Jason Walker
                                             artist

On 1 November 2016 at University Galleries in Downtown Normal, Pokatella, Idaho artist in ceramics Jason Walker conducted a lecture on Form and Surface.  Jason received his BFA from Idaho State University and his MFA from Penn State University.  He has recently had stints as a studio artist in Washington state and Hawaii just to name a few. He has lectured at numerous venues nationally and internationally to include the Smithsonian Institute.  Jason will be a visiting artist here at Illinois State University for approximately 3 weeks. Jason has been a studio artist for the past 16 years.  It is through his art and its lucrative assets that he supports himself. As a lover of nature he showed images of him hiking throughout the mountains of the northwest and in the canyons of the southwest portions of the United States and Canada as well as the mountain-ed Islands of Hawaii.           

Fig 1.1 Stacking a Skyline

     His technical art process includes porcelain clay with painted images to include under glazes, sub-casting and china paint. Jason likes to use representational imagery in a narrative format in his 3-D works.  In his piece "Stacking a Skyline” Fig. 1.1

he applied a unique mesh of nature and the mechanics of mans industrialized world portraying how it contributes to the decay of nature.  On the back of the bear are images of the industrial accomplishments of man that are superbly illustrated as it takes the viewers eyes deeper into the piece through the artists thought process.  In this piece he has depicted the bear in a child-like position as a child would while amusing himself while playing with building blocks.  I read it as mans childlike greed for land, power and money.  I have identified the bear in the masculine since because the male is often associated with production and industry.  It is my opinion that Jason was trying to convey how man toys with existence of nature.

 In the illustration on the back of the bear there is a deer in the foreground grazing on asphalt where there should be grass and in the background there is more depictions of man’s contributions to the degeneration of the environment.

Fig, 1.2 Stacking a Skyline (rear)

Jason stated that he is amazed with the nuances of technology and how it has convenience our lives however; he is not so entertained with how we use technology in our weapons of war and its contributions to the destruction of nature and society. Jason has masterfully articulated his concepts in his work.

Force of Nature an Exhibition  of students Transpace Gallery Illinois State University Center for the Visual Arts Room115 October 11, 5-7 pm .

Fig. 1.1 Alissa Palmer, Torso I and II

The Force of Nature exhibit is a series of prints Graduate and Undergraduate students with similar  degrees of skill level.  I have chosen to review 2 prints that have captured my attention. Upon observing their work the different styles and concepts I was left rather inspired with a these prints still in my mind..  One of which are two prints by Alissa Palmer entitled Smudged Torso I and II fig.1.1 done on  Monotype and Conte Force of Nature An Exhibition 2016. These pieces are two separate prints displayed one on top of the other in a vertical manner.  They rely on on another and yet contrast with regards to space.  They both render a certain feel of femininity.  When viewing these prints one can get the since of softness as the form of a woman who is not of the typical model physique with girth reminiscent to  that of a model from the renaissance era.  The artist intentionally juxtaposed both prints in efforts to entice the viewer in getting a better pictorial view of the implementation of positive and negative spaces or maybe give us a idea of the process involved.  Both images bare the same kinship but yet contrast in various ways. The most obvious is contrast is color. In Torso 2, the artist added color in efforts to  give the viewer a different prospective of how to manipulate positive and negative space as contrary to that of  Torso 1 which is displayed on the bottom moving the viewers from top to bottom the back to the top after reading the text.  Torso I, reads as an attempt to capture the image in a more sensual setting like a private, dark area with  the light source being the moon peering form a window to the right.  By doing this it gave the piece a more representational legitimacy instead of just a composition on positive and negative space .  Upon viewing Torso II, I could imagine the softness in her flesh.  In these prints the artist was able to accomplish her goal by meshing the two contrasting applications of the medium.  Torso II moved me in that respect,  however I was able to feel that attachment because of the applied color..  Both piece were successful in its attempt to evoke certain emotions from this viewer.

Fig. 1.2 Jackson Ikert Skull

     In the print entitled  Skull,  fig 1.2 by Jackson Ikerts on Monotype, Force of Nature An Exhibition 2016.  This print embodied the theme of the exhibit Force Of Nature.  Ikert took the form of a human skull and gave it life.  His choice of using non-local colors added to the realism of this piece for I no longer viewed this piece as a simple image of a skull. The color gave this print a name.  I had images of poverty stricken Ethiopia or the sufferations of a person or of a peoples  By exposing 3/4 of the skull with the mouth or teeth portion absent implied a since silence or imposed silence. The bronze color contrasting with black rendered a certain darkness experienced by a culture.  This print used its colors with variations of a bronze hues to allow the viewer to determine whether the skull has flesh on it or if it is just the aftermath of life.  Ikert composing the majority of the image  at the lower portion of the paper gives the dual impression of either ascending from the earth or depressing into the earth enhanced the balance of the over all print. These two prints intrigued me the most because its form.  I am interested the the human anatomy because it epitomizes life.  In both of the prints the artists were able to evoke deep emotional and psychological experiences from me.

Barry Blinderman curator at University Galleries lecture on the New York City Art Arra of the late 70's and 80's.  Illinois State University Center for the Visual Arts room 133, 18 October 2016 1700 hrs.
     Barry attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and was the Director of Semaphore Gallery in Soho, New York the city's visual arts district.  Barry began his lecture by setting a backdrop of who his influences were. One of which was  Leo Steinberg who wrote the book “Other Criteria”. Barry spoke of  how Leo had such a profound impact on his  life as a curator.

     Barry lectured on how life was in New York during the late 70’s early 80’s with regards to the social,economic and geographic aspects of the times referencing the East Village.  He quoted a headline from the New York Times that read “Ford Says No To New York.” meaning president Ford was denying aid to the city New York due to its economic deprivation.  Some of the photos that we viewed showed the city in a light reminiscent to that of the early migration of European immigrants to the US during and after the reconstruction period. 

Barry Blinderman  lecturer

 

     Barry, in 1981 curated a show, The Anxious Figure, which reflected figurations by Keith Haring, Robert Longo, John Ahearn, Jedd Garet and Ed  Paschke.  In his lecture he spoke of the art scene in New York City during what I perceived as a rather aggressive artistic period for art.  I use the term aggressive in the context of how the artists would display their work and have exhibitions were done. A lot of the artwork was created in the streets, on abandoned buildings, galleries and nightclubs just everywhere.  I admired how artists would just wire up a building from an external source with electricity and exhibit.  In my visits to New York I can remember parties or as we called them sets being held in such a manner in boroughs like the Bronx and Brooklyn.  

Time Square Show advertisement

     Barry spoke of the collaborative efforts of the street and formally trained artists from that era as well. He mentioned the Time Square Show which featured personalities such as David Hammons, John Ahearn, and Diego Cortez aka Jim Curtis, just to name a few. It’s intriguing how each style influenced one another's artistic perspective. It is my opinion that the Times Square Show established a template for collaboration and the merging of two styles while addressing a larger audience that was the downtown art scene of New York during this period in the 1980's.  It is the Time Square Show that really struck a chord with me exhibiting different genres of art including the Hip-Hop scene from the Bronx with which I embraced as my time as a DJ during this era.  

        This period of the New York art scene  happened to be my military years so I wasn’t able to be emerged in art to its fullest capacity . Though I was a artist when I went into the military I was not one while I was in the service.  My mentality at that time was consumed with learning the art of how to kill or the art of war.  I could barely focus on my skills as a DJ. I was able to appreciate the Break dancers or B-Boys and the artful way the Dj's would manipulate the music by using the technique of "scratching." In a since I guess I was loosely involved with the art culture of  New York.  However, I did take a few trips to New York to buy the latest rap album for my DJ-ing.  On my visits I would be awe struck by the graffiti on the walls of buildings, trains and in the subway tunnels. It impressed me how the people of the streets were able to use whatever means they could to express their artistic points of view.  It is my only regret that I was not attuned the New York art world at such a vibrant time. It would have been great to know such an artist as Jean Michel Basquiat and to view his work in person and to kick it with Fab 5 Freddie while he was painting burners on the walls and subway cars.
     It was an honor and a pleasure to hear first-hand from Barry Blinderman, an actual player in the New York City art world.  His testimony of  this period in time really resonated in my psyche' the total impacted the New York City art scene had on the world.

Barrymore A. Moton Art 281 .Jason Judd instructor. Building Space the Objects of Adam G. Perchbacher. "A Discordant Rhythm" (2016) by Adam G. Perchbacher 5'x4.5' acrylic on wood painting. Viewed at the Contemporary Art Center Peoria, Illinois 5 October 2016.

Fig 1.1 "A Discordant Rhythm,"

Adam Perchbacher painting "A Discordant Rhythm,"  is a piece that mounts on the wall and is raised approx, 4 to 6 inches in various areas from the surface of the wall. Adam views himself as a graphic designer by profession. His efforts in this minimalist geometrical piece were not in vain. This painting can currently be viewed at the Contemporary Art Center on Water St. in Peoria, Il.  

Perchbacher’s painting implemented the use of local colors trimmed in white to create a border that carries the eyes threw each shape as if they were penetrating the boundaries in an attempt to assist each other to maintain its pictorial balance. Much of what he has created in this piece gives indication of a geometrical abstract thought process. The piece is entitled "A Discordant Rhythm," When looking at this painting from a frontal perspective you could see how he has placed a series of triangles in the form of what looks like dominoes knocking into one another in a inharmonious fashion. Hence, the term discordant.  The painting looks very liner upon sight but as you begin to walk closer to it you will find that it has a rather aesthetic three dimensional quality. As you view the triangular shapes and how they are arranged the Giza Pyramids come to mind.

The pyramid is usually a symbol of a structure with a solid foundation that is perfectly balanced and can withstand the most aggressive of times;  However, in this piece each triangle is very dependent upon one another to maintain its rhythmic structural balance. they seems to rely on the mother triangle (the black shape on the left) to hold everything up or to keep things together. Upon walking to the sides of this painting I noticed how each triangle varied in height but was in geometrical unison with each structure to give a precise architectural framework to it.

Perchbacher has several other painting of this magnitude in this exhibition but I believe that it was the triangles or what I perceived as pyramids that captured my attention. They served as a metaphor for how the Giza Pyramids have managed to stay in existence and maintain its spiritual balance with the universe for thousands of years in spite of being exploited, vandalized and it significance virtually forgotten by a greater portion of today's materialistic environment.

Barrymore A. Moton Art 281 Jason Judd instructor. "We thought they thought what we thought, but they didn't." (2016) by Rob Swainston woodblock print on fabric and paper.  Viewed at University Galleries Illinois State University Normal, Illinois 6 September 2016.  

Fig.  1.1   But they don't

Rob Swainston's print titled But they didn't represents the mood of isolation and seclusion by using secondary and tertiary earth tone colors in a strange, overall domination of positive space. This print is currently on view at University Galleries in Uptown Normal, Illinois. It a woodblock on paper and hangs with other pieces by the artist with the same theme and style. This print has a colorful representation of architecture located in the background. The shape of the structure is in distinct contrast with organic, contoured shapes of the same hue.  These shapes are rendered in an overlapping, distorted fashion to give the effect of swamp foliage.  The darker hues at the right, top and bottom seemingly create depth.  An old, 17th century building appears to be recessed in the backdrop; However, it is visually released in the left portion of the print.  Swainston uses darker hues to create symmetrical lines to aid the viewer in deciphering what the image or images may represent.   These implied lines and shapes guide the viewer’s eyes in a "horseshoe" like motion around the main architectural shape in the center of the print.  Spacially, the viewer can perceive this as a structure peeking out from the roadside looking outside in.

Swainston applies color, shape and line in the print "But they didn't" to reinforce the feeling of seclusion.  The symmetrical, bold, black shapes in the structure are a clear indication that he wanted the viewer to perceive this piece as a form of architecture in a landscape setting.  The green colors throughout the piece seem to dominate our psyche by making it seem we are in the print, possibly walking in a swamp area in Louisiana or Florida.  Through his use of contrasting color at the base of the print, he renders the illusion of water reflecting off of the landscape.  Whether intentional or unintentional, Swainston is able to convey the emotion of a serene place in this print.

Black Mary

Barrymore A. Moton Art 281 Jason Judd,  International Show viewed at University Galleries Illinois State University Normal, Illinois 22 Sept. '16 Black Mary, or "Molly Princess of Wales." 2016 by Director/Writer/ Producer - Joscelyn Gardner,  Black Mary Lead Actress/Vocalist:  Melanie Jean-Baptiste  Animated video. 33:41 mins. 

Joscelyn Gardner's piece entitled Black Mary is a animate video approx. 33 mins long. It's set in the period of (colonial slavery in the Caribbean) circa 1700's.  This film is  very intriguing for several reasons.  One of which is the cinematography used. The cinematography takes you to the age of the minstrel shows without the Black face or some Vaudevillian skit. Fig. 1.1  It used  the co-actors as mannequin-like stage-props effectively to the extent that it  gave them a voice without any dialogue.  Throughout the film you found yourself waiting for them to have some form of speaking lines.   The fact that it was done in a narrative format added to the aura of this piece. 

Fig. 1.1 Black Mary or "Molly Princess of  Wales" 2016

Gardner has actress/singer Melanie Jean-Baptiste play the lead actor as she performed vocals and narrated on stage shedding light on issues of colonialism, sexism, color-ism, and racism during slavery in the Caribbean.  The story was intelligently presented in narrative form reminiscent to  Fig. 1.2 HBO documentary "Unchained Memories.

Fig. 1.2 "Unchained Memories"

It has been stated in historical archives that the worse slaves were sent to the Caribbean.  However, the main character Black Mary,  was not an incorrigible slave by any means for she was well liked by her master and traveled him to every destination.   It was the fellow fair skinned slaves that gave her problems.  Gardner was able to get the viewer into the mind of Mary by allowing them  to ascertain the toxic relationships between fellow slaves of a lighter hue through the narrative voice of Ms Jean-Baptise. The piece is gritty and pulls no punches when speaking of the atrocities during slavery in the Caribbean. As we went from scene to scene  the stage backdrop would change.   Some of the characters, including the family dog would either be added or subtracted like interchangeable parts to keep the viewers attention off the lead actor and tuned in to the grander scope of the piece.    In Fig. 1.1 she implement text  on the slave shack in the backgroundFor those of you who have the patience or the interest in colonial slave history this piece is right up your alley.  I happen to like artist who choose to embark on different projects in a historical context. In my opinion it’s the duty of every artist to reflect the times in their work.  
as a visual aide to give the visual imagery of some form of slave memoirs as you attempted to follow the rhythm of her voice in unison with the architectural contours of the slave shack in the backdrop. 

Fig. 1.3 Joscelyn Gardner

 Joscelyn Grarderner Fig. 1.3 is a multi-media artist. Feel free to google the introduction to her 2004 exhibition from her show entitled White Skin, Black Kin "Speaking the Unspeakable." Though born in Canada to Canadian and Barbadian parent her roots still lay in her Caribbean ancestry.  A great deal of her work deals with the very issues with which she addressed in her film Black Mary.

"We thought they thought what we thought, but they didn't." (2016) by Rob Swainston
woodblock print on fabric and paper.Viewed at University Galleries Illinois State University Normal, Illinois 6 September 2016.  Rob Swainston's print titled But they didn't represents the mood of isolation and seclusion. by using secondary and tertiary earth tone colors is a strange overall domination of positive space.This print is currently located at the University Galleries in Uptown Normal, Illinois. The print is woodblock on paper and can only be viewed from one side displayed on a wall. This print has a colorful representation of architecture located in the background. The shape of the structure is in distinct contrast of the organic contoured shapes of the same hue that is rendered in a overlapping, distorting fashion to give the affect of swamp foliage.  The darker hues at the right, top and bottom seemingly creates depth in this print as if it were recessed in the back drop;  However it is released in the left portion of the print.  Swainston uses the darker hue to create symmetrical lines to aid the viewer in deciphering what the image or images may represent.   These implied lines and shapes guides the viewers eyes in a "horseshoe" like motion around the main architectural shape in the center of the print.  Spacially the viewer can perceive this as a structure peeking out from the roadside looking outside in. Swainston implemented color, shape and line in the print "But they didn't" to reinforce the feeling of seclusion.  The symmetrical bold black shapes in the structure is a clear indication that he wanted the viewer to perceive this piece as a form of architecture in a landscape setting.  The green colors throughout the piece seem to dominate the viewers psyche' in convincing them into believing that they are actually in the print possibly walking in a swamp area in Louisiana or Florida.  Through his use of contrasting color at the base of the print he was able to give the illusion of water reflecting off of the landscape.  Whether intentional or unintentional Swainston is able to convey the emotion of a serenity in this print.

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Barry Moton
Formal Analysis
6 Sept. 2016
Art 281 Jason Judd


"We thought they thought what we thought, but they didn't." (2016) by Rob Swainston
woodblock print on fabric and paper

Viewed at University Galleries Illinois State University Normal, Illinois 6 September 2016
                                                                  
                                                                  But they didn't

     Rob Swainston's print titled But they didn't represents the mood of isolation and seclusion. by using secondary and tertiary earth tone colors in it's strange overall domination of positive space.This print is currently located at the University Galleries in Uptown Normal, Illinois.

• The print is woodblock on paper and can only be viewed from one side displayed on a wall.
• The print is a colorful representation of architecture located in the background.
• The shape of the structure is in distinct contrast of the organic contoured shapes of the same hue that is rendered in a overlapping, distorting fashion to give the affect of swamp foliage.
• The darker hues at the right, top and bottom seemingly creates depth in this print as if it were recessed in the back drop;  However it is released in the left portion of the print.
• Swainston uses the darker hue to create symmetrical lines to aid the viewer in deciphering what the image or images may represent.   
• These implied lines and shapes guides the viewers eyes in a "horseshoe" like motion around the main architectural shape in the center of the print.
• Spacially the viewer can perceive this as a structure peeking out from the roadside looking outside in.

 Swainston implemented color, shape and line in the print "But they didn't" to reinforce the feeling of seclusion.  The symmetrical bold black shapes in the structure is a clear indication that he wanted the viewer to perceive this piece as a form of architecture in a landscape setting.  The green colors throughout the piece seem to dominate the viewers psyche' in convincing them into believing that they are actually in the print possibly walking in a swamp area in Louisiana or Florida.  Through his use of contrasting color at the base of the print he was able to give the illusion of water reflecting off of the landscape.  Whether intentional or unintentional Swainston is able to convey the emotion of a serenity in this print.

Jason this the blogging page that I have chosen.  I hope that it is the right one for the class.