Each quarter, students should find one professional, living artist who’s work they like or that has similar qualities to their own work. Research this artist. Post basic facts (website, gallery representation, CV highlights) as well as articles, images, or videos of artworks with “reactions” to them. Be conscious of trends in contemporary art. For individual works, please make sure to include label information. A reaction might include a statement about what you like or dislike about the piece, what ideas or processes might influence your own work.
The artist I chose to research was Maui Crane. He is a designer that uses unconventional materials in his pieces and has received a lot of media attention for it. What I like about his work is that it reminds me of my own. For example, his "Hello Doily" piece, composed of paper doilies, cut china saucers, and teacups reminded me of my paper pieces because of how he laid out the doilies. His compositions are also similar to my own, and although I am sure his craftsmanship is stronger than mine, we have similar ideas on how to go about setting down materials and putting a piece together. His work was recently displayed in KMAC Couture, an annual runway presentation and fundraiser for the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, where “wearable art” was showcased in a variety of styles and created from a variety of unconventional materials.
Crane also describes his work and what he thinks of fashion as:
“I like to think of it as dressing to express, not dressing to impress"
This is very similar to my mentality about my art and wearable art in general. His pieces serve a bigger purpose and take on crazy uses of materials. While his inspiration does not stem from the same place mine does, he greatly inspires me and his pieces are incredible and jawdropping.