Hanging On For Dear Life!

http://roxik.com/toy1.html

Well, I had to include some fun flash so here you go. I found this site created by Masayuki Kido who is a freelance webdesigner from Japan. The site is really great, but the flash swf on the landing page makes this noteworthy. I love the interaction and the realistic depiction of the body movement. His face on the “about me” page is also interactive which is fun. I would really love to learn how to create something like this.

Get "Torn" by Derek Lea

http://www.dereklea.com/main/main.html

Derek Lea began making compositions in photoshop simply because he was bored with his career. His illustrations are a combination of photography and digital art. All of his pieces exhibit great use of color and this piece titled, “Torn” really caught my eye. It was more complex than others and kept me interested.

So Surreal

http://www.orasart.com/index.html

This one of my all time favorite artists. I first saw her pieces in person at an art show in Santa Barbara and I was astonished. I love surreal art and after I learned she was self taught I was even more impressed. This piece is titled “Butterfly” and I think it is amazingly beautiful, unique, and fascinating.

Strike a Pose

http://www.illustration-kitchin.co.uk/portfolios.htm

Rebacca Kitchens is an artist that does illustration, typography, and photography. I think it’s really great that she is so diverse as an artist. My favorite pieces from her are her fashion illustrations because after enduring painstaking fashion sketching classes I can understand how challenging it can be. I think her depiction of the female body is beautiful and her use of color compliments her composition so well.

Andrea Ray

November 7 2007 in Arts 111 @ CSUSM.
Arts & Lectures Series: Andrea Ray

Andrea Ray is an installation artist that often using sound in her pieces. She is from New York and was a really inspiring speaker. My favorite piece she spoke about is titled "Solarium". It is an outdoor installation in Sweden made in 2006. It includes logs and branches arranged strategically to form a chase where viewers can lay down and listen to narrative made by Andrea while staring up at the tall trees and blue sky. The piece seemed like it really allows viewers to connect with nature and enjoy the experience.

Open the Door and Make Some Noise!

See how animation can act as a collaborator with music and digital performance on… www.cookiedougghrecords.com

Direct link to the piece I watched…
http://uploads.ungrounded.net/221000/221483_Play.swf

This piece consists of multiple symbols being altered differently as instances to create visual effects while music corresponds to each instance’s movement. This reminded me of a visual rendition of Stomp where each persons movement works together to create music phrases of percussion. What also stood out to me about this piece is that it is edited like a film would be because it included wide shots, close ups, pans, cut-aways, and insert shots. The transitions between these shots create more movement, interest, and the illusion that each animated man is in a different space.

Dirty Art!

Talk about unconventional…this is crazy! www.dirtycarart.com

I literally “Stumbleupon.com”ed this website displaying art made on and from dirty car windows by Scott Wade. This guy has created the most elaborate scenes on car windows apparently just from dirt. His compositions have shading, minute detail, and show depth very well. I think my favorite is the gallery home page display. This piece was drawn on the back window of a mini cooper and has the Mona Lisa framed on top on Van Gogh’s Starry Night. I think that because this contains such famous pieces it touches the subject of mass media and replication concerning the art experience. These two pieces are probably the most recognizable works of art in history, and most people who can name these works have never seen them in person. It is because of media, internet, and replicas like this everyone has experienced these artworks, but has it truly been an “art experience”?

Reaching for Time

Here is another crazy design, this time by Erin Sin on… http://lftovr.projectsd.net/

This 18 year old Californian has made some wonderful pieces. The design I enjoyed the most on this website is titled, “Come Alive and Stand the Test of Time!”. The main focus is the pocket watch in the center but behind it is a dim grid communicating structure while bursting out of the clock is commotion and confusion. What a perfect symbol for life and how we never have enough time. A great element to this piece is the use of negative space. This piece is predominantly white, but is still so filled with content. It makes me wonder how well I spent my time today...

Photoshop: A world of possibities

come visit one of my favorite graphic designs… www.shinybinary.com

Here you’ll see the elaborate and unique designs of Nik Ainley, a self-taught Photoshop artist. I recent visited this sight on October 10th, 2007 to view his latest designs and found a new favorite. It is titled “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”. This design is so complex I could stare at it for days and continue to see something new. The rib cage in the center was the first thing that caught my eye and consequently I related this image with the human body. Therefore, I interpreted the other images as a metaphor of interaction with the body. The composition gave me a mechanical feeling which reminded me of a robotic person and the idea of replacing limbs with mechanical parts for ideal performance. The intertwining objects layered upon each other felt like the weight of life constricting the body. The red area towards the left communicated pain and the circular shapes expanding out on both sided conveyed reaching out for something. Tell me what you see…

Troika Ranch

I attended the Arts and Lectures event about Troika Ranch on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007 at CSUSM. This was a lecture and display of company works presented by Dawn Stoppiello. Dawn, a dancer and choreographer, along with her partner Mark Coniglio, a computer programmer and music technician, have been working together for over twenty years developing collaborations between dance, digital media, and performance. During these works they have developed software to lend to their performances called Isadora. I also attended the two-day workshop with Dawn to experience this software first hand and how it can be combine with dance to create a performance. This experience was very beneficial to developing my creative process, learning how to integrate different mediums, and utilizing design elements.
check it out-http://www.troikaranch.org/

Research Topic

Neville Brody will be the topic of my research paper. I chose Brody as my topic of research because I loved his work and feel that is it extremely diverse and intriguing. I was impressed that Neville was responsible for creating the icons of Adobe Creative Suite because they are one of my favorite graphics. After reading brief information about Brody I learned that he was very well rounded in his career. He was an Art Director for international magazines, published a very successful graphic design book, and even launched his own company, Research Studios. I think Neville Brody will be interesting to research and learn about his creative process and artistic evolution. I am also very excited to study his work and integrated into my graphic designs.

A day in the life of Jess

I would usually tell you the basic superficial details of my life. Such as, I'm a 20 year old student who enjoys beach volleyball and padres games, but that just sounds a little too much like a online dating profile. So I'll tell you the real dirt... My most annoying habit is that I can not get up in the morning! I'm one of those people who pressed snooze 10 times until the whole house has woken up in annoyance and now hate me for ruining their morning silence with their coffee. I finally get out of bed ten minutes before I need to be at work and still manage to get there on time. I put on a smile for my dead end retail job and kindly greet customers and co-workers with a high pitch voice and a head tilt while secretly cursing my employer in my head. "Just remember, this is why your going to college" I tell myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not always this negative. But i guess you'll have to get to know me to find out more. Thanks for reading, Jess