....of college.
Leaving the studio, 12/19/12.
And another one
5 days ago
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, November 02, 2012
I had my first solo art show!
The reception was tiny (not a lot of people showed up), but nice.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
An update slice
Part of a painting that is due tomorrow that's still not finished, & i have only a little bit of time before class tomorrow to try & get it done. It's on a piece of canvas that's about 18x72". I think 72" is the biggest i've ever gone on anything before.
Also, i will be having my very own little solo show from October 29 through November 2nd (more like the 1st). I'll give more information as time goes on-- like once the guy who's supposed to email people emails people-- like where it is & when there may possibly be a little reception. So this is just a heads up, & a suggestion to maybe not be doing anything on the night of November 1st.
Monday, September 17, 2012
An update loaf
Before that, in college land, we got assigned to do 100 paintings (/drawings??) in one week.
Monday, August 06, 2012
I can't stand that pink thing about shaving
Unfortunately, i can't seem to find it through Google, so i'll
have to describe the thing from memory: a scanned image of a drawing
and writing in black on pink paper. The drawing is of a hairy leg
being shaved, and i guess it's meant to be seen as female because the
nails are put in as a detail. The writing, of which i can no longer
remember the actual phrasing, went something along the lines of how
shaving is "slightly mutilating" one's body.
There is so much wrong with this that i don't even know where to start, except that i'm glad i haven't seen the thing in over a year.
Let's start with the language, because it's the first thing that can strike someone has being not just problematic, but frankly disgusting. When you remove hair, however you do it, you are simply removing hair. You can't hurt hair. Equating the removal of hair with mutilation, specifically with self-mutilation, is thoughtless and hurtful. Do you know what self-mutilation is? It's not hair removal. It's not even nicking yourself when you shave. If shaving is mutilation, then what's a hair cut? What's getting a tattoo? Piercings? All things that people who don't shave can and still do. But seriously, this is beyond unfortunate language use, it's plain ignorant. It's ignorant of the truth of self-harm, of the emotions involved in it, of the stigma surrounding it. It paradoxically plays it down by trying to elevate shaving to a hyperbolic level. Hair removal is not self-harm. You degrade & downplay the experiences of all self-harmers when you trivialize them like this. Removing one's hair is not the same as cutting, and it is outright disgusting to see someone try to claim it is.
And the fact of the matter is that it plays right into shaming. It's already problematic enough that mutilation is regarded as shameful, as "What the fuck is wrong with you?" which doesn't help people at all, but for this supposedly feminist "don't shave" image, it's made doubly disgusting that they should fall back on this fact.
Which leads into more of the issues with this image. Because, at its heart, it's not actually changing anything. It still is relying on shame and shaming, the same as everything in society that tells women "This is who you should be, this is how you should look." Society relies on shaming women to get them to shave, by telling them their hair is gross at its worst and worthy of frat-boy humor at best. This is clearly wrong and harmful and something should be done, yes, but this pink drawing isn't doing it. The paradigm remains the same: it still relies on shame. It relies on the view that mutilation is shameful, which leaves many people to suffer in silence; it relies on the shaming of someone who decides what to do with their own body. It relies on telling you that you are wrong if you don't do X. It doesn't matter that now they're saying "shaving is bad; don't shave," the message is still the same, the structure is still the same.
It's one thing to be aware that, when one chooses to remove one's hair, that messages from society-- and even family and friends-- play into that decision, that there is still an element of societal shame at work. But for some people, they make more of a choice because they want to do this thing, the same way as someone may make the choice to not shave. The same goes for wearing dresses, or makeup, or high heels. Yes, there is always society's patriarchal ideas of "this is what a woman is," but there are also those women who say, "I want to do this thing." That doesn't make them any less of a person, or any less of a feminist (if they are one). Hairy legs do not a feminist make.
I was under the impression that feminism meant "I believe that you can be who you are and that you should still be treated as a human being and an equal, no matter what." That no matter whether you shave or not, that you should still be treated as a person, as an equal, with dignity.
This image is not revolutionary. All it's doing is flipping who says what is "beautiful." It switches A for B and vice versa. If society says "Shave your legs because your hair is gross," this image says, "Don't shave your legs because that's mutilation". How is that any better? Both play on shame that has been ingrained into certain acts by our society. Now instead of following society's idea of beauty, you're expected to follow a new one, while putting down anyone who opts for the former. That's not any better. It's actually really petty, when you consider the actual issues that feminism faces, and the issues that people have with it, such as excluding transwomen (and i'd guess many other gender-queer/-fluid people) and women of color. But no, let's instead fixate on telling women not to shave!
What would really be a change is actually so obvious that it should be embarrassing that it has to be pointed out: Telling women that whichever they choose, they can, and that it's okay. Shock! It's fine if you want to shave! It's fine if you don't want to shave! How hard is that to say?
These are the kind of people who go on and on about the patriarchy, and yet fall back on the same tools used by the patriarchy. That isn't feminism, it's internalized misogyny. To shame other women who do shave, or wear makeup, or like the color pink, isn't being feminist or ~*revolutionary*~, it's called being just as sexist as anyone who would shame a woman who doesn't shave or wear makeup. The paradigm remains the same, the terms just change.
Telling women (cis, trans*, and everyone in between) not to shave by making the act shameful is not the same as pointing out the issues with telling women they have to shave, and then connecting that to the broad, overarching issues. It's one thing to say, "Let's talk about how society shames women into altering the natural state of their bodies and what that can do to a person." That's something that ought to be discussed. But not by shaming, and not by making it out that, if you don't shave, that makes you a better person and feminist. Isn't there enough shaming of women already? People get it from society as it is, do they really need any more from so-called "feminists"?
There is so much wrong with this that i don't even know where to start, except that i'm glad i haven't seen the thing in over a year.
Let's start with the language, because it's the first thing that can strike someone has being not just problematic, but frankly disgusting. When you remove hair, however you do it, you are simply removing hair. You can't hurt hair. Equating the removal of hair with mutilation, specifically with self-mutilation, is thoughtless and hurtful. Do you know what self-mutilation is? It's not hair removal. It's not even nicking yourself when you shave. If shaving is mutilation, then what's a hair cut? What's getting a tattoo? Piercings? All things that people who don't shave can and still do. But seriously, this is beyond unfortunate language use, it's plain ignorant. It's ignorant of the truth of self-harm, of the emotions involved in it, of the stigma surrounding it. It paradoxically plays it down by trying to elevate shaving to a hyperbolic level. Hair removal is not self-harm. You degrade & downplay the experiences of all self-harmers when you trivialize them like this. Removing one's hair is not the same as cutting, and it is outright disgusting to see someone try to claim it is.
And the fact of the matter is that it plays right into shaming. It's already problematic enough that mutilation is regarded as shameful, as "What the fuck is wrong with you?" which doesn't help people at all, but for this supposedly feminist "don't shave" image, it's made doubly disgusting that they should fall back on this fact.
Which leads into more of the issues with this image. Because, at its heart, it's not actually changing anything. It still is relying on shame and shaming, the same as everything in society that tells women "This is who you should be, this is how you should look." Society relies on shaming women to get them to shave, by telling them their hair is gross at its worst and worthy of frat-boy humor at best. This is clearly wrong and harmful and something should be done, yes, but this pink drawing isn't doing it. The paradigm remains the same: it still relies on shame. It relies on the view that mutilation is shameful, which leaves many people to suffer in silence; it relies on the shaming of someone who decides what to do with their own body. It relies on telling you that you are wrong if you don't do X. It doesn't matter that now they're saying "shaving is bad; don't shave," the message is still the same, the structure is still the same.
It's one thing to be aware that, when one chooses to remove one's hair, that messages from society-- and even family and friends-- play into that decision, that there is still an element of societal shame at work. But for some people, they make more of a choice because they want to do this thing, the same way as someone may make the choice to not shave. The same goes for wearing dresses, or makeup, or high heels. Yes, there is always society's patriarchal ideas of "this is what a woman is," but there are also those women who say, "I want to do this thing." That doesn't make them any less of a person, or any less of a feminist (if they are one). Hairy legs do not a feminist make.
I was under the impression that feminism meant "I believe that you can be who you are and that you should still be treated as a human being and an equal, no matter what." That no matter whether you shave or not, that you should still be treated as a person, as an equal, with dignity.
This image is not revolutionary. All it's doing is flipping who says what is "beautiful." It switches A for B and vice versa. If society says "Shave your legs because your hair is gross," this image says, "Don't shave your legs because that's mutilation". How is that any better? Both play on shame that has been ingrained into certain acts by our society. Now instead of following society's idea of beauty, you're expected to follow a new one, while putting down anyone who opts for the former. That's not any better. It's actually really petty, when you consider the actual issues that feminism faces, and the issues that people have with it, such as excluding transwomen (and i'd guess many other gender-queer/-fluid people) and women of color. But no, let's instead fixate on telling women not to shave!
What would really be a change is actually so obvious that it should be embarrassing that it has to be pointed out: Telling women that whichever they choose, they can, and that it's okay. Shock! It's fine if you want to shave! It's fine if you don't want to shave! How hard is that to say?
These are the kind of people who go on and on about the patriarchy, and yet fall back on the same tools used by the patriarchy. That isn't feminism, it's internalized misogyny. To shame other women who do shave, or wear makeup, or like the color pink, isn't being feminist or ~*revolutionary*~, it's called being just as sexist as anyone who would shame a woman who doesn't shave or wear makeup. The paradigm remains the same, the terms just change.
Telling women (cis, trans*, and everyone in between) not to shave by making the act shameful is not the same as pointing out the issues with telling women they have to shave, and then connecting that to the broad, overarching issues. It's one thing to say, "Let's talk about how society shames women into altering the natural state of their bodies and what that can do to a person." That's something that ought to be discussed. But not by shaming, and not by making it out that, if you don't shave, that makes you a better person and feminist. Isn't there enough shaming of women already? People get it from society as it is, do they really need any more from so-called "feminists"?
Friday, July 27, 2012
How I Almost (But Didn't) Drown Last Tuesday
Seriously: don't go back in the ocean if you're even a little tired (which is what i did). And if you're an inexperienced swimmer, either go out with someone else who is, or be really aware of where you are & what the current may be doing. I think that i got so wrapped up in wave jumping that i didn't notice that i had been carried a little further out & north-- not too far out, but far out enough that i couldn't touch bottom. And i also wore myself out even more than i already was by swimming, both before this happened & when i realized that things weren't feeling 100% okay anymore. I stayed calm, but i wonder if any panic found its way out in my swimming, because i got tired very quickly. My legs felt like they didn't want to move anymore, & i got very winded. Which leads me to the next point: know that you can wave for a lifeguard's help. I didn't know this; i thought i would have to yell, which i couldn't do because i was winded. If i hadn't spoken up, & if i hadn't been heard, & if this guy didn't help me, i would either be drowned, or there would have been a big scene made that day on the beach.
The day after this was a bad day for swimming, so i didn't go in. On Thursday, after standing for way too long on the shore, getting mad at myself, i got back in. Twice.
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Art Shows
Well, power's still not back, but hopefully it will be today. Then we just have to hope the forecasted storms on Sunday don't knock it right back out....
Even though i'm not going to backtrack & show everything, i figured i would at least show some art show pictures, from both the Towson University Senior Show & the group show, Flux Capacity, at Nudashank.
The space the show took place in used to be a Kinko's, hence the name "the Kinko's Space," as least casually, if not officially.
It actually got really crowded! Meanwhile, here's Megan being silly, looking at one of my lithographs.
And one of Margaret's installations in a little closet:
Megan looking at her work & laughing:
Here's Will & some Franzia.
Chelsey!
Why not throw in a ridiculous picture? The world might as well know! Here i am, looking the weirdest, with Janna. Who will probably hate me for uploading this.
Eric & the awesome Lindsay, who put a ton of work into getting this show up & installed & ready to go!
Then the first Saturday night of June was the opening of the Flux Capacity group show at Nudashank (which was mentioned on the Brown Paper Bag Blog). Here's the work i had in it:
Here's a blurry David...
...and Megan taking a picture of me taking a picture of her taking a picture of......
A token wine glass, feat. Tiny Plant.
And Megan's cup.
The H&H building, where Nudashank is, is also a live/work space for artists, as i understand it. So there was a cat wandering around before the show started.
Right before our show opened, we stopped by SophiaJacob really quickly to look at the show there, & to say hi to the guys there.
Back at the H&H building...
Some more of Margaret's work:
I don't know this lady, but i wholeheartedly appreciate this picture, thanks to her:
I like to take pictures of people looking at my stuff.
David's installation/performance piece, acted out by his sister & her girlfriend 8who had only just gotten off a plane!):
More Will & Wine. OTP?
And Will & Becca at the end of the night; haha!
If you see the work of anyone who i neglected to mention & it interests you, let me know & i can check to see if 1)i know them/remember their name (hey man, i'm bad at names), & 2)if they have a website.
(I changed my mind. I like this new layout. Uploading pictures is so much more easy & fast now!)
Even though i'm not going to backtrack & show everything, i figured i would at least show some art show pictures, from both the Towson University Senior Show & the group show, Flux Capacity, at Nudashank.
First, the opening night of the Senior Show.
Here's all of my work that was in the show:
Then the first Saturday night of June was the opening of the Flux Capacity group show at Nudashank (which was mentioned on the Brown Paper Bag Blog). Here's the work i had in it:
Maybe one day i'll get a decent picture of this drawing (which i still need to spray fix better; but it's been too hot & humid to do it!).
(I changed my mind. I like this new layout. Uploading pictures is so much more easy & fast now!)
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