My Photos! It's been a while... Spring 2011

First, I would like to beg for forgiveness for the terrible grammar in my last post. I obviously did not have enough sleep when I wrote it. Second, forgive me for not fixing it, because I am too lazy to.
Today I thought I would show some of the art that I have done this term. What I have been up to, really. I don't have enough confidence to post my drawing assignment, but here are three of the photos that I've printed recently. I also want to apologize about the quality, the scanner likes to make them blueish...






It's nice to know that I can prove that these images are mine just by showing people my negatives and prints! I don't feel like I really need to watermark them or something. (But mostly I'm just lazy.)

Yesterday I nearly drowned Dorothy in the bathtub while taking photos of her. (Not really. She just got a lot of water up her nose.) She's such a good sport.

Arno Rafael Minkkinen

Warning: This post contains nudity

This term has been crazy busy. Not to use it as an excuse, but I'm taking 21 credits this term. Yesterday my friend and I got home at 10pm and we were so excited to be back so early. I even spent a night at school once this term. I was awakened to an art history professor confusedly looking at me.

I am being pushed a lot this term in terms of my art, which makes me really relieved, because I was falling into a sort of rut. It's amazing how many ideas can flourish when you have the right instructors around to scrutinize your work to the smallest details. Sometimes I think not enough, but maybe I'm just really tough on myself. I really like this about myself, although sometimes I think I defeat myself a little too much.

Today I wanted to share the work of Arnold Minkkinen, who I guess now goes by the name Arno Rafael Minkkinen. I don't know why that is, but that's his name on his website. His photographs are so beautiful, and so perfectly done, that I can't help but be jealous. I think I'm a fairly good printer, but when I see works by people like Minkkinen, I always feel I'm not trying hard enough.









I don't think there are many who really sees the human figure quite like Minkkinen does. I was really inspired by him in my latest project for photography, but I don't know if that really showed. I will post the photos I printed after I get them back from my professor.















I also wanted to know if anyone would be interested in seeing some of the stuff I do with Art History. I am doing a double major in Art and Art History, and I wonder if people would be interested in knowing a bit more about Art History as well? Probably no one will reply to this posed question, but I thought if no one objects then I will!

Inspiration Thursday: Yayoi Kusama (Even though it's Friday...)

Yayoi Kusama may be one of the strangest artists I've ever seen...and I'm in modern art history right now, so that's saying a lot. The way that she sees the world, although it is obviously insane and hallucinations, is somehow beautiful. The way she takes her madness, lives with it, creates with it, and helps us to see what she sees is amazing. She is obsessed with repetition, obviously has OCD, and yet she can still create, and calls her art medicine. She doesn't suffer for her art, she uses it to help herself. She even lives in a mental institute just 15 minutes away from her studio. It feels good to know that no matter what situation you fall into, it's still possible to create art that touches people, as well as help you.


I don't really know why I love her so much, I thought about it a lot before writing this blog entry. The conclusion I reached is that I may identify with her, because she is so mad. I don't really think I'm insane (at least in the way she is), and I don't have hallucinations. Somethings though, there's a moment, when something happens, and I almost see things come alive, light dances on a rock, or it hits a tree just right, something happens, something changes, and it's a strange, eerie and wonderful moment. Most of the time, everyone with me just walks on by, not noticing. Every once in a while, I'm with someone who sees the moment before I do, and they get really excited with me. That moment, the moment that's so beautiful and wonderful is I think what Kusama sees all the time.

Now that I've made myself sound insane, here is her art that had such an impact on me, I le gasped in class...loudly haha




















Here are a few videos. I'd give anything to see one of these in real life.