• Was it fun? Was it frustrating? Do you like to draw? Will you ever try again?

Doing this activity made me realize that I don’t like to draw when the subject is not very appealing to me. Especially with nature, I’m not good at capturing all the details in elaborate trees. It makes me feel overwhelmed with all the detail that is on the bark or with every leaf that hangs off of each branch. I enjoy to paint more than drawing, so if it were painting I probably would try again and it might come out a bit better than these drawings.

• Do you think if you practiced for 100 hours, or 1,000, that you would get a lot better?

Most definitely! Practice makes perfect like they say and I definitely didn’t spend enough time to perfect this work, but it’s all that wanted to come out of me at the moment.

• What is your major? Can you think of any ways that simple sketching of some kind could be useful in your major?

My major is Biology which is way off from art. Most of the time I use my brain to solve equations, memorize classes of species, or just freak out for every exam that comes by. If I were to incorporate any art into my major it would probably have to be sketching different molecules in Chemistry or types of animals. Other than that I haven’t seen much art be used in my major.

• Is Drawing a Language? Can drawings say things that are hard to say with words?

I do think that drawing can be a language. For example, I’ve seen paintings of decades ago that if it weren’t painted I would not be able to get the full picture of what happened at that moment in time. Nor could anyone explain it well enough to where I would get the full grasp/emotion of what that moment felt like. My drawings don’t really capture much feeling or language, but they are straight forward to what they are.

After seeing some of the art that my classmates had found around campus, ours really couldn’t compare to theirs. Any who, it didn’t discourage me from talking about why we all chose this piece. When searching through the area we saw this small, but loud, spot in the edge of a concrete brick bench. The rough texture caught my attention, but also the geometric-ness of it as well with how they all perfectly stack onto each other. When I look at this picture I feel satisfied, but also anxious. Satisfied with the fact at how organized and set the structure of it is. Anxious because of the white distraction that takes away from the structure. I almost wish I could just wipe it away! To me, this piece speaks to me that even though we have a plan in life it can always change unexpectedly. These bricks were meant to show a calming copper tone and nothing more, but through rain and shine they have changed over time giving a white spot as if it was intentionally placed by nature to just shake things up a bit. This is important in everyone’s lives to be prepared for any event.

Our piece was definitely not art before adding masking tape around it and won’t be art even after I remove the tape. Every Monday and Wednesday I walk past these brick structures and pay no mind to them. After all, I feel they weren’t meant for us to experience but to just support a bigger idea. It depends on how I view it and it what context it is in for me to be able to consider it an art piece. I had no deep connection with these bricks until I made it that way.

Art can reside in the body of an object, if we allow us to see it in that perspective. For myself, if a piece does not invoke an emotion or idea, it isn’t art. It could be a peanut taped to a ceiling and I wouldn’t consider that art. Just someone’s idea of a funny prank maybe, but to someone else it could strike a feeling that I would not get to experience. A person must have the motivation and choice to take time to have a viewing experience if it meant something at all to them.

Art can definitely be something other than an object. Music, movies, clothing (is an object, but just roll with me here), and poems can all be considered art forms. They are usually made to have the viewer experience something new and different. With music, I can relate to as art the most because I listen to music all the time! Some songs will play and I think “What in the world is this?!” and immediately change the song to the next. Some songs, I genuinely feel a connection to. It can speak to me on a level that I haven’t felt, which to me is an art form that someone is able to pluck one of my heart strings and turn on an emotion or memory in my mind.

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My partner, Brian Hoang, and I decided to paint with the 3 foundation colors of art. Red, blue and yellow. We first began by dumping paint on random areas of the page and then, we just went for it. Seeing the paint under my nails did give me a bit of anxiety partly because I am a neat freak that likes my things extremely organized. Also, having no guideline of what to paint exactly didn’t help either, there was confusion. I was definitely anticipating what we were going to produce when we were done, but not surprisingly, I didn’t find comfort in that idea. It really confirmed in my head that I hated not having any order with anything that I do. I do really enjoy realism and being able to see exactly what is trying to be portrayed. Crisp lines and bright colors are definitely pleasing to me. I do however, appreciate the idea behind abstraction where it can be interpreted in many ways, but visually it’s just not my cup of tea.

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While I was participating in Maintenance Art at school I obviously felt a bit embarrassed from strangers giving looks as to what we were doing. Besides that emotion, I felt good that this sculpture, that took great effort to make, was finally getting some sort of TLC that it needed. Even just a simple swipe with a rag had made a difference in the presentation of this piece.

Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ and Richard Serra both showed representations of art even though both have completely different concepts. Ukeles’, in my opinion, is trying to convey a message that even in the simplest tasks we do everyday we can create something beautiful that was once worn down. Serra, on the other hand, is not conveying a clear message, but instead is showing abstraction to where we get to interpret and experience what he is doing with no definitive conclusion. Hence, “Abstraction is Freedom”.

In Ukeles’ case, because it was done at a museum I do feel that, that has a part in saying it is art. She was performing with the intention of showcasing this for the public to see, interpret, and experience her point of view. If a janitor had done this I do not feel that it would be considered art because it is a duty that must be done and it comes at a price. With Ukeles’, she put time, care, and thought into an act that was not asked of her to do, but solely because of her passion to perfect her craft and convey a message.

Art can be conveyed through anything as Ukeles’ shows. It does not always have to be done on a canvas and it does not always have to be a painting. For example, when someone paints a house it’s mostly because they want to add a nice touch that is pleasing to them and not others that don’t live there. BUT if someone were to paint something on a house with the intention of conveying a message or spark a thought in people’s minds then I do feel that it could be considered art. Again, it is the experience that you get that makes something art. Not because of the type of medium you use.

I don’t feel that “Women’s Work” is an art. Performing simple duties like housework, is exactly what it is. Just housework. They are not duties done, in my case, because of a fiery passion where I feel like I need to prove something. They’re done because they need to get done to have a clean and organized environment.

I would never get down on my hands an knees to clean a Hollywood star. For one, It’s just a man-made star that is cemented in the ground as a decoration. It doesn’t give me any benefit of cleaning it or even stopping by it for a picture. Second, celebrities are just regular people like myself. I’m not one that gushes over celebrities when they don’t even know I exist. Lastly, that sidewalk in Hollywood is very dirty with tourists walking through every single day. I could never imagine myself bare hands and all on that floor. Yuck!