I felt that the show was interesting. I especially liked the quilt pieces by Karen Sengel. It was something that I've never seen before. I liked how she uses the different patterns of cloth and made the piece become more alive. The sewing was pretty cool too, using different colors of threads and making different patterns.
To Ms. Sengel: What gave you the idea of using different patterns of cloth to create your works?
I enjoyed your piece “Come in My Mind”, I thought it was very meaningful and said that people should open up their mind, thoughts and feelings to others. Was this the message you meant to convey to your viewers and why did you choose that message? Morgan V.
"Woven Elements" was a brilliant show! I loved the use of the materials (sheets, cloth, iron, etc) to create such diverse art. I was inspired by the work of Ingrid van der Heyden, specifically the instillation (containing work such as "Wilson's sheet,' "collage rice paper," "John's sheet," etc). I felt that the pieces were very existential, very introspective of the soul in relationship to the body. The use of the bodies created through simple means invoked the an idea of reflection: Is the outer a reflection of the inner, or an inner the reflection of the outer.
To Heyden: Why did you create the bodies in the form of sleeping? It seemed a form of escapism, or a return to 'birth,' the 'essense.' Furthermore, what inspired you to create these works?
Overall, well done! A brilliant show, you are all very talented artists.
I found the show very beatiful and interesting. The metal works and the quilts were, to me, very different kinds of thinking but they certainly represent the creators' ideas. The piece that captured me the most was the quilt piece called 'Temple Bells' by Karen Sengal. I did not notice this piece at first but when I saw it I fell in love with it. I think Karen was thinking about Thai culture or something about peace. Temple Bells reminds me of my earlier childhood that I would often go to temples with my family. Now that I do not really go there anymore, this piece of art reminds me of how peaceful and quite this spiritual place was. With this, I truly felt a connection with this piece. It is very interesting how the creator chose this location of a temple which people never really give much thought to it. However, by choosing these temple bells, Karen has definitely created a very capturing, beatiful piece of art.
I enjoyed looking at the varying medias of the artwork in the gallery. I liked the quilt pieces because they displayed a different type of art, sewing instead of using paint or other art materials. These quilts were very detailed and full of color. I especially liked the quilt called Hanoi Colors, because of the large object that dominated the frame. Also I like the perspective from the back of the women and the mixture of fabrics and colors, that all come together to look like one object from afar. Overall I liked seeing the differences in media and design from the three artists. I also enjoyed trying to understand the meaning and techniques the artist used to get the wanted outcome. Especially how the quilt artist was able to fit all the different pieces and patterns to make the image of a women with a bike. I was also able to connect with this piece since I have been to Hanoi and personally like this aspect as well. -Ellen McKay
I thought the artwork displayed in the Woven Elements show are pretty original. I liked the fact that the artists used different medias to construct/paint their artwork. I thought the quilts made by Karen Sengel were nice. I also liked the style of the artworks of Ingrid Van der Heyden. From his works, I especially liked the ricepaper collages.
To Ingrid Van der Heyden: What inspired you to make the ricepaper collages series? How did you make the crumpled paper effect?
I admire Ingrid Van der Heyden's art works. The concept of the using human body in search for its soul is very interesting. It was a creative use of materials/ media. Using plaster and cotton pillow made art works unique from others. I especially liked the piece "the flow". The painting had strong and thick brush stroke, while the color was relatively soft and light. The overall exhibition was eye catching because of the way the installations worked. I loved how the installations were set. Using pillar and floors to exhibit the works made the whole exhibition stand out. I could tell that every piece had a deep meanings related to human body. This fits exactly to the IB rubric, where pieces must be thought-provoking to the viewers.
The art gallery was very interesting to me. There were many kind of art in there, from sculptures to quilts. All of the quilts that were made by Karen were very interesting to me. They were very colorful and I really like how all the pieces came together by sewing, mast have taken a lot of time. There was this other that caught my eye as well when I got into the art gallery. The John's Sheet by Ingrid was a very big and long piece which really fascinated me. The way Ingrid drew the human was very nice on the pole and the bed sheets did make me feel like sleeping also. Although, the plastic that was wrapped around looked a bit odd to me. In my opinion, it stood out a lot. All of Ingrid's work were focused on the human body. Which makes me question, how did Ingrid come up with the human body concept? What inspired Ingrid to do have this concept?
I really loved the ‘woven elements’ art show because the all of the artwork was amazingly beautiful and unique. I loved all of the artists but, the pieces that really caught my eye were Simona Ambrosini’s. Most of them were simplistic and I loved the use of metal as a media for her pieces of work. I loved her piece, ‘Women in Movement’ because of the deep meaning behind it and its flow from one section to the next. The single color of copper used helps to tone the piece down so it does not seem too busy and this helps to be able to think about its meaning. When I saw it I imagined the piece representing women as a whole and how they behave towards each other. The parts of the metal that are inter-connected can be seen as lifting and supporting each other but can also show business or confusion. I believe women can be both of these things at once. Because it really determines the outcome of how the piece is viewed and what it is really trying to show, I would like to ask the artist; If the piece was meant to represent all women, just an average woman or one in particular? Thank you and all of the artists for creating these beautiful pieces of art.
I really enjoyed looking at the piece of art you drew. I thought the idea of drawing mangosteens were very unique, since I havent' seen it anywhere else. I liked the different shadings on each fruit. And i also liked the border, which u colored it with dark colors, in differnet shapes.
What gave you the idea to draw a picture of mangosteen and why didn't you choose any other fruits?
After viewing the art show, like Nicha, I especially admired Karen Sengal's quilts. The beautiful colours and the way she depicted some tradtional pictures like plants and flowers on the quilts but transformed it, by the use of bold and vibrant colours, into a more interesting and colour ful piece was a great concept. Furthermore, I was particularly fascinated by this style of art because since my general art topic for IB is fashion, and therefore would encompass creating garments or transforming different cloths into a piece of art, creating a quilt was a new idea which I had not thought of doing previously. These quilt pieces may inspire me to create a future project possibly relating to such an art form. Question for Ms.Sengal: Do you feel that the actual finish quilt (the look of the quilt) is more important to you than the concept and meaning of the piece? Harriet Gerrard
I enjoyed 'Woven Elements' show. I especially liked 'Tea' because I could image silence from it. Do you think about the sounds while you create a work of art?
To Haley: Thanks for taking time to think over the meaning of the works. Why I used the form of sleeping....the bed sheets were designed to hang in a hotel. The concept for that exhibit was "New Ecologies". My input was : "Leaving a mark, a stain, a print, to blemish, can people live somewhere and leave nothing?" Bed sheets in a hotel are "public" but then again also have an intimacy that is not for everyone to know about. In the morning, sheets are folded, cracked, stained, they have a story to tell. They are being replaced and put in the laundry, making this story not relevant and washed away but maybe what has been written could have an impact on people's lives. Maybe one person is aware of what happened. Reading bed sheets is an invastion of privacy but those writing them are never edited. I wanted to use these sheets in this exhibit since I did go back to the essence of life and thought they fitted, as you say, in being reborn. Hope this answers your question. Ingrid
To Mint: The crumbled paper in the rice paper collages is ofcourse rice paper. I wanted to create the effect of the inprint of your body on your bedsheet in the morning. Take a look at your sheet when you get up, very inspiring! You put glue over the canvas and put on a sheet of rice paper and carefully crumble it together and stick in on. After put on a layer of primer so it is not so delicate. With the glue it will become very fragile to handle.
To b10u3: The plastic wrapped around the pole is an umbilical cord and is made of a leading edge kite blatter. I like recycling material that is not common to use in art works. Going back to my comment to Haley I did find a relation between sleeping human body and birth. Why the human body concept? The human body is for me important and beautiful and a never ending source of inspiration. If I speak about human it means not especially the "outer" appearance but I am more interested in the "inner" which is more difficult to picture. Hope this replies to your question.
I loved the woven element art show was really captivating as each of the three artist had their own way of art. Each one had their own style with made them unique and beautiful. One thing I realized was in the whole room there was not a single canvas. What I want to know is how do you get inspired or come up with an idea that is so extraordinary?
I thought before that art can never done by quilt and so I was l amazed by Karen Sangel's works. Sangel's works reminded me of beautiful Korean traditional quilt pieces using silk.I also thought Ingrid Van der Heyden's art works were interesting because of its concept.
To Ingrid Van der Heyden: What mood did you try to pull out from your art work?
I really like the show because the way Karen Sengel did her pieces demonstrates all the effort and hard work she did before completing this piece. Additionally, even most of the pieces have the same pattern, every single piece is unique and represents different theme. As a result, I found this art show very entertaining.
To Ingrid van der Heyden: I really enjoyed looking at your pieces because I think that they are really interesting and different. My favorite one was "Wilson's Sheet". I liked how you used neutral colors in your pieces because it created a calm, relaxing mood. I also like how it felt that your pieces have a deep meaning or story behind it. I was wondering, what is the story or concept behind your pieces are?To Ingrid van der Heyden: I really enjoyed looking at your pieces because I think that they are really interesting and different. My favorite one was "Wilson's Sheet". I liked how you used neutral colors in your pieces because it created a calm, relaxing mood. I also like how it felt that your pieces have a deep meaning or story behind it. I was wondering, what is the story or concept behind your pieces are?
To: Simona Ambrosini Your piece attracts me from the moment I walked into the gallery. It intrigues me to walk closer and wonder what is the piece about. When I later found out that you named it as Life Blood in Metal "Entropal" I was amazed and it makes me wonder what makes you think of that name? Is it because you think that life is complicated and confused?which is why you portray your work by using used engines parts and metals then curl it up because it could portray chaos. I felt like I can relate to it, with the complexity of the shapes that you portray..It really makes me think about life.
This years gallery was very unique, different from every other years. The quilts really caught my eye when I walked into the gallery. The pieces by Karen Sengal were very unique and not to mention how difficult it must've been to make. What struck me the most were the use of colors that was used. The colors that were used depicted every detail, even the smallest ones like the flowers and the detail surrounding the clothes in picture. The texture used from the quilt also made the picture look very vibrant. I loved how most of Karen's work was based on something traditional.
My questions is to Ms. Sengal is that, you had a pieces called "60 minutes?" and I was wondering what you were trying to interpret in your piece with that title?
I really liked your work in the art gallery. I think the way the quilts are designed is extremely fascinating, as there was a huge variety of different patterns and amazing colors. The variety of colors and patterns made various works seem multidimensional, as if a 3D image really appeared from the picture. I also found it interesting to note how the contrast between lighter colors and darker colors created focal points where the eye would focus on. In the quilt "Handmade", the patterns that composed the dark blue panel were much more complex than the patterns that were in the mud brown background. This led me to wonder, does the more complex pattern of the dark blue outside symbolize a darker reality/future for indigenous populations? Or does it symbolize the threat of globalization and the increasingly difficultly to maintain their culture? The artworks during this art show were very thought provoking.
I really liked your piece "Eternity". The mood of it seemed very calm and tranquil. The shell or piece of coral on the copper reminded me of the sea, and the beaches here in Thailand. The fact that the copper seemed to be divided into three sections (though I think it was actually all the same piece), and there were three flowers growing out of it, but there was only a single shell, made me think about loneliness. The way the copper bended in on itself, and the flowers seemed to be growing up out of it, made me think of the cycle of life and death, and since you named your piece "Eternity" I'm guessing that you might have thought something like that as you were making your piece.
I really loved your quilt pieces, especially your piece "60 minutes." I don't know whether it was the content or designs in the piece but the unique details you added made it even more beautiful. I also found interesting that you had the girls' backs to the viewer yet some of their identity was created by their clothing. This got me thinking, who were these girls? Were they going through a difficult stage in their life? This piece is exquisite. What inspired you to do this quilt? What advice do you have for quilters?
I was so intrigued by all of the exhibited pieces when I visited the gallery. I thought the concept "woven elements" to begin with was already very unique. For Simona Ambrosini, I loved how she used metal sheets and blocks of wood to create artwork. Also, Karen Sengel's use of a variety of colours and shapes made me believe her quilts were beautiful, large paintings. Finally, I also found Ingrid van der Heyden's 'soft' sculptures very interesting.
To Sonya: The mood I try to create is usually connected to each piece separately but in this case I wanted to create an investigating space where viewers can enter and ask themselves questions, a self-examining room if you want. So the mood, general feeling needed to be a bit distant, not too intimate, more examining without being personally involved.
To Emily: The human body has been a central part of my work. In search of its “soul” I needed to take it apart, to dissect if you wish. What gives the body its appearance? Is it the shape of the body, the age, beauty or is it the reflection of the inner structure? Can I paint with brushstrokes the volume or refill and give another shape or feeling. Cut and mold, change the inner structure, fill, put material into “a body” and change its look and emotion. My sculptures are made of seemingly soft materials that can be cut and molded to fit. The remolded “body” can be worn by any inner structure. They portray both men and women since also the sex can be altered and is of no significance to the inner soul. Going back to the essence, birth is pure and comes from “the source” The essence received on birth can not be altered but can be visualized in an emotion, a feeling, a gesture. By reflecting the inner chi and the present society where parts of the body get more attention than the human body as a whole, I question whether the outer is the reflection of the inner – or whether it is the other way around! Ofcourse each piece has its own story.
To: Simona Ambroshi I enjoyed seeing all you rpeices but one stood out to me and it was the Life Blood in Metal "Entropia". I enjoyed observing this piece because i loved how large it was and it stood out from all the rest. I found it very interseting how the crazy design of the wire all connected and how all thetubes all connected into one beautiful peice.Also i loved how it was not perfect and it was very abstact in a intersting way. Catherine M.
To Simona Ambroshi I really enjoyed seeing all your work in the art gallery. I think the way you used metal to create a price of art is very interesting. The work that stand out to me the most is "woman in movement." I really like how you convey woman's emotional soft beautiful movement into a piece of copper to create such a emotional art piece. You really did a great job with capturing woman's beautiful movement and it gave a strong emotional beautiful feeling and show the beauty of woman movement. I would like to know your inspiration for your art.
This show is really interesting. I really enjoyed the Mangosteen and the flower quilt pieces Karen Sengel has done. I love how she used different shades, shapes, and patterns of individual pieces of cotton cloth and has sew it together to make an image. This must of taken lots of planning and time. I also like how the sewing seams are also pattened. My mom actually went to the show afterschool that day and commented on how beautiful the quilt pieces were. She even took some pictures (although the patterns can't be seen nearly as clear) to show my grandmother and is considering purchasing a piece to display at her office. The bright colors of the quilt really stand out and are warm enticing. I love the Mangosteen quilt because it's one of my favorite fruits.
To: Karen Sengel I'm enlighten by your art piece, the "Sandy Point Bluefish", I think that the significant uses of different colors of the ocean represents how the fish may come from various number of oceans. Just like an international student visiting many places and ending up here. Surrounding the ocean is the sandy beach I believed, the sandy beach from my point of view represents how international students can't get out of this multi-cultural system, and has to blend in as one. I really like this piece because of how you expressed the meaning, maybe it's not what you were meant to say, but this is what I interpreted.
To all 3 artists I really enjoyed all the different and interesting forms of art. They all caught my eye and kept my examining the piece. To Ingrid Van Der Heyden: I loved your use of rice paper and sheets. I would have something to ask you but unfortunately Haley already asked them and I love your thoughts as to why you used it and what you think of hotels. Thanks for showing me your style of art, loved it (especially the rice paper, couldn't take my eyes off it).
To Ingrid Van der Heyden: I throughly enjoyed your selection of work from this exhibit. I noticed that all these pieces had a common underlying motif, that of human forms. Your choice to present this theme using unorthodox media proved to enhance these thematic elements. However, I noticed that among all these "soft" sculptures there was one "hard" sculpture, the piece titled Rising. I'd like to ask was there any significance in the piece's inclusion among your selection of work at the exhibit?
(Post by: Stporn Mint Nithikarnphisitha) I enjoyed this art show. In this art show, Karen Sengel's art stood out to me. I really found her woven pieces of art interesting. I think her technique in using different patterns of cloth makes her piece brings the viewer to many thoughts and feelings. I think some of her pieces contains very significant objects that portrays themes and messages. These objects and its unifcation generates strong feeling in the viewer because they are involved within the piece. Thus, I also think her technique of using different threads to sew in different patterns gives a unique effect or look to the piece which is very interesting because some of the patterns look like swirls with directs the viewers eye to another object that symbolizes a significant message or theme.
Do you think the different colored pattern cloth have a significance of the "message" of the art piece? If so, why?
I found the show as a whole very interesting, as it used many different types of media and was very rich in theme. I especially enjoyed Ms.Van Der Hayden's works. I was confused by it at first, the violen impression of it mixing with the deeper meaning behind it. I thought her use of shadowing on the lower body very beautiful, the delicate lines of the legs contrasting with the blood-smeared upper torso. I've never seen a form of art like this, and it was very inspiring to see a totally new form of art. To Ms.Van Der Hayden: What was your message behind your pieces?
i found many various intresting pieces of art. i liked many of the art pieces displayed there especially the quilts by Karen Sengel. the piece called plumaria it's a flower i see in jaa-tu-chak often and in many yards in thailand. i never really thought about the flower until now. it is amazing one doesn't ever notice something in one's everyday life but when the folwer is displayed as a focal point only then one does see it's true beauty. to Ms. Karen Sengel: are yo8u trying to convey the message of hidden beauty in the flowers? from Kara lin
I quite enjoyed Ingrid Van der Heyden's show on the human body. I liked the complexity of the pieces and how each one was characteristically different in its own way. I was especially engrossed in the piece titled "Universal", I think it was quite ingenious to put various messages in different languages on the inside of the structure rather than on the outside. To me the pieces are quite dream-like in nature giving me the sense of humanity with a small veil of escapism overlapping it.
to Ms. Van Der Heyden: Although I know that you have a specific message in your pieces are you more interested in people understanding your message or forming one of their own while looking at your show?
In the art show, i found the quilt pieces to be very intresting. I liked how you used diffrent colors to grap the attention of viewers to focus on a seperate object. I exspecially liked the peice that had the tea pot and cup. The griding in the background made me focus on the detail within each box. It showed the simplicity of the peice and gave me a feeling of relaxtion. -Alex T
I found all the artists' works captivating but Ingrid Van der Heyden's artworks stood out the most to me. The use of different materials made it unique. I would truly enjoy working with this artist. to understand how she perfected the technique of the media.
To: Ingrid Van der Heyden- How did you come to the conclusion of what media would be best for your work?
Despite what the above name says, I am not Julia, that is my mother's name. My name in Grant Simens.
One piece that really caught my eye in the art show was "Woman in Motion" by Simona Ambrosini. Very rarely do you find a piece where two opposite characteristics of art are incorporated into one work of art. This piece has rhythm and complexity due to its twisting and looping pieces of metal, but this piece also has unity and simplicity because upon further inquiry, you find that the work has only two terminating ends of the metal, implying that there is only one piece of metal there. Both these aspects help shape and idea of what Simona wants the viewer to know. One could guess her main idea is that a woman's life, or 'movement' through life, may seem simple in a world of male dominance and female subsidence, but it is really a complex journey of twisting turns and loops. What I want to know from Simona Ambrosini is: What had drawn you to this unique media to convey your theme? Did this media seem more beneficial? Also, where in life do you get your inspiration for inorganic shapes such as the one in "Woman in Movement"?
At the exhibition, Art Now , I found the works of Ingrid van der Heyden particularly interesting. Her works presented human body in a different way then I usually see them. Her works seem to be made out delicate materials, for me they have connotation of human soul, beauty and internal structure. From her works I found the plaster moulds with the filling the most thought provoking. For me they represent an individual struggling with social constructs, trying to maintain his individuality. The materials used for this piece could also emphasize this idea, as the white plaster mould could represent the strong influence of the society on the individual, whereas the delicate, brownish, cotton-like filling could represent his fragile and delicate nature. However, I think the piece could be ever more powerful if it was made in larger scale or as a series. Actually not Marta but Aleksandra
I really enjoyed this art show! it was something new. i loved the use of metal, and how the artist used it in various creative ways. The different compositions and placements of the metal pieces really intrigued me due to its simplicity. at the same time the simplicity of the piece made me think of something very sophisticated. i also loved the installation piece and how it was placed. The piece was really powerful and drew the viewers eyes to various different points on the installation. the use of different materials such as cloth and paint has somewhat inspired me to create somthing with cloth. overall i really enjoyed the show and learnt some new things. :) Avika Sinchawla
the artist with the blanket works were most amusing to me as it is something i haven't seen before. Generally, i find three dimentional art aesthetically pleasing. the browns that were used is usually not my style as i like vibrant colors however, i found the idea of painting on cloth intriguing. one of the most interesting peices was the one on the pole. it reminded me of monkeys and how humans supposedly developed. i was surprised to find that not the whole cloth was painted. i found that this gave the pieces an edge. most of the pieces had one thing in common which were human figures in different forms. i love the idea of utilizing everyday products which is what i attempt to do with my own art. i believe i liked this artist's work because i found a connection to my own work *Devika (sorry she was not able to post it from her computer)
the artist with the blanket works were most amusing to me as it is something i haven't seen before. Generally, i find three dimentional art aesthetically pleasing. the browns that were used is usually not my style as i like vibrant colors however, i found the idea of painting on cloth intriguing. one of the most interesting peices was the one on the pole. it reminded me of monkeys and how humans supposedly developed. i was surprised to find that not the whole cloth was painted. i found that this gave the pieces an edge. most of the pieces had one thing in common which were human figures in different forms. i love the idea of utilizing everyday products which is what i attempt to do with my own art. i believe i liked this artist's work because i found a connection to my own work. -Devika Sachdev not Tina
The art exhibition held many unique abract art pieces which I have never seen anything like it before. Especially the pieces that was created by a variety of quilts put together to form scenes of places, by Karen Sengel. One of them that interest me was the piece called "Goat Cravings". I am fascinated by this particular piece because of the gesture of the goat which was gazing from its fence to the outside world created the sensation of desire and temptation to escape and gain it's freedom. Aso from the colorful quilts that was used as the background lets the audience to use their own imagination to justify what it represents. In my perspective, I think it symbolizes freedom which the goat craves for. Question for Karen Sengel: What was the main message behind thix art piece?
To Megha: Great remark that there is not one single canvas in the exhibition, I did not even notice and it is very interesting since the first thing we think about in making art is having a canvas to start with!
To rb-schudel: Using rice paper is very rewarding because its a century old medium used in China. It is so delicate but yet you can fold it in any form. You should try, you can first paint on it with ink and then glue it on your canvas, paint on it again...its fun.
To Jamkraprayoon: Well the bronze is een older work that I have casted myself. I only did it once because it is a lot of work to do. Since I had to take out a few works I needed to replace them so I put in the bronze since it fitted in the concept. You are right it stands out actually, I did not look at it in that way.
To Mischa: The tell you the message behind each of my pieces it will take me too long but if you read my artist statement I hope it will answer your question.
To Audrey: Well, first you look for a medium that mostly enforces the feeling you want to create. There are ofcourse more aspects to consider and that is if it is durable, movable (I mean not too heavy), etc. I also need to consider the fact that I live in a condominium and I need to take my work down in a small elevator.....I like to work big, so I need to be able to take things apart or fold up. Before you decide on the use you need to experiment with it and see if it gives what you want so before you come to a conclusion you need to weigh pro and cons.
To Aleksandra: I quite like your interpretation of the plaster molds. And you are right that in a larger scale they would really be understood in that way. To be honest I did not make them with that idea in mind but a lot you create also comes out of the subconscious. You have the style of writing of an art critic, I like it.
Thanks for your comment. As for getting the idea for using different patterns, I have always admired a quilter named Ruth McDowell for her ability to use wildly patterned fabrics in her art quilts. She is my inspiration. When making my quilts I pin up a variety of fabrics before I decide which ones to use. I once took a workshop with Ruth. I will always remember the time I pinned up a piece and she said, "That looks fine... but it's not very interesting." I think of that the whole time I am planning the fabric for my quilts. I want the colors to define my subject matter, but I also want it to be more than a painting. I want it to be interesting to look at.
I'm glad you liked my mangosteen quilt. It is one of my favorites.
I chose mangosteens as a subject for several reasons. First of all, I wanted something that was unique to Thailand or Asia. I am from the United States and no one even knows what mangosteens are! Also, I wanted to play with the idea of having a group of like-colored objects and working with fabric to define them. But mostly, I just love the colors I knew I would use in the quilt.. the contrast of the purple with the white flesh, as well as the dark inside of the fruit. I just thought it would be a visual treat. Oh, and did I mention that I love eating mangosteens??
It can be tricky naming pieces. I have been told that less is more, and that a title should never be more than 2 or 3 words. So I often just think about the first thing that comes to mind when I look at a certain quilt. This quilt shows two vendors taking a break to look into the home of someone who owns a television. How long will they stand there, and what are they watching? I am from the USA and there is a popular news show that is called 60 Minutes. So this title is supposed to be a play on words. And that doesn't always work with an international audience!
First of all, that is a very hard name to type. Secondly, I am glad you liked my quilt. Your comments about the quilt Handmade were very thought-provoking. In reality, the reason the outside blue border had more pattern than the mud-brown background surrounding the subject matter is that if I put patterned background around the figure of the woman, your eye would be conflicted as to where to look. I wanted the focus to be on the woman sewing. The border is far enough removed to allow for more pattern. But I wish I'd had your idea instead! Thanks.
I am so glad you asked the question: Do you think about the sounds when you create a work of art? My first reaction was "no" but then I started thinking about it. I am used to thinking of my quilts as visual, but then I looked at them carefully and realized that the colors and complexity of the design were also a reflection of the sound and energy present in what I was representing. So, I guess sound IS part of what I am thinking about when I am working on a piece. Thank you for pointing that out to me!
To: Harriet Gerrard: You posed an interesting question... is the look of the quilt more important than the concept or meaning of the piece?
The final product is not nearly as important to me as the rest of the process. I often end up with a quilt that is not how I imagined it. If you are interested in pursuing fashion design, the emphasis may be the opposite.
When I set out to make a quilt I start with an idea and an image in my head. Mostly I want to capture images of Thailand or other places in Asia that I have visited. The fabrics I have at the time limit my options, which is a good thing, to me! If I had unlimited choices, I may never make a decision.
There are many steps in the process of making my art quilts, and each one alters it slightly. When I am finished, I am always surprised and usually pleased. But the image almost never matches exactly what I had planned. This is part of what makes the process so exciting and fun!
I'm happy that you enjoyed my quilt titled "60 Minutes?"
I spend a lot of time looking at pictures on the internet as well as my own pictures from my travels to get ideas. I also look at my friend's travel pictures. Eventually I come up with inspirations for a quilt. I often combine images or ideas into a picture, which I then work on representing in cloth.
This quilt was easy to imagine, as it is a typical scene in small villages. It is common for only one or two people to own a television and that becomes the center of attention. An interesting aside to this quilt is that when I shared it with people in the States, they all asked what that blue thing was. When shown to people who have traveled and lived in Thailand, they immediately knew it was a TV.
I realize that I design my quilts from my perspective and life experiences as an ex-pat living overseas. The subject matter of my quilts reflect that and I believe speak to a certain audience. I love what I have read about my work, in that I realize that it can be interpretted in many ways, some of which are so inspirational to me!
As to my advise to quilters...... Always remember, it is a quilt, not a photo. There is a BIG difference.
I really enjoyed the variety of artworks on display. I thought Ms. Karen Signel's wooden quilt, the Sandy Point Blue Fish was interesting because after discussing its possible meanings and associated ideas, the focal point of the fish caught my eye and I began to think that the artist was trying to get to a point using this piece of art. To me, the fish itself looks like a planet. The fins on its back stood like architecture, perhaps symbolizing hope or anxiety associated with the environmental issues at hand. So was there a specific theme to this piece of work and do you think my interpretation is appropriately suitable for your art?
I also think Ms Simona Ambrosini's artwork consisted of recycled materials added a great sense of diversity and unique beauty to the gallery. The piece Infinite formed by recycled iron wires caught my eye immediately. At first many of us thought it was a wig because of the wire's unique texture and composition. The thin materials seem fragile but together as a whole, the power and effect is magnified. I think this piece symbolizes the significance of unity within the society and the resulting strength of collaboration. Do you believe that peace comes from unification? Is there a story behind this piece of artwork?
I agree that the "Woven Elements" show was very interesting, very distinct from previous shows in the use of unconventional media. While I found the works from each artist to be fascinating in its own way, I was especially captivated by Ms. Ingris Van der Heyden's works. I thought her pieces bore a very intimate feel, filled with subtle emotions. It is very interesting how the pieces are able to convey such "raw" emotions through such neutral color scheme. So questions to Ms. Ingris Van der Heyden: Which artist/s or art style has influenced your work? And why the emphasis on neutral tones?
I also have some questions for Ms. Simona Ambrosini: how do you choose the fabrics to use for each piece? do you have a collection of different types of fabrics that you select from or...?
This art show displayed various artworks of woven cloth portraying different aspects of various culture, as well as abstract art pieces made out of bronzed metal bent into indefinable shapes which resembled a much bigger meaning than what was depicted. After writing my method of critique paper during class, I dropped by afterschool again to admire the art works more thoroughly. By reading each of the artist statements and chosen titles, it challenged me to expand my vision and bring my understanding of the meaning of 'art' to another level. I found this art show especially unique in a sense that each of the art pieces primarily focused on only a few of the Principles of Design. For example, the use of different texture in a piece; In the quilt works, not only did the artist utilize different complementary color pairs to bring out their focus but she also used texture as a way to express the volume or feeling of the atmosphere created. After reading my fellow classmate’s blogs and inquiries as well as the artists’ reply, I feel that I’ve captured a sense of how an artist’s mind works and I feel inspired to practice it in my own works in the future.
After viewing the "Woven Elements" exhibition in the Chevron gallery, on piece that really spoke to and inspired me was Ingrid van der Heyden's "The Flow". The dynamic qualities and choice of media; acryllic and wall putty, and her palette of pale blues, browns, and grays lent a tone of calmness and peacefulness to the piece. This was representative of Ingrid's theme of inner entities and revealing who you are in your sleep.
What I found was particularly eye-catching was the stark contrast between the smoothness of the female figure against the abstract high relief of the wall putty; one could definitely experience the different energies that were expressed in the work.
Ingrid, I am really inspired by your phenomenal work, and I would love to learn from you in a workshop and experiment with your choices of media and colours so that I can apply similar techniques to my next piece which deals with the concept of sexual abuse of the victims of human trafficking.
The art show was very interesting to me. I really enjoyed looking at the pieces by Ingrid Van der Heyden. She had her own unique style of art, especially the pieces with the theme of 'chi' was very unique. It was interesting to listen to her explanation of her works. I really liked how she put the detail on her work with putti. I was so inspired by her piecese so I am now planning to use putti in my pieces.
The 'Woven Elements' Art show was really fun and interesting to look at. My eyes were delighted seeing the different textures and patterns on different kinds of medias.
However three beautiful pieces lined in a row caught my eye from the very beginning and was just fascinating to me.I was quickly drawn to Ingrid van der Heyden's collages made of rice paper,images, and ink. The texture of the folded and wrinkled rice paper and Jackson Pollack styled ink drippings contrasted with the sensual images of the human body. In the midst of all the chaos(the rice paper and ink) the slight touch of femininity complimented each other and created a nice balance of soft and hard. I was very inspired from this, and in the future, I would like use contrasting elements to make my pieces more interesting.
A question to Ms. Ingrid van der Heyden: I interpreted these pieces to be about anger and forgiveness, however i would like to know what each of elements in the pieces represented for you and what gave you the inspiration to create such beautiful pieces.
I was really inspired by Ingrid van der Heyden's artworks. It was eye-opening to see many different kinds of materials being used in an artwork. I especially liked her concept of a 'dissecting room' because the exhibition does give out that sense of atmosphere. Her pieces, as well as the way everything is set up, really illustrates the 'dissecting' of the human soul. This has made me aware of how there is a certain way an exhibition can be organized to enhance the pieces that is placed in it. This effect wouldn't be the same if random pieces of work were just put in without a plan.
I feel that Ingrid's work really has energy and it looks alive. It is so interesting to see how she breaks away from the conventional canvas artwork and into creating her own personal form of art.
This show is very interesting and innovative for me. The meduim used (and ofcourse, the idea) is quite diverse and unqiue from the other Artnow shows that I've seen.
I particularly love Ingrid Van der Headen's installation that ran up the column, I think it's a very inviting way of presenting an art piece. And I can't help but notice how the cliche of using the human form does not apply to her works. For example the quilted art pieces does not bore the eye, but it is rather a pleasure to examine it, this is probably because of the neutral color scheme and the complex postions and details on the human forms in the pieces.
As for Simona Ambrosini's pieces, I totally love the rawness that I feel when I view her work. It looks very modern: simple but beautiful. And the simple forms causes the mind to wander and come up with different ideas for what might be the meaning behind the art. And the fine wire pieces makes me think of wigs and hair, she made metal look so soft!
When I saw Karen Sengel's pieces, I immedietly thought of my classmate, Kayla Park. I love how Karen's work is so colorful and full of patterns! She doesn't only pick plain colored fabric to make her pieces, but cleverly chooses various cloth and compiled them together so smoothly. My favorite piece must be the "Khwai" one, it made me smile the instance I saw it, maybe because of the thai word (ควาย) repeated around the cute buffalo itself...I'm Thai, so to me the word repeatedly present seems like the buffalo is telling someone off for being stupid (in a funny way) because when you say someone is "khwai" in Thai you're calling them stupid. Haha, I like it, also because the buffalo itself looks so nonchalant.
This artnow show is definitely one of my favorites!
I really enjoyed the Woven Elements art show. I loved all the different colors in the quilts! I thought it was a very creative way to create a picture, but without having to use paint and other materials. I really enjoyed the piece called, "Lifeblood in Metal". I thought it was a very interesting piece of art and it draws you in and makes you really study the piece.
I really enjoyed the art show displayed in the uncial; it was fascinating to see all this unique and meaningful pieces of art. But the one piece I most enjoyed was the “rising” a sculpture made by Ingrid Van der Heyden. What I thought of when I observed this sculpture I notice the metallic texture and the rigged edges of the sculpture. It my mind I thought the sculpture symbolized rising or of something painful or dire. The thing that caught my eye was the stance the sculpture was rising in, I found it interesting it seemed it was difficult to rise from the idea or thing that was pulling the figure down. What the sculpture made me think of was pain, like it’s painful to raise our but it needs to be done. The one thing I would like to ask is was there any thought to the design of what the sculpture is rising out of, for example was the rigged ends of the thing that the sculpture is rising out of? I quit enjoyed the art show and especially your this piece of yours. Your piece drew me in and made me truly think of what your sculpture resembled. Alex de vries
I really liked the art pieces in the show. each artist had a different style of their own- like Ingrid Van der Headen's installation, Simona Ambrosini's metal pieces and the quilts by Karen Sengel. I really loved the way Karen used different colored/patterned materials and sewed them together to make it into a quilt etc. and I also found Ingrid's installation really interesting- especially the colors and techniques used in the pieces. There seemed to be quite alot of symbolism and the pieces drew people in. However, my favorite pieces were such as Woman in Movement by Simona Ambrosini. I found all her pieces really interesting- though it was quite simple, but it was unique- because the composition of the metal or bronze sheet etc were really unique and there was a strange feeling when I looked at it. The first time I saw I saw her pieces I was actually really amazed. I actually wondered why i thought it was so amazing- because it was not too fancy or too plain, but there seemed to be some kind of meaning in each piece....... I enjoyed the art show and would really like to meet these artists. It would be really nice to see how they work and get to know more about what inspired them to do their art work- their theme and style.. etc. :)
To: Karen Sengel The work you made by quilt was fantastic~!! I really enjoyed watching your work. Especially I liked your "Waiting" because it made me feel like waiting in the sun myself. The fabric with various patterns and colors were also very beautiful, and the bright colors of the umbrella seemed to make me focus on it. It was a beautiful work~!!:) -So Yeon
I know a lot of people have told you this already but all of your art works were so amazingly original in a way that I have never seen originality before. They all appeared to be simple yet there was something about every piece of your designs that made the viewers think about what they really were. I especially liked the 'Transparencies series 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5' because, to be honest I don't exactly know but the fact that you put a transparent design on glass, something that was also transparent appealed to me. Maybe it wasn't your intention to display the transparencies series that way but I found it very interesting and thouht provoking. They even looked like decaying roses from one perspective. This may sound like a very straight forward question but I would really like to know what kind of images you had in mind when you were creating the transparencies series.
Unfortunately, this terrific show comes down today.
I appreciate the insightful comments and questions from students and the thoughtful responses from the artists. My students join me in congratulating the artists on the successful exhibit and thank them for the time and effort necessary to transform the gallery into an exciting educational experience.
I hope you will continue to follow this blog and comment as we post student's original art.
To Ashley, I am most interested in depicting everyday life and objects in Asia.... the fruit, flowers and animals, the women performing tasks such as sewing, shopping, selling. They are slices of Asia that have struck me and I want to represent them simply in my quilts. I understand that hilltribe people may represent poverty to many, but my thoughts aren't on that, but on the gracefulness with which they carry out their jobs. As for using patterned fabrics along with color, this adds interest to the overall picture and very much keeps it from remaining a quilt rather than a photograph. I am glad you liked my work. Karen Sengel
The show was very interesting. I was explicitly interested in Ingrid's section because I personally like painting. What made that part of the show much more interesting is the fact that the painting was done on an installation. The show spooked me a bit but I love the idea of having the body as just a crust but the soul as the real essence of a human being. In terms of Ingrid's techniques, the painting were done very well and the style of her painting added more stress to the emotions that is received by the viewer. Natcha
The show was interesting and unique to see because of all the different types of art. I really enjoyed the patterns and colors used in the quilt pieces in order to lead the views to focus of certain parts and objects, helping portray the main point of the quilts. What was the most surprising to me was how something that initially seems pleasingly simple turns into something more complex with a wide range of possible interpretations as you continue to observe the art work more. It was also surprising as to that when you think of art, you automatically think of paintings, drawings, etc. It was quite interesting to see various types of art in this show.
Are there any specific themes you wanted portrayed with the quilt works?
I found the overall show very interesting. I enjoyed looking at all the different quilts and the several techniques used in each. I really found the piece by Karen Sengel very interesting because it used many different colors and techniques all in one piece and made the piece very vibrant. This was the one piece that caught my eye and really expanded my perspective on what art actually is. I would realy like to work with these materials one day because i feel thatyou cando many things with them and it is also a way to expand your creativity.
The piece that really drew me in was “Wilson’s Sheet” by Ingrid van Der Heyden. The texture of the piece really stands out. It portrayed an amazing sense of realism. This gives the illusion that someone is in fact actually lying there, under, the sheet when it is observed. This makes the viewer stop and actually look at the piece, stunned at the sheer shock value of the art. The piece conveys several principles of design but its foremost important aspects are its strong rhythm and focal point. The hands, particularly, stand out, as they seem to direct one’s eyes across the bodies and onto the writing. Although the writing would seem out of place next to the motionless bodies, it somehow brings a sense of unity to the piece. Another part of its beauty is due to its lighting. The shadows are already taken care of as the piece is three-dimensional which gives an illusion of complete grey-scale and a strong visual balance.
Personally, the piece generates a lot of ideas regarding death and home. The bodies strewn across the sheet and the expression of the figures seem to be almost peaceful, like the are sleeping. I’m sure that the artist was attempting to convey a message of belongong as the writing off the othe side is mainly focused on not having a ged or even home to come back to.
Although the theme is shown rather blatantly, using writing in a poetic manner brings a certain mystery to the piece. Although I can see no cultural or historical references, I’m sure that the idea of homelessness was a factor in the creation of the piece, Another subtle hint of death are the coffee stains reminiscent of blood that appears to be spilling out of the bodies that lay in half.
Question for the artist, Ingrid Van der Heyden: “Was homelessness really a factor in your piece?”
I felt that the show was interesting. I especially liked the quilt pieces by Karen Sengel. It was something that I've never seen before. I liked how she uses the different patterns of cloth and made the piece become more alive. The sewing was pretty cool too, using different colors of threads and making different patterns.
ReplyDeleteTo Ms. Sengel:
What gave you the idea of using different patterns of cloth to create your works?
To: Simona Ambrosini
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your piece “Come in My Mind”, I thought it was very meaningful and said that people should open up their mind, thoughts and feelings to others. Was this the message you meant to convey to your viewers and why did you choose that message?
Morgan V.
"Woven Elements" was a brilliant show! I loved the use of the materials (sheets, cloth, iron, etc) to create such diverse art. I was inspired by the work of Ingrid van der Heyden, specifically the instillation (containing work such as "Wilson's sheet,' "collage rice paper," "John's sheet," etc). I felt that the pieces were very existential, very introspective of the soul in relationship to the body. The use of the bodies created through simple means invoked the an idea of reflection: Is the outer a reflection of the inner, or an inner the reflection of the outer.
ReplyDeleteTo Heyden: Why did you create the bodies in the form of sleeping? It seemed a form of escapism, or a return to 'birth,' the 'essense.' Furthermore, what inspired you to create these works?
Overall, well done! A brilliant show, you are all very talented artists.
Congratulation ! Hope this makes your life easier.
ReplyDeleteTOTO :)
I found the show very beatiful and interesting. The metal works and the quilts were, to me, very different kinds of thinking but they certainly represent the creators' ideas. The piece that captured me the most was the quilt piece called 'Temple Bells' by Karen Sengal. I did not notice this piece at first but when I saw it I fell in love with it. I think Karen was thinking about Thai culture or something about peace. Temple Bells reminds me of my earlier childhood that I would often go to temples with my family. Now that I do not really go there anymore, this piece of art reminds me of how peaceful and quite this spiritual place was. With this, I truly felt a connection with this piece.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting how the creator chose this location of a temple which people never really give much thought to it. However, by choosing these temple bells, Karen has definitely created a very capturing, beatiful piece of art.
I enjoyed looking at the varying medias of the artwork in the gallery. I liked the quilt pieces because they displayed a different type of art, sewing instead of using paint or other art materials. These quilts were very detailed and full of color. I especially liked the quilt called Hanoi Colors, because of the large object that dominated the frame. Also I like the perspective from the back of the women and the mixture of fabrics and colors, that all come together to look like one object from afar. Overall I liked seeing the differences in media and design from the three artists. I also enjoyed trying to understand the meaning and techniques the artist used to get the wanted outcome. Especially how the quilt artist was able to fit all the different pieces and patterns to make the image of a women with a bike. I was also able to connect with this piece since I have been to Hanoi and personally like this aspect as well.
ReplyDelete-Ellen McKay
I thought the artwork displayed in the Woven Elements show are pretty original. I liked the fact that the artists used different medias to construct/paint their artwork. I thought the quilts made by Karen Sengel were nice. I also liked the style of the artworks of Ingrid Van der Heyden. From his works, I especially liked the ricepaper collages.
ReplyDeleteTo Ingrid Van der Heyden:
What inspired you to make the ricepaper collages series? How did you make the crumpled paper effect?
-Mint
I admire Ingrid Van der Heyden's art works. The concept of the using human body in search for its soul is very interesting. It was a creative use of materials/ media. Using plaster and cotton pillow made art works unique from others. I especially liked the piece "the flow". The painting had strong and thick brush stroke, while the color was relatively soft and light. The overall exhibition was eye catching because of the way the installations worked. I loved how the installations were set. Using pillar and floors to exhibit the works made the whole exhibition stand out. I could tell that every piece had a deep meanings related to human body. This fits exactly to the IB rubric, where pieces must be thought-provoking to the viewers.
ReplyDeleteThe art gallery was very interesting to me. There were many kind of art in there, from sculptures to quilts. All of the quilts that were made by Karen were very interesting to me. They were very colorful and I really like how all the pieces came together by sewing, mast have taken a lot of time. There was this other that caught my eye as well when I got into the art gallery. The John's Sheet by Ingrid was a very big and long piece which really fascinated me. The way Ingrid drew the human was very nice on the pole and the bed sheets did make me feel like sleeping also. Although, the plastic that was wrapped around looked a bit odd to me. In my opinion, it stood out a lot. All of Ingrid's work were focused on the human body. Which makes me question, how did Ingrid come up with the human body concept? What inspired Ingrid to do have this concept?
ReplyDelete- Rose Aunaetitrakul
ReplyDeleteI really loved the ‘woven elements’ art show because the all of the artwork was amazingly beautiful and unique. I loved all of the artists but, the pieces that really caught my eye were Simona Ambrosini’s. Most of them were simplistic and I loved the use of metal as a media for her pieces of work. I loved her piece, ‘Women in Movement’ because of the deep meaning behind it and its flow from one section to the next. The single color of copper used helps to tone the piece down so it does not seem too busy and this helps to be able to think about its meaning. When I saw it I imagined the piece representing women as a whole and how they behave towards each other. The parts of the metal that are inter-connected can be seen as lifting and supporting each other but can also show business or confusion. I believe women can be both of these things at once. Because it really determines the outcome of how the piece is viewed and what it is really trying to show, I would like to ask the artist; If the piece was meant to represent all women, just an average woman or one in particular?
ReplyDeleteThank you and all of the artists for creating these beautiful pieces of art.
To Karen Sengel:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed looking at the piece of art you drew. I thought the idea of drawing mangosteens were very unique, since I havent' seen it anywhere else. I liked the different shadings on each fruit. And i also liked the border, which u colored it with dark colors, in differnet shapes.
What gave you the idea to draw a picture of mangosteen and why didn't you choose any other fruits?
-Chaitan
After viewing the art show, like Nicha, I especially admired Karen Sengal's quilts. The beautiful colours and the way she depicted some tradtional pictures like plants and flowers on the quilts but transformed it, by the use of bold and vibrant colours, into a more interesting and colour ful piece was a great concept. Furthermore, I was particularly fascinated by this style of art because since my general art topic for IB is fashion, and therefore would encompass creating garments or transforming different cloths into a piece of art, creating a quilt was a new idea which I had not thought of doing previously. These quilt pieces may inspire me to create a future project possibly relating to such an art form.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for Ms.Sengal:
Do you feel that the actual finish quilt (the look of the quilt) is more important to you than the concept and meaning of the piece?
Harriet Gerrard
I enjoyed 'Woven Elements' show.
ReplyDeleteI especially liked 'Tea' because I could image silence from it.
Do you think about the sounds while you create a work of art?
Moeka
To Haley:
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking time to think over the meaning of the works.
Why I used the form of sleeping....the bed sheets were designed to hang in a hotel. The concept for that exhibit was "New Ecologies". My input was : "Leaving a mark, a stain, a print, to blemish, can people live somewhere and leave nothing?" Bed sheets in a hotel are "public" but then again also have an intimacy that is not for everyone to know about. In the morning, sheets are folded, cracked, stained, they have a story to tell. They are being replaced and put in the laundry, making this story not relevant and washed away but maybe what has been written could have an impact on people's lives. Maybe one person is aware of what happened. Reading bed sheets is an invastion of privacy but those writing them are never edited. I wanted to use these sheets in this exhibit since I did go back to the essence of life and thought they fitted, as you say, in being reborn. Hope this answers your question. Ingrid
To Mint:
ReplyDeleteThe crumbled paper in the rice paper collages is ofcourse rice paper. I wanted to create the effect of the inprint of your body on your bedsheet in the morning. Take a look at your sheet when you get up, very inspiring!
You put glue over the canvas and put on a sheet of rice paper and carefully crumble it together and stick in on. After put on a layer of primer so it is not so delicate. With the glue it will become very fragile to handle.
Anonymous said... to keren:
ReplyDeleteThe arts are very interestring and great to me.
I especially liked art of fish.I want your talent. where do you always get some ideas?
To b10u3:
ReplyDeleteThe plastic wrapped around the pole is an umbilical cord and is made of a leading edge kite blatter. I like recycling material that is not common to use in art works. Going back to my comment to Haley I did find a relation between sleeping human body and birth.
Why the human body concept? The human body is for me important and beautiful and a never ending source of inspiration. If I speak about human it means not especially the "outer" appearance but I am more interested in the "inner" which is more difficult to picture. Hope this replies to your question.
I loved the woven element art show was really captivating as each of the three artist had their own way of art. Each one had their own style with made them unique and beautiful. One thing I realized was in the whole room there was not a single canvas. What I want to know is how do you get inspired or come up with an idea that is so extraordinary?
ReplyDeleteI thought before that art can never done by quilt and so I was l amazed by Karen Sangel's works. Sangel's works reminded me of beautiful Korean traditional quilt pieces using silk.I also thought Ingrid Van der Heyden's art works were interesting because of its concept.
ReplyDeleteTo Ingrid Van der Heyden:
What mood did you try to pull out from your art work?
I really like the show because the way Karen Sengel did her pieces demonstrates all the effort and hard work she did before completing this piece. Additionally, even most of the pieces have the same pattern, every single piece is unique and represents different theme. As a result, I found this art show very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteVicky V.
To Ingrid van der Heyden:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed looking at your pieces because I think that they are really interesting and different. My favorite one was "Wilson's Sheet". I liked how you used neutral colors in your pieces because it created a calm, relaxing mood. I also like how it felt that your pieces have a deep meaning or story behind it.
I was wondering, what is the story or concept behind your pieces are?To Ingrid van der Heyden:
I really enjoyed looking at your pieces because I think that they are really interesting and different. My favorite one was "Wilson's Sheet". I liked how you used neutral colors in your pieces because it created a calm, relaxing mood. I also like how it felt that your pieces have a deep meaning or story behind it.
I was wondering, what is the story or concept behind your pieces are?
To: Simona Ambrosini
ReplyDeleteYour piece attracts me from the moment I walked into the gallery. It intrigues me to walk closer and wonder what is the piece about. When I later found out that you named it as Life Blood in Metal "Entropal" I was amazed and it makes me wonder what makes you think of that name? Is it because you think that life is complicated and confused?which is why you portray your work by using used engines parts and metals then curl it up because it could portray chaos. I felt like I can relate to it, with the complexity of the shapes that you portray..It really makes me think about life.
This years gallery was very unique, different from every other years. The quilts really caught my eye when I walked into the gallery. The pieces by Karen Sengal were very unique and not to mention how difficult it must've been to make. What struck me the most were the use of colors that was used. The colors that were used depicted every detail, even the smallest ones like the flowers and the detail surrounding the clothes in picture. The texture used from the quilt also made the picture look very vibrant. I loved how most of Karen's work was based on something traditional.
ReplyDeleteMy questions is to Ms. Sengal is that, you had a pieces called "60 minutes?" and I was wondering what you were trying to interpret in your piece with that title?
To Karen Sengel:
ReplyDeleteI really liked your work in the art gallery. I think the way the quilts are designed is extremely fascinating, as there was a huge variety of different patterns and amazing colors. The variety of colors and patterns made various works seem multidimensional, as if a 3D image really appeared from the picture. I also found it interesting to note how the contrast between lighter colors and darker colors created focal points where the eye would focus on. In the quilt "Handmade", the patterns that composed the dark blue panel were much more complex than the patterns that were in the mud brown background. This led me to wonder, does the more complex pattern of the dark blue outside symbolize a darker reality/future for indigenous populations? Or does it symbolize the threat of globalization and the increasingly difficultly to maintain their culture? The artworks during this art show were very thought provoking.
-Chuni F.
To Simona Ambrosini
ReplyDeleteI really liked your piece "Eternity". The mood of it seemed very calm and tranquil. The shell or piece of coral on the copper reminded me of the sea, and the beaches here in Thailand. The fact that the copper seemed to be divided into three sections (though I think it was actually all the same piece), and there were three flowers growing out of it, but there was only a single shell, made me think about loneliness. The way the copper bended in on itself, and the flowers seemed to be growing up out of it, made me think of the cycle of life and death, and since you named your piece "Eternity" I'm guessing that you might have thought something like that as you were making your piece.
To Karen Sengal
ReplyDeleteI really loved your quilt pieces, especially your piece "60 minutes." I don't know whether it was the content or designs in the piece but the unique details you added made it even more beautiful. I also found interesting that you had the girls' backs to the viewer yet some of their identity was created by their clothing. This got me thinking, who were these girls? Were they going through a difficult stage in their life? This piece is exquisite.
What inspired you to do this quilt? What advice do you have for quilters?
I was so intrigued by all of the exhibited pieces when I visited the gallery. I thought the concept "woven elements" to begin with was already very unique. For Simona Ambrosini, I loved how she used metal sheets and blocks of wood to create artwork. Also, Karen Sengel's use of a variety of colours and shapes made me believe her quilts were beautiful, large paintings. Finally, I also found Ingrid van der Heyden's 'soft' sculptures very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWent to the art show and wandered about thoroughly enjoying myself. Am in love with so many of the quilts and found myself studying their detail.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your new blog! 29 comments!? Do you know how rare that is for a new blogger? Good on ya! :)
To Sonya:
ReplyDeleteThe mood I try to create is usually connected to each piece separately but in this case I wanted to create an investigating space where viewers can enter and ask themselves questions, a self-examining room if you want. So the mood, general feeling needed to be a bit distant, not too intimate, more examining without being personally involved.
To Emily:
ReplyDeleteThe human body has been a central part of my work. In search of its “soul” I needed to take it apart, to dissect if you wish. What gives the body its appearance? Is it the shape of the body, the age, beauty or is it the reflection of the inner structure? Can I paint with brushstrokes the volume or refill and give another shape or feeling. Cut and mold, change the inner structure, fill, put material into “a body” and change its look and emotion.
My sculptures are made of seemingly soft materials that can be cut and molded to fit. The remolded “body” can be worn by any inner structure. They portray both men and women since also the sex can be altered and is of no significance to the inner soul.
Going back to the essence, birth is pure and comes from “the source” The essence received on birth can not be altered but can be visualized in an emotion, a feeling, a gesture.
By reflecting the inner chi and the present society where parts of the body get more attention than the human body as a whole, I question whether the outer is the reflection of the inner – or whether it is the other way around!
Ofcourse each piece has its own story.
To: Simona Ambroshi
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing all you rpeices but one stood out to me and it was the Life Blood in Metal "Entropia". I enjoyed observing this piece because i loved how large it was and it stood out from all the rest. I found it very interseting how the crazy design of the wire all connected and how all thetubes all connected into one beautiful peice.Also i loved how it was not perfect and it was very abstact in a intersting way.
Catherine M.
To Simona Ambroshi
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed seeing all your work in the art gallery. I think the way you used metal to create a price of art is very interesting. The work that stand out to me the most is "woman in movement." I really like how you convey woman's emotional soft beautiful movement into a piece of copper to create such a emotional art piece. You really did a great job with capturing woman's beautiful movement and it gave a strong emotional beautiful feeling and show the beauty of woman movement. I would like to know your inspiration for your art.
This show is really interesting. I really enjoyed the Mangosteen and the flower quilt pieces Karen Sengel has done. I love how she used different shades, shapes, and patterns of individual pieces of cotton cloth and has sew it together to make an image. This must of taken lots of planning and time. I also like how the sewing seams are also pattened. My mom actually went to the show afterschool that day and commented on how beautiful the quilt pieces were. She even took some pictures (although the patterns can't be seen nearly as clear) to show my grandmother and is considering purchasing a piece to display at her office. The bright colors of the quilt really stand out and are warm enticing. I love the Mangosteen quilt because it's one of my favorite fruits.
ReplyDeleteTo: Karen Sengel
ReplyDeleteI'm enlighten by your art piece, the "Sandy Point Bluefish", I think that the significant uses of different colors of the ocean represents how the fish may come from various number of oceans. Just like an international student visiting many places and ending up here. Surrounding the ocean is the sandy beach I believed, the sandy beach from my point of view represents how international students can't get out of this multi-cultural system, and has to blend in as one. I really like this piece because of how you expressed the meaning, maybe it's not what you were meant to say, but this is what I interpreted.
To all 3 artists
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed all the different and interesting forms of art. They all caught my eye and kept my examining the piece.
To Ingrid Van Der Heyden:
I loved your use of rice paper and sheets. I would have something to ask you but unfortunately Haley already asked them and I love your thoughts as to why you used it and what you think of hotels. Thanks for showing me your style of art, loved it (especially the rice paper, couldn't take my eyes off it).
To Ingrid Van der Heyden:
ReplyDeleteI throughly enjoyed your selection of work from this exhibit. I noticed that all these pieces had a common underlying motif, that of human forms. Your choice to present this theme using unorthodox media proved to enhance these thematic elements. However, I noticed that among all these "soft" sculptures there was one "hard" sculpture, the piece titled Rising. I'd like to ask was there any significance in the piece's inclusion among your selection of work at the exhibit?
(Post by: Stporn Mint Nithikarnphisitha)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this art show. In this art show, Karen Sengel's art stood out to me. I really found her woven pieces of art interesting. I think her technique in using different patterns of cloth makes her piece brings the viewer to many thoughts and feelings. I think some of her pieces contains very significant objects that portrays themes and messages. These objects and its unifcation generates strong feeling in the viewer because they are involved within the piece. Thus, I also think her technique of using different threads to sew in different patterns gives a unique effect or look to the piece which is very interesting because some of the patterns look like swirls with directs the viewers eye to another object that symbolizes a significant message or theme.
Do you think the different colored pattern cloth have a significance of the "message" of the art piece? If so, why?
I found the show as a whole very interesting, as it used many different types of media and was very rich in theme. I especially enjoyed Ms.Van Der Hayden's works. I was confused by it at first, the violen impression of it mixing with the deeper meaning behind it.
ReplyDeleteI thought her use of shadowing on the lower body very beautiful, the delicate lines of the legs contrasting with the blood-smeared upper torso. I've never seen a form of art like this, and it was very inspiring to see a totally new form of art.
To Ms.Van Der Hayden:
What was your message behind your pieces?
i found many various intresting pieces of art. i liked many of the art pieces displayed there especially the quilts by Karen Sengel. the piece called plumaria it's a flower i see in jaa-tu-chak often and in many yards in thailand. i never really thought about the flower until now.
ReplyDeleteit is amazing one doesn't ever notice something in one's everyday life but when the folwer is displayed as a focal point only then one does see it's true beauty.
to Ms. Karen Sengel:
are yo8u trying to convey the message of hidden beauty in the flowers?
from Kara lin
I quite enjoyed Ingrid Van der Heyden's show on the human body. I liked the complexity of the pieces and how each one was characteristically different in its own way.
ReplyDeleteI was especially engrossed in the piece titled "Universal", I think it was quite ingenious to put various messages in different languages on the inside of the structure rather than on the outside.
To me the pieces are quite dream-like in nature giving me the sense of humanity with a small veil of escapism overlapping it.
to Ms. Van Der Heyden:
Although I know that you have a specific message in your pieces are you more interested in people understanding your message or forming one of their own while looking at your show?
-Amelia Chacon
In the art show, i found the quilt pieces to be very intresting. I liked how you used diffrent colors to grap the attention of viewers to focus on a seperate object. I exspecially liked the peice that had the tea pot and cup. The griding in the background made me focus on the detail within each box. It showed the simplicity of the peice and gave me a feeling of relaxtion.
ReplyDelete-Alex T
I found all the artists' works captivating but Ingrid Van der Heyden's artworks stood out the most to me. The use of different materials made it unique.
ReplyDeleteI would truly enjoy working with this artist. to understand how she perfected the technique of the media.
To: Ingrid Van der Heyden- How did you come to the conclusion of what media would be best for your work?
-Audrey N.
Despite what the above name says, I am not Julia, that is my mother's name. My name in Grant Simens.
ReplyDeleteOne piece that really caught my eye in the art show was "Woman in Motion" by Simona Ambrosini. Very rarely do you find a piece where two opposite characteristics of art are incorporated into one work of art. This piece has rhythm and complexity due to its twisting and looping pieces of metal, but this piece also has unity and simplicity because upon further inquiry, you find that the work has only two terminating ends of the metal, implying that there is only one piece of metal there. Both these aspects help shape and idea of what Simona wants the viewer to know. One could guess her main idea is that a woman's life, or 'movement' through life, may seem simple in a world of male dominance and female subsidence, but it is really a complex journey of twisting turns and loops. What I want to know from Simona Ambrosini is: What had drawn you to this unique media to convey your theme? Did this media seem more beneficial? Also, where in life do you get your inspiration for inorganic shapes such as the one in "Woman in Movement"?
-Grant Simens-
At the exhibition, Art Now , I found the works of Ingrid van der Heyden particularly interesting. Her works presented human body in a different way then I usually see them. Her works seem to be made out delicate materials, for me they have connotation of human soul, beauty and internal structure. From her works I found the plaster moulds with the filling the most thought provoking. For me they represent an individual struggling with social constructs, trying to maintain his individuality. The materials used for this piece could also emphasize this idea, as the white plaster mould could represent the strong influence of the society on the individual, whereas the delicate, brownish, cotton-like filling could represent his fragile and delicate nature. However, I think the piece could be ever more powerful if it was made in larger scale or as a series.
ReplyDeleteActually not Marta but Aleksandra
I really enjoyed this art show! it was something new. i loved the use of metal, and how the artist used it in various creative ways. The different compositions and placements of the metal pieces really intrigued me due to its simplicity. at the same time the simplicity of the piece made me think of something very sophisticated. i also loved the installation piece and how it was placed. The piece was really powerful and drew the viewers eyes to various different points on the installation. the use of different materials such as cloth and paint has somewhat inspired me to create somthing with cloth.
ReplyDeleteoverall i really enjoyed the show and learnt some new things. :)
Avika Sinchawla
the artist with the blanket works were most amusing to me as it is something i haven't seen before. Generally, i find three dimentional art aesthetically pleasing. the browns that were used is usually not my style as i like vibrant colors however, i found the idea of painting on cloth intriguing. one of the most interesting peices was the one on the pole. it reminded me of monkeys and how humans supposedly developed. i was surprised to find that not the whole cloth was painted. i found that this gave the pieces an edge. most of the pieces had one thing in common which were human figures in different forms. i love the idea of utilizing everyday products which is what i attempt to do with my own art. i believe i liked this artist's work because i found a connection to my own work
*Devika (sorry she was not able to post it from her computer)
the artist with the blanket works were most amusing to me as it is something i haven't seen before. Generally, i find three dimentional art aesthetically pleasing. the browns that were used is usually not my style as i like vibrant colors however, i found the idea of painting on cloth intriguing. one of the most interesting peices was the one on the pole. it reminded me of monkeys and how humans supposedly developed. i was surprised to find that not the whole cloth was painted. i found that this gave the pieces an edge. most of the pieces had one thing in common which were human figures in different forms. i love the idea of utilizing everyday products which is what i attempt to do with my own art. i believe i liked this artist's work because i found a connection to my own work.
ReplyDelete-Devika Sachdev not Tina
The art exhibition held many unique abract art pieces which I have never seen anything like it before. Especially the pieces that was created by a variety of quilts put together to form scenes of places, by Karen Sengel. One of them that interest me was the piece called "Goat Cravings". I am fascinated by this particular piece because of the gesture of the goat which was gazing from its fence to the outside world created the sensation of desire and temptation to escape and gain it's freedom. Aso from the colorful quilts that was used as the background lets the audience to use their own imagination to justify what it represents. In my perspective, I think it symbolizes freedom which the goat craves for.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for Karen Sengel: What was the main message behind thix art piece?
To Megha:
ReplyDeleteGreat remark that there is not one single canvas in the exhibition, I did not even notice and it is very interesting since the first thing we think about in making art is having a canvas to start with!
To rb-schudel:
ReplyDeleteUsing rice paper is very rewarding because its a century old medium used in China. It is so delicate but yet you can fold it in any form. You should try, you can first paint on it with ink and then glue it on your canvas, paint on it again...its fun.
To Jamkraprayoon:
ReplyDeleteWell the bronze is een older work that I have casted myself. I only did it once because it is a lot of work to do. Since I had to take out a few works I needed to replace them so I put in the bronze since it fitted in the concept. You are right it stands out actually, I did not look at it in that way.
To Mischa:
ReplyDeleteThe tell you the message behind each of my pieces it will take me too long but if you read my artist statement I hope it will answer your question.
To Audrey:
ReplyDeleteWell, first you look for a medium that mostly enforces the feeling you want to create. There are ofcourse more aspects to consider and that is if it is durable, movable (I mean not too heavy), etc. I also need to consider the fact that I live in a condominium and I need to take my work down in a small elevator.....I like to work big, so I need to be able to take things apart or fold up. Before you decide on the use you need to experiment with it and see if it gives what you want so before you come to a conclusion you need to weigh pro and cons.
To Aleksandra:
ReplyDeleteI quite like your interpretation of the plaster molds. And you are right that in a larger scale they would really be understood in that way. To be honest I did not make them with that idea in mind but a lot you create also comes out of the subconscious.
You have the style of writing of an art critic, I like it.
To: Nicha
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. As for getting the idea for using different patterns, I have always admired a quilter named Ruth McDowell for her ability to use wildly patterned fabrics in her art quilts. She is my inspiration. When making my quilts I pin up a variety of fabrics before I decide which ones to use. I once took a workshop with Ruth. I will always remember the time I pinned up a piece and she said, "That looks fine... but it's not very interesting." I think of that the whole time I am planning the fabric for my quilts. I want the colors to define my subject matter, but I also want it to be more than a painting. I want it to be interesting to look at.
To: Chaitan
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked my mangosteen quilt. It is one of my favorites.
I chose mangosteens as a subject for several reasons. First of all, I wanted something that was unique to Thailand or Asia. I am from the United States and no one even knows what mangosteens are! Also, I wanted to play with the idea of having a group of like-colored objects and working with fabric to define them. But mostly, I just love the colors I knew I would use in the quilt.. the contrast of the purple with the white flesh, as well as the dark inside of the fruit. I just thought it would be a visual treat. Oh, and did I mention that I love eating mangosteens??
To: anjanakoghar
ReplyDeleteIt can be tricky naming pieces. I have been told that less is more, and that a title should never be more than 2 or 3 words. So I often just think about the first thing that comes to mind when I look at a certain quilt. This quilt shows two vendors taking a break to look into the home of someone who owns a television. How long will they stand there, and what are they watching? I am from the USA and there is a popular news show that is called 60 Minutes. So this title is supposed to be a play on words. And that doesn't always work with an international audience!
To: =fann.chuni=9b
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, that is a very hard name to type.
Secondly, I am glad you liked my quilt. Your comments about the quilt Handmade were very thought-provoking. In reality, the reason the outside blue border had more pattern than the mud-brown background surrounding the subject matter is that if I put patterned background around the figure of the woman, your eye would be conflicted as to where to look. I wanted the focus to be on the woman sewing. The border is far enough removed to allow for more pattern. But I wish I'd had your idea instead! Thanks.
To Moeka
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you asked the question: Do you think about the sounds when you create a work of art?
My first reaction was "no" but then I started thinking about it. I am used to thinking of my quilts as visual, but then I looked at them carefully and realized that the colors and complexity of the design were also a reflection of the sound and energy present in what I was representing. So, I guess sound IS part of what I am thinking about when I am working on a piece. Thank you for pointing that out to me!
To: Harriet Gerrard:
ReplyDeleteYou posed an interesting question... is the look of the quilt more important than the concept or meaning of the piece?
The final product is not nearly as important to me as the rest of the process. I often end up with a quilt that is not how I imagined it. If you are interested in pursuing fashion design, the emphasis may be the opposite.
When I set out to make a quilt I start with an idea and an image in my head. Mostly I want to capture images of Thailand or other places in Asia that I have visited. The fabrics I have at the time limit my options, which is a good thing, to me! If I had unlimited choices, I may never make a decision.
There are many steps in the process of making my art quilts, and each one alters it slightly. When I am finished, I am always surprised and usually pleased. But the image almost never matches exactly what I had planned. This is part of what makes the process so exciting and fun!
To: Nicole
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that you enjoyed my quilt titled "60 Minutes?"
I spend a lot of time looking at pictures on the internet as well as my own pictures from my travels to get ideas. I also look at my friend's travel pictures. Eventually I come up with inspirations for a quilt. I often combine images or ideas into a picture, which I then work on representing in cloth.
This quilt was easy to imagine, as it is a typical scene in small villages. It is common for only one or two people to own a television and that becomes the center of attention. An interesting aside to this quilt is that when I shared it with people in the States, they all asked what that blue thing was. When shown to people who have traveled and lived in Thailand, they immediately knew it was a TV.
I realize that I design my quilts from my perspective and life experiences as an ex-pat living overseas. The subject matter of my quilts reflect that and I believe speak to a certain audience. I love what I have read about my work, in that I realize that it can be interpretted in many ways, some of which are so inspirational to me!
As to my advise to quilters...... Always remember, it is a quilt, not a photo. There is a BIG difference.
I really enjoyed the variety of artworks on display. I thought Ms. Karen Signel's wooden quilt, the Sandy Point Blue Fish was interesting because after discussing its possible meanings and associated ideas, the focal point of the fish caught my eye and I began to think that the artist was trying to get to a point using this piece of art. To me, the fish itself looks like a planet. The fins on its back stood like architecture, perhaps symbolizing hope or anxiety associated with the environmental issues at hand.
ReplyDeleteSo was there a specific theme to this piece of work and do you think my interpretation is appropriately suitable for your art?
I also think Ms Simona Ambrosini's artwork consisted of recycled materials added a great sense of diversity and unique beauty to the gallery. The piece Infinite formed by recycled iron wires caught my eye immediately. At first many of us thought it was a wig because of the wire's unique texture and composition. The thin materials seem fragile but together as a whole, the power and effect is magnified. I think this piece symbolizes the significance of unity within the society and the resulting strength of collaboration.
Do you believe that peace comes from unification? Is there a story behind this piece of artwork?
Thank You
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the "Woven Elements" show was very interesting, very distinct from previous shows in the use of unconventional media. While I found the works from each artist to be fascinating in its own way, I was especially captivated by Ms. Ingris Van der Heyden's works. I thought her pieces bore a very intimate feel, filled with subtle emotions. It is very interesting how the pieces are able to convey such "raw" emotions through such neutral color scheme. So questions to Ms. Ingris Van der Heyden: Which artist/s or art style has influenced your work? And why the emphasis on neutral tones?
ReplyDeleteI also have some questions for Ms. Simona Ambrosini: how do you choose the fabrics to use for each piece? do you have a collection of different types of fabrics that you select from or...?
This art show displayed various artworks of woven cloth portraying different aspects of various culture, as well as abstract art pieces made out of bronzed metal bent into indefinable shapes which resembled a much bigger meaning than what was depicted. After writing my method of critique paper during class, I dropped by afterschool again to admire the art works more thoroughly. By reading each of the artist statements and chosen titles, it challenged me to expand my vision and bring my understanding of the meaning of 'art' to another level. I found this art show especially unique in a sense that each of the art pieces primarily focused on only a few of the Principles of Design. For example, the use of different texture in a piece; In the quilt works, not only did the artist utilize different complementary color pairs to bring out their focus but she also used texture as a way to express the volume or feeling of the atmosphere created. After reading my fellow classmate’s blogs and inquiries as well as the artists’ reply, I feel that I’ve captured a sense of how an artist’s mind works and I feel inspired to practice it in my own works in the future.
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing the "Woven Elements" exhibition in the Chevron gallery, on piece that really spoke to and inspired me was Ingrid van der Heyden's "The Flow". The dynamic qualities and choice of media; acryllic and wall putty, and her palette of pale blues, browns, and grays lent a tone of calmness and peacefulness to the piece. This was representative of Ingrid's theme of inner entities and revealing who you are in your sleep.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found was particularly eye-catching was the stark contrast between the smoothness of the female figure against the abstract high relief of the wall putty; one could definitely experience the different energies that were expressed in the work.
Ingrid, I am really inspired by your phenomenal work, and I would love to learn from you in a workshop and experiment with your choices of media and colours so that I can apply similar techniques to my next piece which deals with the concept of sexual abuse of the victims of human trafficking.
The art show was very interesting to me. I really enjoyed looking at the pieces by
ReplyDeleteIngrid Van der Heyden. She had her own unique style of art, especially the pieces with the theme of 'chi' was very unique. It was interesting to listen to her explanation of her works. I really liked how she put the detail on her work with putti. I was so inspired by her piecese so I am now planning to use putti in my pieces.
The 'Woven Elements' Art show was really fun and interesting to look at. My eyes were delighted seeing the different textures and patterns on different kinds of medias.
ReplyDeleteHowever three beautiful pieces lined in a row caught my eye from the very beginning and was just fascinating to me.I was quickly drawn to Ingrid van der Heyden's collages made of rice paper,images, and ink. The texture of the folded and wrinkled rice paper and Jackson Pollack styled ink drippings contrasted with the sensual images of the human body. In the midst of all the chaos(the rice paper and ink) the slight touch of femininity complimented each other and created a nice balance of soft and hard. I was very inspired from this, and in the future, I would like use contrasting elements to make my pieces more interesting.
A question to Ms. Ingrid van der Heyden:
I interpreted these pieces to be about anger and forgiveness, however i would like to know what each of elements in the pieces represented for you and what gave you the inspiration to create such beautiful pieces.
I was really inspired by Ingrid van der Heyden's artworks. It was eye-opening to see many different kinds of materials being used in an artwork. I especially liked her concept of a 'dissecting room' because the exhibition does give out that sense of atmosphere. Her pieces, as well as the way everything is set up, really illustrates the 'dissecting' of the human soul. This has made me aware of how there is a certain way an exhibition can be organized to enhance the pieces that is placed in it. This effect wouldn't be the same if random pieces of work were just put in without a plan.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Ingrid's work really has energy and it looks alive. It is so interesting to see how she breaks away from the conventional canvas artwork and into creating her own personal form of art.
This show is very interesting and innovative for me. The meduim used (and ofcourse, the idea) is quite diverse and unqiue from the other Artnow shows that I've seen.
ReplyDeleteI particularly love Ingrid Van der Headen's installation that ran up the column, I think it's a very inviting way of presenting an art piece. And I can't help but notice how the cliche of using the human form does not apply to her works. For example the quilted art pieces does not bore the eye, but it is rather a pleasure to examine it, this is probably because of the neutral color scheme and the complex postions and details on the human forms in the pieces.
As for Simona Ambrosini's pieces, I totally love the rawness that I feel when I view her work. It looks very modern: simple but beautiful. And the simple forms causes the mind to wander and come up with different ideas for what might be the meaning behind the art. And the fine wire pieces makes me think of wigs and hair, she made metal look so soft!
When I saw Karen Sengel's pieces, I immedietly thought of my classmate, Kayla Park. I love how Karen's work is so colorful and full of patterns! She doesn't only pick plain colored fabric to make her pieces, but cleverly chooses various cloth and compiled them together so smoothly. My favorite piece must be the "Khwai" one, it made me smile the instance I saw it, maybe because of the thai word (ควาย) repeated around the cute buffalo itself...I'm Thai, so to me the word repeatedly present seems like the buffalo is telling someone off for being stupid (in a funny way) because when you say someone is "khwai" in Thai you're calling them stupid. Haha, I like it, also because the buffalo itself looks so nonchalant.
This artnow show is definitely one of my favorites!
I really enjoyed the Woven Elements art show. I loved all the different colors in the quilts! I thought it was a very creative way to create a picture, but without having to use paint and other materials. I really enjoyed the piece called, "Lifeblood in Metal". I thought it was a very interesting piece of art and it draws you in and makes you really study the piece.
ReplyDelete-Kristin Lowe-
I really enjoyed the art show displayed in the uncial; it was fascinating to see all this unique and meaningful pieces of art. But the one piece I most enjoyed was the “rising” a sculpture made by Ingrid Van der Heyden. What I thought of when I observed this sculpture I notice the metallic texture and the rigged edges of the sculpture. It my mind I thought the sculpture symbolized rising or of something painful or dire. The thing that caught my eye was the stance the sculpture was rising in, I found it interesting it seemed it was difficult to rise from the idea or thing that was pulling the figure down. What the sculpture made me think of was pain, like it’s painful to raise our but it needs to be done. The one thing I would like to ask is was there any thought to the design of what the sculpture is rising out of, for example was the rigged ends of the thing that the sculpture is rising out of? I quit enjoyed the art show and especially your this piece of yours. Your piece drew me in and made me truly think of what your sculpture resembled.
ReplyDeleteAlex de vries
I really liked the art pieces in the show. each artist had a different style of their own- like Ingrid Van der Headen's installation, Simona Ambrosini's metal pieces and the quilts by Karen Sengel.
ReplyDeleteI really loved the way Karen used different colored/patterned materials and sewed them together to make it into a quilt etc. and I also found Ingrid's installation really interesting- especially the colors and techniques used in the pieces. There seemed to be quite alot of symbolism and the pieces drew people in. However, my favorite pieces were such as Woman in Movement by Simona Ambrosini. I found all her pieces really interesting- though it was quite simple, but it was unique- because the composition of the metal or bronze sheet etc were really unique and there was a strange feeling when I looked at it. The first time I saw I saw her pieces I was actually really amazed. I actually wondered why i thought it was so amazing- because it was not too fancy or too plain, but there seemed to be some kind of meaning in each piece.......
I enjoyed the art show and would really like to meet these artists. It would be really nice to see how they work and get to know more about what inspired them to do their art work- their theme and style.. etc.
:)
To: Karen Sengel
ReplyDeleteThe work you made by quilt was fantastic~!!
I really enjoyed watching your work. Especially I liked your "Waiting" because it made me feel like waiting in the sun myself.
The fabric with various patterns and colors were also very beautiful, and the bright colors of the umbrella seemed to make me focus on it.
It was a beautiful work~!!:)
-So Yeon
To Simona Ambrosini
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people have told you this already but all of your art works were so amazingly original in a way that I have never seen originality before. They all appeared to be simple yet there was something about every piece of your designs that made the viewers think about what they really were. I especially liked the 'Transparencies series 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5' because, to be honest I don't exactly know but the fact that you put a transparent design on glass, something that was also transparent appealed to me. Maybe it wasn't your intention to display the transparencies series that way but I found it very interesting and thouht provoking. They even looked like decaying roses from one perspective. This may sound like a very straight forward question but I would really like to know what kind of images you had in mind when you were creating the transparencies series.
- ju ahn -
Karen Sengel's work really captured my attention, because of her use of her use of pattern along with color.
ReplyDeleteMs.Sengel your peices provoked thoughts of poverty and colorful culture. didi you mean for this?
Unfortunately, this terrific show comes down today.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the insightful comments and questions from students and the thoughtful responses from the artists. My students join me in congratulating the artists on the successful exhibit and thank them for the time and effort necessary to transform the gallery into an exciting educational experience.
I hope you will continue to follow this blog
and comment as we post student's original art.
To Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI am most interested in depicting everyday life and objects in Asia.... the fruit, flowers and animals, the women performing tasks such as sewing, shopping, selling. They are slices of Asia that have struck me and I want to represent them simply in my quilts. I understand that hilltribe people may represent poverty to many, but my thoughts aren't on that, but on the gracefulness with which they carry out their jobs. As for using patterned fabrics along with color, this adds interest to the overall picture and very much keeps it from remaining a quilt rather than a photograph. I am glad you liked my work.
Karen Sengel
The show was very interesting. I was explicitly interested in Ingrid's section because I personally like painting. What made that part of the show much more interesting is the fact that the painting was done on an installation. The show spooked me a bit but I love the idea of having the body as just a crust but the soul as the real essence of a human being. In terms of Ingrid's techniques, the painting were done very well and the style of her painting added more stress to the emotions that is received by the viewer.
ReplyDeleteNatcha
the comment above was done before www but for some reason it didn't show up so this is the re-post of it.
ReplyDeleteThe show was interesting and unique to see because of all the different types of art. I really enjoyed the patterns and colors used in the quilt pieces in order to lead the views to focus of certain parts and objects, helping portray the main point of the quilts. What was the most surprising to me was how something that initially seems pleasingly simple turns into something more complex with a wide range of possible interpretations as you continue to observe the art work more. It was also surprising as to that when you think of art, you automatically think of paintings, drawings, etc. It was quite interesting to see various types of art in this show.
ReplyDeleteAre there any specific themes you wanted portrayed with the quilt works?
I found the overall show very interesting. I enjoyed looking at all the different quilts and the several techniques used in each. I really found the piece by Karen Sengel very interesting because it used many different colors and techniques all in one piece and made the piece very vibrant. This was the one piece that caught my eye and really expanded my perspective on what art actually is. I would realy like to work with these materials one day because i feel thatyou cando many things with them and it is also a way to expand your creativity.
ReplyDeleteSharad
The piece that really drew me in was “Wilson’s Sheet” by Ingrid van Der Heyden. The texture of the piece really stands out. It portrayed an amazing sense of realism. This gives the illusion that someone is in fact actually lying there, under, the sheet when it is observed. This makes the viewer stop and actually look at the piece, stunned at the sheer shock value of the art. The piece conveys several principles of design but its foremost important aspects are its strong rhythm and focal point. The hands, particularly, stand out, as they seem to direct one’s eyes across the bodies and onto the writing. Although the writing would seem out of place next to the motionless bodies, it somehow brings a sense of unity to the piece. Another part of its beauty is due to its lighting. The shadows are already taken care of as the piece is three-dimensional which gives an illusion of complete grey-scale and a strong visual balance.
ReplyDeletePersonally, the piece generates a lot of ideas regarding death and home. The bodies strewn across the sheet and the expression of the figures seem to be almost peaceful, like the are sleeping. I’m sure that the artist was attempting to convey a message of belongong as the writing off the othe side is mainly focused on not having a ged or even home to come back to.
Although the theme is shown rather blatantly, using writing in a poetic manner brings a certain mystery to the piece. Although I can see no cultural or historical references, I’m sure that the idea of homelessness was a factor in the creation of the piece, Another subtle hint of death are the coffee stains reminiscent of blood that appears to be spilling out of the bodies that lay in half.
Question for the artist, Ingrid Van der Heyden: “Was homelessness really a factor in your piece?”
-Zachary Williams
I enjoyed your work very much.
ReplyDeleteI liked it.
Do you have any reasons why you chose mangosteen not mango or other Thai fruits.