Links

Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmchale6/with/6271289994/

Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/RMcHale6?feature=mhee

Van Gogh Influence - Starry Night

When I first came to Hartwick College, I noticed that the view of the mountains and valley closely resembled a scene from VanGogh's "Starry Night."  Since I am greatly influenced by VanGogh, I decided to create a drawing of the scene from Hartwick using VanGogh's technique.  I used oil pastels instead of paint because I have a bit more experience with them.  I used the fast, short brushstrokes that VanGogh is known for, and used the same design for the sky that is in his piece.  I added in some details that are unique to Hartwick, like the shape of the buildings in the valley and the type of tree in the foreground.  

Art Event 2

I attended the art event where a few visiting artists were presenting their work.  One of them showed us a piece that he created using sound technology.  It consisted of a bucket of water that people could throw pebbles into.  When pebbles were thrown in, a microphone would pick up the sound and an attached computer would play back a sound of rain.  The soundtrack that was used started out with the sound of rain hitting a tin roof, and then grew into the sound of a storm.  I thought this was a very interesting idea, and it was very well thought out to use sound in such a way in order to make a piece of art interactive.

The next artist was working on a gold coating that was covering an entire wall where she would be hanging up photos she took.  She was using long strips of tape on this coating to create a design that resembled a forest.

Another artist was building what he referred to as hot head and cool head.  These were two structures built with many boards of wood to resemble giant heads.  One was painted blue and the other painted red to contrast each other as polar opposites.  Cameras were set up on both structures so that each would be recording the other.

Celtic Mandalas

From time to time I like to draw Celtic mandalas.  These are circular designs that contain Celtic patterns, and are usually symmetrical.  They often consist of three designs that mirror each other, since the number three is important in Celtic mythology.  I find drawing these to be very relaxing, and it is always fun to experiment with different patterns of color.  So far, I have only used colored pencils to make the designs, but I hope to experiment with paint at some point to help make the colors more vibrant.

Art Event 1

I attended an art event that featured a visiting artist named Martina Lantin.  She showed those of us who attended some of the plates and tiles she had made previously.  I thought it was interesting that some of the plates had words from newspapers printed on them.  She did a demonstration of how to make this type of work, and she discussed how to use slips in order to do layering, which is similar to how it is used in printmaking.  She also discussed her experiences using electric and wood kilns.
In addition to her discussion and demonstration, she handed out pictures of her previous works.  One of the pictures depicted a few pitchers that were wood fired.  These pitchers had a unique elongated shape and had various patterns, including striped patterns.  Another picture showed her ceramic art, which included mugs, plates, and pitchers, and it highlighted the many unique designs she incorporated.

Sketches

I have always been the most comfortable doing sketches, especially of houses and buildings, compared to any other art form I've experimented with.  Sketching has always come somewhat naturally to me, and I've always had a love for drawing houses and trying out different styles of architecture.  

This is a sketch of the Unitarian Universalist church in my town, which I attend on occasion.  The building is rather small but quite beautiful, and I enjoyed being able to study its structure in detail while drawing it.

This is a sketch of a lighthouse that I visited with a friend when we were at her house in Maine.

Stop Motion

As I prepare to start my first project using stop motion, I found a couple of videos online that demonstrate how the use of stop motion can be impressive and unique.  In the videos, the artists are able to create a sense of magic using the stop motion technique.  I will hopefully be able to use similar techniques in my own video.

Van Gogh Influence

Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists, so I experimented with using some of his works to inspire my own.  At the time I drew this, I had not yet had experience with any painting classes, so I chose to use oil pastels, which I had already begun teaching myself how to use.  In a later work of mine, I was able to use acrylic paint to make a landscape of mountains, which I mirrored partially after "Starry Night."

For this piece, I imitated Van Gogh's "Wheatfield with Cypresses," and then inserted the crows from his "Wheatfield with Crows."  I did not try to copy the pieces exactly, as I used this only as an exercise to better my ability to use oil pastels.  I also enjoyed the opportunity to study Van Gogh's work more closely.

Houses

I have always had an interest in houses, whether drawing them, building them out of cardboard, even writing short stories based on them.  Over the summer, I created a couple of drawings using colored pencils.  I originally  thought of using oil pastels, but I felt that would not allow me to incorporate the amount of detail I wanted.  The first picture is of a house in my neighborhood, and the second is from a different neighborhood in the city I live in.

I was satisfied with my choice of using colored pencil, as it allowed me to focus on smaller details like shading and blending colors.

Oil Pastels

I first started using oil pastels a couple of years ago.  I was never taught the proper technique for using oil pastels in any class, so I started experimenting with them.  I started off with these pictures of the three guinea pigs I had at the time, which I drew from photographs I had taken of them.  The most challenging part for me was learning how to use the pastels to do shading, and especially how to blend the colors.

The guinea pigs pictured are named Coriander, Sage, and Ypsilon.

The Art of Writing

Although I do have some talent with drawing, my true passion lies in the art of writing.  I always thought that technology would be unhelpful when it came to my writing, possibly even hindering to it.  Other than typing a story, I would never rely on a computer and would concentrate only on my own imagination.  However, I have discovered that this is not always the case.  I recently stumbled upon an advertisement on facebook appealing to writers to submit their work to a contest.  I had never heard of this particular contest before, but I felt that I had nothing to lose, so I submitted a poem that I had written called "The Spiral of Descent."  I did not expect to have any success with this poem, since I had not spent much time on it.  To my surprise, however, I received a letter saying that the poem was being published.  Never will I doubt the power of technology again.

The Spiral of Descent

No longer a fantasy safe in my head,

Reality hurls itself towards me;

A trajectory

That can never be altered again.

I pray to return to the land of sweet ignorance.

Now here I stand,

A hermit crab robbed of its shell,

Forsaken of shelter,

And now the ground quivers beneath me.

I enter the Spiral of Descent.

But there was one thing not left behind

In that brilliant coiled casing,

Not stolen from me,

Not abandoned me.

I pull The Strength

From the confines of my pocket,

Raise it high above my head,

Grip it tight,

And march proudly into the eye

Of the Spiral of Descent.

Published Artwork

Last spring, I was fortunate enough to have two photos that I took published in my school's literary magazine, called Word of Mouth.

Fall Leaf:

I was surprised that this photo was accepted into the magazine.  I had simply been taking a walk during the fall and decided to take a picture of it.  I didn't think it was anything special, but I guess the other editors of the magazine liked it.

Table Rock Overhang:

My favorite spot to go hiking is called Table Rock.  It is an area of large rocks that look over a cliff in the woods near my dorm.  I took this picture of a cave-like overhang formed by one cluster of rocks.  This was my favorite of the two pictures.
I don't consider myself to be much of a photographer.  My focus is more on writing short stories and poetry, but I do enjoy taking pictures from time to time.  I hope to get more of my photos into this year's magazine.

Comedy on the Web

As technology gets more and more advanced, it becomes even more useful for accessing comedy.  Youtube has become very well known:



Other blogs can also be a great source of humor, such as Allie Brosh's page, Hyperbole and a Half:



I encourage you to visit Allie's page, so you will understand the above images of The Alot, Allie's "simple dog," and Allie herself as a unique cartoon.