-made me smile. I enjoyed seeing a little of her imagination. 

She seems to have a childlike view of art, in the best way possible: The representation of things she sees, the obsession with a very saturated color, the simplicity of using colors and shapes and subjects that appeal to her.

3. Mike Levy

Not exactly an artist, but an interesting lecture given by the founder of Texas Monthly at May's Business School. I enjoyed hearing about his life before founding the magazine, and how much perseverance it takes to start a business, particularly a visual one.

Because I'm interested in possibly pursuing graphic design, it was beneficial to attend this lecture. One thing I learned is that I should avoid going into print. It's dying.