Art Gallery Visit- Extension request granted

For my first art gallery visit, I went to the Burchfield Penney Art Gallery next to Buffalo State. I would have gone to the Albright Knox, but they were closed on my only available day to go. I did not think I would much enjoy the visit, and found myself very surprised. The artwork I will be posting was very beautiful to me, as was the rest that I saw. I could not believe the incredible attention to detail that I came across. One piece that made an impression on me was by Carolyn Panzica from 2010. It was sugar string work over a sugar covered based. It was "Untitled". It was absolutely beautiful! It impressed me because it reminded me of a small wedding cake and was approximately 2 1/2 feet high in an enclosed glass case. The details, the symmetry, the sheer design: all beautiful. Another piece of art that impacted me was by Fotini Renzoni titled "Conspiracy" from 2010. It was graphite on claybord. Just like the sugar piece, the attention to detail was astounding. I will post an up close picture to give you an idea of how painstakingly the artist drew. The plaque next to the piece said for every square inch, it took 2 hours of work. I would estimate it probably took the artist 4-5 months of work to complete it. Another piece that impacted me was by John Tracey in 2007 called "Untitled" and it was fired stoneware clay, oil based paint, and graphite. It looked like a sculpture and a piece of something in nature both at the same time. It had beautiful symmetry, yet it was sort of unbalanced. It was about 3 feet high and 2 feet in diameter.
Some of the art I felt connect to was two other pieces by Carolyn Panzica. One was called "Untitled" from 2007 and was sugar string work over sugar covered base. This also looked like a cake, about 3 feet high, and it had a lovely half dome on the top. What i related to was the bright colors. I LOVED the colors. There was so much texture, too! I just felt like it was something i could see myself trying to create. Her other piece, also "Untitled" from 2010  was also sugar string work over sugar covered base. This resembled a sheet cake, it was maybe 3x3 feet. The colors were in half squares over the top, and again this is what struck me. I love bright colors. The 3rd piece of art I felt connected to was by Felice Koenig called "I glow for you" from 2010. It was acrylic on canvas. It was about 5x5 feet. It was AMAZING. I took a close look and could literally see layers upon layers of acrylic "droplets" of all different colors of paint, mainly oranges and reds. I cannot imagine how long this must have taken to make. I related to the colors, and also the complexity of it. I am a complex person, and it just seemed like if I were a piece of art, maybe that would be me.
The three pieces of art I would like to know more about were different that the rest. One was by Katherine Sehr called "Untitled" from 2007 and was ink on paper. This piece was huge, maybe 6 feet by 5 feet. Standing far back, it just looked like a grey large rectangle but up close, the details were SO intricate. I would like to know how she made this, through stamping or but drawing by hand. I also want to know what prompted her to make it. Another piece was by Jozef Bajus from 2010 called "Object MC-12", which was paper, cotton thread, taped, and mixed media. This to me looked like an oddly shaped book. I read on a plaque that he made it achordion-like so that the gallery could decide how they wanted to display it. I'd like to know how he got the idea to used paper to "weave" like material. Also, if this was the result of one attempt or several hundred attempts. The last piece that interested me was by Carylon Panzica called "Untitled" from 2011, using the sugar string on sugar base. This was like a sheet cake and I wanted to know why all her work seems to resemble cakes and if that is on purpose. Perhaps she used to be a pastry chef? The pattern on the cake itself had an almost "Religious" feel to it, since it looked like something that could be on stained glass church windows. I'd like to know what her inspiration was for it.
Below are the pictures of the art referred to above.

 This above one is a close up of the graphit to show the details.

 This above is a close up of the ink on paper to show the details.

Logo Design-extension request granted for this

I felt that creating my own logo was an interesting way to help understand firsthand the creative graphic design process. I immediately knew I would want to draw something girly and brightly colored. I also love tiger lilies, so I incorporated that into the logo. Then, I figured since it was for me and representing me, I should put my initials in the logo, but not in an obvious way. In the center of the flower, i first drew a tiny "D", then I drew a larger "R" sort of on top of the "D". Then, I drew a sideways "H" that strikes through the first two letters. The most important discovery I made in creating the logo was that it isn't just a one shot deal. You need to think, create, re-do, and re-create until you are happy with the final product.The most important information I learned from the videos and information used for this project was how much attention to detail is given when creating logos. It seems like every little color, line, symbol, etc. has a particular purpose. It makes sense, because companies count in such things to make them money! My opinion of the videos is that they were very informative and gave a really nice "behind the scenes" kind of look into a graphic designer's work and mind.

 I hope you enjoy the pictures of my sketches and final logo design!

Color

Through the  videos, I learned that Color can be described as a function of light, which is an outcome of sunlight rays broken up, and refracted. Color is one of the most pleasurable of the visual elements, because of the fact that it has the power to touch our emotions and it ignites a wide range of responses, both psychological and physiological. Color can be symbolic as well as meaningful. Artists use color for various reason and to convey a wide variety or emotions and messages. Color can be striking or passive. Color can be used vibrantly, or very subtly. Either way, it is always meaningful. A most intriguing aspect about color is that color can be used to play on not only emotions, but feelings, and appetites for example. One artist, Mark Rothko, was famous for using color in some of his pieces to purposely decrease the appetite of diners, and make chefs in the kitchen feel trapped. He used  certain colors such as reds and dark blues to his advantage. It is so interesting how color has this type of impact. I, for one, LOVE color. The brighter the better, in my book. This is because bright colors make me happier, I think. I am a very social, happy person and pale, soft, pastel tones just don't mix well with my personality.
The effect color has on emotion makes quite a big impact not only on the viewers, but more importantly on the artist. While watching the "Color" video, I was able to follow along with the featured artists process of a painting, and observe her strengths and struggles, which were surrounded mainly around color. I love to paint, and I understand that sometimes I am looking to create a certain "feel" behind what I am creating. The color has a LOT to do with that. For example, if I want a focal piece, I want bright, bold, and enticing colors. The artist in the video worked from her imagination to recreate the colors she observed in Venice. It took a while for her to be satisfied. After watching the video "Feelings" video, it only reinforced what I already feel within myself when I wear or am surrounded by certain colors. It makes sense why certain artists used black and white to paint pictures of horrors or sadness, and why other artists used bright colors to portray beauty and serenity.

Creative Process of creating Element and Principle Slideshow

I personally love photography. My husband and I purchased a Canon Rebel about 1 year ago and love to use it to capture life's moments just that much clearer. I enjoyed creating this slideshow because it allowed me to use my creative side as well as the camera I love. Some of my favorite shots are the ones of the flowers, that demonstrated form, color, and texture. They are beautiful and give such a vibrant perspective on everyday life. I had a hard to thinking of something to photograph for lines so I saw the restaurant that I ended up photographing, that overlooked the water in Lewiston. It seemed to me a good example of lines. I also loved using my little  nice Sydney's picture to demonstrate proportion as well as the variety photo. She is just precious.
I hope you enjoy my slideshow!
-Danielle
I tried embedding this but I cannot figure it out, so here is my hyperlink:

http://s1117.photobucket.com/albums/k586/dhahn1227/Elements%20and%20Principles/

Video Reviews

 The video about the Philosophy of arts talked about an interesting range of topics but mainly focused on the evolution of aesthetics. Aesthetics is the philosophy of the beauty that exists, namely in art. Plato had a fairly low opinion of artists/poets. He believed they had no talent and artists made copies of copies. During the middle ages, art was devoted to God and religious themes. During the 1700's, Francis Hutchinson believed viewers needed to be knowledgeable, Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten coined the term "aesthetics", and Immanuel Kant said that aesthetics of art was bringing the sensibility and reason together by means of the imagination.
  The philosopher whose philosophy about aesthetics that most interests me is Plato, from 5th century Athens, Greece. Although he held a low opinion of art and poets, he did not mean to write about art when he wrote about aesthetics. He believed that art was representational of ideas, which are beyond our senses and must be grasped by reason. He felt that the idea of beauty, however, could be grasped by the senses at the same time as by reasoning. He felt that the manifestation of something beautiful would be something that would attract people to itself. This transcends material things and causes people to contemplate the idea of beauty itself. I am interested in Plato's beliefs because they are very deep and he was incredibly intelligent.
In the video about the Neurobiology of aesthetics, it discussed the parts of the brain that are triggered by looking at a piece of art. Jean-Pierre Changeux believed art is human production specialized for  conscious minds to communicate with. He also believed nonverbal communication of emotion, mobilizing conscious and non-conscious processes, and also a form of art that was in constant evolution. 

   The eight laws of art by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran are grouping, peak shift principal (ex. caricature), contrast, attention (ex. little outline of object but still recognizable), perceptual problem solving ex. prefer woman in shower than a pin-up girl, symmetry, loathing of unique vantage points, and art as metaphor. Rama was always saying our brain has to say "wow". In other words, art has to be impactful on us. This is certainly a good point, especially since art has a powerful ability to unite people in conversation over itself.

I feel the videos relate to the readings in that they speak more in depth about aesthetics of art and what characteristics they use to determine aesthetics. The videos explored more meanings of creativity and what is thought to be art by various people, etc.

I really liked the scientific explanation about art and what part of the brain was triggered when looking at art. I am the type of person who is fascinated by how our brains work and the fact that we know so little about its workings, at that.  I think the videos underscored the chapters in our book well and putting it all together made things interesting and easier to understand.