User:Hjfrew

Bio
My name is Hutch. I'm a Graphic Design major new to Seattle. At the end of my time at the Art Institute, I hope to find a job designing websites and album art for musicians. I draw all the time and am constantly trying to improve myself in that regard as well as in any other artistic endeavor I come across (such as my goal for this quarter). Thanks for reading.

Always Wanted To Schedule

 * Topic

I've always wanted to contribute to and work in a professional art gallery. Specifically, this one: The Art/Not Terminal Gallery

I will be painting two separate pieces for the gallery. One will be under size, the other standard size. It would be fantastic if one of them sold, but that isn't necessarily what I would consider a successful run.

Update: Due to the way this class is scheduled and the way my chosen gallery operates, there was a mixup concerning submitting a piece. Therefore, I will still be able to submit within the time frame alotted, but I will not be able to report on volunteering in the gallery until the class is over. I will also be allowing the class to choose the piece I submit for the month of October.


 * Research Component

It is my aim, along with volunteering at and generating a piece for the gallery, to research the complete workings of the American art gallery. How do they operate? What is their history? These are the questions I wish to answer as well as whatever else crops up between now and Week 8.


 * week 1

Gather resources/inspiration for first piece. Visit another gallery.


 * week 2

Finish first piece. Visit more galleries.


 * week 3

Visit more galleries.


 * week 4

Visit more galleries. Work on Second piece.


 * week 5

Visit more galleries. Work on Third piece. Research.


 * week 6

Visit more galleries. Work on Fourth piece. Research.


 * week 7

Research.


 * week 8

Submit piece One. Research.

Midterm Assignment 1: Taste & Aesthetics

 * A few days ago I wandered into the Olympic Sculpture Park with my sister. We were on a mission. I was to find a sculpture that rubbed me the wrong way. Unfortunately, as I progressed through the park and paused briefly to consider each piece (all along my sister pleading with me to find something I didn't like) it became increasingly apparent that I was almost forcing myself to not like what I saw. And in the end, the truth was that I enjoyed pretty much everything in the park. Even "Bunyon's Chess." Everything, that is, until I came upon a piece by Beverly Pepper called "Persephone Unbound." At first, I wasn't sure what was wrong with it, but I knew I didn't like it.
 * Maybe it was its color or its texture. Truly, I don't really know, but it did bother me. Later in the week I sat down at a computer and attempted to force myself into enjoying "Persephone Unbound." I started with the artist herself - Beverly Pepper. What I found, other than a very poorly designed website, was a sculptor that had been working tirelessly since the 1950s producing piece after piece, touring all throughout Europe and the U.S. and not only did I have this overwheloming sense of "Who am I to criticize someone this talented?" I also began to appreciate the piece. Maybe it wasn't misplaced. It sat amidst what seemed like a very "industrial" part of the park, and had originally struck me as odd. Returning to its spot, however, and looking at it again, I didn't just see what appeared to be a randomly cut hunk of wood (it was actually bronze), but rather something entirely new. I now knew it was loaned to the park in 1965. I also knew Pepper's thoughts on the piece. Of it, she once said, "What I am concerned with is working out a passage from one place, or one situation, to another. Final, ultimate questions don't interest me." And I found that fascinating.
 * Now looking at it, I'm not sure what put me off of the piece. Maybe I didn't understand the concept or the hard work it took to complete it. But I suppose now I do understand, and because I understand, I am able to enjoy "Persephone Unbound" fully and without prejudice.

Midterm Assignment 2: Manipulation
Logical Fallacies:
 * Non Sequitur - The PS3 Sucks.
 * Truth Through Humor/Dubious Authority - Coca-Cola Is Literally The Glue That Holds The Universe Together.

Misuse of Language:
 * Weasel Words - Lunesta Ad.
 * False Dilemma - Verizon Wireless Ad.

Self-Assessment
How do you evaluate yourself in a class that seemingly has very little meaning? We talked a bit about ideas and thinking, but it is difficult to really pinpoint your progress in a class like this. I suppose the most obvious questions are “Do I think critically?” and “How has my general view on ideas changed?” And honestly, I do not know if either of these have changed from our first meeting. This is certainly less a failing in the way the class is taught and more a failing in my own capacities. I tend to ramble, however, in these sort of assignments, so let me say it as plainly as I can: I have become aware that there is such a thing as critical thinking and have more of an idea of what it is. Furthermore, I now take the time to make sure I have more thoroughly investigated something before deciding I could not achieve it or did not enjoy it. It certainly was a pleasure to take something I had initially not enjoyed and turned it into something I learned to appreciate. Somehow I ended up appreciating that thing more. So if I feel like I have gained these two things, why do I consider myself to have not truly grasped these concepts? Because I can still hate things, and I can still blindly go with something I want desperately to believe. But I'm trying to change that, and I will continue to try and change that. I now realize that in order to do anything as an adult, I need to start thinking like one.