Two recent painting pieces

David asked me to post pics of my paintings. These two are from my painting class this semester. I've done several pieces in class but I've struggled overall this semester. But for it's worth... These are oil on paper. I think the smaller one is 22x30.

I like these because I kept more of my own style in them. The red one is a comment on homogenized housing developments and the pink (the instructor's required color) is related to a friend's grief at the death of her son.

I had a hard time with the face in this second one. I was working from several photos of different skinned people. So, I can't say I'm satisfied there.

David, your Lovecraft comment on the nude in the case made me laugh. You should have seen the cardboard, day-glo duct tape set the instructor had for the poor models to sit/stand/recline in! Lovecraft is a perfect description. I'll try to take some pics from my pieces in Drawing as Printmaking class which has been a terrific experience. I highly recommend it, especially with Brad Shanks if you can get one of his classes. I think they are doing lithography next semester and Painterly Printmaking is screenprinting.

Color Takes Form...The Final Piece

Color Takes Form

by

David Gabbard, Sebastian Gabbard and Sarah Guiffrida

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The concept of the piece is to place color that is desperately needed to the sterile space with an approach of using exaggerated forms of artist supplies. The objects exhibit the importance of color, shape, textures and forms with the use of the space and environment. The focus is to bring awareness to the importance of the Fine Arts Department and the role the Arts play in all aspects of our society. The objects create a lively feeling with the childlike implications, but display the significance of the grand scale that Art conveys to our world. The final result is to create a space that is inviting, comforting and symbolic.

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"As artists...we all want to believe our brushes are bigger than ourselves"

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Paris, baby!

Its happening: I'm going to Paris!

I got accepted into the Paris Study Abroad program for summer 2009! I'm applying for scholarships, learning French, finding blogs belonging to people who live in Paris...I'm going to get my adventure! Words cannot describe how excited I am to study art, what I love most, in a place where art is part of the culture!

Spring semester is coming up, too, and I am excited for that as well! 3 studio classes....I can hardly contain myself! I want my days to be packed with art-making. I've been bored and unmotivated for too long! Elisabeth, I will be in your Intermediate Painting class! I am so excited to have you for painting again! You really got me excited about paint over the summer (and I still am excited about it, but haven't had the means to express that), so lets see what you can get me to do over an entire semester! I'll fight you as usual, but it will be fun, yes? And we both know I'll come out appreciating paint even more. I'm thinking about changing my major from photography to painting, but we'll see.

And just wait for these studio classes in the Spring...I'll be posting photos of my work like crazy, and you'll probably all get tired of me.

Color Takes Form

What a crazy semester!!! I have been so occupied with reading and writing that I have not had the time to do any art work...I know there is no excuse...but I have managed to take all of my creative energies and channel them into a huge 10 ft sculpture that will be installed in the Fine Arts courtyard!!! Sebastian, Sara G (my art school sidekick) and I have put a ton of hours sanding and sculpting...chances are you have heard us the past two weeks??? The finished piece will be up and installed on Nov 24th...Stop by and see our piece and everyone elses work in Concepts II. Hope everyone is doing well!!! Three more weeks and we all get a nice break!!! Then back on the grind again...the good thing is that I have two studio classes that will be keeping me up and at them at the studio!!! There is no love like the love of working in the studio with your friends or by yourself and making art...I love being an artist!!!

Close up of the tip of the brush

The piece in the courtyard: Color Take Form
My art school sidekick...Sara G.
Sebastian has had enough of the sanding..."Do I have to Dad?"
Rocking the Darth Vader Mask...

Sebastian sanding away...on a paint drop!!!

Recent Insane project that leaves no time for living.

Neil Bender gave us 5 very large (44" x something) sheets of watercolor paper and basicly told us to go to town on them for our final. He had us collage first and told us to create a universe.

I've chopped these papers up into 90 smaller pages and have been obsessively illustrating a wordless narrative. I'm on page 48 of 90. They are inked up to that point but some arent shaded yet because I plan on sitting down with a brush and doing several at the same time for that part.

How is everyone? I hear from people sporadically but I really am curious. I know I'm not one of the ones who grew close to everyone since I wasn't in the painting room when you all were at night and my bitching and moaning over oil paint made most of you want to smack me upside the head, but I hope you didn't write me off...

Anywhoo. I'm trying to tear through this so I can get my Real world journal done because I haven't paid enough attention to that, and then I decided to create a 15 foot scroll documenting my vizual thoughts for Julie Weitz's class thats going to require as many if not more time than Benders project so I basicly need to stop doing anything else in life. I'm not whining, i'm almost bragging. I fucking love making shit complicated.

Anywhoo, here are pictures. It's not everything and the cell takes bad quality pics but it's a hazy idea of the current work and classes.

<:3 Peace out peoples...~