Nauman relies on experimentation to keep his creative process moving forward, even though it may lead to artwork that no one, including he himself, will appreciate.
Episode #183: Filmed at Bruce Nauman’s New Mexico studio in August 2000, the artist explains his need to experiment with new materials and forms on a daily basis. Nauman relies on experimentation to keep his creative process moving forward, even if it leads to artwork that no one, including himself, will appreciate. As Nauman walks around his cavernous studio he points out examples such as taxidermy forms that he transformed into a bronze fountain for his front yard.
Bruce Nauman finds inspiration in the activities, speech, and materials of everyday life. Working in the diverse mediums of sculpture, video, film, printmaking, performance, and installation, Nauman concentrates less on the development of a characteristic style and more on the way in which a process or activity can transform or become a work of art.
CREDITS: Producer: Ian Forster. Consulting Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Susan Sollins. Camera: Bob Elfstrom. Sound: David Brownlow. Editor: Morgan Riles. Artwork Courtesy: Bruce Nauman / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Theme Music: Peter Foley.
Snail Mail Research (see also: Balloon Mail, Pony Express, and Carrier Pigeon)
Further reading and research on the topic of Snail Mail. For your pleasure and curiosity. There are not a lot of articles written on the subject so please read carefully.
One resident accused a front desk manager of holding mail hostage, forcing residents to sign over checks, and making them pay rent before releasing their mail.
I wanted to create my own modern day version of “snail-mail.” My rules for this type experiment were simple: create handwritten text messages for 7 days, i.e. no using the keyboard on my phone to send a message. I wrote out my message on paper and then I snapped a photo to send as a text message.
Like most folk today, I have not put pen to paper for many years. The convenience and immediacy of email and Face book are just too compelling to avoid.
Correspondence with far-away friends today is more of an ongoing conversation, and bears little resemblance to the art of letter-writing we enjoyed in the previous century.
Biography and Artist Statement pages have been updated. The updates are very minor, however they do represent changes in thinking that have taken place over the past 2 years.
Check out these Recycled Security Envelope Flowers made by Joey Ramone. He uses a traditional Japanese Kusudama flower technique using recycled envelopes. Very fun and what a wonderful combination!
I made these flowers using 2-inch paper squares (each flower needs five squares) cut from security envelopes (the sort which you tend to get bills and stuff in from companies, and it has a pattern printed on the inside, usually in blue or grey). I used this wonderful tutorial from Folding Trees: foldingtrees.com/2008/11/kusudama-tutorial-part-1/
They’re so easy to make and I think they’re really effective!
These Kusudama flowers would not qualify as origami because they are made with cuts and glue. Techniques using cuts and glue are categorized as kirigami which is an origami variation. Kirigami is made out of single piece of paper.
Recycled Security Envelope Assorted
These assorted flowers are displayed wonderfully. I like the paper that is they are featured on. The interior and exterior shadows on the flowers are also interesting. I wonder how they would look backlit?
Recycled Security Envelope Red
Do you notice that the flower pedals are two layers thick? Did you notice how there is a sliver of red pattern around the outsides of the pedals? Can you see through the white parts of the envelope to the subtle patterns beneath?
Bonus points for anyone who can find a picture of this original red envelope! I find this one very interesting because there was obviously some sort of advertising or instructions on the envelope. This text becomes completely illegible in the flower and adds a element of flair.
I’ve looked through thousands and thousands of artist websites. I’ve noticed that I am drawn to certain types of sites. I have also noticed many common issues from website to website. For instance, website navigation can become very confusing in artist websites. At Park Schreck Gallery, I started putting these thoughts into writing. I began a series called Examining Artist Websites
At the gallery, whether we were reviewing submissions or researching referrals, the way artists presented themselves online became a distinguishing factor in our selection process. Artist websites are the primary way artists present their work today just like slides were the submission standard of the past
Of course there is no one way of doing things and my reactions may not be the same as other curators. Despite this, I think hearing the thoughts of someone who has looked through so many websites could be revealing. This is especially true for new site designers and artists just starting out with their 2nd or 3rd website.
Examining Artist Websites 001
Everyday at Park Schreck Gallery we look at artist websites. Sometimes websites stand out to us for design, clarity, and focus.
Thoughts on the site: Her website is very clean with a well thought out layout. The images are crisp but small enough so that they load quickly. The navigation, text, and subtexts do not take away focus from the artwork. Oh, and the artwork is wonderful. Nice work Krystyna!
Examining Artist Websites 002
Everyday at Park Schreck Gallery we look at artist websites. Sometimes websites stand out to us for design, clarity, and focus.
Before we get started, if you’re having trouble reading German, visit google translate. These days it is very easy to translate a website without disrupting formatting.
Thoughts on the site: The layout is very straightforward. Navigating through the different “Books” took a few seconds to figure out. Horizontal scrolling is disabled. Clicking once on each image acts as a “page turn”… which may actually be a cleaner way of navigating.
The images look stunning. They are quick-loading and clearly optimized for web viewing. What I like even more is that there are “Installation shots” of gallery exhibitions. Sometimes images can be deceiving (especially on the internet) so being able to see the artwork in context helps me trust even more the images that I was previously drooling at. Thumbs up.
Side note: one possible drawback to viewing websites in other languages is that only text can be translated. If there is any “text” information in a picture, that information is unable to be translated. This may be worth considering if your website has a lot of flier images, or exhibition postcards. Your viewers in other languages will not be able to “read” these images. A possible solution would be to re-type any information below in an image caption.
Examining Artist Websites 003
Everyday at Park Schreck Gallery we look at artist websites. Sometimes websites stand out to us for design, clarity, and focus.
Thoughts on the site: The welcome page (1st image) on the website has very powerful imagery which draws me into the site. This reminds me how powerful one image can be. This “intro” image, if you use one, is something you want to get right.
I notice that the artist is using a portfolio generator service called liveBooks which uses Flash. These services a huge benefit in that they can provide solutions to common issues that arise in visual based websites. One of the drawbacks can be limits on customization and recognizable layout. This is my first encounter with liveBooks and I am impressed with how clean it is.
I like how the “Images” page works, the true portfolio section of the website. This page is very clean with crisp images along with the titles. The titles, however, are sized very well in that they don’t distract at all from the images. I
Aside from some weird menu animations, the site is slick! Nice work.
Examining Artist Websites 004
Everyday at Park Schreck Gallery we look at artist websites. Sometimes websites stand out to us for design, clarity, and focus.
Thoughts on the site: This website is one of the best portfolio websites I’ve ever seen. Actually, I think it spiritualizes a lot of the common problems associated with portfolio websites. I’ll fire through this quickly.
The menu/navigation is easy to understand and is always at the top of the page. The navigation doesn’t disappear, it is always there.
The layout of the site is only one layer deep. In other words, every page can be directly accessed from the navigation. This gives a “what you see is what you get” sense of ease. The website is constructed for ease of use.
The images are plentiful and wonderful. There are no inferior images on the website. There are no thumbnails. You can instantly click on any project and are rewarded with A TON of amazing images.
If you really want to kick your feet up you can click any image on the bottom right hand corner. This will transport you into a totally efficient and intuitive full-screen mode.
The truth is, I’ve known about Lee’s website for sometime. It was featured in an article titled 20 Great Artist Portfolios Built With Indexhibit. I often refer artists to this website to get a sense of some of the truly amazing possibilities when it comes to making a portfolio website.
Examining Artist Websites 005
Everyday at Park Schreck Gallery we look at artist websites. Sometimes websites stand out to us for design, clarity, and focus.
Today’s artist is located in Chicago: Rebecca Moy (disclosure: Rebecca shows her work at Park Schreck Gallery)
Thoughts on the site: The homepage for Rebecca’s site features an amazing installation photograph of one of her paintings in a highly designed room. The photograph is breathtaking and gives you the highly desired “wow” effect. This image sets the tone for the rest of the website experience.
Visuals are king on her site, as it should be. Any text on the site is small and never conflicts or dominates the visuals.
Layout is simple and straightforward. Minimal amount of scrolling required. Rebecca utilizes a slideshow tool to handle portfolio images in a one-at-a-time manner. Social media buttons make the website easily shareable.
The website on a whole is great. Again, standout features are the homepage image, the straightforward layout, and the overall focus on the Image.
