Drawing Archives - BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications

Art Alumni Feature: Casey Jex Smith

admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 17:49:15 +0000

Smith prefers the accessibility of drawing to more complicated mediums, but his drawings are anything but simple Artist Casey Jex Smith has worked in nearly every medium — including performance, murals, sculpture and collage painting. But as he ages and assumes more responsibilities that infringe on his art-making time, he has chosen to focus on drawing. “I like drawing because of its immediacy, meaning it’s really quick and clean to do,” Smith said. Contrast that with the work of his wife, Amanda Smith, who is a ceramicist and a relief painter. Her art requires clay, glazes and a kiln — all materials that demand space and time to set up. Similarly, painters need a studio and good ventilation, Casey Smith noted, and they have to stretch canvases. “All of these things are kind of deterrents to making art,” Smith said. “I do what I can to take away any difficulty to making. I can just grab a sketchpad, grab a pen and do my art.” But this does not mean that Smith’s drawings are quick or simple; on the contrary, they are large and complex — encompassing whole civilizations and narratives with intricate detail — and often take months to create. The sheer amount of time spent on each of these drawings embeds into the work a weight or gravity that holds the viewer for a long time. Read the full article by Abby Weidmer at art.byu.edu.

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Art Alumni Feature: Ron Linn

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 15:34:48 +0000

For artist Linn, drawing is more than a preparatory skill; it is a meditative state of mind and a process of trying to slow down time Ron Linn is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is primarily rooted in drawing. Early in his art training he considered drawing a preparatory skill — a prelude to something more polished. But in graduate school, Linn came to regard drawing as his home base. “In grad school I realized that drawing was an intense act of looking and thinking while I was doing something with my hands,” Linn said. “There’s this connection between my mind, my eyes and my hands. I really enjoyed that connection and began discovering drawing as a means in itself, as a way of connecting to this state of mind.” Linn seeks to help students in his introductory drawing courses develop this skill of heightened observation that he says will help them improve in whatever they’re doing, whether art or something else. “Just being able to look at something and see it simply for what it is, and understand it in a new way without just consuming it,” Linn said. Read the full article written by Abby Weidmer at art.byu.edu.

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Alumni Feature: Rachel Stallings Thomander

admin — Thu, 21 May 2020 18:07:27 +0000

As Thomander’s view of success expands and the lines between art and non-art blur, new creative possibilities emerge Seven-year-old Rachel Stallings Thomander walked into a university classroom with her mother and looked up to see several large-scale paintings hanging on the wall. “I want to do that!” she thought. The oldest of Gloria and Gregory Stallings’ three children, Thomander periodically attended art classes with her mother, an art minor at UC Irvine and the first woman in her Colombian family to receive a college degree. Mother and daughter worked side by side on art projects as Stallings completed class assignments. “I remember making a small oil painting depicting planets and space, and a dish for chips and salsa,” Thomander recalled. “I grew to love making things during that time and knew I wanted to keep doing it for as long as I could.” Although she continued to pursue her dream of making art, Thomander didn’t consider herself an artist for a long time. From her perspective, only special people were artists. It wasn’t until she decided to major in art at BYU that she slowly became comfortable using the term to describe herself. Read the full article by Abby Weidmer at art.byu.edu.

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BFA Student Featured In A Solo Exhibition At The Utah Museum Of Contemporary Art

admin — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 18:40:53 +0000

Rachel Henriksen’s show “knew/new” will be on display in the Projects Gallery at UMOCA November 1—January 18 BFA senior Rachel Henriksen first heard from the curator at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) on social media. The curator had seen one of her artworks (the recipient of an honorable mention) at the Bountiful Davis Art Center (BDAC) Statewide Competition. Impressed with the piece and other works of hers he had seen previously, he invited her to participate in a solo show in the Projects Gallery at UMOCA. Henriksen said she was “beyond elated” to receive the invitation—a rarity among student artists, and artists in general. The impetus for Henriksen’s recent work was a painting she made earlier this year while visiting her artist grandmother in Washington. Funded by an experiential learning grant from the Art Department, Henriksen flew to Washington to make art side by side with her grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Prior to her visit, Henriksen researched Alzheimer’s disease to try to better understand life from her grandmother’s perspective. While in Washington, she stayed with her grandmother for several days and learned how Alzheimer’s affects her daily routine. They talked and painted and searched through her grandmother’s art-filled garage. Read more at art.byu.edu

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Seeing with the Eyes of an Artist

admin — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 17:00:34 +0000

Greg S. (BFA ’17) and Jean Mcfarland Bean (BA ’17) were BYU dropouts. After a baby and an illness derailed their studies in the 1980s, they decided to leave BYU and head to Washington state. Greg, who had been working nights in Utah with the Springville Police Department, got a job as an officer in Bellevue, Washington, and was eventually promoted to detective. One day his lieutenant ordered him to a weeklong forensic-art class. Then a self-described “art imbecile,” Greg hadn’t put pencil to paper since middle school; this class began a lifelong journey into art. The teacher began by saying that art isn’t about the pencil in your hand, but about what you can see. Those words “literally changed my life and changed the way I saw people,” says Greg. By the end of the week, he could draw “a decent-looking human head,” and by the end of his career on the force, he had become the foremost forensic artist in the Seattle area, helping apprehend scores of criminals with his composite sketches. Meanwhile, Jean developed her own native interest in art. Thirty years after leaving Provo, the Beans received a clear prompting that, even though it was early, it was time for Greg to retire from the police force, and even though it was late, they needed to return to BYU. Read more at magazine.byu.edu More About the Beans “We work on commissions in our home studio together, we go out and paint together, we go to museums together,” says Greg about spending time with his wife, Jean. Their mutual love of art has provided a way for the Beans to grow together, including getting their art degrees at BYU as older students after early retirement. They’ve traveled to galleries all over and spent countless hours discussing artists and paintings. View some of their work at magazine.byu.edu

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Artists from BYU and Across the US and Europe Meet in Iceland to Collaborate on a Show in Santa Fe

Alexis Carver — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 17:33:54 +0000

Diverse artists establish an on-going relationship of community and unity For the past 10+ years, a group of BYU professors — including Claudine Bigelow (Music), Gary Barton (Art), Jen Orton (Art), Joe Ostraff (Art) and Linda Reynolds (Design) — have been collaborating with various artists across the U.S. and throughout the world. After a conversation between a few fellow collaborators — Ostraff, Nuala Clarke from Ireland, Karina Hean from Sante Fe, New Mexico and Ostraff’s wife Melinda Ostraff — the idea of “Odd Nature” was born. The idea evolved into a project where a team of 23 artists — including a total of six students from BYU, the U.S. and Europe — gathered together in Iceland to explore the relationship between humans and the natural world and the impact they have on each other. Each artist specialized in multiple disciplines including design, music, painting, drawing, printmaking, letterpress, book arts, video, performance art and installation work. Ostraff knew he was bringing together some power artists in Iceland, so he sat back and watched the creativity emerge. “I went into the project not wanting to be heavy-handed about what I thought should happen,” Ostraff said. “It will be an ongoing partnership that’s very organic and a lot bigger than I anticipated.” Art major Jeffery Hampshire — one of the six students who were invited to participate in the Iceland trip — discovered lasting ties and an unforgettable experience. “The Iceland trip was great because the students there mixed with professional artists,” he said. “We did projects together, but the main purpose was to set parameters for a future project. We are in communication today, even after that trip.” For Hampshire, the vision of his future changed because of the transpired events in Iceland. “I feel like an actual artist now,” said Hampshire. “The experience in Iceland has changed the way I’ll continue on future projects. I pictured myself as an artist working alone in a studio, but now I see a future of collaboration being a major part of my work.” Claudine Bigelow — a BYU viola professor within the School of Music — also participated in the Iceland trip. “Daily, we would have a workshop, connect it in some way with seeing nature in Iceland, and then we shared an evening meal and spoke about art ideas,” said Bigelow. “We got to know each other well and became fast friends in the process.” The trip was only Bigelow’s third experience working with visual artists. “I loved watching talented people create — watching their drawing and painting techniques,” she said. “It was important for me to watch really gifted artists speak with their own clear voice. I was honored to work together.” After the Iceland trip, 12 out of the 23 artists featured their work at the Santa Fe Community College art gallery in New Mexico. The show was displayed from Sep. 13 to Oct. 10. “Odd Nature” didn’t just establish opportunities for the artists to collaborate on future projects — it also taught life lessons. The title “Odd Nature” is not just an art show, but a definition of diverse people coming together to create something beautiful. “We hope people will find themselves in the project,” Ostraff said. “There were a lot of different people with different beliefs who came together to make ‘Odd Nature’ possible. The civility in the room allowed for people to collaborate even if they didn’t agree or have similar lifestyles and backgrounds, but they did agree to be kind, thoughtful, civil people and it’s been a great thing to think about.” The work was made possible through the generous support of The Ballinglen Arts Foundation and Brigham Young University. For a different version of the story and more visuals, visit art.byu.edu

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Joe Ostraff, BYU Students Collaborate with University of Utah to Create Statement Art

Morgan Reis — Fri, 31 May 2019 18:53:02 +0000

Art professor Joe Ostraff and his students collaborated with faculty and students at the University of Utah to create art that makes statements about immigration, globalization and classism Students from BYU and the University of Utah came together to create art that tackles complicated issues currently facing society. The students’ drawings took the sentiments that surround the problems and represented the concerns and fears visually. For inspiration during the collaboration, students and professors from a globalization and inequality course at the University of Utah wrote two short stories that summarized their research on topics such as immigration, globalization and classism. Groups from both universities, who were mentored by BYU art professor Joe Ostraff and professors Marcel Paret and Rudi von Arnim from the University of Utah, each received an 8-foot by 4-foot paper and one of the short stories. The BYU group was assigned the short story “The Oasis in the Desert,” which explores various issues related to immigration. With the short story’s main argument and themes as the focus, BYU students began to draw, paint or write whatever they felt would portray their thoughts on the topic. Instead of creating individual pieces that would highlight stark differences in skill and ideology, students collaborated to make something raw and honest. The art would be drawn on, drawn over and sometimes erased. “We wanted the piece to feel more like street art, something communal and full of layers,” said Mandy Darrington, a senior art student from BYU. Nearly two weeks after receiving their paper canvases, the two groups switched their work and stories. Students at the University of Utah were required to build off of what BYU students had already done, and BYU would do likewise with the work that students from the University of Utah had contributed. “This was a back-and-forth response between two student groups. Everyone was thrilled,” said Ostraff. “This was more of a democratic public art — not an individual thing where talent or skill was measured but where voice and position were being contributed.” After approximately two more weeks and many hours of work from both schools, students completed the drawings. The final pieces of art, along with the research and data found by the University of Utah students, were exhibited on the University of Utah campus in a pod placed directly on campus. “The two drawings were a real complement to the work that the students from the University of Utah had put in,” said Ostraff. Students from BYU enjoyed the opportunity to work with their peers from the University of Utah, despite often perceived differences in ideology. Jeffery Hampshire, a BYU sophomore studying art, was inspired by the seemingly symbolic collaboration between two schools that are frequently pitted against one another. “It seemed fitting that our two schools, sometimes seen as rivals in a way, would work together to discuss topics of inequality and issues that can often result in separation or segregation,” said Hampshire. “By doing this project I felt a sense of connection to them and a sense of trying to resolve segregation — even within the state of Utah.”

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Joe Ostraff Shares His Collaboration Experiences in Faith and Works Lecture

Courtney Jones — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 19:57:27 +0000

Art Professor Joe Ostraff will discuss his numerous experiences with collaboration in his November Faith and Works lecture BYU art professor Joe Ostraff shares his presentation “We Breathe the Same Air” at the November Faith and Works Lecture Series. Ostraff has directed multiple collaborative programs that have involved hundreds of BYU students and faculty. These programs have resulted in over 30 international, national and regional exhibitions. After graduating from BYU, Ostraff received an MFA in painting from the University of Washington and now teaches primarily painting, drawing and advanced studio courses at BYU. Ostraff was a recipient of the 2010 Utah Arts Council Visual Arts Fellowship, and in 2014 he received a grant to fund the Western Wilds Collaboration through the BYU Laycock Center. The outcomes of this project were over 40 artist books, prints, video installations and experimental pieces of music, which were exhibited in the Harris Fine Arts Center galleries. His remarks at the November lecture will focus on his experiences with collaboration and partnership, and how these experiences have “affected [his] relationships exponentially.” Ostraff is “fascinated by experiences that incorporate time and place, especially as they correspond with systems in which elements align or synchronize.” He said, “These experiences serve as an underpinning in my quest for understanding as I constantly define and redefine my relationship to my surroundings.” The lecture will take place on Nov. 1 at 11 a.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. Read summary of lecture here.

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