Two Days Until the Opening!

 

This place is a raging inferno of creativity!  I can’t remember when I have seen 16 students working so hard to complete projects for an exhibition.  They are not only working feverishly to complete their projects, they are doing so with such pride and care that they cannot help but be successful.  The group dynamic is a wonderful thing with one student feeding off of the drive of the next. 

The show is advertised throughout the community via notices and flyers placed in commercial businesses and elsewhere around the area.  Here is the piece created by Marina White and Brenna Crothers with input from others.  Marina and Marianne Honeycutt walked around town taping them to any surface with visibility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bulk of today’s blog will consist of  photos of students and their commentary on this program and what it has meant to them.  I’ll begin with David Jaffe.  David has been making a short film based on people he has met and things about the area that have inspired him.  David’s personality is absolutely perfect for making films in a place where he doesn’t know anyone.  He has been able to meet so many people in the area, locate actors, get their cooperation, sell them on his idea, and then actually cement it all together to make a film.  This is a tall order for a professional film maker and David has done all of those things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“While the notion of making a film in just three weeks can be rather intimidating, people often forget about what makes a successful short film.  The first of two films that I am making revolves around a metaphorical action.  I was particularly struck by Newtown castle located on the Burren College of Art campus.  The film depicts a woman cutting down a castle with a grinder.  Over three shots we see the devolution of the old to the new, what Ireland was and what it is becoming.”

 

Maggie Cummons has been particularly impressed by the variety of the flora of the area.  Because of its unusual climate and geological structure, the Burren is able to support a variety of species of plants and flowers.  She has been working with pastels in a large scale to depict her interpretation of the structure and color of the flowers here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Coming to Ireland was one of my first traveling experiences and is unique in numerous ways.  Living in the Burren for three weeks has given us the time to embrace the culture of western Ireland.  As an artist, this has been my first opportunity to commit myself entirely to my work.  Although I created my work as an individual, our group dynamic has played a very important role in my pieces because of the ever present critiques and support.”

 

Maggie’s pastels are breathtaking as she takes a rather small plant and then enlarges it to proportions that allow us to see every tiny detail.  Her color choices are distinctly her own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“There is so much to take in and experience that the task of choosing just one subject is almost cruel.  Focusing on one subject has taught me a little about myself.  I have been able to discover things about myself through my artistic interpretation of the Hawthorne trees that grow here. The constant winds from the Atlantic force the trees to grow in the shape of the effect of constant southwest winds. I find the drama of their shape inspirational and have begun a series of loose ink drawings.  The freedom of this course has allowed me to take the next step in my drawing technique.  With only the theme of the Burren to guide us, and no specific requirements to fulfill, I have enjoyed a freedom to become more abstract and bold in my interpretation of this subject.”

 

Marina’s paintings have escalated to one that is nine feet square.  This is a pretty bold step for someone who has drawn on much smaller surfaces and involves full body movement.

 

I’ll have more photos and student commentary for you tomorrow.  

It’s 9:45 in Ireland and I’m sitting in the studio writing this blog.  I am surrounded by wonderful art work created over the past three weeks.  Besides the artwork, almost all of our students are still here completing their work or fine tuning what they have already done.  One of them told me today that what she has learned here is time management.  What you can accomplish in a short time with planning and maximum effort is really astounding.

I am exhausted!  The day began at 7:30 with a walk up into the hills of the Burren.  With the completion of this blog, this day is officially over.

So…when you are sleeping early tomorrow morning, students will be back at work finishing their installation and cleaning their spaces.  Tomorrow evening, wednesday, students are holding a students only critique.  No faculty..  It should be intersting.

 

Good night all, until tomorrow.

 

Andy