Image Interface

For this project I started by looking through old 35mm film photographs and negatives. In the spirit of collage, I started connecting photographs from different places by their landscape...

After looking for a while, I started to notice how many rolls of film I had that started with the first negative of a roll-- the one that gets cut off, and sometimes is half black or half an image-- its signature component is the fuzzy vertical line that essentially is (and looks like) a light leak. I realized how many of these negatives I had, both in black & white and color. I went to my printed versions and began to connect them together as a collage, for the initial homework assignment. For some reason this piece went missing from my other photographs in the painting lab, so I sadly do not have an image. But here are some examples of what the images looked like.

I attempted to print three of these particular images out on canvas,

at a larger size.

I decided to take my professor's advice, which was that these light leak photographs were really interesting but maybe an entirely different project in themselves, so I went back to my initial idea. Which was to use photo emulsion, also known as Liquid Light. This can be applied onto any surface and make it photosensitive, then developed and processed as a regular photo would be.

Here is a video explaining emulsion by MoMA:
http://www.moma.org/explore/multimedia/videos/123/690


This was inspired by a few previous projects I have done using liquid light. I am also really inspired by experimental photography development. And I think painting and photography are very intertwined, not in the sense of "photorealism", but the lens has enabled us to paint in an entirely new way. I enjoy artists, who have, over time, played with photography and development or used the lens in an unconventional way.

I think using emulsion brings back the idea of the act or action of painting. It feels less removed than a photograph, to think about the process and performance of creating a painting. I also thoroughly enjoy the notion that you dont always know what you are going to get with using photosensitive chemicals.

Here is a recent Kelly Akashi piece currently on view at Francois Ghebaly Gallery in LA. The emulsion piece is apart of the current show SOGTFO.

I also admire the work of Mathew Brandt, Farrah Karpetian, Jennifer West, Marriah Robertson, Walead Beshty, Stan Brackhage and many others. Here was an interesting article I recently found on emulsion in contemporary!

http://www.artnews.com/2014/02/17/expired-photo-materials-find-life-in-new-photography/

I was going to do this in the dark room, using a projector. But what image would I use? I thought about the idea of a long exposure. What if I projected a video and captured the image. I had my friend, Nimah, run a few sprints for me!

I wanted to connect my use of photo emulsion with painting in a formal way, So I used a piece of canvas as my base. After a lot of testing I came to terms with the fact that I was not going to be able to project a video, because it was too much exposure. I had to pick a still and only project it for a second. I finally got the contrast right and applied the melted down emulsion to the canvas. It is difficult to see so I tried to cover as much surface area as possible. I had to turn the image to black and white so that the emulsion would pick up on it. I projected this still:

After I developed, fixed, washed and dried the canvas, this was my result...
The piece is about 4 feet long by 2.5 wide.

I realized that many people could not see the image too clearly.  I decided to try again on some gessoed and stretched canvases. This round, I was able to apply the emulsion more evenly, due to the smooth surface. However, it was much more fragile and tended to slide off when I had to develop the paintings. In addition, I had trouble with the projector malfunctioning and for some reason, one came out less exposed than the other. 

The image I chose to project was one of my own long exposure negatives taken at nightime through my sunroof on i-5. The image is of lights moving-- this speaks to the notion of light painting which is why I chose the image. The idea of painting with light is enabled through photography and it is ephemeral-- these ideals seem to be oppositional of painting.
Here is the original image. I also mirrored it and made it negative.

here are the final results:

Overall, I felt that this project was a success because I considered painting and images beyond collage, beyond photography, and into a more traditional realm that pushes the perspective a bit. I do not think that these techniques aren't contemporary in anyway. Though it was all a bit fussy, I am still pleased with my results and know that the next versions of these I pursue will be even more refined. 

Project 2 - (Image Interface) Examined

For project 2 titled Examined, I referenced images of various x-rays of my hands taken at different angles. I’ve recently had to undergo various medical tests for health reasons after my doctor noticed an irregularity in my blood. I’ve been experiencing joint pain through out my body, the worst pain unfortunately has always been in my hands. Hands are obvious one of the most vital tools for a human being, however, to be an artist and to have the mobility of my hands threatened, it’s a reality check both mentally and physically. The first time I ever really experienced a ‘trigger’ at night, I remember feeling like my joints was lubricated by acid, any movement made created this grinding ache. No one can really explain or begin to understand something unless they’ve experienced themselves, this is something I remind myself daily.

Presented at an almost mirror of myself, slightly larger than real life, the viewer approaches a black and white female subject of the artist covering her breasts directly over with painted skeletal hands. It is important to take obvious notice of the detailed map of my hands, in parallel to the grey-scale wash paints a soft never-ending unrefined seascape of reflecting pools that seems hauntingly eternal. Water is an important influence in my artwork as I’ve always been fascinated by its illusionistic qualities and our almost unnoticed presence with it though out our life. Not only is it a key element for the creation of life; the emergence of a women from water- innocence and creation, presents a paradox to life associating with fluids that are not only found in nature but in ourselves. Illustrating myself in a submissive downturned pose, I felt that this encompassed my vulnerability and naivety to the situation present. I myself am quite new and am learning about my health problems.

 

Artist Inspiration: 

Ahmad Zakii Anwar:

Charmaine Olivia:

 I originally pulled inspiration from artist Ahmad Zakii Anwar, the striking structure of his compositions of hyper-realistic charcoal drawing on stark white paper cut the body in half. This illusion creates a visceral reaction and relationship with the viewer to the human body where Anwar’s subjects demonstrate the impossibility of being godlike. Put in empowering poses in un-natural and awkward angles, almost uncomfortable looking. Anwar’s art deals more the western critical conditions where the artist considers the audience’s experience with the art. I considered this experience and was a key factor as to why I kept to a grey-scale when painting. To keep the over all calm and dreamlike quality to the painting that still holds detail and value in the hands. I also pulled from the San Franciscan female artist Charmaine Olivia. Her series Ritual explores the female skeletal form bringing in notes of fantasy and surrealistic imagery. With haunting beauty, Olivia investigates the translucency of skin to bone with oil paint and addresses the balance of delicacy and strength within her work. Within these pieces the figure holds a strong presence in each piece yet is oddly vulnerable, similarly to what I was interested in illustrating.

Project 2: Just Ripe

Kaelyn Okuhata
Advanced Painting
March 18, 2015

Project 2: (Image Interface) Just Ripe

This painting project started with a collage homework assignment that was intended to get me to think of ways that I can incorporate images into my work as a second medium to paint. At first I was going to use the actual photos from my collage in my project, and paint right on top of them, but decided to purely paint my collaged image from scratch. The idea for my collage came up after searching through old images that were stored on my computer. It is always surreal to me when I look back at these memories with my friends when we were transitioning from middle to high school, as I can only slightly imagine what it was like to be in that moment. I decided I wanted to capture this moment of fleeting youth and discovery of oneself in a coming-of-age collage. 

From the album I was browsing through, I found three photos that I thought embodied the theme of growing into oneself and transitioning in one's life. The first photo I selected was of my friend posing for the camera. It was completely dark and I couldn't see what she was doing when I was taking the photo, but once the flash went off, her expression seemed so natural as if she had been ready and knew I was about to take the picture. Her eyes are closed from the flash, but not in the sense that they look forced shut because of the brightness, and instead are completely content and accepting of the circumstance. The rest of her facial expression and body language also suggest that she is fully in sync with her current state and surroundings. Behind my friend, is another one of my friends that happened to be looking over her shoulder at the time that I took the photo. This friend's gaze is fixed directly at the camera, and her overall appearance is a lot darker with an almost cynical expression compared to my joyous friend in the foreground who's brightened by the flash. I thought that this was a perfect element to incorporate into my painting, to represent how there is always other influences in the back of your mind whenever making a significant change or decision in your life. 

The second photo was a scene of the ocean at a lantern festival where paper lanterns were floated out into the sea. When I took the photo, the camera flash distorted the lanterns, and created streaks of glowing lights stretching from the horizon line to the top of the sky. I decided to use this as my foreground to be transparently placed over the image of my friends. The last photo that I layered on top of my collage was of my friend holding three persimmons. Each fruit was different, damaged and bruised in some places, while some were riper than others. I thought of these persimmons as a reflection of how we all mature or "ripen" at different paces under different circumstances. There is no right or wrong way to grow and mature. 

Researching more into the project, I found that persimmons actually do have significant meaning related to my theme in Asian cultures and religions. In China, persimmons are a symbol of joy, and used to regulate energy medicinally. In Japan, they represent victory. What I found to be the most relevant to my project is that in Buddhism, the persimmon represents transformation.  When the persimmon fruit is still young, it is not edible because of its bitterness. The persimmon must be fully ripe in order to be enjoyed, just like how we as humans must transform our ignorance into wisdom by experiencing all that life has to offer with the coming of age. 

References: 

http://www.wikisymbol.com/386/sobi2details

http://www.flavorandfortune.com/dataaccess/article.php?ID=368

https://books.google.com/books?id=dAPQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA98-IA5&lpg=PA98-IA5&dq=persimmon+meaning+chinese&source=bl&ots=Dtk4NRdZFE&sig=X6WOXZS_iWC-XgmXIcIO7d3kHQs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0lQJVa_4Dcu-ggS-4oHQCA&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=persimmon%20meaning%20chinese&f=false

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muqi_Fachang

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Persimmons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N8am6hPSoc

Images: 

Individual Collage Images

Finished Collage

Mu Qui: Six Persimmons

Project 1: Sea Slugs

Kaelyn Okuhata
Advanced Painting
February 23, 2015

Project #1: (9 Paintings Series) Sea Slugs

For my first project I chose the subject of sea slugs when my research on the ocean took a detour, after seeing a photo of one of these amazing creatures. While searching for more images of sea slugs, I found that there is almost a limitless variety of sea slug species, all taking different forms, designs, and colors. I immediately knew that I wanted this to be my subject, especially for an assignment that requires a series of nine paintings, because of the many different images and source materials I could get inspiration from. Although I researched facts about sea slugs for my initial presentation to give to the class, I decided to ignore the background of the invertebrates and focus solely on their aesthetic forms.
The first decision that I had to make was what size I wanted each individual piece to be. I decided that I would want all the pieces to be the same size, because this would create consistency among the paintings’ actual designs, which I knew would all be extremely different. I chose nine individual small canvases (about 4x4 inches each). The mini canvases also had a decent width (about an inch) in order to give these small works an extra boost of depth. I planned to utilize the small canvases’ thick frames by continuing the designs off of the main surface and onto the sides, to create a fluid movement on such a limited surface. Just like a sea slug, there would be an endless design on a tiny form.
The second big decision that had to be made was what material I would be using to paint with. After taking a strictly oil-based class for the past semester, I thought I’d try to experiment by going back to my acrylic roots, while incorporating oil in the final process. I also wanted to try something completely knew, and was interested in incorporating enamel paint after seeing how dimensional it could be even after drying in the class demo. I knew that the enamel would create rounded, smooth, and fluid designs, just like those seen on the patterning of sea slugs. The only problem was where to find the variety of enamel paints that I would require to achieve the same robust color scheme of the sea slugs I was trying to portray. After an unsuccessful trip to the hardware store,  I decided that the only way I’d be able to get all of the colors that I need in the right quantities would be to purchase individual nail polishes which are similar in consistency to enamel paint. By doing so, I was able to find even the brightest fluorescents and neon hues that I had been searching for to mimic even the wildest sea slug’s skin.
The process of actually painting my nine pieces turned out to be more difficult and experimental than what I had expected. I started painting with the acrylic, and rediscovered how quickly it dries, and therefore uneasily it blends compared to oil. However, I also struggled with the oil paint’s dry time, as well as its inability to take on any acrylic once it was added as the top layer. After trial and error, I found a balance between using initial acrylic paint as a base, letting that dry, and then covering it either completely or partially with oil. On the pieces that I completely covered the acrylic foundation, I wiped out certain parts to reveal it. I also found however, that the acrylic could be used as a final touch if the oil layer was dry enough. The enamels were also a tricky element to work with, since I had a hard time deciding on which pieces I wanted it to be on the surface versus which pieces I would use the enamel just for a base texture. Some pieces I even used the enamel as both. When I didn’t like how the look of a piece was coming out, I’d quickly paint it over with oil or acrylic, and then use the enamel’s previous forms beneath as a compliment to the new design I created. I also found that if I apply oil over the enamel, I can wipe out the oil to re-reveal the enamel in only specific locations that I want.
Overall, the entire process of making these small paintings was extremely beneficial for me when it comes to understanding the different types of materials, and how they can work against or with each other. The enamel on oil on acrylic was definitely the most successful technique, however, there were some interesting decisions that were made throughout the entire process. It was also interesting to see how order that I ended up working on each piece turned out to be, since I didn’t actually work on one piece only from start until it was finished. I would instead go from piece to piece and add a little bit more to each while transitioning to the next. What I learned from the process of one piece, I would apply to the next, and even make corrections to the first. I wonder what each individual piece would have looked like if I were to have worked on them one-by-one, without even looking at what I had done before, or imagining what they will all look like together. I definitely think each piece would be completely different if I had gone about creating them this way.


 
Reference Materials:

http://a-z-animals.com/animals/sea-slug/

http://www.seaslugforum.net/

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/sea_slug.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD-PHJ7QIKc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv-sbDO2ya0

Images: (I created this collage to visualize the layout of my project)

Project 1 - AGUA

For project 1 I choose to explore the subject of water. Originally I became interested in the subject when I started researching different ways of abstraction and representation of the human body. The way water can illustrate translucency and form at the same time. I was also interested in the form of the feeling of water itself and the different ways of portraying it. I photographed the difference in water when it ripples and splashes above water and my hand underwater. I began editing and playing with the contrast and shadow levels on photos I took of people under the water, this got me really fascinated with the contrasting light between the depths of the ocean and the reflection of the waters surface.

Through out the three-weeks of our project, I experimented different ways to illustrate both translucency and reflection of water with my materials. I worked with a mixture of mediums ranging from oil paint, pastel, acrylic, gouache, oil bar, and inks. For my first three works I worked exclusively with pastel and experimented with different colors and line work for representation of water. I pulled a lot of soft lines from these pieces into my final piece. For my next three pieces I experimented more with mixing different mediums. I first applied thin layers of cel-vinyl, which I learned gives a nice flat background, and then slowly applied acrylic and oil paint, and finally added touches with both an ultramarine oil bar and water-soluble conte-crayons. For my next three pieces I was able to use vellum paper and experimented a lot with inks. I first applied thin layers of ink and then was able to mix both use of acrylic and watercolor paint, I also used a little bit of marker as well. For the final piece I challenged myself to use almost all of the mediums I experimented with. I first applied different layers of ink, flash, gouache and acrylic paint. I then applied very thin layers of oil paint and finished with more detailing with an ultramarine oil bar. The overall look of the piece is successful in its cohesiveness.

I was drawn to artists like the Italian Josep Moncada who represent figures in motion through water with simple hue variations of blue. His play with exaggerated lines in contrast to flat blocks of color gives his paintings a dewy like quality. Wangechi Mutu is another artist that inspired me, even though the artist doesn’t specifically portray water, I was really moved by her use of layers and reserves of color and form that bring attention to and highlight certain aspects in her work. Mutu exemplifies a profound sense of control over her medium and the emotion and chaos the audience feels when admiring her work. I was also of course inspired as well by the British artist David Hockney for his mixture of medium use that effortlessly work together. Specifically his simple color bleeding illustrates water in way that even though they are simple gestures it leaves the audience satisfied. In my final piece I examined my own figure into my own work, something that Hockney demonstrated many times though out his work. Which in turn was a little bit more difficult for me to create but reads more compelling with the relationship to the viewer.