Artist Conversation 1

Artist: Alyssa Stroud
Exhibition: Metal Group Show
Media: Copper
Gallery: LBSU School of Art, Gatov Gallery West

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About the Artist

Alyssa Stroud is an Undergraduate student at CSULB under the College of the Arts (COTA) studying the Studio Art program. She is currently exploring the different forms of art and learning about the different practices, without officially choosing one. Prior to my interaction with her, she had never formally exhibited her art or been asked questions regarding her art piece. She enjoyed the process of making her art from a piece of copper and rounding it off with the tools from her class.

Formal Analysis

Gilbert Globorin, the art piece made by Alyssa Stroud, is made from copper. The shape is round because it started as a bowl shape. Surrounding the initial bowl shape are more circular shapes that add texture to the perimeter of the art piece. Throughout the entire piece, the piece is rounded; there are no extremely jagged or pointed pieces of metal protruding out. The overall color of Gilbert Globorin consists of the copper orange/brown that it is made from. The piece is much smaller than its surrounding, so the viewer must come in closer to see the details of this two-piece art. Luckily, it is propped on a ledge with a view of the other smaller metal art pieces that allows viewers to easily see it.

Content Analysis

During the process of making Gilbert Globorin, the artist did not have any ideas or intentions in mind; she simply went for it. She started off wanting to make a container from her piece of copper. As she went on, she made the container more “lumpy” until it was “lumpy” all around and eventually transformed into the product that it was. In terms of the second smaller, rounder part of her piece, she wanted intended it to blend in easily and casually with the rest of the shape. Thus, when it is put together, the goal is to make it seem like it was always one piece together. The name “Gilbert Globorin” was given because it simply “looked like a Gilbert.”

My Experience

This entire exhibition truly mesmerized me as there seemed to be an infinite amount of things that could be made from metal: all different shapes, sizes, colors, and meanings. Looking at Alyssa Stroud’s art and hearing what she had to say about it made me realize that something so complex may sometimes have the simplest meanings. This highlights the fact that I often tend to overthink things and make my own hasty judgement towards ideas that do not need to be given that much thought; sometimes things are the way that they are because they just are. Additionally, Alyssa Stroud did not have any prior inspiration or intentions when making her art piece, but it all came together perfectly in the end. This shows her ability to trust herself and her actions and to be confident in her ability to produce something great, which is an ability that I often doubt upon myself.