TOM OTTERNESS

READ THE INFORMATION BELOW ABOUT TOM OTTERNESS - AND RESPOND TO TWO OF THE FOLLOWING PROMPTS BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17th AT 6:00 PM.

MAKE SURE YOUR NAME IS IN YOUR RESPONSE.

PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR RESPONSES ARE EACH AT LEAST 5 SENTENCES LONG AND ANSWER ALL THE BULLET-POINT QUESTIONS TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT!

REMEMBER - THIS IS A HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT - DO NOT USE TEXT LANGUAGE – CHECK YOUR SPELLING, GRAMMAR AND USE PROPER CAPITALIZATION!! 

TOM OTTERNESS http://www.tomotterness.net/


Tom Otterness is an American sculptor (born 1952) whose works adorn parks in New York City and other cities around the world. He is best known for his series of sculptures, “Life Underground” – several sculptures located in the New York City Subway system. “Life Underground” features bronze sculptures emerging from the floors and playing along the ceiling in the NY Subway stations. This series of sculptures is one of the most popular pieces of subway art in the subway system. Otterness makes his original pieces of art out of clay and then has them cast in bronze.


Otterness’ sculptures are predominately figurative and the forms in his sculptures mostly consist of spheres and cylinders. His work has been described as “cartoonish.” The sculptures depict huge pennies, fat figures in business suits with moneybag heads, helmeted workers holding giant tools, a police officer standing menacingly over a sleeping homeless woman. The main theme of his work seems to be the “little man’s struggle against the Capitalist machine in a difficult and strange city.”

Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Otterness and http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/artwork_show?21

PROMPT #1

• Read the information about Tom Otterness and his “Life Underground” sculptures and look at the images of his artwork.
• Are you able to understand the meaning of his sculptures without the written information about his artwork?
• How “obvious” are the meanings in Otterness’ sculpture?
• Explain the meaning in two of Otterness' sculptures.
  

PROMPT#2

• Otterness creates only public art; this means that all of his artwork is designed especially for a specific site where the public can see it. Other artists create artwork that is meant to be displayed in a gallery and/or in a private home or space – they creates artwork and then try to sell it. Tom Otterness must create a proposal for each series of sculptures and it must be approved by the owners of the space in which it is installed; often the public pays for the sculptures – as in the case of “Life Underground” in NYC’s subway stations. Otterness creates sketches of his artwork and perhaps models, the proposal for installation, sketches and models are approved, and then he is paid by a city, a business or an organization to create and install his sculptures.
• If you were to create a series of sculptures, as an artist, which route would you prefer to take?
• Would you create your artwork free of others’ opinions/regulations and sell it to individuals or would you create artwork for public spaces which has more restrictions on the subject matter, materials and installation but may be seen by more people?
• What are your reasons for making this choice?

PROMPT #3

• Why do you think Otterness’ sculptures are so popular?
• Compare Otterness’ sculptures to Beth Cavener Stichter’s sculptures - she is also a very popular sculptor (http://www.followtheblackrabbit.com/).
• Which series of sculptures appeal to you most?
• Why? Be very specific and talk about the meaning of the sculptures, color and texture.
  
  
  

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JOHN BRICKELS

READ THE INFORMATION ABOUT JOHN BRICKELS AND RESPOND TO TWO OF THE FOLLOWING PROMPTS BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10th AT 6:00 PM.

MAKE SURE YOUR NAME IS IN YOUR RESPONSE.

PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR RESPONSES ARE EACH AT LEAST 5 SENTENCES LONG AND ANSWER ALL THE BULLET-POINT QUESTIONS TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT!

REMEMBER - THIS IS A HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT - DO NOT USE TEXT LANGUAGE: CAPITALIZE, USE PUNCTUATION AND CHECK YOUR SPELLING!!

AN INTERVEIW FROM CERAMICS MONTHLY WITH JOHN BRICKELS - http://www.brickels.com/

"I started making ceramic sculpture because I believed I had a marketable artistic vision that would provide me with a living. I wanted to spend my days making decisions centered on three- dimensional design and making the type of sculpture I would be excited to see if I walked into a gallery. I chose clay as a medium because it is plastic, elemental and, at least for me, nostalgic.

I am able to contribute significantly to the family budget. If I was single I could support myself, but with sacrifices. Health insurance would be a luxury item. My wife has taught high school ceramics and photography for 30 years. Her steady income smooths out the ups and downs of my income. It’s feast or famine, weeks without a sale or hitting the lottery.

I spend the majority of my time sculpting. I know I should spend more time promoting the process, but seeing my ideas grow in front of me has such a pull that everything else gets shoved aside. The journey to the final product is the most compelling.

Architecture, automobiles, machines and nostalgia all inform my work. Most things that show entropy inspire me. Old factories, barns and houses that show the effects of time and weather are inspirational because they evoke different emotions in me that I pass on to the sculptures.I gather images from the internet and libraries. I’ll drive around Vermont taking photos of dilapidated barns. When in New Jersey visiting in-laws, I’ll take the bus into New York City to capture urban images.


To recharge, I change subject matter. Enough barns, let’s make steampunk robots! I’ll look at different art genres. I’ll watch documentaries of famous artists to catch their moment of epiphany. I celebrate media specificity, in fact I’ve been exploiting a single technique, bisque, and a single clay body, Laguna #100, for the past 20 years. I can change the subject of my sculptures and the public still recognizes my work because I’ve been using the same brown stoneware for years. I never treat the surface of my sculptures; the form will be stronger because I’m not depending on glaze or color.

My buyers seem to be affluent, educated “baby boomer” professionals and small business owners. They purchase through galleries in Vermont, the occasional “fine craft” show, “word of mouth” and through my website. At the local level, I ascribe to the marketing principle of “top-of-mind awareness.” I exploit opportunities to be in the public eye as much as possible. I enter juried shows that garner press coverage. I always send a press release with a cd of professionally made images to area newspapers. I demo and lecture in local galleries, universities and colleges. Much to the shock of my artist friends, I demo for ten straight days at a local agricultural fair every summer. At least 200,000 people come through the front gates. Successful retailing boils down to how many people walk through the front door. I also supplement my income by doing a week long residency in the classroom once a year. The compensation is excellent. However, getting prepared and recovering from the experience eats up at least a week of studio time. Nationally, I’ll drive thousands of miles to exhibit at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference and several colleges and universities.The advantage of marketing locally the way I do is that it costs nothing. Driving out of state to exhibit at NCECA [National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts] or a college can get expensive but is usually worth it because of the ceramic-educated audience these shows reach. Exhibiting at NCECA has always resulted in invitations to show my work at more colleges and galleries.

I do not pursue grants and public commissions because of the “hoops” one has to jump through. The process is very time consuming and often you are at the whim of a fickle board that has one member who doesn’t “get it.” I didn’t anticipate how addicting praise would become, nor did I anticipate how thick-skinned you have to become. Artists soon find that no matter how amazing you think your art is, it has absolutely no value for a majority of people. Rejection comes in many different ways. I have done craft shows without selling a single sculpture while listening to my neighbors remote credit card processor churn all day long. I’ve arrived at a juried show to see my work displayed on the floor because they didn’t want it to “get in the way of the art” hanging on the walls. Ouch.

The most difficult decision is deciding to carry on despite long periods of slow sales. One’s wallet and psyche take a hit when you’re not being validated by sales. And then, pow, you sell a large work and your pulled right back into the dream of being compensated for all of your wonderful ideas and skills.To maintain my health, I spend a half-hour every morning on an elliptical machine, sometimes watching those documentaries of famous artists. I’m fortunate to have health insurance through my wife, in contrast to an artist friend, who has a $5000 deductible policy for catastrophic health care. I sweep and wet mop every day in the studio to cut down on dust.


Ideally, I would like to see Marketing for Fine Art 101 offered at colleges, universities and even at arts high schools. NCECA should offer marketing and promotion workshops. My advice to others who are just starting is to organize your studio. Don’t be a slob. A sloppy studio will have a negative effect on your work. Wet mop every day. It will save your lungs and you’ll feel great walking into a clean studio in the morning. Develop your technical skills. Have a plan. Have a goal. Pester experienced and successful artists around you for their accumulated knowledge.

It is mainly an intuitive journey but find your “voice.” What would you want to see when you walk into a gallery? What would really energize you? What would animate you, make your jaw drop?"

from Ceramics Monthly http://www.ceramicartsdaily.org/magazines/Ceramics%20Monthly/jan09sculptorslifefeature.aspx

PROMPT #1

• Go to John Brickel's website and choose your favorite sculpture.
• Describe the sculpture in terms of its:
• Size
• Shape
• Color
• Texture
• Visual movement (how your eyes travel across the sculpture - what do you look at first and why? What do you look at second? Third?)
• Areas of contrast (contrast is the difference between two things - such as large/small, dark/light, smooth/rough)

PROMPT #2

• Brickels is very forthcoming in the Ceramics Monthly article - he discusses why he creates his sculpture, why he choose his clay, how he takes care of himself financially, mentally and physically.
• Brickels describes a life that is simultaneously stressful and fulfilling.
• The life of a professional artist is not for everyone - how would you respond to such a life?
• Do you think you could deal with the uncertainty of not knowing when or if your artwork will sell?
• Brickels has a large following - and they purchase his artwork - yet his work is still rejected and he still has stretches when his work doesn't sell....how would you deal with this type of rejection and stress? Would it embolden you and push you to work harder or would it discourage you?
• If you could ask John Brickels one question, what would it be?

PROMPT #3

• Brickels' sculpture has gone through several phases - he has focused on buildings, cars and now robots.
• Which theme appeals to you - buildings, cars, robots?
• What is your thinking?
• If you had the funds to purchase 3 of Brickels' sculptures, which ones would you purchase?
• Why would you make these choices?

PROMPT #4

• Brickels says, "What would you want to see when you walk into a gallery? What would really energize you? What would animate you, make your jaw drop?"
• What do YOU want to see when you walk into a gallery?
• If you could create any type of artwork - sculpture, painting, drawing, ANYTHING... what would you create?
• Why?