Celebrating, Graduating
Posted: May 17, 2011 Filed under: Artwork, Inspiration! Leave a comment »Dear Blog,
I am terribly sorry for delay, yet again. I promised to post digital images of my thesis show sooner. But with finals, graduation, and some relaxation, I just haven’t found the time!
Since we last chatted, my artwork took new leaps, and for the first time, I felt like I had a body of work that I was truly proud to exhibit. I received heartwarming and motivational feedback, and I was so happy that I was able to share the experience with my friends and family. In addition to my own work, the rest of the thesis collection–Gracelee Lawrence, Molly Spadone, Alex Minkin, Cloud Gamble, Brittney May, and Laura McGrath–kick an incredible amount of ass, and their talent overwhelms me. What a group of young artists! With that corny sentiment, I present to you my senior thesis. Enjoy, and leave some comments if you feel so inclined.
Lineage. Ink, graphite, charcoal, and gesso on paper. (12′ across and 5′ tall)
Regenerate. Oil and charcoal on canvas. 42″x36″
Revelation. Oil and charcoal on canvas. 40″x 64″
Until Next Time,
Zoe
The thesis is coming, The thesis is coming
Posted: April 11, 2011 Filed under: writing responses Leave a comment »I wanted to share my artist statement with you all. So, voila!
In landscapes the painter should give
the suggestion of a fairer creation than we know.
–Emerson
I am infatuated with flesh, and so I recreate it. I romanticize flesh, making new living versions of it, exploring all of its visceral splendor. The bodies that I envision in my paintings and drawings—like myself—are never satisfied in their current physical and emotional state, so they evolve. It is my greatest aesthetic desire to enliven these forms, and to depict them in their natural light.
I often lose myself in these new creations. I forget about the expectations and limitations associated with the body. In my work I render flesh into amorphous figures—taking the shifting forms of hills, caverns, and streams—finally transforming the undesirable into the divine. The morphing shapes portray the body as nature, creating a romance between the tender and the grotesque, the sacred and the sacrilegious.
Regenerate, for example, emphasizes the physical and emotional evolution of each form. The multifarious body parts live in a confined space, simultaneously combining and counteracting as they strive to be independent of one another. This painting, among others, speaks to my own dilemma about the complex—and ever-changing—nature of the body.
The thesis show is approaching fast. April 22nd! I am feeling much more confident than I was a couple of weeks ago. Once my work is officially finished, I will of course post the digital images here on the blog. They should be up in no more than two weeks.
Until Then,
Zoe
Having a Hell of a Good Time
Posted: March 10, 2011 Filed under: Artwork, Inspiration! | Tags: artist statement, beaches, bodies, contemporary art, fabulous fatty things, florida, oil paint, romanticism, spring Leave a comment »Dear Sweet Blog,
How I have missed you! I recently came back from Florida, and I am now enjoying a relaxing spring break in North Carolina. My current pastimes have been cooking and drinking wine. Oh yeah…and I have been working in the studio (somewhat)! I know–this always happens–I get too caught up in my life to slow down and just…breath. I honestly think that journaling (or blogging) is one of the healthiest activities, and I think more should participate in this recreation! Yet, I don’t make nearly enough time for it. I sketch constantly in my paper journals, but I am still not able to articulate my concepts to the best of my abilities. This is what the blog is here for!
Ah yes, being able to speak about art…I marvel at those who can stand in front of a room and speak for hours on end about their process. I have been having some difficulties. For one, I am in the midst of writing a formal artist statement. And then, I recently gave my first “artist’s talk”–if I am not counting my presentation at the Women’s Studies Conference at Guilford College last spring. I have had some success; but alas, my problem is ALWAYS that I tackle too much at one time. For instance, my current inspirations are ranging from Renoir to 20th-century feminist artists like Louise Bourgeois, to more contemporary painters like Cecily Brown and Alexis Rockman, to 19th-century naturalists like Thomas Cole! One could say that I have to narrow down my thought process…But one could also argue that this is the perfect time in one’s life to compile an assortment of influences, until one’s head is spilling with ideas! So, maybe to make this entry less confusing, I will state my current process a little more simply:
I am studying the human body, in its physical form, but also exploring its potential as a symbol–drawing definite inspiration from the 19th century Romanticists–I aim to show the figures in a purer and unrefined state. By releasing my energy into these representative forms, I strive to discover certain truths–raw human desires, fears, and dilemmas, if you will–and to exhibit these temperaments, as the characters interact with one another and evolve, emerging or dissolving within their natural environments!
Phew, that’s a mouthful! It felt a little easier to articulate than it has in the past, but as you can probably tell, my ideas keep changing on me. It is supposed to be confusing. If there was an easy answer to all of this, I wouldn’t be doing it. The battle is truly half of the fun.
Now, I will shut up, and show you my babies. Do I really have to title them?? Ugh, yes. I suppose that I do.
This first painting is the only piece that I showed as “finished” during my midterm critique. It’s funny–but now that I revisit this painting, I realize that it is definitely not finished. The working title is Regenerate.
Here are a couple of details:
Please, tell me what you think–I would love some feedback about the “finished” quality of this painting.
NEXT, I will show two paintings in progress. The first is a very young baby, and the second is a teenager, going through a very awkward phase (pimples, braces…you name it).
Are you ready for more? Let’s progress into the drawings. These next two are “studies” that I did when I was feeling especially anxious and a little blocked. I appropriately call them my Anxiety Drawings #1 and #2.
And finally! The biggest babies that I have to show today are part of my epic-landscape-series. They take an incredible amount of inspiration from the Romantic landscape painters, and yet, they depict the same characters that live in the paintings. I suppose you could call the large drawings together a diptych, since together they are one unified piece (5′ tall and 12′ across). They currently live on my studio walls, divided by a corner–but in the final show, there will be no corner dividing them.
I have decided to leave the large drawings black and white–Simple, yet classic!
That is all the work I have to show for today. Stay tuned because this ALL has to get finished in the next FIVE WEEKS, with the addition on ONE MORE PAINTING (which I need to start this week, yiiikkees). Also, within the next week or so, I should have a finalized artist statement, which I will post for all viewers to see.
I hope that I will have time for this blog in the upcoming weeks, but alas, I’m a busy woman who is about to graduate. I am trying to remain in the present, so as not to stifle myself with stress. Future plans? Jobs? All I want to do is think about the ocean….
And on that note, I will leave you with the lovely beaches of Florida.
Goodnight to all.
A Bientot,
Zoe
Recent Inspirations (Bright Colors, Lucious Paint–Oh My!)
Posted: January 24, 2011 Filed under: Artists, Inspiration! | Tags: alexis rockman, cecily brown, charles burchfield, cool contemporary art, installation, jufy pfaff, kamrooz aram, louise bourgeois, oil paint 1 Comment »Dear Blogosphere,
How have you been? I have been great–I’ve been doing a lot of adjusting in these past few weeks. I’m back in North Carolina, and I am already in the midst of homework, projects, and everything else that goes on at college. But…Oh yeah, it’s my last semester of college. This means that besides getting all of my work done, I am also juggling a senior thesis, and all of my life plans.
One thing at a time, one thing at a time. My current attitude about this semester is to enjoy my last months here, to take care of myself, and–for better words–to take this art thesis by the balls. What I mean is that my other work (which is all literature) might get a little slack because so much of my time and energy will go into making this spring show kick-ass. That actually might already be happening.
So, you might be curious about what I’ve been doing in this last month. Honestly, most of my energy so far has gone into excessive planning. Yet, I feel like it’s all been very productive, and now that my work is actually starting, I have a fairly clear direction of where I’m going.
What has really helped me recently is looking at TONS of contemporary influences. This is going to be a blog entry entirely dedicated to these artists. I started to get into this type of research first when Louise Bourgeois passed away last semester, and I thought to myself, “Hm, maybe I should find a couple of new heroes.” Then, genius Judy Pfaff came to Greensboro, and I went to see her work at the Weatherspoon Museum of Art. She became my new hero. My mission is to find even more Judy Pfaffs, to find more inspiration, which will hopefully keep my own work interesting.
Judy Pfaff: http://www.judypfaff.org/
OK, let’s go through the list, shall we? Next up: painter Cecily Brown.
Gorgeous, gorgeous colors in all of her paintings. Exquisite surfaces, textures, and layering. She makes me want to explore what I can do with landscape, playing with positive and negative space, and blending the subject matter into its environment.
Charles Burchfield:
Um, seriously, where has Mr. Burchfield been all of my life? Who knows, maybe his work wouldn’t have interested me a few years ago. Now that I am moving more in the direction of fantastical landscapes (that’s at least what I am striving for), Burchfield’s paintings are right up my alley. Plus, these are painted on PAPER, which makes them even more sultry. Here’s another
Next is an artist with some similar imagery, Kamrooz Aram:
Look at those colors, for goodness sakes.
Lastly, I’m going to post another landscape painter, Alexis Rockman. His work is really speaking to me right now, although I have no desire to paint as realistically as he does. Imagine paintings that are a combination of Kamrooz Aram’s stylization and Alexis Rockman’s expressive brushwork and monumental scale. Eh eh??
(This painting is part of a huge panel of at least six paintings, titled “South.”)
Don’t be deceived by these influences. I am not necessarily trying to paint just like them. My work is still fatty, drippy, and oozy. There also might be a lot less paint than I originally anticipated. Mixed media drawings are really speaking to me right now.
There will be pictures up of my current works-in-progress hopefully over the weekend.
Stay Tuned,
Zoe
A New Beginning
Posted: December 26, 2010 Filed under: Artwork, Inspiration! | Tags: Black Swan, break, caves, christmas food, drawings, fears, holiday, painting, subconcious Leave a comment »Dear Blog,
I am sorry that I am so awful at blogging. I know that I originally promised that I would blog six times before Christmas break. Oh well–I never plan accordingly! No matter, I am at home in Massachusetts, and I think that I have officially rested up. It took me at least nine days to drain my mind and to sleep ten hours a day…I went through some major waves of uncertainty, but mainly, I’ve just been lazy.
In other news…
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! Besides spending wonderful amounts of time with my family and friends, I have been cooking every day, which means too much eating for the entire family. I have made Moroccan vegetable stew, sausage and sweet potato soup, double chocolate cake, spaghetti with turkey pesto meatballs, and yesterday, on Christmas (even though we don’t technically celebrate it), my mother and I made a rib roast au jus, which was out of this world. Yes, I have eaten well this week. I have sat on my ass and watched a lot of television. I went to the movie theater and saw Black Swan, as well as True Grit–both which were excellent. But have I gotten anything really accomplished lately?
Let’s back up a bit, shall we? Since I don’t believe I’ve blogged since midterm, we have a lot of catching up to do. I have finished my large-scale drawings, completed 1-2 more paintings (one is small, and I don’t care much about it), and started another large painting. The reason that I didn’t have more completed by finals was mainly because I had several technical difficulties. Not to get into it too much–I had a hard time building a giant canvas frame, and then I used some very faulty gesso on my built canvas. Basically, there was a lot of time wasted, and there are many regrets. However, I can only keep looking ahead, and it helps to observe what I’ve accomplished this semester.
So, let’s move forward. Here is my finished painting, titled Creature #1.
Here is my untitled baby painting, which has been poorly photographed. Sorry!
Next, I suppose I will jump into my giant drawings…
These “landscapes” are made from a combination of charcoal, ink, graphite, conte crayon, acrylic paint, and gesso. I didn’t exactly plan what these guys were going to look like…But I did have a vague idea. The fact that these drawings and paintings could go in any direction right now is terrifying. Yet, what might be even more terrifying at this point is the fact that this work could be too limiting for me. The constant fear of running out of ideas and running out of inspiration is totally stifling. Not to reveal too many of my anxieties (haha…), but it is difficult to feel enthusiastic about this giant thesis project that I am embarking on. Why? I know that it’s wimpy to admit that my fears control my life–but that’s the honest truth. I know that there is a lot holding me back, and I need to let go. I need to really empty my mind.
Now I must ask myself, why do I love what I’m doing? (By the way, this is absolutely an exercise for myself, and you can stop reading at any time.) I’m going to make a list.
1. I am intrigued by the subconscious and the creations that come organically from my head.
2. The work I have produced thus far (since July or so) has surprised me. I didn’t realize it could have a universal affect on people. Moreover, I never realized how it could emotionally and mentally affect me.
3. The materials I am using. This must be mentioned. When I said earlier that I am driven by fear; this is extremely evident in my fear of new materials. I think that my drawings were breaking through, and they were hitting a new level of creativity that I had never experienced. Also, I am exploring paint like never before, as I scrape away and layer. This is evident in Creature #1.
4. Art gives me a voice. It makes me feel spontaneous, sophisticated, independent. Yet, what makes this project so extremely challenging is that it gives me all of the freedom and independence in the world–and most of the time I would like to feel like I’m in a secure blanket. I don’t like creating half of the time–and I think other artists who claim otherwise are lying to you. Making art is not only liberating, but it is freakishly intimidating as well.
I’m going to stop there because I am afraid of rambling until the end of time. I would like to make one last note, however. When I saw Black Swan last week, I couldn’t help but feeling like I was going crazy along with Nathalie Portman’s character. Portman plays a ballerina who feels like she will never be good enough, and that her work will never be perfect. Her obsession with aesthetic perfection ultimately leads to her downfall…And without giving too much away, her battle with herself (or her subconscious) becomes her greatest obstacle in achieving what she wants.
Oh gosh, I don’t want to become a deranged ballerina next semester. I cannot let this thesis project take over my life!
Umm, yup.
That’s all for now! I will write again in the new year.
Love,
Zoe
New Work!!! (Well, Not The MOST Recent…)
Posted: November 12, 2010 Filed under: Artwork | Tags: abstraction, bodies, breasts, bright colors, caves, drips, guilford, oils, painting 3 Comments »Hello Again,
This is my last blog post today–I PROMISE.
I am posting a couple more paintings, mainly because my mother keeps asking about one in particular. The first is much older, that I had actually posted earlier as a work in progress, but the second is the one that I finished to submit into the student show at Guilford College. The second is titled “Romance.” Enjoy!
OK, that is all for now. I will hopefully post again in a week or so. My giant drawing will probably be finished by then…And I have another painting in the works!
A Tout,
Zoe
Remember Italy?
Posted: November 12, 2010 Filed under: Artists, Inspiration! Leave a comment »Hi All,
I am posting again, since the last post was an old post that I went in and re-edited. The last post is still extremely relevant. I am still using those artists and landscapes as inspirations. But I also really wanted to explain my intentions, since it is not always very clear (especially not to me). So, where to begin?
First, I want to re-post a video that I just remembered earlier this afternoon. I was thinking a lot about loneliness, and how to really embody the feeling in a painting, while working in abstraction. Then, I remembered this piece by Valerio Berruti that I saw at the Venice Biennale. It was one of my favorite pieces, and it brought me to tears:
I am really interested in this idea of the child, and a lost innocence in my paintings. I started thinking about this in my Victorian Literature class today when we were talking about Lacan and his theories about the child falling from a “world of images” into a “world of symbols.” Anyone who is familiar with Lacan will know what I am referencing…Basically, there is the concept that the child is attached to their relationship withtheir mother, which is all they know–until they see their reflection in the mirror for the first time. Thus, after this confrontation with one’s true self, the person should confront the world of symbols, and one’s own individuality. I think my work is currently involved in this subconscious idea of the mind taking over the body, and what decisions one makes after they separate themselves from the mother and from the world of innocence. How do we perceive the world around us, and how to we judge ourselves? In the world of symbols, we are introduced to beauty, ego, and sex.
These are all things that I am thinking about…But who knows what will come of it! Honestly, I just have to keep painting. When I get stressed and anxious, as I have recently been, it is hard to wrap my mind around these giant concepts.
In other news, I have three pieces in the student art show at Guilford College. The largest painting (and probably the best that I have done) has not yet been photographed, but I am on my way to do that now! I will post it later today.
I hope you all enjoy.
Love,
Zoe
Inspiration, Galore!
Posted: November 12, 2010 Filed under: Artists, Inspiration!, Photography Leave a comment »Dear Bloggers,
It’s me again! It is not my intention to share any of new art with you all today. Rather, I would like this post to be dedicated to my current inspirations. I am hoping that this post will help me sort my own thoughts out, so maybe, I can confidently approach my next painting(s). Below, you will first see a random assortment of landscapes, then a few pieces by contemporary artists that I admire.
These photos were taken in Pont-Aven France, in “Le Bois d’Amour” (The Woods of Love)
Random Cave photos that I’ve been looking at:
Petah Coyne, my new favorite sculptor:
Photographs by Ryan McGinley, who I’ve just learned about. His photographs are really relating to what I am creating right now in my paintings. He is playing with organic, realistic subject matter, and sometimes abstracting the atmosphere to make it into a “dreamscape.” His relationship to landscapes and the human body is also really interesting.
I love love love McGinley’s work.
I’m planning on blogging again later tonight, so stay tuned…
Z
A New Year, Continued…
Posted: October 22, 2010 Filed under: Artwork | Tags: college art, female form, figure, ink, paintings, studio, thesis 1 Comment »Hello Again,
I have spent most of my afternoon compiling these latest photos, so I hope you all appreciate it! But honestly, I’m glad I finally sat down and organized my photos. I also listened to a lot of Arcade Fire while I worked, so all in all, it was a lovely afternoon.
I want to show these in the most orderly fashion. I suppose I am going to continue to reveal my photos chronologically. Alas, we will start by looking at the beginning of the semester. Here we go…
WELCOME TO MY STUDIO! This is where dreams are made.
This is the goofy sculpture I made. I will discuss it further, probably in another post. I also have this lovely mirror where I sometimes draw from the body.
Speaking of which…
This is probably the first figure drawing I was really happy with this semester.
This is the beginning of a painting, which I finished (maybe) just recently. Sorry about the poor photo quality!
I was feeling rather dreamy when I drew this. I’m not crazy about it, but it’s nice to know that I still enjoy pastels!
I think this is the stage of the semester when my work started to become more unified. I stopped “playing around.” This drawing is a direct reaction to the black and white drawing from the summer (see previous post).
Here is one of my favorites. Once my painting professor started encouraging me to draw more, I couldn’t stop. I also began to experiment with mixed media, which, for someone who often gets bored in one medium, was a wonderful discovery. This drawing is charcoal, graphite, ink, and gesso.
Drawing has proven to be a better way for me to plan out space and to create these livable environments, before translating it into paint, which has proven to be much more challenging. Painting still feels like a second language, while drawing has always felt like my first. However, I always love a challenge, and while I am satisfied with my drawings, I want my paintings to be equally successful. They should illustrate the same feeling, and thus create illusions that are just as legible as the drawings.
As I stated before, I am still working from the figure. I have been privileged to have friends who will model for me. I probably won’t have the same opportunities once it gets colder, and no one will want to take their clothes off anymore…
These are typically always done in charcoal of some sort, and ink.
This is a pretty straightforward figure painting, done in palette knife. Although it’s strictly figurative, I’m pretty fond of it. I am getting AWFULLY excited about paint application.
This is my latest figure drawing. Thank you, thank you, thank you, my models.
Now, let’s step back for a moment and look at my space!
I present my largest piece yet, which is actually pretty blank in this photo. It is a 5′ piece of paper, and it will eventually be a very large-scale drawing.
One side of the room…
Here’s another side.
And another!
Typically messy.
Mmm, paint.
Well, that brings the photo spectacular to a close, FOR NOW. I regrettably don’t have my three latest paintings up here because…well, they’re not finished! The goal is to finish them in the next couple of days, so in due time, they will be online.
Also, I will be posting a lot of close-up photos of my sculpture, which I am continuing to build on. The giant drawing will be documented as well, throughout the long process. There will also be plenty of “inspiration photos,” i.e. artwork by other artists, landscapes, ect…So stay tuned…
There are six weeks left of this semester, so I think it would be a realistic goal to post at least six times by December. But be patient with me, my blogging audience, since I have PLENTY of other work that needs to get done. Frankly, I’d rather focus mainly on my art thesis…But it’s always a balance. Heck, I asked for this when I decided not to go to art school!
I hope you all enjoy the photos.
Until Next Time,
Zoe
A New Year with So Many New Adventures
Posted: October 22, 2010 Filed under: Artwork, Inspiration! | Tags: blobs, bodies, college art, figure, ink, madness, oil paint, thesis Leave a comment »Dear Blogging Universe,
I have missed this blog. Why have I not kept it up? There have been so many reasons. For one, as you may or may not know, I am no longer living in France. When I was in France, I had to complete blog entries for homework. Well, now that I am back in the states, and back at my little liberal arts college, I definitely do not have required blog submissions, nor do I have the time to really sit down and blog.
But it’s all a matter of balance. If I want to make time for this blog, I should be able to make the time. I am currently on fall break, for a few more days, and I would love to share what I have been working on for the past 4 months or so. It has actually been 4 months since I returned home to Massachusetts, then flew back to school, and started my senior year. I don’t understand how time is passing so quickly. My senior year has brought a bundle of new challenges to the table–My senior thesis (which is painting-based) is in full drive, and there is a lot of pressure to work harder than I ever have before.
Today I will show you first some ideas that I organized during the summer. I will discuss those in some detail, but then I hope to discuss my current work in more detail, and share some of my inspiration. Lately, it has been difficult for me to articulate what “I am trying to do.” Where am I going? Why do I paint what I paint? These are questions that I have to keep considering, since I eventually have to present this work, write artist statements, ect….
The good news is that I am a lot more confident about my ideas and my work than I was one year ago. Thus, I am noticeably taking more risks. However, I have so much left to learn, and in a very short period of time. I am learning so much more about the language of paint application. For instance, I only use paint brushes for about half of the time now. For the remainder of time, I am scraping away with pallet knives. Scratch marks and scribbles are ways that I would like to redefine my paintings, and moreover, I would like to make a better connection between my drawings and my paintings. The paintings have really been based off of the drawings. I never knew I loved drawing so much until I tried etching (Look at previous post).
Anyway, the count-down for the final thesis show starts now: In approximately 6 months, I will have a finished body of work. Yikes.
To start off this blogging spectacular, here are a few things that I made over the summer.
The first drawing was probably the best piece I created all summer. The funny thing about it is that I created it without thinking, and rather accidentally. After I made it, I realized that my other work should strive to have the same qualities: implied space, depth, contrast…Also what makes the drawing successful, I think, is that it is based off of these reoccurring blob-like characters. This figures REALLY excite me because they can be anything I want them to be. They can fold over each other or fall back in space. They can create mysterious landscapes, revealing all sorts of hidden treasures. This might not make very much sense at the moment because I haven’t shown my most recent work. What one needs to know is that this is all still based off the figure. I am still studying the figure a lot in my spare time. However, I am only studying parts of the body–typically the parts that carry the most weight and stress. I will show some of these later.
I will return later today to add more photos.
A Bientot,
Zoe
