Max Rebel's ISPO

Mid-term Goals:

Last semester was full of talk and small time spent producing. I hope to execute various and numerous explorations before my 30hour review, which I think is in this semester. I will have to:

Trips to SCAD library and researching contemporary artists

Planning on going to the conference in New Orleans

Planning on going to New York later on in the semester

Taking photographs of buildings and various objects

Work explorations

Material explorations

Learning the various printing/paper making techniques

Sufficient studio hours

Semester Goals:

Explore different printing techniques and develop technique
Start to develop meaning/concept

Various Explorations
 

Future

Thinking about exploring three-dimensional space

Research

Juxtapoz Poster Art

Juxtapoz Magazines

Masters of Poster Design

Obey (E Pluribus Venom)

Structure of Drum and Bass

Why is that Art

The Sixties by Robert Altman

Dada &Surrealism by Matthew Gale

1000 Type Treatments

A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Style

Movements:

Russian Suprematism, Bauhaus, Formalism, Expressionism, Pop Art, and Contemporary Poster Design

Artists

Jackson Pollock

Gerhard Richter

Malevich

Joel Shapiro

Agnes Martin

Rodchenko

Frank Stella

Charles Long

Matthew Ritchie

Justin Krietemeyer

Aesthetic Apparatus

Brandy Flower

Shepard Fairy

Largemammal

Tom Nakashima

Critics

Plato

Aristotle

Clement Greenberg

John Dewy

Goodman

Hume

Aquinas

Current Focus 

For the most part, I want to explore and combine the different printing techniques such as etching and lithography. During this process, I’m not sure what imagery I will be using, but more than likely I will be working with geometric shapes. I will also continue to juxtapose historical design movements (Russian Suprematism, Bauhaus, Formalism, Expressionism, Pop Art, and Contemporary Poster Design) to compose my structures of character that are captured in a timeless sublime moment. My characters have a very similar structure as Drum ‘n’ Bass, which is a type of exploratory electronic music. DnB is composed of many layers of drum loops, beats, basslines, and various samples, which are collaged together to create a rhythmic movement that causes an emotion. The most successful tunes will keep the listener interested through a smooth, but yet complex build up that is followed by a deep fallout, which flows into a sublime break that sparks an emotion. I find this specific moment where the song breaks and all the elements work together to create a harmonious rhythm very interesting and satisfying.

My work follows the same philosophy. Each work is composed out of many different parts that I have collected or made over time. The challenge is to find parts that compliment each other well and create a harmonic flow throughout the picture. I consider the process as the build up, which leads to the break that establishes the sublime moment. It is like capturing that moment with a camera and then trying to understand how it was composed… complex structures of character that are captured in a timeless sublime moment.

The characters are actually more like abstract attitudes. The attitudes are neither positive nor negative. Instead they have their own reality (they are complete by themselves). This is very important to me, because they can exist by themselves. Like the songs, I’m trying to keep the viewer interested and entertained as long as possible. I think scale is a key factor, but at this stage, I’m still trying to build a strong foundation.

New Development:
Although I'm starting to have a dialog with my work, it still is not clear yet. To me, the pictures are becoming somewhat humanless. Almost like futuristic mechanical characters or cities/places that are independent of humans... maybe even anti-human... a mechanical society long after the humans vanished. The pictures look noise/fogy... mystery. I started to use tar paper and tar to give each piece a industrial feel to them... dirty, sticky, greasy.

For the most part, the process is still similar, but I started to become more expressive. I also started to take pictures of three dimensional geometric shapes, machine parts, and other various metal parts. After, I simplify the pictures and prepare them for print... that's were the plan ends. Each piece slowly develops during the process.

***Need to pay more attention to values and scale in order to create space/layers. 


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JB5_Uu7DCU
Good example of a DnB tune that has strong character/attitude
Vocal is getting appropriated
Need good speakers!!!

 
City 17, 57x36in, (sketch, still thinking about background, system destroyer, floating city)

inspired by http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KagCtkGUeZ0
(intro to my new recording)

Lucy Skaer

I will try to incorporate interesting lines and tones like picture above

  

New development and notes:

Over the break, I worked on combining imagery with the mixed media pieces... I was not    successful... It felt like I did not have control and did not know exactly what I was doing...  Not long after, I decided to stop combing screen printing with my mixed media pieces... after this, designed and created some prints... it felt soooo good finishing something for the first time in some time. I was told that all my electives are completed and I would like to focus more on prints (etching and screen printing)... I will have to explore other techniques to create my imagery on my mixed media pieces... making random screens and then trying to make it work is not working and was also traveling between the my studio and the printmaking, which made the whole process difficult and could not establish a true connection with my pieces... now, are my prints graphic design and not 2-dimensional? I'm really getting tired of this never ending topic... since my background is "graphic design", I know I will continue to hear this... I do not believe that my prints are graphic design, although many people would... that does not bother me since people are individuals with various opinions... I think that people need to re-define and explore the term "graphic design"... I believe that the "graphic design" is an umbrella term just like 2-dimensional design, printmaking, and sculpture (etc.)... this reminds my of the first article we read that was trying to define sculpture, installation and so on... to me, my prints are 2-dimensional designs that are created by using the computer and printmaking... maybe you could call it contemporary poster design... although I do not like the term poster.... my prints are are directed to a small audience... no mass production, not the main stream... the audience and process is different from the everyday "graphic design"... each print is unique and I'm responsible for the entire process, which feels very very good and provides me with ownership... I do not like to be in a specific category... I am an artist who enjoys to explore many different areas to express myself... this is very important since we are individuals... I believe that this is very important... this is my art... 

some quick thoughts:

do not change for no one... be true to others, your work, and more importantly to yourself... What is true expression?... I know that is is very hard in this world and time period... mixed media reminds my of mixed martial arts (Bruce Lee and his combination of mixed philosophies, Music (drum and bass)... combining mixed elements to create harmony...  What is style? Is is good to have style?... when you have a particular style, does it put you in a specific category and do you still truly express yourself?... this is a very stylized world where true expression is becoming rare... just because I use type, does it not make automatically "graphic design"... why did I switch the program? printmaking... the process... learn the different techniques... 

New Development:

After numerous explorations, I started to build machine like vessels. What do they mean? Are they positive? At this point, believe that these vessels are going in the positive direction and will help humankind in the future. The story is still a little bit grey, but I'm seeing these vessels float over overpopulated cities on earth. I believe that machines and different devices will help us, not destroy us. 

I noticed that I have to filter myself out of my work, before it starts to become good.



The Semester:

Early devices has helped humankind for centuries, but it was not until the steam engine that we were truly capable of exploring mechanical power. Since then, we have pushed the boundaries and explored various technological paths that have made our daily life more comfortable than ever. For example, computers have become one of our most valuable and loved machines today.

Over the semester, the computer has helped me with my work and I started to use photographic imagery of machines that I then collaged together in the computer to create these machine like vessels. At the time, it was not clear what the vessels were about and I let the concept develop over time. After I designed a few, it became clear that the vessels/machines provided humanity with a positive service. To me, they were floating cities in a fantasy world that gave us a safe shelter from an over populated globe and I started to explore this concept in my mixed media.  

Although I started to develop this concept, I still considered each work an exploration of non-traditional painting materials and techniques. For example, I applied tar and house paint with my hands on tar paper to create composition and texture. I tried to create different forms/layers by drawing and screen-printing photographic imagery of various machine parts into the composition; I noticed that my composition was unstable and I decided to cut out smaller parts/compositions that ended up being stronger in composition. I learned that scale plays a huge role when trying to create a good work. After this exploration, I began to focus more on printmaking.

This semester exposed me to various printing techniques such as the lithograph, etchings, and the serigraph (screen-printing). After I explored the different techniques, I found that the serigraph was the best method to print my photographic imagery that I had designed in the computer. Yet again, the serigraph, this device helped me with my work. I also began to mix my own color, which made me pay closer attention to color weight and values. Besides shapes, I now used color to move the viewer's eye through the composition, which made my prints more dynamic.

Although my prints were improving, they were still relatively flat; I started to mix all of my imagery together using off registration. I also started to experiment with different techniques to pull the color through the screen. For example, I sprayed water on the screen to saturate the color, which made the color merge into the print. My work started to follow a more expressive path, which I allowed to develop without my interference. As a result, my imagery became more abstract and I was loosing the imagery of the vessels.

The idea for this project came from a little book I made last semester. Some images came from misprints while others I selected from my photo collaged machines. I fragmented them in order to get as many smaller compositions as possible. I did this because I have become good at creating parts, rather then bigger compositions. I consider myself a collage artist and this method came natural to me. This method also allows me to stay in control of the work, piece by piece. I no longer have a final outcome in mind. Instead, I allow the work to develop naturally.

Before, the book/single composition forced the viewer to get up close and investigate. Now, the single compositions form a larger image, which can be viewed from a distance as well as up close.

 

 

http://interpretationsontag.blogspot.com/          (blog on interpretation's effect on art)