Artist Statement Kiara Weibel

As an artist, I see a vast amount of options. There are no boundaries limiting what I will and will not do as an artist. All art forms are exciting and satisfying in different ways. However the variable that always remains consistent is that of a passion for creation within the process.

Art is a way for me to adapt to life on a regular basis. My purpose is not only to create and produce, but to express feeling, understand, and connect with myself and others. My work has stood as a release of emotions, a statement I wish to communicate, or simply a visual of my subconscious mind. I continually see a manifestation of my own life, thoughts and feelings arising in my work, whether or not I have had a clear goal in mind at the beginning of a project. I continually find connections in my finished work, and this stands as my own visual language. While I create reflections of my own world, I also wish to make connections with my audience. The goal of my work is to evoke emotion and intrigue in both myself and others.

Within the past four years, I have particularly been using photography as my primary way of making images that are not only expressive of my identity, but statements that all people can connect with, as we all share this same world that I love to photograph. As I explore the many realms of photography, and photograph whatever catches my eye, I have found that some images strike something deeper inside, greater than a simple appealing visual composition. As I learn what these images evoke in myself, I often wonder what thoughts are evoked in others. I feel that it is necessary to be aware of and hold on to these feelings and fleeting moments that photography points out and highlights. It is the art in life that already exists, but just goes overlooked, forgotten, or completely unnoticed. The beauty of life and existence continually draws me in, inspires me and allows me to express myself.

Andrew Kunz's Artist Statement

I have always had an interest in various forms of sciences and astronomy. Every morning starts with a cup of coffee and a new science article. I was never really good with numbers so I choose to express my passion toward this subject with art. Instead of examining the mathematical part behind these topics, as an artist I focus on the visual aspects and personal theories behind the mysteries of the universe.

My art begins as a personal question. For example, the expansion of space, the existences of humans, or even how microscopic bacteria’s grow. I am a mixed media artist that loves to explore different ways and solutions to express my art onto whatever surface I can. Recently, printmaking as been the medium that I have been using. My interest in printmaking is really in the process behind what it takes to develop an idea, prep and prepare the plates, and then finally to produce the final image. The real point about printmaking that really drawls me into in, is that every piece I make is like my own little science experiment. An etching, for instances, is an experiment that involves a chemical reaction between a zinc plate and chemical bath. The result of this experiment is a chemically burned channel into plate. That channel then results into the image of my work. Printmaking also, gives me the ability to add endless texture in my art. I personally feel that texture in art is just as important as the color and even them image. Texture also allows me to make bold emotional marks by using objects to leave impressions into the paper. The limitless boundaries in printmaking are like the limitless boundaries in science. Those two parallels are what really inspire my work and me.

Artist Statement - Regina Cuce Burkholder

I can hardly remember a time when I did not make things.

I am a designer by trade, but still have a love and appreciation for art and art history. I am always looking for an interesting way to integrate a variety of styles, colors and textures into my surface designs. I constantly keep my customer in mind to meet the end use. Most of my inspiration comes from nature, especially plants in my garden, but I also look to my favorite movies and music to get me moving. I explore different types of media including watercolor, pastel and photography and find ways to incorporate them into designs.

I combine graphic design with my love for textile design to set myself apart from the average textile or graphic designer. I strive to create functional, everyday designs; graphic designs to help small businesses stand apart from the average “word processor” and beautiful fabrics that are versatile and innovative.

Artist Statement

Sophisticated with a sardonic twist is what I like to achieve with a project. My work is intended to entertain the viewer and leave them with good feeling. Over the years, I have learned that positive gets positive.

My work is formost professional and versatile.

My goal is to design a product that communicates my clients message effectively. I am not satisfied unless my client is satisfied and I will do whatever it takes to have a successful collaboration and get the job done! If we happen to have a few laughs along the way, all the better.

Artist Statement

Painting is the way I express my inner thoughts and feelings and how I connect to others. I question what is going on in my life or in the world. I take that blank canvas, add texture and oil paint and gradually a story unfolds to provoke thought and emotion.

At times, my artwork is ambiguous. The viewer may see one thing at first glance, but if they keep looking, images will unfold that help them to understand. Of course, there is never just one story. There are as many meanings to my paintings a there are people looking at them. For me, each time I hold one of my creations, I also hold a part of me.

Artists Statement

When I am struggling with life and overwhelmed with emotions the first thing I come to is art. The paintings and drawings that I make for myself are much more about the process than the outcome. They are my escape from reality and a way to let out any tension or negative feelings I might be experiencing. As a result, many of them turn out chaotic and confusing with many surreal creatures and unexplainable scenes. There are no guidelines or rules when I am painting for myself. Through making this kind of art, I am able to let my emotions flow and take a break from the structure an standards that come with most things in life, and that can definitely be seen within the artwork.

The artwork that I create for other people is quite different. I enjoy making more useful works of art through pottery and knitting, and I also paint. My main focus for these paintings is usually color. I love to see how using different colors can change the entire look of an object, or bring on certain feelings and moods. The more realistic paintings I make for others to view are very expressionistic in their style and usually have close up views of whatever is in the subject matter. I also make series of abstract paintings that experiment with different color combinations. These abstract paintings are not meant to look like anything at all, but are intended to focus on the colors involved.

artist statement

Artwork should provoke questioning, if it does not it’s boring. This is my aim, so I use what ever I can find to make pieces of work that will ask the viewer to participate in a sort of self discussion or to have discourse with other viewers. These works are specifically made with materials that I find, steal or have been given to me. While it is not important for the viewer to focus on the fact that the work is made of recycled material, it is important to me. I find speculating anymore into processes, techniques or artistic choices can be much more thoroughly satisfied by engaging the work itself. The content of my pieces do, however, intertwine ideas of social, political and environmental issues and this is where some may draw a parallel to my choice of not using new materials. This is why I try to keep a loose, somewhat, naïve approach to the works I create. By doing this it is my hope to leave room for the very questioning I seek from viewers.

Edward Joseph McGrath

Artist Statement

Painting is my love because there is no end to what you can do. I use painting as a communication to others, my praise to God, and as an escape from the busy world we live in. I am heavily influenced by my faith in Jesus Christ and my goal when I create art is to portray the sacrifice He made and the love He has poured out into my life. In my art I incorporate my own interpretation of God's gift of life to us and I show through my creations how I see the world and appreciate what has been given to me. My passion is for acrylic and oil painting and at times I also incorporate various materials within my paintings. When painting, my technique is spontaneous with quick brush strokes. Seeing the simple effects of what the paint can do on its own is exciting for me and I enjoy watching what happens when I mold and blend the paint to go where I plan. The subject of the human body is a favorite of mine because I know that God made us in his perfect image and its obvious of the beauty and uniqueness we possess. My hope is that my work will encourage others and invite them to recognize the pure gift of Life.

Ad Agency Visit

I was originally not thrilled at all to go to the Ad Agency.  It wasn't something I ever considered getting into so I didn't really find a point in going besides getting class credit.  I gave it a chance and actually became really interested in the career choice.  Even though my form of art may not be useful for an agency I realized there were other job opportunities and it is now something I am looking into.  Great idea Walter!!!! Thanks!

advertising agency

I really enjoyed the visit to the ad agency. It gave us all a chance to actually step place in the agency and get a closer look than to just hear someone speak about it in a different place. I found it interesting to hear about all of the steps that go into completing a certain ad, whether it was for a poster or the videos for the internet and elsewhere. One thing that was said that made me think was when it was mentioned that he sometimes wishes he was back in art school because I took it as him missing the freedom sometimes to just create art, and not to be confined to the restrictions of a client. Of course though, it is a job and while the freedom to create is much better, it also doesn't guarantee a paycheck. The whole experience gave me a lot to think about.

ad agency visit

I thought the trip to the ad agency was interesting and helpful. I appreciated seeing their work environment and samples of their work. I enjoyed hearing behind the scenes info such as how they photographed peoples desks to create background images, filmed scenes in the same conference room where we were sitting, and how they often got together in the conference room just to brainstorm ideas. Their website was especially interesting. It was also insightful to hear their thoughts on print versus interactive advertising media. I would have enjoyed hearing more than one person's point of view - perhaps another artist or writer - but I understand the time constraints of a busy ad agency. Thanks, Walter, for arranging this field trip.

On the visit to the advertising agency

What did I learn from the visit to the advertising agency? hmmmmmm, I learned that what they do is not a whole lot different then what I am doing here in college. You get an assignment and you have to complete it. The better job you do, the more creative you are and the better you understand your teacher the more likely you are to be successful. But in this case success is not a letter grade it is food on the table and a roof over ones head.
I learned that these people are very good at what they do. The posters of the ad campaigns that were hanging in the meeting room were very clean. They were art in the sense that anything done well can be considered art. They were fine art in the sense that attention to detail is what puts the "fine" in fine art. They may not have been art if one considers art as something that comes about from a pure random vision with no time constraints, but it certainly is art.
I found it interesting that they had a small weight room or work out room in the building. I often need to do something physical to clear my head and put things in perspective. It seems to help to get the blood flowing to the brain and with it new ideas. I wanted to ask them if they had a pirate flag up on the roof, Apple joke, they seemed very progressive.
I learned that there is a lot of collaboration involved in each project, A lot of interaction between writers, graphic artists and the client. With any collaboration new things are created and learned even though it may be frustrating at times. One of my favorite things about this course is the interaction between somewhat kindred spirits and seeing the things they create, it feeds my idea factory and fosters my creativity.

Class visit to Advertising Agency - feedback

I hope all of you enjoyed our visit to Holten, Sentivan +Gury, local advertising agency. Please post your feedback as to what you learned from our visit. Please include what you learned about the advertising world and your thoughts about being an artist working in commercial art.

sale on Itoya presentation cases

Hi Classmates. In case anyone is interested, I found a 50% discount on Itoya presentation cases at www.carpediemstore.com. These are the same presentation cases I was looking at at Rainbow arts for full price. Shipping wasn't cheap, but I still saved money overall.

artist statement (finally)

I have a daily urge to create something...anything. I’d almost consider it a sickness I can’t mend. I’ve dabbled in different mediums from graphite, clay, photography, jewelry making to watercolor, mask making, charcoal and paints. I can’t say I’ve narrowed that down over the years, but my current medium of choice is oil & acrylic paints, and charcoal. I love the challenge of a portrait, the freedom of abstract art, the beauty in a landscape, and imagination that gets transitioned into a work of art. I draw inspiration from music, people, books, travel, movies, and bizarre dreams that wake me up in a sweat. I’m still searching, yet always learning and challenging myself artistically and varying in style until I find exactly what it is I’m meant to do. Whatever I’m dying to get out of my system, I just take a raw canvas and go from there.

ARTIST STATEMENT

As an artist, I've done portrait, abstract and collage paintings. I enjoy doing collage paintings the most. The advantage of doing a collage painting is that the cut-outs of several images give me a wide option to create my own design. It is exciting when I can create a scene by using images that are not specifically a scene. I like to cut out random pieces of images and paste them together with other images to create a unified image. I always use oil for my medium, because i think it is easier to blend and fix than other mediums that dry fast. I normally spend about 3 to 4 weeks in a collage painting. I think it takes longer than doing an abstract painting because collage painting incorporates more images. Also because I combine my own images, I then paint them in a way that unifies them in color, value and composition.

Joanna Spicer's Artist Statement

Photography has always been very special to me. I believe it makes you look at the world in a whole new light. It allows you to see the beauty that may normally pass you by. 

I began shooting my own photography in my early teens. I didn't have the best camera, or knowledge, but I worked with what I had at the time. I was constantly reading about photography and looking to others for inspiration. 

After many years I finally found my own personal style. I like to capture a distinct emotion in a photograph, whether it be a person, or landscape. I don't like to do much editing to my photos, because I believe they are the most beautiful in their natural state. I am constantly trying to create images that have never been seen before. I believe I bring something to the table that is unique. 

Danielle A's Artist Statement

I like to think of my work as larger than life because I try to amplify what people miss on an everyday basis.

My subjects are typically portraits. I strive to capture someone perfectly. I mostly work from old pictures of friends and family because I enjoy capturing memories. Occasionally I will do a simple posed painting of a person but I prefer having my subject in a candid moment. It’s just more interesting.

Oil paint allows me the flexibility of a lengthy drying time. I like having the option to step away from my piece when I get too frustrated to like what I produce and be able to pick up right where I left off instead of having to start over again.

My pieces tend to run rather large in size because I feel it allows me to capture my subjects in a more detailed manner. Some of the normally unnoticed details that are equally important get lost when you work small.

Hallie Edlund

I began creating art through drawing and through the years have diversified through many fields of creativity. I work in medias such as collage, bookmaking, printmaking, charcoal, watercolor, photography, and oil paint. I have received such awards as 1st place in the State level of the Reflections Art Contest in 2000 for the theme of “Suddenly I turned around and my friend was there to comfort me.” I have also placed at several school art shows, including several 1st place awards for oils paintings at the Westminster High School Student Art Show.

Currently, I am more concentrated on printmaking and collage art. I have created several large scale collage portraits out of magazine and paper. I use small squares and patches of color to create a more painterly effect when viewed from afar. The prints I create tend to have an animal theme and a humorous overtone. I like to use bright colors in my art to bring some of myself into my work.

Artist Statement

Art has always been a very personal experience to me. My mother is, and always will be, my inspiration to be an artist. She has made it her living for more than 20 years. Although the road has certainly been rocky at times she has never given up. My art is nothing like my mothers but she has taught me everything I know.
All of my art starts off on paper, whether in one of my many sketchbooks or on a napkin. List's of words fill the paper of possible ideas and soon it will come to me. As a art student, I have not produced a lot of finished pieces for myself but have enjoyed countless projects assigned to me. Everything around me inspires my work, my family, my friends, my environment, all of which make my art my own.
In the years I have been an art student I have explored many different mediums. One technique that I have grown to love is working with watercolor and with pen and ink. My watercolor pieces have a more playful, cheerful look. I am always picking up children books and admiring the illustrations. Another technique I have recently been interested in is the more graphic art.
I hope to explore many other forms of art in my life and hope to continue doing what has come very easy to me. Although personal to me, I hope to touch others with my work.

Artist Statement

I have been creating art that is very personal to me and that I can make a connection with. Whether it is created to help remind me of something personal in my life, or just something interesting that I enjoy. My work is often based from pictures that I had taken, mostly landscapes. One technique that I like is to create a painting using no black or white for the darks and lights. I like to use color in a very expressive way, always trying to gain the observers attention. Im my digital art works, I like to try and use many different layers, finding a good balance in color and textures. High contrast in the images helps to create something that is eye catching and helps to draw in the viewer to the greater detail within. Along with being interested in art, music is another huge interest of mine, which shows from time to time in my work. I am always trying to discover new ways to discover new ways to use materials in order to be more expressive.

Artist Statement '09

My artwork is based on unreal images that I have created that are graphic, vibrant, and unusual. Flowing lines and bold shapes are two key elements that are included in all of my paintings, while I also pay a great deal of attention to the principles of balance and repetitive pattern. There is a dreamlike and free-spirited quality to the work that I create. My goal is to reach the corners of my creative mind, to create work that is visually stimulating, aesthetically pleasing, and thought inspiring, while also keeping control of the composition.

The medium that I have spent the most time on is acrylic painting on canvas, but recently I have become interested in many forms of printmaking. I like to experiment with my paintings, such as mixing the paint with unusual items to create texture, or adding found objects to the canvas to create a sculpture/painting combination. I prefer to stray from the customary constrictions of typical paintings by experimenting with concepts that have never been used before. The form of printmaking that I focus the most on is linocuts. I create linoleum prints of repetitive patterns and irregular shapes. I like to vary the types of linoleum that I use, and I also hope to begin using wood in the future to add a different kind of texture to my prints.
My artwork is all about things that do not exist in the world that we live in. I create the images in my paintings because I want my art to be imaginary and stimulating.