This is my list of the reasons that everyone should try their hand at some kind of art, be it painting, sculpture, sewing, knitting, crocheting, writing, singing, dancing, or anything else.
10. IT'S FUN!
9. Things you make are inevitably much cuter than things a machine made.
8. It forces you to go outside your comfort zone. If you only make what you know how to make you're not going to grow.
7. Creativity is very important in many aspects of life. Creating art and other beautiful things is a great way to exercise your creative muscles.
6. It is WAY cheaper than buying expensive commercial items.
5. It's a great way to relax, de-stress, and take some you time. Art is calming and rejuvenating.
4. They make the BEST gifts! No commercially, mass produced item could ever say "I care" like something you've spent some time and creativity on.
3. What a great way to be green! Reuse, re-vision, and remake old and worn out things in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
2. It allows you to express your emotions. Feeling angry? Let it out in your work! Now you've really found a way to positively channel feelings both good and bad.
1. You may see beauty where no one else does. Show the world what is beautiful to you!
Peace.
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Get Excited and Make Things!
I have now returned from the wonders of Europe to the wonders of winter in Iowa. Therefore I must find ways to otherwise occupy myself. And therefore this is my new motto. Can't wait to share the results with you!
Peace.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
How to Be Miserable as An Artist
This is not mine, but I agree wholeheartedly with all of it, so I thought I would share.
Peace.
Peace.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Let Your Mind be Blown by Julian Beever
Sidewalk artist Julian Beever is one amazing man. He can do with sidewalk chalk what %99 of the population couldn't do with the best paints in the world. He needs no further introduction... except that yes, that is just a sidewalk. Check it out.
Peace.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
All Art Can Be—an evening with Dony Mac Manus
Dony Mac Manus is Irish, which means he had me at his accented hello. He is also a sculptor, and by the first time I saw one of his sculptures of St. Joseph I was hanging on his every word. He was invited here to Villa Morghen to speak to our study abroad group by our lovely program director, Jennifer, and I’m so glad he came. A charismatic and charming man, I loved listening to him share his ideas about art and theology, especially because they are ideas that are so deeply needed by my generation.
 |
| St. Joseph in Florida by Dony Mac Manus |
A celibate member of Opus Dei, he has devoted his life to the creation and celebration of sacred art. He is currently working on starting a school of sacred art here in Florence, which would be the first of its kind in the world. I say ‘first’ because I hope it becomes one of many.
One of my favorite things he said was that “The new evangelization needs a new art,” referring, of course, to the call of our dear Pope John Paul II. That was so encouraging for me to hear because as an artist and writer myself I often doubt that my work really does serve and purpose and have a place in the world. Every time needs its own art as it needs its own heroes, stories, and challenges. That can be hard to remember, but people like Dony Mac Manus make sure the world—and the students who are building it—don’t forget it.
And one of the things that he kept coming back to was the fact that there is hope. Goodness knows we don’t hear that enough. There is hope. God is still very much alive and at work in the world, regardless of what we think sometimes. Dony shared a story about a fellow sculptor who is only 25 who converted to Catholicism through his study of the body and art. That sculptor is also enormously talented and currently doing a full cathedral in the United States. When he joined the church he brought his wife, and, a year later, his daughter and father. This is the power of Christ, especially when he and his message is revealed through the beauty of art.
My favorite piece that he showed us was actually just an initial model for a piece he’d like to do someday based on Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Although words cannot do his design justice, it features a man and woman back to back on their knees with their arms spiraling together above their heads holding a child. In the finished sculpture he would like to have the child be a perfect and beautiful depiction of the human form that gradually decays down to the bottom of the statue, which is decaying flesh and bones. This image of decay is meant to show that the further away sexuality gets from it’s intended purpose, the more ugly and distorted it becomes. If you have some extra cash hanging around and would like to commission an AMAZING sculpture, please, do yourself a favor and get in touch with Dony here. The world needs this kind of art.
PLEASE check out his website to see more of his work. Also, if you are interested in either the art school or sacred art in general, get in touch with Dony here.
Peace.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Magic of Movement
As an extension of an earlier post (Art and the Pursuit of Nature) I wanted to talk about the sense of movement found in Italian art. Early paintings were 2-D, as in the rest of the world, but as the art moved towards more realistic body images and 3-D shapes it also worked to create a sense of movement.
Paintings were essentially the “movies” of the Renaissance period, as the strides in art were the technological advancements equivocal to today’s increasing prowess in special effects. Paintings were the most accurate means of capturing life as it was, and for the first time, artists were truly pursuing reality instead of some artistic ideal. As the painters improved their skill in the area of shadow and dimension, they also refined their ability to make the people look alive, capturing the musculature of their bodies and the expressions on their face, as well as the movement of their clothes and bodies. This was a new and exciting idea for this time, though it may seem mundane to us now.
Part of the reason that it is hard for many people today to appreciate art in the same way as medieval peoples is that we are used to watching things move, and therefore have a very short attention span. We look at a painting for a few seconds, ten at the most, and feel that we have taken what there is to take from it. But this was not the case in the past. Paintings were given much attention, as their vitality and movement was almost difficult for the mind to comprehend. So therefore, if we let ourselves slow down and fully experience a painting, however old, it may come to life and show us something we have not seen before.
Paintings were essentially the “movies” of the Renaissance period, as the strides in art were the technological advancements equivocal to today’s increasing prowess in special effects. Paintings were the most accurate means of capturing life as it was, and for the first time, artists were truly pursuing reality instead of some artistic ideal. As the painters improved their skill in the area of shadow and dimension, they also refined their ability to make the people look alive, capturing the musculature of their bodies and the expressions on their face, as well as the movement of their clothes and bodies. This was a new and exciting idea for this time, though it may seem mundane to us now.
Part of the reason that it is hard for many people today to appreciate art in the same way as medieval peoples is that we are used to watching things move, and therefore have a very short attention span. We look at a painting for a few seconds, ten at the most, and feel that we have taken what there is to take from it. But this was not the case in the past. Paintings were given much attention, as their vitality and movement was almost difficult for the mind to comprehend. So therefore, if we let ourselves slow down and fully experience a painting, however old, it may come to life and show us something we have not seen before.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Art and the Pursuit of Nature
My Art and Culture class has been moving through the history of Italian art for the last five weeks and looking at how it changed over time. Out of context one picture may look much like another, but on a spectrum the changes incurred throughout late Middle Ages and Renaissance in Italian art are amazing. Egyptian art remained exactly the same for about 3,000 years. Eastern art also remained the same for a very long time (the history buff in me wishes I could quote exactly how long—I’ll get back to you on that). But Italian art blossomed.
In about three centuries artists were able to go from entirely two-dimensional looking works of art to paintings that seemed completely 3-D. This evolution was most evident in the paintings we saw at the Galleria degli Uffizi Firenze (which I also wrote about yesterday).
We take art that seems three dimensional for granted now days. The creation of photography and film has allowed us to capture life as accurately as possible and it is no longer necessary to do so by hand through painting. But in the Middle Ages no such luxuries were available.
Medieval people were deeply religious, and it was this religious consciousness that helped them to grow as artists. They knew that God became Man in the form of Jesus Christ, thus elevating man and giving him new dignity, and it was this perfection that was achieved in Jesus Christ that they were attempting to grasp in their art. This is also what caused them to try are represent nature more and more accurately, hence the 3-D ideas that permeated early Renaissance art.
We take 3-D for granted because everything around us is 3-D. We often try to reverse this trend of replicating nature, especially in abstract and modern art. It was so humbling to think about the artists of the Renaissance, trying to capture things that had never been captured before. We saw one of the first paintings to ever have shadows. Wouldn’t that be so amazing to be the first person to think of painting something with a shadow? And isn’t that something we take for granted now? It is these historic and artistic details that make a semester like this—in Italy, studying art—so worthwhile, not only because it helps us to see what has led to the world that we live in, but also because it reminds us that there is more to life than meets the eye, and that every part of our lives is just the culmination of the lives of so many that came before us.
Peace.
In about three centuries artists were able to go from entirely two-dimensional looking works of art to paintings that seemed completely 3-D. This evolution was most evident in the paintings we saw at the Galleria degli Uffizi Firenze (which I also wrote about yesterday).
We take art that seems three dimensional for granted now days. The creation of photography and film has allowed us to capture life as accurately as possible and it is no longer necessary to do so by hand through painting. But in the Middle Ages no such luxuries were available.
Medieval people were deeply religious, and it was this religious consciousness that helped them to grow as artists. They knew that God became Man in the form of Jesus Christ, thus elevating man and giving him new dignity, and it was this perfection that was achieved in Jesus Christ that they were attempting to grasp in their art. This is also what caused them to try are represent nature more and more accurately, hence the 3-D ideas that permeated early Renaissance art.
We take 3-D for granted because everything around us is 3-D. We often try to reverse this trend of replicating nature, especially in abstract and modern art. It was so humbling to think about the artists of the Renaissance, trying to capture things that had never been captured before. We saw one of the first paintings to ever have shadows. Wouldn’t that be so amazing to be the first person to think of painting something with a shadow? And isn’t that something we take for granted now? It is these historic and artistic details that make a semester like this—in Italy, studying art—so worthwhile, not only because it helps us to see what has led to the world that we live in, but also because it reminds us that there is more to life than meets the eye, and that every part of our lives is just the culmination of the lives of so many that came before us.
Peace.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Michelangelo and Faith in Humanity
Today we went to the Accademia Gallery near San Marco Square in Florence to see Michelangelo’s original sculpture of David. He completed this sculpture from a single piece of marble when he was only 23 years old, forever changing the history of art. The statue was erected to signify Florence’s independence as a city-state in 1504, depicting a young, strong, man preparing to attack the giant Goliath. Its equal had never been seen and it was immediately heralded as one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance. When someone asked Michelangelo how he was able to complete such a masterpiece he said that the man was imprisoned in the stone and he merely took away the pieces of stone that did not belong to the man inside. This tells you something about the kind of artist he was.
The people of the Renaissance saw the body as the image of the soul, therefore a beautiful body spoke to the integrity of the soul as well. Knowing this makes the image of David even more beautiful. Michelangelo was able to sculpt this masterpiece because he believed in the dignity of the human person, a dignity that he captured through his beautiful artistic interpretation of a young man.
Let me tell you, it was breathtaking. The detail was mesmerizing and when you consider the fact that it was executed in stone it becomes even more amazing.
But I was also enamored by a series of seemingly unfinished sculptures Michelangelo was working on for the tomb of the Pope, who died sooner than expected, causing the new Pope to drop Michelangelo’s funding before he completed all the sculptures. There were several of these statues, and they are known as the “Slave” series because the men are still imprisoned in the stone. Although Michelangelo could have finished these statues and sold them for a lot of money, he never did. When asked why he said that he couldn’t finish them, not because he lacked the skill, but because he had lost his faith in human dignity. Quick history lesson: Between the time that Michelangelo was 23 and when he was about 45, the artists and leaders in the Renaissance saw themselves being close to gods. Then everything started to fall apart. Michelangelo was starting to lose faith in the intellectual empire that had overreached its bounds. He was no longer able to sculpt the god-like attributes of David because he no longer looked at people the same way.
I found this very interesting because it shows both what humans are capable of, and what they are not. There is a need to recognize our humanity and maintain a sense of God if we are to maintain our belief in dignity. Just something to think about.
Learn more about the unfinished sculptures here or more about David here.
Peace.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption=""David" by Michelangelo"]
[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="One of Michelangelo's "Slave" sculptures"]
[/caption]
The people of the Renaissance saw the body as the image of the soul, therefore a beautiful body spoke to the integrity of the soul as well. Knowing this makes the image of David even more beautiful. Michelangelo was able to sculpt this masterpiece because he believed in the dignity of the human person, a dignity that he captured through his beautiful artistic interpretation of a young man.
Let me tell you, it was breathtaking. The detail was mesmerizing and when you consider the fact that it was executed in stone it becomes even more amazing.
But I was also enamored by a series of seemingly unfinished sculptures Michelangelo was working on for the tomb of the Pope, who died sooner than expected, causing the new Pope to drop Michelangelo’s funding before he completed all the sculptures. There were several of these statues, and they are known as the “Slave” series because the men are still imprisoned in the stone. Although Michelangelo could have finished these statues and sold them for a lot of money, he never did. When asked why he said that he couldn’t finish them, not because he lacked the skill, but because he had lost his faith in human dignity. Quick history lesson: Between the time that Michelangelo was 23 and when he was about 45, the artists and leaders in the Renaissance saw themselves being close to gods. Then everything started to fall apart. Michelangelo was starting to lose faith in the intellectual empire that had overreached its bounds. He was no longer able to sculpt the god-like attributes of David because he no longer looked at people the same way.
I found this very interesting because it shows both what humans are capable of, and what they are not. There is a need to recognize our humanity and maintain a sense of God if we are to maintain our belief in dignity. Just something to think about.
Learn more about the unfinished sculptures here or more about David here.
Peace.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="478" caption=""David" by Michelangelo"]
[/caption][caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="One of Michelangelo's "Slave" sculptures"]
[/caption]
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Artist's Prayer
Perhaps I should have mentioned earlier that I am currently following a program called “The Artist’s Way” during my time here in Italy. For those of you that are unfamiliar with it, the Artist’s Way is a 12 week program to help “blocked creatives” (read: people who like colors and words better than numbers) to tap into their creative powers and fulfill their dreams of doing the creative work they’ve always wanted to. I am on Week 4 of this course currently and I am in love! It is not always fun, because it includes writing three longhand pages every morning, which necessitates waking up earlier than I absolutely HAVE to, which, in college, is never a preferable, but I can already see the growth in my artistic life that is coming from it.
Read more about The Artist’s Way here at their website. I highly recommend this program! Julia Cameron is truly a gifted teacher and an inspirational artist.
I tell you all this to get to a point: One of this week’s exercises is to write an Artist Prayer, which I would like to share with all of you. This is my Artist’s Prayer, and you are welcome to use mine or create your own. Even outside the context of The Artist’s Way, I think this is a worthwhile exercise.
Dear Lord,
Help me to use my creativity to glorify you.
Free me from the doubt and fear that keeps me locked inside my own limitations and perceptions. Lead me to my passions, my mediums and my stories. Help me to see the beauty of your work so that I may also bring beauty to others. Bless me with patience and perseverance in faith, art, and life. Let me be your hands, your eyes, and your mouth in the world. Fill my heart with your love and your peace, despite my perceived successes or failures. Hold my hand as I take my daily leap of faith.
Thy will be done.
Amen.
Peace.
Read more about The Artist’s Way here at their website. I highly recommend this program! Julia Cameron is truly a gifted teacher and an inspirational artist.
I tell you all this to get to a point: One of this week’s exercises is to write an Artist Prayer, which I would like to share with all of you. This is my Artist’s Prayer, and you are welcome to use mine or create your own. Even outside the context of The Artist’s Way, I think this is a worthwhile exercise.
Dear Lord,
Help me to use my creativity to glorify you.
Free me from the doubt and fear that keeps me locked inside my own limitations and perceptions. Lead me to my passions, my mediums and my stories. Help me to see the beauty of your work so that I may also bring beauty to others. Bless me with patience and perseverance in faith, art, and life. Let me be your hands, your eyes, and your mouth in the world. Fill my heart with your love and your peace, despite my perceived successes or failures. Hold my hand as I take my daily leap of faith.
Thy will be done.
Amen.
Peace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
