Monday, November 26, 2007
New Design Direction
Artists are everywhere. They are teenagers. They are adolescents. They are middle-aged, and the middle-class. "Artists" are blooming in fields of expression and creativity with each passing and moment, and as a result, are forced to compete. Compete not for survival, or land, or love, but for originality.
Man is an expressive beast. He longs to create with his own two hands. To accomplish. To raise his head high and know that he has worked long and hard to make something his own.
With the introduction of the digital medium, and the ease of access therein, it is unsurprising that so many have risen up to become "artists" in our new age of computer screens and "Photoshopping." It is with a sense of pride that I call myself an artist, not because I can look at the works of others around me and learn to copy and emulate what I've seen and studied, but because I have taken what I have experienced, and absorbed it. I have made it a part of my diet. I seek not to create what has already been created, but to create that which has not yet even been dreamed.
Often times I become frustrated when viewing the works of others that I believe to be superior to mine, as I'm sure many of us have from time to time. It instills in me a feeling of anxiety that at my age I still haven't reached a skill level which others younger than me have achieved years prior. It falls on me to work harder. To learn from the multitude of failures encountered each day, and to grow both artistically and spiritually. It is the struggle I face everyday. A struggle to accept that I am not the artists of whom I admire, and that I must learn to create works that speak to me, and others like me on a level that together we can communicate through.
"Fuck Art" is a conceptual idea aimed at expressing the inherent difficulties all artists face when trying to create original works of their own. Whether it be literature, dance, music, or the fine/digital arts medium, we all struggle in our own ways on a daily basis.
"Fuck Art" is for the artist. It is the low point before the brilliant idea. The hopelessness. The feelings of sameness, redundancy, and limited nature of our work that without proper maturity can lead to our failures. It is the hope that we can create something original among a sea of flooding artists.
Jim Viola
2007 Artist's Statement
Rowan University
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Busy busy
I have been very busy with work and school I'll post some projects up here very shortly. Unfortunately I am not legally allowed to show book covers I am currently working on in a public space, so I can't show you some of what I think has been great book cover work recently :(
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Life
I've been getting up earlier and getting into a good routine the past few weeks. This school schedule has got me really focused on my major, and my classes are really challenging me.
I'm currently taking:
Photography I
Web Design I
Visual Identity (GD III)
Art History III
Now if only I was graduating this year... anyone know of good MFA programs on the East Coast? I'm thinking about Tyler right now, but it's also two years off. : )
I'm currently taking:
Photography I
Web Design I
Visual Identity (GD III)
Art History III
Now if only I was graduating this year... anyone know of good MFA programs on the East Coast? I'm thinking about Tyler right now, but it's also two years off. : )
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Work
Doing a lot of work recently for a client. Unfortunately I signed a contract and terms of said contract don't allow me to post my work to the public... which is a shame. Anyway, I'll get back to drawing after the deadline and stuff. I'm also in my final week of class for my Astronomy class. It's been a lot of fun so far, and I've learned entirely too much.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Practice
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Quickie
Monday, June 25, 2007
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Color
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Comic Con Updates!
Alright this first pic is me and David Mack. I stumbled upon his exhibition booth right away which was pretty sweet. I bought some of his prints, and the first issue of his new Kabuki series. Check him out at www.davidmack.net
This girl squeaked when she walked because the boxes were kind of glossy from the paint. She sounded like a robot.
Great Blade costume.
The girl on the left had this enormous head and I needed a picture of it. She tried getting me to go see some show, but I'm not into hookers.
GHOST HUNTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MORE GHOST HUNTERS!!!!!!!
The Hulk.
This guys really felt like a young Obi-Wan, and there was another guy who looked exactly like Anakin, but I neglected to take a picture.
This costume was awesome. The wings opened and retracted and had glowing read eyes that faded slightly. It was sick.
So my first con experience was an amazing one. I wish I could go tomorrow and pick up all the great stuff I wanted to get there. I'll have to settle for awesome memories.
I'll make a list of the stuff I picked up.
This girl squeaked when she walked because the boxes were kind of glossy from the paint. She sounded like a robot.
Great Blade costume.
The girl on the left had this enormous head and I needed a picture of it. She tried getting me to go see some show, but I'm not into hookers.
GHOST HUNTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MORE GHOST HUNTERS!!!!!!!
The Hulk.
This guys really felt like a young Obi-Wan, and there was another guy who looked exactly like Anakin, but I neglected to take a picture.
This costume was awesome. The wings opened and retracted and had glowing read eyes that faded slightly. It was sick.
So my first con experience was an amazing one. I wish I could go tomorrow and pick up all the great stuff I wanted to get there. I'll have to settle for awesome memories.
I'll make a list of the stuff I picked up.
Comic Books
My first ComicCon is tomorrow. I'm pretty excited for it. I have a huge list of Ashley Wood titles I'm going to be looking for as well as various other titles that I need to fill in gaps.
A quick highlight of some of the things I'm reading includes:
Sam and Twitch
Fell
30 Days of Night
Automatic Kafka
Lore
Wormwood
Criminal Macabre
Walking Dead
DMZ
I'm not sure if you can notice a trend in the art styles I tend to lean towards.
I usually find darker art more appealing over traditional styles.
I also enjoy a good story from time to time as well. :)
A quick highlight of some of the things I'm reading includes:
Sam and Twitch
Fell
30 Days of Night
Automatic Kafka
Lore
Wormwood
Criminal Macabre
Walking Dead
DMZ
I'm not sure if you can notice a trend in the art styles I tend to lean towards.
I usually find darker art more appealing over traditional styles.
I also enjoy a good story from time to time as well. :)
Monday, June 11, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Piece
Monday, May 28, 2007
Keeping up with things
Hey all, it's been a busy week. Unfortunately the only pictures I got to take of all the fun were just a couple of family, and weren't really anything worth displaying. I had a great week with tons of free alcohol thrown my way almost every night. Thanks to all my friends who read this and hooked me up!
As for drawing, I'm trying to be real loose with the pencil lately. It always seems to get my creative mojo flowin' like a river. Have a great Holiday everyone, I'm about to bbq
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