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.