Ashley Hamilton
The critique was overall beneficial for me. I understand time was an issue so by the end of class things seemed to be pretty rushed, but I still was able to get some useful information from the crit. I was surprised that no one even commented on the subject matter of my piece (maybe for lack of time, again?) Something I found useful was the suggestion of placing the boxes underneath the shoes. This allowed viewers to more easily understand my project (although I don’t think it is as visually pleasing or realistically convincing). The critique made me realize that my piece did not successfully convey my message of animal rights, and I would have to rethink my concept if I were to display this piece again. On the contraire, I think the piece was cohesive as a work of art (minus the subject matter) and could still stand on its own purely for craftsmanship and the detail which keeps the viewer’s interest. I wish everyone would talk even more at critiques, and also that we would split the time equally so that no one felt rushed during their personal work’s critique.
Overall I enjoyed Catherine’s piece visually. I think conceptually the idea did not come through as well as she had hoped. Catherine had the same problem as I did in my work… It can stand alone as a ceramic work, yet the concept is missed by most viewers unless the artist is standing there to explain it. In particular, I enjoyed the attention to detail in her masks. It was obvious that two glazing techniques were used (dipping and painting), and I think they were equally successful in their own ways. I enjoyed the variety of color achieved with the painted glaze, yet the dipped mask has a much stronger presence that demands the attention of the viewer. Would the music actually be playing if the pieces were to be displayed in a gallery? After an explanation, I knew the masks were the symbol for her favorite band, but ironically I didn’t think the music matched the feeling of the work at all. From the masks I got a very spiritual, historical, cultural feeling, while the techno music gave a modern, funky, very ‘separated from other historical music’. Also, the one mask cracked several times and had to be glued back together. Probably a majority of these cracks could have been avoided by careful craftsmanship, so hopefully in the future they wont be such a problem. On the other hand, for this piece I think the cracks actually worked to the artist’s advantage as they added to the ‘ancient feel’ I got while viewing them. The work is overall very successful visually, but I think the concept could have been enhanced in the work itself a little more. Loved these masks!!
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5 comments:
Catherine's piece brought an interesting dimension to the exhibit.The concept of masks lends it self to so many lines of interpretation and Catherine opened my ears to some great music for my dance classes! The masks will reach their potential in another setting other than white wall of the crit space.
Ashley brings up a very good point about technical construction problems and how it affects the finished product. Technique, skill, craftmanship is the mechanics behind any art whether it be opera, ballet, a painting or claywork....Good Technique/craftsmanship is the foundation that allows a work to transcend beyond mere construction to art.
I feel for anyone who has technical clay construction problems for I have also destroyed so many pieces that I tried in the past because I lacked the technique ( well really the patience) to work with the rules of clay.
Catherine's work to me was over well done. I know she spent a lot of time on it and i was sorry to see it cracked but i liked it visually. The clear streaks the glue left behind enhanced the look of the actual piece. Much like an outline of certain aspects in the mask.
The music i though did not exactly match what the feel of the masks gave me at first. Maybe if you chose a different song it would of matched better. however i did like the music aspect. It helped create a mood
I think I'm split on how I feel about Tara's comment. I think it was just 'lucky' that the shine of the epoxy worked to Catherine's advantage on the masks. And in a way, I agree. The colors were already rather abstract and a little streaky, so as a viewer the shiny glue could be interpreted as an abstraction intended by the artist. But being in her class and knowing that it is glue makes me feel that it only draws attention to the fact that it broke. Hopefully Catherine's next piece wont break so this wont even be an issue : ) - Ashley Hamilton
I liked the use of music along with Catherine's work. It seemed to me that it was supposed to be the synthetic part, because it was completely made on machinery. I dont remember the concept right now but I think the piece does not offer the concept as straightforward but I don't think it is a bad thing. Looking back I wish that there was some kind of visual interaction between the music and the masks, maybe in the form of light that reacted to the music or some kind of video projection.
i agree with what Ashley said about Catherine's work that her concept may have not gotten across if she wasn't there, but i also don't know if it really matters.i enjoyed the work as they were on the wall, and also the tribal like music that went with it. i think it would be interesting to maybe do what Joe had suggested Tisa do on her piece and maybe pretend these masks were from long ago. although i think the glaze would have to be different if that was the case.
i really like the detail in the masks and the multiple eyes. i felt they really drew me into the work.
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