WK 15-Artist Conversation: Nancy Young

Artist: Nancy Young

Exhibition: As the Crow Flies

Media: Printmaking

Gallery: Dennis W. Dutzi Gallery

Website: N/A

Instagram: N/A

This week I met Nancy Young. She is actually graduating this semester with a BFA in the Printmaking program. She told our class that this show is actually her final project. When she first started going to college, she was put on academic probation and had to leave for a while. She told that class that she struggled with substance abuse and bipolar disorder. After years of struggling, she decided to go back to school. She has completely turned her life around and is very happy. In her free time, she loves to be with her dog and listens to music.

Nancy uses a variety of printmaking in her exhibit. She uses a lot of detail in her work. The crows were so realistic due to the fact that she used so much detail. All of her pieces have a smooth look to them. The colors consist of mostly black and white. There are a few other colors as well, like pink and blue. The black in each piece however, is what the main focus is supposed to be. The other colors just emphasize the focus.

Nancy Young explained that her motivation behind her exhibit was all of the grief that she has gone through and struggled with in her life. Nine years ago, Young tragically lost her husband. He has become a huge inspiration in her art, it is her way of coping through her grief. Her love for her dogs is also another inspiration for her art. They are the happiness and joy that she has while creating her pieces. Nancy also discussed how she travels to different cities and attends workshops to find more motivation and to expand her knowledge on what to create and how to create it.

I really enjoyed this exhibit. Nancy Young was a very interesting and motivating woman to talk to. I felt that everyone was inspired that even with her struggles and hardships in life, she is still determined to become successful. She found what she loves and is happy again. She has endured so much in her life, but still went back to school and will be graduating really soon. It was very inspiring to me and made me more confident in myself to graduate and get my degree.

WK 15-Classmate Conversation: Jennifer Garcia

This week I was able to talk to Jennifer Garcia. She was a bit shy at first, but was really fun to talk to. She is a second year student at CSULB and is majoring in Biology. She is from Apuente which is about a 45 minute drive from Long Beach. She is currently living in the dorms in Beachside. In her free time, she likes to play soccer, hang out with friends, and listen to music. She owns a dog, a parrot, and many fish. She loves to eat Mexican food and chips. It was fun talking to Jennifer, she was funny and we actually had a lot in common.

WK 14-Art Experience: Sketching in the Gardens

This week’s art experience was something that I really needed. I am not much of a drawer, as you can see from the pictures, but it was very relaxing. With finals coming up, things have been very crazy and stressful. Taking some time to be in the Japanese Gardens and enjoying the scenery was just perfect. It was nice to not have to worry about all the homework I have or all the tests that are coming up. I have never had the opportunity to really sit and enjoy the gardens. Even though I am not an artist, I can now see why people love drawing and painting so much. I was able to actually pay attention to the details of something as simple as a leaf. I’m glad we did this experience, it was much needed.

WK 13-Artist Conversation: Nick Bamford

Artist: Nick Bamford

Exhibition: N/A

Media: Mixed Media

Gallery: CSULB School of Art: Gatov East

Website: N/A

Instagram: nickbamf4d

This week we were able to meet Nick Bamford. He is graduating this year with a BFA  in the Ceramics program. He is from Huntington CA which is where he found his love for art. When he was in high school, he took a ceramics class and discovered that that is what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He found his true passion in that class. He explained that he does not really have much free time because he would rather be doing art.

Bamford’s art is very abstract and chaotic. His three sculptures were illuminated by the black light in the room. He explained that his sculptures were made out of “found objects” meaning that he just picked up random things and threw them all together. They were all stacked on top of one another and were sticking out in different places. There was a ton of bright colors to make his pieces stand out. These colors consisted of blue, pink, green, and many more.

Nick explained to the class that he did not want to give the art a message but instead wanted the audience to create their own message. Bamford said most of his art is an in the moment kind of thing and that he does not really know what he’s doing or why he’s doing it until he is finished with his piece. He likes the idea of having random things being thrown together to create something new. Nick also explained how fascinating it is for him to see how one thing can have 100 different meanings to each person.

I really enjoyed Nick’s exhibit. I loved the colors and how he brought all of the random objects together. When I looked at his work, it reminded me of my own life. I have random pieces in my life that all just kind of stick together and work to create something beautiful. I loved how he used to light to illuminate certain objects to capture the audience. It was interesting to look at one side and then walk around and see a whole new piece of art. This is the exhibit that I stayed in the longest because I found it absolutely breathtaking.

WK 13-Classmate Conversation: David Brown

This week I met David Brown. He was super fun and interesting to talk to. He is currently a 4th year at CSULB and will be graduating next year. He is majoring in computer engineering which automatically makes him a super smart guy. After I asked why he picked such a hard major, he explained how much love he has for anything that has to do with technology. He said that after he graduates, he wants to go straight into the field and find a good job. In his free time, he likes to read, play video games, watch movies, and occasionally golf. His all time favorite food was french fries. His favorite color is orange like the sun, nice and bright. He loves horror movies that have the supernatural in them. He explained that he hates the horror movies that end with everyone dying though. It was really fun talking to David, he was very funny and entertaining.

WK 13-Art Experience: Art Care Package

This week’s art experience was very different. I had a difficult time choosing what to send but I felt that both the dream catcher and lei had importance to me this week. Sending the ACP is similar to sending a Snapchat because it captures that moment in time. I am able to share the moment that I made the dream catcher and even though the other person won’t have the same experience, they have the symbol. Which is what Snapchat is to me, its a symbol of what I am doing and the memories I am creating. It’s different though because the person I am sending the package to is actually receiving something tangible. With Snapchat, its just a video or photo that is going to disappear in a few seconds. I think ephemera really just depends on the person and what the object is. No my grandma’s ticket is not going to be important. However, the ring my Tia Patty gave to me before she passed away will always mean something to me. It’s the story behind the object that matters. I guess to some people the ticket might matter because there could be a crazy fun story that goes along with getting that ticket. It all just depends. To me there is a difference between art that is seen by many people and art that is seen by few. I feel like the art that is seen by few is going to be more special because the person who created the art can share their true feelings about their creation. Most of the time in museums, the artist is either not present or has passed away. There is not as much attachment and emotion to the art at that point. I feel like faster is better because the person receiving the Snapchat can share the emotions with the person sending. By waiting, the joke doesn’t seem as funny or the picture isn’t as sentimental.

WK 12- Art Experience: Game Design

N 33.786, E -118.115

Hint: Look low near the parking structure

This week’s experience was actually way more fun than what I had thought. At first I was a bit frustrated because the first 2 geocaches were no longer in the places that they were originally hidden. I was determined to find at least 1 though. After about an hour of walking around campus, I finally found one near the pyramid. It did make me look at places differently because I began looking at where can things be hidden. I never would have imagined hiding something near the pyramid but it was interesting finding it. I think every place has something secret. To me, I feel like students who live in the dorms know different things than those who commute. I believe this to be true because those who live in the dorms like how I do, spend way more time on campus than those who commute. However, those who commute could know more about places outside of campus, such as the best places to eat. It all depends on who has the advantage.

WK 12- Artist Conversation: Tiffany Le

Artist: Tiffany Le

Exhibition: Tau

Media: Mixed media, charcoal, paint, ink

Gallery: CSULB School of Art, Dennis W. Dutzi Gallery

Website: http://www.letealeaf.prosite.com/

Instagram: letealeaf

Tiffany Le is a graduate student here at CSULB. She will be graduating this May with a MFA Illustration program. Le was born and raised in Garden Grove, CA. She had always been interested in art starting at a very young age. She explained that it all started with just coloring and copying the designs that were on cereal boxes. Her hobbies include Japanese fencing, hiking, going to gallery shows, and taking care of her bunnies. When she graduates she wants to look for jobs and go freelancing.

Tiffany’s work consists of paintings on canvases. In many of her paintings, there are dark colors such as black and grey. However in most of her paintings, the darker colors are contrasted with a yellow/goldish color. There does appear to be any straight lines in her work, instead they are all squiggly and take on various shapes. There were different scales to her work. The boats were in various shapes and sizes.

The artist explained that her family came from Vietnam and that her art reflects their journey and hardships. She explained to the class that her father tried and failed 67 times to get on a boat and leave Vietnam and how he had to find safe houses to live in. She also discussed that her cousin had gotten thrown off of a boat and almost drowned in the ocean. Her art is a reflection and a reminder of what it is like to be an immigrant and the struggle they have to endure. This is clearly shown in her work with all of the darkness in her work.

To me I was amazed with her work. I come from a family who all immigrated from Mexico so I was able to see the point that Tiffany Le was trying to make. I hear the stories that my family tells me about how they tried to come to the U.S. and although they are not the same as Tiffany Le’s, the feelings are still the same. Her art portrays the struggle and the determination it took to get here. I really enjoyed looking at each individual piece. I feel like everyone who has parents that immigrated to America can relate to her work and feel the power behind it.

WK 12-Classmate Conversation: Enrique Plascencia

This week I talked to Enrique. He was super cool and very interesting to talk to. He is currently about to graduate this year from Cal State Long Beach. His major is art: drawing and painting. When I asked what he wants to do with his major, he explained his different ideas that he’s currently testing. He is trying to sell some paintings, and he is also creating other types of art such as making shirt designs and stickers. In his little bit of free time away from art and school, Enrique likes to hang out with his friends, watch a movie, or even catch up on his favorite television shows. We wrapped our conversation by him talking about why he is taking art 110. He said that he needed a capstone class and this class seemed the most interesting and closest to his major.

Wk 11- Art Experience: Turning Pages

In my opinion, the best way to document ephemeral experiences is to take pictures of them. A picture does not always capture the emotion, but its a nice reminder of what happened during that experience. I’m not sure if words and pictures can truly capture an experience, but they work as a bookmark. To me, the style does really matter. If the picture is blurry, it can show that the event was hectic and out of control. If its more precise, then it can show that the event was more calm and collective. I don’t think that taking a picture takes away from the experience. In my opinion, it adds to the experience. It allows the person to think about what is actually important in the event and they can take a moment to enjoy what is happening.  This week’s experience was very uncomfortable for me. I really did not enjoy being in the library, it was completely different from being inside the bookstore. It was very awkward to be in the library, especially when everybody who was on the computers were staring. The worst part was when we were leaving and I heard the people at the front desk call everyone in our class “obnoxious assholes.” It really did not have anything to do with taking pictures, it was reading the books in front of everyone that was awkward. Being in the bookstore was easier because I felt like it was more natural. This experience did open my eyes to how unimportant books are nowadays. It was weird to see all of the books in the store basically hidden away. To me though, I feel like because technology is so important and so much more convenient that books are no longer an importance to society and school.