Abigail Ostorva- 5 Artists Assignment

Drawing for the film "medicine cabinet" (Self-Portrait) 2000/01, William Kentridge

Felix in Exile, 1994, William Kentridge

Inspiration Me + 5 Artists Assignment Abigail Ostorva

The 5 artists I chose to watch videos about were William Kentridge, Joan Jonas, Julie Mehretu, Eddie Martinez, and Andrea Zittel.

Kentridge focused on themes of pain when it came to making work, and how artists often use others' pains to make work, while also becoming sympathetic to the pain or object they were using. Jonas focused on themes of how you can never truly capture the experience of an artist creating work when they are alone, as they always become a different person when they are being watched. Mehretu focused on themes of how paintings are continuously changing depending on how you look at them, and how no part of them are predetermined. Martinez spoke about how the best part of the process is just freely making the brush strokes and that some parts of his creative process can feel like a chore. Zittel spoke about how art and design should be intertwined, and how important the grid is in her work. .

Some challenges the artists faced when making their work were more theoretical, such as how to know when a project is done, how there's a constant back and forth between liking one part and not liking another, and how some parts of their process can feel like a chore. Other challenges were more technical, such as how they can incorporate the grid into their work, or when materials aren’t behaving exactly how they wanted, such as the woven pieces Zittel creates warping and needing to be weighed down.

Some inspirations I drew from the artists was to just get started, as that can be the hardest part. I also was relieved to know that they also felt like they at times had to force their way through the less exciting parts of their process. Another inspiration I drew was how they are really pushing scale in their work, as I am used to creating on a much smaller scale than some of the artists I watched. I was inspired by their dedication to their work, at times going to their studios multiple times in one day. Finally, I was inspired by the idea that a painting doesn’t need to have just one direct meaning.

Some things I would like to incorporate into my own work are the various media that these artists use, since I’mm not very experimental in what I use. Another thing I’d like to use more is the routine of creating something every day. I would also like to start incorporating more art into my design work and start pushing boundaries of what is art and what is design, as I feel like they can be intertwined. I would like to use more outside perspectives when it comes to creating my work, as I usually try to focus inwards when trying to draw inspiration. The last thing I would like to incorporate in my work is creating a more physical process. I find myself very stationary when I work and feel like moving around more or working in different areas could really elevate my process and art.