Art Experience Assignment

So I decide to take a trip to the Medford Library since I was down for a visit not too long ago to see if there was some local art on display. Sure enough, I come across an exhibit featuring photographs of different types of flowers, some of them with just one picture, while other frames featured more sophisticated "3-up" layouts with pictures of the same flower at different angles. Being a photographer myself I felt really drawn to the pieces. The flowers were photographed at the peak of their beauty and the color and detail was absolutely superb. Colors ranged from plum purple to fiery orange. It was really quite beautiful :)

Doing some research on the person who made the pieces, she is Angela Berghart from Grants Pass, Oregon, a nearby city. It turns out, this person didn't really even consider herself an artist, she is a teacher of biology at Rogue Community College who enjoys taking pictures of beautiful flowers to spread the awareness of nature conservation. Heh, fancy that. From anenlightened point of view I'd have to say that her pictures were composed really well against a clean white background. I guess I should've noticed because it looks like the pictures were taken through a microscope. Overall I was really pleased with the quality of her pictures and would definitely consider her an artist amidst her doubts.

5 Keywords about being an artist

Spirituality

1. How do you define “spirituality”?

I think spirituality can hold a number of different meanings for different people. Spirituality to me means what you believe in, whether those beliefs are of a religious nature or not. People can have different values, and I believe the process they undertake when examining and reflecting upon those values can be considered being “spiritual.”

2. Does spirituality differ from religion?

Spirituality does differ from religion, but not as much as some people make it out to be. Like I said before, spirituality is exercised through the examination of values. If religion can be considered as one such value, then I would state that religion is indeed be a spiritual experience. On the other hand, I’m not convinced that every spiritual experience has to be a religious one.

3. How do you define creativity?

My definition of creativity is pretty simple. Creativity is the ability to attribute new meaning to an object through the application of an additional process or object. This doesn’t apply to only objects though; new ideas can be envisioned and old problems can be solved through non-traditional synthesis of things that by themselves are worth less than the end result. The value-adding process can be described as a creative one.

4. What is the source of creativity?

I believe the source of creativity is necessity. If one needs to attach two pieces of paper together, but has no staples, tape or glue handy, then the solution must be met with creativity: fold the corner of the papers and tear it. Pretty much everyone has to think of a creative way to accomplish at least one task in a day, it’s impossible not to!

Personal Adornment

My parents always always told me to dress nice. You never know when you’re going to meet your next boss or when you’ll need to make an impression. I think that core belief helped me establish my values on how I dress and adorn myself. I’m a humble person, so I wear simple clothes. Polo shirts, khaki pants or jeans are about as wild as I get. Earrings or piercings? Nah… My parents hate them on guys. I personally don’t mind them; I think a lot of guys can pull off the look these days because it says a lot about their character. For myself, on the other hand though, I’ll pass. I have a very utilitarian personality, so if the article of clothing or jewelry does not serve a purpose I’m not inclined to wear it. Don’t get me wrong, I feel I am just as unique as the next guy, but I express it other ways than jewelry or clothing.

I didn’t always dress nice though, I went from Lacoste shirts as a youngster to wearing baggy shorts and big t-shirts as an early teenager. I’m pretty sure my values changed during that time period, as I was more concerned with what people thought of me and how well they would accept me if I mirrored the image they made themselves. I think it was a bad thing because my values became so clouded I had no idea who I was. Of course, as I made my way through high school and witnessed the divergence of lifestyles once again I started to find my own beliefs and values.

I come from a very conservative family and I believe that is where I feel my values began to emerge. My dad wears a suit and tie to work every day, reflecting his values of image and professionalism. It definitely has made an impression on me.

Food as Art

Gentille, Michelle. “Food for Art’s Sake. New York Times 5 Nov. 2006: 6T

The article “Food for Art’s Sake” highlights the unique styles of three different artists throughout North America. The art they create focuses on views of food most people would never notice. The first artist, Jason Walker, paints still-life portraits of different types of donuts, while Jeff Vespa spends time photographing hamburgers around Los Angeles. Another artist, Liz Hickok, found a new artistic application of Jell-O, forming replicas of architecture around San Francisco.

The food items used by these three artists are--by themselves--rather lame and mundane, but that is only because we fail to see the beauty in everyday objects. This is why this interpretation of these foods is so important. There is a visual aesthetic experience associated with something like a hamburger, but since the experience of a hamburger is focused mainly on taste. From the writings of Elizabeth Telfer, she states, “A second reason for refusing to count food as a work of art in the evaluative sense relates to the physicality of the way we appreciate food. Whereas we can see and hear at a distance, we taste something only if it actually touches the relevant parts of the body.”

Tanguy, Sarah. “Edible Jewelry.” Metalsmith Spring 2005 25.2 (2005): 14-15

The scope of this article is the fusion of food and jewelry into a brand new style of fashion. Highlighting the early history of the food ingredients used to create thiese designs, the article shows how food that was once seen as exclusive and rare hundreds of years ago are displayed in adornments from necklaces to cufflinks, and even rings.

The concept of food as art in this article brought up some interesting issues. People have always loved the look of jewelry and have always loved the taste of food, so the combination of these two would naturally create a synergistic effect. “Jewelry is wornand creates an intimate experience for both wearer and beholder…In this way, a wearable edible suggests a doubling of pleasure, the pleasure of wearing and the pleasure of consuming and a commingling of desire and desirablility.” Another issue that arises is that the ingredients of the food used in the creation of the jewelry help extend personal identity of the wearer. “In the delicate seaweed and radish composition, the frayed and shriveled materials poignantly echo a woman’s changing bodily characteristics.”

Only 3 days left!

So my application for a media license got accepted for the upcoming Oregon Trail Rally this weekend! Thursday is the big start of the event with a press-only stage where I'll get to ride along on stage 2 with one of the drivers, and Friday through Sunday is the rally itself... I'm super excited!

Life Values Assessment

So it's a mere six days late, but I thought I'd post it for good measure...

My Life Values:
Loyalty
Family
Friendship
Integrity
Power
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Creativity
Security
Enjoyment
Leadership
Wisdom
Health
Independence
Community
Personal Development
Expertness
Service
Personal Accomplishment
Prestige
Wealth
Location

The other day I spent a majority of my productive hours at work... I sell video games, nothing fancy... I felt that while at work only three of my top-five values were coming in handy. I don't really know any of my customers personally, so friendship and family were out (although I'm friends with my coworkers and I called my mom during my break lol) What I mostly call upon while at work would definitely be expertness, service, and leadership. With these three you gain power and you gain respect. I don't think I could ever work somewhere I wasn't respected, nor somewhere where I wasn't given the ability to express some authority and discretion.

From my family, I inherited the belief of being courteous and humble in everything I do, and be well mannered too, but there's nothing that suggests to me that they're any less important now than the 20 years or so ago when my folks first taught them to me. They're timeless values that will always be critical wherever life takes me.