Saturday, October 17, 2009

The Evergreen Three

In Art History we often read about groups of artists who, through their collective work or ideals, gained great recognition. There were the Impressionists who first exhibited in the Salon de Refuses; The Fauves; the artists and photographers of 291 Gallery; the Hudson River School; the list goes on and on. Perhaps one day the work of "The Evergreen Three" will be added to this list. 


For the past several weeks, three students in Evergreen (Mason, River, and Morgan) have been working tirelessly on The Book of Kells Project. The assignment was to use the ancient illuminated manuscript as inspiration for a work of art, and to place their first, last, or first and last initials into the work. Because they took so much time, and put so much effort into this FIRST assignment (they've certainly raised the bar for themselves!), I'm giving them their own exhibit space this week. 
Drum roll, please! 


Ladies and Gentlemen, in no particular order, 
The Evergreen Three . . .   


First, we have Fancy Waves by Morgan F.


Morgan F. Fancy Waves, 2009, Pencil, Colored Pencil, and Sharpie Marker on Paper


Artist's Statement

My painting is more modern that my usual work, and I have a very big knot that stands out for me. I also put all these little circles around to fill in the space and make it more  fancy. I like the colors blue and black together, so that’s the main colors in my painting. You can figure out the rest, because I don’t want to give all my secrets away!

Morgan F. Fancy Waves, detail (Above and below)


Next is River G.'s The Arrow and the R


River G., The Arrow and the R, 2009, Pencil, Colored Pencil, and Sharpie Marker on Paper


Artist's Statement

There’s nothing hidden in the picture, though there is a feather hanging from the spear. The knot at the bottom is supposed to be holding it all together. On the right side there’s orange and blue detail that’s supposed to stand out. When you look at it, your eyes kind of focus on the middle, and then wander around on that detail. The one Celtic knot is supposed to stand out, because it’s in the middle of nowhere. There’s a circle in the middle of the detail, and when you look at the picture you notice all the color!

River G.The Arrow and the R, detail (Above and below)


And, finally, rest your eyes upon Mason F.'s The Detail Maze


Mason F., The Detail Maze, 2009, Pencil on Paper


Artist's Statement

The Detail Maze was inspired by the Book of Kells. I  hardly used any straight lines, because I kind of wanted it to have a wiggly sort of style. I hid lots of little pictures in it, including a bird, a fish, and a hidden word. I personally like the design between the M and the F (in the middle), because it stands out and it looks cool. I liked the entire project, in general, because when you look at it, your eyes move around trying to take in all the detail. Like a maze!


Mason F., The Detail Maze, detail (Above and below)



Well done, guys! We're all looking forward to seeing more of your work!


Before we move on to the coming week's web challenge, I'd like to acknowledge Tavia and Keith, who both identified The Spiral Jetty, and amazing piece of Earth Art by Robert Smithson. They also brought examples of work by Andy Goldsworthy, another talented Earth artist! Good work! Tavia and Keith each received an ATC to add to their growing collection. 


If you'd like to win an ATC in the week of October 20th through 22nd, here's what you need to do: Do a web search* to find out what the art terms "diptych" and "triptych" mean, and print out an example of each. If you'd like to win an ADDITIONAL ATC (a total of two in one week!), create your own diptych or triptych! Be sure to do your best work! 
Remember: Who ever has the MOST assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a prize. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded! So far, the Tuesday and Wednesday students have been collecting quite a few ATCs (that means two 1st place prizes, and two 2nd place prizes!). Thursday students, are you going to have a 1st and 2nd place winner, too? :)
*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!
Have a good weekend! See you in class . . . and don't forget to bring in your "web challenge" assignments! :)

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