Clara Lieu's Blog, page 35

Tomorrow! Artist Lecture at the RISD Museum

Tomorrow night I am giving a lecture for the graduate students in the RISD Teaching + Learning in Art + Design program.  The lecture is at 6:30pm, and will take place in the Metcalf auditorium at the RISD Museum, and will be based on my book, “Learn, Create, & Teach: A Guide to Building a Creative Life.” Hope to see you there!

“The New Romantics” at Mark Miller Gallery in NYC

I will have two drawings, “Self-Portrait No. 6″ and “Self-Portrait No. 22″ in a group exhibition called “The New Romantics” at the Mark Miller Gallery in New York City. The show is curated by Diana Corvelle and Cara DeAngelis.

Opening reception: Saturday, April 5, 6:00-9:00pm

Exhibtion dates: April 5-May 9, 2014

Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 12:00-6:00pm

Mark Miller Gallery

92 Orchard Street

New York, NY, 10002

“Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor in exact truth, but in a way of feeling.” – Charles Baudelaire, 1846

The Romantics of nearly two centuries ago created works of such considerable diversity that the only clear similarities lay in their emphasis on originality, imagination and deep emotional content. Ranging from expressive portraits to epic landscapes and vivid depictions of nature, these artists sought to push back against the reasoned order of the Enlightenment by producing emotionally charged works that spoke to their intensely individual perspectives.

Today a new Romanticism is emerging among artists who prize individual expression and authentic emotion over Postmodern sterility. These new Romantics are as varied in subject and style as their predecessors, and as equally unapologetic in their pursuit of emotional truth. Their work implicitly asserts a restoration of the Romantic ideal that artists are gifted and singular purveyors of original thought. Inspired and informed by the spirit of Romanticism, the artists of The New Romantics comprise an expansive visual trove of emotion and awe, each one both individually conspicuous and collectively harmonious.

Ask the Art Professor: To What Extent Do Grades Define an Academic Career in Visual Art?

“Lately, I have been receiving opinions from my peers (and even professors) that grades are irrelevant. I don’t want to imply a lack of rigor or competence present at the school I attend. The school I attend is possibly the most prestigious art school in the United States, and the most selective by a comfortable margin. However, those facts only make encountering attitudes, such as those previously expressed even more bewildering. Now, this attitude is liberating to the extent that it allows one to take risks when producing work, but I have this nagging suspicion that grades must matter to some extent. To what extent do grades define an academic career in visual art?”

Grades are a sticky subject for students, and even more so in art school. In the visual arts, there are no numbers given on exams, and there are no answers at the back of the textbook. What might be deemed as “successful” in one course could potentially be poorly received in another. This ambiguity leaves many art school students in the dark about how they are being evaluated. I hear students all the time expressing that they have “no idea” what their grade will be in a studio art course. (If that is the case, I encourage students to take the initiative to seek out their professors in order to inquire about how they are doing in the course at midterm.)

Technically speaking, the one situation where undergraduate grades carry weight in the visual arts is in the graduate school application process. Beyond that, I have never been asked to show my undergraduate transcripts in any other circumstance, even when applying for college-level teaching positions. On your resume, all that matters is that you have successfully completed your degrees. Most likely, no one will ever see what grade you received in your Drawing I course in the first semester of your freshman year.

Despite these circumstances, I do think that grades still matter in art school. I’ve taught both with and without grades at various art schools. There are certainly disadvantages and advantages to both situations, and there will always be an unending dialogue on this topic. In the most ideal situation, grades hold students accountable for their performance, provide concrete validation of their progress, and can even be a source of inspired motivation. On the first day of my three-dimensional design course my freshman year, my professor proclaimed that he “gave three A’s last semester.” I took my professor’s statement as an exciting challenge, and thought to myself in that moment: “I’m going to be one of those As”. (Yes, I did get the A.)

So while it’s true that an art school transcript probably won’t be scrutinized outside of a graduate school application, when viewed as a challenge or barometer for progress, grades can make a positive contribution to your overall experience in art school.

Ask the Art Professor is an advice column for visual artists. Submit your questions to clara(at)claralieu.com

Continuity

I was able to get into the studio two nights in a row, which makes for some much needed continuity in my work process. I find that if I’m away for more than two days in a row from the studio, it’s much tougher to pick up from where I left off.  These two drawings are very close to being finished, all they need is another pass with the lithographic crayon to firm up some details.  RISD is on spring break next week, so I’m hoping to make a final push with these drawings before my studio visit.

Satisfying

I finished up the etching ink work on this second drawing, and began adding in passages with a lithographic crayon last night.  The lithographic crayon achieves much more detail than the etching ink, so I reserve it for areas where I need to solidify small shapes. I had forgotten how satisfying it is to render these small details with the lithographic crayon. The etching ink takes care of 90% of the work, so adding the details with lithographic crayon feels incredibly easy and smooth by comparison. The lithographic crayon is minimal work which quickly leads to finished results.

Logistics

I have to admit that it’s been getting harder to get myself to the studio at the end of the day. I know I should be looking forward to my time in the studio, but lately that hasn’t been the case. This semester, I’m teaching at RISD all day Mondays and Fridays, and in the morning on Saturdays. After teaching a 7.5 hour drawing class, I pretty much collapse at the end of the day and can’t do anything but vegetate afterwards.  Yesterday I got home at 6:15pm from teaching and made the decision to take the night off instead of going to the studio.  I felt intensely guilty, but I knew that I needed the rest in order to make it through to the next day. I know, it’s so unromantic to be discussing these kinds of logistical issues, but it’s a reality for so many artists. Every week is a new challenge in time management and balance in my schedule that I am constantly working on.

Standing Back

Working on these 7′ x 4′ drawings certainly is presenting it’s own challenges. Lately I’ve been implementing strategies for how to maintain a cohesive sense of the entire composition at all stages of the drawing. When I’m up close working on the drawing, it’s pretty much impossible to see the entire composition all at once.  I’ve been forcing myself to step back very often so I can get a better sense of the relationships that are going on in the drawing. My studio is big enough that I can usually get at least 10 feet back from the drawing, which is enormously helpful. In fact, I’ve been stepping back so much that I’m starting to feel like I’m spending more time looking than drawing!

Another approach I’ve been taking is shooting a photograph of the drawing and then looking at the thumbnail image on my camera.  Seeing the drawing shrunk down to a 3″ tall image really condenses the composition and gets me looking at the overall balance of the piece, rather than getting fixated on the details.

 

Third Drawing

I got going on the third drawing, the first of which has featured the emerging female figure. This figure is going to show up in several of the drawings, so I sketched the figure on a sheet of white paper first, and then traced it onto the Dura-Lar. This will ensure consistency throughout all of the drawings.

I’m itching to finish up these three drawings, not just because of my upcoming studio visit, but also because I want evidence that this idea is actually going to work out.

First pass

I’ve almost covered the first pass of this second drawing, and yet I feel like I’ve barely started. I find the initial set up of a drawing to be the most challenging; nothing is firmly established, and you have so far to go before anything starts to look remotely good. My intention is to build up multiple layers of images, so this really is just the beginning.

I’m starting to feel my March 30 deadline breathing down my neck.  With just 3 weeks to go, I hope that I’ll be able to bring three drawings to a point where they can accurately portray my concept.

Artist Masterclass: Transformations

Artist Masterclass is a series of conversations between myself and visual artist Sara Bloem.

CL:  In your images this week, I feel like you’re really moving beyond your photo references.  You’re really manipulating, shifting, and transforming things.

SB: I’ve been thinking about a number of things this week.  Number one is subtlety. I was actually considering something you said during my final crit last spring: you pointed out how an edge appeared and disappeared into darkness on this one particular portrait drawing.  More subtlety, paying attention to edges. It really stuck. I also worked on developing cohesion, fine-tuning the value range, and trying to decide what I wanted for the overall series.  And I’ve been thinking about what exactly these images depict. Am I approaching it more like a dream? More like a collection of symbols? Or is it more grounded in realism, like a diorama?

CL:  The images feel quite dream-like to me.  I think the work you’re doing in Blender was the key to bringing the work to the next level.  It’s much more sophisticated than just making collages from the reference photos.

SB: Last time we talked, you gave me “permission” to pursue the work in Blender.  I was unsure! But it’s turned out to be crucial, you were right. I’ve also been thinking: would I enjoy sculpting in real life as much? I don’t have a lot of experience to compare.  But I think the computer allows me to make these 3D sketches quickly, so the process is low-mess and very fluid.

CL: I’ve always thought that sculpting the figure is one big power trip.  I think you would really enjoying sculpting, I would love to see you pursue it in the future.  The problem is that sculpture a huge logistical pain. The mess… the storage problems… the expense… I’m so glad I decided to never go full throttle with being a sculptor. It’s awful… building crates to store your work, bubble wrap hell…

SB:  I feel like sculpting has helped me solidify the world I’m working in, if that makes sense.  I can believe it more.   Sculpture is such a direct intervention into the world we live in.  If it weren’t such a pain, do you think you would be a sculptor full-time?

CL: Even if I had all of the money and facilities in the world to fund being a sculptor I doubt I would have done it.  I love atmosphere and things emerging out of darkness too much.  So what’s the next step with these images?

SB: I will do more work with Blender and complete the rest of the set (8 more images). Actually, I did have a question:  I’m wondering about source material.  So, in sketch 3, the collection of limbs at the bottom is the person who was posing in the original archival photograph. While I was (very slowly) messing around with the composition in Photoshop this week they reappeared, and I liked how it looked. The solid people are a nice contrast to my models.  Sketch 1 went through the same process. But I’m concerned – these are not my photographs and even though I’m not going to publish these sketches as my finished work,  it still feels wrong. I feel like I need to reshoot my own reference.

CL: If it feels wrong to you, then I would shoot your own images, that way you will truly “own” the project. Being the control freak I am, that’s what I would recommend.  I like being able to dictate every single detail of a project. I think there are plenty of botanical gardens in NY that you could easily visit for the backgrounds.

SB:  Maybe being a control freak is the source of all originality.