Me at 40!

This is me at 40 years old.
I am a contemporary artist and have been currently living in the heart of New York City for the past year. It is by far not my favorite place in the world, but I am able to create and sell my work here. I was an elementary school teacher for a while, until I felt my work could have a purpose for change. I will be coming out with a series in inks of the consequences of our government in these modern times. They exaggerate expressions hopelessness and despair to note our suffering. Most of our society continues on in hope of some mysterious change and are not aware of our current state.

Artist Statement

My work is relevant to the future. Our once ideal and beautiful America is now a country of fear and despair. In these horrible times, we must not forget what history tells us. And thus, our future must not forget the vile events that are taking place. My art reflects the deep and faceless expressions of our present times. Since the war has spread and is now in our country, our own government has enforced strict curfews and added many unnecessary laws to control our rapid population. The government is constantly reminding us that they their power is used to protect us from “terrorist attacks” who could be anyone and anywhere. Most agree that our country has become a totalitarian form of government and we have become prisoners to the elite. In just twenty years our world has been turned around. Our economy has gotten better and therefore most of my art sells fairly well. Due to all of the new jobs that opened up for increased security, technological advancements especially in artificial life and weaponry, and stem cell research. Our nation is at its worst state and it is hard to imagine it getting any worse, but I do not doubt it is possible. I feel my art has a purpose in recognizing our struggle as much of our population is still barely getting by. My art maintains a balance between values and space. I try to include minimal nature to represent how barren our society has become in all spectrums.

Letter to the Editor
I read your article that came out in the latest edition of Art Weekly. I am curious in why you would the terms you chose to. I understand how my worked can be viewed as controversial, because of our current political situation. I would expect there to be much controversy in the change my work can provide, but questioning my abilities doesn’t make sense. As a contemporary artist, there is much to be aware of. Light, space, balance, and values are all key points I am constantly battling with. Because of my work in ink it is important not to overdo, otherwise it becomes sloppy and less effective. As for my artwork to be considered trendy, I think that has a lot to do with the turn our society has taken. The war, after all, is a very common theme that deserves much of our attention. I think most can agree on this, as it is the most controversial issue of our time. Because my work usually is sold in a series or at least paired another, I feel my prices are relatively accurate to the supplies I use and my time and research on my subject. My art has reached many homes around the country and has stirred up much controversy over the war in itself. I believe it takes a very personal, yet subtle stance on the war. Most can agree how we are affected by the war, whether we feel it is a necessary sacrifice or a mistake. By continuing to support and spread my work, you are essentially spreading a message that we all can feel is at least worthy of your attention.

The box in the bottom left corner showed many different colors of shades of wood. I tried to highlight those colors- specifically the reds and greens and blues and mix them but keep them together as my square showed. I tried to add different colors to the black background as my picture seemed to show stray colors too.
In the top right I tried to use a series of lines to create what was in my picture. I used mostly yellow and blacks but mixed in reds too like the picture did. I tried to amplify a lot of the subtle colors used.

This is a zoomed image of the top right corner. I kept the very jagged looking approach because that is how I felt the picture portrayed it as. I also put black drops around the piece to unify the piece and to give the same effect as the picture.

"Restaurant" Project

I chose Julian LaVerdiere for my artist for this project. Our group will be constructing trees with a "forest picnic" theme. My tree will be gradually be constructed using wooden sticks and bundling them together and branching off using different substances. I chose LaVerdiere because I feel there is much I can do to express his work and I admire his historical passion. I wanted to do a basic oak tree with his works hanging off and will be using other things such as animals to tie in with our main theme and bring out his works.

My Opposite

For my opposite, I decided to dress in business and more feminine clothes. When I woke up I blow dried and straightened my hair, put in contacts, applied makeup, and wore perfume. I put on a tighter, thinner red shirt with a thick red coat. I felt that the red I chose was bright enough to be loud and draw attention. I wore a skirt and red high heals. I came to class with my laptop and cell phone in hand. I acted like I felt cleanliness and overall appearance was very important. This is my opposite, because I usually dress for comfort. On a typical day I would let my hair, skin, and eyes go natural. I usually do not wear clothes that fit tight to me or dip down low. I am much more laid back and am not very aware of a lot of new technology. I prefer to be around nature and I do not mind if parts of the earth get in my fingernails. I felt very uncomfortable for much of this experience. It was hard to walk in heals and though I forgot about my hair and makeup I was completely shocked when I looked in the mirror. A friend of mine did not recognize me and I felt like others looked at me like I was overly dressed up. Reflecting on this project, I thought it was fun. I thought the planning process was exciting to figure out who I was and who I would create as my opposite.

Frenchy and Janine Antoni

I love the Frenchy's use of color and rhythm in his work. He creates a very alive sensation in his art work and I wish for my project to have this very same feeling. The feeling that fear is alive and stretching out in its own pattern is what my "extra material" will represent.


Janine Antoni's Saddle sculpture conveys much mystery and has an eerie sense to it. Yet the way the folds clump together at the ends has a very attractive appearance too. I liked her work with cloth and the vague message it sends. I wish to use this same mysterious quality in my project.

Beginning Project

For my fear project, I want to use long sheets of cardboard with vertical indents as my background to give the look of a very elongated cage. The feeling of fear to me appears very stretched and surrounded by the sense of not being able to escape. I plan to work on a ceiling to provide different values of light to draw in my main focus. My one object will be a vivid orange cloth, which will appear to be hanging mysteriously. This cloth will represent how fear can be sculpted by whatever your imagination creates out of it. My ultimate goal is to represent the concept that fear itself can take the form of any matter or subject.

Fear of Becoming Deaf

I agree with Andres Moguel's blog about his fear of losing his hearing. As visual of a person I am, I believe that hearing ignites the colors in my head as well as much of the curiosity and joy that follows as its shadow. Through singing voices, different instruments, fluctuating pitch in conversation, creaking crickets, and even shuffling through silverware drawers, it is as if there is a direct connection between color and sound. In the picture, the artist provides different types of people with hearing issues and the different perspectives you can assume they have. It allows your imagination to think of their losses and the things they will never know they missed out on. It is fear in losing a way of experiencing life.

Fear

I have a great fear of the unknown. Spirits, ghosts, demons, possession, or anything that is not tangible and not visible.

I fear the dark and the infinite potential of my own imagination. I fear my own mind and fear itself.

I have severe stage freight. I fear a crowd of swarming eyes that can stab you even from a great distance. I fear the attention and the pressure.

So, about me

I'm Rebecca. One of my favorite works by Dali would be "Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening." I really enjoy his use of imagery and symbolism throughout every one of his works. Anyways, I really am looking forward to this class and learning to incorporate technology and different mediums into my own art!