dirrhope

i am very happy you are joining me on this artmaking journey!
until next week, happy artmaking! 🥰

next week we will cover the power of the SIGN! (an introduction to SEMIOTICS and how to use it in art)

[EXERCISE] MAKE OBSERVATIONS Materials needed (choose at least one): a box, a sketchbook, a notebook, a computer folder Continue collecting images/objects/texts in your box Continue compiling ideas in your notebook Choose 3-5 images and record your observations in your notebook/text file. Be as thorough as possible. Notice and note everything that is in the image

don't worry if you still don't understand what the art means, that will come with time

choose 3-5 items from your ongoing collection and practice making observations. slow down and spend time to notice everything you can, and begin to ask questions about the work's context

a digitally altered vintage photograph of a scientific control station with tv and computer screens, dials, wires and switches. a headshot of galen weston jr is on the central screen superimposed over the lower third of the image is the text: "who is that man behind the curtain?"

images have creators. they are not naturally occuring objects. they have an origin. there is intent behind an images and collections of images. why does this image exist? who created it? for what purpose?

people who want to manipulate you use images and media to do so. we call this advertising and propaganda. it is effective because of this layering of ideas to create messaging where something is explicitly stated, but something else is explicitly not stated (subliminal).

text: UNDERSTATEMENT. statement (what is spoken) / under (what is not spoken). both are STATED, but one is SPOKEN image: a digitally altered vintage advertisement closely cropped to show a man in glasses pointing a finger into the face of a woman

a limitation of communication is that we cannot say everything all at once. we have to choose words or images or music to convey an idea. we can even combine words and images and music to layer ideas.

what is important is realizing that the artist made choices. what is there is not an accident, and what is not there is also not there for a reason!

header: [ART TIP] Notice What is Not There image: a hubble space photograph of some beautiful spiral galaxy

as you gain practice noticing what is there, you will begin to notice what is not there. noticing what is not there is both trivial and difficult.

what is not in an image? Why, up to an including everything else in the universe!

header text: [ART TIP] Notice What is There caption: El Lisitskiy, Klinom krasnym bei belykh, 1920, Poster, colour lithograph, 51 x 62 cm image: a red triangle intersects a white circle. the composition is divided in half by a diagonal and the right side is black and the left is white. the white circle intersects with the black. the words 'klinom krasnym bei belykh' are written in russian and appear in the composition. there are various other shapes, smaller red triangles, small red rectangles, small white dots and small white rectangles

I Notice that the large red triangle points into the large white circle

I Notice small clusters of smaller shapes...

i have deliberately left much left to be Noticed. what else can you notice in this poster that i have not? there is a lot!

I Notice that one of the white circles is much larger than the other and a small part of it intersects with the black side and the white side

I Notice that around the opening of the white circle there are two smaller white rectangles filled with black dots

I Notice the red triangles are isosceles triangles

I Notice that one of the red triangles is much larger than the rest. its equal sides are long and the point is crosses the black/white dividing line

header text: [ART TIP] Notice What is There caption: El Lisitskiy, Klinom krasnym bei belykh, 1920, Poster, colour lithograph, 51 x 62 cm image: a red triangle intersects a white circle. the composition is divided in half by a diagonal and the right side is black and the left is white. the white circle intersects with the black. the words 'klinom krasnym bei belykh' are written in russian and appear in the composition. there are various other shapes, smaller red triangles, small red rectangles, small white dots and small white rectangles

I Notice red, black, and white

I Notice there are triangles and circles and rectangles placed about the composition

I Notice 4 red triangles, 8 red rectangles, 2 white circles, 10 white rectangles and 2 white rectangles with black outlines filled with small black dots

header text: [ART TIP] Notice What is There caption: El Lisitskiy, Klinom krasnym bei belykh, 1920, Poster, colour lithograph, 51 x 62 cm image: a red triangle intersects a white circle. the composition is divided in half by a diagonal and the right side is black and the left is white. the white circle intersects with the black. the words 'klinom krasnym bei belykh' are written in russian and appear in the composition. there are various other shapes, smaller red triangles, small red rectangles, small white dots and small white rectangles

I Notice that the composition is horizontal and rectangular

I Notice that it is half black and half white, and is divided by a diagonal from bottom to top. the dividing line starts 1/3 from the left at bottom and ends 1/3 from the top at right

i'll demonstrate what i mean with one of my favourite artworks of all time

(don't worry if you don't understand russian, the meaning of the work can be still be read and understood!)

start by saying "I notice" and list what you see. start with the big stuff then the details

header text: [ART TIP] Notice What is There caption: El Lisitskiy, Klinom krasnym bei belykh, 1920, Poster, colour lithograph, 51 x 62 cm image: a red triangle intersects a white circle. the composition is divided in half by a diagonal and the right side is black and the left is white. the white circle intersects with the black. the words 'klinom krasnym bei belykh' are written in russian and appear in the composition. there are various other shapes, smaller red triangles, small red rectangles, small white dots and small white rectangles

we figure out what is going on by noticing what is there. In a song, in a movie, in an article, in a book, in a play, in a painting, notice everything that is there.

what can you see?

what do you hear?

what is written?

instead of consuming images or media, examine them.
analyze them.

take it apart into smaller and smaller pieces until you are confident that you have noticed everything that is present in the work.

the saturation of the environment with images is new. mass media and social media flood us with images in a way that magazines and tv could never do alone. and the images DO, in fact, mean something. there is a reason we are flooded with images, and we can figure it out.

two vintage photographs are combined. a motor freeway is cluttered with car traffic and roadside signs and motel advertisements, superimposed over the skyline is a mushroom cloud taken from a pacific island. "what is happeneing, how do i know?" is written at the top over the mushroom cloud

have you noticed how you are surrounded by images and yet nothing has any meaning? advertisements, television, movies, video games, social media.

images are everywhere but who cares? it’s just a movie! it’s just an ad! It’s just instagram! It doesn’t mean anything, right?

if you're like me and you've ever visited an art museum or an art gallery and found yourself stood there, totally confused, looking at something and you have no clue what is going on, whether it's good or bad, then this lesson will help you too!

text: How to be an Artist lesson 2: What the Fuck is Even Going on Here. image: a digitally altered vintage photograph of two men working in a government science lab. one is pointing a camera on a tripod through a circular window at another who is touching some kind of machine or apparatus

last week we began by noticing what we like

figuring out What the Fuck is Even Going On Here is the next step on the path toward defining the conceptual framework of your art

the goal of this lesson is to learn how to analyze (read) an image

so there we have it

our first lesson in making art is about getting in touch with what we like

notice what attracts you, and collect it

and we can go on from there 🥰

happy artmaking!

this course is medium neutral and can be applied to any form of art.

sure, drawing and painting and sculpture are artistic media and there is nothing wrong with using them, but do not limit yourself to one answer, or to the most obvious answer. try something new!

text: [ART TIP] ART can be ANYTHING! (What can you do?) image: a white urinal sits on a plinth, signed in black paint, R. Mutt 1917. caption: Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917 (5th version 1964), glazed ceramic white ware with black oil paint, 36 x 48 x 61 cm, National Gallery of Canada. photo credit: stephanie powers

spells that influence the emotions and actions of another can be made in any form so ask yourself:

what do you like to do?

what do you do well?

can you remember a time when you made something and it made someone else laugh? or cry? or get very angry?

contrary to popular belief, art is a skill that you can learn. creativity is a skill that you can learn. art is magic, but artmaking is mundane, no matter how magical the technical talent of an artist may seem

this painting, Voice of Fire, is enormous. and when you stand before it, the orange column breathes fire
invisibly, the artist can cast a spell that will compel another’s emotions. this spell continues to be effective long after the caster’s death. this is the power of art.

text: [ART TIP] ART is MAGIC. image: a photograph inside an art museum. two people stand in front of a massive painting. the painting is very tall and consists of three vertical stripes of equal width, alternating dark blue, orange, and dark blue. caption: Barnett Newman, Voice of Fire, 1967, acrylic on canvas, 543.6 x 243.8 m, National Gallery of Canada. photo credit: stephanie powers

oh and speaking of spells... have i mentioned yet that ART is MAGIC??

...because it really is. the closest thing to magic that exists

if something is worth doing, it is worth doing. who cares if you can do it to some arbitrary standard? what matters is that you do it! a crude spell cast with intent is often more effective than something ‘aesthetic’.

the point of this exercise and this course is to awaken you to your own creativity, and to get you listening to and trusting your own instincts

no need to worry about what you can or cannot do
the power of an artist lies not in technical talents, but the level of authenticity in your own process

text: [ART TIP] If something is worth doing, it is worth doing. image: a digitally altered vintage photograph of a man at a typewriter. caption: Stephanie Powers, man typing, 2023, digital photo composite

lots of people feel self-conscious about making art, because what if it sucks? what if nobody likes it? what if i make something horrible and it proves i'll never be a real artist?
to that i say, if something is worth doing, it is WORTH DOING

you don't need to know what you're going to do with your ideas yet, i almost never do, but when i'm working on a project and feel stuck i flip through my notebook something specific will stand out in a new way that i can use