Studio Log

The first few weeks in my studio were spent developing the concept behind the prints that I want to make. My original idea involved creating environments from found shapes that were derived from other environments. The original environments would be deconstructed into shapes and pieces which would then be used to rebuild a new environment. This whole process of deconstruction and rebuilding was a way for me to create a relationship between two different places through imagery. 

Although I was quite excited about this project and how the end result would look, I still feel like I have a shallow understanding of the relationships I am trying to create. So over the past weeks I have been brainstorming, trying to find some sort of subject-matter that i find interesting enough to create a genuine and exciting statement through my work. I was (and still am) in a confused state of mind. I am trying to derive a strong subject matter through thought alone... and its not going smoothly. I feel like my mind is playing a trick on me by encouraging me to keep brainstorming but never letting be be satisfied with what I come up with.

In my first discussion with Charlie he suggested that I begin to create some images that relate to my project but don't involve a specific subject matter or too much thought. In doing this, I hope to create some images that will help inspire me and give me a chance to look at my project in a different perspective. For my first image, I derived all of the shapes and color from various corporate logos. The image that I created form these shapes didn't create a statement about these corporations, it is only a study of color and composition.

After this images was created Charlie and I met again and were able to come up with some interesting parallels based on the way I work visually and musically. When writing music, I find that i can write instrumental parts to songs much easier than lyrics. The notes I play feel more intuitive. I don't need to explain to myself why I am content with the notes I am playing, they just come naturally and I can enjoy them. When creating visual work I have a similar way of working. The shapes and colors I choose seem to fall together logically without too much conscious reasoning. Through this method of building images I can create visually pleasing work that evokes emotion and feeling as my music does. The trouble comes in writing lyrics which is the equivalent to defining the subject matter for my work. Lyrics in a song (which can be abstract and metaphorical) become a statement that is associated with ones culture, experiences, and values. This statement is not as universal as sound alone. I feel that I am forcing lyrics upon a song just as I am trying to force a certain concept into my artwork. Overall I feel like I know what i want my piece to look like in the end, and I am trying to work around that to create a statement.

Charlie and I also brought up the work of James Turrell. It was a refreshing new look into an environment and how it was being transformed. Turrell uses light and architecture in an existing environment in order to create a completely new experience within the same environment. He is working with very common forms and resources to build something that is completely new and shocking, yet it all exists in the same physical realm that we have grown up in (architecture and sunlight). It is a more abstract way of looking at a transformation and the types of relationships it can create. I feel like I was limiting myself by thinking of only turning one place into another place. Where this will take me is unclear but i plan to keep my eyes open for a certain place, event, or idea that sparks my interest and will inspire me to take my work to a higher level.