S+ART

Art Incognito

 

 

               

                   Photo: Alejandro Piedra Buena, courtesy of the Museo de Arte Popular ©2010

 

Now that’s an impressive set of wheels! On view now at the American Indian Museum is Vochol: Huichol Art on Wheels, a contemporary indigenous art work taking the shape of a 1990 Volkswagen Beetle. This rare art form is covered from the inside out with approximately 2,277,000 glass seed beads, decorated with depictions of cultural designs, ceremonies, animals, and historic events. It took a total of 9,000 hours (about 8 months) for eight Wixaritari artists from two families to transform this automobile into the first Huichol object of art on wheels. Wixaritari (“the people”) or "Huichol", the common name for Mexico’s Native American ethnic community of nearly 26,000 people, resides in the mountainous region of the western Sierra Madre. For the Huichol, creating art in the form of beadwork, textiles, and ceremonial objects represent an expression of faith in their culture.

 

Photo: Alejandro Piedra Buena, courtesy of the Museo de Arte Popular ©2010

 Some symbols designed on the Vochol (a slang term for the VW Beetle in Mexico) include images of deer, a two headed eagle, fire, snakes, squash, and corn. In the picture below, a fierce blue two-headed eagle is seen on the roof of the car, marking the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west). These designs are spread out all over the vehicle, allowing visitors to go on a fun scavenger hunt for recognizable images. Please let me know if you find any that I missed!

                                                                                                           

 

Photo: Alejandro Piedra Buena, courtesy of the Museo de Arte Popular ©2010

 

 

Don't miss the opportunity to see this amazing transformed work of art! The Beetle will be on view on the 1st floor of The American Indian Museum till May 6, 2012.

 

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~Margaret McClung

Penn Camera Update

In January, we shared the news of local photography mainstay Penn Camera's bankruptcy announcement and closure of five stores, along with a list of other photographic resources, both local and online, to help fill the gap.  Last month, one of the online resources, Calumet Photographic, stepped in and the three remaining Penn Camera stores will remain open as a division of the company. 

 

The E Street (D.C.), Tysons Corner (VA), and Rockville (MD) Penn Camera locations will feature the best of Penn Camera, including the staff, with an expanded product line and range of services.  They will also honor all Penn Camera gift cards!!

 

The locations include:

 

E Street
840 E. Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202.347.5777)

Tysons Corner
8357-E Leesburg Pike
Vienna, VA 22102
(703.893.7366)

Rockville Federal Plaza
12266-F Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
(301.231.7366)

Have you been by one of the locations?  I can't wait to visit the E Street store.

 

-Angela

From One Artist to Another: Writing an Artist Statement

             
             http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colors_Paint.JPG

 

When it comes to writing an artist statement, you are not only trying to express your concept to someone else but you are also convincing yourself that you know what you’re doing. If you are struggling answering questions, that appear simple like,“What is your painting/photograph about?” or “Why did you feel the need to include this, or that?”Don’t fret, it’s not as nerve racking as you think. There are some helpful suggestions you can follow to gain a better understanding of what you want to convey through your individual expression.

You are an artist, so it’s only natural to think and express yourself visually. Because you are an artist you are sort of “expected" to make sense of what you illustrate. By keeping your statement fairly short and to the point you are already engaging the interest of your viewer.

1)      Simply look at your work. I find it incredibly helpful to review my work. Referring  to old paintings, drawings and sketches, helps me move forward in my ideas. This also gives me a sense of stability. I can see where my style and strengths have developed.

2)      Get inspired. Who are your influences? Think about another artist’s work that you love, hate or don’t understand and jot down all of the questions you would ask them if you had the chance. What, how, why, where.. etc. Now, remember these questions because you will have to ask yourself the same when explaining YOUR work!

Also, surfing the internet and reading other artists’ statements, both bad and good, helps you eliminate and add ideas to your list. 

3)      The basic questions you will be asked about your work begin with “why” and “how”. So begin your statement by answering why you choose to draw/paint/photograph your particular subject matter and how you did it. After answering the general “why’s" and “how’s” of what you do, then you should emphasize the unique elements in your work.

Things to keep in mind:

-Using words like “me, my and I” repeatedly. Obviously you will have to start out with these but try not to include these words in every sentence.

- Update your statement as you create new work. You want your statement to coincide with your latest creations and ideas so you will always be prepared to explain your concept.

- It’s okay to have more than one statement. Some of your works may call for an entirely different statement. Creating multiple statements may help you distinguish your thoughts.

Here are my influences for this post:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4531269_write-artists-statement.html

http://artistemerging.blogspot.com/2006/08/writing-artists-statement.html

http://www.writingtheartiststatement.com/

http://www.artstudy.org/art-and-design-careers/sample-artist-statement.php

 

Find this helpful? Let us know!

 

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~Margaret McClung

A Colorful Blast from the Past

                         

 Photograph of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry Warnecke Studio for The Daily News/The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. The Smithsonian Associates.

 

Survived from Harry Warnecke’s Studio and now on display at The National Portrait Gallery are 24 color photographic portraits of notable stars, athletes, military heroes, and historical leaders. The exhibit, In Vibrant Color: Vintage Celebrity Portraits from the Harry Warnecke Studio illustrates the dramatic shift from black and white to color photography during the last half- century.

Harry Warnecke (1900-1984) was assigned by The New York Daily News to photograph these American idols in a whole new way. Warnecke specifically took these color portrait photographs for the Sunday magazine, which at the time was viewed like everything else in the media, as vague images in black and white. Now characters we have been accustomed to seeing in monochromatic tones are brought back to life by Warnecke’s creation of the one-shot camera, designed for color reproduction. TV and movie stars like Lucille Ball and Irene Dunne shine in their portraits, sporting brightly colored attire and brilliant red lips. Other note worthy gems featured in the show include, military men: Dwight D. Eisenhower, George C. Marshall, and General Patton and other stars on the scene like Ted Williams, Edgar Bergen, and Dale Evans.  

Great links to slide shows, biographies and more:

NPG exhibit, "In Vibrant Color: Vintage Celebrity Portraits From the Harry Warnecke Studio"

NYTimes Slide Show of "In Vibrant Color"

NYTimes Article: "Adding a Colorful Gloss to a Black-and-White World"

Take a trip to the 1930’s where color photography became a whole new phenomenon!

The Portrait Gallery is open 11:30 am- 7pm daily

Located at 8^th and F St. NW ( Gallery Pl-Chinatown Metro )

 

Here’s something to look forward to:

The Smithsonian Associates presents Camera-Ready Color as a Mingle at the Museum featuring the exhibit ‘In Vibrant Color’. During the Event (scheduled to take place on June 6, 2012 from 7:30-10pm), DC based Artist, Alexa Meade  will be exploring the concepts of mixing color, portraiture, personality and photography in her compositions. Meade will be painting a pair of portraits with live models. The first one will be created in a black-and-white scene while the second portrait is created in a full-color set.

Keep a look out for the event, soon to be posted online at Resident Associates- Mingle at the Museum.

 

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~Margaret McClung

Photography, D.C.- Style

 
Fare Gates, 2012 DCist Exposed Photography Show Winner, Photograph by Jennifer Wade

 

The DCist Exposed Photography Show kicks off tonight for a two-week run at Long View Gallery.  Now in it's sixth year, the exhibit features 40 photographs by local photographers featuring life in and around the District beyond traditional monuments and suits commonly associated with the city. 

 

Last year, we highlighted the creative force behind the exhibit, Heather Goss.  She and her small team perform no small feat to pull together this annual collection of work that most photographers keep in mind year-round.  I had the opportunity to help hang the show over the weekend and was sad that my art-buying budget wasn't big enough for all my favorite pieces.  I'm also sad that I am no longer able to participate in the show since I write for DCist, but am thankful to have had four pieces accepted in the past.

 

 

FotoWeek DC Party, 2012 DCist Exposed Photography Show Winner, Photograph by Aziz Yazdani

 

Tickets for tonight and tomorrow's opening receptions are $10 online and $15 at the door, and it's always a full-house.  To ensure that everyone in attendance gets to see the art, a maximum of 500 tickets are available for each night, so don't wait.  The show is on view through April 1.  (Ticket prices include drinks and snacks, art, music, and friends and pays for the gallery rental and other associated costs).

 

Want to be involved next year?  Attend area events, take your camera everywhere, look for creative and fresh ways to convey people, places, things, and general life, upload them to Flickr (you'll need an account), and add them to the DCist pool.  Throughout the year, these photos are used to support DCist articles and the most coveted POTD (Photo of the Day), many of which go on to be accepted in Exposed.  The entry call is announced towards the end of the year (this year had over 650 submissions) which are then selected by the judges.

 

The opening receptions are March 21 and 22, 2012 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Long View Gallery, 1234 9th Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 20001.  Exposed will remain on view during normal gallery hours through April 1.

 

-Angela

 

The Best Cure for Spring Fever

 

          
           Photo by Margaret McClung

If you’re like me when spring time rolls around, then you must be itching to get outside and bask in the glorious sunshine. How about killing two birds with one stone? You can make your way to the National Mall to work on your tan and infuse your brain with the rich history of the cherry blossoms, the Enid A. Haupt Garden and much more.

Every year, falling between Mach- April  The National Cherry Blossom Festival  takes place. The festival celebrates the 1912 gift of the Cherry Trees from the Japanese Mayor Yukio Ozaki. The gift of the trees resembles one of the many principles of the United States, the significance of friendship between two countries. Today, millions of people travel to DC each year to marvel at the cherry blossoms and partake in the festivities.

Situated in between the Smithsonian Castle and Independence Avenue and above The National Museum of African Art  , The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  and The S. Dillon Ripley Center   lies The Enid A. Haupt Garden. Enid Annenburg Haupt was a horticultural expert who passionately dedicated her life to funding gifts to build, restore and maintain gardens around the world. The Garden opened to the public in 1987 featuring various landscape components, such as the Parterre, Moongate Garden and the Fountain Garden.

The Victorian inspired Parterre  is a formal structured garden designed with elaborate colors, symmetrical patterns and designs. The specific layout of colorful planting on the Parterre fluctuates between seasons. In conjunction with the Asian inspired Sackler and Freer Galleries, the Moongate   Garden represents a similar design to the architecture and gardens of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. In Chinese culture, the main two components of the garden, granite and water symbolize the body and spirit of the earth. The garden was successfully designed to be a place of relaxation and contemplation for its visitors. The Fountain Garden, located near the entrance to the National Museum of African Art is a representation of a 13^th century Moorish palace and fortress in Grenada, Spain. The Fountain Garden includes a central fountain and water channels, which symbolize the four rivers of paradise as described in the Koran.

 

Photo by Margaret McClung

Check out these sites for more information on the Cherry Blossom Festival and Smithsonian Gardens:

Smithsonian Garden Tours

Cherry Blossom Festival Events

2012 Bloom Watch

Enjoy!

 

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~Margaret McClung

Upcoming Studio Art Courses and an Evening Seminar

 

Can you believe it's already March 15?  I know!  And, in just one month, the Studio Arts department starts up a new round of courses in digital media, painting, drawing, photography, and more.  I think I'm interested in the Travels With a Digital Nomad evening seminar on May 3.  

 

 
Andrew Evans uploading an Australian water dragon to Twitter while on assignment in Queensland, Australia. (Photo by Brian Gratwicke)

 

In this two-hour seminar, National Geographic travel writer Andrew Evans, known as the Digital Nomad who has visited all seven continents, talks about travelling the world in an interactive way using social media.  Because, face it - your family and friends want to hear about your trip to Thailand and they don't want to wait until you get back.  Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites allow travellers to stay connected with folks back home even while swimming with sharks in the South Pacific or perusing a souk in Morocco.  Of course, you'll need to get out of the water first, but you know what I mean.  Besides, all those photos?  You're gonna want to share them right away.  We want to see them right away!

 

Evans will describe how he uses social media to share photos, create videos, and use your phone to document experiences while exploring far-away lands and penguin attacks.  Before you head off, learn more about how to share the adventure while still exploring. 

 

The seminar costs $40 ($30 for members) at the S. Dillon Ripley Center on May 3, 2012 from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. 

 

-Angela

"Sign it, Date it, and Call it a Painting"

                     
Photo by Margaret McClung

 

 During my last pastel class, instructor, Sandra Warren- Gobar prepped the day’s session for a still life and figure drawing lesson.  Each class was designed in a similar format: beginning with a critique of assigned homework from the last class (optional), drawing warm-ups, discussion of hand outs, tutorials, and finally, let the drawing commence. In the critiques and lessons, Sandra introduced vocabulary of art, like tension, finding your personal palette and various techniques of pastels.

 The positive, friendly atmosphere among students and the instructor continued to flourish with each class. Everyone was willing to contribute in some way, whether it was by lending a sheet of paper or offering some encouraging feedback.  I must admit, I’m not always a fan of critiques. Too many times I fear the disapproval from my teachers and fellow students. This was not the case in Sandra’s class. She always offered constructive criticism. Her pleasant and kind demeanor resulted in students readily accepting and applying her suggestions. She may suggest cropping your composition, increasing the tension, and making your colors pop more.  Then we were ready to “sign it, date it, and call it a painting”.  

 The most memorable lesson I learned from Sandra’s teaching in the class, was the concept that “drawing better is about seeing better”, because when we “see better we render art better.” I plan on implementing these idioms and practices throughout my growth as an artist. Thank you Sandra for such a valuable experience!

 

Photo by Margaret McClung

Please feel free to leave your own critique and comments!



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~Margaret McClung

Museum Visits: Virtual vs. the Physical

                      

 Entrance of the Natural History Museum, Photo by Margaret McClung

 

 We have become so accustomed to adjusting our everyday life and normal routines to the advancements of technology, that we may have lost sight of the mere physical pleasure of things. Leisurely activities like curling up in a comfy chair to read a paperback novel, window shopping at the mall with friends, and visiting a museum  to see first-hand the intricate acclaimed work of a master artist, all now have been circumscribed to the internet.  It has no doubt made things easier for us, especially when we can’t find the time in our busy schedules to get out and about, but can it still be considered the same satisfying experience?

Recently, I attempted to visit Bon Appetit!  Julia Child’s Kitchen at the National Museum of American History, until my plan was derailed when I discovered the exhibit was temporarily closed. Granted, it would have been my fifth visit to the exhibit, but that only added to my disappointment. Reasonably, the museum is undergoing renovations in order to expand the west wing for an upcoming exhibit scheduled to open in late summer 2012. Now, my only option is to visit the exhibit online, which wasn’t as daunting as I expected. Because museums anticipate these temporarily closed transitions, the effort put forth to compensate for the different experience is most often very effective. The online tour through Julia Child’s French kitchen, which she donated to the Smithsonian in 2001, offers the same visual information that one would receive at the exhibit. Online features include, sample stories, histories and memories from Julia’s career as a chef, as well as a panoramic view of the re-installed kitchen.

I hope you are just as impressed as I am of this thorough virtual exhibit of Bon Appetit!  Julia Child’s Kitchen:

http://americanhistory.si.edu/juliachild/

Enjoy!

 

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~Margaret McClung

Opportunity for Moon Photos

Since it's been awhile since I last wrote about photographing the moon, I thought I would take the opportunity to revisit the subject. 

The full moon occuring this month, with the fullest illuminated view at 99.8% on Thursday, March 8, 2012, is what the Algonquin tribes named the Worm Moon, and is considered the last full moon of winter.  Moonrise on this day will occur at 6:54 p.m. with an azimuth of 94°, placing its position in the sky fairly south of due east*, or behind the Lincoln Memorial if viewed from the Netherlands Carillon and Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.  This hill offers unobstructed views of Washington, D.C., and many landmarks along the National Mall, as well as the Potomac River and Memorial Bridge, great for photographs. 

Bring your tripod and the longest zoom in your collection.  Scout the area before moonrise to claim the best spot for the desired backdrop and be prepared to adjust your position as the moon travels across the sky.  The distance may confuse the lens’s auto-focus, so switch it to manual and set the focus by hand, and leave it there, making manual adjustments as needed.

To capture detail in the moon, meter for daylight conditions, since the light reflected off the moon is sunlight.  For detail in both the moon and the foreground, shoot at twilight while the sky is still bright, and use a neutral density filter to reduce the intensity of available light and allow for longer exposures.  Other options include making a composite image, double exposure, or any other methods to balance light levels in different parts of the frame.  Whether shooting digital or fillm, ISO 100 will allow for longer exposures while controlling brightness and reducing grain; using a tripod will keep the focus steady.

If this sounds like fun and you're local to the DC Metro area, the DC Social Flickr group has planned a meetup at 6:30 p.m. at the Iwo Jima Memorial.  This is a great opportunity to meet other local photographers and expand or improve upon your photographic skills under these conditions.   



Here are a few tips to remember when photographing the moon:

* A tripod is a must.  A remote trigger will also limit camera-shake from your hands or mirror movement on long exposures.   

* Use manual focus

* Try bracketing your shots.  If the camera has an auto-bracketing feature, it will automatically adjust the exposure on both sides; this can be done manually, as well. 

* The longer the lens means the more detail of the moon's surface that can be captured.  An ideal set-up would be a telescope equipped with a camera mount, but who has that?   A 200mm lens or longer will do just fine.  Even if you don't have a long lens in your collection, practicing exposure with the gear you have will provide experience and help you understand how to improve in the future.  Teleconverters is one way to increase the focal length of a lens; for example, a 1.4x teleconverter will expand a 200mm lens by 40% to 280mm (but, it also decreases the maximum aperture). 

* Moon Illusion, which I can't possibly explain sufficiently, will cause our eyes to view the moon larger than it is and how it appears in a photograph.  Also, our eyes view with a perspective similar to a 50mm lens; wider-angle lenses may cause the moon to appear smaller in photographs. 

 

I hope these help! If you have your own tricks or suggestions you'd like to share, or even your own moon photos, please leave them in the comments. 

 

-Angela