Drawing Machines

Non-Traditional Drawing Final Critique, Part 1
Originally uploaded by Amy DiGennaro

We are wrapping up our semester with a critique of our semester-long drawing machine project. Check out the full album of images here. Non-Traditional Drawers: Please go into the album to label yoru works and write some notes in the Comments sections saying a little something about your piece (materials, process, etc), maybe posting some of your artist statements, perhaps adding some comments form the critique. Thanks! See you for part 2 tonight. And then...more hooping?

Thursday Night Drawing Club at the Walker Art Center This Summer

Millet at work in his studio, photographer unknown. Millet, Francis Davis, 1846-1912

From Scott Stulen's post on mnartists.org: "Drawing Club occurs every Thursday and Free First Saturday throughout the summer from 2-5 pm on the Walker Open Field. No invitations, special talents or art experience are needed to participate and contribute. Please check back on the Walker and mnartists.org sites in the coming weeks for more information of special drawing club news and guest artists. If you are an artist that would like to participate and would like to be featured on the Drawing Club calendar please email me (scott.stulen@walkerart.org) with your name, contact info and desired Thursdays to attend." READ MORE HERE.

Be there Non-Traditional Drawers!

Mural In-Progress

Jamie's section detail.
Originally uploaded by Amy DiGennaro

For the last few weeks we've been working on a group mural with non-traditional materials and approaches. The idea was to give each student/artist in both sections of Non-Traditional Drawing two pieces of wall to create a mural that would riff off the environment built as the work was developed over time. Some very cool things are happening, but I think if we were to do it again we'd go for one big substrate and working across the whole space as the individual sections never really melded into a whole. The result is a related grouping of wall works. Finished work is due tonight, so come back soon to see finished photos.

PS: As ever, click on the photo here to access the full Flickr album of all the work-in-progress.

Semiotics!

Joshua Mercil, Semiotics Project, Installation detail
Originally uploaded by Amy DiGennaro

The class once again rocked the project for our Semiotics pieces. We started by reading selections from Daniel Chandler's "Semiotics for Beginners" then the student artists just ran with it, exploring the multiple ways that things and images and all sensory data means. Some fantastic projects came of it. Click on the photo of Josh Mercil's installation in progress here to see more of his and the others' works. I still need photo doc from some of you...you know who you are! Give it!

View from the Boardroom

Boardroom 1
Originally uploaded by Amy DiGennaro

We pondered our creation and its destruction after pulling down both paper and tape installations, which took a matter of minutes. Kind of unbelievable after weeks of work to get them installed. Full photodocumentation in the Flickr web album. Click on this photo to see more than you ever wanted to see of us creating and destroying these installations, including a video that sounds like static.

Our Amazing Paper & Tape Installations

Interior view "Science"
Originally uploaded by Amy DiGennaro

One of the many installation views of our Paper & Tape installations in the basement of the Western building. I'll repost the statements each group wrote for their pieces below. They totally rocked this project, creating all-encompassing environments. Check it out! You can view the full album on Flickr by clicking on the picture at right.

Linley is for an art....

I am for an art that is wonderful.
I am for an art with no concept.
I am for an art that is chaotic.
I am for an art that is strange and mysterious.
I am for an art that is made of things from goodwill.
I am for an art that screams "look at me!"
I am for an art that looks like it's from the 1930's. An art that is old and vintage.
I am for an art that is like a box of chocolates on valentines day.
I am for an art that makes you wonder.
I am for an art that makes you think.
I am for an art of past rememberence.
I am for an art that is FREE.
I am for an art that makes you feel on top of the world.
I am for an art that is like changing of the seasons.
I am for an art that is dark.
I am for an art that is rusty and old, broken and torn.
I am for at of a city at night, for the bright shining lights.
I am for athe art of laying on a rooftop, watching the stars.
I am for the art of television.
I am for the art of piles and piles of clothes all over my room.
I am for the art of thunderstorms and the pitter patter of the rain on the windows.
I am for the art of singing in the shower.
I am for the art that is painted on the sides of buildings. Art that is illegal.
I am for the painful art. The art that sticks into your skin like a needle.
I am for an art is like jumping off a cliff.
I am for an art of fat cats.
I am for an art of worn out objects and decaying parts.
I am for an art that is used and thrown away, stepped on and smushed.
I am for an art ath is kicked, punched, and beat up.
I am for the art of tattoos.
I am for that art that smells of gasoline.
I am for an art of things burned in a fire.
I am for an art that is erroding.
I amd for an art that is just plain weird.

Paper and Tape Statement

“Was ist die Zeit?” February 2010

paper and tape

Havilah Aos, Nathan Besser, Haley Deffenbaugh, Jamie Ischer, Linley Schmidt

Time asserts itself consistently throughout every nuance of our lives. Not only can we read its influence on our wrinkled bodies and bowlike backs, we read it through measurements we have invented. What we drew with these atypical materials describes the inconsistent skips and blurs of our impatient movements through life. Constructing a physical model of time is nearly as abstract as the topic itself, and we have taken on the challenge of representing time with marks in space. It’s empirical tangibilities are hard to capture, but the process of the moment revealed the inner workings of time better than we could have planned. The tension of gravity in the installation is pulling apart the seems, just as time will inevitibly pull apart our lives. The contributions of material innovation and conceptual forethought will then last only as an imprint on our consciousness.

the tape gipsies

I Am For An Art........

Emma Kullberg

I am for an art thats what it is, that screams in your face in the middle of the night. For art that Shakes you in your boots. For art that rip's out your lungs, and puts oil paint in them. I am for art thats for arts sake, and thats not for arts sake at the same fucking time. I crave for an art that wastes your time, makes you watch your days flicker by like pass over. For a art that doesn't make me give a shit, shit, shit about Y7x-(9x)2= ??? and have it make sense to my head. Im for art that gives up one night for the hell of it......Comes back the next day with a written apology. Art that makes you forget who you are. Art that comes from my black holed heart, and won't stop creeping. I am for art that has 'A Thing' for me, regardless. Art that makes you throw up at 5:00 in the morning. For Art that makes you jump on the bed. Art thats quick to suck you in, but won't let go from your arms or legs. For art that takes way to fucking long to cook whenever. Art that drives you mad. Art that makes your head explode. Art that makes you believe, crash, rise and shine, pull, cry, and inflict emotions. Art with lipstick on mirrors, Art thats spit and ink, Art thats paper and tape, Art that makes you pull all nighters, Art that cuts your fingers, Art that blinds your eyes, Art that pushes you down......... An art that makes you remember later. I am for art that makes you cheat on your boyfriend, only to be left alone in the morning. I am for art that takes a million pieces put together the wrong way. I am for bullshitting art. I am for art that could kill me. I am for art that could ruin me. I am for art that hates me. I AM FOR ART THAT CREATES ME. I am for an art that makes you eat french toast for breakfast. I am for art that doesn't make you stop till its over. Art that makes you scared. Art that can cause severe brain damage. I am for art that put snow on the car all night. I am for art that kisses your nose and face with poison; art that makes sure you won't wake up the next day. Art that gets you stoned every night, only to alter why you hate feeling lonely. I am for art that has no remarks, just looks at nothing. Art that gives you a fever, and when you open your eyes, its plain to see there was no sickness. Art thats processed in a factory. Art that makes you listen to it babble. Art that sends arrows into your soul, but no other survivors would surpass. Art that makes you fall down the ant hill for days. Art that makes you think she won't live; so you make her a card to forget, yet its too late and she's gone. I am art that leaves a thumbprint on your 3 panel series. I am art that burns up your house in the middle of the night. I am for art that copy's the world. I am art that scratches the shit out of your arms. I am art that thinks before it's the end. I am art that makes others realize its worth it. I am for art that has no future but always remembers the past. For art that has no cause and doesn't care about yours. I am for shit on art. I am for tasting of art. I am for kicking art. I am for taking away art. I am for illegal actions of art. I am for making use of nothing and turning it into something. Art that drowns the innocent, sickens the healthy, scars the young, imprisons the old, reflects the past and never thinks twice. I am for art that uses your tears, making sure they are salty enough, For art that doesn't call you back. Art that makes you hate those long wednesdays. Art that makes no sense. Art that moves your body. Art that hates everything else in return. Art that doesn't give a shit. Art thats devoted at the same time. Art that wishes for everything. Art that gets nothing. Art thats only art because it says it is.

Pictures of Petri Cave (SCIENCE GROUP) EXHIBITION AT WESTERN 2-18-10, 6PM+

Paper & Tape Petri-Cave Statement

An Installation By:

Laura Falkenberg

Paper Tape Emma Kullberg

Devon Larsen

Petri Cave Josh Mercil

As Science was our starting point for this installation, interpretations of this work reference states of growth and organic material. But as a collaborative group, our understanding of this work went far beyond that. Moving through the environment as a cohesive organism, we began to understand how scientists explore the gray area between knowledge and experimentation. As we worked, we began to feel as if we were explorative, artistic scientists ourselves. We saw connections between each other’s ideas and strove for connections within the installation as we worked to bring it to resolution. In the end, we saw a connection between the explorative process of scientists in order to attain knowledge, and the explorative process of artists in order to create meaning, all in an effort to relay that knowledge to the outside world. As you enter our installation, we hope you are overcome with the same sense of exploration and connectedness that this creative process provided for us. Enjoy.

Science!

Well, while the time group was busy being on time with their posts, we were experimenting with ours until we had the obtained the desired solution! Ah HAA!  BECAUSE THATS WHAT SCIENTISTS DO! AH HAA!

Anyhow, Our reference materials consisted of :

1. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC! 

2. FUNKY MOLECULE STRUCTURE!

3. TETSUMI KUDO BOOK & FISH BOOK!

4. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE!

5. A BUILT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROUP!

6. THE CAKE!

(specific pics will show you guys this later on!)

JOSHUA is for an art...

Joshua Mercil

I am for an art.

I am for an art that lives through a strange manner,with changes based of every day use. I am for an art that breathes and functions in a composed way. I am for an art that is controlled. I am for an art that puts your brain in a state that enables you to rid free of daily garbage. I am for an art that is applied with dead animals and smells of rotten beer and urine. I am for an art that is a machine. I am for an art that enables myself to act like a machine. I am for an art that is not controlled. I am for an art that eliminates a lesser duty: convenience. I am for an art that is warm and typical and also able to provide much more. I am for an art that is related to reflections of a specific happening that were emotion filled. I am for an art that is innovative and smart. I am for an art that is considerate. I am for an art that is not visible anymore. I am for an art that is an experience. I am for an art that grabs you by the face physically. I am for an art that is building upon what is already established and throwing a twist that suggests an alternate view of how this might exist. I am for an art that is influenced by everything I do that is not representational by fabrication. I am for an art that is performance. I am for an art that is sport. I am for an art that is precision. I am for an art that is filled in a room full of smoke with too many people. I am for an art undoes a doing. I am for an art that comes and goes. I am for an art that sits on the floor like a piece of shit. I am for an art that constantly must be hidden. I am for an art that slowly revels these things once supporters support. I am for an art that plays out situations in a way that was far from assumed. I am for an art that is rejection. I am for an art that piles up and smells funny. I am for an art that by standard function should have been consumed or tossed out a long while ago. I am for an art that changes colors. I am for an art that was learned by extreme limitations and restrictions. I am for an art that deceives. I am for an art that links others to each other. I am for an art that scares the fuck out of me. I am for an art thats consistently inconsistent. I am for an art that lends surprise.I am for an art that appears out of nowhere and changes everything. I am for an art that disables my mouth to properly function.  I am for an art that makes one sick. I am for an art that will never be finished. I am for an art that is exchange. I am for an art that is knowledge. I am for an art that is lost by someone but remains with others. I am for an art of being for an art. I am for an art of insecurity. I am for an art that works for me. I am for an art that flips. I am for an art that feels. I am for an art that contrasts and mixes things that most would disregard. I am for an art that gets sucked down a tube to somewhere that I will never know. I am for an art that is tricky. I am for an art that consumes. I am for an art that provides a lesson. I am for an art that distorts reality and opens a broad perspective on many issues/concepts/function. I am for an art that is handy and also broad. I am for an art that is simple, but effective, functionally. I am for an art that makes an established mind feel less established. I am for an art that is completion.

I Am For An Art...

Laura Falkenberg

I, too, am for an art that is political-erotical-mystical, that does something other than sit on its ass in a museum.

I am for an art that splits open your heart with an icy chisel.

I am for an art that spreads warmth across skin.

I am for an art that accommodates the people.

I am for an art that speaks boldly while still attending to subtlety.

I am for an art that depends on the sincerity of the artist.

I am for an art that takes away both time and breath.

I am for an art that cajoles you from the shadows, that beckons you near.

I am for an art that appreciates a joke at its own expense.

I am for an art that refuses inhibitions and openly declares itself.

I am for an art that embraces the complexities of existence.

I am for an art that is not afraid to be ugly, dirty, or discredited.

I am for an art that does not favor the sun over the moon.

I am for an art that gets the job done, yet still continues to strive.

I am for an art that spends a day at the beach, relaxing in the sun.

I am for an art that shocks you, surprised you, falls flat on its face in front of you.

I am for the art of abhorrence as well as adoration.

I am for an art that smears lipstick across its face and declares loudly how much it missed you.

I am for an art that haunts from behind the flicker of eyelids.

I am for an art that recognizes stillness as a necessity to existence.

I am for an art that seeps into thoughts, that nags and nestles in.

I am for an art that understands the heaviness of expectation.

I am for an art that pulls up a barstool next to the old man, knowing a good story will ensue.

I am for an art that luxuriates in possibilities.

I am for an art that knows its enemies.

I am for an art that transcends distance, that goes beyond space and stability and form.

I am for an art that moves beyond the confines of its world and reaches into the banality of everyday life.

I am for an art that glories in the precision of the line.

I am for the art of pirates and sea shanties.

I am for the art of the bruised knees of devotion, of the art of discipline.

I am for the art of caves, bus seats, park benches and city walls.

I am for an art that looks over its shoulder and gives you a little wink.

Havilah is for an art....

Havilah Aos

Non-Traditional Drawing

“I Am For An Art”

2-9-10

I am for an art that discovers itself for the first time, after long years of searching.

I am for an art that is gone but leaves a watermark on your mind.

I am for an art that builds up and does not tear down.

I am for an art that appreciates the nerds.

I am for an art that is like the chalk drawing in Mary Poppins that you can jump into.

I am for an art that is a workout for the mind, and the body, an algebra-running art, a Sudoku-stretching art, a reading-while-doing hurdles art.

I am for an art that is the clutter on the table, the hungry grown in your stomach, the quick intake of breath, and twisting of the sheets around a restless sleeper’s dreaming legs.

I am for art that decides what to do with the time that is given to it.

I am for an art that is too busy running from earthquakes and fallen trees to wonder where it’s going.

I am for an art that gives great confidence, like a gift, to those who see it.

I am for an art that does not darken the understanding.

I am for the art that didn’t know it had to be afraid.

I am for an art that is in tire tracks and the smell of Scotch Tape, a knotted tangle of hair, and the waves pushed out of the way by a sailboat’s prow.

I am for an art that runs like blood out of your nose and down the back of your throat.

I am for an art that rips the carefully, creased, taped and smoothed wrapping paper off of the box.

I am for the art that is like a book you read every year, and still find new meaning in.

I am for an art whose story grows with every glance, every curious finger, and every awakened memory.

I am for art that has sound, even though its flat against the paper.

I am for an art that warms the cold spot just between the shoulder blades.

I am for the art of running a marathon, and realizing when reaching the end, that your number has fallen off.

I am for the art of spilled coffee over homework.

I am for an art that has no regrets.

I am for an art the surrenders everything, mind, will, emotions, body, soul, and spirit, for something bigger than itself.

I am for the art of a mother’s loving glance, or a father’s laugh bouncing off the bathroom tiles.

I am for an art that I only understand as much as I understand myself.

I am for an art that prophesies, and is scoffed at for it.

I am for an art that grows out of disappointment, giving it a purpose, and not allowing a moment to be lost.

I am for an art that would be a clanging cymbal, if not made with love.

I am for an art that communicates better than the media.

I am for an art that doesn’t have to be famous.

Semiotics A-Comin

Tonight we critique our Time/Science installations and I can't wait to see where you all ended up. Thanks for the posts Haley. It was good to see what kinds of inspirations you were drawing from (pun intended). Science gang?



Next up is the study of Semiotics and a Non-Traditional Drawing project to match. We'll start by reading some Semiotics for Beginners by Daniel Chandler. Read the Intro and Signs section for next Tuesday and be ready to discuss it then.

For Thursday, bring your machine projects to Ed Charbonneau, guest teacher extraordinaire. Class will meet in the CVA gallery and check out the opening before heading down to Grotto for class.

Erosion

More photos from Havilah..

TEAM TIME

So we have completely altered the look of our paper/tape installation. We'll discuss later what we all contributed. In the mean time, here are some creative pieces about 'time' from our group members.

Nate Besser- (He had a couple Walt Whitman poems)
Apparitions
A Vague mist hanging 'round half the pages:
(How strange and clear to the soul,
That these solid things are indeed but apparitions, concepts, non-realities.)

Going Somewhere
My science-friend, my noblest woman-friend,
(Now buried in an English grave--and this a memory-leaf for her dear sake,)
Ended our talk--"The sum, concluding all we know of old or modern learning, intuitions deep,
Of all Geologies--Histories--of all Astronomy--of Evolution, Metaphysics all,
Is, that we all are onward, onward , speeding slowly, surely bettering,
Life, life an endless march, an endless army, (no halt, but it is duly over,)
The world, the race, the soul--in space and time the universes,
All bound as is befitting each--all surely going somewhere."

Jamie Eischer-
an article called "Misuses of Physical Models In Understanding Time" by Eric Kincanon

the first part "Abstract" says this....
This paper argues that a misuse of physical models has led to hasty conclusions about the metaphysical nature of time. After an introduction to the philosophical structure of scientific inquiry, examples from Special Relativity and Time Asymmetry demonstrate these errors. The purpose of this paper is to call into question whether physical models can be used to gain insight into metaphysical issues.
The beginning says "It is not uncommon for researchers to consider physics when they study time. Though physics can five useful insights, this paper will argue that too much emphasis is given to the theoretical results of physics..."

then he has some parts highlighted, like ..."In misusing and misapplying physical theory persons studying time often make unjustified conslusions..."
"it is incorrect to say that time is the same as space."
The conclusion says
"Experimental data tells us much about the world, but there is a danger of misuse with the associated models and theories. Through the examples given above it has been shown that scientific models are useful for making prediciotns about reality but are not useful in gaining metaphysical insight. Physics models can help understand much about how the world will behave, but it is a misuse of these models to think that they give and insight into ultimate reality.They are nothing more that ink on paper heplping us fo find our way from one building to the other."

Haley Deffenbaugh- a poem from a collection of poems

A Call

Dusk its ash-grey blossom sheds on violet skies,

Over twilight mountains where the heart songs rise,

Rise and fall and fade away from earth to air.

Earth renews the music sweeter. Oh, come ther.

Come, acushla, come, as in ancient times

Rings aloud the underland with faery chimes.

Down the unseen ways as strays each twinkling fleece

Winding ever onward to a fold of peace,

So my dreams go straying in a land more fair;

Half I tread the dew-wet grasses, half wander there.

Fade your glimmering eyes in a world grown cold;

Come, acushla, with me to the mountains old.

There the bright ones call us waving to and fro--

Come, my children, with me to the ancient go.

A. E.

Havilah Aos- contributed some pretty rad photos.. take a look see. (photo at top)

"Just the erosion idea and layers in these rock formations meshed well with our ideas and the forms we came up with. They are photos of the Sea Caves along the shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin."

Linley Schmit-

Andy warhol: they say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

Brian Tracy: There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven;

a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck
up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break
down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to

mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to

gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time lose; a time to keep and a time to throw away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Paper & Tape

We are in the process of creating paper and tape installations in the bays of the Western basement. We are working with the themes Science and Time. The class was split into two groups using a series of random dada-style tests. Here are some shots of the works in progress. We looked at the work of Stephen Hendee for inspiration. His installation Superthrive at Rice University is one example of how he combines installation and drawing. We also took a look at Thomas Hirschorn's Cavemanman which has been created in a number of different venues. This work is more sculptural installation, but still fascinating to consider in light of our project. The Drawing Center in New York City also has several examples of drawing that jumps off the wall.


Check out all our Paper & Tape WIP pics here.

Tonight we will be considering Claes Oldenberg's I am for an art... and the group will offer up their own statements in response.

We are also going to check out the Drawing Machine ideas in progress. Should be a good night!

Drawing Instructions

We studied DO IT, the continuing exhibition begun by Independent curators Incorporated and Hans Ulrich Obrist and then each student created three sets of drawing instructions. DO IT was inspired by Surrealism and Dada as well as Fluxus, Happenings and Conceptual Art. In keeping with the spirit of that lineage our evening of drawing was playful, unexpected and lively.

See all of our photos of the Drawing Instructions night here.

Watch as I track Jamie Ischer following instructions and making like a cat:



TRY THIS AT HOME (Instructions from Drawing 4):

Havilah Aos

Instructions #1

-Ask each family member to draw a portrait of themselves.
- Include people under age 5, and over age 60
- When all portraits are gathered, cut out of each one the feature that you think most resembles you.
-Assemble features into Collage.

**************************************************************************
Instructions #2

-Read this word, and then draw whatever comes to mind.

Stronghold.
---------------------------------------------------------
Laura Faulkenberg

Drawing Instructions 1
Based on The Darjeeling Limited

Before you begin, have all drawing materials prepared and ready to go. You don’t want to have to stop and set up half way through.

Begin by stretching for 2 minutes. Make sure your arms and legs are fully stretched and you feel no pain or inner reluctance.

While you are stretching, imagine a foreign country you have visited or want to visit someday. Remember what it is like to eat food you are never tried, or the sound of a different language whirling around, incomprehensible to you. Remember how it feels to be part of a place that you are separate from.

Whenever you feel moved to, begin drawing from this place of foreign residence. Do not question the marks on the page, since they are coming from a place unknown to you, in a language you are still beginning to learn. Have no apprehensions, since traveling is all about agreeing to participate in what is new, exciting, and strange to you.

Start with an overall gesture. Move across the entire surface. Have no worries, you will be able to revisit these lines.

Erase nothing. There are no mistakes. Don’t worry.

While drawing, do not forget your foreign landscape. Think again of the smell of exotic spices, of the sight of people dancing in the street, mountains hovering in the fog far away and the idea that you are completely free.

Stop drawing whenever you feel reluctance fill you and inspiration drain away.

Congratulations!

*******************************************************************************

Drawing Instructions 2
Based on Muse, the black cat

Before beginning, set up all of your drawing materials. You do not want to stop to set up half way through.

Begin by stretching your arms and legs for a few minutes. Stretch long enough so that you feel spry as a little kitten! For that is the journey you are about to partake in.

While stretching, think on the physical attributes of cats. You do not have to love cats or hate cats to do this exercise. Bring whatever memories you have to the exercise.

Think of the way cats stretch first their front legs and then their back legs. Do so now.

Think of how curious cats are, and apply that same curiosity to the room you are in. Wander around the edges of the room, investigating everything. Bat things around. Pounce on things. In general, apply curiosity to whatever situation you find yourself in. Apply that same curiosity to yourself.

Get a drink of water. Wander around nonchalantly, ruminating on how easy you have it.

Return to your drawing materials, and begin drawing by doing a large gesture drawing. Do not worry about the marks you are making. Worry only as much as a cat would worry.

While drawing, routinely imagine a cat sleeping next to you. Remember how warm and soft and silly these things are. Remember too, how warm and soft and silly you are.

Until you no longer feel the urge to draw, continue to embody the curiosity and lack of worry that cats have. Want everything, but worry about nothing.

When the time comes, remember how fierce cats can be. Embody that fierceness and stand up for the drawing you have created. If you need to, blame it all on the black cat.

*******************************************************************************

Drawing Instruction 3
Jigsaw Puzzle

Before you begin, set up all of your drawing materials. You do not want to stop to set up half way through.

Begin by stretching for a few minutes. Let go of the stress and tension that has built up in your body.

Begin drawing across the entire page, in a large gesture drawing. Lay in whatever comes to mind, be it representational or completely non-representational. Question nothing, simply continue to draw. If it is helpful, do not pick up the point of your tool from the page for several minutes.

After your large scale gesture is complete, consider these objects and insert them into your drawing. This does not have to representational by any means, though it can be. Any mark can stand to symbolize these objects in your drawing. In the end, only you need to know that these objects are present.

A large book written in a foreign language
A Mexican quilt, warm and sturdy
Coffee
The feeling of warmth in your bed before you are forced to leave it in the morning
Sand dunes
The hands of an ancestor, be it a grandparent, parent, aunt, brother…
Tall trees
Yarn, string, or thread

Continue drawing until you feel you have represented all of these things, in some manner, that you understand. Once all inspiration has drained from you, stop drawing.

Well done!
----------------------------------------------------------------

Jamie Ischer

1). Temper Tantrum

-Assume the reactions and temperament of a youth or maladjusted adult.

-Feel the inability to correct your position. Assert this with a tension represented through out your body.

-While lying on your front side on top of a piece of paper, clasp a mark maker with both hands.

-Ask a partner to pull you over the paper, thereby making a mark. Move your body (and mark maker) to display frustration with possessing a certain level of experience, but still ultimately unable to express yourself with informed articulation.

*******************************************************************************

2). The Overthinker

-Think of something you really want to draw (this should be something void of assignment based direction or the need for skill development--just something you want to do for fun).

-Imagine the catharsis of committing pencil to page.

-As much as you try not to, begin to worry that you have never really done anything original. Begin to compare yourself with others in the room.

-Worry that finding a job in your field is near impossible.

-Look around nervously to see what everyone else is doing--did they see you?

-Mark your page with the slightest, most imperceivible mark in the middle of the page. Then walk away as if it wasn't made by you.

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3). Double blind portrait

-Have eyes blind folded by another person.

-Using the mark maker of your choice, draw a portrait of a person by obtaining information from them through touching their face.

-Additional instructions may be stated by the partner to assist your drawing: commands of directions, line emphasis, and scale are some of the things possible to help in this drawing. For the "finishing touches" of the drawing, the partner can clasp the artist's hand and pencil to use to add the last pieces of information. The portrait can only be viewed by the artist when acceptable to the partner.
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Emma Kullberg


Le Instructions (Drawing #1)

Step 1. Grab a sheet of paper, Any sheet will do....even the toilet paper thats in your bathroom right now.

Step 2. Grab a writing utensil. Has to make marks, So fork or knife won't do.

Step 3. Find your Hands..........(Done)

Step 4. Take Writing utensil with dominate hand, and put tip down on paper.

Step 5. Do the hand jive, with other free hand in spare time from Step 3 to 4.

Step 6. After Tip of writing utensil is completely on paper, Begin to draw a small square smack in the middle of paper. Make it small but dream big.

Step 7. Draw another square around the outside of last square on paper.

Step 8. Draw another square around the outside of that last last square.

Step 9. Draw yet another square around the outside of square before last.

Step 10. Repeat Steps 7 through 10, until sheet of paper is completely filled up with squares, from corner to corner.

Step 11. Turn paper clockwise 98 degrees, Step back and look wide eyed in amazement, you have offically drawn squares that fill up a sheet of paper.

Step 12. Tap own back for moral support.

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Le Instructions (Drawing #2)


Step 1. Locate nearest vertical wall to you.

Step 2. Turn whole body and look at wall.

Step 3. Locate nearest drawing utensil to you.

Step 4. While still having body turned at wall, try to now grab utensil.

Step 5. Now SIT!...........Good boy.

Step 6. Visualize what that plain white wall could someday become, with that little writing utensil you hold in hand.

Step 7. Lay down, drop by, tune in, drop out. What do you see as you look at that ugly ceiling?

Step 8. YELL IT OUT! Don't be shy, blurt out what you see up there in the air.
.....I'll be waiting for your reply.

Step 9. Look around at everyone else and pretend like nothing happened.

Step 10. Now take writing utensil and pretend to map out in the air what your
still going to do to that ceiling.

Step 11. Don't look weird while doing step 10. Think like what an Architect would do on Barney.

Step 12. Become the material and actually get up there. Draw something for
Christ's sake. This wasn't made for tell, and NO show.


(PS)......Step 11 & 1/2, First consult teacher before doing step 12.


Step 13. Have fun.
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Le Instructions (Drawing #3, Keep on truck'n)


Step 1. Grab a buddy; any living buddy preferably, just make sure they know you.

Step 2. Search and forge for scrap paper. LOTS OF IT. Look in your backpack or steal some from your recently new found buddy. Go to the dumpster.

Step 3. Now have fun trying to find charcoal, tempera paints, markers, or
pastels. These are super important and will serve you well.


PS. Steps 4 through 8 shall NOT be repeated to buddy. Keep ya secrets!


Step 4. With your new found and messy writing utensils, look at your buddy's hands without them knowing. Try to imagine how rediculous they would look with all that messy junk on their hands. Let the evil grin begin.

Step 5. Spread found paper all over floor, over-lapping so it makes one giant piece of paper for amazement.

Step 6. Tell buddy to lay down on paper, and if they ask why, just tell them its
because you want to draw their outline. (Suck'a won't ever suspect a thing)

Step 7. Now with buddy on ground, and their eyes closed attempt to draw all over their arms and legs. GO CRAZY! BUT DON'T DRAW ON THEIR CLOTHES! They will hate you, and you will no longer have a buddy.

Step 8. If buddy is not happy with you drawing on them, then there's only one option left.......Find new pair of hands and arms.

Step 9. Grab messy writing utensils

Step 10. Roll up sleeves... Time to get dirty.....muhaha

Step 11. Draw all over arms with messy and fun drawing things.

Step 12. Get creative. go nuts. have fun.

Step 13. Clean up your mess, and maybe your buddy's arms.

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Linley Schmit

1. Draw a straight line, horizontally, on a piece of paper. At the end of
that line, draw another line of equal length vertically down on the piece of
paper. Then, from the end of the vertical line, draw another line
horizontally of equal length in the opposite direction of the first
horizontal line. you should have an open box. Lastly, complete the square by
connecting the two points that are left, with a line. You should not have a
simple square.
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2. Get a pen and a piece of paper. Draw what you can recall from a dream
that you have had.

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3. Draw a circle. On the outside of the circle, draw several short lines
coming off of the circle. Make sure the line are equally placed all the way
around the circle. In the middle of the circle, draw a smiley face!
You have made a sun!!!

One Entire Pen

The assignment: to buy and new pen and run the entire cartridge out in a single drawing. Some did. Some didn't. What followed was an interesting conversation on what counts more: process or product? What are the ways in which we stop ourselves? And which kind of artist are you: A) Been there, had the experience, I'm done. B) I like what I made! I'm going to keep working it until I've got it just how I want it! or C) I give up!

Check out all of the pen drawings here.

Filling the Well

We are creating a collection of imagery as well as drawing tools. We are focusing on the themes of Science, Space, Time and Language for our collective projects, the first of which will get underway this Tuesday night in the basement of the Western building. Through a very scientific process teams were created and themes chosen. The selection process was comprised of tests of flexibility, vocal staying power, and a rousing game of Duck, Duck, GOOSE among others. Stay tuned for the Paper and Tape Installations. My section got Science and Time from the great jar o'chance. Ed Charbonneau's section will take Language and Space and the western bays at Western (we will create in the East).

DO IT

Tonight we talked Surrealism and worked on Automatism (where DOES the emPHAsis go?) by starting drawings from random inspiration or by just doing. The only parameters are that the drawings be 22" x 30" and use an entire ink cartridge from a new ballpoint or rollerball type pen. Stay tuned for images.

For our next trick we will draw from instructions. But first the instructions must be written. Students will check out Hans Ulrich Obrist's DO IT to see what kinds of instructions artists wrote for the ongoing project. Then they will write three different instructions to bring to class and we will draw form the instructions.

Above is Yoko Ono's instructions for her Wish Piece from DO IT

Cadavres Exquises

The first night of class we jumped right into creating spontaneous drawings. Playing the Surrealist game "The Exquisite Corpse" (Cadavre Exquis) we created a series of drawings. The ones that used the more "traditional" body forms were more successful than those we created based on a theme. The themes we worked with were: Time, Space, Science and Language . Of the ones based on themes, Science was the hardest to work with and the one that yielded the most cliche imagery. That told us we need to work on expanding our ideas about Science and what kind of imagery we might abstract from. The students will be bringing in imagery to fill an image bank and we will revisit the topic in a later class.

To see some other examples of our Exquisite Corpses look here.

Read Andre Breton's First Surrealist Manifesto here.

2,000 Sticky Notes

Second night of class and we worked collaboratively to produce a wall drawing made from about 2,000 sticky notes. The discussion before starting centered on how collaboration works, what rules we wanted--if any and how we would approach the process. Nate suggested working silently with an "anything goes" rule. After a vote we decided to start that way. After a half hour, we checked in and discussed some formal concerns, then jumped right back in. This time, we talked as we worked. The consensus was that we needed to pull the composition in and move upwards. The giant ladder was retrieved from the sculpture studio and up we moved. Concerns about shape and color as well as rhythm were all addresses pretty seemlessly. Devon declared "There's good energy in this room!" And truly, there was. When we had finished and documented the project, the drawing (which took two hours to make) was disassembled in one minute flat.

To see all the photos from tonight's class, look here.

Witness the impermanence of non-traditional art: