Here is an optical illusion painting by Salvador Dali. I chose it of course because of it being so bizzare. I don't exactly know what it's suppposed to be but to me it looks like three different things. One is of a ballerina dancing. The second is of a weirdly shaped skull. The third looks like some sort of vase or sculpture. The top part of the item looks realistic, like you can feel it's texture. Not very much use of color except the use of the red right in the middle of the painting. Like he's using it as the main focul point. The red draws you in right at the center. 

I wanted to upload some of the prints from WNYBAC because they were pretty much all mesmerizing. I particularly enjoyed the night prints because they showed what seems to be planets and I've always had an interest in the solar system and its planets. The one I like the most out of the three would have to be the middle print because of all the detail that went into it. I don't what it is but it's pretty crazy looking.

When we made our trip over to the WNY Book Arts Center I decided to pick up a samll art piece for like 10 bucks. I also revisited the mext day with my stepdaughter, wife, and baby. They loved it of course. My stepdaughter Marisa took pictures of every single print that was hanging on the wall. We also went downstairs to check out the equipment. They both thought it was pretty cool.

Here is what I bought. I liked it beccause when you see it you read all the letter e's above first and you look down and read Evolution differently than you normally would. Kinda throws you off a bit.

Here is a paintings of something with no real title other than under the subject of horror and monsters. I picked this paintings because I'm into weird kinds of art and I'm into horror movies. I grew up watching all kinds of horror movies and I have never seen a monster look like this. So I figured I would add it to my collection. All those brilliant looking colors on such a hideuos creature makes me laugh because you just don't see things like this. It definately has some sort of mysticism behind the creature. The painting reminds me of some sort of Japanese swamp creature myth.

Here is a link to a video on Art with Salt by Bashir Sultani. He makes an image by sprinkling salt on a flat surface and then manipulating it into an image. This image is of the late Heath Ledger as The Joker from The Dark Knight. I choose this one instead of the other because I grew up watching Batman and Joker was one of my favorite characters. So it was an easy pick for me. He also did one of a salt shaker, of Johnny Depp from the Pirates of the Carribbean, of Homer Simpson, and of Angry Birds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5bh80dIH4U&feature=relmfu

Here are three paintings by Salvador Dali. As you know I have been in favor of mainly abstract or completely out of the ordinary kind of art. I'm a fan of H.R. Giger and as I mentioned before, H.R. Giger is a fan of Salvador Dali. The first painting reminds me of the solar system and all it's planet and stars, they are all spherical. Then it reminds me of how everything is made up of atoms and of course atoms are also represented as spherical. The other two paintings remind me of time just slipping away or you just feel like time is moving so very slow that you're melting away with it.

Here's a link to an art vid on youtube. Mathematicians created some art and put it in a vid. I also believe that math itself can be art. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhhhfqiJ7nU&feature=related

Here is one thing I wanted to bring to light to anyone who sees this. 2 paintings were stolen from H.R. Giger awhile back. Work # 217 and #218, ELP I and II, 1973 The reward for finding them is $10,000. Here is the link to the website http://www.hrgiger.com/missing.htm

Here are three paintings from H. R. Giger. This artist likes to interwine sexual themes with machine like and or alien like themes. Unfortunately I couldn't find the names of these paintings. I do know however that they both belong in his "Alien" collection. What I think about these paintings is that they both seem like they are supposed to hypnotize you with their "eyes". The first picture has the "bright light" kinda feel to it; while the second painting has a darker more sinister feel to it, kind of like the evil  characters from the Hellraiser movie series. Both paintings have other differences too like their gazes are both different. One is welcoming while the other feels like their might be betrayal, because she nows what's up ahead but you don't. Also the first painting has like a shade of blue and the second painting has like a shade of nasty looking brown.

Project continues

I believe both of these paintings are at Albright-Knox Gallery. The top painting is Mashing up the Clouds 2010 by American born, 1971, Casey Cook. Cel-Vinyl, acrylic, and pencil on canvas. For some reason I've always enjoyed looking at art that is crazy and has alot going on, but not all paintings like that appeal to me; this one however does. There's just so much going on and all the shapes and colors seem to compliment each other.

I may enjoy Chaotic paintings, but sometimes taking a break from that chaos and looking at a calm peaceful painting makes you think deep. I don't know what lions truly represent, but when I see this lion it makes me think of power, dominance, cunning, and understanding. The lion looks peaceful there mindning his own business, but you wouldn't dare go near and drink from his pond. He is smart enough to find water that can prolonge his survival. The thing I find strange is that he is the only animal in this picture. Exhile comes to mind, because lions usualy travel in packs. He must not be far from his pack and taking the time to relax and drink until he is content. Jean-Leon Gerome Frenchman 1824 1904; created this painting called Lion in the Desert ca. 1885; Oil on canvas.

projct cont pt 2

My stepdaughter really enjoyed this art piece. Julio Le parc Argentine born, 1928 Acrylic on canvas serie 14 No. 2 1970. I believe she likes it because "it looks pretty."

I took my wife and stepdaughter to the Anderson Gallery and to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The walls that they are standing in front of was drawn with pencil. Below Marisa is looking artifacts. She thought it was the coolest thing to see.

proj. cont.

Ever since I can remember, I have always been enthralled by the circus and clowns and such. This picture directly below is oil on canvas and is titled

Carnival -- Fun House at the Fair, 1962 by Carlo Nisita(1895-1990). It reminds me of what the circus is all about. It's about imagination and excitement; The thrill of seeing fire blowing, juggling clowns or tigers being tamed, elephants standing on a really small object, and of course the trapeze artist flying ever so gracefully from swing to swing and not ever falling. For me that is what I get from this picture. The sculptures below give me that same feeling. Except they give a little mystery. They still have that kind of let's have fun look about them. Carrianne Hendrickson created both of the sculptures.

First art center visit

 Our excursions are on Fridays and the next day is when I take my stepdaughter and Wife to the art centers we visited. Stepdaughter Marisa and about 7 1/2 months preg wife Julie at the Burchfield Penny Art Center. Not the clearest of pics. All of us agreed that the sculptures in the room reminded us of a Tim Burton movie. I believe this piece was a chess set or at least looked like one. A really really big chess set.

In this bottom pic we are looking around in the room where the kids can explore some art. Marisa always has loads of fun when we visit any gallery and so do I of course. The box she is looking in has a different animal sculpture in each drawer. Her favorite animal of that day was a rabbit.

Project Part 2

Here is another portion of art that I am adding to my semester long project. The picture below is from Jackie Felix's collection that wasn't on the main display, but in the room where they keep extra art pieces in cases at the Burchfield Penny Art Center. As the class remembers, Jackie Felix was one of two artists we toured. This is acrylic on paper and is called Auditions/Examination Tryouts. It is undated. The hands with eyes in the palms make me think that we are supposed to feel what we are seeing and not just watch what we are looking at with no emotion. Stage performance is art as well. It also reminds me of Pan's Labrynth and the all seeing eye. Here's a little about the artist. Jackie Felix was born in Pittsburgh on 1929 and died on 2009. Some of her artwork is dark, envolves sexual politics, and femisism.

My semester long collection

The very first piece of art I would like to start my collection off with would be these two twin statues called Baby Twins. The one on the left is made from aluminum and the one on the right is made from bronze, created by one of my favorite artists H.R.Giger.

        As stated in my other blog about H.R. Giger, he is most known for his work in the Alien movie franchise and the movie Species. His works include sculpting, painting, furniture, and set design. His work is surreal and intertwines human and machine, sometimes in a sexual manner. In the case of Baby Twins he intertwines human and machine which seems to me as though they are just despensible. You can notice that the babies sit in a shell casing. He also created a furniture set. I wouldn't mind having these chairs and tables in my house. I just wish I had the room for them. If I didn't need to buy a new car sometime later this year, I would be more willing to buy paintings from H.R. Giger's website, www.hrgiger.com/, where he sells all kinds of his works. Curently he has a viewing going on called RETROSPECTIVE at the "Fabrik der Künste" in Hamburg, Germany. It started January 20th and goes on until the 4th of March 2012. I clicked the link but since I can't read German I can't give any insight on what is being said on the website.

What's a collection?

A collection can be consider by only having a couple pieces of art or many. To me it doesn't matter how many. I have always wanted to collect art. I would love to collect sculptures and paintings, but mostly just from the famous painters and sculptures like Van Gough or H.R. Giger. I know that if I saved some money I could go onto H.R. Giger's website and purchase some of his sculptures or paintings. I could also search online for new artists works. I believe that the collector has a responsibility for the art that they collect. For instance, they need to frame it properly or cover it so that it doesn't fade the drawing. They also need to have a certain level of respect for the work that the artist puts into their prices.
Taking a look back at Herb and Dorothy amazes me on how many pieces of art they obtained through the years. They are true collectors in a sense that they believe in the art that they buy. They cherish it in all aspects. They make me want to collect a few pieces of art. I would never dream to be able to own as much art as they do, but it would be interesting to own a few paintings. Like the one below.

My first entry

     I believe it is important to study art and learn to gain an appreciation for it because paintings and drawings may tell about a time in history of how some unique people expressed themselves and acted depending on the type of art they chose to create. Past art makes us think of how we are today.

I have two artists that I admire but do not fully understand or know all their works.  I admire them because their art feels sublime, curious, dark, and it sucks me in. The first artist is Gustave Dore. His style of artwork involved paint, engraving, and illustration. He lived in the mid 1800's in France. His most known works were The Divine Comedy, English Bible, Paradise Lost, and many others. The picture below this paragraph is titled Celestial Rose.

   
    Another artist whom I admire is H.R. Giger. He is most known for his work in the Alien movie franchise. His works include sculpting, painting, and set design. His work is surreal and intertwines human and machine, sometimes in a sexual manner. Somewhere in the span of his career as an artist he met one of his inspirations, Salvador Dali. The Museum H. R. Giger in Gruyeres has many of Giger's artworks. Here is a picture that shows you the kind of macabre work he does.

    I did not really know what to expect from this class when I signed up for it. But I can say that I am looking forward to going to the art galleries and exploring the art in person. I believe that it's better to learn about art through an experience in person than to always just sift through images on a computer. Not that it is wrong to do that.