A Case of Confused Identity

Have you ever noticed that, when a creature is in a cage, it's a pet...

But, if the same creature is running free, it's a wild, potentially dangerous animal?

Blogs Are Hard

Well, hello there!

As you might have noticed, I'm really bad at this blogging thing... no new posts for a whole year!

I hope you can forgive me.

But, unlike this blog, I haven't neglected my art, so I have tons of new pieces to show you!

This one requires a little explanation...

A few months ago, we got a parakeet. 

His name is Sylvester. 

He's kind of "special" - He can't talk, he's afraid of everything except his birdseed, and can barely fly in a straight line, so he spends his days contentedly chirping in his cage by my bedroom window while I try to figure out why we keep him around (it's because he's so darn cute).

Anyways... One day, with parakeets on the brain, I started doodling in the corner of my sketchbook, and, all of a sudden, there was Sylvester...

                                                                                      ...Sitting on the moon.

I thought it was funny, so I turned it into a full-blown artwork.

 

 He just sat there, a little dazed and quite a bit confused,

 pondering the implications of this new development. 

I told you he was cute :)

A Day at the Beach

When I was two, my family moved to New York City.  We lived there for three years.  One of my parent's choice pastimes during the summer was to take my sister and me to the beach on Coney Island.  According to my mother, we loved it, but I only remember the one time that things went terribly, horribly wrong (which might explain why I really hate the beach).

It was a perfect day. The wind was slightly stirring, the sun wasn't too hot, and the water wasn't too cold.  Clouds were gathering on the horizon, though they weren't dark or close enough to be a concern.  By all accounts, everything seemed normal, until the birds started to act a little strangely.  There were only two or three, at first, but soon there were hundreds, thousands, of birds in the sky, all desperately flying to escape the island.  Huge, black storm clouds formed, so quickly that it was like watching a nature video on fast-forward, and the roar of the waves was punctuated by sharp cracks of thunder.  The wind stilled eerily for what seemed like an eternity.  Everyone just stood there, unsure what to do.  Then the tornado came slowly into view and the world burst into chaos.  People were screaming and running, all headed toward the safety of the subway station, like panicked rats fleeing a sinking ship.  The wind hit the beach with renewed force, throwing sand, towels, umbrellas, and beach chairs into the air.  It was so strong that it ripped my diaper off my body and sent it flying with the rest of the beach debris.  This was, understandably, very upsetting to me, so I spent the rest of our wild dash to the subway shouting for my diaper to come back.  Luckily, we made it safely back home.  But I will never willingly vacation on the beach again.

One of my latest Pen-and-Inks

Final Portfolio... Part II

I realized that quite few of my ART 113 (color) paintings didn't make it onto this blog, so here they are (a few weeks later than expected).

As you've seen, our first few projects were on a rather small scale, so everyone in my class (including me) was horrified when our teacher walked in carrying huge rectangles of canvas.  We were told that we had a mere two weeks to fill them using a technique aptly named "stain painting," which involves applying watered down acrylics to wet, unprepared canvas, staining the cloth permanently.

 

I had to put down several layers in order to achieve the vivid red of her dress.



"On the Edge"

I promise it looks much better in person... and in different lighting.  It's a little difficult to take a picture of it when it's hanging on my bedroom wall.  Plus, it's still not finished; I need to paint another seagull in the upper right corner.

"light bulbs"

 This, believe it or not, is spray paint.  I designed and cut out the stencils myself (there were about eight of them), then layered the colors to create the forms you see here.  The smell alone was enough to keep me from doing it again.

Our next project involved "pointillism," a form of impressionism.

"Susquehanna River"

I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

So much, in fact, that I decided to do it again for my final:

"Ruined Castle"

This one isn't finished either.  I had hoped to work on it over the break, but I've been a little distracted lately, especially after the events of Christmas Eve.  With everything going on right now, my poor paintings might not be touched again until Summer!

Final Portfolio

It's been a few crazy months, but the fall semester is finally over! 

That's not to say I didn't enjoy it... I actually learned some very useful things this semester, especially in my studios.

I'm going to have to split this post in half because there's a LOT of material.

My 3-Dimensional art studio (ART 115) was a challenge, to say the least, as I have only really ever worked in the 2-Dimensional.  It took me a while to switch my brain over.
The first day of class, we were handed a lump of clay and told to make something, anything, so I made this:

"Mary"

Although she's a little crude and not at all like I intended, I kind of like the effect.
Our next assignment was a relief sculpture, also made out of clay.  I've already shown it in a previous post, so I won't go into too much detail, but I will say that I think it looks more like it should be on a sarcophagus than a wall.

"Reflecting on Eternity"

Things took a different turn with our second official project:

"Museum Piece"

Wire.  It's terrible stuff.  The kind we used was hard to bend and left a greasy black residue on my hands.  And yet, though my hands were pinched, poked, and sore, I like my sculpture.  It was actually supposed to be a fish, until it grew wings... and sharp-teeth. 
As you can see, I continued with the reptilian theme in my next project:

"In Motion"

Wood is just as big a pain as wire.  Luckily, thanks to my years taking stagecraft in high school, I knew how to use all of the power tools, but building a sculpture is VERY different from building a set, and I'm not so happy with the result, except for its EXCEPTIONAL smoothness.  Seriously, I wish that you could touch it. 
Our fourth project was a group project, much to my dismay.  After much stressing and nagging and, finally, giving up, it all came together in a statement about the current condition of the sought-after college degree.

"Future"

If you can't see (sorry that the picture is too far away), the letters are covered in what my teacher dubbed "College Debris:" coupons, job applications, soda cans, Ramen Noodles, receipts of all kinds, pasta containers, fast food bags, bills, scholarship applications, etc.  The sculpture, placed in front of Old Main at ASU, points out that college degrees aren't as valuable today as they were in the past, and that the so-called "College Lifestyle" may not be relegated only to college students.
I was greatly relieved when I could finally work on my own again.  The next two projects, plaster and pewter, both involved molds.



"Immature"

I used a hammer and chisel to carve her out of a solid block, feeling quite Paleolithic the entire time.  At one point I was getting really frustrated because red stains kept appearing on the sculpture while I was working on it and I could not figure out where they were coming from.  Finally, I realized it was blood; I had apparently chiseled off a piece of my finger without noticing.  A Band-Aid solved that particular problem.
As much fun as that was, the pewter project was my favorite (until the final).

"Restless"

Over the course of one (three-hour) class period, I carved all of the details into a cuttlefish bone, then poured melted pewter into the mold.  I didn't pour enough metal in, so the left side is (beautifully, in my opinion) unfinished.  I'm going to make it into a necklace.
In November, I got strep throat.  But I still had a project due, "Life and Death," and had to work through it.  I had so many great ideas, but I just didn't have the energy to do most of them, which left me with Plan "G."

"Paradise"

 
   
I dunno, I guess it's pretty cool... if you imagine an entire room filled with the candles.
My final project, I think, is the best one, and has the most personal meaning.

"From Within"

    I got really, really sick the summer I turned sixteen.  After months of suffering culminating in a two-week long hospital stay, I was diagnosed with Chrones, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the digestive tract.  However, just as the disease comes from within, so does the strength to overcome it, a truth that I hope my piece is able to convey.

Anyways, as always, I do take commissions, so if you like one of my pieces I would love to make you something similar.

A Tale of Two Paintings

First, here's a little sneak preview:

I started (and finished) a new (abstract) painting in my Color Studio... I call it "Frog in the Canal."

It was my first experience with India Inks, so it took me a while to get into it, but when I did I knocked the entire bottle over onto my painting. I stared at the steadily advancing puddle for what seemed like a very long time before I decided that I liked the effect and dipped each corner.  I would definitely make some changes in the coloring, though, if I were to do it again.

Anyways, it's time for the part I'm sure you've all been waiting for; the grand unveiling!

 

                                                                                                                     It's done!


If you would like to commission an artwork (I work in acrylics, graphite, and frosting), please don't be shy! Contact me at kmjohn45@asu.edu or through facebook.

When the A/C Fails

I realize it's been a while since I last posted.  I could list all my excuses, which are many and include four days with no air conditioning, but that would take too long.  We'll just get into the good stuff.  First off, it was Thomas Scott's birthday last week and I had some brand new stumps (awesome drawing tools) that needed to be used, so I settled down on my couch, turned on Jurassic Park, and eventually ended up with this:

 

 

I was so excited that I showed it to him a week early, even though it was meant to be a surprise.

 

Oops.

 

Blinded by my success, I decided to go all out for one of my school assignments, which actually turned out to be a lot harder than I expected, as it was my first real experience with clay.

A word to the wise: It's definitely NOT like Playdough.

 

 



 

 

I'm not too sure how I feel about it... She kind of looks like she's dead.

 

As for Amber Hall's Temple Painting, I managed to fix my mistakes, but I won't post a picture this time because it doesn't look any different to anyone except me.  If you're super curious, just check my last post.