For my theme I chose environmental art which has to do with trees. Hence the blog name being tricky trees.
This blog features the four following artists:
Ahmad Nadalian – An internationally known environmental artist from Iran. He is one of the most active artists and is sponsored by many organizations. He has performed many art projects all over the world. He is often invited as a guest lecturer for different universities, organizations and art centers – where he leads art projects and workshops.
Tanya Preminger – A progressively more active environmental artist originally from the Soviet Union. She now teaches, lives, and does her work in Isreal. She received a Master of Arts at the Surikov Acadamy of Arts in Moscow. She has won 7 awards in International sculpture competitions.
Sauli Miettunen – Born in 1961 and went to art school in Lapland, Tornio, Finland and the Lahti Art Institute. He graduated as a painter, but began to scuplt wood and metal into organic shapes. She’s been known to be well recieved in both nature and urban environments.
Jonny Pohjalainen – She lives and works out of the Finnish village of Oulu, Helsinki. She recieved a Master’s in the Art Program in the University of Industrial Arts in 2007. She has shown her work in several Young Artist exhibitions.
THE ARTWORK:
The first piece of artwork I have selected for the tree theme is Ahmad Nadalian’s untitled work he did as one of his workshops in the United Kingdom. This work was a collaboration between him and the students at the University of West England. I feel if I walked into this forest after the art had been done I would feel a little creeped out. I think the students and him were going for a caveman-like look. Judging by much of Nadalian’s other works, I believe it’s what they were going for. Lots of his other projects include etchings on rocks and drawings of fish on rocks. This peice of environmental art fits the theme becuase the painting?/etching?/carving? (I couldn’t figure out what they did) were done on trees and in the forest.
The second piece of artwork I have selected for this gallery is Tanya Preminer’s work entitled Shadow. This work is in the yard of a school and has a very peaceful look to it. When I originally saw it I didn’t like it because I was thinking the grass would grow around the “shadow’ and cover it up, and I also the trees don’t match (one being without leaves and the real one having leaves). However, environmental art isn’t meant to last so I ignored the fact the trees don’t match and learned to like it. I am now kind of wondering if the “shadow” was made out of sawdust. I couldn’t really find much information about this piece so I feel it’s open for guesses. I was also thinking maybe the white “shadow” was meant to represent the tree in the winter, or perhaps it being dead and follen over due to it not having any leaves. This work fits into my theme because it’s influenced and inspired by trees.
The third work I have selected for the gallery is Sauli Miettunen’s tree work called Tree Art. This work was done in Finland. the work is said to represent animal vertebrae, trees in a garden, and above all, a man’s visit to and his tracks in nature. I can see the animals in his work; snails perhaps. But I can’t really see the other right away. The trees in a garden I can kind of see; maybe the curls are supposed to represent flowers. A man’s visit to nature could just be him going to the forest curling the trees. When I frst saw it it reminded me of little girls jumping rope on a playground – it was a pleasant thought – also swing sets in the background. This piece fits into the theme because the tree branches are curled; fiting the tree theme.
This fourth work in my gallery is another one on Tonya Preminger’s pieces entitled First Aid. It was created in Park Dina in Isreal in 2009. The bandages vary in size. I couldn’t find much analysis on this piece. When I first saw it I thought to myself… “What the hell, when artists get popular their work turns to this… complete shit.” I still think it isn’t a very creative piece, but I decided to put it in the gallery so I could analyze it and try to give it credit in my own mind. I was thinking maybe Preminger was thinking of the decline of the amount of trees in the world and the deforestation of the rain forests; however, I doubt that was the reasoning for this though. I was also thinking maybe she was protesting something, but I feel if she was I could be able to find more informations about this piece. It fits into the theme because the bandages are protecting the tree.. but from what?
The fifth piece, my favorite piece, of the gallery is Jonny Pohjalainen’s tree work called Colour Pencils in the Wild. She stated about her work that she used local aspen trees because of their lively form and grey color. She stated the color was meant to bring joy and happiness to people’s everyday lives. The place she chose (Latvian fields in Finland) was wisely selected for it’s sunsets which also have bright colors. She chose this spot so their will be color throughout the whole day. She mentioned without sun their is no color or life. I like this artwork basically for what she stated about it. I think it’s kind of cheap art, but the idea is very creative and spirit lifting. I love it for it’s simplicity and use of colors.
The sixth and final piece is a simple piece entitled Reminiscence by Tonya Perminger. This was created in Sagadi, Estonia for reasons unknown. I chose it because it looks like the trees in Fairbanks when the snow falls on them and they get weighed down. I feel it has a sort of homey feeling for me (neglecting the fact the surrounding area looks really warm). I’m not sure what she was thinking when she created this one, perhaps the same thing what I thought. Since she is from Finland, maybe she was creating an tree overburdened with snow. It fits the theme because it’s a bent over tree.
SOURCES:
Nadalian, Ahmad. “Ahmad Nadalian.” wwwebart. Paradise Insitutional Center.
“Tanya Preminger.” Wikipedia. 24 March 2011. Wikipedia.
Peitila-Jantura, Katriina. “Sauli Miettunen.”
(Translated by google translator)
“Jonny Pohjalainen.”
(Translated by google translator)
Author. “Title.” webtitle. date. publisher. accessed. .
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