My name is Kandarah (Kandi) Cuthbert and I am not much of a morning person...
Soo...who am I?...hmmm..
Who am I is a really good question...considering that it is one that will never have just one specific answer. I will always be trying to figure out who I am as a person and an artist...and I am okay with that. How can I improve if I don't let things change.
My hobbies and interests include a variety of creative and hands on type things. I have drawn since I was a small child (mostly figures/realism) and have always enjoyed making crafts. Music has been important to me also from a very young age which lead me to experience with some musical instruments as well as vocal training. Sewing takes up a lot of my time as well. My mother was/is an amazing seamstress so enjoying a sewing machine came to me naturally. Seeing something being created with my own hands right before my eyes is very satisfying. And last but not least Photography is a big deal to me. I was 13 or so when I got my very first web cam and started to explore doing self portraits. It just so happened that The lighting in the room worked perfectly to a create a mood. I had one lamp on the side of me and to give more light to the shot I had to tape the lamp shade down on one side (somehow taking the shade off didn't occur to me). Example below.
My first Self Portrait
From there I guess the rest was history. Unfortunately or fortunately having yourself as the only model to use made things difficult but it also lead me to the thought that "Hey, maybe I can be a model of some sorts.."...in the end I believe to be the type of Artist/Photographer I would like to be having experience in front and behind the camera could be helpful. I have realized I am in a rut when it comes to my photos and have done as much as I can without having learnt anything proper technically and it is about time I let myself learn and improve.
I personally would never say I was great at anything..good maybe but not great (yet) which is one of the few reasons I was interested in a class like this. I've felt for a while that I have held myself back to much and need to just let myself do. I have a hard time thinking outside the box on my own and learn so much better by being shown something. I am very much inspired by the people around me.
Types of photography and/or art that interests me: people, the human body in general, nudes, pin-ups, feminist related, fetish, things that are obscure/distorted or gruesome. Basically, anything that can catch the eye and/or disturb you and make you think about why you feel the way you do about it.
What I would like to get out of this class by the end of the term is...inspiration and knowledge! Such as having a better understanding of what kind of artist I am, to know how to use a camera better technically and to have more experience with programs that are used to manipulate and edit images to create a finished work of art.
Article I found when searching for Artist statements: http://www.mollygordon.com/resources/marketingresources/artstatemt/
I like how she splits it into different sections explaining what should be where and what it should consist of.
Kandie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that excellent link on preparing an artist statement, I have added it to the UR Courses page for our course.
Thank you also for providing such an honest and personal insight into your creative work. You say you might be good at many things, and I say: that's an excellent start. Drawing influence from all aspects of one's life is, in my humble opinion, the basis for a rich and varied art practice. Keep your eyes on those influences!
So: whose nudes, pin-ups, feminist related, fetish and/or gruesome photography interests you, exactly? How about a blog entry that includes links to URegina Library resources, to provide the class with some research pointers?
Risa