I
went to the Saranac Art Project Gallery on Saturday November 5th and
walked around the gallery. I thought the work was very interesting and unique.
The left side of the gallery had very detailed drawings and paintings. On the
right side of the gallery there were little pieces of currency from different
countries in small picture frames. These pieces of artwork were collages of
currency. I talked to the artist and he explained how he cuts out different
parts of currency, lays them out on a table and then starts grouping the pieces
together to make something visually pleasing. He said he tries to cover up
numbers or dollar amounts. He counted the number of currency pieces and each
different artwork had a different amount of pieces but it was between 5-10
different pieces. This artist said that he really likes making collages because
it is taking other people’s artwork and creating your own. One piece of artwork
that really stood out to me was a composition done by Austin Stiegemeier.
Austin Stiegemeier is from Rathdrum, Idaho and is currently a professor at
Gonzaga University. Austin’s work is very simple and complex at the same time.
It has a simple color range but the detail in the composition is very complex.
Austin’s painting “Icarus” which was created with graphite, conté,
crayon and encaustic, has a
wide value range that includes white, black, grey, and gold colors that produce
very light whites and dark blacks. This composition has a lot of motion with
the wings and different lines around the composition. There are also very
unique shapes in the negative space that make the picture more visually
appealing. The women in the composition looks very realistic but she has wings
which make the piece more fictional and more like a fantasy or a dream. These
wings could also be a metaphor for wanting to “fly” away or leave, or it could
be about holiness and a higher power. This artists’ exhibition project made an
impact on the community because it was a free artistic event that people of all
ages could attend. Some museums cost money to go in but this is a free event
which could be beneficial for low income families who still want to look at
art. I wonder if having these paintings in a mural format would reach a bigger
audience and make even more of an impact?Thursday, November 17, 2016
"Icarus"
I
went to the Saranac Art Project Gallery on Saturday November 5th and
walked around the gallery. I thought the work was very interesting and unique.
The left side of the gallery had very detailed drawings and paintings. On the
right side of the gallery there were little pieces of currency from different
countries in small picture frames. These pieces of artwork were collages of
currency. I talked to the artist and he explained how he cuts out different
parts of currency, lays them out on a table and then starts grouping the pieces
together to make something visually pleasing. He said he tries to cover up
numbers or dollar amounts. He counted the number of currency pieces and each
different artwork had a different amount of pieces but it was between 5-10
different pieces. This artist said that he really likes making collages because
it is taking other people’s artwork and creating your own. One piece of artwork
that really stood out to me was a composition done by Austin Stiegemeier.
Austin Stiegemeier is from Rathdrum, Idaho and is currently a professor at
Gonzaga University. Austin’s work is very simple and complex at the same time.
It has a simple color range but the detail in the composition is very complex.
Austin’s painting “Icarus” which was created with graphite, conté,
crayon and encaustic, has a
wide value range that includes white, black, grey, and gold colors that produce
very light whites and dark blacks. This composition has a lot of motion with
the wings and different lines around the composition. There are also very
unique shapes in the negative space that make the picture more visually
appealing. The women in the composition looks very realistic but she has wings
which make the piece more fictional and more like a fantasy or a dream. These
wings could also be a metaphor for wanting to “fly” away or leave, or it could
be about holiness and a higher power. This artists’ exhibition project made an
impact on the community because it was a free artistic event that people of all
ages could attend. Some museums cost money to go in but this is a free event
which could be beneficial for low income families who still want to look at
art. I wonder if having these paintings in a mural format would reach a bigger
audience and make even more of an impact?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Making collages out of different currencies is so fascinating! I love collages, especially ones that are just chaotic enough to be visually appealing. I do wonder though, where he got the idea to cut up money and make the pieces into a collage. Did he go to different countries and get the different currencies? Or did he just go to a place where he could exchange U.S. dollars? Definitely a cool concept.
ReplyDeleteCollages are pretty cool! The artist said that he has enjoyed making collages for awhile now and just hadn't used money as one of the materials. He also said that he went to different stores and thrift shops to get the money and materials, he did not actually visit all of these different countries, but that would be really cool!
ReplyDelete