wk 8 -classmate conversation- ramtin yousefi

Posted on March 13, 2016 by jonathanbehzadian

This week I talked with Ramtin Yousefi. Ramtin is currently a junior at CSULB and is majoring in civil engineering. Ramtin came to the states after attending high school in Tehran, Iran. In Iran Ramtin enjoyed playing soccer and hanging out with friends. He is currently living in Irvine. Something i found really interesting about Ramtin was his ethnicity. Ramtin is Persian just like me however, I am only half Iranian. Ramtin speaks Farsi, something I am pretty envious of. I never learned the language and always regreted it. Maybe someday Ramtin could give me some lessons!

Ramtins Website

wk 8 -artist conversation- luis arias

Posted on March 13, 2016 by jonathanbehzadian

Artist: Luis Arias
Exhibition: The Weaving Machine
Media: fabric, wood
Gallery: CSULB School of Art, Merilyn Werby Gallery
Website: n/a
Instagram: n/a

About the Artist

Luis Arias is currently a senior at CSULB and plans to graduate in the spring of 2016. He is presently enrolled in the wood program. Luis came to the States in the 1980’s from his home country of El Salvador. Besides working with wood and learning how to weave, Luis enjoys soccer, watching and playing, and also loves to travel. He has been all over Europe and some of his favorite places are Spain, Italy, and Portugal. He plans to go back to Europe as soon as he graduates.

Formal Analysis

Luis doesn’t give formal names to any of his pieces. All of pieces are functional. For example he makes deck chairs, shelves, mirror frames, stools, and even a loom. The loom was the centerpiece of the exhibit. It seemed to be completely made of wood with a few metal bits like screws and rods for structural purposes. For the exhibit, Luis would demonstrate how the loom works, creating interesting patterned fabric. This is how he would create seats for his deck chairs. One deck chair (pictured above) particularly stood out for me. The frame is completely made out of wood. It had a beautiful finished feel to it, as opposed to a rough one. As mentioned before he used the loom to weave the seats. This one in particular was very colorful. It had stripes of blue, orange, and different shades of yellow. It sort of resembled a mini hammock and was very comfortable to sit in.

Content Analysis

Luis draws inspiration from mathematics. That can be seen in the preciseness of his work and also its functionality. Luis’ simple design reflects his belief in a simple life. After talking with him, it becomes clear that he thinks that modern society has become too complicated, too convoluted. Unnecessarily so. His work is very transparent in the sense that you can see how everything works. I thinks thats how Luis believes society should work. Everything out in the open.

Synthesis / My Experience

I had a great time speaking with Luis. He is very down-to-earth. Despite being much older than me, I felt we shared very similar ideas and interests. I think we can all learn something from Luis. He works with his hands and knows how to get things done. And when he doesn’t know how to do something he will go out of his way to not only figure it out but master it. His work is simple but there’s beauty in that. I would love to one day have a piece of his to not only own but use. Like that beautiful deck chair. Perfect for lounging and sipping lemonade.

wk 7 -artist conversation- sovanchan sorn

Posted on March 7, 2016 by jonathanbehzadian

Artist: Sovanchan Sorn
Exhibition: F*ART; Fiber Arts Group Show
Media: Fiber, wire rush
Gallery: CSULB School of Art, Gatov Gallery East
Website: n/a
Instagram: @sovanchan

About the Artist

Sovanchan Sorn is currently a senior at CSULB and plans to graduate in the spring of 2017. She is presently enrolled in the fiber program. He interests include sculpting, which is seen in her art. She also enjoys the hit show Narcos on Netflix and working with children- over the summer she teaches art to children. When it comes to her own artwork, she really finds the joy in the process, the laborious aspect of whatever she is working on.

Formal Analysis

The piece of Sovanchan’s I observed is untitled however, it was previously named “tears” But she insists this is no longer its name and it is now going to be a part of a larger series of works. The sculpture was made with a material she called wire rush. It looks like metal wire covered in fabric, maybe cotton. The piece looks delicate, like its about to fall apart. Its kind of astonishing to see this thing to hold its shape and not collapse in on its self, This perception is probably due to the fact that the “wire” is so thin. The shape doesn’t really resemble anything i can think of. The best comparison I can make is that of an oblong pear. Its curvy. Bulbous even. The color is a golden yellow. And near the top of the sculpture, there are tassels.

Content Analysis

I think the piece is about hardships. Sovanchan mentioned how her family immigrated from Cambodia in ’82 when the country was in the middle of a civil war. Her parents were even put into concentration camps. As I stated earlier the piece looks delicate. This could symbolize and reflect the fragility of politics, government, and even relationships. Yet the piece stays standing, which implies hope. Something I feel Sovanchan wanted to resonate with her audience. The sculpture also reminded me of a bird cage. This could signify a sense of being trapped. Whether that be in an unjust country or in poor living conditions.

Synthesis / My Experience

I had a great experience at the F* ART exhibit. Talking with the artist was really eye opening. I even was able to interact with some of the pieces on exhibit which i always thought was a big no-no. Sovanchan’s art really resonated with me. My father came to this country when his own was in the midst of a revolution. He came here looking for a new and better life. He was full of hope yet at the same time vulnerable and I can see that reflected in Sovanchan’s work.

wk 7 -classmate conversation- sam tan

Posted on March 7, 2016 by jonathanbehzadian

This week I spoke with Sam Tan. He is currently a junior at CSULB and he is majoring in Biology. Sam is originally from Chicago, well he is born there at least. He moved to the LA area (La Habra) in the seventh grade. He attended high school there where he played on the volleyball team all 4 years. Sam Tan is from Chinese decent. Both his parents were born in China and moved to the states later in life together. Sam and I both appreciate hip-hop culture, which was something i found really interesting about him since he hails from Chicago, a mecca of great hip hop talent such as Kanye West and Common. I wish Sam all the best with his ventures at CSULB!

Sam’s website

wk 7 -art experience- group video activity

Posted on March 7, 2016 by jonathanbehzadian

guacamole.

This week, Ramtin, Sam, and myself made a cooking video. I think we accomplished what we set out to do. Make something pleasing to watching, maybe even a little soothing. I think it is also somewhat educational. The video could potentially teach you how to make guacamole. At first we were thinking about talking during the video, but we felt that there is too much pressure to be funny or really articulate so we decided against it. Something that none of us had experience in but really wanted to try was stop motion animation. We did little research about it and thought it would be better to just wing it and figure it out as we went along. It turned out ok but theres definitely room for improvement. The camera we used was a Cannon Rebel T3i. And the editing software was iMovie from my macbook.

wk 6 -art experience- photowalk

Posted on February 29, 2016 by jonathanbehzadian

tour time.

I had a great time during our photo walk. My photowalk guide was Maddy (pictured above). She was great. Friendly and informative. We first went to see a csulb sign shaped out of bushes. which kind of reflected the theme of our walk; nature. We then took a bus to our next stop, the Japanese Garden, thanks to our smooth talking tour guide. Our photowalk turned into a photoride which was really cool since I have not taken the shuttle our school provides. It gave me a different perspective of the campus. The Japanese Garden was beautiful and I tried my best to capture that beauty in my photographs. When taking the pictures I tied to leave out other people. I attempted to keep the focus on nature. After that, our group WALKED to the famous pyramid. This is where I took my favorite picture. I really liked the different shades of blue seen between the two sides of the pyramid and the sky. I also liked how the picture is ambiguous. You really can’t tell how big or small the subject in the photo is. In the end, I saw many parts of the campus I probably wouldn’t have visited on my own.

wk 5 -art experience- cuisine

Posted on February 21, 2016 by jonathanbehzadian

spring time.

So my idea for this project was to do something with food. I wanted to make something that looked as if it was a part of nature, something that didn’t appear edible. I was in my backyard and noticed all of our potted plants and so i thought it would be cool to recreate that but in food form. I knew chocolate cake looked like dirt so thats where i started. I found a recipe for chocolate mug cake online and went from there. Getting the ingredients and putting them together was pretty straight forward. I’ve baked before but never using a microwave so i was pretty skeptical and wasn’t sure if it would turn out. But to my surprise it turned out great! really cakey and moist. It looked like dirt in a pot but I had the idea to sprinkle cocoa powder on top and i think that added to the look I was going for. Then to really set it off I added mint sprigs from my backyard! It turned out better than I expected it too. Just like a plant in a pot. I think what I took away from this experience was how presenting something in a different way can really make it exciting and new.

wk 5 -artist conversation- kristi jenson

Posted on February 21, 2016 by jonathanbehzadian

Exhibition Information

Artist: Kristi Jenson
Exhibition: Fuse
Media: Steel, Copper, Mixed-Media, Installation
Gallery: CSULB School of Art, Gatov Gallery East
Website: n/a
Instagram: @whipperton

About the Artist

Kristi Jenson is currently a senior at csulb and is only one semester away from graduating! She is presently enrolled in the metals and jewelry BFA program. He interests include sculpting, which is seen in her art. She also enjoys breaking bad and getting tattoos- she currently has 8 of them. Her artwork expresses the idea of form, working with something seemingly rigid and rough and turing it into something new, something fluid.

Formal Analysis

The piece of Kristi’s I observed is untitled however, it has adopted the nickname “onion” given the resemblance it has with the vegetable. The sculpture was made with steel. It is dark in color, almost a chocolate brown. Flattened strips of inch wide steel make up a majority of the piece with a couple of circular pieces put in for stability. Its very bulbous in shape. Long uniform curves. Very similar to a vase. I would describe it as smooth. The piece also has reflectional symmetry, which means it can be folded across its axis and still retain the same shape.

Content Analysis

I think the piece is about, as I stated earlier, changing something the is hard and stiff and simply giving it a new shape. The sculpture also reminded me of a bird cage. Many people go through life feeling trapped, whether it be in a dead end job or in a shitty relationship, and this piece resonates with that kind of feeling. I also like the idea that this kind of work can just look aesthetically pleasing for no real reason. It reflects a familiar shape though a different medium and is interesting to look at.

Synthesis / My Experience

For me, this expeience was great. The work reminded me of something old and something cherished. I felt like I was in a museum looking at pieces made a long time ago. I guess thats what i love about art. How it can be timeless and seemingly belong anywhere. I have never given much thought to sculpture but I think it really resonated with me. I also think the only reason I saw a cage in this work is because maybe I feel trapped. It kind of scares me but is also reassuring in the fact that now I am aware of this sentiment I have. This is just a testimont to how past experiences and even current ones can shape and the way you look at things.

wk 5 -classmate conversation- anthony sanchez

Posted on February 21, 2016 by jonathanbehzadian

This week I talked with Anthony Sanchez. Anthony is a freshman and is currently a computer science major. He lives in the dorms right off campus. He is originally from Palmdale where he swam on his high school swim team. Anthony hopes to become a software engineer after he graduates. He really enjoys working with computers and even knows how to do a little coding. Something I found interesting about Anthony was his love for csulb. He really takes advantage of all the stuff this school has to offer, like the bowling alley! I really enjoyed talking with and getting to know Anthony and I wish him all the best.

Anthony’s website

wk 2- art experience- plaster casting

Posted on February 1, 2016 by jonathanbehzadian

sandy parts.

I had a lot of fun doing this weeks art experience. I’ve never done anything like this before. But I really like the idea of making a mold of one of my body parts. That sounded kind of dirty…

I thought the actual casting went really well, just not at first. It took a couple tries getting the plaster mixed to the right consistency. But in the end, I think the molds turned out pretty good. What I enjoyed most about this project though was meeting new people. Sam, Maddy, Jason and I helped each other out and got to know each other a little better in the process.