Welcome

Welcome to the Springfield Township High School Art Blog. The purpose of this forum is to inspire discourse surrounding your artistic experiences while building writing skills, exercising your art vocabulary, and refining descriptive language relating to art. In your writing, you may choose to discuss museum and gallery exhibitions, publications, articles, professional works, student works, or responses to each other’s ideas and investigations. Additionally, participants may want to pose questions or react to artistic predicaments, sharing the trials, frustrations, solutions, or the general excitement we feel when we make or look at art.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Will You Won't You Go to Art School

Art World's article by Ben Davis researches the relationship between 500 successful* fine artist's and their art education.  (click here, because I'm the link)

*Success - You may or may not agree with the author's criteria.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Remembering the Future

Some 25-plus years ago, Frau Hoess (former German language teacher) and I took students on a field trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  We saw a show featuring Anselm Kiefer's work.  Kiefer was then 43, a young budding artist (by standards of landing a major museum show), but his moving post-WW II Germany and holocaust inspired images warranted such promotion.  His multi-media works including paintings and sculptures with ashes, broken glass, straw, and plant material were the beginning of a lifetime of experimental  development.  By my own standards, his work places him among the best artists, exceeding all bestness, where artistic bigness and bestness live ... right up there with Sigmar Polke, Jasper Johns, and Gerhard Richter.  Although he is not as ground breaking an artist as Cezanne, Picasso, or Warhol during their generation , Kiefer will be one of the artists who mark a generation.  How fortunate we were to see that show early in Kiefer's career.  For more on Kiefer see the 5 part youtube series entitled: Remembering the Future, online.  (click me. I'm the link)

Monday, March 21, 2016

Fiber Connections

                               Maggie Carlson, Self Portrait, Watercolor, 22x30"

I recently recieved a note from a sophomore at Savannah College of Art and Design, who entered as a fashion major, but switched to fibers.  She sent some photos and a short note which follows:
 


"I am in a dye class that is very exciting my favorite class so far. We learned recipes and techniques for dying. I am also in a structure and materials course where I have been working with felting, spinning my own yarn, and crocheting."

It is clear she's excited about the experimentation and discovery stages of her work.  Finding a connection to a medium and a work process is a very motivational phenomenon.  Many Springfield students left high school as 2-D artists, yet they found interests elsewhere in 3-d mediums including glass, wood/furniture, costumes, puppets, and industrial design to name a few.  It is a wonderful thing.  I always say, "if you're not having fun [making art], you're not doing it right.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Jerry Saltz Lecture


                                    Kerra Westray, 2013, Graphite Drawing, 18x24" 

Jerry Saltz is the Senior Art Critic for The New Yorker magazine.  Before that he was art critic for the Village Voice.  In 2014 he was invited to be a guest lecturer for the Clarice Smith Distinguished Lecture Series at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  If you have an hour and 10 minutes to watch the lecture on Youtube you will be treated to his humorous pontifications regarding how one looks at and thinks about art. [Follow me, I'm the Link]   ...If you've only got a minute or two, follow the next link for Saltz's brief street crit on Banksy. [Banksy Link]  The quality and humor of the short isn't nearly as good. In fact, it makes him look like a rogue art guide for NYC department of tourism.  Have fun.