Thursday, October 2, 2008

Wish You Were Here


Dichotomy
8.5"x11" Ink and Vellum on Paper
This image is a representation of the antithetical motives I believe to be inherent within every 'place' I've ever encountered. Moreso, it represents a thought process, an idea of the necessity of opposition. I believe all 'things' to be relative, each existing only by the comparable but opposing nature of what 'it' is not.

23 comments:

aRae said...

Hi Bryan, loved your work very much, are you familiar with the work of Andreas Gursky ? i think youd realy like him..

http://www.whitecube.com/exhibitions/antipodes6/.

thats a link to his last exhibition, great to see your work..amanda

Bryan said...

-Amanda-
I have yet to figure out how to contact you directly, as my technological abilities are far from reputable. I have heard of Mr. Gursky and enjoy his work very much. (I think he may be one of the few artistic geniuses since the middle of the 20th century) At any rate, I really appreciate the link, and I hope you stumble upon my reply. You seem quite interesting, and we may be like-minded in our appreciation for the creative process.

~ Bryan

anne corrance monk said...

I agree with the thought process and think this work represents it well.It also works well with no explanation. love it
anne

norcrossl said...

Very interesting I like the web-like design in the center it seems to correlate well with your explanation of the piece.

lebuck8 said...

Hi Bryan,
Your artwork is so delicate and beautiful on its own, and your explanation made it even more powerful.
Lauren B.

gracki said...

Bryan,
This is such a beautiful piece! I really love the subtlety and delicateness and how your juxtapose that with the erratic pattern in the center. It is truly impressive.

Anonymous said...

*laughs* Nice!

Nice piece, too.

There are essential questions that are raised by it, though...Does a place have a motive? How can one determine the static location's motive intent? And, determining that, how does one, then oppose it, and establish one's basic non-existence?

favorite things said...

Your choice of materials and composition are quite innovative and interesting. I would like to see this piece in person.

Sam said...

This is really delicate and beautiful. It makes me thing of something growing and stretching out.

Margaret Joan MacIsaac said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Margaret Joan MacIsaac said...

It reminds me of rivers and land, or the lines imprinted by a hand repetition in nature, or are they my connotations ?

jmkilburn said...

Your 'place' seems to be ancient and lost to time... sand and wind having taken their toll. Change can be a good thing, but this feels to me like change has been instituted by a vast sea of time and erosion. Simple but thought-provoking, ethereal but not forgettable. I think there's a lesson to be learned here about "where do we go from here?"

June Julian said...

I see the faint Roman arches of Hamilton Hall in your piece overlaid by darker tributary markings that could be interpreted as evidence of presence and movement, either by people or ideas, or both

Art Ed Guy said...

Bryan, Wanted to drop you a note on your piece. I liked the architectural patterns within the shape of another geometric / building form. The complimentary balance between your drawn forms and the shape of the composition helps to bring added structure to your image.

Also, I am not sure how to find your e-lecture. Not being the biggest computer genius out there, I have looked around for some type of clue but have come up empty. Could you send me your link?

ChambersoftheSea said...

Bryan -

I'm sorry, it was a laugh of pleasure. I was emoting. I was delighted by the complexity of your thoughts on what seemed, on the surface to be a rather straightforward assignment.

I was charmed and intrigued by your dive directly into philosophical and existential issues.

Thank you for your answers. I'm also a believer in contradictions, and I agree that they're an inherent part of our nature. That things are defined equally by what they are and what they are not - certainly. But the one definition (what they are) is a good deal simpler, therefore more elegant than the other. Occam's razor, you know.

All this chair talk reminds me of Plato. Blech.

ChambersoftheSea said...

Thank you for your compliments on my Philosophy of Art Ed. It was challenging, particularly because it had to be distilled into one paragraph. I'm sure you felt that as well.

Your own is quite compelling. Both your writing and your thinking mirror your visual piece. You have a delicate precision with words.

I read, in them, a thoughtfulness, and a deep respect for the integrity of your students' thoughts, insight and potential. I especially like the part about sometimes just being present for them. It takes a lot of confidence to do that.

In answer to your question, I had what is probably as close to a "classical" education in the arts as it is possible to get these days. At RISD, where I did my undergraduate work and taught for a number of years, the academic part of art is pretty strongly advocated. Then I began teaching at the height of the DBAE movement. I've since moved away from some of the aesthetic thought inherent in that, but I can't shake the old school, and I'm not sure I want to.

Yes, it is an academic endeavor. Expression in the void is really not satisfying for long.

And you're right, we should talk further sometime, because I'm about to go off on a tangent about art and political systems. I can feel it coming on!

To sum up, you're fun to talk to. I suspected as much.

ChambersoftheSea said...

*measures out her life with coffee spoons*

Christy Hahn said...

Bryan,

Your piece is reminiscent of the nerve maps in the brain. When you mention that you believe in relativity, I feel as if "home" may be more of a thought than a literal environment. This strengthens the brain association I have made. The ink was handled with so much delicacy yet there is a still a cold, scientific feeling to it. It's distant in a way. Just beautiful!

Also, thank you for your comment regarding "Sanctuary". The theme of "transformation" often pops up in my work and it is apparent in this piece as well. It's very interesting that you mentioned "disillusionment" in your comment because I am guilty of romanticizing my reality to fit a fairy-tale motif. I am not familiar with the Native American references that you made, but I'm curious now and will research it!

gracki said...

Thanks for your comment Bryan. I am glad that you were able to identify my playfulness to this piece. There are times that I like to be playful and quirky with my art and I think that one can definitely see this through my piece.

Amy said...

Your art work is so delicate and beautiful I love it!

Sam said...

Bryan,
Thanks for your comments about my piece. I'm really interested to know what artwork you are referring to, so if you do remember the title please let me know.

jmkilburn said...

Thank you for your comment on my WYWH. Callous is one thing... what I felt when I moved here was more like trying to enjoy a sore tooth or a good headache. You could do something about those, but you weren't going to try for any better. It was really hopeless. And, yeah, I used to walk the streets of Boston at all times of the day and night, and nothing ever happened to me... not even a close shave. But I wasn't about to test myself here. Not without health insurance!

tovias8 said...

Bryan this is really a stunning piece. I love that it could be interpreted in many ways, but that you provided an excellent description to explicate the motives behind what you produced.