PlaGMaDA: Selected Role Playing Game Maps 1979 - 2007

The opening reception for PlaGMaDA at a clean poorly lighted space gallery was last night.  There was a good turn out and a lot of people had great things to say about Timothy Hutching's role playing game map archive and the work that was displayed within the gallery at Uw Stout.  Thank you to everyone that helped to get the show up and running and to everyone that attended the opening reception.  PlaGMaDA will be open until the beginning of March, I encourage everyone to stop by the gallery at some point.   

For those of you who play any RPGs and have created any sort of maps that they would like to donate to Timothy Hutching's archive, you are welcome to do so.  For more information on the archive you can visit www.plagmada.org or contact Timothy Hutchings at ozark1@hotmail.com or myself at jennieekstrand@gmail.com 

Today in class we discussed in groups questions regarding drawing.  We talked about what drawing has been used for in history as well as what drawing is used for today.  We listed some reasons for drawing in the past (communication, decoration, maps, language, etc.) and then decided that drawing is still used for many of these tasks but that the means to draw have changed.  We mentioned that drawing might have been more crucial for living and survival in the past then it is today. 

 We then talked about how we experience drawing as viewers and as makers of art.  We spoke about inspiration, research, entertainment.  When talking about when drawing had been inspirational to us we said that when drawing becomes part of a larger installation or larger idea, we also spoke about children's drawings and the intent of the artist.  When it came to deciding what drawing should be or the function of drawing we left that extremely open because we didn't feel like there could be a limit to this.  

The discussion today was not overly inspiring or engaging.  I had a hard time feel connected to the questions or conversation as a whole.  I understand what drawing can be used for in a contemporary art setting, while I understand the function of drawing in other settings.  I am looking forward to exploring different artist that use a drawing language for their work, and having more specific and critical conversations concerning drawing.   (image is wallpaper by Nedko Solakov)

On Tuesday we spoke in groups of the definition of drawing and what makes a drawing successful. We also discussed our "found drawings." While doing this we came up with this definition: Drawing is: a visual way of communicating an idea. A way to express, show understanding and reflect. The means of drawing are broad, by using various mediums and techniques. We felt that for a drawing to be successful it would communicate your idea successfully to your audience and show and understanding of your chosen materials and/or technique. We also spoke about intent and the importance of this in drawing and in any art format. The group agreed that the definition of drawing should be fairly open and broad because drawing could be practically anything, a lot of this falls on an artist's intent.

"found drawings"

couch textile

neon green duct tape

pink embroidery floss against wall

Complete found drawing collection

Life drawing one gave me a lot of new knowledge. I am pretty surprised by how much I have improved at drawing.
Before I started this class I felt like I utilized line variation in most of my drawings but I think that by taking this class I've learned a lot about how much it really does improve a drawing. By using line variation I've found that it can describe poses and feelings simply by changing the characteristics of the line you use.
I've also learned how to better figure proportions. I've always struggled with that but I think that I've improved a lot when it comes to that and understanding how forms of the body relate to other forms. Life drawing also taught me a little more about how to draw with some confidence, I've noticed that by not being afraid to put a mark down and always moving, a successful drawing can come of it. We were also taught a lot about the body, the muscles, and bone structures. In other drawing classes we are told to draw what we see, life drawing has taught me that it is important to have a greater knowledge of what you're drawing and understanding what it is you can't see. Understanding bones and muscles helps me to understand what is it that I do see.


Throughout the semester we built muscles. This is the one section of the class that I think I learned from but did not utilize as much as I should have. It was a struggle for me to understand the muscles and how to translate the muscles from the book onto my 3d model. In the end, I really should have spent more time on it and slowed down in the building of the muscles. I wish I could have found some enjoyment in the building of muscles but instead it became a chore. I also struggled with understanding what I'm missing. I ran into some problems where I had to remove muscles, and without a great knowledge of the muscles I found I was lost in trying to find out what I was missing. If there is one thing I could still improve on it would be perfecting the understanding of muscles, and building them in 3d.

In past classes self portraits are something I would dread. Life drawing gave me a lot of confidence when it came to tackling drawing myself. Even thought my features are a little off, I think I did a good job making certain lines describe the shape of my face and making it look less flat. Overall, I think my self portrait is fairly successful. The top of the ear is a little awkward, we didn't learn the ear in class so I found myself making up the drawing of it. It really showed me how important the demos in class are and how much it helped me to draw eyes, nose, and mouth. I would have liked to see more structure in the face because I think at some points in the cheeks get flat.

I believe this is old news but Damien Hirst has designed a line for Levi's.  

I haven't yet decided how I really feel about Damien Hirst, but I know I like the way that JayZ likes Damien Hirst.  And I know I don't like those spin painting jeans.  I'd like to meet the people that have purchased a pair and I hope one of those people is JayZ.  

Art Shanty Projects 2009

   A group of us plan to submit a proposal to the art shanty project.  Art shanty project's mission is that it is an artist driven temporary community exploring the ways in which the relatively unregulated public space of the frozen lake can be used as a new and challenging artistic environment to expand notions of what art can be.  The project proves a unique opportunity for artists to interact with their audience, and vice versa, in an un-intimidating, non-gallery like environment.  Artists can choose to work in a way that directly engages the audience.  This project runs for five weeks on Medicine Lake in Plymouth, Minnesota.  Submissions are due by December 1st, 2008, so it is coming up quickly, however, I would encourage people to submit proposals for some sort of art shanty.  It sounds like it is a popular and fun alternative exhibition.   

 

  

Pose one I found to be a more successful drawing than others because of it's line variation, some anatomical description, and foreshortening.  I  used line fairly well in this drawing even though the drawing got kind of dark throughout the torso causing more of an outline in the figure than I was hoping to create.  I had problems placing the rib cage because it should have been more exaggerated.  However, I used lighter valued lines in the legs because the model was sitting and the weight was off her feet.  I included anatomical landmarks such as the ribcage and the pelvis and attempted to use contour lines to give the figure some volume.  I also felt that I showed foreshortening of the legs fairly quite successfully.  I think I need some work on learning how to place the rib cage and the pelvis, I at times have a hard time visualizing these in the body and in certain poses, especially when they are tilted.  I could also work on exaggerating the pose so that the drawing has more life and is more believable.  

Pose two is not exactly the most successful of the three drawings, I find it to be quite elongated, however, I felt I was somewhat successful in placing the ribcage and the pelvis.  This was a shorter drawing so I didn't have a lot of time to revise and perfect the drawing and it was left fairly minimal.  There is good line variation, but it could have been used more successfully to describe the pose, weight and depth.  Pose three is not the most successful anatomically, I worked to place the pelvis and ribcage correctly, however, there is an awkwardness about each of those areas as some of the planes stick out further than they should.  However, in some areas the proportions seem correct, and the spinal column appears to be right and is exaggerated to capture the feeling of the pose and emphasize the weight she is holding in her back.  Again, the torso is somewhat elongated and that could have been corrected.  I again used somewhat successful line variation but it could have been used a little more successfully.  I think this drawing got a little heavy in the outlines of the anatomical landmarks.  Life drawing has been a great challenge and it has taught me a lot in how to see.  It's frustrating at times to be able to see something but it doesn't always translate into the drawing, I'd like to improve on this as well as better line variation for the sake of describing something rather than for the sake of line variation.  I'd also like to improve on exaggerating the poses.  I have a large room for improvement but from seeing where I began,  I think in the time left in the semester it is possible to improve more.  

gesturez

  

The three gesture drawings shown, are characteristic of my work at the beginning of the semester.  I will write about them generally as they are fairly similar in the way that I chose to address the figure.  Early on in the semester I chose to focus on outlining the figure, I didn't consider the bone structure of the body.  My lines, considerably more so in the first two drawings, are quite meek.  It is difficult to see the line variation because of this and also because there isn't a great amount of variation.  I had a lot to improve on at the beginning of the semester.  The last drawing, however, shows some improvement, there is more confidence in the lines and there is also a greater variation in line quality.  

   

Throughout the semester I've not had a problem including the entire figure on the page.  I've been quite consistent in at least that.  I think that I've also been fairly successful in placing the figure in the picture plane proportionately to the overall piece of paper.  When doing gesture drawings, I began the semester by sectioning off the page into separate drawing planes, this helped me to think of each section as a separate picture plane.  However, when drawing so quickly, it is sometimes difficult to be accurate in placing the figure and I sometimes end up off the page (this is not illustrated in the gesture drawings shown).  As we learned more about the anatomical landmarks, I began placing them when doing gesture drawings.  In the 30 second drawing, I didn't have enough time to place the rib cage or pelvis, however, it was fairly easy to place the spinal column as well as the structural aspects of the femur and tibia.  In both the longer drawings I added the rib cage, pelvis, and spinal column, while focusing on long axis lines rather than outlines.  As the semester progresses, I've learned to incorporate line variation more successfully,  in the 30 second drawing I've used line variation to describe the leg.  It helps to communicate the models pose and suggests the character of legs in general, as they act as a sort of spring for the body.  The 60 second drawing uses line weight to describe the weight the figure is putting on the back leg, as well as what is closer to me (the right shoulder) the 1+ minute pose achieves this too.  I chose to use greater line weight on parts of the body that were closer to me.   I think the 30 second pose and the 1+ minute pose are more successful in capturing the feeling of the pose, the 60 second doesn't seem to do the same things the others do.  It might be that there isn't as many exaggerated angles in the drawing.  Overall there has been a great improvement in my gesture drawings since the beginning of the semester, I've learned a lot about using anatomical landmarks which helps in figuring out the placement of the figure as well as making the drawing more believable, I've also been able to incorporate a greater knowledge of the use of line to help capture the feeling of a pose and help rely less on outlines.  

'it's a blog worth blogging about'

Blogging for life drawing seems to have been a struggle for the majority of the class.

I've not really found a blog that I've been overly interested in, I rely on their outside of class blogging to grab my attention, however most of the class does not seem to blog very often or about anything that is not required.  I do think there are people doing a good job, Mark and Shelly seem to be quite successful.  They have posted fairly consistently and continue to do so.  However, I don't know that my attention was grabbed or held.  

I have enjoyed blogging for the most part, it has given me an opportunity to practice writing and inform others of important happenings.  I also enjoy looking at other student's blogs but I wish there was more to look at.  I think it is important to keep up with these blogs as they can be a great way to give and get feedback as well as get your work seen by other people outside of the institution.  It is frustrating to give feedback and offer suggestions or questions and not get a reply, or to never have feedback on my blog.  I think a great number of students are not participating in other students blog so when this happens we a missing out on important conversations and it makes me wonder if the blogs are hurting rather than helping when we could be having conversations in the classroom rather than relying on the blogs.  I don't know if people need a way of being held accountable or if it's just not a priority.  It is fairly easy to blog about something you care about or something you are interested in.  If a person is behind in the class, if their maniken is not complete, a blog can always be created about something other than life drawing, or a comment could always be given to other classmates.  

At this point in the semester I've commented a few times on each group member's blog.  I think I've done a fairly good job in commenting on other posts.  The comments I leave are of good quality, offering a lot of thought and questions for the poster to think about and improve on.  However, I'm not sure that these group members have received their comments because they never replied.  I have received only a couple comments on the very first post I did for the class presenting my current body of work, since this post I've only had comments from people who are not even taking the class.  I have not replied to these comments because they these comments lacked a bit of depth leaving me very little to discuss with my fellow classmates.  

I don't think there is a lot that I am dying to post that I haven't.  There are many things I could think of to post about and will continue to post about things of interest to me and hopefully to others.  If I could give a blog assignment to the class I would assign everyone to post about an artist they reference in their work or find particularly interesting, they could give some information about the artist as well as images of their work.  Another assignment that might be interesting would be to have each student go to an art exhibition and write a review or response to the show.  

The blog I am keeping is of pretty high quality, I've done a good job of posting about miscellaneous or art-related content rather than only sticking to assigned posts.  The quality of images are of good quality as well.  The nature of the class, however, does prevent a person from having the greatest quality images.  You must resort to a point and shoot to quickly get an image of your drawings or clay model to post the constantly changing content.  I've continued to stay up to date on group member's blogs and have commented where I felt I could.  I think my blog is especially helpful to classmates in that I've informed people of current shows at stout as well in the minneapolis area.  I've taken the blog pretty seriously by thinking about people outside of the class looking at my blog.  I wouldn't want to have my name attached to something that wasn't of a good quality.  

I will be visiting cranbrook academy of art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan this weekend.

I am extremely excited to see a certain Patrick Gantert and to also see this campus of a really great school.  It will also be a great opportunity to see what the grad students are working on there at this time.

This school is in the top 5 in the country for MFA in sculpture.  I am just overly excited to get there.

I think it would benefit everyone to visit the website of cranbrook, look at current student's work and check out the programs offered and maybe consider applying when it is your turn to look into graduate school.   

a clean poorly lighed space presents Portable Terrane by Tim Abel

A Clean Poorly Lighted Space Gallery is proud to support the work of Minneapolis artist, Tim Abel, as he explores ideas of geology, space, and time in ‘Portable Terrane’. In order to investigate these themes, Abel uses digital prints as well as various forms of printmaking to form an installation within the small gallery space.

In geology, terrane is a fragment of crustal material with an individual geological history that differs from the surrounding areas. These fragments have, in a sense, broke off from their original plate and traveled to another part of the earth, leaving them in a completely new surrounding. As A Clean Poorly Lighted Space is located within the University and within a hallway of an already existing building, the gallery, as well as the work displayed in the space functions as a metaphorical terrane. As a person travels through the hallways the mundane institutional grays, whites, and browns are interrupted by the bright light of the gallery and vibrant blues of Abel’s installation, it is a terrane, contrasting it’s surrounding area. The use of map imagery, thread, fabric, and paper, mirror this idea.

By manipulating the materials through the process of sewing, Abel is the mover and creator of each individual fragment finding their place within a larger plane. The idea of contrast within a context is brought up again with the use of thread, sewing, and sewing pins. These methods often connect to domesticity and femininity; take on a new meaning in the context of Abel’s installation. Instead, the marks created by thread and a sewing machine forms a road map or a timeline for the viewer to follow through the space. The sewing machine leaves a trail of dashed lines through the fragments of material, which mirror dashed lines on the pavement of a road taking us to any given destination. The pins take on the function of mile markers or cities or perhaps important events on a timeline.

When approaching the gallery, you are presented with a window that does not allow the viewer to see what lies on the opposite side. Instead, the viewer must move along the surface of the printed velum to peer through the circular holes. By interacting with the installation, the viewer is rewarded with a beautiful pattern of paper, fabric, and thread. The many pieces form a representation of strata. In geology, strata are layers of rock that distinguish them from contiguous layers. Natural forces create the layers; each layer represents a specific place in time. Abel patches materials together representing a time and place, within the confines of A Clean Poorly Lighted space a true portable terrane is experienced.

Jennifer Ekstrand Gallery Director/Curator
Cheyenne Seeley Assistant Gallery Director/Curator

The Fine Arts Association participated completely in Homecoming 2008.

We nominated Brandon Cramm and Cheyenne Seeley for homecoming king and queen.

All week they took part in activities collecting points, competing against about 7 other couples.

In the end, points were counted and Brandon and Cheyenne won!  It was a really great thing to be a part of and it is great for the FAA as well as the art department for us to take part in these activities.  More people know we exist.

A Clean Poorly Lighted Space presents Portable Terrane an installation by Tim Abel.
Tim is an artist from Minneapolis that just received an MFA at the minneapolis college of art and design.
The show runs from October 13th through the 31st and the opening reception is this FRIDAY at 8:00 pm.
Please come to enjoy some great artwork as well as refreshments and a live DJ.

3 points from Amy's drawing:

• no outlines
• can see bone structure more clearly
• better line quality

10 Minute drawing:
I felt as though I used the long axis line, however, the cross contour lines could be improved, I'm not to how much I even use them. Instead, my figure tends to get a little heavily outlined at times. I think I tend to get fairly good line quality, but that could use some more variation, I think some get too dark too quick. I place the rib cage and pelvis, however at times I have a hard time understanding the angles and where they really fit in, I have been somewhat successful in placing them, I just don't know how accurate it is. I did not use the space of the page to it's greatest advantage. When drawing in class I was not considering them as possible finished successful drawings but I think it's important to consider it all even if it is a sketch. I hope to consider this element much more throughout the class.

While building the muscles in clay, I learned a lot about the layering of muscles and was able to visualize them inside of the body to understand what their functions are when it comes to movement of the body. I think that the whole process what frustrating for me, I wasn't really able to create the muscles in the way they looked in the book and that lead me to believe that what I was doing was incorrect. I think it helps to be persistent and to keep trying. I found it was often times easier to build onto the model rather then build a muscle off of the model and try to fit it in. I preferred to keep adding on to the muscles rather than subtracting. I think the main thing to keep inmind is that it is difficult so you need to work slowly and make corrections and keep trying until you understand each muscle. I think knowing the muscles will help me see exactly what it is I'm looking at and understand what the muscles are doing. I think it will help in making the drawing look like it has some life.

This Side Up

The last show in Gallery 209 running from September 29th through October 3rd was This Side Up.  An installation constantly changing as members of the 2008 advanced sculpture class occupied the space and built and tore down cardboard structures.

pelvis studies

Gericault Raft of the Medusa (study)

Raphael Study

God creates Adam by Michelangelo.

Figure drawing is difficult. Every assignment so far, I've struggled with, it is a complete challenge to really see things and look for clues in the body to help you draw it. With the pelvis studies, I found I had a hard time placing it, just like in my rib cage studies. I can find some clues in the body, such as the hip bones but I think there are parts of the pelvis that I don't completely understand where they should find themselves in the body. There is a lot of elements to keep in mind when drawing the human figure, I try to focus on every thing but I tend to find when I focus on, for example, the pelvis, I forget other parts of the body, and make mistakes I wouldn't make if I was focusing on that part of the body or bone structure. It's a matter of slowing down, and really seeing, I think that's what will help me in the future.

Rib Cage Studies

Taddeo Zuccaro

Nude Man Striding


Perino Del Vaga
The Crucified Christ

Peter Paul Rubens,
Study For Abraham and Melchizedek
black chalk
16 7/8" x 21 1/8"