Hello my name is Ryan Selvy and I attend MICA in Baltimore, MD. This blog showcases and displays my views on different pieces of artwork as I progress in my Electronic Media and Culture Class.
Feel free to contact me through my ask box.
Video reblogged from Ryan Selvy's Art Blog
Prompt: “Make something relating to an environment of your choice.”
Medium: Adobe Illustrator
Explanation: I’m overly excited about Baltimore. I thought the initial hype would fade away but I keep finding myself making art about it. This piece is a set of cards that remind me of things I need to remember while I live in Baltimore. In the future I hope to make more and get decks of cards printed.
Video
What: Personal portfolio website
Where: The Internet
When: November 28th, 2011
Today using Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, and MICA’s student servers the class created and hosted personal portfolio websites made from scratch. I ended up creating a three paged website showcasing my favorite work to date. Hopefully the website will grow but in the meantime I remain picky about what makes the cut for my portfolio.
I chose to hold a simple and organized layout that reflects my work. A formulated layout reflects my graphic design elements and the use of my favorite color makes the whole website even more personalized. My name is written in Pacifico, a commercial free font I use across the internet, and Arial is used for content for easier reading. The home page lacks a main image but I hope to replace the white box with a self portrait soon.
The page will become very useful in the near future and I’m glad I had the opportunity to learn and have the time to create the website I always imagined.
The website can be viewed at http://digital.mica.edu/Courses/FF/Fall/ff210_11/RSELVY/rselvy/
(Source: rsemac)
Video
What: Fall Fail by Frederique Morrel
Where: Brown Building Lobby
When: November 9th, 2011
I took the time to visit Frederique Morrel’s art on the last day and I’m very happy I didn’t miss it. The intricate knitting of several animals, objects, and other forms were truly astounding. The amount of time and concentration that had to be put into each and every piece is unfathomable. All objects were life size and incredibly realistic aside from their knitted pattern form.
Personally I grew a liking to the severed hand placed on a railing on the second floor. Giving the illusion the arm had been ripped from a person’s body in a violent manner the piece itself was beautiful with its knitting and exciting eye-catching patterns. The use of floral patterns and bright colors made the piece seem incredibly happy even though the piece had an underling dark and scary meaning. The veins turn into a tree branch which show the sign of new life and hope. The whole piece is just a mind trick.
Frederique also has an incredible eye for the showcasing of art. Several pieces used the surrounding environment to bring the work to the next level. A deer created a shape-bending illusion with its mind-boggling disregard for walls. Every piece was placed with the intention of someone viewing it and taking it to the next level.
I hope to one day have the eye and concentration of Frederique in my own work. However, as of now I can only bewilder in amazement.
(Source: rsart)
Video
What: Pieces at the National Portrait Gallery
Where: National Portrait Gallery
When: December 6th, 2011
On Tuesday my drawing class took a field trip down to Washington D.C. to visit the National Portrait Gallery. There were several large exhibits from old pieces to pieces less than a year old. However, once again I found myself most intrigued and motivated to look around the Modern Art area.
Three pieces really caught my eye in the Modern Art area. All three different artists, the pieces somehow managed to catch my eye with new and innovative experiments. Their work was like nothing else I have ever seen and it was captivating.
The first piece I really learned to appreciate was “jpeg de01” by Thomas Ruff. The piece was a infamous photo of the September 11th attacks processed into a low resolution form and blown up on Plexiglass. The picture was so heavily distorted but when everyone turned the corner and saw it it didn’t take a moment to figure out what it was. The piece showed discomfort within it’s lines and chaos as it jumbled it’s low quality and it stood there proud and strong like nothing I have ever seen.
“Untitled (Hercules)” by Robert Longo in 2008 was another piece that caught my eye but for all different reasons. The idea for Robert Longo was traditional with Charcoal on paper. However, Robert chose to do a drawing of the first Chinese hydrogen bomb test and make a high quality version of the archival photo. Kind of a reverse of Thomas Ruff’s work. But the piece mostly caught my eye for it’s aesthetic values. The piece was so well done it was unimaginable how he managed to do it. The blackest blacks, the whitest whites, and clean paper. Incredible.
The last piece was impossible to miss. The piece itself lit up an entire room and gained a huge crowd of observers. Nam June Paik created the “Electronic superhighway: Continental; U.S., Alaska Hawaii” with neon lights, televisions, computers, and various other screens. She built an entire neon country and in every state showcased her idea of the stereotypes of what she identifies the state with. It was really fun to see Maryland and all her funny ideas of the other states. But more importantly it was really interesting to see how a foreigner sees our country. Nam June Paik was from Korea and had all the ideas about the US shown in her piece that I never even thought about. It was so much. Jam June Paik’s work was one of my favorite pieces I have ever seen.
I hope to go back to the National Portrait Gallery sometime soon to observe the pieces I really enjoyed and hopefully they add a little more for my enjoyment. Today’s artists truly are incredible and I look forward diving into my interest for Modern Art.
(Source: rsemac)
Video
What: 2011 Faculty Exhibition
Where: Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Gallery
When: October 10th, 2011
On October 10th, 2011 our EMAC class decided to trip to the Faculty Exhibition held in the Fox Building’s gallery. Having been to more galleries in the past 2 months more than any point in my life I’ve really grown an appreciation to analyzing and viewing art in a gallery space. Many different forms of art come and unintentionally collaborate to create atmosphere in a small space.
Of all the works I saw, I really loved two very technology involved pieces. “‘Command - Shift - 3’” by Glen Kessler recreated well known computer icons with ink, oil, and goldleaf. It’s fascinating to see the small parts of life we don’t pay much attention to broadcasted in front of your face to become art. Additionally, Jenna Frye created a TV and QR code with Ink and called it “# Eternal Recurrence.” When the piece was scanned the piece rick rolled the viewer. Who knew Internet meme’s could count as art?
Finally, “Duck Ride” by Trisha Kyner really intrigued my criticism. I’m learning more and more about sculpture and how to analyze and appreciate it’s pieces. The advancement of technicality and time really enter my mind. Rather than just viewing a piece and saying “yay” or “nay” I have starting thinking how they do it, and if I could have found a way to do the same thing. Regardless, sometime it’s hard to judge work deciding whether I like it, or just appreciate it for it’s work. “Duck Ride” was one of those pieces that tested the line. The piece itself was very interesting and fun until I noticed the artist decided to add boobs to the duck. Was that really necessary? Do we have to make everything include controversy? But at the same time, it was creative and made the piece even a bit more memorable. Was that the point? Regardless, I walked away with the piece on my mind and I’m pretty sure I liked it.
The Faculty show really opened my eyes to the advancement of skill in art that can be obtained. I hope that I can grow to be that skilled and I can’t wait to see more work from talented artists.
(Source: rsemac)
Video
What: ”Virtual To Reality” Google Maps
Where: Starbucks near 1209 North Charles St
When: October 10th, 2011
I brought Google Maps Street View to life.
Using my Macbook I simulated a generic screen display of someone looking up a local Starbucks using Google Street View. By removing all traces of my name and setting my wallpaper to the default Lion image I made the shot relatable to all viewers. I printed the given screenshot on a large 18”x14” sized paper and cut out the picture provided by Google Maps.
Using wood purchased from a local hardware store I created a 5.7’ tall stand-alone frame to display my work. Placed into the frame, the piece’s center stood at a comfortable height for people of all heights to view the work.
After fully assembled, the piece was placed across the street on 1209 North Charles Street for all passing foot traffic to view. Just as planned, the piece worked very well with the given distance and several strangers took part in viewing the piece.
(Source: rsemac)
Text
Process Gallery
What: Process Gallery
Where: Commons Building 1 Studios
When: October 9th, 2011
A friend of mine created and organized an event gallery to showcase work in progress. Using the open studios of the Commons, the Process Gallery was a gigantic viewing center for the whole art community of MICA. The program drew in a unpredictable amount of students and the artwork was very impressive.
Of all the artwork I saw, Tatjana Kunst created the most intriguing piece of the gallery. Four multicolored sculptural forms hung from the ceiling in a visually appealing form. The sculptures were shaped similar to pointy pieces of candy I recall seeing in Willy Wonka, and the piece reminded me of youth.
Overall, the entire gallery was incredibly impressive and I hope Kimmie plans another Process Galley in the near future.
(Source: rsemac)
Photo
What: .GIF
Where: EMAC Room
When: October 3rd, 2011
Today we focused on working with and creating .gif files. By taking a series of similar continuos photos on photobooth I was able to create a fluid moving animated .gif. Through Photoshop’s filter and action feature I was able to edit many of the pictures to create a pixel like effect on my .gif.
The process was simple yet tedious and I look forward to using the skills in the future.
Video
What: Real Life Trope
Where: The UB Light Rail Station
When: September 12th & 19th, 2011
Last week the class took the time to create a real life trope. By taking several poles, colored transparency paper, and construction paper, the class created a long strip of red and yellow slots to view. The process was not easy. It included a lot of measurements and team work (which took a lengthy amount of time and postponed the second half of the project to the next class) but by the end we created a solid device.
Today, the class took the newly created trope down to the light rail to see if our theory would work in real time by passing the trope on the train. If the theory went as planned the trop would create a 3D effect on the bypasses looking through red and yellow transparency aper. A group held up the trope on the side of the rail as the other group boarded the train and observed the trope through the “glasses.”
Unfortunately, I was in the second group to pass the trope and the paper wasn’t held straight so I could not experience the effect. However, with the small size of the slots, length of trope, and the tinted windows of the train I have a hard time imagining the idea would work. By talking to other students I heard similar reports and opinions. If the project were done again we would have to exponentially increase the size of the slots, create a longer trope, and utilize a form of transportation without tinted windows.
To further our understanding of 3D effects and tropes the class also took the time to individually shoot 3D images. By taking two separate images eye length apart we were able to merge these two images into a 3D image on photoshop by making one blue and another one red and overlaying the two pictures. At first, my image did not work but with some tweaking the end result appears 3D when viewed through red and blue transparency paper.
After today I fully understand how 3D movies, television, and other forms of media are created and work on our minds.
Video
What: The Foundation Gallery
Where: Pinkard Gallery (Bunting Center) and Jane Meyerhoff Gallery (Fox Building)
When: August 30th, 2011
Known on an international level, MICA educates and showcases some of the best artists in the world. The Foundation Exhibition, currently showcasing artwork from rising Sophomores in the Pinkard gallery and Jane Meyerhoff galley, not only proves this point but also shows the sky is the limit at MICA.
Looking at the work of last year’s freshmen I got a feeling of encouragement and inspiration. As a whole, all the works showcased incredible amounts of talent, time, and dedication. The pieces were fantastic regardless of how many pieces were viewed. Because of this, I now know that I will excel to the best of my ability here at school. Even though right now I feel my skills are mediocre, I know after the current year is through I will be on my way to becoming a fantastic artist.
I have not been to many young person galleries and exhibitions so the whole atmosphere was fairly new to me. However, the artwork I viewed was almost on a professional playing field. Each piece held it’s own essence and feel that made it it’s own.
Regardless of how talented the entire gallery was though, a few pieces stuck out at me. One of the most intriguing pieces was one I didn’t quite understand. Showcased in the Bunting Center‘s Pinkard Gallery, Sage Dever created a film compilation for his EMAC class that showed several clips of happy childhood moments. From children running and playing to eating cookies, the film represented a happy childhood very simply. However, as the film progressed, “Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes played over horrible images of dishes breaking, cars crashing, and cows being slaughtered. It stretched the mind to interpretation without ever going too far to not having any idea of what to take out of it. In a bizarre twisted way the piece somewhat reminded me of the tape in “The Ring.” It held an ominous feeling that lingered far beyond my time in the gallery. It came home with me. It was by far my favorite.
Another piece I really enjoyed was an impressionist painting of a grizzly bear. Showcased in the Fox Building’s Jane Meyerhoff Gallery, “Bear” by Rachel Yalisove, which was an incredibly detailed picture without painting much detail at all. Coming from a high school where impressionism was sadly frowned upon, the piece really opened my eyes to see an impressionist picture really can be fantastic. After seeing it I hope I can experiment with the style and possibly replicate the feeling of the painting.
Katherine Mahon additionally did a fantastic job on a piece called “Eden Through Time.” Showcased in the Fox Building’s Jane Meyerhoff Gallery, the pastel painting relied heavily on what appears to be biblical symbols. The drawing by itself is a fantastic visual experience, but further investigation reveals deeper meaning and a stronger personal connection to the image. To understand the painting in it’s full meaning could take great lengths of time, but just looking around and picking up small symbols was enough to get me hooked. I hope in my work I can somehow integrate the same idea. I would love people to look at my work and get more out of it than just a picture.
Overall, the gallery was fantastic and I hope I can reach the same skill level by the end of the year. It will push me to reach that goal and be better than what I saw. I want my work to stick with someone all the way home. And while I hope I resemble what so many other rising sophomores presented I hope my pieces hold their own essence and defiance. Hopefully my work will inspire next year’s incoming freshman and I can hang my artwork with exuberant pride.
Pieces of work shown above:
1. “Bear” by Rachel Yalisove
2. “Eden Through Time” by Katherine Mahon
