My PLAN!

This is a picture of what my knitting project will eventually look like. Based on the measurements, it will be 38 3/4 inches around the chest measurement. The materials used for the vest are: 430 yards of Bulky Wight Yarn (I used purple baby alpaca yarn, but that was a personal decision), 165 yards of worsted weight yard (I used pink, which was again, a personal decision), #6 and #10 1/2 circular needles, #6 16" single pointed needles, stitch holders, 4 1/2 inch buttons, and yarn markers. Also, this is just a representation of what my vest will eventually look like, and I plan on putting much more decorative and interesting looking buttons on my sweater.  

In the gallery, I want to put my vest on a hanger, and have the hanger attached to the wall. I don't plan on having any other artistic aspect, although I would like to place "progress pictures" next to the vest itself. I think that pictures that explain the knitting process will add a lot to the gallery showing.

Week 6- Reflection

So, although it's hard to tell what part of the vest this is, this is a picture of the bottom. At the moment, I have about 3 more inches to go until I've knitted up to the underarm. Because of the way this pattern works, I'm knitting from the bottom up. Once I reach 12 1/2 stitches from the hemline, I will have to divide for the front and the back. Once I do that, I will bind off 4 stitches, work over 64 stitches, bind off another 4 stitches, and then work over the remaining 64 stitches. Because of the short amount of time we have left in senior studio, I have decided to make the vest rather than making the sweater. The only difference between the two is that the sweater has sleeves and the vest does not.

Week 4- Reflection

Here are just some more pictures of the materials I'm working with. The first picture is of the bigger needles, which I have been using on the thicker yarn (featured above). I'm knitting the majority of the sweater with purple "Baby Alpaca Grande." I chose it because it's really soft. Also, I've discovered that it's much easier to work with than the pink yarn. I like that the needles are bigger, and I feel as though I've begun to "loosen up" my stitches, which I should have been doing from the start.

Although it will be a stretch to try and finish such a large first project within the next two weeks, I have made significant progress. While I am aware that I may not be able to complete the fleece, I will have gained more knowledge on a fun and interesting craft- knitting!

Week 3- Reflection

Although it doesn't look like there's much there- it took a long time! This is my progress on the body portion of the sweater. Interestingly enough, based on the pattern, I am knitting full circle, so my sweater sort of "grows" upward as I continue knitting.

I used a #6 24" circular needle and worsted weight yarn, and cast on 146 stitches. I placed a marker at the beginning of the rows to ensure that I would not lose my spot, and had to pay close attention to each stitch (so I wouldn't twist the stitches by accident when joining the first round). I knit 4 rows in stockinette stitch, and then learned how to purl. I returned to the knitting store last Saturday to learn how to Purl. Although it seemed more complicated at first, purling is actually just the opposite of knitting. Then, I worked 5 more rows in stockinette stitch. On the last of the 5 rows, I followed the instructions which told me to "decrease 10 stitches evenly spaced across the last row."

Week 2- Reflection

During week two, I began to work towards my final project. Although I have never knitted before, I decided to try it out. I began by visiting a knitting store in Newton called Putting On The Knitz. When I walked in, a calm, and seemingly happy elderly couple was sitting at the table knitting. They asked if there was anything I needed help with, and I said that I was new to knitting, but was interested in starting my first project.

Together we searched through a book that had several different patterns, some easier then others. As soon as we arrived at this pattern, I knew that this was the project I wanted to complete (because I love Patagonias, and this sweater resembles a Patagonia).

They walked around their store and grabbed all of the materials I would need- different sized needles, different colors of yarn, and markings for the knitting. As you can see from this picture, I didn't get very far within the first week- but I was just learning the basics!

Preparing to visit the galleries

Questions for Joseph Carroll:

1. How do you decide which photographers to showcase in your gallery?

2. Is their certain types of artwork that you find more interesting than others?

3. What was your favorite exhibit in the gallery and why?

After looking through the websites about each gallery, I took a special interest in the Samson Projects and Steven Zevitas gallery. As soon as I clicked on the website for the Samson Project, I was immediately intrigued. The work on the front page was "Sims-like" and virtual. Although I do not know enough about the artists that are featured in the Samson gallery, I can predict that their work will be very new age and experimental.  The Steven Zevitas gallery website caught my eye immediately as well. I decided to browse through Chris Ballantyne's work, and I liked every piece that I saw. His paintings were very political, in that they were mostly based around the environment and the future of nature. My favorite, Untitled, Parking Lot (Scenic Overlook) had a very clear statement: we must leave the forests out of modernization.

Boston Art Scene

Unfortunately, because of the way the economy works, almost every business is not doing as well as it has in the past. For gallery owners especially, it seems as though they have not been able to maintain enough sales to pay for the expensive price of high-end locations on Newbury St. Based on the articles, the economic downfall has affected artists in a negative way. As the Boston Globe mentioned, "more than a dozen commercial art galleries closed, moved, or changed hands."

However, there could be an optimistic side to the Newbury St. galleries closing. Because that area of Boston is more praised for it's luxury, perhaps this downward slope for artists will give thriving artists with less money to spend a chance to open up smaller places. If more artists start to put their work in less-expensive but interesting neighborhoods, they may have the chance to continue business as usual.

Also, as Dealer Ellen Miller stated, the internet is becoming a more popular place to showcase work. She claims that the internet is responsible for about 60% of her galleries business. This is good for dealers who are no longer able to afford traveling to purchase their art, and of course, the internet is rent-free.

Although I have not been to many galleries, I visited a few while I was in Montreal earlier this year. It was interesting to see difference between a smaller setting for certain types of art, rather than visiting a museum.

Surviving the critique

While every artist fears negative feedback, critique is an essential aspect to perfecting the artist's work. In The Critique Handbook, Kendall Buster and Paula Crawford suggest, "Consider times when you were making the work and you were unsure whether to do this or that, and are still unsure whether you ended up with the best solution. Consider struggles you have had with craft." If our class models such ideals to work towards the most effective and constructive criticism, we would be able to guide each other towards creating the best work possible. It is necessary for our art class to understand the importance of critiquing, because if we all want to move forward as artists, we must open ourselves to the advice of others. To work towards this goal, we should have "critiquing time" at the end of every week with the other artists in our area.

To get the most out of a critique on my own work, I should feel as comfortable as possible with the work that I am creating. As Buster and Crawford say, "defend your work, struggle with the painting, attack the canvas, execute the piece, wrestle with it, master the medium." If I follow these guidelines, I will be able to make the most of every evaluation towards my work.

To be a helpful participant in critiquing others' work, I should articulate my thoughts and criticism in a specific way, instead of making general or broad statements, such as, "that looks good" or "that doesn't look good." When critiquing others' work, I will focus on pinpointing exactly what I think could use more work. Also, to give the most effective criticism, I will listen to the artist's objective. This is an important part of critiquing, because certain aspects of their work may need explanation beyond what I am able to see on a canvas.