Unintentional Cropping & Hilarious (and unintened) Consequences

This is why we go to an art school! :) Thanks to Ameera Reece, who contributed this early work of her from 8 years ago, as a lesson on "how not to crop"! :) Thanks Ameera, this definitely makes the point!

Ok, it's a little late, I know :]

Time does go by fast!  Looking forward to another one of those!

2012--->2013!

*Artist- Ai Weiwei 艾未未

From Beijing, with love.

The China Central Academy of Fine Art (CAFA) will be exhibiting twenty one faculty member's work at the New York Academy of Art (NYAA) on 01/22/2013.

 New York Academy of Art

 111 Franklin St New York, NY 10013
Reception: 01/22/2013 5:00pm  
List of Artists:  Hong Ling, Hu Jiancheng, Jia Difei, Kang Lei, Li Yanzhou, Lin Xiaochu, Liu Gang, liu Shang Ying, Liu Xiaodong, lu liang, Ma Lu, Ma Xiao Teng, Pei Yongmei, Shen Ling, Shi Yu, Sun Xun, Wang Shaolun, Wang Yuping, Xie Dongming, Yu Hong, Zhang Yuan,
(Select an image and left click "view image" to view larger version)

Atten Fine Art students or emerging artists: CAFA offers a full scholarship based ph.D program to foreign students.

Read an article about CAFA on NY Times here.

Still In Shock

I was finishing the last part of the student review when one student walked in and asked if I had known about "the News",  having been inside all day with no time for internet-surfing which provided me with little imagination to what was happening to the outside world. That's when I heard about the horrific and completely shocking news.  It was instantly heart wrenching.  I can not begin to imagine the pain that the parents and their loved ones were going through... to started a normal day, to have made holiday plans, and suddenly this reality -- waiting heart broken while the police had to finish the procedural work before the parents could even begin to take their babies home for burial, 10 days before Christmas.  This is just sick. Anyone who murders innocent babies, is coward, sick, a sociopaths who does not deserve to take his own life.
Guns don't kill; sick, coward, terrible people do.
Our hearts are with the victims. Our mind are with many suffering parents, their loved ones and friends. 

A very happy class

The Construction of Excitment

Sometimes a white piece of paper can be so exciting and scary at the same time, because of its endless potential in pictorial depiction (or literature of you can fit everything;)). Artists are natural "drama queens", because we know to place objects in certain way to create suspenseful scenes. However everything has its integraty that can't be mocked unless one is willing to test the fire -- short cuts come after the settlement of uncertainty. Anyway that being said, here's some example on how I critique the students work generally.  I don't dictate the subject matter, my goal is to cultivate the student's cinematographic skill as much as I can within the time span.

Panel 1 [student original]  Panel 2&3 [Instructor suggestion]

Panel 1 [student original]  Panel 2&3 [Instructor suggestion]