Robert The

Usually in these posts I look to artists who work with text in their work. I kept doing that but realized that I had used a lot of the artists already and wanted to see if there were any other artists that I could relate to that used other objects as the subject of their work. I went looking around and realized that there were probably some artists that used books in their work like I am currently doing. That is when I discovered Robert The.

Robert The is an artist who works with books. Often, his work is made out of old books. He uses old books that he finds and sometimes makes objects out of them. He either cuts objects out of the books or uses the rest of the book with the object cut out as the piece, if that makes any sense at all :)

I believe that this relates to me because of the book I am working with right now. This is inspiring because it reminded me that there are so many other things that I can be doing with my book. I realized that maybe I should be trying to get some tips from this artist's work and do some cutting or something. Maybe I can find some objects that relate to our friendship and cut it out of the book or something.

Books (many culled from dumpsters and thrift store bins) are lovingly vandalized back to life so they can assert themselves against the culture which turned them into debris." - Robert The 1995

I really liked this quote by Robert The regarding his work. It made me think about my book project in a way I had never thought of it before. i realized that even though it feels like I am ruining the book because I have had to tear some of the pages out and paint the pages over, I am also restoring it. It was a book that was going to be thrown away, but I have restored it into something beautiful because of what it represents.

Tying Everything Together

At the beginning of the year my statement for this blog said that I was centering my posts around my artwork and the main idea of my artwork, which is using text in my work in a variety of formats. I am still continuing this. Throughout the year, I have worked on several projects, all of which somehow had to do with text. I have explored different ways to form text on each project. I have painted words freehandedly, scratched words into plexiglass with a sharp object, used chalk, pastels, crayons, and graphite to write with, and also have burned words into one of my wood pieces with a wood burner. I have also surprised myself and have ended up working on several different "canvases" this year also. The craziest one was definitely a suitcase. I am currently using an old book as a canvas which has been an adventurous experience, because with that many pages there is so much opportunity! I have loved this project so far because I feel like I never run out of room to add things onto since there are so many pages. I am glad that I have stuck to my original focus point because I just love words and text, and it would be impossible for me to part with it.

All of the artists I have blogged about this year all have one thing in common, and it is that they too all work with text in the artwork. I have enjoyed learning about these artists and their work and seeing how they relate to my work as a whole, too. I have found that some of their ideas were also similar to mine in some of my pieces. My favorite thing about the artists that I have blogged about for inspiration is that a few of them put their inner thoughts into their art. They literally turn the small thoughts in their head into beautiful pieces. I have also done this in a few of my pieces, such as the flower and the two word walls. It is a nice way to free yourself of your jumbled inner thoughts but without having to fully reveal yourself. Although the artists and I have used different media in our pieces, (a lot of them used lights to project their pieces) I thought it was neat how well I could relate to them and to get ideas from them. 

Tyler Knott Gregson

Tyler Knott Gregson is a poet, photographer, and artist who resides in Montana. He mainly writes poetry. He has several poems that he has typed on a typewriter, supposedly without even thinking, just typing whatever comes to his mind. I really like this because I feel like I can relate to this also. The project that I am working on currently as a little bit of this in it. I am going to be writing some things in it that are just my thoughts about my friendship and am going to put those thoughts into letters to go into my book.

Also, some of his pieces are just what appear to be just notes that are simply jotted down. I really like this idea of a simple thought that comes to mind immediately going to paper right when thought of. I may try this in some of my pieces.

Book Continuation

I have been continuing to work on my book for Lindsey. I ended up painting the outside purple and the first part of the inside page yellow. I have decided to use bright colors for the majority of the book because this is a HAPPY project! I have officially decided to make each section of pages that I glue together different. I am probably going to have 8 or 9 sections of glued pages and will use a different technique to incorporate words into it in each section. So far, I am thinking about possibly burning some words into the pages, sewing (once I actually learn how), and painting of course. Also, I am probably not going to paint over every single page of words. I want to go through a few of the pages and maybe circle or highlight the words to make a message or something. I think it would be neat to be able to use some of the words in the book that were already provided to make it more creative. I think that I am also going to write a few small letters in the book for her. For example, like "when you are sad" or "when things don't go as planned" or something. I really want this to be something that she will enjoy and can take to college.

Book

I was trying to find an idea of what to do for my next project. I wrote down the top 5 things that were on my mind at the time, and I chose one to center my project around. I have decided to do my next project centered around Lindsey, my best friend. We are probably not going to be able to see each other as much next year because we probably are not going to be attending the same college. We have exchanged thousands if not millions of text messages over the year and we have had many great laughs and inside jokes. I wanted to continue with the personal theme and I wanted to use words, so I thought it might be a good idea to use an object that represented our friendship and interpret our texts and other things from our friendship on it somehow.

At first, I was going to use a binder from my first year of honor choir where we met to put the words on, but while a binder is semi-significant in this situation, it's just a binder. I wanted to do something more special, more personalized. So, I decided to make a book out of it. I think I am going to make the pages out of something. I really want to use paper, but have also thought about using a fabric of some sort. I really think that I also might want to put the text in there some other way other than just painting it or writing it. I am currently looking for ways to construct my own book.

Bob and Roberta Smith

Bob and Roberta Smith is actually just one man. He currently lives in London. Most of his artwork is in the form of painted signs, which I happen to be a fan of. He views signs as a way of expression. He turns art into political statements to get points across to people.

I discovered him by researching artists that make statements with the work by using text. Lately, I have been exploring with having my voice heard in my art. In some of my past projects, I have used the words in my head and my opinion and have put them on paper for everyone to see, even if I don't want everyone to know why I am saying what I am saying. I feel like he is a good example of this, because I feel like I can relate to some of his pieces without fully understanding why he did them. I feel like I am able to explain. My goal with my art is for people to be able to relate, but only to an extent.

The pictures of the pieces that I attached are some of his pieces that caught my eye. I LOVE bright colors(especially yellow and orange) and I think using bright colors is a good way to get people's attention. I think that the colors you choose to use in your art also affect the message in it. This is why in my art, I use the colors that relate best to the object I am painted on. I also choose colors based on the subject of my words.

I really like the bright colors and bold text in both of these pieces. The colors make each piece pop, but also confirm the mood of a powerful statement and an overall bold piece.

Kelly Mark

I have always loved neon lights. I love the boldness, the brightness, and the shine of them. I never viewed neon as artwork until I came across some artists that produce them and call it art. I was so happy to have stumbled upon Kelly Mark, who is an artist who uses neon lights. She often uses neon lights to construct thoughts and phrases. I really love the way she chooses to express her thoughts. She doesn't always use neon lights, but other materials.

I am happy to have come across her because I have been fascinated with words for a long time, but had never really realized how much I loved neon. I had always thought of neon lights as a way for restaurants to show that they were "open" or "closed", or for them to show what they are serving. But, when I saw the way Kelly Mark combined the thoughts in her head with neon lights, I loved it.

Another reason I got so excited when I discovered her was because I discovered some of her artwork on Pinterest and would often pin it to my art board, but I never knew who the artist was or if they could be discovered. I think this is inspiring because it would be neat if I could find a way to do one of these projects myself.

 This is my absolute FAVORITE piece of hers. I love this because this is something we can all relate to, the obsession with calling "shotgun" in middle school. Plus, its just a simple thought. I love that.

Not neon, but I love this one too. Just because it's her inner thoughts and show us a little about the artist as a person, but without revealing too much. 

Robert Montgomery

Robert Montgomery is an artist who deals with texts and personal beliefs. He lives in England, and his work is displayed in different places around the world. His work often expresses his personal philosophical beliefs and the display of it is often illegal(which is actually pretty fascinating to me).

I love not only that his work expresses his beliefs, but also that he displays it in popular places where other people can see it. His pieces are like signs, and signs are made to get peoples attention and convince them to either buy a product, use a service, or to get them to think. In this case, I believe that his work gets people to think. It gets them thinking about what they believe in relation to what he believes. Or, it may make them wonder. This is also one of my own goals in my artwork. I love doing things that make people wonder or question why I write what I do.

 I like the display of this one. It's mobile. Great idea, because a truck can be parked anywhere and can be moved if necessary. It gets the piece "out" more. Also, I love that it is just a simple thought.

 One of the pieces where Robert Montgomery expresses his views.

Really really like this one because I feel like I can really relate to it. Not so much to the words, but more to the display and the way the words are jumbled together. I have done some pieces in the past that remind me of this, like the flower.

Colors

I have officially started the second side of my flower. I have decided to use paint on one of the petals, but will finish that petal later. I thought I would move on to some of the petals that take less time to finish. I am currently coloring in a petal with crayons. The crayon does not look as well as I expected it to look, in fact I think it looks a crafty and unprofessional. I was a little upset at first but then realized that this was something that I could work with. I realized that this made it a little more humane. It makes it look more like myself. I think that coloring the petal with crayons makes it more personalized also.

Second Side

My second project for this semester is going to be the other side of the flower. I have the words already drawn on, but they are much smaller than the words on the first side. I have already begun to paint some of the phrases on this side, but I decided not to paint everything. I think that I am going to use other forms of media to complete this side. I may think about using colored pencil, crayon, pastels, and more paint. I decided that I wanted to do this because I believe that it will add another personal effect to the project as a whole. I think that the project will not look as repetitive if I use different media. I will update with pictures as I go along.

First Side

I finished the first side of the flower. This is considered the first project of the semester even though it is just a small part of a big project. I will be working on the flower for the rest of the semester since it is so big. On this side of the flower, I used acrylic paint to paint in the lettering. If you look at the petals, you will notice that the phrases are sometimes painted the same color. Phrases that are painted the same color are associated with each other. Each of these phrases have a special or personal meaning. In the center of the flower, I wrote a quote that I believe brings together the idea of the entire side of this flower. I have the quote "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." The things I have painted on this side of the flower really are things that only some of the closest people in my life know about and understand.

Flower Continuation

I am so happy to announce that I am going to be continuing to finish my flower from last year. This flower has been one of my most favorite projects because it is very personal and has a deep meaning. Just to remind everyone from last year, or for those who have not seen the flower yet, I am going to talk about the meaning and why this project is special to me.

When I was in middle school, I used to carry around one of those stereotypical Vera Bradley purses that every girl had to have. I remember that I used to try and doodle the flowers from my purse on random sheets of paper. One day last year while I was sitting in class, I realized that I wanted to start making art that was more personal. I realized that I could use one of the flowers that I used to doodle in the project. I constructed a HUGE flower out of paper and began to draw out letters on each side. The flower has two different sides and each side has its own meaning.

 On the side with the smaller letters, the petals are made up of fun and appealing little phrases that I collected over time on my Pinterest board or the camera roll on my phone. If you read it you will see that the phrases are completely random and some of them are a tad weird. But, that's why I love them! The middle of this side of the flower has the quote, "It's the little things", because I believe that these little phrases are what makes me, me. Some of them are just little random words that are nothing more than appealing to the mind. I'm a firm believer that the biggest feelings of joy can come from just the smallest things!

On the side with the larger letters, the petals are made up of my own words. At the time I first started this flower last year, there were a lot of different areas of my life where I was struggling. Some of the struggles have passed, and the others are still being fought. Then there are some other words on this side that are just good things that were happening in my life or situations that are special to me. This side is me speaking the words about how I feel without really revealing the situations I am speaking about. It's basically a feeling of relief. On the middle of this side is the quote, "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

This is by far my favorite project because it is a reflection of who I am. I feel like I fully put myself out there with this project and I feel good for doing it!

Jenny Holzer

The artist I am focusing on this week is Jenny Holzer. She resides in New York City. She displays many of her pieces in parks, on bridges, and on buildings around the world. She often portrays a message in all of her work to get the attention of the public. Her pieces are light displays and she works with text. I really like this because I feel like she relates to me. Her work has meaning and it displays a message for the general public. Everyone can relate. I like the fact that she displays her work in large, public places to where it really stands out. I have always loved the idea of sending a message to people through artwork. I also like the idea of using light or a projection to do this.

Art Show

This is my last post of the semester, but our ART SHOW is coming up and I am so very excited! I have three pieces that are going to be in the show: my suitcase, my wooden boards, and my plexiglass frame. They all focus on the same central idea: text. I finally named my pieces. The suitcase is named "Thoughts on Travel", the wooden boards are "Unforgettable" and the plexiglass frame is "Christmas Memories". I am really excited to see how the audience reacts to all of these because they are all so different, yet very much the same. They are all focusing on different memories and thoughts, but they are all a way for me to get my thoughts out of my head and to be able to share them with others.

That's A Wrap!

I am officially finished with my work for this semester and couldn't be happier. I have been focusing on the same central idea for a year now and that is working with text and using text to express myself in a bit of a discreet way. I enjoy making work that does not completely reveal everything about myself or my whole story. I love using text to express myself because I enjoy writing. It's fun to be able to write down everything I have always wanted to say but could never say out loud. It brings me a sense of relief and satisfaction. I enjoy documenting memories in my art work and sharing them with others.

Artist Watch

This week, I was researching for an artist to blog about that related to me and my work. I don't know if anyone has noticed, but I've never blogged about an artist before like I am supposed to be doing(whoops). But, it's mainly because I have never really been able to find one to relate to. Well, I am so happy to finally say that I found one when I came across Donna Rumble-Smith. I have found my woman, people! Woohoo!!! Okay, anyways. Donna Rumble-Smith is an artist who works with text. This text "makes up handwritten letters, poems, stories, and thoughts of the past, present, and future." Her work tends to "capture special moments and reflections of conversations which are personal and intimate." My favorite thing about her work is that her work is often inspired by ramblings of opinions and life's wonders and annoyances. This has all been used in my work and I believe that my work relates to this because I use text in my work, but I also like to use excerpts of my favorite memories and ramblings of my opinions about certain things in my life.

New Project

I am going to be starting a new project for next semester. I don't know if this new project will be done in time for the winter show, but I can try. I am not sure what I want to do yet. For my last project I used text to represent my memories. I absolutely love to tell others about myself in indirect ways. For example, in my last project I was able to show everyone one of my favorite parts of life, but I carved into plexiglass and made it kind of difficult to see. I liked this because it gives it a secretive vibe. I enjoy opening up to others about my life, but at other times not so much. I think that for this next project I may want to do the same type of thing, except focus on another memory besides Christmas. Maybe another holiday, or maybe just another family tradition. I am still trying to decide what memory I may focus on, but I will decide in time. I love producing work that is personal because I feel like I can get things out of my head, even if they are absolutely crazy. And, if they're crazy enough, I can just make it more discreet!

Complete

I'm very happy because I have finished my Christmas project! I finished painting the frame to go around my plexiglass. I painted it a dark red because I feel that a darker red is more Christmas-like. It gives it a warmer feeling, as do the memories, so it kind of all goes together. The words carved into the plexiglass were originally supposed to look nice and orderly(because yes, I am that type of person) but I found that the more I carved the more it went in a downward direction and started to slant a little. I was a little upset at first, but then I realized that it made it more personal and more humane, because it is just human nature for us to write in an un-orderly way. I also think that the words are supposed to look like someone wrote them and that is why I chose to write in cursive. I think that cursive handwriting portrays jumbled thoughts and memories more than if it were written in manuscript. I am most likely going to display this project on a white wall for the winter art show coming up in December. I want it to be visible, so I am going to have a string of colorful Christmas lights under or around the frame to give it more of a Christmasy feel and to make the words visible. I'm so happy about this project and am extremely satisfied, because I can't wait to share a huge part(and one of my very favorite parts) of my life with my friends and family.

Christmas Project

I have officially started working on my Christmas Memory project! I am starting to carve my memories into the plexiglass with a sharp object. I am continuing with the cursive handwriting because I believe that it makes it look more jumbled together like thoughts are supposed to be. I am also currently painting the frame that is going to go around it. I am painting it a dark red because it gives it a Christmasy feel. I am going to be adding soft coats of paint to it every day until it is finished. Here are some pictures of what I have done so far:

New Work, Same Idea

I have finished my suitcase piece and am very happy with the way it has turned out. Since I have finished the suitcase project I am now ready to move on to something else. I have decided the central idea for the next project and it is going to be something that I love very very much: CHRISTMAS! I have always had a passion for the Christmas season and am going to be interpreting that into my next project. One of my favorite Christmas memories is the special bond between my grandmother and I. We both enjoy decorating her house with all of her vintage decorations and love to bake and make hot chocolate during our breaks. Since I loved being able to express my feelings through text on my last project, I am going to be doing the same thing with this project except with feelings about favorite Christmas memories that I am passionate about. I have not yet decided what media I am going to be using but I will keep y'all updated as I figure that out!