Private: COURSES > SUMMER TERM 2021 > Developing Practice: Independent Study > SESSION 1

F402i SESSION 1

June 12 – Asynchronous

Introductory digital/asynchronous meeting in the Online Studio
Introduce work, methodology, process, or current state of progress. Include images, text/writing (current artist or project statement), web links, etc. Upload/add any/all material to the Online Studio by 12noon (EST/US), Saturday, June 12th.
Discuss each other’s work in the Online Studio by 11.59pm, Sunday, June 13th.
Professor will provide feedback by 11.59pm, Monday June 14th.

You will need to login to use the comment section below. Each week you can discuss your progress and attach files (.jpg, .png, .docx, .pdf). You can share multiple files totaling 10mb. If you need to share larger files, feel free to add a link to your website or cloud where course members can access the file.

For more detailed information on how to use studioELL’s online studio, please download our ARTISTS GUIDE TO ACCESSING THE ONLINE STUDIO.

Discussion

Tracy Holtham: Hi Kate Thanks for your feedback. I’ve not heard the word anaphora before,...
Kate Martinez: Thanks for the great feedback...lots to think through and process here!
Armon Means: Hey all, Feedback videos are posted to each of your work introductions...

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Chris Cohen

11 June 2021 5:19pm

Y’all,

I’d like to discuss/develop/finish(?) this project perhaps in the span of this class:

https://chrisncohen.com/photography-city-of-churches/

Current state of project:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6kj0u7rsrmlujbq/lynchburg_churches.pdf?dl=0

I originally thought of this as perhaps a photo book, but I don’t think it will realistically fit in such a small, concise, potentially wordless format. I think that the the project raises questions that the current photographs don’t necessarily answer yet. People who have seen these photos have also asked why there aren’t any humans represented in them. I think this is another potential way to investigate the significance of all these places, particularly since the answer to the above question is that these were all taken during the pandemic.

Potential directions: interviews, portraits, interior shots, interactive web site?

Artist

Tracy Holtham

13 June 2021 10:54am

Reply to Chris Cohen

Hi Chris

I like the viewpoints, angles and mood captured of the churches in this project. To me they are powerful, especially with the interplay between day and night. I also like how some elements may become abstracted due to the tonal elements. Plane trails in the sky add a further sense of mystery.

It is interesting how the geometrical lines of electricity pylons run throughout, possibly connecting them in an alternative way, where human presence is not possible due to the pandemic.

Kate Martinez

13 June 2021 5:11pm

Reply to Tracy Holtham

I definitely agree with you Tracy about the electric wires…they add a really interesting element here.

Kate Martinez

13 June 2021 5:09pm

Reply to Chris Cohen

Hey Chris, here are some of my first impressions/questions I have about your work. Thanks for sharing!

d e s c r i p t o r s | Still, solemn, erie, abandoned, weighty, historied.
o b s e r v a t i o n s | Lack of living things, high contrast, black and white. I like the relationship between the churches and the environmental elements that live around the churches. To me there is a really interesting interaction between these…sometimes a disconnect, sometimes an intersection.
q u e s t i o n s | Denominations – is there a difference between denominations that you want to capture, or are you classifying all Christian churches together? Are you capturing christian churches only, or places of worship from other faiths as well? Is there any human element or story that needs to be introduced? Armon, you talked a bit about some of the history you know about Lynchburg churches, which makes me wonder whether that history is widely known, and whether the series of images needs some context for people not familiar with it? For someone who doesn’t know your context the message may get muddled. But then, I also question that as I type it…maybe a lack of context says something more universal?

Last edited 3 years ago by Kate Martinez

Armon Means

15 June 2021 9:09pm

Reply to Chris Cohen

Chris,

Here is a feedback video for you to review. I address a number of the ideas you bring up in your introduction and build off that in discussion – https://youtu.be/aUaXflfGGi4

Kate Martinez

11 June 2021 8:21pm

c u r r e n t s t a t e m e n t | I am a mixed media artist, working and living in Charleston, SC. Inspired by lineage, nature, and psychology, I draw from metaphysical ideas of inner landscape, memory and personhood, especially physical, spiritual, and social connection. Exploring chance but always internally chronicled personal and corporate history, I begin each work with dyeing the surface, and making quick, chaotic, abstract marks. I then draw out inherent shapes, painting in many thin layers until shapes and figures emerge.

p r o c e s s | I have been using a range of materials and processes to create these pieces. Many are mixed media, using dying, painting, and drawing, but some are all one media. I tend to work intuitively, but I will sometimes do small sketches that I use to inspire larger works. To create the larger work, I will usually begin on the floor and dye raw canvas, then move it to my wall to paint over in layers.

p r o g r e s s | Really, I began this body of work to expand my material use, take risks with content and composition, and experiment with technique. I am seeing some continuity beginning with some of the pieces, and I am still considering where it all may be headed. I would like to dive deeper conceptually, but I’m not really sure how to get there.

Artist

Tracy Holtham

13 June 2021 10:58am

Reply to Kate Martinez

Hi Kate

I like the way figures emerge from the dyed raw canvas, and the two-stage process of working on the pieces horizontally and vertically. I also like the sense of flow within the layers, and their tonal qualities. For me there is a sense of mystery and revealing simultaneously, which is compelling.

Armon Means

15 June 2021 9:12pm

Reply to Kate Martinez

Kate,

Thanks for sharing with us. I have attached a feedback video here for you to review. I found myself focusing on the mark-making and continuity you spoke of as well as the intuitive nature of your process. I think there are some interesting things here to build on as we move forward – https://youtu.be/ddNBGsl7j1Q

Kate Martinez

17 June 2021 9:31am

Reply to Armon Means

Thanks for the great feedback…lots to think through and process here!

Armon Means

12 June 2021 1:08pm

Chris and Kate,

Welcome to the first session of the Independent Study course. I made a short video where I ramble a little about how we’re going to work through the course. You’ll find that linked here. Most videos I post will use a link for easy access since upload size is limited.

One of the things I forgot to mention, I’ll be encouraging you both to do some writing about your projects and developing a concise artist statement to go along with the work. So if you have one that you’ve already started, please share it. Otherwise going into next week I’d ask you both to have some written “string of thought” statements or words that immediately come to mind as you process your imagery that we can talk about. As we begin formulating that larger language surrounding the work this is often a good starting point.

I’ll also be sharing a document on artist statement examples. It can be rather, elementary to some extent, but I think it’s a good beginning point of getting back to the basics of statement writing. That being said, I’ll be giving you both some more specific feedback regarding your work as the weekend goes forward. In the meantime, if you have any questions or need anything, feel free to reach out anytime.

Welcome Video: https://youtu.be/eyjJQMr8xyg

Artist

Tracy Holtham

13 June 2021 11:57am

Reply to Armon Means

Hi Armon

Apologies for my late submission.

Thank you for the welcome, and for further information in relation to the course.

It’s been great to see all of your work, and I’m looking forward to this creative journey.

Kate Martinez

13 June 2021 5:12pm

Reply to Armon Means

Thanks Armon! I’m looking forward to learning and getting to know everyone over the next few weeks.

Armon Means

15 June 2021 1:19am

Reply to Kate Martinez

It’s my pleasure. I’m looking forward to connecting and working with you all!

Last edited 3 years ago by Armon Means

Artist

Tracy Holtham

12 June 2021 3:08pm

Hi Everyone

I’m excited to be here, and to start the course.

Apologies for the late submission.

Current artist statement
I am a multi-media artist, currently working with photography, collage, text, and sound. I am interested in the immediacy of these forms, and how they can be combined to develop a visual narrative. I also enjoy abstracting forms to find new meanings.

I work in this media, as I can create work in different contexts, such as commuting, (as I like to create whilst in motion as helps with the thinking process), or the opposite by sitting in a café, (which I find inspiring). The relationship between these formats allows me to combine visual and auditory elements.

I take photos which I digitally manipulate, collage, or abstract. Text and sound are added to these elements, or vice-versa. Each inform the other – a photograph can inspire a song title, or found words may influence what I look for visually to document. I value the sense of layering which occurs.

In my work I abstract elements, to understand or bring new meaning to everyday questions. Mental health and emotional understanding are also foundational to my practice.

I am inspired by being in large spaces, whether architectural, or emotional when exploring the mind via words, music, or experiences. The multi-media elements are combined with a performative or experiential aspect, such as a stage performance which is recorded, or a poem which develops into a song.

At present I am particularly interested in intersectionality and moving image. I explore the use of persona, fictionality and artifact.

My intention is to utilise art to combine my longstanding interest in poetry, music, and sound – to create a path where artistic autonomy and mental wellbeing are at the centre.

Kate Martinez

13 June 2021 8:57pm

Reply to Tracy Holtham

Hi Tracy, Thanks for sharing your work!! Here are some of my first impressions…
d e s c r i p t o r s | Line, intersection, plane (geometric/metaphysical), strata.
o b s e r v a t i o n s | I like the anaphora within each piece…repeated shapes, colors, lines. The last two pieces take on an almost surrealist vibe. At first glance, I see them as abstraction, but the longer I spend with each, the more I pick out the individual pieces and start to recognize them on their own.
q u e s t i o n s | Do you take your own photos for your collages, or do you use found images? How does word and sound intersect with your work? I would love to read/hear some of this and how it relates to the collages you shared.

Last edited 3 years ago by Kate Martinez

Artist

Tracy Holtham

19 June 2021 10:33am

Reply to Kate Martinez

Hi Kate

Thanks for your feedback. I’ve not heard the word anaphora before, but have seen the concept used in poetry. It’s interesting to think about its use within a visual context – thank you.

These works were based on a range of photos I took during the first lockdown with my mobile phone, edited with various apps.

I write poetry, songs, and record sounds I discover when out and about. For this series I had not written any words or recorded sound (I was finding it hard to be inspired in these areas during this time). However, it would be interesting to write and record in response to these works now, especially since some time has passed, and things have changed. In general, I also record short videos in a similar manner, and would like to experiment with this further.

Armon Means

15 June 2021 9:15pm

Reply to Tracy Holtham

Tracy,

I used your blog as well as the images you shared to provide some feedback. I’ve made a short video for you to view here discussing my initial thoughts. I found that the ideas of mental health and wellbeing became topics I gravitated toward but also the combination of media. I hope this is a good jumping-off point we can build on – https://youtu.be/xUmhm5eqbqA

ps. excuse my absent-mindedness, I found myself searching for words a few times!

Armon Means

15 June 2021 1:23am

Hey everyone,

Normally I’ll be posting comments in whatever format that is by Sunday or Monday evening. I’ll post this week’s feedback Tuesday (tomorrow) afternoon though. It was a crazy week with some new MFA students starting this week and houseguests over the weekend. I’ll be posting a video to get us started, commenting on everyone’s work. I appreciate the patience as we get the ball rolling.

Armon Means

15 June 2021 9:18pm

Hey all,

Feedback videos are posted to each of your work introductions here. Feel free to listen/view each others as well! I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday, remember to bring some keywords, thematic ideas, initial thoughts, etc., that come to mind when considering your work. Thank you so much and keep an eye out for the zoom link!