Vector Project

Class Images

Mary Early Artist Talk

Mary Early makes large sculptures using primarily wood and beeswax by “welding wax” together.  She is interested in space and utilizes the architecture of the place of the sculpture, for instance placing a tall, narrow sculpture in a narrow room with a long hallway to make the viewer have to squeeze past the sculpture.  She uses line and shape to create space that look like it can continue infinitely and is inspired by artists who draw multiple lines on walls within a space.  She loves the material she uses romantically and even though the combination of them sometimes causes warping, she is interested in using this to make something seem more erratic and humanistic.  She likes to make things by hand, though hopes that her work looks like it could have been caused through a natural, organic process rather than from her touch.  It is sort of ironic that she prefers to work with her materials by hand, being as she is a conceptual artist. 

In it’s conceptual aspects and seeming simplicity, her work vaguely reminded me of Sol Lewitt’s or Tara Donovan’s work.  Sol Lewitt gave instructions to the people assembling his work in museums but left the results up to the assembler’s own interpretations.   Mary Early said that she often did not know exactly what her piece would look at before it was assembled, but this was mostly because she did not actually have the space to create the structures ahead of time in her studio, and they may not have withstood traveling to a new location.  Sol Lewitt also focuses on line a great deal, and in connecting wood forms Mary Early’s work predominately shows line.  Tara Donovan made work out of everyday objects such as Styrofoam cups, toothpicks, and other materials to create forms with an overall organic shape.  Beeswax is a common material used in candles and soaps and definitely gives off an organic feel.  Tara Donovan, however, seemed to mock specific forms such as clouds or shells, while Mary Early alludes to the idea of organic forms without mocking specific ones.

Mary Early’s work relates somewhat to my own work in that I desire an overall look of simplicity that she has achieved.  I could relate to the way she approached her ideas, starting with loose sketches even though her final forms often ended up more rigid.  I really like that she worked with Beeswax, and the material is unique and has interesting properties such as the ability to create drips.  It also, as she said, has a history linked to that of sculpture.

Pascal Dombis Artist

Pascal Dombis uses computer algorithms to create repetition unlikely to be done by hand.  He does so to develop overwhelming and "irrational" environments.   He "[tries] to make the most of [the computer] as a computational tool for it's capacity to ceaselessly repeat the same task" -- Dombis.com.  He starts with a simple "rule", for instance, a certain number of lines to be created in a random fashion, and lets forms emerge from his rules.  He compares this process to how neurons work in the brain using algorithms to form meaning.  He uses lines and shapes rather than specific, recognizable forms so that the product of his work is unidentifiable, more mysterious, and ultimately more irrational. 

The factor I like most about Dombis's approach is the degree to which the computer is applicable to his work  Other digital artists we have looked at could have easily been done as paintings, still holding a strong effect.  It is interesting that Dombis favors the computer, but does not display his work on the computer screen but in real spaces, which seems irrational and therefore congruent with his overall theme.  The algorithm aspects represents extreme order and computation, while the results look chaotic.  I also appreciate the simplicity even though he wrote he was tempted to explore more sophisticated forms, but did not find them as effective.  I like how the specific algorithm in his work is driven by the place he is creating it in.  For example, a long hallway may have seemingly endless straight, horizontal lines appearing to extend the space. 

One question I am left with is that he says the colors used in his work are randomly generated, but in the third example, the blue and red must have been specifically chosen.  He does not say how the colors have an effect on the viewer and I feel that this is important because of the simplicity of the work -- the viewer is left with only line and color elements.  Overall, I feel that the work is excessive and abundant in a way that comments on modern times.  The piece that appeals the most to me is the second piece because I feel it is most integrated into it's environment and the most unique.

Source: Dombis's Homepage

Self Portrait Images

Pictures I had on my computer for the self portrait project.  Going to go with #4, I think.

Archan Nair

Archan Nair is from New Delhi and makes colorful, vibrant pictures characteristic of India, but with a modern twist by including items such as soda cans from pop culture and evocative nudes within his work.  Though he claims he does not have a style, his works are fully detailed and have a surrealistic and fantasy aura to them.  The images are created by combining traditional media, such as painting, with non-traditional media such as computer softwares.  He has been commissioned by large corporations such as Nike and Microsoft and is not even in his thirties yet.  He claims to be inspired by virtually anything, and creates art based on his feelings rather than thoughts.

Nair frequently uses the female figure in his work, creating a sense of sensuality.  The figure is usually the most realistically presented part of the piece making it seem as if the rest of the artwork is a dreamworld of the figure.  Flowers and birds are frequently shown in his work, as well as some cliches such as mushrooms.  There is usually a background to give the figure a sense of place, but everything else floats -- sometimes this is obvious in what appears to be an unintentional way.

His works appeal to me and do not appeal to me for the same reasons; the vibrant colors and amount of detail.  The colors he uses create a sense of noise, so it almost feels as if the painting is screaming at the viewer.  The colors catch my attention, but especially in the first example above, are almost overwhelming and too bright in too vast an area to stay focused on.  In the third example, the background colors are more subtle and inviting so the other parts of the image truly pop.  The amount of detail is interesting but also overwhelming, especially when looking at a vast collection of his works.  The pictures speak of chaos, but if there is an alternative meaning it might come through better through subtly.  As goes the phrase "less is more."


Sources: Interview, Homepage