Yikes, it’s been awhile since I updated this blog..! (Sorry!)

 I’ve been thinking for some time now about expanding the “creative topics” for this blog. I’ve decided I would like this blog to include a vast and variety of art topics for discussion..from painting and fine arts to literature and filmmaking and web design, etc. I was very reluctant for awhile to include these topics, but it’s such an everyday part of my own life (and the life of so many other artists, really) that it’s time to include these other creative outlets that, whether we like to admit it or not, also inspire us.

Look for these topics to be coming soon…

When I say that I “rushed” to make my college choice the second time around it was, indeed, fast.

I had less than a few months till the upcoming Fall semester. I knew my choices–just based on the amount of time I had left to apply–were limited. If I wanted to get into a school in the Fall, I’d have to choose locally. My parents were already worried about my decision to leave PSU, so they had me choose local schools. I wouldn’t necessairly say they chose for me, but they were still limited. Afterall, I was one of the very fortunate kids attending school on my parents’ dime and, financially, I knew in my heart that my father just couldn’t afford to send me to a prestigious art school in New York or upper New England. In addition, I knew that he would have been deeply affected if I took out loans. He’d feel guilty about his financial shortcomings, that he couldn’t afford to send his youngest daughter to where she really wanted to go. I never told him that I dreamed of going to Pratt..or Parsons..or even Boston. So, basically, it was Philly (which I loathed the idea of) or the local art school: Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. It wasn’t even accredited at the time (it is now), but it was slowly developing a reputation. Did it “fit”? Was it the ideal art school for me? Not necessairly. But, by this point, I barely had time to stand back and think about my options. I simply applied. Quickly. I was grateful to get an appointment for an interview almost immediately. Then I was accepted just a few weeks later. I could put my worries to rest almost instantly now. I was in an art university, and I would have the opportunity to start right away instead of waiting till the Spring or the following Fall.

Going from a college with over 50,000 students and a neverending campus to a college of less than 800 students and only one building facility in the middle of a city would be a major transition for anyone. In the beginning, I confess to assesting the situation to more like “going to work than going to college.” There was no campus. No dorm room. No walking to an 8 a.m. class just five minutes away. I lived and commuted from home, thereby, saving a great deal of money. But it also left me out-of-touch in the beginning. I found it difficult falling into a group of people and by midway through my first year, I was terribly afraid that I had made a big mistake. By the end of freshman year (I ended up being a freshman twice, a joy in disguise), that fear softened but I still wasn’t entirely convinced. By sophmore year, I was a lot more comfortable in an art instituion. I started taking advantage of the opportunities the school offered each individual artist: a highly educational experience where I had every opportunity to grow as an artist but at a fraction of the cost that a NY-based instituition would provided me. I had terrific professors, all true practitioners in their fields and extremely talented to boot. I had peers putting out some of the most fantastic contemporary work students could produce. And it was remarkable to discover this was all happening right where it began for me: at home. What I discovered from my undergrad was that art education is really what you, the artist, make of it. Everything else about schools are simply facts and figures. Sure, they may be impressive and it may cost you an arm (and your creative hands!) to pay the alarming prices they require, but I no longer consider myself one of the students who attended a school because of it’s “name”. But then, I suppose, art school (or any creative field) is different than any other education. It’s far more personal and self-involved, so much so that, at the end of the day, the actual school you attend is far less important than what you create with the education you are given.

I am currently apply to gradschool for my MA in Painting, and I can’t wait to see where I end up..if anywhere. Ha! :)  

Choosing a college or university, whether it’s for undergrad or postgrad or fine arts or graphic design, is a tough decision. For me, I was rather “rushed” into making my decision to enter art school.

I started out as a freshman at Penn State University (University Park). At the time, it was perfect. Both of my older sisters and my father were all PSU alumni. It seemed like the next logical step and, as far as I was concerned, if it was good fit for them, it would be a good fit for me. I went in as an undecided major. I knew I loved art and my high school teachers constantly encouraged me to consider Fine Arts when I was applying for college, but I wasn’t convinced. Afterall, painting/drawing was not my only love… I loved writing, playing music, reading classic literature and European history. I had a lot of career options open to me. And, at the time, I also (regretably) thought like my father: that, financially, art was a very insecure major with little possibility of making a lifetime career out of it. Boo.

But, luckily, I changed my mind. As I began taking art courses, I realized just how many artists there were, just like me, choosing to take a chance on their talent. Choosing to withstand the hardships, knowing full-well how difficult it could be to make a living, but choosing to do art anyway. How cool. (How rebellious! Ha!) My family encouraged me to go for what I loved, and I’m very thankful for that, because I probably would not have a B.F.A. in Fine Arts now if they didn’t have more faith than I did.

As I made my choice to go for this degree, I slowly came to realize my college choice was the wrong “fit”. My creative needs were missing. There are many positive aspects about that school that I love and appreciate (and missed when I left) but, ultimately, I needed to be at a smaller college where I wouldn’t feel like a number. And I needed to be surrounded by all of those creative fields. Literally. I could only be inspired if I could feed off of it. So, when my first year of college was over, I rushed to make that important college decision all over again.

 To Be Continued…

“It seems like a lot of artists, when they get older, they get simpler.” —Willem de Kooning, 1959

I like this quote, a). because it’s true and b). because that’s reflective in my own work. Though I’ve been working on abstracting my experience via the canvas for the past year, I find myself–the more I paint–the simpler my methods, the context, and the overall style becomes. It doesn’t become easier (heh, when is it ever easy?), there has to be a differentiation there. But I believe our work, at its best and at its most vibrant and interesting points in this rough profession, excell the most when we retain simplification.

Or maybe I’m way off base here…but there seems to always be an “easiness” to the work (or perhaps the better word is “effortlessness”) when we, in our search for perfection, hit it just right. I think we could all take to heart some quotes from Mr. de Kooning.

There seems to be a certain “stigma” that comes with being a woman and being an artist. Just as in art history and in life, female artists are not particularly revered, let alone well-known. I can think of only three female artists who I studied about in any art history courses I took: Mary Cassatt (aka “that cute mother-with-baby-taking a bath” painting), Georgia O’Keffe (aka “the vagina flowers painter”) and Frida Kahlo, an artist I’ve never particularly cared for. It seems rather disappointing and almost shameful that there are not more female works discussed and associated with the great masters of the art world. Though I can think of several off the top of my head who deserve such a title…Jenny Saville, Artemisia Gentileschi, Marlene Dumas, Kristin Calabrese…the list continues.

So why are female artists, both contemporary and those of the past, virtually unknown, while their male counterparts are everywhere–in books, in lectures, in galleries worldwide? I’ve never considered myself a Feminist. I don’t consider my sex an issue when it comes to whether my art is received well or ill or whether I get an exhibition opportunity or not. But I do find the subject of the female artist…lacking, and my rational remains uncomfortably undecided.

What (and why) do you think female artists remain, on the whole, less popular or familiar than male artists?

One of my all-time favorite contemporary artists is David Brewster. If you haven’t heard of him, then you will most likely be wowed by his talent. It was only by happy coincidence a few years ago, while doing some internet research on contemporary artists for a class, that I stumbled upon him. He had just had an exhibition in nearby Philadelphia which I (sadly) missed but, since then, I have made it a priority to keep up on his work.

Brewster’s work is unmistakabley rich–the moist texture of the paint, the dynamic rhythm of lines and space, the vast color palette and interesting take on projecting interior and exterior locations. The overall effect is majestic, if not foreboding at times, but each piece is all-absorbing. Perhaps some readers will disagree (and, hey, that’s the point!) but I find myself left in awe of this man’s incredible body of work.

My main subject matter for the past year has been cityscapes (and landscapes)–exteriors bordering on Abstract Expressionism. Brewster’s paintings possess fleets of other-worldiness, but there’s a highly-crafted refinement that brings his pieces back to unity. They are, simply put, beautiful and unsettling all at once. During the course of my senior year, one of our visiting artists paid a visit to the Senior Painting Studio and gave us individual critiques. When he stopped by my little corner, one of the first comments he made to me was that my work reminded him of his friend, David Brewster. (I guess there’s my self-proof that we all subconsciously make artistic note–and mark–of painters we love. Ha!) Needless to say, it was of the nicest compliments (and a bit surprising!) I’ve ever gotten. Personally, I don’t feel my work really reflects any of Brewster’s style at all but, hey, that’s more than fine with me! Here are just a few samples of his work:

For much more information, visit David Brewster’s website at www.davidbrewsterfineart.com

Welcome to Starved 4 Art, a blog about art–both contemporary and historical–from the viewpoint of a fellow artist and (hopefully) other artisans. That’s the aim, the goal and the purpose of this little blog I created in the “ether”.

Since this is an intro, I should start by sharing a little about myself. My name’s Andrea Weaver, and I’m a fine artist with a concentration in painting (oils) and ink drawing. I recently graduated Cum Laude from the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design with my B.F.A in Fine Arts. Now I’ve entered the “Real World” in pursuit of my own individual, completely unique and totally my own art career…or so I’m attempting. I’ve so far had two successful exhibitions and, now, I’m in pursuit of the third. But like 99% of graduating art students, I’m also financially supporting myself through other jobs (aka careers not totally related to my degree).

Because of this, my need (like most artists trying desperately to make it in this field) to stay connected to the artistic community and the art world at large is dire, not to mention an absolute must. Writing and communicating online about art and artists, as well as discussing my own work, is just one of the many important forms we need to stay invested in what we do, because it’s such a big part of who we are. I often think of the quote, “We do not think that art can save the world, but we do believe that it sustains our humanity”. Hopefully, this blog will–with the help of contributors and conversation–do just that…