Art Statement

I create art because it is a different way for me to communicate and express myself. There are many people who call themselves artists and really use that to define and shape the way they live their life. Some dance, act, paint, sculpt or are in a band. I am not one of these people. My everyday life does not encompass "art" and most days pass without the though of "art" even entering my mind. This is probably why I enjoy creating art when I do. It is a chance for me to use a different part of my brain, express myself in a different way. It is a chance for me to show myself and others that I have more dimensions to me than the ones I usually focus on.

-Alex

Art Statement

I have found that the things that interest me the most are the things
that make me laugh. My sense of humor has always been my
inspiration in my art. If it’s not funny to me or doesn’t have a comical
taste to it, I find it very boring and my full effort isn’t put into it.
Knowing my weaknesses, which is writing and speaking, I’ve been
able to express my sense of humor easily through different mediums
of art. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words, with out all
the spell checking and rewrites. With any type of humor, if the idea is
not convey clearly, well it’s not funny. So I rely on my art to fully
express my humor. Using everything from a simple drawing to a
elaborate short video. My sense of humor is my art.

Art Statement

I am presently exploring the implications of a low
fidelity printing process I have been integrating into
my painting for the last year. This process emphasizes
the physical presence and manipulation of paint and
canvas as well as the chance combinations of color
that frequently emerge. The result is that color in my
work functions as a material, rather than
expressionistically, illusionistically or
symbolically. For this reason, the viewer comes to
terms more with how the work is painted than what the
work is. Thus, the emphasis falls equally on the
physical and the visual with chance playing a large
role in the final outcome. I am trying to expose the
materiality of painting through the low fidelity
printmaking processes I employ. This exposure makes
visible the way in which materials, at least in equal
measure to or perhaps more than content, propel
painting.


Daniel

Art Statement

To me my art isn’t about the idea, the process, the meaning, or even the combination of the three. Everyone one has ideas, everyone has a process to creating art, and everyone has meaning in what they create. Rather my art is a dialogue between how I see and interact with the world around me. It is the interaction between the canvas and me, through the use of different mediums. My art is an ongoing conversation with the world around me, and I try to keep it animated.

John Sabbath

Art Statement

I have spent too much time pursuing the practical end of something to fall back on since music, art, and film are the impossibilities for socially acceptable success. Though my scenery and occupation have been consistently changing, the only constant for me has been the desire, need and absolute necessity to create and be surrounded by creativity. I have always been resourceful enough to find some outlet and escape no matter how suffocating and draining the logical and acceptable choices have been. This last year has marked the first time that I decided that I am solely responsible to myself and my own happiness and it is okay to realize I am not here to be miserable for eight hours a day, dreading each day until it comes to an end, living for the next free moment I have to do what I enjoy. That is why I am an artist, it is not a choice, and it is the only way that I feel content, accomplished and complete.

The best part of inspiration is that it can come from anywhere at anytime. It is completely unpredictable and forces me to take chances that I may otherwise pass by, hoping that it could be the moment that will stir my imagination and cause a chain reaction for another project or the basis for a new idea. The disadvantage of that is I cannot purposely seek it out and cannot anticipate it.

I have recently become introduced to the medium of video, which has completely opened new aspects of conveying my thoughts and ideas. There is always a point of the technical obstacles when learning a new skill but the frustration only comes from not being able to master the basics quick enough to see the ideas come to life the way that I have imagined them in my mind.

Art Statement

I am witness to the relationship between the landscape and human interaction. This fascinating relationship reveals things about human nature that I document and explore in my own work. Using a variety of media, I trace patterns found in nature, infrastructure and the human interaction and growth. These patterns narrate the fading memories of my own interactions with space and place. Utilizing formal elements enhances the metaphors and stories of the interface that takes place in the topographic and geographic space in which we live. This is a continuation of the daily exploration of my surrounding environments.

Art Statement

Lately, drawing has been the primary focus of my art making. I've been concentrating on ink drawings that straddle the line between abstraction and representation. The ink dripped across the surface begins to take on unintentional representational qualities. There might be a hand in one, or a tree, for example. The images are always just my interpretation. The interpretations of others have often deviated completely from my own. These drawings tend to stay on a small scale, no bigger than 8½ by 11 inches. This makes them more, of a quiet, personal affair. Art should always speak to its viewers, but I prefer mine not to yell at them.

-Bob Amos

Art Statement

My art comes from a desire to reconcile the way I perceive the world as it is and the way I believe the world should be. Ever since I was a child I have had a rather idealistic mindset, hoping that we as human beings are working towards some sort of sustainable end in which we coexist with the planet, as well as with each other, without having to exploit one another or our limited resources. As I have grown older, it has become increasingly apparent to me that my ideals are not necessarily the ideals of those in positions of power or even those that I encounter in my daily life. I have a firm belief in not preaching my ideals, but would rather lead by example. Because of this, I try to not make anything in an attempt to change people’s minds, but rather to let others know what is going on in mine.

The work that I am doing now works best in multiples, as each piece seems to shine new light on each piece that came before. Some of my newer works were recently described as being snapshots, in the sense that the viewer doesn’t necessarily know what took place before the action in the drawing or animation, or what will take place after. After reflecting upon this for awhile, I realized this was a result of my conflicted feelings towards the future. By creating these snapshots of specific moments in time, I am allowing the viewer to create his or her own narrative, with the ability to change it as his or her worldview changes.

While looking over all of the work that I have done in the last few years, I began to develop a new understanding of how my art has grown and changed over time. Each piece seems to be a marker of what I was thinking at each moment in my development as an artist, bouncing back and forth between cynicism and the hope that my cynicism would be proven unfounded. Conceptual elements, line quality and other formal elements such as cross-hatching and the blending of the geometric with the organic tend to repeat themselves in my work, slowly evolving over time. My line drawings eventually led me to try and replicate a similar aesthetic of the line in the animations. Ultitmately, each independent piece is influenced by my previous pieces, creating a convoluted web of interconnectivity.

-Colin Liechti

Art Statement

I am an artist because I adore saturated colors. I am fascinated by bold colors and lines, and the vast impact these attributes have on a viewer. Texture creates a connection between the viewer and the artwork. It is something that everyone can understand and relate to. Texture, colors, patterns, and contrast should be as vibrant and vivid as I envision them. I believe that a brilliant color ignites the viewer’s attention and lures them into the digital space for further observation.

The subject of my art relates directly to the moment in time in which I create it. Resembling a diary, art is as a way to release and express my thoughts, feelings, and desires. Instead of writing sentences, I attempt to create a question. I want this question to provoke the viewer to contemplate my thoughts, passions, and experiences. Perhaps they will feel a connection. Interpreting art isn’t about words.

Marcel Duchamp once said “I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own tastes.” I think that it is vital to constantly evolve and grow as an artist. I try to experiment as much as I can so that I may grow as much as I possibly can from every artwork I create. It is the essence of art to evolve. With experimentation, I grow and expand into the artist I aspire to be. I obtain as much knowledge from a failed art piece, as I do from a successful one. I thrive at the challenge of making good artwork.

Art Statement

I’ve been thinking about technology and how it came to be. If the world had to restart itself and having the knowledge of the current world, how would we re-create what we currently have or would we even make an effort? What are the fundamentals of creating? I’ve been thinking about how complex things are and how to simplify them for an understanding. How much do people really understand about our past and current technology, what was the core thought or process that contributes to what we have today? I’m exploring the beginning…

I’m been struggling with the concept to create with a computer versus working with material in my hands. I’ve been struggling with digital art. I’ve been thinking things over.

Art Statement

I am an artist because I am a philosopher. For me, philosophy is the diagnosis of life and art is the cure. If I don't vent through creation, the world would suffocate me.

Art Statement

Stephen Rodack

Throughout high school, I thought artists were just those who painted, sculpted and whatnot. I am now realizing that everyone is an artist. Now matter what your occupation is, you are an artist. Whether it is designing a building, solving a computer problem, playing music, or playing sports, we are all artists.

Sports production is what I love to do. Whether it is making a highlight video, or directing an event, I put all of my creativity into it. With my art, I want people to enjoy what they are seeing. Through my creativity, I can capture the audience’s attention, by portraying my ideas, but also by satisfying their needs. That When I finish a project, I may not think it is my best work, but it is not always for me to decide. That is the beauty of art. The more you love and enjoy what you are doing, the more creative you will be.

Art Statement

I am an artist because artists fascinate me. I am always pleasantly surprised by what beauty artists are capable of creating or revealing. To see people make such inspiring, aesthetic work proves to me there is no limit to human creativity and expression. This only further encourages me to test me own level of originality and imagination.

If I can create beautiful work that is effective in communicating a message and affective in touching others, I will feel like I am contributing to the accomplishments of human history. Unlike animals, humans have found a way to communicate their emotions or views through art. Humans have created a way to connect with and affect others all over the world through music, paintings, drama, etc. I find this to be a true achievement and if I can achieve this, I will be an artist.

Art Statement

When I begin a new work, regardless of the medium, there are a few goals that are always present and thus become defining characteristics of the work.

I often try to use humor and wit to draw attention to my (and our) unmet potential, urging myself and others through the work to eliminate silly excuses…and hopefully avoid regret in the future.

I also try to call attention to and criticize form by employing familiar forms, but then twisting them in surprising ways.

A third common element of my work is an affinity for layering and collage, an element that I consider to be an analogue to the complexity of experiences and images we receive in this day and age. There is always more than one thing talking to me…

Andrew

Art Statement

I do believe that art is the most powerful and profound form of
human communication. I also believe though that it must have social
applications and responsibilities. It must be noted that aesthetics
themselves can be socially applicable, as is the case with famous
designers aestheticizing low income housing to benefit the
psychological well beings of those "low-income" individuals.
I also believe that art, especially time based visual/audio media offers
insight into the perceptions and time/space occupations of others all
around the world. The important developement then is to offer
access to time based media to everyone in order to allow more
alternative and intimate communications of international and
pluralistic experiences, with the hope of constructing the most
diversely interconnected body of human existence.
Furthermore, through the extended usage of time based media as
communication, a new media language will emerge, one that
overcomes the current barriers and specificities of verbal and written
language.

Karl

Art Statement

I create art because it allows me to express myself with no repercussions. There is no definition to what art is so it leaves the doors open to interpretation. I am allowed to dig as deep as I can into my creativity to make art. Art can be either very elaborate or simplistic. My art grows with me as I learn new techniques and am influenced by the world around me. I make art to get a sense of satisfaction in the things I do. Art is also the one thing that is not replaceable or replicable. No matter how hard one tries they can never truly make an exact duplicate, nor can a piece of art be replaced. I create art to show who I am. I can express my personality and ideas in a new and fascinating manner.

Tom Roof

Art Statement

“What we need perhaps is finally to find our own anthropology, one that will speak about us. Not the exotic anymore, but the endotic.” Georges Perec

My practice is a systematic exploration of occupancy of public and private space and residues of existence. This work consists of individual series, mostly photographic, observing the ordinary, everyday, and often banal. The incorporation of found materials and the repetition and accumulation of images of everyday life contain reflections on consciousness and the nature of being. I employ formal strategies, which heighten the importance of negative space in the form of a horizon to add a dimension to my concern with existential issues. I am interested in horizon, as a point beyond which we cannot see. It is not a line; it has no place; it encloses no field; its location is always relative to the view.

I use visual space as a template for measuring the world and situating myself in relationship to it. I am searching for a particular kind of place somewhere between the horizon and the frame, between perspective and surface, between the trace and the sign. My work deals with issues of absence and presence; structure and void; emptiness and substance. I often consider my practice to be a musing on existence and the passage of time.

I am interested in going beyond prominent events, the extraordinary: the front splash, the banner headlines that speak to most people, as if life reveals itself only by the way of the spectacular. The daily papers talk of everything except the daily. What are we experiencing? What happens and re-occurs everyday: the ordinary, the obvious, the background noise, the habitual. I want to speak of these common things, to track them down, to give them meaning, a tongue, to let them speak of what is and of who we are.

Art Statement

“What we need perhaps is finally to find our own anthropology, one that will speak about us. Not the exotic anymore, but the endotic.” Georges Perec

My practice is a systematic exploration of occupancy of public and private space and residues of existence. This work consists of individual series, mostly photographic, observing the ordinary, everyday, and often banal. The incorporation of found materials and the repetition and accumulation of images of everyday life contain reflections on consciousness and the nature of being. I employ formal strategies, which heighten the importance of negative space in the form of a horizon to add a dimension to my concern with existential issues. I am interested in horizon, as a point beyond which we cannot see. It is not a line; it has no place; it encloses no field; its location is always relative to the view.

I use visual space as a template for measuring the world and situating myself in relationship to it. I am searching for a particular kind of place somewhere between the horizon and the frame, between perspective and surface, between the trace and the sign. My work deals with issues of absence and presence; structure and void; emptiness and substance. I often consider my practice to be a musing on existence and the passage of time.

I am interested in going beyond prominent events, the extraordinary: the front splash, the banner headlines that speak to most people, as if life reveals itself only by the way of the spectacular. The daily papers talk of everything except the daily. What are we experiencing? What happens and re-occurs everyday: the ordinary, the obvious, the background noise, the habitual. I want to speak of these common things, to track them down, to give them meaning, a tongue, to let them speak of what is and of who we are.

Art Statement

Jacob Samblanet:

I am not interested in one thing in particular. I am an artist because of the endless possibilities of ideas, material, concepts, and presentations of artwork. I do not consider all my works to be art but i will accept anything as art. My personal goals as an artist stem from everything around us, my interest lies with my senses, what i see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. From these senses i formulate ideas that come to my mind in a way that is confusing to not only me but those who view what i have created. But by the end product i hope to have laid a seed for other ideas to swell, other meanings that are formulated to intrigue my viewer.