Laziness

Laziness is setting in. I can feel it creeping up behind me. I should probably finish my journals before it over takes me.

Today I forwarded my ap test which means I am almost done=] Friday is my bday and well I’m excited. Friday is also my ap test so I’m extremely excited for that! Saturday is grad bash, I cant wait for the chance to roam universal with some of my closet friends. Hopefully we don’t attract trouble. Hehe.

Don’t forget to attend my wise presentation on the 11^th, it will be spectacular!

OBEY!

  It’s unmistakable, clear as day; when you see it you automatically know what it is and to whom it belongs. In the world of logos and symbols many companies like Apple, McDonalds, and Nike are everyday occurrences. Children often know who Ronald McDonald is, but not who George Washington is.

In the world of art symbols and logos play a major role, one of the biggest being Shepard Fairey, the lone creator of one of the biggest --and by far the most radical-- art propaganda ever. With a single idea he created the company/experiment OBEY. He observed that people react differently to different forms of media. He went on to create a sticker/ art movement to evoke emotion, like what he says in the company’s manifesto “The sticker has no meaning but exists only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for meaning in the sticker. Because OBEY has no actual meaning, the various reactions and interpretations of those who view it reflect their personality and the nature of their sensibilities.”

 

In AP Art this week have been given the task to create our own symbol/logo. Having a background in street art and quick doodles, I decided to have a quick almost tag-like floating robot symbol that I have been drawing for quite some time. I plan on drawing it out in black and white, that way I can scan it and use it for business cards, letterheads, and even use it as a signature on the back of some of my works.

WE MUST MOVE FORWARD BUT NOT FORGET

For all intensive purposes this is a blog not only about art but more importantly life. In the past week my friends and I had to deal with a crushing blow. Two of our own tragically passed away on Sunday following a single car accident near Naples. Everyone is hurting and it is apparent, now more then ever, that we need to look past our differences and come together as a united group. We must move forward but not forget. We must mourn the lost, and pray for the ones that survived.

This week, due to the accident, I have decided to try to contribute something to the memory of the deceased. I’ve weighed my options, and I have decided to paint a portrait of my friend Sasha, one of the 2 who didn’t make it. I want the painting to symbolize her life and her passion for it.

Everyone mourns differently; some keep to themselves, while others let it all out. I, on the other hand, I’m someone who keeps busy, keeps moving forward. This is partly because if I stop I start to think, and my mind starts to wander around memories and secrets I have never got the chance to tell and then it becomes painful. A wise man once said, “When a friend dies, a piece of you dies with them”.  I guess I never really connected to this quote until now. Something is missing and I don’t know how to fill the void, so I guess for now I’ll just plug it with art, and hopefully it heals in time.

CONNCENTRATION 2011

As many of you know I am in AP Studio Art, but most of you don’t know that the AP Art test is one of the hardest AP tests out there. We spend most of the year working on our test. Our test consists of 3 sections: Breadth, Concentration, and Quality. Between these sections we have 24 works of art. 12 in Concentration, 12 in Breadth, and Quality is made up of 5 of our best pieces from both of the previous sections.

To submit the test we most have the 24 works uploaded to CollogeBoard.com and the 5 Quality pieces postmarked and sent by May 6 (which is also my Birthday). Lately I have been working on the second section; the Concentration. For our Concentration we must pick a subject to draw or paint about. I chose the circle of life. Here is my Concentration commentary to explain it in a little bit more depth.

 

CONCENTRATION COMMENTARY

The central idea of my concentration is the food chain, more importantly the food chain between reptiles, insects, amphibians, aquatic creatures, aerial animals, and of course humans.

To demonstrate the connection between reptiles, insects, amphibians, aquatic creatures, aerial animals, and humans I have created drawings using ballpoint pens. I render the predator in red representing evil and power in pieces one through nine. By portraying these beings in their natural habitat I have shown what they eat in order to survive.  Starting with insects and arachnids (piece one, two, and three) I have shown how they prey on flesh and suck on blood. Later in my concentration I show the creatures that eat these insects, and immediately after that I show animals that devour the creatures that eat the insects, including a frog, fish, lizard, shark, bird, and snake. Lastly, I confront the situation where there is no definite prey or predator, like in Piece eleven in which a Great White Shark battles an Orca Whale. Both creatures are predators carrying the symbolic red on their forms.

CBTV INTERVIEW

To give up on a dream is to give up on yourself. For that I will never give up on my dream, I will push till I achieve it.

Today I was interviewed by CBTV [our school’s TV program] about art and my views on it. It was an interesting experience. The questions varied from where I plan on going in the future to how did I come into art. Of course I answered like any other artist would; I answered from my heart. I decided to look past the corniness of my answers because they were the truth.

My segment will air on Friday. I don’t believe it will change anyone’s perception about art, but it would be cool if it did. I plan on walking in on Monday with my head held high; if people laugh I will laugh also because what they think truly doesn’t matter to me. I am myself and I will never be something else.

PRO

Going from a slow and almost extinct computer to a fast one is mind blowing. Going from a PC to a Mac is extraordinary. The PC might be the Personal Computer, but Macs are the People’s Computer. It’s unbelievable how easy it is to use, and it comes loaded with amazingly helpful applications and programs. I wonder how I ever lived with out it.

Today on my MacBook Pro I downloaded two new programs, one being a sketchbook application I haven’t tried out yet, and the other being a program called iSplash. It is a photo-enhancing program. I open a photo and the program makes the photo black & white. Then with a magic wand I decide what parts of the photo should be in color.

This computer was definitely an investment, but it was an investment well invested. Investment. This will help my talents as an artist grow; it will allow me to connect with more people. If you get a chance to buy a Mac then go for it, take a chance, trust me you will be undoubtedly amazed.

FOUL BALLS AND STOLEN BASES

What did you accomplish in the last week? BE SPECIFIC. This could include good resources you found in your research and/or good experiences you had. Remember that the details of this will be in your daily journals.

In the past week I accomplished uploading half of my AP Test to CollegeBoard.com. I also ordered my MBP for college because my little old net book finally crapped out and died. I also read this magazine called Juxtapoz, which is an art and culture magazine. This issue was about street art and the birth of graffiti.

 What problems did you encounter this week?

This week the only problem I encountered was the death of my computer. But other than that it has been a pretty chill week.

What do you plan to do and/or accomplish in the next week?

This week I plan on finishing my concentration for AP Art. I am also going to research the cheapest but also the strongest photo editing software I can acquire for my MBP when it comes on Tuesday.

What provided you with satisfaction this week?

This week the satisfaction of finishing my floral vase and seeing that it is pretty unique compared to everyone else’s in my class. I went to the Marlins game on Wednesday where I caught a foul ball, so ya that was pretty satisfactory. Also I got satisfaction from seeing insidious on Tuesday with friends; it was a nice break from a hectic week.

What were you unhappy or dissatisfied with this past week?

I was unhappy about having no school on Monday, sure days off are nice but it threw my whole cycle for the week off. I was also dissatisfied with me forgetting my camera at home when I went to the baseball game.

BASICS

I’m bored with the common and the basic. I want to create something out of the ordinary; something no one has thought of. I want to work with a media undiscovered, but I have to remind myself to take baby steps. I’ve always heard timing is everything, so I intently wait for my chance.

Clay has been around since the dawn of man, but to me it is a new media, possibly the ideal media for me to step outside the box. In ceramics we create things I’ve only dreamed of. This media allows me to bring my doodles to life.

This weekend my main objective is to create a unique totem. My mind has been spinning with ideas all day. I have decided to make my totem a mixture of different subjects, portraying how cluttered with ideas my head is. Unconnected subjects coming together to create a work of art, a piece of me.

DIMMED FUTURE

If I wanted to be wealthy, I wouldn’t create art.  My future might be dim with art, some nights I might not eat. To be honest I’m scared of the future. I don’t know what I holds for me. But the one thing I do know for sure is that art will always be a big part of it. The world might as well stop if I stopped creating. For without art I lose my guiding light, I lose that last beacon of hope, and my already dim world goes black.

I’m not scared of the demons that face me; I’m scared that the demons will be my doing. Like family, art will be there for me during hard times. My relationship with art will never break. Art will never desert me.  I’m fine with not eating some nights; it’s a small sacrifice for keeping my soul. My dimmed future doesn’t scare me, for I’m the one dimming it.

This week we started our vases in ceramics. I restarted mine because I wanted to create something out of the ordinary. My new idea is rough; right now it has something to do with tentacles. Mr. McKnight says the piece needs to be at least 10 inches high, I’m at about 4, so I have a lot of work to go.

KEEP GOING.

 My deadline for my AP Art class is approaching and I have been working pretty hard. I wrote my concentration commentary this weekend, which is the reasoning behind why we created the body of work. Here is a copy of mine, enjoy:

 CONCENTRATION COMMENTARY

The central idea of my concentration is the food chain, more importantly the food chain between Reptiles, Insects, Amphibians, Aquatic Sea Creatures, Aeronautic Animals, and of course humans.

To demonstrate the connection between Reptiles, Insects, Amphibians, Aquatic Sea Creatures, Aeronautic Animals, and humans I have created drawings using ballpoint pens. By portraying these beings in their natural habitat I have shown what they eat in order to survive.  Starting with insects I have shown how they pray on flesh and suck on blood, later in the concentration I show the creatures that eat these insect. Immediately after that I show animals that eat the creatures that eat the insects. Lastly I confront the situation where there is no definite prey or predator.  

FOR THE FUTURE

Ok im planning on applying for a scholarship and it requires an essay on what i will do with the money and how it will help me in the long run. well here it is, for your viewing pleasure...

While pursuing a degree in Photography and Business Management I will be combining two opposite disciplines, one being predominately right-brained and the other being mostly left- brained.  With the skills I will acquire in these fields of learning, I anticipate opening my own gallery, in which I will show works by young aspiring high school students. As  a current high school student I know all too well the hardships of getting my work out there where people can see it; I arduously look for every opportunity to exhibit my work. So far my blog has been the only place I have been able to exhibit my passion and talent. The art community is like a wall; you can claw at it all you want, but most likely you won’t get past it. With this gallery I will give students the ladder to get over the wall.  Offering a place for the youth to express can also open opportunities to them they would never receive in a traditional school setting.  Artists can interact with the next generation, teach them and apprentice them, offer them guidance or just come in for workshops to help students improve their techniques. As a result of going through my struggle I want to help high-schoolers become artists by displaying their art work in a gallery where total strangers can view it, hopefully encouraging them to try harder and push their artistic abilities. High school students deserve to be heard and seen, because lots of high school students are outrageously talented. Most of society views them as naïve children and won’t give them the time of day, giving them the message that their ideas don’t matter. But because they are young they bring a fresh approach to expression. With the gallery I will be able to reciprocate the charity that was given to me through this scholarship. 

Broken Rules

If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for everything. In lifer everyone much chose something to stand for. From their religion to their favorite radio station. To truly stand for something you must be willing to die for it, you must be willing to push past boundaries for it. Like with my friend Nick, he is a very talented photographer, especially in the South Florida ska scene. What makes him different and ultimately unique is that during concerts he jumps right into the pits with his trusty Nikon at his side snapping photos. Most concert photographers would never risk doing that, but that’s what makes Nick a true artist, he shows his love for the arts by pushing boundaries.

I believe rules are meant to be broken, walls are meant to be torn down (well in this case bombed), and art should be shared with everyone.

52 CENTS

First day of spring break, and I’m already covered in paint. I left school early and headed over to goodwill and home depot. At goodwill I found an awesome sweater for $5, which is awesome because I was pretty called today. I also acquired a pretty decent size canvas for $5 which saved me about $15. The best part of this trip was home depot was finding the recycled/damaged wood they sell at home depot, I found a perfect plank of wood for only 52 cents.

The moment I got home I whipped out my paints and brushes and started to free style on the plank. I cold visualize the piece in my head and I just let my hand do the talking for my brain. I ended up creating this eye piece in which I plan on layering on top of with gold paint and other colors, maybe I will even add my signature line I doodle on everything.

I DIDN'T START BEING AN ARTIST, PEOPLE STOPPED

Originality is hard to come by in high school, most people copy personality, style, and even habits from ether their friends or the media. It seems like no one thinks for themselves these days, it seems originality died with the birth of the modern technology.  For some this is simply not the case, some seem to radiate originality, it’s like as if everything they do is brand new.

Without being cocky I would like to say I’m original, but not in that “I try really hard to be different way.” I don’t try and that’s the key, I am myself, and if people don’t except that then I guess they’re just one of those brain washed students I see walking the halls aimlessly between classes.

Art resembles society, to be an artist you must be original, you must fight urges to copy others. As an artist you must practice, develop, and master your own personal style. In my art I draw inspiration from all sectors of my life; from nature to literature.

Reverting to one of my previous blogs about my cultural mask, I consciously chose to be an individual, I observed the world around me, seeing fellow class mates giving up on their own creativeness and just deciding to create a cookie cutter mask like everyone else.

As people pass by and see me in an almost comatose state with my headphones blasting Modest Mouse,   working on my undoubtedly unique mask, they can’t help but to be inspired. With this newly found inspiration they start to think and create for themselves.

RACING AT DAYTONA 2011

For this Post i have decided to create a video from all the footage me nad my dad got from Daytona this year.

follow the link and enjoy.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiPUEqgy4LA

FOR THE STAR WAR NERDS

It’s amazing how customs vary from culture to culture. In Africa they make tribal masks to warn off spirits, and in Mexico they hold the day of the dead, where they dress up in costumes and wear masks to honor the deceased. In America we have Halloween, where we dress up in costumes and wear masks to scare people and earn candy.  

In ceramics class today we researched different masks of the world, from tribal to animal. I have been given the task to pick a culture to represent and create a mask that goes with it. My classmates have chosen the typical ideas; Buddha, African, etc. But because I can think for myself, I have decided to create the most unbelievable and epic mask based off the culture I know so well, American.

The plans for my American mask have been laid out. With great thought, I have decided on two distinct themes: pop culture and war. The mixture of both will result in Darth Vader mixed with a gas mask.

GIVE AND TAKE

Art is about give and take, but most of the time it's more give than take. You put hours into a piece of art and all you get back is simple, intrinsic, gratitude; but sometimes you get lucky and you win a competition or sell a piece and everything is worth it. A thin line exists between an artist who creates for themselves and an artist who creates for money. I think we all start out creating for ourselves and then we get wrapped up in money and fame and many artist just stop becoming artists and start becoming pay for hire creators or designers.

The greatest thing about a blog is that I can rant on whatever I want, well as long as it’s within the realm of art. Today I attended a local art show where I displayed some artwork and viewed others. I talked to this guy David, who I think I connected to, and who will be a great contact in a few years or so.

David is a self-taught artist who creates art as he pleases. he currently works out of his apartment and is planning on moving to a thousand square foot warehouse where he will set up his studio, gallery, and his home. I'm hoping by the time I get out of college David will have his new place set up and will maybe let me apprentice for him.

MY OWN BEING

With the majority of my T-Rex Rattle’s foot separated from his slightly wet body, I leaped into action, grabbing a cup full of slip and a beveling knife. I started to operate. Applying the slip cautiously to the dismembered body and the foot, I painstakingly stuck the foot back on the stub at the end of the muscular leg. Stepping back to take a look at my patient’s freshly treated wounds, I caught a glimpse of gratitude in his eyes.

After he was healed up and the slip dried securing the 2 pieces, I placed him into the kiln. As I type this post he lays in a blistering hot bed, slowly becoming immortalized in time.

In a few days I get to either see my T-REX stand tall on 2 feet or see him fall, crippled by a heavy head and weak heart. If he decides not to stand proud, I will lean him against something so no one will know of his weakness.  I won’t look at him any differently. I will love him the same, for he is my own creation.

TITANS OF PAVEMENT

Like thunder bolts hurled from Zeus’s godly hand they zoomed past. If you blink, even for a millisecond, you miss them. Like Thor’s hammer they clashed, titans of the road, gods of pavement.

The Daytona 500 was this weekend and I was right in the middle of it. With my trusty sidekick Betsy, my Canon Rebel 2000(yes, I do name my cameras), I captured these mighty racers as they fought for fame and glory. In the end there could only be one winner. Trevor Bayne, only 20 years old, became the youngest winner ever.

Over the weekend I captured hundreds of photos, from toothless fans to wrecks. These pictures will be the basis for a few of my projects coming up, including landscapes and a matrix project. Today I finished sculpting my T-Rex. Now I have to wait for it to dry a little bit so I can make it stand up.

DUST TO DUST

From dust to dust and from ash to ash; I sculpt life. Breathless beauty taking shape from once living matter,  modeled after the very creature that once walked this planet back before time, in a land full of pure instinct that lacked knowledge .

As time moved forward and knowledge was gained, the bones of these majestic beasts were buried. Some were found and proudly displayed in museums around the world, but for others Father Time’s wrath was too much. They disintegrated into dust, giving back to Mother Nature that once saw their existence.

Early humans discovered the importance of clay and how it could be sculpted into everyday tools. The techniques that surround clay back then still apply today; working with clay you feel a sense of connection with these ancient cultures.

On Wednesday I made headway on my Animal Rattle of a T-Rex. I connected all the limbs except for the neck and head. On Tuesday I plan on finishing it, that’s if it’s not dry. I really, really hope it doesn’t dry out because I don’t want to start over again.

DIRTY HANDS

My hands are always dirty, from sculpting with clay to drawing chalk murals; I always seem to be covered in something. Seriously, have you ever met an artist whose hands were clean? Well, maybe a graphic artist might have clean hands.

Dirty hands might bother some people but I’m not just some person. I like the feeling of ink smudges on the palms of my hands, I like the dried clay dust between my fingernails, but above all I love the feeling of being different. Sure, art is messy sometimes, but often life is too. We can’t choose what challenges we face on a daily basis, but we can choose how we will approach these challenges.

Today was a good day. I was introduced to the Mcdank, a cross between a McChicken and a Mcdouble sandwich, and I bought 2 new cameras. One being a Polaroid camera from 1999, and the other being a panoramic film camera. I can’t wait to try them out!

LOOK DAD, NO HANDS

It’s said that Michelangelo’s dad was so ashamed of his son working with his hands,  he would beat him. Well, one day a prince stopped by Michelangelo’s studio and found the artist staring at a giant piece of marble. (The rumor was he had been staring at it for the past 3 weeks prior to the visit). The Prince asked, “What are you doing?” Michelangelo answered back with ease “Working”.  4 months later that piece of marble was the sculpture of David.

Either Michelangelo was a Jedi who could sculpt things with his mind, or he was the most brilliant procrastinator of all time.

Whatever the answer may be, I have decided to stop procrastinating, I have decided to act on what I need to in a timely matter. If I want to learn new things or read an art magazine I will without hesitation.

Today I worked on my AP Art project. I came up with a great concept for my homework for the week, and I dug out one of my favorite issues of Juxtapoz that features my personal favorite artist David Choe.

GO DO

With "Go Do" by Jonsi blasting through my headphones, I start to lose sight of reality and start forgetting about society. I stare mindlessly at a blank page in my notebook, playing with my pen in hand. Contemplating the very physics of the paper, I start to wonder what would happen if my pen crossed one of those light blue lines etched on the paper.  Being an avidly curious teenager brought on by a lot of alone time growing up, and the fact that I had the whole world to explore, I unconsciously placed my pen and crossed the blue lines. As I watched my hand maneuver the pen around as the ink bled from the tip and reasserted itself on the crisp paper, I caught sight of what I want to do with my life. I want to devote my life to making people think; I want to give the human race inspiration.  Through art I will accomplish the impossible; I will rise above stereotypes, and bring nations together.

True, this might just be a pipe dream or an impossible endeavor, but with determination and hard work I think I can cross the etched light blue lines in society. From this day forward I want my art to achieve just that, to be an inspiration for the masses.

IN A LAND BFORE TIME...

Long before time Dinosaurs ruled the world, towering over all other inhabitants they ruled with an iron claw. Until one day when a meteorite pummeled to earth destroying all the Dinosaurs, except one. The only one to survive was about 3 inches tall weighing 4 ounces with a “Made in China” stamped across his body. Well, ok, maybe that’s not historically sound, but it did make a good opening to this installment of my blog. With a plastic dinosaur in my Backpack I confidently strutted into my Ceramics class ready to take on whatever the teacher threw at me. The truth is he read my mind and decided to assign a new project; an Animal Rattle. Yes you read correctly, a Animal Rattle, automatically my mind went to the idea of creating a vicious T-Rex as child’s toy, and what better to model this creature off of then the Dinosaur situated between my Sketchbook and the inside of my Backpack. An Animal Rattle consists of a large chunk of raw clay, 20 clay beads, and an epic idea like a T-Rex. Tomorrow I set out on an adventure that will rival Jurrasic Park, wish me luck!

HeHasHands Gallery

I did it! I finally did it! I created a website to display my art work. I spent the better bit of my day researching which website builder would give me the best layout and ease of use, in the end I chose Webs.com. i decided to set it as HeHasHands Gallery. On another note I started to glaze my circular tile in ceramics, I’m going for a theme based off ancient Mexican art work. Also in AHS we started wrapping our tie-dye shirts.  To move on with my project I think I’ll start researching other forms of art that look interesting, and maybe attempt them.

WINDOWS

In the past few days I have discovered the beauty in everyday things. For my photography class my teacher assigned an assignment about taking pictures of windows, sounds easy enough right? Wrong! Windows come in all shapes and sizes, but all the windows in Weston look the same and are not very interesting. Although the assignment tested my skills as a skilled photographer and artist, I over came it. I took a step back and looked at the assignment in a different light and found a way of my own to take a fantastic picture of a simple window. Tomorrow I get to develop the film and see how my hard work paid off.

FLIPPIN' MAGICAL

It’s not every day that you find something that takes your breath away, but when you do….well you know its flippin’ magical. I still can’t breath after seeing art work by David Choe. He not only paints, he draws, sculpts, writes, plays music, and travels the world spreading art work as he goes. The work he creates is instantaneously recognizable. I plan on becoming more like Mr. Choe , I’m going to work on my originality and artistic voice so that people will know my art work from all the rest.

HAKUNA MATATA

How do you sum up a day like today? How do you describe a day like today? How about with the word AWESOME!

Today was probably the best Monday in a long time; it was filled with friends, laughter, and of course art. The one thing that stands out today by far is the 1 ½ hour I spent in the darkroom with my fellow Photography 3 classmates; we listened and danced to Disney music and discussed and joked about everything. I think it really brought us together as a class, and isn’t that what art is really about, Bringing people together with one common bond.

 Today I learned one majorly important thing, life is what you make it, and you can’t go through life worrying. If you don’t like something, fix it.

PROFOUNDLY HECTIC

The past few days have been pretty hectic. Even when I’m busy on a current project, I’m thinking of the next one. I have given my WISE Project a lot of thought in the last few months. In light of my first Mentor meeting; in which we brainstormed different aspects and approaches to my project. I have decided to build a website where I will be able to show all of my art work, both old and new. I plan on researching the best website builders that will present my artwork the way I want it to. Anyways in the last days I attended Coffee House at my school; which is an open mic night for all the students at my school to present their songs and poetry. It was pretty profound and inspirational to see kids pouring their hearts out.

FINGERS CROSSED

Wow what a day! Today I became an official WISE Student by accruing my very own WISE ID badge. I don’t usually get nerves but right now I very well might be. Why you may ask? Well because tomorrow is my first WISE Sponsor- Student meeting. Some highlights of today were:

 1.  I spent a good hour in the darkroom developing Man Ray Rayographs which are like Photo grams but with a lot more flare. It felt food to be back in the darkroom, especially because this was my first time in 8 months.

2. My good friend Nick Morales sent me a link to some brilliant and well done Ball Point Pen drawings by Vanessa Prager. Check this out! 
For the ones who don’t know, I am an avid doodler. I mainly use pens because you can get varying ranges of shades with just one pen and you can find a pen anywhere; from a hotel to a hospital, there are pens everywhere!

3. I created a ceramic stamp portraying a turtle head, hopefully when it gets fired it turns out well. Fingers crossed!

MISCONCEPTIONS

One major misconception about art is that artists are born with all the skills they need to thrive in their trade.  The truth is like any other trade; art has to be taught and practiced. My WISE Experience started about 18 years ago with my first coloring book. Lately art has evolved from a hobby into an obsession; I eat, drink, and sleep art. ¾ of my classes are art classes. Why did I pick art? Well the truth is I didn’t really choose art, it chose me: it has grabbed me by my ankles and won’t let me go. Today I didn’t really do much; I looked up a few terms for my Photography class and started on a signature stamp for my Ceramics class. I like this idea of sharing what I’ve learned, and what I will learn through my own personal WISE Experience.