martin klimas

What does music look like?

This: http://artistaday.com/?p=15263

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Martin Klimas is amazing.

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SMSlingshot

SMSlingshot (2009)

Christian Zöllner, Patrick Tobias Fischer, Thilo Hoffmann, and Sebastian Piatza of VR/Urban (Germany, est. 2008)

High frequency radio, Arduino board, laser, batteries, plywood, and ash wood

14 3/16 x 8 5/16 x 1 5/8″ (36 x 21 x 4 cm)

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Ever since I posted about Mark Jenkins, I’ve really been digging street art / public art / interactive type pieces. At the same time, after shipping out two of my pieces from last semester to the LAL Scripts and Systems show, I’ve been revisiting some of the ideas surrounding the digitization of art and the incorporation of modern technology.

The project SMSlingshot incorporates all of these things and creates a sort of digital graffiti by creating a virtual splatter paint slingshot. The device takes the form of a traditional wooden slingshot (albeit beefed up in size) and hybridizes it with an embedded faux cell phone device. The user can type in text messages and then shoot them onto large surfaces (such as the walls of buildings), where the text shows up in a splash of color. The text is also tweeted at the same time.

As stated on moma.org, “The SMSlingshot marries the traditional weapon with digital technology, splattering information onto facades and other surfaces that then serve as public screens… The device fuses a prehistoric tool, vibrant urban art, and innovative technology into a product that encourages interaction, information, and empowerment in the city.”

Though the digital splatter paint is not fully realistic and definitely still pixelated – I’m not sure if this is on purpose or not – the concept of this project is a unique fusion of several other arenas of art, while simultaneously incorporating the technology most of us already use everyday (texting, Twitter). This perfectly fits the inherent casual nature of a slingshot, but is updated to fit the norms of 2012. Kids are not slinging rocks anymore (or not as often at least) but rather texting on their cell phones from the age of 10, and this project fully adapts to that fact. This project is also perhaps not considered as “high art” and is more temporary with an uncharacteristic type of media, just like graffiti, but it’s fun and original and that is good enough for me.

I’m hoping SMSlingshot circulates around the world and eventually makes it’s way to Rochester, NY.

chris crites

Chris Crites is a bag painter, which is basically what it sounds like (he paints on paper bags), only much more interesting. In a longstanding series, he paints mugshots of criminals from the 1890s to 1950s on brown paper bags with brightly colored acrylics. His paintings resemble screen prints with their blocked colors and clean lines. The titles of most paintings indicate the crime the person committed, which adds just enough information to suck you in but not enough information to give it all away.

As Crites explains in his artist statement: “Each one of these images has a story. Often times I have no idea what the real story is, but it’s hard not to make one up. One of the reasons I paint them is to bring out another possible story, for people to look at and think about.” These bag paintings are immediately striking in their modern graphic aesthetic, while the content piques even more interest in the viewer after the initial visual appeal.

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Source for all images: http://www.bagpainter.com.

Polygamy. 2008. 5″x7″.

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Selling Obscene Material to Minors. 2007. 9″x11″.

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Beat Husband. Threw Body in River. 2004. 9″x11.75′.

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Theft from Coin Operated Device. 2006. 5″x7″.

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Rape. 2010. 9″x12″.

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Murder – Hammer. 2005. 8″x11″.

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“You got the wrong guy.” 2011. 13″x15″.

“You got the wrong guy.” 2011. Detail shot.

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As straightforward as the titles of these pieces are, they are totally appropriate to the work and provide just enough information to give the viewer an in to the piece, while simultaneously retain just enough ambiguity to generate continued interest. Just as Crites states in his artist statement, you can’t help but come up with possible scenarios about the crime and personally, my imagination and curiosity were sparked once I knew just one fact about the person in the mugshot. There are generalizations about the type of people that commit each type of crime and Crites takes advantage of this by using just a face and a crime as the two main elements of his paintings.

The fact that the paintings are based on actual crimes and mugshots also makes them that much more interesting. There is a contrast between subject matter and media: while these were real people’s mugshots, the method of painting is modern and very poster-esque – done in a style that even President Obama was depicted through in his 2008 election posters. The posterized look retains the signature portrait style of a mugshot, but re-represents it through a new perspective. Adding on the brown paper bag substrate prevents the screenprint aesthetic from becoming wholly clean and precise, and hints at the history of the likely forgotten mugshots. The paper bag, with its wrinkles and innate discarded nature, helps forge a link between the content and media.

In some of his recent works, such as “You got the wrong guy” above, Crites switches up his painting a bit. The titles become quotes rather than crimes, and the detail and shading of the person are created through written text rather than blocks of color. This adds another layer of complexity to the paintings, as it gives the viewer a slightly more intense look into the person’s story, yet maintains a certain distance that still leaves you wondering what happened.

This new style of combining painting and writing additionally adds in the element of secrecy, an inherent part of crime and punishment. Upon first glance, the writing may just look like normal shading but a closer look reveals the words hidden among the face, just as a true criminal’s story and methods are often slowly unveiled as a case is inspected over time. Even up close, many words are still illegible and will remain forever unknown to the viewer, just as there are elements of criminals’ stories that are never made public. The truth doesn’t always come out in crime, and Crites incorporates this idea in his more recent mugshot paintings.

Overall, I believe that the simplicity and seriality of Chris Crites’s mugshot works are two of their greatest qualities. No one painting is too overdone or overworked, and the volume of paintings Crites has created over several years mirrors the police system of archiving and documentation over time. Crites utilizes a similar style for several other works, but his mugshots series is still my favorite.

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All images copyright Chris Crites, 2000 – 2012.

Artist’s website: http://www.bagpainter.com

amberlee rosolowich

Amberlee Rosolowich‘s recent paintings from fall 2011 are whimsical, lyrical, and quite appropriate for this recent sunny spring weather that I’m hoping is here to stay. *fingers crossed*

Her style is loose and very fun, which contrasts with my tightly-controlled drawing and dissection of every little detail, and is something I can only hope to achieve. I feel like with enough practice I’d be able to be painterly and free, but that kind of defeats the whole purpose and contradicts the style itself. Anyway, Rosolowich’s pieces are playful in their own calm, not over-the-top way, which is unique and definitely difficult to achieve.

Safe Brains, 2011, oil on canvas, 34″x44″

inside and out, 2010, oil on canvas, 33″x48″

back in the day, 2010, oil on canvas, 48″x36″

fox fun, 2011, oil on canvas, 36″x18″

Training Wheels, 2011, oil on canvas, 30″x34″

here, 2011, oil on canvas with gold dust, 36″x24″

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Though color is present in these pieces, from the delicate peacock feathers to specks in the zebra’s stripes and sharks, it’s muted yet still has a whimsical feel about it. Though dulling things usually makes them feel sad or old, the opposite is true in these pieces. Rosolowich’s judicious use of color gives the pieces a quiet whimsy – one that lets the dynamic and silly interactions between the animals and children speak for themselves, rather than relying on neon pinks or flashy backgrounds.

Rosolowich’s sense of composition is also spot on. While I certainly learned several rules about composition in my high school art classes (rule of thirds, golden mean, horizon line placement, avoiding centering, etc.), these lessons are most effective when seen in practice. Rosolowich’s blank off-white backgrounds and ample negative space highlight the imaginary nature of these scenes, as fun but not-quite-real situations that don’t need every vivid detail illustrated to make their point.

Finally, the most impressive thing about these pieces is that I get a sense of personality from them. Though I’ve never met the artist, I feel like her paintings give a sense of the type of person she is – someone who is a little quirky and knows that not everything needs to be lofty or serious to make a strong impact. This makes her art that much more interesting on top of the aesthetic merits, and is something I’m aiming for as I generate my own “signature” style for my senior show.

Simply put, these paintings make me smile. They’re gorgeous in their subtle humor and stylistic simplicity. I’m not a painter, though I aspire(d) to be one (maybe someday), and while I’ll stick to mechanical pencil for now, Rosolowich’s style and creativity are definitely things I admire.

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Source: http://quietlion.org/section/146364_recent_works_Fall_2011.html

All images copyright and property of Amberlee Rosolowich.

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