ACoLab: January 2011

Inspiration 12 - Resolution

Here we have the first submissions for the new year! Thanks to all who participated. For those of you who would like to join in the fun, please do. Deadlines are always on the 5th and 20th of each month. Click here for future inspiration themes and here for extra inspiration. The next theme is "Page 25 of a magazine you are reading" due on February 5th. You can submit anything your imagination wants to create. Have fun! You can also choose from any of the "extra inspirations" to submit at any point during the month. As always, should you care to learn more about a particular artist or one of the works below you can either click on the link of that artist's name (located on the left side bar) or click on the name in each submission.

I chose the word "Resolution" because it was January and the new year, time for resolutions. But I wondered if anyone would take the word and use it in the sense of photography and resolution for the image. Nope. I chose to go the first route as well. Here you have this rounds submissions, enjoy!

"Plant"

Digital Painting

by Tobias

"Resolution"

Photograph

by Stephanie

"Commitment"

Photograph

by Ashley

"Balance"

Digital collage and drawing

by Anika

"Resolution"

Song

by Doug

Acolab12_Resolutio...

"Resolution"

Photographs and Words
by Joanna (See her page for more to this entry)

Thanks again to everyone who contributed; it's a great variety of work! I hope to see you back in the Lab soon.

Extra Inspired - Anika/Barnett Newman

When I was a little girl my dad took me to the MOMA in New York. I wanted badly to see the modern art. I didn't know anything behind the work of Mark Rothko, Mondrian, and other abstract expressionists but I loved to look at them. I guess I can somehow get past the thought that it's a simple canvas with lines and squares or blocks of color and just fall in love with the design. I know that the artists have a method and concept behind their work but a lot of times (since I am being honest) it seems to take away the beauty for me. In fact I am more inclined to judge their work if I know that story. I know, that's backwards...but this is one of the things that is so great about art-it's highly subjective and personal to everyone who makes it AND sees it. In fact, when my dad (and keep in mind my dad loved art work and knew a lot about art from different areas of the world. He collected paintings and sculptures from all over the globe) and I entered the area of Rothkos and Newmans my dad took a look around the room, paused, yelled out "Rubbish" and told me he would meet me later. See? Subjective.

The other day while walking around I snapped a photo that reminded me of Barnett Newman's "Black Fire". The lines and space seemed just like it. The scene also reminded me of his Stations of the Cross paintings. For example,this image to the right ,"Station 12". Especially the way the pay draws off the white line. The textures in the cement of the photo I took made me think of this one.

This is the photo I took...inspired by Barnett Newman.

Here's the thing: I love abstract art. But I love it even more when a common thing like the ground I walk on can inspire me or remind me of beautiful art. It's everywhere... I love that.

Extra Inspired - Joanna/Imogen Cunningham

The following is our first "extra credit" inspiration. (Can anyone think of a better name than "extra credit"? Please.) Thanks to Joanna for starting the year off with such a lovely post. Things are a bit reformatted because of the blog size and such. If you would like to see the post as she intended please hop on over to her blog. If you would like to participate in the ACoLab please see our monthly inspirations or the extra inspiration page. Enjoy!

Destination Unknown - inspired by Imogen Cunningham

(Above: "Fairy Lights" & "Innocence" . Below: "Temptation" & "Soft and Hard")

Imogen Cunnigham was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She began her photographic studies at the University of Washington and went on to become one of photography's early pioneers and commenced what became one of the longest photographic careers in the history of the medium.

In the 1920's Cunningham turned her attention to artistic nudes of friends and family and the study of plant forms found in her garden. The results are staggering; an amazing body of work comprised of bold, contemporary forms.

(Below Images: "Mother Nature Sees All" and "Tired")

I love the work she did, and because she had various subject matters, I am going to use her as my muse inspiration for this month and try and tackle a number of her subject matters which is going to be hard because she did nudes, plant forms, and portraits and they were incredible.

(To the left: "Ripe")

I don't for one minute think that what I will produce will be as iconic as what she did, what it will do however is provide me with a focus in which to experiment and challenge and educate myself, after all that is what the early pioneers of photography did, and photography to me is my own way of exploring me, what I see, what I want to express and I do love contemporary art a lot!

(Right image: "Soft to the Touch")

This is so exciting, and I hope that you enjoy what to me feels like the start of a journey to Destination Unknown - although maybe for me that will be getting to understand Imogen Cunningham a little more and tackling subjects that I have not!

(Below: "Past it's Prime", " Dangerous", "V is for", "Propaganda")