Self Portraits

Waking Life

Waking Life was a very interesting and provocative movie both in its presentation and in it's dialogue. The movie sets itself in a stream of consciousness. Each frame originally shot in live action is then drawn on buy several artists changing its rendering to animation. While your eyes are captivated by the immense craftsmanship and your stomach is somewhat queezy from the subtle changes in each frame, your ears fall upon insightful conversations on existentialism, poverty, philosophy, and other political and socio-economic topics. I found it to be an amazing movie.

Carlos Graupera

Carlos Graupera (January 27, 1972 - ) is an artist currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. Born in Lancaster, PA, Graupera attended a small private school where he learned traditional drawing and painting techniques. His painting techniques broadened while attending Millersville University studying under Robert Andrulli, a well known local artist. After recieving and undergraduate degree, Graupera participated in Teach for America, educating students in southern Texas for several years. In the mid 90's, he went on to recieve his MFA at American University in Washington, DC. It was here that Graupera's paintings and drawing took a more political approach while stylistically embracing paiting techniques of painters such as Max Beckman. In the summer of 2006, Graupera moved to Brooklyn, NY where he is currently an elementary school teacher and soon to be a father of two. While Graupera's work has always seemed to carry on a disticnt narrative more recent paintings tend to reflect on personal situations rather than the story of others. As the personal narratives develop the painting itself expands and loosens itself as Graupera, "tries to keep the painting as loose and free until the last possible moment."

An Illustrated Dog

God used CS4

I am an abstract painting. (Blogger inverted all of my colors)

I am an abstract painting - or maybe something a little more representational.

Helvetica, Helvetika, Hell-Vetica

Helvetica has opened my mind in a way I'm not so sure is beneficial to my sanity. To start, which should I blame, Helvetica the typeface or Helvetica the movie? I guess one obviously embraces the other. Speaking of embracing, I have visually welcomed the consciousness of this typeface into my psyche and like an obsessive stalker, it follows me everywhere I go. Even worse, it has infiltrated my memory of famous ads or locations with text and altered its rendering, creating a sense of uniformity within a broad range of emotions and colors with seeming "different" fonts. I guess it's the beauty of Helvetica. Beauty...or manipulation.

Inhabited Sketch Journals

http://www.inhabitat.com/mission

I was surprised to see this website posted on Jille'blog. I used Inhabitat's website quite frequently last semester for my Sustainable Environments class. I had always considered everything on that website art, especially their incredibly innovative architecture. However, seeing it on Jille's blog gave the assertion of, "duh, it is fine art."

http://www.sketchup.google.com

I had tried Google Sketch Up last semester. I really enjoyed the program, however, it drastically slowed down my computer, making the program virtually unusable. Hopefully I will have better luck with the program this semester. This is an amazing free 3D program.

http://www.1000journals.com/index.php?view=Journals%2FIndex

I really enjoyed looking through these journals especially after turning in my first folio assignment for 2D Foundation today. It was helpful to see how the same type of empty space is executed, designed, "filled" a million different ways. I now have several new ideas to address for the following folio.