Art and Light Illuminate space - (SHOM)

Artists have been known to use very non-traditional mediums to create art (what does non-traditional mean).  Remember medium or media are the materials artist use to make their work like paint, markers, beads, paper, yarn, cardboard or clay. Today we are going to focus on how some artists use light to create some pretty spectacular art.

                                                                                                                                  Glenn Ligon 

Light artists use light and color to illuminate (-light up) spaces or alter the way we view the world.

Olafur Eliasson

Iván Navarro

(Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu) HYBYCOZO-Hyperspace Bypass Construction Zone, is a series of large scale installations and artworks that investigate geometric exploration through light, shadow, and perception.s 

These artists consider how light shines through colors and reflects in a space as well as how the light will alter our perception of the space. 

Leo Villareal

Let's look at some artists that are known for creating with light.

James Turrell is an American artist primarily concerned with light and space.

Turrell’s medium is pure light. He says, “My work has no object, no image and no focus. With no object, no image and no focus, what are you looking at? You are looking at you looking. What is important to me is to create an experience of wordless thought.”

American artist Soo Sunny Park explores light and its impact on physical space and architectural design. Each shape reflects and refracts the natural and artificial lighting, making sure the room and art never appear the same way twice.

Spencer Finch is probably best known for his electric-light installations that mimic the quality of natural light.

Spencer Finch works in a variety of media, including painting, photography, sculpture, and installation but is known for his light-based installations, artworks that often recreate the experience of natural light phenomena like the colors of light in the Milky Way, shadows from clouds at a particular time of day.

As you watch what is the purpose of Monet's pond?  What inspired the art in the video?

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist who is sometimes called ‘the princess of polka dots'. 

Although she makes lots of different types of art – paintings, sculptures, performances and installations – they have one thing in common, DOTS!

She also creates environments of dots.  She calls these rooms her 'Infinity Rooms', and creates them by installing hundreds of flashing coloured LED lights into mirrored rooms. 

The pinpricks of light in the dark room reflect endlessly in the mirrors, making you feel like you are in an apparently endless space. The dots surround and engulf you…it's very hard to tell where you end and where the rest of the room begins!

How accurately can we remember the exact color of something?
Will you consider light when you make your work?

Artists transform how we see the world.
I have many colors of plastic cellophane if this will help you express an idea.
Think about if your work will be transparent or translucent.    


resources:
https://worleygig.com/tag/unwoven-light-series/
https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-yayoi-kusama
Grace Hulse

Cbabi Bayoc - Visiting Artist

Cbabi Bayoc

Cbabi (pronounced Kuh-bob-bi) Bayoc is an internationally-known visual artist and illustrator residing in St. Louis, Missouri. His

subjects (what is represented in the work that the viewer sees) "include family, children, music and a bunch of other cool stuff designed with line, bold color and phunk!" Phunk would be like a cool factor or an element of cool. His name, which is an acronym (what is an acronym?) for Creative Black Artist Battling Ignorance and Blessed African Youth of Creativity, allows others to realize his mission and blessing in life. 

Since becoming a full-time artist in 1995, after graduating from Grambling State University, Cbabi has stayed true to himself by creating what he enjoys.  Because he is an artist, C’Babi allows his style to change when it feels like it.  

In 2012  Cbabi vowed to create a portrait a day of a father interacting with his kid. The resulting project, titled 365 Days With Dad series.  

Why 365? What is a series? 

In this series, Cbabi has portrayed fathers in African-American families for an entire year which resulted in a journey that was inspiring (and exhausting!), ultimately resulting in the sharing of many stories of good experiences, no experience and hopeful experiences of Dads of all life stages. 

The project started a dialogue within the community about the importance of a strong foundation and support system for all children, no matter the age. 

 Through his artwork, he is able to show his passion for both music and human expression.

This artwork is in our St. Louis airport so visitors traveling in and out of St. Louis get to see Cbabi's art.

Over the years, Cbabi has had the pleasure of working with many more famous and not-so-famous folk. All are equally appreciated. Some clientele include Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, New Line Cinema, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MCA Records, and singer, songwriter Prince.  

 Today, Cbabi spends his time working on a variety of projects, including portraits, community murals, school murals, children’s book illustrations and is always up for a new challenge. 

He likes traveling to schools and talking with students about their own power in determining their destiny, using his own life experiences as lessons. He also enjoys spending time embarrassing his three teenage children and supporting the Bayoc family-owned bakeshop and studio, SweetArt, located in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis City. 

What advice would you give to a young adult who wants to try to make a living as an artist?

"Create as much as you can with 100 percent effort, and then find a great college with a great art department with a great staff with great connections to the outer art world. And, when you get in, work..."