Seth Adelsberger, Joy and Panic

i attended another show in the gallery at mcdaniel. this new exhibit was for seth adelsberger, a towson alum who graduated in 2002. i knew before i went to the show that it was going to be all abstract, and i think when anyone plans on attending an abstract exhibit there is really no way to prepare yourself for what you may see. there is no way to build up expectations as you would if you were goin to see an exhibit on figure paintings. with figure paintings you know what your getting into before you get there. with seth's work, even after i was in the show and walking around i still didnt know what to make of it. there were definitely pieces that i was more fond of than others. my own personal opinion is that his pen and ink drawings are the strongest pieces. there is a exactness to them that his larger, colorful pieces dont seem to portray. he also had one piece that i believed to be his strongest that was cut out of museum board. the intriquite pattern and detail really made this piece stand out to me. below ive included a couple of the larger paintings that were at the show. these were some of the paintings i was not too fond of, and unfortunately i could find the ones i liked online...

Plastic Galactica

Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas

42inx35in

2008

Big Night

55inx60in

Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas

2008

No Tiki, No Whammy

Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas

64inx60in

2008

to view more work and his artist statement go to:

http://www.sethadelsberger.com/

The Studio

At McDaniel College, due to our size, we have smaller art facilities compared to larger, state schools. this may sound bad to an outsider, but this limited space has worked well for the advanced studio artists at my school. we have been given an old storage room as our "studio". we are beneath the old gym in a basement-like area. there are pipes showing and concrete floors and walls. to some people this sounds like a horrible environment, but it just the place i like to work. i like feeling like i can make a mess and i wont get yelled at. in high school i would have to clean up the smallest drop of paint when i would spill it. at my current studio i paint whatever i want on the walls and spill paint with no repercussions. its how i always pictured my home studio looking and its gonna be sad when i have to leave my space after this semester. 

Above is a picture of my area that i was given, my only complaint is that i wish i had more space, i like to stretch out. sometimes when other students are no there ill just put my stuff on their desks so i can have a little more room. i think its good to have a space where it doesnt matter if you mess it up, it removes any restrictions you may put on yourself.

Fight Club

"It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything"-Fight Club

This quote always stuck out to me when i would watch Fight Club. Every time i would watch the movie i would always think about this quote and all the possible things it could mean. its apparent that it can be interpreted in more ways than one, but i thought it was fitting to look at it from an artistic point of view...

Alot of artists will trap themselves into "style boxes" and only create art that they feel comfortable creating. for example, i would feel very comfortable working in pencil and create realistic portraits, or doodling little creatures on my class notes. it wasnt until recently that i started branching out of my comfort levels and producing art with different mediums and tools. ive started using sumi and india ink to render my creatures, as well as acrylic and watercolor paints. the variation has not only made me more comfortable with these new medias, but has also made me a more rounded artist.  this experimentation with different artistic approaches makes me think of the fight club quote...

i abandoned all the ways that i was used to creating art and i was free to do anything artistically. its a liberating feeling when you have no boundaries or parameters. all the art that i have been creating since the summer has been some of the stronger pieces that i think i have ever created. this can be attributed to the fact that i allowed my self to branch out and be artistically free.

Recent Inspiration

“At the end of the day I’d like, ideally, for all of my art to be technically sound. That, to me, is what makes a successful artist.” - derek hess


the artist is derek hess, and if you dont know of him you need to look him up. it appears that he creates his art so fast because it is all done with gestural, sketchy lines. although, he has great knowledge of the human anatomy.

it appears that he works in mostly pen and ink, but adds alittle color to bring his scenes to life. the more i look at his work, the more i sketch and try to draw human figures in a short amount of time. i think it will be very beneficial for me as an artist to grasp a better knowledge of the human body. also, i hope i can portray the human figure correctly in just a few strokes of a pen or brush.

i had never heard or seen much of anything from derek hess until i stumbled upon him, and this puzzles me. i find it odd that someone who is as skilled as him isnt more publicized. or perhaps ive just been looking in the wrong places. whatever the case, i will continue to use derek hess as inspiration and i feel that any aspiring artist who tries tor represent the human anatomy in an accurate way should look him up.

art page:

http://www.derekhess.com/

clothing company:

http://www.strhess.com/

Lillian Bayley Hoover

For my advanced studio class we are required to write reviews on all the art exhibitions that are at my school. the first one that i had attended was of Lillian Bayley Hoover. she creates toy dioramas and than photographs them. after she photographs them she creates large, realistic oil paintings. 

i respect her talent, i wish i could master oil paints as well as she has, but its not a style that i am looking to achieve. the exhibition showed to me that even if you paint from a photograph you can still obtain a great amount of realism. however, i believe its better to paint from real-life.

First Post

My name is Bobby Coleman. im a senior art student at mcdaniel college in westminster, md.  this is my first post here. many people really inspired me to create this blog, even though they may not realize it. my girl friend suzi, and her teacher at Towson were the two main people.

 

i guess i should consider this as my "virtual sketchbook" and i will try to post as often as i can. i doubt many people will actually read this, but i will try to be as consistent as possible.

enjoy.