Remembering When: December, 2013

Holiday Web Flyer: December, 2013

Nothing excites me more than getting a special request from the president of Northwest campus.  Well, in this case, excites comes with a little stress.  But it is one of those situations in which she has full confidence in me to produce something wonderful.  It’s good to have the president of your school in your corner.

If I remember correctly, the yellow/gold color for the flyer took me forever to nail down.  Incidentally, I wasn’t thinking yellow at all.  I don’t know what I was thinking.  I was trying every color using Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and didn’t like anything I was getting.  This final was by pure accident and the gold look came out because of the crumpled paper texture I was using…BONUS!  You know I can’t stay away from Blending Modes.

The white of dove and school silhouette, as well as the glowing golden rings have a subtle drop shadow that take on the look of cut paper.  Another happy solution.

The Holidays are upon us.  Always be thankful for who you have in your lives.  Love them and keep them close.

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Remembering When: October 2013

Jeff Forster Poster: October, 2013

If the work is interesting enough, it should make the poster.  I wanted to present the title as if it were projected onto the piece.  The slight distortion to the type is thanks to a displacement map.

I like adding quotes from the artist statement.  It adds a personal touch.  A hint to the viewer. A clue.  Something to say… “hey! You!  You may relate to this.  Come and see the rest of my work.”

I remember this show. The pieces were heavy.  Special custom mounts were made for the pieces to hang on the wall.  If they had fallen, the marble beneath would have felt it.

I have always been attached to atmospheric firing, but sadly as much as I want to build a soda/salt kiln in my backyard, the city of Fort Worth has codes.  I’ll have to purchase some land out in the country somewhere.  Wish. Wish.

Registration Poster Series, November 2015

Registration Poster Series, November 2015

Remember the background.  Don’t leave it alone.  Don’t leave it as an afterthought.  I was tasked with creating posters for spring registration.  I wanted to start with the background patterns.  Theme was based on arcs, circles and lines with rounded caps.  I do have my favorites color combinations, but I can’t help myself when it comes to adding texture in Photoshop.  I am a sucker for Blending Modes.  With a simple brown paper bag and a camera you can get some really interesting things.  Some of the posters glow and I love it.  If you haven’t played around with Blending Modes in Photoshop yet.  Do it!  You don’t know what you are missing.  It make the most flat work have depth and dynamism.

More importantly though is that they are working.  I teach 2 of the classes here and I have already recruited students for next semester.

Look how far I’ve come.  When I got to Tarrant County College in 2010, this was the poster I designed for registration.  I remember thinking that the artwork should play center stage and nothing should distract from it.  I was also new here, scared to take risks.  Scared to offend.  Even now I do still think some of that is still present, but I have to consider my audience.  Most want it legible and thats it.  Short and to the point.  And so, I went with white.  It seemed safe.  In hindsight, it seems sterile and clinical.  I can’t believe seeing these side by side.  What a leap!

Self portrait

Self Portrait, pencil

It wasn’t until grad school that a visiting artist let me in on a secret to my work.  He said, “the way you talk about your work, it’s as if you are this small”.  He points to a speck of clay next to a big pot that I had thrown days earlier.  “Your work is about scale. Things that are bigger than you.  Embrace this.”  Maybe this is why I am always looking up or looking down at things.  Taking note. Photographing and fascinated with what I find.

As with critiques even today, I relate everything to movies.  In this advice, I remembered the movie American Splendor.  Harvey’s co-worker and friend Toby reminds him, “Believe in something bigger than yourself.  It might cheer you up.”  No although I am not as grumpy as the main character, this thought definitely keeps me humble and smiling.

Remembering When, September 2010

144 Instagrams, September 2010, 30×30″, giclee’ print on enhanced matte paper

My wife and I joke that “if you didn’t Instagram it, It didn’t happen”.  This printed work catalogs about  a years worth of Instagrams.  Not everthing was used, but in this piece you can make out my love of type, movie screen captures, pottery, and common icons/architecture/fixtures that go unnoticed daily.  Instagram captures images in a square format.  I wonder why they decided that.  Maybe it is nod to the instamatic…the Polaroid.  Either way, its difficult to capture things visually within this format as we have become accustomed to a wider format and even wide-screen.  Squares remind me of grids and grids remind me of architecture.  My first introduction to drawing was in a Drafting class so many years ago in high school.  I still remember how I “got it”.  So much so that I won the award for that year.  It wouldn’t be until 10 years later that I would pursue an art education in college.  I get the square, but it’s tough to be square all the time.

Remembering When: November, 2013

Four Walls Poster: November 2013

Simple and to the point.  I could have skewed the type in program (either Illustrator or Photoshop), but the romantic notion of “hands-on” tempted my heart.  Four Walls is a concept for an exhibition whereby 4 student artists are chosen to create a work of art on one of our four gallery walls.  Lakeview gallery, Tarrant County College Northwest.

Though simple, this is probably the poster I am most proud of.  Yes, it is up there.  I think because it is an elegant solution to what could be a complex problem if you were to use software only.  As you can see, there were a number of configurations for the foam-core walls.  I chose to a configuration that honored the same placement in the gallery.  After importing the photo in computer, I had to sell the type as transparent.  So, the foam-core became like a maquette of sorts–guiding type I would create in program (Illustrator).

I was loads of fun to do and I am so pleased with the outcome.

Mandala Project: November 2015

Mandala Project: November 2015

I teach Art Appreciation from a studio perspective. I believe it makes what might be a boring class into a class that is exciting and interactive.  In this, we cover artists and materials artists use.  This is one of those projects that you have in your head, but haven’t road tested it in class.  The students are guinea pigs in essence.  I get excited in these situations and even more excited when the projects turn out better than expected.  Students handed in designs on folded paper (pic 1). Then I used Illustrator and Photoshop to help crop(pic 2) and clean up/finalize(pic3). As we also covered basic color theory in the same class, we will color the mandalas next time.  Looking forward to it.

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Here are some examples of student work: