Juan Castillo

My project hasn’t changed much since I began working on it,
but some things have unexpectedly changed direction. For example, my idea for
the Christmas commentary piece has completely shifted from commenting on the
commercialization of that holiday, to a piece that questions our idea of
originality. That particular piece has turned into a very graphic work,
consisting of only two calculus expressions on a flat, white background. The
Christmas roots of the piece have not been lost, however. In an art history
class that I’m taking, we’re discussing Walter Benjamin’s concept of an artwork’s
aura. Part of what constitutes a work
of art’s aura, is its history. I
figure, if I choose Christmas colors (green and red) to allude to the original idea,
that will add to the story behind the piece and ultimately add to its aura.
The miscellaneous part of my project, about using the
painting as a way to capture things, has been used to capture the music of Bill
Evans. I enjoy listening to music while working, but I tend to gravitate toward
instrumental work. Hence, I end up listening to a bunch of jazz piano, and Bill
Evans is usually who I prefer. Lately, I’ve found comfort in his music, not
just as a way help pass time, but as a place, a familiar place, to comfort me
in an uncertain part of my life. Having temporarily found peace of mind through
his music on multiple occasions, I wanted to capture, not only his music, but
how I feel when listening to him play the piano. I’ve done some charcoal
drawings of Evans himself, and a couple of paintings on Masonite. In the
paintings, I tried to capture his music by holding acrylic tubes in each hand
and responding to one of his songs.

Inspiration And Names

Versace spring ad
"The ever changing face of beauty" Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiWdG1lSA8Q
Jean Paul Gaultier @ DMA
Anthropologie

alexander mcqueen dress

Matt Youngblood Project Update

I will have a minimum of three pieces. Piece 1 has been shown in class and is on newsprint. I doubt I will alter this piece anymore and am considering it complete. Piece 2 is on Reeves BFK and has not been shown in class. It consists of some drawing in pastel and some form of printmaking/painting. Piece 3 is a collage of all the prints I showed during Critique 2 for group 2. I am now making it a point to work with larger plates in my printmaking practice, reflecting on the three pieces above and the large size they are. I was talked out of doing the largest plate that I could, but am still doing a plate that is the largest I’ve done before. This is the next project. I may make this next piece into a collage to better fit with the overall quality of my pieces. I think I have exhausted myself on trying to explore Noah's idea of incorporating painting and printmaking, or make printmaking more like painting, at least to any complex degree. I am staying more closely to printmaking now.

Piece 2 was made by taking small rectangular strips of copper plate and coating them with ink and putting them through the press many times with multiple copper strips laid down. The surface of the paper was first painted. The final touches were done with pastel.

I think what I am doing here is essentially trying to find an alternative form of printmaking, or not settling for the standard practices I see in the SMU printmaking courses. That is why I am now reluctant to just have the prints themselves, and instead want to make them into collages. I also will not be going back to small plates, which was actually the norm for me before this class.  

For the collages, I am using the Reeves BFK paper we use in printmaking, and simply organizing the pieces however I want. I am trying to make the pieces rectangular in form, and am trying not to do the whole collage all at once. One thing I have now added to my art practice is that I will rotate the piece to different views, and not work on it from one single axis or view. I do see potential that I could take the idea of the collage further, but don’t think I will take it further than what it is now.

I estimate I will have one to two more pieces by the time of the exhibition. So, I will have four to five pieces total. I don't have any titles for the pieces, but think I should probably include them, along with a little card with cataloging information. We discussed alternative ways of arranging the pieces in the show in class, but don't know if I am going to do this.

Kate Egan Update

My objective of creating the four elements of the earth in clothing, furniture, 
photos, frames, and video is coming along nicely.  I knew that this was an ambitious 
undertaking but so far everything is progressing. The furniture ideas are still 
the same as they were originally. I am conceptualizing the element and transforming what 

was or is a chair. The end result is an interesting “sculptural” piece that translates the 
ideas that I feel towards each element. The clothing as a whole is near 
completion. Final touches are being made and since completing the original 
ideas, I have come up with new interpretive ways to create a garment based on 
something, for example, that is usually in a liquid state. With the completion of 
these garment pieces, I have set up photo-shoot dates and finalized the model list. I have 
lookbook type portfolios set up for each shoot and have scouted the location for 
the photos. The video is also coming along. With my recent trip to Florida I was 
able to get some interesting footage for each section of the video. I have a 
concept and thoughts about angles and movement that I wanted to video during the 
shoot. The problem that I always run into when creating a video is having all 
the video clips that I need during the editing and manipulating process. I 
always wish I had more shots or had done something differently. So thinking of 
all possible ideas before the shoot is crucial for me. As well as I always second guess 
the style of video that was first created and want to restart.


As to the set up of the show I want to have one of the larger walls in the 
Doolin and hang the four pictures but have space in the middle for a projection 
of the video. The furniture will sit under the appropriate photo (corresponding element). Then

the 
clothing I want to suspend from the the tracks in the middle of the Doolin using invisible wire. To fill out the bodies of the clothing I think I might buy 
inflatable or plastic torsos.