Top 10 2010

Hello! I know, I know, I've been gone for what seems like forever now, but just thought that I'd share my top 10 albums and songs of the past year. I've been meaning to post this:

Albums:

#10-Sleigh Bells "Treats"

#9-Best Coast "Crazy For You"

#8-Arcade Fire "The Suburbs"

#7-Yeasayer "Odd Blood"

#6-Deerhunter "Halcyon Digest"

#5-Beach House "Teen Dream"

#4-Kanye West "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy"

#3-The Black Keys "Brothers"

#2-The Morning Benders "Big Echo"

#1-Vampire Weekend "Contra"

Songs:

#10-Best Coast "When I'm With You"

#9-Yeasayer "Ambling Alp"

#8-Sleigh Bells "Riot Rhythm"

#7-MIA "XXXO"

#6-Beach House "10 Mile Stereo"

#5-Cee Lo "F*ck You"

#4-Kanye West "Runaway"

#3-The Black Keys "Sinister Kid"

#2-Vampire Weekend "Diplomat's Son"

#1-The Morning Benders "Excuses"

I found HER

Throughout my slight inspirational tangent I found this amazing photographer. She is one of Mexico's leading photographers. She is a stranger to me, but her work showed me otherwise. Her work showed me a side of Mexico that only stayed in the deepest wrinkles of my brain for a very short time. I want to go back to visit. She made is seem more real to me. I had forgotten how real it was. She made the people seem real to me, but I knew that already...I love her take on tradition, tradition I thought familiar.

It may be LOVE

I know I have been posting a lot of photography, but I think I'm in love with it. YES, I said it LOVE! And today work seemed to prove no distraction from mon nouveau amour. I almost felt guilty for picking up books off the shelves while I was supposed to be putting some back. I found myself in three full isles of the library sitting on step stools looking through wonderful pages of photographs. I had to stop though...I think I found another major.

Some more...

Of mine...

As Promised...

Here is some of my work...from class.

Over maybe

So it seems rather appropriate to write a blog entry about concluding my photo class. Let me just say that I miss it so and its only been an hour since it was over. It has made me rethink about double majoring with photo right along with my painting and drawing...which I may just do, I'm still thinking about it. I have seen not only how I progressed as a learning photographer,but I also got to observe how the other students work progressed as well. It's amazing how much variety there was in our work even when we were all given essentially the same assignment. That was especially evident today when we each presented our final project to the class. We could essentially do whatever we wanted within the limitation that three, at least, had to be about an overall theme, technique, or work in the vain of a photographer. I chose to do an overall technique of out of focus and shallow depth of field, giving my photos emotion by showing little or no facial express. I also somewhat worked in the vain of William Klein who was well-known for his spontaneous portraiture and the idea of showing emotion through that spontaneity and movement. I promise to post up my work as soon as can...Oh, what else can I say? I L-O-V-E loved that class!

Another musical LOVE!

BACK

It seems as though its been forever, and it has. I mean I picture here, a music video there isn't much to keep my blogginess satisfied. I've seen other bloggers' dedication and I must admit I am little jealous. I told myself I wasn't going to leave it behind when I ended my class, but I have. I'm sorry blog. I do love you. I think I shall continue about my recent happenings. Not too much to say, but here goes...

So I think its been roughly a month and a half since I had my last class. I miss having time and motivation to dive back into my more inspired self. I used to have the time and ideas to fill my world up with creativity, but I feel as though that is slowly dying out. I hate to say it, but I wish I was more creative.

I'm currently taking a photography class that I am falling madly in love with. I absolutely love it. I now see the beauty those artists who dedicate their lives behind a lens. Well, maybe. It's just that photography used to bore me. I mean don't get me wrong I love looking back through old photo albums and looking at how things turn out in the present. It is super interesting to me, but I don't know why I didn't like taking pictures myself. Even when I used to go to exhibitions I would just pass over all the photographs. It was like "oh Ansel, hmm move along" although I don't really fancy Adams I still admire his dedication to his work and uniqueness of how he captured his subjects, but I just bothered looking at them because they were famous.

I now see a photograph's true potential. The reason why a photograph may be so great. I am now in love with photography.

Frank

I just thought I'd share this awesome photograph by Robert Frank

DOH!

Another amazing band I have fallen in love with, The Dodos.

a randy

(25)Alison Brady

I will let Ms. Brady herself define what her art is about, "My work is a series of color photographs that work to stimulate unconscious emotions, desires, and sexual compulsions, all unified within a dynamic that vacillates between the real and the fantasized. I explore issues related to madness and alienation as they exist in contemporary culture, concentrating on expressions of neurosis, on feelings of anxiety, displacement, and loss of identity.These emotions are depicted in terms of visual conflict through my imagery, and manifested in terms of grotesque exaggeration. While investigating issues related to the unconscious, elements such as eroticism, twisted humor, and horror come across. I strive to create dichotomies between the sensual and the horrific, the beautiful and the destructive; the result, I hope, is a body of work comprised of deeply emotional and disturbing depictions of the unknown, staged imagery that functions on a metaphorical level, and inanimate objects and settings serving to illustrate the inner workings of the unconscious." (alisonbrady.com). I, oddly enough (wink wink), like her work. I now have come to realized that I also love eery qualities in art, which her art strongly inplicates.

(24)Katarina Fritsch

Katarina Fritsch was born on February 14, 1956 in Essen, Germany. She is known for her sculptures and installations that make you see familiar objects in an unfamiliar, almost jarring, type of light. Fritsch is concerned with the psychology and reactions of people whenever they come to see her art in a museum.--I really like Fritsch's work. I like how she mixes familiarity with discomfort. I actually had the opportunity to see her work "Kind mit Pudeln (Baby with Poodles)", which is the poodles surrounding a baby Jesus, when I visited the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art last summer. It was the most eye catching piece in the room.

(23)Henry Fuseli

Henry Fuseli was born in Zurich, Switzerland. He first started to become well known after showing some of his drawings to Sir Joshua Reynolds, and he then followed his advice and became solely dedicated to art. He then traveled through Italy where he then changed his last name from Fussli to Fuseli because of the Italian sound. He favored the supernatural. He painted over 200 pieces in his lifetime, but only displayed a small portion of them.He rarely drew from life or landscapes.--I love Fuseli. I love things that are fantasy like, or other worldly as you can probably tell. I like the idea behind his work, which is something that we may not really think of when we associate his times with what it is he painted. The darker color palette he chose really adds an eery quality to his pieces which I also really like, but his figures seem luminescent, almost glowing. He also portrayed action very well, like a moving painting.

(22)Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman was born on January 19, 1954 in the state of New Jersey. She first took up painting and saw too many limitations with it. That is when she took to photography. Sherman is notorious for her self photography. In 1977-1980 she created her famous Complete Untitled Film Stills. She has completed many self photographs ever since then in a series of which she dressed up in clown costumes and in another as a pin-up in "Centerfolds". She does not consider her work feminist by any means, however it has been featured as such. A lot of her work draws attention to women's exploitation in the media. --Sherman is perhaps one of my favorite photographers.

(21)Rene Magritte

Rene Francois Ghislain Magritte was born on Novemeber 21, 1898 and passed away on August 15, 1967. He was a Belgian artist whom was deemed as one of the forefathers of surrealism. He became quite well known for his witty and thought provoking images. He challenged the viewer to perceive their preconceived notions of reality, and tune into their subconscious. --So I think that it's about time that I officially declare my love for Magritte. I mean, the guy was visual genius! I love the tongue in cheek in all of his paintings. I love how they aren't real, and yet they may seem like it. I love the dreamyness of all his works. I love how he would put riddles into painting without making they seem cheesy or cliche. I love the physical softness in his brush strokes. I love his color palette. I love how his mind worked. He took dreams to canvas and they turned out amazing. I love his whimsy!

I heart Ringo

One of my favorite of theirs. Just thought I'd throw it in.

(20)Peter Callesen

Peter Callesen was born in Denmark in 1967. His work is primarily based on the relationship between 2D and 3D art. Most, if not all, of his works intail a single piece of paper. He then uses the removed paper to create his piece. Some are as small as 4", and others are as big as approximately 10'. I like the simplicity in the color, but I also admire the intricacy of his designs. It is extremely impressive.

(19)Igor Mitoraj

Igor Mitoraj was born in 1944 in Oederan, Germany. He is a Polish artist. He first studied painting, but then became fascinated with Latin-American art. He then spent a year painting and traveling across Mexico, which led him to pursue sculpture. He mainly uses terrecota, bronze, and marble. His work is deeply rooted in the classical tradition, but with a post modern twist regarding the dismembered body parts. I enjoy the classical element, but I mostly enjoy the twist Mirtoraj put in his work, and as you can see most of his work is on a large scale, and of a part of the body, not whole.