some things I did that one time...

Promo

2010-04-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

Promo cards for my new website. The red is Offset Lithography printed in the Borowsky Center and the black embellishments are done by hand with Rapidographs to make each card unique. Holler!

This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things...

2010-04-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

The MFA Book Arts/Printmaking program has an annual 5x5 print exchange open to all current students and alumni. This year's theme was "This is why we can't have nice things". This was the first thing I thought of when I heard what the theme was and then I could think of nothing better. Printed Offset in the Borowsky Center for Publication arts with the awesome Amanda D'Amico.

Website(s)

2010-02-21T16:19:00.000-08:00

I was commissioned to do a website for a friend of mine who is a funeral director in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Designing a website for a funeral home may sound a little drab, but it was actually quite fun... mostly because I got to travel to Peterborough to take photos, party with good friends, and cover The Bossman's office with tin-foil (it was pay-back). Anyways, the site is finally up and functioning, and can be viewed at www.jellisonfuneralhome.com

Having the satisfaction of completing someone else's website gave me the motivation to FINALLY finish my own. I will continue to use this blog to post about current works in progress and the latest news of what I'm up to, but to view my work on a more "professional" platform you can go to www.amandabenton.net

both sites were created through wix.com

Testing it out...

2009-11-24T17:12:00.001-08:00

I've been taking this screen printing class and trying to experiment with how my drawing style can translate into prints... this is one of those of those experiments and I was really happy with how the duo-tone tree turned out. I'm still working on it... here's some close ups:

(the background is one solid color, but the light makes it look funky)

oh and Happy Thanksgiving!

More Stuff I've done

2009-11-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a screen printing class for fun... and because I can't not be a student. I write a lot of thank you cards. These are some cards I made...

Here's a logo design I submitted for a competition. It didn't win, but I'm still pretty happy with it.

And We're Back!

2009-11-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

I was recently in a show with 3 other friends and former classmates at The University of the Arts. The theme was "Home Sweet Home" and can be seen at Off the Wall Gallery and Dirty Franks, located at 13th and Pine, Phila PA. For this show I worked on a series of portraits, drawn with rapidographs each with a hand-made paper frame, also drawn with rapidographs. I tried to create a storyline between the portraits that were made up of both real and imaginary people. I screen-printed a woodgrain pattern to mimick that of wood panelling and then arranged all the portraits in an enviroment that was meant to resemble a wall of portraits in someone's home.

The show will be up through December 4th, go check it out!

"Crazy Old Guy"

"Lovely in the Home"

"Brown Rice"

"Button-Pie"

frame detail

"Bobby Ben"

"Bobby Ben" detail

MFA THESIS EXHIBITION!!!

2009-05-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

Come to our opening this Friday! I have some really awesome, super talented classmates, and the opening of our MFA Thesis Exhibition is this Friday at the SkyBox gallery at 2424 Studios.

I'm pretty sure it's gonna be awesome and that you won't want to miss it.

poster printed by Bobby Rosenstock

http://2424studios.com/wp/

Benton's Bazaaro

2009-05-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

PHinally...

I finished my thesis, installed the show, defended/critiqued, and the opening reception is this Friday.

For those of you who don't know what I've been up to, I've made a mock woman's magazine filled with satirical articles and commentary on the way women are portrayed in the media. At this point I'd really prefer to never talk about or look at another fashion magazine again, but if you're interested...here is something that resembles an artist's statement:

http://www.benton412.magcloud.com/

The media is a central element of modern life, and gender and sexuality remain at the core of how we think about our identities. With the media containing so many images and messages about men, women, and sexuality, it is unlikely that these ideas would have no impact on our own sense of identity. Women’s magazines offer a confusing and contradictory set of ideas. Many of their messages are positive, communicating the idea of an assertive and independent woman, and yet the emphasis on looking beautiful is generally inescapable. For the most part, woman’s magazines are reproducing a smartened-up version of the old-fashion idea that a women’s existence revolves around landing the right guy – although the technique has changed from great cooking to great sex. The fundamental difference between then and now is that the stronghold on women’s lives and aspirations now masquerades as girl power. For every article on being an independent woman and career planning, there’s another one on attracting a boyfriend and honeymoon destinations. With every empowering statement and self-esteem boost there is a make-up ad to cultivate insecurities for which “solutions” can then be sold.
People consume hours of television, flip through magazines, surf the net, pass billboards, go to the movies, and are generally unable to avoid popular culture and advertising. There is an overwhelming amount of information going into people’s heads. Even if they don’t see it as information, or say they’re not paying attention to it, even if they are able to criticize it, and are aware that it is constructed fiction – they are unable to escape the influence of its content. The magazine I created, Bazaaro, highlights these contradictions and points to the absurdity of a culture that we ourselves have created and simultaneously undermine. As opposed to traditional advertising and media efforts, my work provokes the viewer to pause and think, rather than blindly consume.

As an artist I’m interested in having a conversation with the community at large, which is why many of my pieces have an interactive element to them. I like to throw my viewers off guard and trick them into looking at a piece of art or considering an idea that they may have overlooked. Is this a real magazine? Is it a joke? Is it art? I welcome all of these questions and more. I don’t see my work as circumscribed by the art world, and I encourage my audience to take action based on the ideas they discover in my art.

I need to take better pics, but here's a preview:

You can preview the entire magazine here - the text is too small to read, so I guess you'll just have to buy one!!!!

Here's a look at the show installation:

<<Ahem>>

Etsy 'n stuff

2009-04-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

I've finally set up an Etsy shop.

This is very exciting.

The four books that I've made while in Grad school are now available for sale on my Etsy account and will continue to be, until I sell out...which I'm assuming will be a while since two of the books were printed in an edition of 100 and another is unlimited. I'm registered under my press name ABentley Press. Go check it out, shop around, bookmark it, tell your friends.

sweet.

In other news... My book "Her Name was Mona" has been accepted to another show. The book is on view at the Heart & Hands Exhibition in Love Library, University of Nebraska-Lincoln from April 1 – 30, and then will be shown at Criss Library, University of Nebraska-Omaha, in May. And it's available for sale at my Etsy shop!

I keep being pleasantly surprised that this book is being so well received. I suppose its just self-doubting human nature at its best...but I'm happy nonetheless.

info about my thesis work is coming very soon. promise.

What is Beauty Book is Published!

2009-03-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

I just published a book through lulu on the "What is Beauty?" project that I curated last semester. It is an 125 pg, full color book, 5.83" x 8.26" perfect bound book, and contains every postcard that I received through the project and explores the meaning, implication, and value of beauty. You can check out some of the spreads below, or go to lulu, check out the preview, and buy a copy! --->

I also made a nice clam-shell box to contain all of the postcards that I received. Since I didn't give any sort of restriction for the size, many of the entries were quite larger than regular postcard size, and so when I made the box I need to have two separate compartments to contain everything. What I came up with was a clam-shell box with a removable shelf, as seen below.

justconsulting.

2009-03-03T20:21:00.001-08:00

My friends at The Institute on Religion and Public Policy hired me to do some more design work for a new consulting firm that is in development. The concept behind "justconsulting" is just that - they're a consulting firm with a "no strings attached" mentality ... just consulting and also Just consulting, with a capital J, fair-minded and unbiased.

The concept for the design was inspired by the ideals represented by "Lady Justice" - or the moral force that underlies the legal system. It was also expressed that the design should have a more contemporary and trendy look, so rather than go with the traditional blindfold/sword/scale representation of "Lady Justice", I went with the symbol of the torch and flame. The torch is a common emblem of both enlightenment and hope, and is known to signify truth, knowledge, and purity – all things that this new firm hopes to signify. I played around with taking the period out at the end, but ultimately decided to keep it as I felt it drove home their concept of just being a Just consulting firm.

Above is the final design they chose to go with, below were some of their other options.

The current deadness of my blog will hopefully not persist for too much longer. I'm working on a major (and by major I mean, much more work than I anticipated) project for my Thesis exhibition. I'll be posting more on that later, after I get over a few more hurdles...and flip out because it's already mid-term. oye.

NAGAS Exhibition

2009-01-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

(image taken from Laura Swanson, Self-Portrait:White)

My book Her Name was Mona will be featured in the NAGAS (North American Graduate Art Survey) at the University of Minnesota's Katherine E. Nash Gallery from January 20th through February 19th. This show is a juried international exhibition of North American graduate student artwork. With over 250 entries, from Canada and the United States, my book along with 55 other entries were chosen to be a part of the exhibition. I was both surprised and excited to find out that my work would be included. The opening is Friday , January 23, from 6-8:30pm. If you're in the area you should check it out.

Below is a poem that was featured on the back of the brochure for the exhibition. I found it particuarly appealing...

Your work needs to be independent of other's work.
You must not compare yourself to others.
No one can help you. You have to help yourself.
Criticism leads to misunderstandings and defeatism.
Work from necessity and your compulsion to do it.
Work on what you know and what you are sure you love.
Don't observe yourself too closely, just let it happen.
Don't let yourself be controlled by too much irony.
Live in and love the activity of your work.
Be free of thoughts of sin, guilt and misgiving.
Be touched by the beautiful anxiety of life.
Be patient with the unresolved in you heart.
Try to be in love with the questions themselves.
Love your solitude and try to sing with its pain.
Be gentle to all of those who stay behind.
Your inner self is worth your entire concentration.
Allow your art to make extraordinary demands on you.
Bear your sadness with greater trust than your joy.
Do not persecute yourself with how things are going.
It's good to be solitary, because solitude is difficult.
It's good to love, because love is difficult.
You are not a prisoner of anything or anyone.

Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet, 1903

Behind the Statue of St. Peter

2008-12-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

(A facetious fable on the fictitious hope of the future)

I just finished my latest book in the Borowsky Center for Publication Arts at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. "Behind the Statue of St. Peter" is a macabre story of a can do town that must may not. A satirical look at a group of people with such a loss of hope that they've turned self-destructive and cannibalistic. A 36 page hand, illustrated book, drawn with rapidographs and then transformed into film-litho plates- and finally printed offset on Mowhawk Superfine (100 pound text weight) in the Borrowsky center. The book was an excuse to draw more than anything else, but was also inspired by the work of Edward Gorey (you may also notice that I quote a few other artists as well).

Here's a peek at a few of the spreads, to get the full story you'll either need to track me down, or buy one! It was produced in an edition of 100, concertina binding with a false spine.

happy holidays!

(click image to enlarge)

production...

Letterpressed Christmas Cards!!!!

2008-11-17T21:46:00.000-08:00

The green swirly things are letter forms in Edwardian Script that have been twisted and turned around (in InDesign) to make a graphic pattern. They were printed with a Polymer Plate on a Vandercook SP15 Letterpress, the text is an iron cast block, as are the reindeer which were foil-stamped onto the envelopes. I hope to sell some of these, along with some other work, at an art fair in New Hampshire this weekend as well as at the annual UArts book fair on Dec. 18... wish me luck! or better yet, come and buy stuff! (Etsy site coming soonish)

click image to enlarge

More Design Work for THE INSTITUTE

2008-11-16T18:12:00.000-08:00

THE INSTITUTE on Religion and Public Policy hired me to do some more design work for an upcoming conference they are holding in Scranton PA. The Institute on Religion and Public Policy is an international, inter-religious non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring freedom of religion as the foundation for security, stability, and democracy.
They're good people, with good aspirations.
You should check them out.

Here is the cover for the brochure:

New Book Coming Soon!

2008-11-15T09:01:00.001-08:00

Behind the Statue of St. Peter:
A Facetious Fable on the Fictitous Hope of the Future

Here is a quick preview of some sketches I did for my latest book. It's macabre story of a can-do town that just may not; inspired by the illustration and story-telling style of Edward Gorey. Behind the Statue of St. Peter takes a satirical look at a group of people with such a loss of hope that they’ve turned self-destructive and cannibalistic.

"First it was Larry who drove off the mountain,
then little Sally-Mae who drowned in the fountain."

Will the Mayor of Port Grimswater be able to convince the townspeople that their troubles and misfortunes are all in their head? Or will the rest of the town throw in the towel and also end up dead? You'll have to read it to find out, either way it's sure to be a killer ending (no pun intended) ;)

Within the next couple of weeks I'll be printing this book in the Borrowsky Center for Publication Arts at the University of the Arts, in Philadelphia PA. I'll end up with an edition of 100, printed and bound by mid-December. I'm working on developing an Etsy site so people can actually buy these lovely things that I'm making, instead of having them stowed up in my studio where noone ever sees them. It will be up and running shortly, I will keep you updated. :)

(click to enlarge images)
more images to come once book has been printed

Doodle

2008-10-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

This is the doodle that started the whole lace obsession. I started drawing this while I was on the phone with a friend and it progressed from there...

I'm finishing up my last couple of spreads for book I'll be printing at the Borowsky Center for Publication Arts here at school. I'm very excited about it. I'll post some sketches soon.

Obsession

2008-10-24T10:47:00.001-07:00

About 200 hours later and it's finally done... the hardest part was making myself stop (an obsession indeed). The photos give it an angelic look because of the lighting, it's much better seen in person.

come. to. the. show. :)

A Labor of Love

2008-10-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

I just finished installing my drawing for the show that my fellow classmates and I are in titled: "Are We There Yet?" The show will be up through November 9th, with an opening reception on October 31st.

I will be posting images of the final installation soon, until then you can check out this video I made to accompany the drawing in the show. I'm sorry it's so small...it is the largest file size this blog will allow. The scrolling text at the beginning of the vid is my artist statement for this piece and is a little hard to read so I'll post that here:

To the observer, this drawing may be viewed as “obsessive,” especially since we live in a culture that glorifies the opposite of obsession – distraction. My motivation to make art is often married to the desire to overcome anxiety. Inevitably, the process of drawing eventually dominates that motivation, and making marks on a page becomes so captivating, that the act of drawing is now the obsession. Once I start to draw, anxiety is lifted and relief arrives as a state of entrancement. Drawing becomes a necessity and my infatuation with line trumps everything.

What interests me is my inability to process everything I’m confronted with and the idea of the whole – understanding is usually achieved through repetition. This piece of work explores the material transformation of a piece of lace through focused, repetitive, and habitual behavior.

*side note: I did not do anything to my wrist, the brace that I'm wearing is for preventative measures. It's a 40ft double-sided drawing, causing my hand to cramp up and slide into uncomfortable/unhealthy positions... the brace helps to alleviate that and allow me to draw for hours and hours!!! enjoy :)

Feeling Zen-Like

2008-10-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling very Zen-like these days. Today I took a trip to a Japanese garden and Tea House, I'm studying the concepts of Wabi-Sabi in my seminar class, I practice yoga with a group of friends at least once a week, I just finished a 40 ft double sided drawing where I would sit for hours at a time making the same meticulous marks over and over again in a very meditative trance, we just finished making a collection of Japanese Stab Bindings with a very lovely Wrap Around Case, and I'm currently sipping on a steaming hot Chai Tea Latte. Anyone for Sushi?

At any rate...I hadn't made a post in while (dually noted by D. Huth) and was particuarly inspired by these bindings. I'll post pics of the drawing soon (we install the show this weekend; the opening is Oct. 31st....come! come!) and I'm also working on a book, inspired by the work of Edward Gorey, that I'm very excited about... So stayed tuned.

Huth - I'm not lying about the vlog thing, Andrew and I stayed up on our part of the bargain, get on it man!

be well and,
namaste.

Worth Less or Worthless?

2008-09-19T14:57:00.002-07:00

I find our society and the people who live in it to be highly amusing; the things we do and say to each other for political and monetary gains are peculiar and at times, baffling. This project was instigated by the nation’s gossip of the depreciating value of the U.S dollar; it is meant to question the behaviors of humanity and why we do what we do.

At its most basic level, a dollar bill is nothing but a piece of paper; it is worthless. It used to be that our dollar was backed by stable commodities such as gold and silver. However, we have surpassed that precedent, and live off of a fiat system which encourages our society to live beyond its means. What gives these things, these pieces of paper, any worth is the value we attribute to them. It’s the belief that they are worth something that gives them their value.

My intention for the project was to exploit the absurdity of this system and the idea that somehow our dollar is worth less when it was always worthless to begin with. The original context for the dollar bills that I created were to be crumpled up and tossed around the city, however, after a few short weeks the operation had to be shut down when someone actually tried to use one of my fake dollar bills. Instead I’ve resorted to framing the pieces along side photo-documentation of the project and placing them in a traditional gallery setting.

This piece will be shown as a diptych (two dollar bills framed in an 11x14 frame along side a photograph in a 11x24 frame) at two different galleries. The Art Trust Gallery at Meridian Bank in West Chester, PA and at 13 North Gallery in Merchantville, NJ. Opening receptions are both on October 3rd and the shows will run through the end of October.

This piece, along with two other books I've produced ("The Little Black Book" and "Her Name was Mona") will also be exhibited at Houghton College for the Homecoming Exhibition.

Books 'n Boxes

2008-08-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

I just finished up my internship with the APS this week. Seen below are a few of the books that I made special boxes for, and also some of the books I did leather work on. I'm sad that the internship is over, but ready to go back to school. Classes start back up again next week.... I'll be in touch.

Multiple Slip-Case (covered with decorative Japanese paper)

Double Slip-Case with Wrap Around (covered with handmade paste paper)

Variation on Clamshell Box

This particular book was special in that it had an incredible amount of marginalia, which was fantastic. This book was truly loved.

Leather Consolidation

A Kiss and a Punch

2008-08-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

When printing Letterpress, the "correct" application of pressure should be just enough for the type to "kiss" the page - enough to leave a print without creating a major imprint in the paper. However, some people like to give their type a little "punch" so that it is obvious to the viewer that the book was printed letterpress. (I actually like a little punch) These are, again, some images from the book that I restored at the APS....there was a series of five books similar to this one, all with A LOT of punch...enough to make a rubbing off of it. I thought it was great.

enjoy. (more of my own work coming soon)

Plate Close-ups

2008-08-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

These are a few close-ups of the plates that were featured in the book I restored from the previous post. They are wonderful, I especially like the birds feet and the line quality in the trees. :)

Conservation Work at the APS

2008-08-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

During the past four weeks I've been interning at the American Philosophical Society Library doing some conservation and preservation work. One of the projects I've been working on is a full restoration of a book; the process is shown here below. I have two weeks left at the APS before returning back to UArts for the final year of my MFA. It's a little frightening to write that last statement...but I'll keep you updated of my progress.

cheers,
AB

before & after

After tearing out the sewing and essentially, ripping the book apart from what's left of its binding, the first step is to dry-clean the pages. This process involves taking each individual page and rubbing it down with eraser crumbs.

before
dry-cleaning
after

After dry-cleaning then comes washing. I soaked the pages in deionized water (with slight agitation), drain, and repeat until the water comes through clear.

I repaired any corners that were torn with Seikishu Japanese paper and paste

Preparing my station to guard the pages

The pages that were printed with plates were separated and sewn together with a whip-stitch, rather than in folios. In order to have a consistent binding I need to guard the "plates" together to form a folio.

After all the pages were guarded and press, the book was sewn back together with a "Piano Hinge" binding, seen below. The cover material is made from Tyvek, which I dyed with Acrylic based inks.

Slap a label on it, make a nice looking clam-shell box and viola!

With most of the books that we work with at the APS our goal is to keep the integrity of the original book as much as possible. In cases such as this one, where the binding cannot be salvaged (and for learning purposes) we'll put it in a modern binding and box in order to preserve what's left of it.

good stuff, lots of fun, more to come...

A New Drawing

2008-07-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

18x24
Strathmore Drawing paper and 0/.35 Rapidograph

A Collection of Goons

2008-07-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

During my first semester at UArts we were required to take a creative writing course. Each class we were given a writing assignment, which we were then allowed to take home, work on , refine, and be prepared to read aloud during the next class. There were 9 of us in the class plus our professor, we each selected a collection of our writings that we liked, edited them, and made a collaborative book - "Goons"

Each semester we're also enrolled in a bookbinding class, last semester we learned how to do a traditional case bound book, that was to contain our writings. Shown here is my book, complete with dual-color headband and gold-foil stamping for both the spine and cover logo. Below you can also see a couple of the writings that I submitted for the collection.

Alone

on the stoop
she crouches
nestled

in her woo-
len sweater that
is pressed against

her rib cage
as she inhales
deeply

the cigarette
that dulls her
hunger

In Times

I write in times when conversation seems inadequate.
In times of frustration, and isolation.
I write in times when I’m surrounded by people,
their headphones plugged in, turning a deaf ear
to the world around them. I write in times when
the calendar marks moments instead of months –
schedules and appointments measure the time.
I write in times when my sketchbook is full and
my pen runs out of ink. I write on my laptop,
whose font names have forgotten their newspaper origin,
being cloned and reproduced to suit technology.
I write in Times.

Jell-O

I see you there
stuck in your mold
a flavorful delight
waiting to be unleashed

As I shake up your world
with a jostle
and a wobble
you are set free

And there it is
your sexy little jiggle
that swindles my taste buds
and seduces my appetite

I wrap my lips around your flavor
as you dance
upon my tongue
and I am delighted

With sinuous swallows
of fruit flavored jewels
as you wiggle your way
into my heart

To Be So Bold

He was a dear with his handful of roses, though what I like
is the fearlessness of the Forsythia
leading the surge for the onset of Spring, with the
audacity to blossom before any of the others, and to be
so bold as to vanish without warning
as the parade marches on with clouds of pollen
that scatter white specks of confetti in the back yard

It may not be a confession of love
or an official notice of death
all I know is that it’s the dog
straining at the end of the leash
that sets the day against the dawn

As I Fumble

in the dark
for my glasses
I turn

on the light
and realize
everything is

as I left it
when I
went to bed

the kitchen sink
dirty
with dishes

Through the Valley

2008-07-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is a book I did in the summer of 2007 for a show at Houghton College.

Design work for the Institute on Religion and Public Policy

2008-07-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hotel Card

Invitation

Dinner Booklet (outside)

Dinner Booklet (inside)

Obsession

2008-05-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

I've been working on this drawing for the past semester - it's a glorified, obsessive, and meticulously drawn piece of lace - it was drawn on a roll of paper 3ft wide by 40ft long, using rapidographs and many sleepless nights (110 hours to be exact). I wanted to do a drawing to get away from finicky printmaking processes and also work larger as opposed to the small and intimate nature of books. After finishing the one side I've decided that the piece is still a work in progress - I'd like to flip it over and do (at least some) of the other side, so that when it's installed it can fold and flip over itself without having any blank areas. I'm also going to consider making a couple of other objects to accompany the drawing and give it some context - these objects will also be obtrusively large and glorified in the manner of Claus Oldenburg. My hope is that the finished piece can work as an installation in next semester's Works in Progress show. This is a look at what the drawing is doing and how it operates the space for right now - any suggestions would be happily accepted.

Here also is a look at the artist's statement that I wrote for this particular project:

Blankness makes us uneasy; when confronted with silence or an empty sheet of paper we feel the urge to fill it. For a few, this need to fill the silence a defining compulsion and my drawing is an exploration of that compulsion. To the observer, I’m sure that this drawing will be viewed as “obsessive,” especially since we live in a culture that glorifies the opposite of obsession – distraction.

My motivation to make art is often married to the desire to overcome anxiety. Inevitably, the process of drawing eventually dominates that motivation, and making marks on a page becomes so captivating, that the act of drawing is now the obsession. Once I start to draw, anxiety is lifted and relief arrives as a state of entrancement. Drawing becomes a necessity and my infatuation with line trumps everything.

What interests me is my inability to process everything I’m confronted with and the idea of the whole – understanding is usually achieved through repetition. This piece of work explores the material transformation of a piece of lace through focused, repetitive, and habitual behavior.

Plunder Book: Hot 'n Spicy

2008-05-01T21:38:00.001-07:00

In our last class for bookbinding we made plunder books. All of us gathered up a bunch of useless crap that we had stored up in our studios (old prints, proofs, wire, candy wrappers, etc.) - each of us picked out a bunch of stuff from the piles and had to make a book or "book-like structure" using only the things that we picked out. I made a book out of some old prints from my friends Bobby, Rob, and Erin...along with a bag of potato chips, a Subway wrapper, and some other random stuff. This is what I came up with:

Her Name was Mona

2008-04-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

After two semesters of editing and re-editing, setting type and re-setting type, ordering paper and re-ordering paper..and lets not forget painstaking and finicky printmaking processes... it is finally done. I bring to you: "Her Name was Mona" - a book about the irony of time passing and life coming around full circle. Printed Letterpress with polymer plates and handset type on French's Mowhawk Superfine (cement green) 70lb text weight paper. It was written, designed, edited and printed by yours truly. Special thanks to Mary Phelan for all her help throughout the production of the book. Here is a glimpse...

5x5 Print Exchange: Colorful Characters

2008-04-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

The Book Arts/Printmaking program at UArts organizes a 5x5 print exchange each year for Graduates, Undergraduates, Faculty, and Alumni to participate in. This year's theme was "Colorful Characters" - you can interpret the theme any way you'd like and print in any medium. This is mine; I got on a little kick with playing around with letter forms, so I've created an image of two "colorful characters" made entirely out of "characters" from the Zapfino type face - yes, the apple and the leaves too...they're glyphs... i love glyphs.

Word Visualization: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2008-04-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

This one is from a class assignment. We were to take a word (or a couple of words) and create a visual aspect with them. This could be interpreted in many different ways. I took the words "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania" and tried to create a city landscape with graffiti. "Philadelphia" is written in Times New Roman - all caps (white text) and Pennsylvania is written in Giddyup - all lowercase.

Another Paper

2008-04-02T20:08:00.001-07:00

The Rest of Art (and its Function in Society)

Over a decade ago, Arthur Danto announced that art history had come to an end. In his book of essays, Encounters and Reflections: Art in the Historical Present, Danto suggests that art history has completed itself in the sense that it has achieved what it set out to accomplish. German sociologist Niklas Luhmann developed a social theory for art (briefly noted in Art in Theory 1900-2000), which involves a system that functions according to a set of activities that are unique to itself, yet operates within the larger social structure of society. In this essay, I will concern myself with Luhmann’s theory for art’s social function in comparison with Danto’s suggestion that we have completed art history. If we really have come to the end of art, what then, is the function of art within our society? What does this mean for the future of art?

Danto believes that our present state of confusion over the subject of art is due to the opaque terms of the postmodern times, along with the acknowledgement that we often engage with works of art in hindsight. Present times are defined by the fact that art has ended because we are incapable of understanding what it is like to make or define art without understanding the post phase of history in which we are now living. Danto believes that Avant-garde art has been motivated by the urge to become self-conscious of itself while also struggling to become its own philosophy – using Warhol’s installation of Brillo Boxes as his example. Warhol’s boxes demonstrated to Danto that what turns ordinary objects into works of art is a theory. Danto’s explanation of what Warhol’s artwork demonstrated was the final conclusion to art history’s project of philosophical self-discovery; and if Danto’s philosophical work has completed the story of art history, art history has in turn become philosophy. Through this transformation Danto thinks that there is no need for artists to feel as though they must contribute to art history, or to transform their culture through art. If this is the case, what is the function of art within our society? Is it purely a philosophical one? I personally believe that there is more to art than just a theory, and I also don’t think that all contemporary works of art can be pushed into the realm of philosophy; but I am intrigued by what lies ahead for the world of art as well as the perceived function of art within society.

Luhmann’s theory creates a set of distinctions for determining what counts as art, that which can be valid for both those creating as well as those viewing works of art. He begins with the idea that all of art is rooted in perception. He insists on the radical incommensurability between psychic systems (perception) and social systems (communication). Art is a special kind of communication that uses perceptions instead of language. It operates at the boundary between the social system and consciousness in ways that profoundly irritate communication while remaining strictly internal to the social system. Luhmann defines the system of art to be autopoietic, or “self-referential.” Therefore, the art system not only operates according to its own internal functions, but also generates these functions through self-organizing activities. This means that although the art system might interact with other systems it ultimately produces meaning on it own terms, and thus cannot be replaced by another system. Luhmann notes that art is certainly not free of function, but is also hesitant to place a definitive function upon it. In an undefined sense he regards the function of art as “the confrontation of reality (familiar to everyone) with a different version of that reality” (p. 1079). This coincides with the complexity of a world (art world) within a world (society), however it merits its own set of problems based upon one’s definition of reality. Luhmann notes, as well as Danto, that most of contemporary art has reached a stage of development where self-reflection is the primary subject matter. Western culture is one that is obsessed with itself, so I suppose that it is only natural that it be the focal point of our art.

I was unable to satisfy an agreeable explanation for the function of art through either of these readings, and naturally, such a brief account cannot do full justice to the complexity of my argument. However, I felt that both Danto and Luhmann proposed compelling ideas about the way in which the art world operates. I think that art is just another way to think, and that it challenges conventional ways of seeing, communicating, and understanding. It cannot be defined in its form or function within society and yet it continues to provoke these kinds of discussion – so I suppose that in a sense, it is philosophical. Perhaps a better question to ask is not “what is art?” or “what is art’s function?” but why do we (Western culture) continue to obsess over quest for the indefinable? I would propose that it is because we are always seeking for something new, something to further ourselves – to make us “whole” one might say. I’d like to close by pushing this question even further by stating that if art history has indeed completed its mission and therefore come to an end, and that the primary function of art has a philosophical tone, what does this mean for the future of our art? Won’t we get tired of hearing the same old arguments being made about art (and also being made in the art) or will the changing tides of Western culture be sufficient enough to change and develop our art in new and exciting ways? This proposition is yet another question that we are unable to answer due to what Danto says are the opaque terms of the postmodern times as well as the benefit of seeing in hindsight. They are still, nonetheless, important questions on our quest for the indefinable. I think the “end of art” – defined as art no longer having an important function within society (whatever that may be) – will not be realized until we (society as a whole) has come to complete our mission. That which is the search for “wholeness” and that, in essence, will not be realized until the end of time.

The Most Extraordinary

2008-03-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

This is a project I did in response to a class assignment. First we were to talk about an artist who incorporates text and image in their work, then we were to model a project after their work. I chose Dave Huth and his vlog. Since I know nothing about videos I made a flip book and took a video of it.

Dr. Linton Hutchinson started asking people what was the most extraordinary thing they've ever seen. Dave has seen some pretty extraordinary things and has, so far, made five "Most Extraordinary" videos. This is mine...

Music by Old School Freight Train

Thanks Dave! You Rock.

Mistakes Were Made

2008-03-11T21:23:00.001-07:00

Mistakes Were Made
A Works-in-Progress Exhibition of First-Year Masters of Fine Arts
Students in theBook Arts/Printmaking program at
The University of the Arts
March 18 through March 30, 2008
Gallery One of Hamilton Hall
320 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Opening reception: Friday, March 21, 5:30-8:00 p.m.

First-year students in the MFA Book Arts/Printmaking Program at The University of the Arts present a group exhibition of their work at Gallery One, which is in the basement of Hamilton Hall. The exhibition includes new works by Amanda Benton, Alisa Fox, Andrew Huot, Ansley Joe, Robert Lewis, Terry Peterson, J. Gregory Pizzoli, Bobby Rosenstock, Erin Sweeney, and Susan Weinz. It will be an exhibition of varied works including artists’ books, installations, sculptures, drawings, posters, and prints.

Opening reception is Friday, March 21 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm and is open to the public.

The University of the Arts is the nation’s only university devoted exclusively to education and professional training in design, visual, media, and performing arts. For further information about The University of the Arts, call 215.717.6000, or visit us on the web at www.uarts.edu.

1st Image (post card) by Dr. Pizzoli
2nd Image (poster) by Kay Healy

The Little Black Book

2008-03-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of searching for the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with - only to end up in one blind alley after another? Are you struggling to attract or keep hold of the kind of man you would like to settle down with? Do you ever long to be married and have a family, so that you can release the societal pressures and stigmatisms that come with being a 20 something...30 something...40 something (!!!) bachelorette? Then you have come to the right place.

The Little Black Book is a handy dandy reference guide for every savvy bachelorette who wishes to distinguish Mr. Right from Mr Right About Now Would Be A Good Time To Leave. Each section includes space to list your exes under the appropriate character reference and as an added bonus, you will find a recommended list of classic pick-up lines to run far far away from.

Now that's savvy!

the process...

"The Little Black Book"
(A reference guide for every savvy bachelorette who wishes to distinguish Mr. Right from Mr. Right About Now Would be a Good Time to Leave)

Wiro Binding
Printed Offset on Mohawk Superfine 70lb text weight at the Borrowsky Center for Pulication Arts at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia PA

Edition Size: 75

Do you know your Dada from your Mama?

2008-02-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

This is a paper that I wrote for my seminar class... Not that I have anything supremely profound to say, but I figure it's a complete waste of my time to write it if my professor is going to be the only one to read it. So here it is, for all you bloggers to read... enjoy, and feel free to leave your thoughts.

Do you know your Dada from you Mama?
Is it art? Is it good art?
& Who cares?

The evaluation of art has become especially problematic since the 20th century. Upon its conception, Modern art has been based on rejecting tradition and breaking rules. But what happens when there are no more rules to break? When there is no more tradition? When anything and everything becomes acceptable as a work of art. More importantly, as both an artist and a collective member of society, why should I care?

First of all, what is art? How can we even begin to define it? Most artists of the present generation are interested in communicating an idea – commenting on life in all of its aspects – creating a work that illuminates the relationships between what we see and how we think. Bruce Nauman, a contemporary American artist, is quoted as saying, “It’s the intention that turns a staircase into a staircase as a work of art.” Nauman was a part of the Process Art Movement and finds inspiration in the activities, speech, and materials of everyday life. He has developed a simple, yet profound, notion for his work: “If I am an artist and I am in the studio, then whatever I’m doing in the studio must be art. At this point art becomes more of an activity and less of a product.” He is interested in the nature of communication, the inherent problems of language, and the role of the artist as a supposed communicator and manipulator of visual language. With this in mind he focuses on the way in which a process or activity can transform or become a work of art.

Ever since Marcel Duchamp took a urinal and entered it in an art show titled “The Fountain”, intent has been the sole requirement for something to be considered art. The question now isn’t “Is it art?” The question is “Is it good art?” Visual art is communication, it’s a visual language – there is a sender and a receiver. The artist is the originator of a concept or message and the viewer is the receiver of that message. However, they both must understand the same language for a dialog to take place, and this is where the problem begins. The artist can have all the intent in the world that what she/he presents is art, but if that message (intent) is not understood by the viewer is the piece still a work of art? To someone who understands the artist’s language it may very well be.

I’d like to digress for a moment and explore prehistoric art by citing an example that addresses Bruce Nauman's comment concerning intention. It used to be that the history of art started with the Woman of Wilendorf and the cave paintings circa 30,0000 BCE. However, "Gardener's Art Through the Ages" (2001 edition), sites a pebble from 3,000,000 BCE as possibly being the first example of art. The pebble was found at an archeological dig in Makapansgat South Africa. The pebble, although naturally formed, bears an uncanny resemblance of the human face and had to have been carried at least twenty miles to the site where it was found. This suggests that the Australopithecus individual who found the pebble recognized it as a miniature portrait, or at the very least, as something worth being valued. This simple recognition is an act of abstract thought. When we identify something as a work of art we are immediately distinguishing it. I don't think intent alone is enough to qualify a pi¬¬¬ece as art; a work of art is the manifestation of intent or inner vision, execution and communication. By inner vision I mean a vision of something that does not exist in our physical world; this may mean a totally novel construct or a juxtaposition of existing objects. Effective execution is utilizing media and technical skills to best translate this vision to the physical world. When this is successfully executed, the artists’ intent is (hopefully) communicated to the viewer. An understanding of intent through the visual language is key to communication.

In Esther Pasztory’s article “Thinking with Things” she reflects on the endless struggle to provide a definition for art by stating that “Theoretically, we all know what it is, but in fact we have no idea what we are talking about.” Pasztory goes on to provide alternative labels to replace the term “art”, none of which I felt were any more satisfactory or adequate. Art is the perfect term for art because it is such a broad and confusing topic – which brings me to my final point.

Why should I care about attempting to provide a definition for such a seemingly indefinable subject? Art in its simplest form is a discipline of one's own creativity. Technique, content, and every other aspect of art is simply that, an aspect of art. Art cannot be limited to what is acceptable and what is not. One of the truly great sides of art are the differences between the artists work and the people who ask, "is it art?" However, I am also reluctant to “cheapen” the meaning of art by applying it too broadly. And so the conundrum continues… This is why I care, because it develops and challenges thinking. I chose to be an artist not because it was easy or because I like to make pretty “things,” but because it is difficult – it challenged me and continues to challenge me because it is an ever-changing thing. I think of art as the bridge between our souls and the physical world. I see art as both an interaction between our psychological existence and our cultural expression of that existence. Thus, this can include challenging and sometimes disturbing imagery as well as the aesthetically pleasing. The artist's conceptual vision and his/her ability to translate this to an audience is what transforms the ordinary experience to a historically and culturally significant event. The text from an early neon work of Bruce Nauman proclaims: “The true artist helps the world by revealing mystic truths.” Essentially, the basic notion of the piece is emphasizing the way in which the audience, artist, and culture at large all contribute to the highest value and impact a work of art can/will have.

Collage

2008-02-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

Tree Study

2008-02-14T16:55:00.001-08:00

Pen and Ink Drawing
Strathmore drawing paper
"18x24"

Baby Bear

2008-01-20T11:03:00.001-08:00

One of my fellow classmates (and his wife) recently had a baby. As a collective gift, a group of my classmates and faculty members, designed blank onesies for them. Mine was done using InDesign and Iron on Tranfers. The bear is made out of letters and symbols using Harrington Font. The baby's name is Lincoln Bear Hanscom....and so "the bear" was a common theme. You can check out the rest here http://theabandonedhouses.com/onesie.htm

Some Things

2008-01-20T10:58:00.001-08:00

My blog was looking lonely, so this is just a quick look at some of the bindings/boxes that I learned throughout last semester. I start classes back up again on Tuesday and have already started to work on a few things....so more postings to come!

AB Biz Card

2007-11-22T17:30:00.001-08:00

Roussillon

2007-11-19T16:29:00.000-08:00

The following posts are a series of images representing the inspiration and realization of a large colored drawing I've been working on. The photographs were taken from Roussillon - a small village in the south of France which is situated in the heart of one of the biggest ochre deposits in the world. I was particularly fascinated with two things about the ochre quarries: the red, yellow and brown shades of earth that formed a striking contrast with the green pine trees and the vivid blue of the Provençal sky and the multiple layers of cliffs that produced some wonderful lines throughout the rock formations.

I used these photographs (along with a piece of bark that I broke off one of the trees) as inspiration to create a colored line drawing without using any white or black. (As opposed to the previous line drawing that I posted using only black and white).

Roussillon

2007-11-19T16:14:00.000-08:00

Pastels on Coventry Rag Paper (40x50)

Yearbook Lady Logo/Business Card Design

2007-11-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

Two different variations of a business card that I did for a yearbook representative from Herff Jones

TAXONOMY

2007-11-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

The following posts is a project I've been working on for the past few weeks. It is a collection images of things that I am interested in. There are 110 cards total, all on 5x7 sheets of paper, using a variety of different printmaking and drawing techniques, gathered together in a ladder-slipcase box. The concept of the project was to create a personal image bank to show the way in which I think, create, etc. Thanks to all of you who helped contribute to the "Memories: Tell me a story" part of the project.

Taxonomy

2007-11-08T15:27:00.001-08:00

Associations: Music

2007-11-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

Collaged magazine clipings, Pen Drawing w/Sharpie, & Voice Box w/pull tab that plays music
5 cards (5x7)

Memories: Tell Me a Story

2007-11-08T15:16:00.001-08:00

Drypoint w/chine cole & Inkjet print
23 cards (5x7)

Life Drawings: Trees

2007-11-08T15:13:00.001-08:00

Charcoal Drawings
10 cards (5x7)

Letterforms: Organic Lines

2007-11-08T15:11:00.001-08:00

Inkjet print
10 cards (5x7)

Sociology: False Fronts

2007-11-08T15:06:00.001-08:00

Inkjet print: Glossy Photo Paper & Vellum
10 cards (5x7)

Architecture: Gothic Cathedrals

2007-11-08T15:03:00.001-08:00

Plate Lithography
10 cards (5x7)

Inspiration: Music

2007-11-08T15:00:00.001-08:00

Silkscreen, Pastels, & Inkjet print
20 cards (5x7)

Travel: Places I've Been

2007-11-08T14:59:00.001-08:00

Silkscreen & Inkjet print
10 cards (5x7)

Inspiration: Quotes

2007-11-08T14:57:00.001-08:00

Letterpress - Hand set type
10 cards (5x7)

"Something Beautiful"

2007-11-08T14:54:00.001-08:00

Melted Plexi-Glass

Untitled

2007-11-08T14:49:00.001-08:00

Pen Drawing - Sharpie Extra-fine Point (40x50)

"Tell me who I am"

2007-11-08T14:35:00.001-08:00

Pronto Plate Lithography (15x22)
Edition size: 10

"Everything & Nothing"

2007-11-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

Stone Lithography & Silk Screen (5x5)
Edition size: 25

here's the story...

2007-10-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have recently had many inquiries about what I've been doing lately...with my new life in Philly, Grad school, etc. So I've decided to make a blog posting my most recent work and new life, comments are most certainly welcome! My hope is to eventually develop a more professional website to display my work; this has been a hope for quite a while now, so who knows if it will actually develop, but until that day comes...this is where you can come to see what type of projects I'm working on. I will try to keep it updated as often as I can...but no promises. Thanks to all of you who have encouraged me and taken an interest in what I've been up to. Much love!

more later...
~Amanda