What engaged your attention/imagination most actively during Diana Folsom's class visit last week? Was it the mention of "California Flow Painting," or Jorge Pardo's gallery designs for LACMA? Were you intrigued by the intersection of Formalism and Expressionism in Ms. Folsom's work? Or was it the feedback she gave you on your visual journal that was most engaging?
This blog post is due Wednesday, October 12th by noon. Journal entry for this post will be reviewed on November 2nd.
I found Diana Folsom’s work very intriguing. I never heard of a flow painter before and so it is great to have an insight into the topic from a professional artist who is working with this particular painting technique. It is just mind blowing to see that after thousands of years artist is still able to find new ways to expand the art world and its technique. Just when you thought that art has reached its limit somebody will always push it further. Another thing that strikes me about the flow painting technique is the amount of control the artist has over the media. I have an attempt with the technique on one of my journal entry and it was incredibly hard to work with. It is just difficult to work with color without using a paintbrush and try to create something that is aesthetically pleasing. Ms. Folsom also gave me a very good advice on my visual journal. She has particular interest on my review page for Analia Saban. For the page I mixed black acrylic paint with Elmer’s glue, poured the liquid onto the page and peel off paint skin that goes over the edge. The page is my first attempt working in flow painting style and I was not very successful with it. Ms. Folsom said that it is hard to know when to stop working when dealing with abstract work. She suggested that it would be easier for me to start off with a recognizable form (such as the female figure in her work) and gradually manipulate it until it becomes abstract. I think this is a great idea and is something that I will be using in my future pages.
ReplyDeleteI found learning about California Flow Painting most interesting because I had not heard of or used this method before and I found the results really beautiful. It amazed me the reliance that she has on luck for the success of her pieces. To have no idea how a piece is going to turn out during the process of making it seems very alien to me compared to the way that I usually work. I think her process is so perfect for the theme of her work. The natural flow of paint ties in perfectly to the natural birth of star or flow of a river. I definitely was surprised by the way her work falls into both Formalism and Expressionism so easily. I generally don’t respond particularly strongly to formalism because I value some sort of meaning or emotion in a work. I really responded to Folsom’s work well because while I loved the aesthetic qualities in the work there is also a great deal of personal expression and emotion in her work. Understanding how her work has developed over the years, and how she explores themes that she has been interested in since she was young was really inspiring. Even as trends come and go she sticks to what she truly loves.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the opportunity to speak with all the visiting artists: Diana Folsom, Leigh-Ann Pahapill and Douglas Witmer. It's so interesting because all of these artists have such a different approach to their work, both in their mediums and in their content. However, what stood out to me the most was the fact that all artists desired that their work contain a bit of ambiguity. While Leigh-Ann takes it to much higher levels than either Diana or Doug, each of these artists have expressed that art needs to have a little mystery in it for it to retain the attention of their viewers... and even them as artists. In her flow paintings, "Women as River", Diana Folsom stated the fact that the most successful pieces in this series, to her, where the ones that had the most hidden or obscure female forms in it, the ones that were not immediately obvious to the eye. Diana also said in her lecture that she wants her purpose, intent or content to be clear and simple. She thinks that your art shouldn't be cluttered or confusing. And when I heard that I was a little "Eh, but that can be fun..." I appreciate art that is a little confusing, or at least art that isn't obvious right out of the gate. However, Diana went on to say that she enjoyed mystery and then turned to the crowd and said "But how can you be clear and simple but mysterious at the same time? Good question! That's something I'm working on." And I found that really nice. That she's trying to strike some sort of balance between having all her ideas straight and clear but at the same time not just handing them to the viewer in a silver platter.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Diana Folsom’s class visit last week, it made me wish that I could have attended her lecture. I thought that the idea of California Flow Painting was fascinating. When I first observed her work on the website I was not even sure what it was I was looking at. After I learned that some of them were the female form, I was intrigued and it made me want to study them more, not necessarily to find the hidden form but to appreciate the thought behind it. It was interesting to learn that Folsom had an interest in flower’s and stars even from childhood and how she is able to go back and draw from those early thoughts. I found the information about Jorge Pardo’s gallery to be interesting but it did not grab my attention the same way as the discussion about the artist process and intent. I am finding in many of the artist that we study, that there is often a combination of isms behind their work. In so many instances Formalism and Expressionism seamlessly go hand in hand. I believe this is certainly true in the case of Folsom’s work. I found her discussion on these qualities in her work to be most fascinating, as it is always interesting to be able to here what the artist has to say about their own work.
ReplyDeleteI was really interested in the idea of flow painting. I had never heard of it before but I really enjoyed her work. I felt that it had the right amount of expressionism while still keeping the aesthetic qualities alive which I loved! She was so easy to listen to and to talk to which I really appreciated because often I find artists to be someone intimidating and difficult to get on the same level with. When she talked to me about my work I like that she did not try to change what I was interested in but instead gave me different techniques to try with the work. I loved her paintings of the women and rivers. It was new and like nothing I had ever seen before. It was interesting to hear her talk about how she did not like the pieces that were more obvious and liked the pieces that people could not tell where the women were in them.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Diana Folsom’s visit, and the unique perspective she has on life as both an artist and a museum coordinator. Her unique style appealed to me, especially her use of media such as dirt and concrete, as well as the deliberate ambiguity of some of her works. However I most enjoyed her discussion of the LA County Museum of Art and the process of creating exhibits. Jorge Pardo’s gallery design was unique and stimulating, and brought new life to ancient exhibits. The advice she gave, from both an artistic and a curatorial standpoint, was helpful and sincere. Although I did not get to spend much time discussing my visual journal with her, she did give me a few useful critiques.
ReplyDeleteDiana Folsom’s visit introduced many interesting ideas and methods of creating art in which she uses. I had not previously heard of the term “California Flow Painting.” Although I definitely have used it- one of the biggest challenges for me coming to Rollins was to start planning before I began my work. Now I usually have a planned proposal for my work, but some of my best pieces were created without knowing what I would do or knowing when to stop. Diana said she was drawn by materials and experiments with them; using various soil from around the world and other mixed medias. She likes the idea of water stating, “ water is a symbolic symbol of life and women.” One of the most resonating things she said was how she has remained true to herself. She shared a poem she wrote in fifth grade about stars as flowers called “Comparison” and to this day she continues to incorporate these themes within her work. She told us that in undergrad we should learn and experiment with everything, which is something that I have been doing. When you get to graduate school you figure out what to say. It is important to find a direction and to write about your work to find out what you are thinking about it. I gained a lot from her visit, especially in one on one, she helped me think about my screen-printing topic and introduced me to a variety of sources to look at for the future.
ReplyDeleteDiana Folsom's visit was very engaging.I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the gallery designs and the forward thinking occurring at LACMA. Since Museum work is what I am looking to go into any and all information she gave on the topic was helpful and fascinating. Naturally the mention of an art movement was also intriguing since it is so closes tied to what I study (in fact that is what I study).To speak to her work, I personally enjoy it. This probably has a lot to do with my personal background, but also has to do with the expression found in her work. The topic of woman's studies is very interesting for me and to find work that is aesthetically pleasing and sends a message as well is always a joy.I really wish I hadn't forgotten to grab my visual journal! I would have loved to get her feed back. I thought it was amazing that she was willing to look at our work and talk to us about it. Overall, her visit was very informative and engaging.
ReplyDeleteI loved hearing her talk about her techniques and inspirations for her paintings. Knowing how an artist goes about completely a work is something I've always been interested in; unraveling the mystery of the process of a work is so cool. I also really enjoy meeting/hearing artist and talking about their own work because I can feel the passion in their voice and that connection always inspires me. I can appreciate something so much more when I see it along with someone who really is obsessed with it. Also I really enjoyed her concept as well, the illusions and powerful imagery of women as water. The dual visual was really beautiful, one didn't take away from the other, they potentiated each other. I feel her work was much more expressionist then formalist and I think that has something to do with her commentary on it, like I said before her passion for its meaning and feelings not just its formal elements.
ReplyDeleteWhat actually interested me most about Diana's work was her use of the human figure. I looked at her work before reading about her or talking with her and tried to form my own opinions about it. I immediately noticed the abstract human form contained in her works. This intrigued me because I am interested in using the human figure in my own work and it was interesting to look at Diana's unique way of representing the figure. I was very intrigued by the technique she used to create the figure because I had never heard of creating the figure via flow painting. I also enjoy using mixed media in my work which Diana does as well so it was nice to talk with a professional artists with the same interests as mine. Along with technique, the blend of expressionism and formalism was interesting to me because at first I was drawn in my the formal elements of her pieces and then I wanted to learn more about them and I wanted to figure them out. I have found that this is typical of me when viewing art. I really enjoyed talking with Diana and knowing the technique and ideas behind the work make me appreciate it on a very high level.
ReplyDeleteI think the most engaging part of Diana's visit was to listen to her explain her artwork, as well as what she values in art. I love how she explained ambiguity among her pieces and encouraged "mistakes". I appreciated her eagerness to give feedback on our work as well, as she was not only very helpful in articulating ways of proceeding with our art, but she was extremely friendly as well. I loved how her artwork really was both Formalist (in the sense that she values composition, color, and shape) and Expressionist (in terms of the content, technique, and valuing of accidents), and it reminded me of something she had told me in our one on one session in Screen Printing the day before in regards to me screen prints; she told me that she valued the message of an artwork, but that even a darker message can have an eloquence and aesthetic beauty to it. I thoroughly enjoy meeting artists and learning what they find appealling, as well as what inspires them. I feel that Diana was exceptionally helpful and a delight to have met.
ReplyDeleteBesides her visit to our contemporary art class, I had the chance to talk to Diana Folsom and listen to her, in the screen printing class and at her lecture. I though that her work was very interesting and the fact that it deals with landscape makes it even more interested to me as I am also very interested in it. The most interesting part for me, when she visited our class, was the fact that she grew up and was taught in a formalist background, and she had the chance to experience all he change that art and the way of viewing it has gone through since then. I can still see a very strong formal element in her work, as she also said that she focuses and thinks about the formal elements of her work, and these might be of equal importance to her as the meaning behind it. I tend to agree with that as I am very careful with the formal elements of my work.
ReplyDeleteSomething else that stood up to me in class was the work of Jorge Padros. I have to admit that I was not that impressed by the interior work he did at LACMA, and the overall aesthetics his work produced. More specifically, I disliked the curtains, but I thought the way he had carved and positioned the wood was very interesting. However, I cannot know how it would feel to be in the space he designed and thus I cannot give a definite answer to whether I am a fun of his work there or not.