In May, I was a part of the Senior BFA Art Show at the University of Denver. I have been in art exhibitions before, but this one was much more intense than the others. I’ve never been to an opening of my own work either, and found out that I really dislike them.
The whole experience of creating a piece of work that is basically the culmination of my college career was very stressful. It was tough on me because I knew hundreds of people are going to see and judge my work, which is part of being an artist, but something I haven’t gotten comfortable with quite yet. I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable showing my work to other people. However, it was something I had to do, and I’m glad I had to go through it.
The opening reception was May 14th, and I think it went pretty well. The whole time I was there I wanted to leave and hated that people I knew, people I didn’t know, teachers, artists, etc, would be seeing my work. I think that might be because I was having doubts and wasn’t entirely happy with my project. While I think it was a good project, I felt I could’ve done better, or should have fixed parts of my project to make it better. But that is just what I do as an artist; criticize myself to the point where I’m unhappy with the work.
However, after talking with people, friends, and family, I began to feel better about my project and am to the point where I’m comfortable with what I created. This show was a great learning experience for me and helped me realize I need to believe in myself and believe in my work. I may not always be happy with something I make, but I need to trust in my work and believe what others tell me regarding my work.
Recently at the Starz Film Center in downtown Denver, the independent movie Ink was playing. This independent film was made entirely in Denver on a minimal budget, but one wouldn’t know just by seeing it. Ink is one of the best movies I’ve seen all year, better than most big Hollywood movies.
This fantasy film tells the story of a little girl who has been kidnapped by nightmare demons in her sleep, and a group of dream people who try to save her. There is also a side-story about the little girls relationship with her father as they try to bond and move past her mothers death. The movie is hard to explain without giving away the story, or what exactly is going on. It feels very much like a dream the whole time, making it hard to determine what is actually happening.
Everything about this movie was incredible, from the acting, to the visual style, to the sound, to the story and even the characters. The good guys truly felt believable and I felt as though they really cared about the little girl, whom they were trying to save. The nightmare demons, or Incubus’, were unlike any villain I’ve seen before and really were creepy and terrifying. I became enthralled in the movie and found myself caring about the characters, including Ink, who is a troubled villain trying to find his way.
It was cool watching the movie and recognizing the places they filmed the movie in Denver. The night I saw the movie, one of the producers and two actors in the film were there to talk about it, including the production and post-production, and where the film is headed. It was interesting to learn that all of the sound in the movie, including voices, was done in post-production, requiring actors to dub their lines over the video. The film has also received so much buzz, that it has started playing around the country, and it was even picked up by a Hollywood movie studio. So, if you get the chance, see Ink. You won’t regret it.
The Denver Art Museum has an exhibit called the Psychedelic Experience, where there are hundreds of rock posters from 1960s San Francisco Bay Area. I had planned on going to this exhibit on my own time but had the chance to go with a class, which made it more enjoyable. I was able to talk with my peers about the posters and hear what they thought. I had a great time at this exhibit and even found myself inspired to create work similar to what I had seen.
It was really fantastic to see all of these old reprints and original posters, how each artist had their own style and how they influenced each other. I really enjoy these type of old posters, where the text is always different and morphs into shapes and objects. Text is the most important part of these posters, as it is always the largest part and often the most noticeable thing. Each poster, while following the same theme and formula, is different and amazing in their own way. Some posters used images from pop culture and photos of people to emphasize the event.
While most of the posters were new to me, there was one that I was very familiar with. I forget who the artist was, but there was a poster for a concert in Denver at what is now PT’s Show Club. My old roommate had this poster hanging in his room that he got from his dad. It was cool to see a piece of art in a museum that I had seen elsewhere in person.
There was also a part of the museum with different exhibits showing the ‘60s lifestyle, where you could look and listen to old records, view old magazines, and even make your own psychedelic poster using images from other posters. This whole experience allows me, someone not around in the ‘60s, to see what the culture was like and what living would have been like back than.
Just a quick post on a set of pictures I came upon. Three swings were set up on the San Francisco BART railway, and someone documented other people using them. A great idea of site-specific design, where the swings were specifically set up on the train to maybe lighten to mood on train ride. BART Swings.
