How the World will End

Who would've thought Kevin Durant would dunk the Earth into a black hole...

Ono Article Response

After reading the article about Yoko Ono, written by Lisa Carver, several things came to mind that I enjoyed about the piece. I liked the emphasis that Carver put on Ono as a freelance artist and how she took her skills and made something that was so ridiculous, that no one understood it. She was breaking the rules laid down by artists before her and it didn't bother her. I also liked how Carver explained where Yoko got her inspiration in her artwork and how she focused on things that she didn't have in her private life. It felt like Yoko was filling a void that had been left by her several husbands and their career through her art and creativity. Yoko's upbringing had made her better at being an outsider and accepting it, rather than spending her life trying to be something that she wasn't. To me, it takes a lot of courage to go against the grain like that and march on, knowing that people were going to disagree with you. Overall, the article showed lots of courage and creative talent in the eyes of Yoko Ono.

While there was a lot that I enjoyed about the article, there were a few things I noticed that I didn't necessarily enjoy. One thing that jumped out at me was Yoko's refusal to be helped. After several marriages and divorces, Yoko was left heartbroken and hurt. It seemed as if she shied away from interaction with those who could have helped her when she was going through these traumatic experiences. While it may have left her stronger and wiser in the long run, it seemed foolish to reject help at the time. The other thing I didn't like when reading this article was the overbearing obsession that the author had with Yoko. She was extremely thorough in giving Ono's background and went on to not spare any details when it came to her as an artist. Towards the end of the article, it seems to drag on a little bit, which I didn't like. However, I learned a lot about the life of Yoko Ono and her career as an artist.

Micro Project 1

Asymmetrical Image

Symmetrical Image

Radial Image

Person and their surrounding space

Person up close

POV of an ant

POV of a bird

Stable image

Unstable image

My name on campus

Walker and Barrett Articles

After reading Big Ideas and Artmaking, I feel excited to begin on our first class project in Art Education 2520. The article was very interesting and linked different techniques through the real-world experience of countless individuals who are mentioned throughout the article. The great thing about art, is that there is no right or wrong way to pursue it. Some of the pieces of art that I read about in this article were met head on with criticism when they were first introduced. In other instances, the projects may have sputtered before truly coming to life. One interesting thing I read was how Jennifer Bartlett was set to build a garden, but the plan was cancelled. Instead of giving up, she instead built the garden on her rooftop. This was inspiration in my eyes for the relentlessness that artist must hold in order to do what they love and not be affected by those who could hurt your passion.

While there was a lot that I liked about this article, it dragged on a bit towards the end. It felt as if some of the attempts at reinforcing the critique of art rattled on and became overkill. They also started at Bartlett and transitioned to other artists that were similar in style to her, rather than diversifying the types of art that were covered. I would have liked to see less depth with each artist and more variety. I also didn't particularly like the "artist talk" and "teacher talk" that went on along the right side of the article. The answers they provided for the questions began to wash together and I couldn't see any significant differences between the quotes. Finally, I wasn't especially fond of the assessments that occurred throughout the article. I felt like I was learned to teach art rather than learning the styles of art. I found it a little bit confusing when it mixed with everything else that was being discussed. Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of this article.

The next article I read was Interpreting Visual Culture by Terry Barrett. Right out of the gate, I really liked the cut-and-paste sheet that was provided at the beginning of the article. The introduction about Michael Ray Charles and his inspirations was very interesting. I really enjoyed the visual pictures they were able to paint when describing the similarities and differences between different art terminology. It made it much easier to understand and much more appealing. The portion where the talk about the cover art that is portrayed on Rolling Stone Magazine was also very interesting. Overall, the article was pretty easy to follow and described how different cultures and time frames have looked at visual art in different ways.

There were a few things, however, that I wasn't as in touch with when it came to this article. At one point she is discussing the cover of Rolling Stones magazine and she describes Destiny's Child as "susceptible to being overcome by stronger or better armed predators" which didn't really make sense to me. I see where the author was going, but it felt like the comment was kind of forced in order to try and make a bold inference. I also felt like her description of students, both at the middle school and high school levels, were skewed based on personal experiences, rather than general feelings. While I do believe that kindergartners are very intelligent, I am not sure if they are looking at denotations and connotations on a severe level. Overall, the article ran on a bit, but covered a wide array of arguments and topics when it comes to visual art, specifically annotations and connotations.

Pictures

The Cuban Missile

Hungry

We keep it classy

My room (don't mind the mess)

Busy at work

I've got a couple pairs of shoes...

Where I hibernate

CHAMPS

One of the roommates working hard

My fancy threads

Kidd, Hickey, and Weschler Articles

The first article I read, written by Kidd, talked about different tools that exist in art in order to convey a point or express a certain feeling within your art. By discussing how directionally, art is in the eye of the creator, it allowed me to gain a better perspective in terms of creative freedom. Each individual may picture things differently in a work of art and it's important to remember that individuality is vital in art. He went on to talk about a few other tools, including large and small as well as top to bottom. Overall, I felt as if Kidd was expressing a desire for creativity in art. The message was clear: there is no right/wrong way when it comes to art, but instead the way in which the artist perceives their work.

The second article, written by Dave Hickey, centers around rules and how they impact society. He starts by focusing on a basketball games he watched where one player made a spectacular shot. He described that if it weren't for the rules as well as the actions of the other player involved, that it would have never happened. He goes on to relate this finding to art and how rule can transform the way artists think and perform, almost as a governing body. He comes full circle when he describes how dripping paint became a rule in art and how it transitioned from a rule to a means of governing. His discussion about how art has progressed backward compared to basketball struck a chord with me in terms of being able to express yourself freely without concern for criticism. If art was more like basketball and less disciplinary, it may be much different than it is today.

The third and final article, written by Lawrence Weschler, talks about modern digital animations and the steps that are being taken in order to make digital character more lifelike. Weschler mentions several different animation companies and the steps they are taking toward more life-like characters. Digital modelers around the industry are basically competing to achieve the first mirror image of human beings. After reading this article, I gained a better appreciation for those stepping into this career field and the challenges that come along with trying to create a human-like character out of lights and special affects. I was also intrigued by the processes they use and hope to look into the digital animation industry more in the future.

About Me

I would like to welcome you to The Blog of Champions, written by yours truly, Matthew York. I am a sophomore at Ohio State and am pursuing a degree in accounting with a minor in economics. I am involved in several organizations at Ohio State, including Chi Phi Fraternity, Accounting Associations, Business Builders Club, and Fisher Forward. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio and went to a small school with a graduating class of about 130. I have two siblings: a younger sister who is a sophomore in high school and a older brother who will be graduating from the University of Dayton this spring. With my free time, I like to play sports and hang out with friends. I play several intramural sports at Ohio State, including soccer and basketball. I am a huge Cincinnati Reds fan and hope to work at the stadium this summer. I also enjoy listening to music and am a huge fan of Kanye West. I am really look forward to learning more about art in the coming semester. For my top five list, I decided to do my top five candies. They are as follows:

1. Swedish fish

2. Reece's 

3. Snickers
4. Sour Patch Kids

5. Laffy Taffy

Me and two of my fraternity brothers
 on the field after we beat Michigan