Wk15-Artist Interview-Elia Murray

This week I interviewed the animated artist, Elia Murray.  She was very kind and outgoing.  Murray actually tried engaging in conversations with my peers and I, which I thought was very humbling of her.  She wanted us to understand her artwork and express our different perspectives.  I chose to interview Murray because her artwork was based on animated animals.  I love animals and seeing them come to life through artwork.  Her drawings and 3D sculptures seemed as if they came straight out of a cartoon.  Not only were they animated, but these animals had a very realistic feel to them.  The amount of detail within each animal was incredible.  In a couple of her drawings of dogs, she detailed even the slightest fold of their fur and gave each animal a unique expression.  Right off the bat, I knew Murray had to have been an artist since she was a little girl because the talent expressed through her drawings was amazing.

During this interview, one of my peers mentioned how her artwork was similar to something that Disney would create.  I automatically drew the connection as well and figured out this is why I liked her artwork so much because I also love Disney.  Murray responded that since she had been an artist for so long that she, as well as all artists, do draw some influence from other artwork.  She also mentioned how it would be a dream to work for Disney.  Murray has actually just recently applied to internships for Disney and Cartoon Network, which she is waiting to hear back from.  However, usually animation majors apply for internships like those and Murray is an illustration major.  I wish her the best of luck because she was brave enough to still apply and accept the fact that she was going against the norm.

As I mentioned earlier, I had a feeling Murray had been an artist since she was a young girl, which turned out to be true.  Murray’s mother was an artist and her father was an illustrator.  She had grown up in a creative environment where expressing herself artistically became natural to her. She grew up enjoying writing, drawing, painting and sculpting fun lively characters.  It was interesting to find out that she had come into college thinking she was going to be an english major.  Her mother convinced her to remain an art major, which I thought was funny since usually the opposite advice is given from parents.  However, it’s a good thing Murray changed her mind because she would not have become the amazing and talented artist she is today.  I really enjoyed viewing her artwork and hopefully one day one of her characters is out on the big screen for everyone else to enjoy.

Wk15-Classmate Interview-Valeria Garcia

This week I interviewed my very classmate for the semester.  Her name is Valeria Garcia and was willing to do an interview with me although she had already done another classmate interview.  She was very friendly and was eager to begin our interview.  Valeria grew up in Long Beach and attended all schools in Long Beach, and found it very convenient to attend CSULB.  She is already on her second year here at CSULB and eager to continue her education and hopefully graduate in four years.  Both of our high schools were feeder schools to CSULB.  Due to this, Valeria understood when I explained CSULB was not my first choice of school, but nonetheless is a very great and prestigious school.

Valeria is studying Business Finance and is very determined in her field of study.  She plans on integrating her business and finance knowledge somewhere in the fashion industry.  However, she mentioned how this seems stereotypical since she is a female.  She would also like to become a financial analyst, which made me wonder if she actually enjoyed all the math that would consist of.  Valeria mentioned how she genuinely enjoys math courses and the work involved and is also very good at equations and finding solutions.  This was very shocking, considering I cannot stand math classes.  I feel as though all the formulas are a foreign language to me and it is always so funny to me when people say they enjoy it.  Valeria was sad after she completed her Business Calculus course because she would not be taking other math courses until later in her upper division courses.  I wish her the best of luck in her career path.

Throughout the interview I got to know Valeria better and found there were two very interesting facts about her.  First, she has a fraternal twin who also attends CSULB named Vanessa.  Twins have always fascinated me and surprisingly I have met a lot of people in college who are twins. Another interesting fact is that she was just recently married.  She turned 20 years old this past January and got married in December of 2014.  She married her high school sweet heart and her husband is also in our art110 class.  I was initially shocked when she said this because in my opinion that is way too young to be married, but if she is happy then that is all that matters.  I definitely could not picture myself a year from now married.  She also mentioned how she goes to the Laugh Factory on her free time.  I always pass by it at the Pike in Long Beach, but have never gone inside.  Overall, it was a pleasure getting to know Valeria and I hope all goes well in her future.

Valeria Sublime.wordpress.com

Wk14-Artist Interview-Yireh Elaine Kwak

This week I got to have another conversation with an artist who I had previously interviewed and loved her art work.  This interview was more of an insight as to what Kwak had in store for her future.  She had one art piece, which she is photographed up above.  Her piece was part of the art show, Liminal, which is the senior painting/drawing BFA show.  She explained how all her classmates came together and collaborated 1-2 pieces of their artwork to produce this wonderful art show.  The fact that she came back to the gallery and was open to talking to students about her work this semester shows her passion for what she does.  I really admired her enthusiasm and desire to answer questions and engage in conversations.

Kwak began to give an insight into her personal life.  She said painting came to her as a natural instinct when she was very young.  Her talent in art began as a hobby, then became her passion.  Kwak mentioned how majority of people who are into art are very different.  Most of the people who are passionate about their artwork either had something traumatic or very good happen to them.  She explained how she was not an only child, however she felt as if she was.  Since Kwak spent a lot of time alone she used this time to dive deep into her imagination.  She spent majority of her time drawing/painting and creating characters within her artwork.  It was very interesting to learn more about her personal life.  It was also very humbling of her to share her childhood memories with us.  This was just another factor which makes me really respect her as an artist.

The painting she included in this collaboration was a landscape of Fullerton Hills.  She expressed how her goal was to use as many colors as possible.  She definitely achieved that goal and the result was wonderful.  As far as her plans for the future, she was not set on an exact path, but more of a realistic approach.  Kwak is currently preparing her portfolio and plans on attending grad school later in the future.  As a student graduating in the art department, she earns commission for her artwork.  She explained how someone can come and tell the artists what they want and they pay them and it is up to the artist to recreate the piece the customer imagined.  Her advice to all students was to travel any opportunity they get.  Once Kwak graduates she plans on traveling as much as possible!  Overall, I admire Kwak as an artist and wish her nothing but the best once she graduates this semester.

Wk14-Classmate Interview-Sarah Schneider

This week I got to know my classmate, Sarah Schneider.  She is currently a second year here at CSULB.  Her major is Health Science and she is very determined in her career path.  She plans on becoming a Radiologist in the future, which consists of four years of under grad and four additional years at graduate school.  I was shocked by the amount of years she had to attend school, but she was certain that it would be worth it in the end.  I wish her the best of luck and hope she succeeds.  I also learned that she commutes from Cypress, but attended Cerritos High School.  The city I am from is very close to both Cypress and Cerritos, which means we are basically neighbors.

An interesting fact about Schneider is that her life revolves around bowling.  I recently got a little more educated on the competitiveness and financial factor that comes along with the hobby bowling.  One of the father’s of the little girls that I coach for my job used to be a very successful bowler.  He explained how he used to rely on the money he would win in bowling tournaments to support his family.  Low and behold Schneider explained the same finances that come along with bowling.  Not only is the equipment, such as a customized ball, expensive but entry fees into tournaments as well.  However, al the money put in can be earned back and even more after just a couple rounds of bowling.  Schneider had her fair share of stories as well and mentioned how she had been bowling for over 6 years.  She is also currently looking for a job preferably in a bowling alley.

Aside from bowling Schneider spends a lot of her time watching shows on Netflix.  This was extremely relatable because any free time I get I try my best to finish the current tv show series I am watching.  I also learned about Schneider’s complex racial background.  Her mom is from the Philippines and her dad’s family is from Russia and Germany.  This was very surprising to hear because when I first saw her I initially assumed she was from a hispanic background.  She actually found it kind of funny when I told her that because she said she gets that a lot from people.  However, I admire her mixed culture because she gets to learn and adopt several values from a variety of places.  I feel as if it is also an advantage at some point.  Part of the reason I feel this way is because I am of one racial group, Mexican.  Overall, I had a great time during our interview and I wish Sarah success in her future endeavors!

Sarah Schneider 48.wordpress.com

Wk13-Artist Interview-Marty Knop

This week I discovered a different type of art, print making.  As I was walking around the gallery there were pieces of art that involved so many different shapes and designs.  One would have to look very closely to capture all the variety of print being combined together.  It was very appealing to the eye and I wish I could create something like that.  The print that was black and white seemed like an optical illusion almost.  Every time I took a step closer or a step further from the art work, it seemed as if the lines were moving or shaking almost.  My favorite part of this gallery was being able to turn to the next piece of art and seeing something completely different.  They all carried the same concept of lines and shapes, but each piece was so unique and intriguing.

Knop explained how his process of creating this art was all through a computer program.  I was surprised to find out that generating mathematical shapes was the foundation for his thesis exhibition.  Since Knop’s artwork was extremely intricate, I expected the process to be very intricate as well.  I was correct regarding the intricate process and even got a detailed explanation of how Knop creates his print making magic.  Since he generates these shapes from from computing data, he ends up an abundance of varied shapes which are then stored in a database.  Once everything is on the database he can view all the shapes as a “visual vocabulary”.  From this database he picks and chooses which shapes to use and edit together.  This sounds extremely time consuming and I am sure I would not have the patience for something like this.  However, it is interesting to know that picks and chooses what shapes to combine together.  I initially thought he would start with one shape then continually add on random shapes as they came to his mind.  His process obviously sounds much more structured and reliable.

As mentioned earlier, I was initially attracted to the variety of solid shapes and shapes with color or designs inside them.  Knop explained how this was his goal.  He wanted to find a medium of combinations between random patterning and simple patterns so that it could attract visual attention.  I was an example of his goal be proven to true.  I liked how he categorized his art in two categories: random and simple.  In Knop’s terms simple patterns contain little information, but are also very repetitive.  On the other hand, random shapes and designs contain more information and are not repetitive at all.  I had never thought about shapes as random or simple and it was an interesting new perspective I was being introduced to.  However, as I took a closer look at his art I can see how there was nearly and equal amount of random and simple shapes in all of his pieces.  Print making is not my preferred form of art, but it is still enjoyable to look at especially Knop’s artwork.

Wk13-Classmate Interview-Kasi Gibo

This week I had the pleasure of getting to know Kasi Gibo.  She is a 4th year here at CSULB and about to finish her last semester as a college student.  As every other graduating student, she expressed her excitement but also worry for a potential future career.  Gibo will be graduating as a communication major and has completed all her 4 years here at CSULB.  She lives locally in Cypress and has always commuted.  Unfortunately, she wishes she would have gotten more involved and seemed very happy when I mentioned how involved I was becoming barely as a first year.  This made me feel as if I had taken the right path towards a great college experience.  She had a lot of advice to share with me and although there was an age gap, my conversation with her seemed never ending and we were eager to see what each other had to share.

As a result of our conversation we shared an interest in sports.  She understood the time management stress I went through growing up due to my dedication to athletics.  Gibo had played basketball for 13 years, but knew when it came time for college she had to focus on her studies.  She also enjoyed running for several years and still continues to this day.  She currently runs 3 miles minimum every day.  I greatly admired her determination and drive.  We also shared balancing work and school in common.  She works at Nordstrom and is also a full time student.

One of the most interesting things about Gibo is that she has her cosmetology license.  This process is much more time consuming than I had imagined and involved 1600 hours to receive a cosmetology degree.  I have always had an interest in cosmetology and be able to properly better my appearance when doing my hair and make up.  However, I cannot imagine the amount of stress Beauty school would add to my life.  Gibo would attend school during the day and Beauty school at night.  It was a 13 month part time process for her and well worth the training.  It all seemed so interesting but just impossible to fit into my already busy schedule.  Overall, I had a great time interviewing Kasi and I definitely learned a lot from her.

Kasi Gibo.wordpress.com

Wk12-Activity-Algorithmic Art

This week our activity is to produce our own form of Algorithmic Art or better known as “procedural art”.  The examples and artists shown in class made this process seem very difficult.  With procedural art there are a set of instructions that must be followed.  If you follow these steps then you are should be able to come up with the same result every time.  This assignment seemed very self explanatory.  However, it was not until I actually attempted that I found the difficulty.  I usually doodle for fun, which involves no structure at all.  I simply draw any shape or design that comes to mind.  Here, I struggled creating a constant pattern and being able to clearly explain each process step by step.  I finally came up with a simple standard design.  Although it fulfilled the requirement of algorithmic art, I wish I would have completed this assignment on a computer because the effects are much more visually appealing.

After plenty of trial and error, I was able to finally complete a design that follows simple steps.  The steps to complete my design are as follows:

1. Draw a square

2. Split the square into 4 smaller squares with one horizontal and one vertical line.

3. Pick one of the four smaller squares and split that square into four smaller squares with one horizontal and one vertical line.

4. The top left square will be split with a diagonal line going upwards towards the right. Fill in the top left portion of this square.

5. The top right square will be split with a diagonal line going upwards towards the left.  Fill in the bottom left portion.

6. The bottom left square will be split with a diagonal line going upwards towards the left.  Fill in the top right portion.

7. The bottom right square will be split with a diagonal line going upwards towards the right.  Fill in the bottom right portion.

8. Repeat steps 3-7 for the remainder of the 4 squares.

This process made me realize that not all art is a free from of expression.  Some art is very structured, but still creates a visually appealing image.  After creating my form of algorithmic art I was very pleased with my result.  I have never created anything like this before so I hope my steps were easy to follow.  This form of art has never been introduced to me until recently.  While I was doing more research on algorithmic art some of the designs looked familiar.  I guess I never knew that there was a series of steps to create this or that it had a specific type of name.  I wish I was given sets of instructions and had time to re create other artists algorithmic art.  This was definitely an enjoyable new experience for me.

Wk12-Artist Interview-Piet Eppinga

This week, I entered the Werby Gallery because of the large ceramic sculptures displayed.  These sculptures seemed to represent an African-American culture and I was curious to know more.  The artist who created these pieces is Piet Eppinga.  He was very friendly and went in depth with each sculpture that was in the gallery.  He began by explaining how his pieces do have African-American looks.  Other pieces such as his round, hollow pot seemed to look similar to something in a Japanese culture.  He was very proud of these looks that are portrayed through his art because he lives in the multi cultural society.

Each one of his pieces contains very specific detail, each with a different meaning behind it.  For example, on the lid of the pot there were four circles which he showed me.  Each of the four circles represented something different; Earth, air, fire, water.  The largest piece in this gallery was named “The Queen ” and it was supposed to resemble the queen from a chess board.  Eppinga carefully pointed out certain objects he included in this piece to represent stability and power.  Another one of his pieces was a man, woman, and child.  The sculpture was carefully created to show how a man and woman were bind together through a child and essentially become “one”.  My favorite part of this gallery was when Eppinga told us when he was created this sculpture he asked himself “Who am I in this piece?”.  I then tried to imagine myself as part of the sculpture and how it related to me.  He offered a very different insight to his artwork.

In order to complete this gallery he worked on these sculptures for about 3 months.  All his sculptures were made from clay and each was hand crafted differently and individually.  In some of his sculptures, Eppinga included glass.  However, the glass was originally powder.  For example inside the hollow Japanese bowl, he filled it with glass powder.  Once it is placed in the kiln, the temperature increases and causes the powder to melt into glass.  He explained how using the kiln can be a dangerous process.  The kiln reaches dangerous temperatures and if a clay sculpture is left inside for too long the clay will harden and eventually begin to melt.  He was very cautious and kept a close eye on all his sculptures.  They came out very intricate and appealing to the eye.  Overall, I enjoyed Piet’s artwork and especially loved the new perspective he gave me when admiring the sculptures.

Wk12-Classmate Interview-Jerrell Howell

This week I got to meet a very outgoing classmate named Jerrell Howell.  From talking to Jerrell Howell I found a lot of interesting things about him. For example, he is the youngest of 3 and the first one to go to college out of his family.  In my opinion, this is an accomplishment that Howell should be extremely proud of.  He is from Fontana and been living there for 12 years of his life. Howell plays baseball and is a huge Angels fan. It was interesting to find out we share the same passion for sports, although they are different sports.  He grew up playing baseball, and has continued playing for 13 years.  He has a very strong passion and love for baseball.  He came from Summit High School in Fontana and he was an honor roll student.

Jerrell Howell is a second year at Cal State Long beach and he is a Health Care Administration major. He told me that he wanted to find a way to help out people, and he thought being a part of health care would do the job.  I was very interested in finding out more about his major because it is a major that I am considering since I am undeclared.  We share the same motive of wanting to help others and I will definitely consider Health Care Administration.  Jerrell Plans to go to the Air force after college. He said he wants to go so he can travel the world and to help his family in the long run. He wants to create his own brand or become a model for a brand. He is very goal oriented and depicts the personality of a go getter.

Jerrell wants a lot in life, for him and his family. He hopes he can take care of his parents once he get a career. He is very family oriented, and he wants nothing but the best for them. Howell definitely has a bright future ahead of him.  I hope once I figure out a major and career path that I too can develop the kind of drive and determination that Howell exemplifies.  I greatly respect his love for his family and desire to do good in his future.  It was a pleasure getting to know someone with vibrant determination.  I hope he is able to accomplish all of his dreams. I hope nothing but the best for him.

Jerrell Howell22.wordpress.com

Wk11-Activity-Sculpture

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This week our assignment was to create a plaster sculpture in the sand of our hand or foot.  When I first heard of this assignment I had mixed emotions because it seemed like a complicated process and I had never dealt with plaster before.  I also did not have any of the supplies required to complete this activity.  Aside from being unprepared for this activity, I was also afraid I was not going to have enough time to complete this project.  However, once I began the project it was much easier than expected.  The part I struggled with most was gathering all the appropriate supplies.

Luckily, one of my friends accompanied me throughout this activity so I had help.  We began by going to Home Depot to purchase plaster a bucket and shovel.  I was unaware of all the different types of plaster there were and it was a very complicated decision.  Finally after about half an hour at Home Depot I was able to gather all the supplies then headed over to Belmont Shores in Long Beach.  I went to Belmont Shores because there is a dog beach in the same area and I figured it would be nice to look at all the dogs while we were waiting for the plaster to dry.  We began by digging a deep enough hole for my hand and wrist to fit.  Then, my friend tightly packed it with wet sand and I removed my hand and began mixing the plaster in the bucket.  It did not take long but aiming the plaster to land perfectly in my molding was very difficult.  I waited about 20 minutes then it was fully dry and we dug out the molding.

Although the molding did not come out with as much detail as it should have, it was still a very interesting new experience.  I love trying new art projects and I’m glad I found the time to complete this project.  My creation did not have complete fingers, which made it look very creepy.  I did however enjoy relaxing at the beach during a stressful time in school.  This activity was very enjoyable because I was very new to everything. This project was not only an excuse to be at the beach but also a small taste of summer.  Overall, this was a fun project and I wish we would have done this earlier in the semester.