I visited my local Walmart and dressed nicer than I would normally have. My typical visit to Walmart would usually consist of a t-shirt, shorts, and no makeup. Walmart is usually a very populated area, so I knew there would be plenty of people to talk to. I did my hair and also put on lashes and approached random strangers and asked them what my name and major is. I wanted to see how people would react to my oddly dressed up self and how they would perceive my outer appearance.

The initial reactions of people were to look at my lashes and then compliment me. I then asked the strangers what they thought my name was and the answers received were Melissa, Ashley, and Juliet. They also thought that my majors were Business, Biology, and Communications. They thought it was a little odd that I was asking them these questions, but I do not think they responded to me differently than people ordinarily do. My questions and intentions were already for out-of-the-ordinary, so their reactions were acceptable.

I found it interesting to see how complete strangers would perceive me. No one guessed my name or major right, but that was expected because my name is quite unique and my major is not too common. It is always a random thought that goes through my head of how people who do not really know me would think that I am. I do not typically wear lashes out in public, especially somewhere as normal as Walmart, so it was interesting to see what strangers would think of me. I would definitely do this again and ask even more questions of strangers’ first impressions of me.

Artist: Oscar Pearson
Exhibition: Near Far Exhibit
Media: Oil on Canvas
Gallery: LBSU School of Art, Dennis W. Dutzi Gallery
Instagram: oscarpearsonofficial

About the Artist

Oscar Pearson is going into his senior year at CSULB under the College of the Arts (COTA) studying the Drawing/Painting program to receive his BFA. He enjoys drawing and sketching while taking public transportation, which can be seen through his art work. After taking a look at all of his sketches, he finds pleasure in making a more finished piece from his many bus sketches. Oscar Pearson especially emphasizes metaphors when discussing his paintings. The process of working with four other artists in this exhibit was an aspect that Oscar really enjoyed as well.

Formal Analysis

A Drop in the Bucket, the art piece made by Oscar Pearson, is painted using oil. The canvas is filled with vibrant colors depicting his view of the inside of a bus and the outside street. It consists mostly of primary colors but it is not exclusive to that. It is a large painting, which can be viewed from far away or close-up to fully witness the various details of the painting. The image portrayed is one that is very familiar and relatable to many people, especially since Oscar stated that the McDonalds and KFC that he included in the background are near Long Beach State. There are different lines and textures of the oil that further enhance the image he was trying to portray. The people painted all appear to have their attention on everywhere and every one but each other.

Content Analysis

The process of making “A Drop in the Bucket” lasted about a year as he was working on another piece consecutive to this, with a rough estimate of 40 hours spent on this piece. Oscar Pearson received inspiration from his many sketches that he took while on the bus to create a composition that formed this final product. Thus, the people he drew may not have all been there at the same time, as he incorporated various sketches into one painting. Oscar was portraying the idea that everyone on the bus has their own destination in mind that is all different, but also the same in a way. Public transportation highlights the fact that we all have the same destination, but we think of them as a unique experience to us. For a few moments, the bus acts as a component that makes everyone appear near to each other, yet also far. Hence, the idea fits perfectly with the name of the exhibit (Near Far).

My Experience

I particularly loved hearing about how this painting was inspired from sketching while on the bus, on his way to whatever destination he had that day. It depicted a care-free nature that I strive to have and act on throughout my daily life. I rarely stop to think that I should sketch, as I am constantly stressing on my next move of the day and planning my schedule. The exhibit itself also reminded myself of how far something feels, when in reality it is a lot closer or vice versa. I believe that society has become detached from making these types of realizations and we tend to focus on ourselves more than anything else. Although it is not necessarily a bad thing, it does leave many people feeling more distant from humanity.

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I chose this idea because we often forget how important it is to recycle items. Plastic remains a huge problem, ruining many of our oceans and the marine life that inhabits it. Although I am not very knowledgeable on this topic, I have seen enough articles and images to know that the plastic problem surpasses the ability that a metal straw can handle. We should be more aware of the plastic we use, other than a straw; especially since the entire cup that is now straw-less is still made of plastic.

I was hoping to communicate the fact that the plastic container and plastic straw could have easily been put in a recycling bin. Adding a few extra seconds or minutes into my life by trying to find somewhere to recycle my cup is worth avoiding the years of damage that it can contribute to. As a society, we are so reliant on making things portable and easy for the consumer that we forget how badly it is affecting the world that we live in. There is only one Earth that we have and, as a group, we are doing a terrible job at maintaining its plentiful resources and variety. It is time to be more aware of the effect plastic has on our world, and to do our part in helping to alleviate some of the plastic problem.

I think I was successful in capturing the nonchalant way that many of us throw away our plastic, unaware that it can easily be recycled. We often favor accessibility over the overall cause and effect of our actions, which I believe I portrayed by dropping my plastic cup into an unmarked trashcan. Especially since our campus is marked with tons of recycling bins, I could have easily headed to one of those instead.

If I did it again I would try to get a recycling bin in the background to further showcase the ignorance/forgetfulness that many people have towards the plastic problem. This would have highlight the fact that walking a few more feet would have made the smallest difference for me but a bigger difference for the plant.

Another idea I would be interested in exploring is the amount of animals that are becoming endangered. Society often forgets that humans are not the only inhabitants of Earth; we are sharing it with beautiful creatures. Unfortunately, many of those beautiful creatures will be gone forever if we do not raise the proper awareness and form the correct preventive measures to help with this issue.

This weekend, I decided to go to my local festival, the Camellia Festival. I went during a time that it was not open, which explains the deserted look.

Like many festivals, the iconic ferris wheel was planted right in the center of all the attractions. Although it looks slightly worn out, it has been a staple piece to this Temple City festival for as long as I can remember.

I remember this ride as the Dragon Boat from my childhood, but it has since changed to this look since then. It is interesting to think that the newer generation will have no idea why mine was a Dragon theme, just like how I have no idea why it is this theme now.

Photographed is another oldie but a goodie ride at the Camellia Festival! It felt amazing to feel the breeze and overlook the different rides and the rest of the city. This was another go-to ride from my childhood, even though it is very simple.

Looking before the rides in the background, the street holds a lot of memories for me. I would annually march down this exact street, past the fun rides, as I finished representing my city in our middle school and then high school marching band. I remember being tired from the march, as this was the view towards the end of it, and looked forward to hanging out with my friends at the Camellia Festival once we changed into regular clothes.

Photographed is one of many game booths at the Camellia Festival. The prizes stayed relatively similar; i specially remember playing with the inflatable hammer. Although I have won many of these prizes over the years, I still find myself wanting to play year after year.

These food booths were my favorite place to go when I was feeling hungry or thirsty. The special part about these booths are they they are run by some of the youth organizations in Temple City, such as boy scouts, girl scouts, and the high school sports team. It was great being able to support my local organizations while also being refreshed and energized after a long day.

I chose this story because I had gone back home for the weekend and the Camellia Festival is an annual festival in my hometown. This represents a lot of the fun times from my childhood before moving out to Long Beach.

I think that I perfectly told a story that was small, local, and personal to me. Not many people are familiar with Temple City, as it is such a small area in San Gabriel Valley. But to me, my earliest childhood memories and closest friends were made here. Despite where I end up going in life, this small city will always feel like home to me.

My favorite image would have to be of the ferris wheel at the Camellia Festival. In the photo, I could easily see how worn out and used it has been. This reminds me of the many years that this ferris wheel has been in use and provided me with countless emotions and memories as a child. Although one may claim it as dirty, I feel like it is filled with memories that I would not trade for the world.

My 4th image would most likely have no significance to people that did not personally know me. It would have just appeared as though I was taking a wider shot of the rides at the Camellia Festival, but it was the street and pavement that I wanted to focus on. I remember feeling so tempted to just drop my instrument and go on the fun rides with the other children. But, I never did that because that would definitely not have been good with my instructors.

Next time, I would go take pictures when the festival was actually open, so that I could capture some of the happy faces I saw later. Without people and the weather being oddly gloomy, the pictures appear slightly eerie to me. This was definitely not my intentions, but it was also perfect for reminiscing about my childhood experiences.

I enjoyed telling Photo stories of events that have had a great impact on my childhood. When there are other memorable events happening, I will be sure to take photos and reminisce of what has happened and what is to come.

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.

Tree

Drink

Person

Formal Qualities

The object that we focused on was small; it was a specific detail of the many different circular shapes that appeared throughout different time periods. My art is monochrome, mostly consisting of a rust orange color with varying levels of intensity. The art is relatively smooth, other than some little cracks that formed on the pavement over time. It is simple and focuses on a distinct area of the circular rust marks; this is where most of the interactions between the various lines occur.

Aesthetics

This art evokes the realization that simple things, like a trash can, are able to leave a lasting impression without meaning to do so. Even as more rust lines form, the oldest ones are still visible and remain an important part of the pavement. Normally, the rust orange color is associated with a negative, dirty feeling because it is not a part of metal that we enjoy seeing.

Content 

My art represents the impact that something, even as simple as trash, can have on its environment. The rust from a nearby trash can is able to form complex lines and patterns, which shows the effect time has put on it. The rust was a chemical reaction that the trash can did not purposefully mean to enact, but it happened anyways. My art is meant to put things in perspective; although we may sometimes feel lost and unimportant in this big world, our actions do have consequences and effect others around us. Although this is a disturbing reality, it really highlights the impact of even the smallest of events.

My Art was not Art before I put a rectangle on it because our eyes do not naturally look to see the complexity that was formed by the lines. People tend to look at the overall picture of the big circle of rust and look to the trashcan on the side to make a connection, ultimately forgetting they had even thought about it. But, after using the tape to focus in on the intense parts of the rust, it is much clearer to make a connection towards why this is Art.

My Art will most likely not be considered Art once the rectangle is gone because many people will just see the big circle of rust and associate it with being unwanted residue from the trash can again. Most people will not stop to think about why the rust is there or what the rust can teach us. The location of the Art is also not somewhere that a person will normally stop to look around.

Art does not solely reside in the body of the object. I believe that the intention of the person making the object influences whether that object is considered Art or not Art. If the object has no meaning to the creator, then it is hard to view the object as art. But, if the creator is able to provide some background and intention towards their creation, then it is considered art to the viewers too.

Art is a form of expression, which is not always found on an object. Dancing or Maintenance Art (which we did last week) are both actions and equally considered works of art, despite not being objects. They are more commonly considered Performing Arts.

I believe that Art is subjective and can depend on either the viewer or the object itself. Each person has their own preference of what they consider to be Art or not Art, which can differ from the next person and so on. The viewers definitely have a say of how popular or well-known a specific art is, but that is not the only place art resides. The creator can also indicate if their object is art because they are the ones that made it, but the viewer has the option of taking the artists’ words into consideration.

The experience was very liberating and enjoyable! I found myself constantly getting asked “what are you painting?” and I would let the person decide what they thought it was. The popular answer was fire, earth, and water. But, I really did not have anything in mind and it was interesting to see others piece their own thoughts together.

It was a very different experience! I have never finger painted or painted without any subject in mind. I especially loved mixing the different colors together! Although I only had a few different paints, I was able to make many a range of shades, which I particularly enjoyed. I played around with the pressure I was putting on the paint and started using more of my hand to paint in the end.

It was more liberating and inspiring. I find myself overthinking for a majority of my day, so it felt good to not have to worry about the outcome of this painting. It turned out a lot better than I had expected while I was in the process making the painting. It taught me to be more confident in myself, even when I feel like I do not know what I am doing or how the result will play out.

Other paintings definitely appear to have more skill in my eyes. There is a lot of aspects of art that I may not understand and wish that I did. But, as long as I am enjoying making my own art, I am content with simply having fun during the process!

I found it very satisfying to perform Maintenance Art while on my campus. It was an action that was long overdue and I was proud of my class and I for taking the initiative to do this.

Mierle Laderman Ukeles cleaning the steps of an art museum and Richard Serra flinging molten lead against the walls of an art museum are different in their approach towards the art museum. Mierle Laderman is technically taking away some of the dirt and debris that have fallen on the steps of the art museum while Richard Serra was adding the lead onto the art museum walls. I believe that they are the same in that they expressed their own feelings towards art museum through their actions. I would consider both to be a form of art as they are using their skills of cleaning and flinging molten lead, respectively, to add or take away things from the art museum.

I believe that Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ Maintenance Art performance at the Wadsworth Atheneum was “art.” I believe that the fact that she labeled her performance as “Maintenance Art” is what made it art; she had an intention in mind when performing the act. If she had simply been a janitor in a factory for 6 months, I would not consider that art but more of an occupation. The only way that I would consider the janitor job as “art” is if she came in with a positive attitude to work everyday and labeled herself as performing Maintenance Art. Although the definition of art is subjective, my belief of what makes an act “art” or “not art” is the intent of the person performing the act.

I believe that the medium art is displayed on does not make an object or action Art or Not Art but rather more towards the intention of the person performing it. Paintings on canvas are typically related to being art because of its popularity in art museums, but I believe the intent of the painting is what qualifies it as art. For example, if companies that sell canvases decide to put an art example to help sell their canvas, I would not consider that particular painting art. It is simply a marketing strategy to help with the company’s sales. The same goes for house painting. If the painter is simply following instructions and not applying any real intent towards painting the house, then I would not consider that to be art. But, if the painter is inputing his or her emotions and feelings towards painting the house, then I would consider that to be art.

Mierle Laderman Ukeles and Jennifer Lopez have both solidified my feelings towards believing “Women’s Work” is art. Even though many people may dread doing women’s work, there is still a level of care and skill that is needed to perform those actions, which makes it art.

I would be willing to clean Emma Watson’s Hollywood Star because I admire the movies that she has been in and the acting that she does.