• Artist(s)-Melanie Nuccio, Oscar Pearson
• Exhibition- ?
• Media-Water paintings, charcoal
• Gallery- CSULB School of Art: Dennis W. Gutzi

Melanie Nuccio and Oscar Pearson are two upcoming artists here at CSULB. They are both undergrads and I had the privilege to talk to them this past week. They both explained to me about the ways that they go about painting and the different ways that they grow and learn through their paintings. Oscar mentioned to me how his work explores the urbanization of people, and Melanie told me how her work explains how to deal with exterior and interior boundaries within yourself.

The two pieces were quite different. Melanie’s was a lot of color, were everything sort of meshed together and almost camouflaged into one piece. However when you started to look into it you can see all of the different things that start to stand out. You can tell that she used all sorts of watercolors and there were brush strokes involved. The painting itself was pretty big, however I did have to step up to it to be able to grasp more of the detail. Oscar’s painting seemed smoother in comparison to Melanie’s since his was out of charcoal. It seemed as if I could just glide my hand over it and it would feel like one solid piece. The painting was large to the point where I didn’t have to step up to it. Quite frankly, his piece was way more realistic.

I talked to both artists and they told me their different approaches as to getting their inspiration for these pieces and they even added how they actually get inspired from each other. They meet up and talk and sort of draw inspiration from what other artists in their group are working on. Melanie said that one of the main focus in her piece is external and internal boundaries and learning to sort of break the barrier between the two. That’s why her painting sort of is one whole piece. Oscar’s piece was based on urbanization and he said how he doesn’t like to add too much detail to faces because he likes to keep a general feel to his paintings.

Both artists gave me a different perspective into the art world. Melanie’s gave me a warm and inviting feel to the drawing whereas Oscar’s had more of a monotonous tone to it. I really do believe that both artists accomplished the messages that they were trying to spread with their pieces. Two different styles and messages but I felt like I found a similarity between the two which was simply life, and continuing to live it. These artists did an amazing job and I hope that they keep chasing their dreams and continue to make amazing art.

1) I chose this idea because one of my friends told me that he had seen it on a sign a while ago when the drought here in Cali was becoming more popular. When he told me what it said it shocked me (“Yellow is the New Green”), mainly because it was hard for me to accept that it was gonna be normal to start seeing the landscape as yellow from that point on, especially since I liked playing soccer. Even though it is still a problem today.

2) I’m hoping to communicate that we are still in a drought and that people need to stay woke and not take water for granted. I feel like people only cared about it for a while and then sort of just moved on from it and pushed the issue to the side.

3) On a scale of 1-10 of successful I’d say maybe a 6 because I feel like the picture up above has a field that is more patchy rather than yellow. I would have rather had a field that is more yellow all throughout rather than only in certain areas, but other than that I would say that I did a pretty good job.

4) What I would do different is find a better angle and also like I mentioned earlier maybe try to find a better location to have a better impact for my message.

5) Another idea that I would definitely want to discover through “Shocking Art” is poverty. Not only in the United States but also around the rest of t he world. Poverty is an evil thing that no human being should have to be going through and I know this because I have seen this first hand. So if anything I would really like to explore poverty through shocking art.

1)I chose this story because it is something that I do almost every weekend to the point where it just seemed so monotonous but relatable at the same time.

2)I think I did pretty well, it was really simple too though. Nothing complex.

3)I think the best image is my last one where I have my Gatorade and I am ready to start all of my work. Because like I said earlier every student has had that feeling where you are about to start on work that could have been done a long time ago.

4)I believe there are a couple of “not so great images”, like the first one where I am grabbing my keys. However I do believe that it is also necessary at the same time because it shows how I am going to get to the liquor store.

5)Next time I feel like I would focus more on the actual picture. For example, get better angles, better lighting, etc. Also I would really want to get a really good that is more amusing or interesting to look at.

6)I don’t think that there are any photo stories that I would like to tell. I prefer telling a story with words rather than pictures.

1) I thought that this was actually pretty relaxing and peaceful. Personally I don’t like to draw and I wouldn’t try this on my own again but if I had to do it again I wouldn’t mind it.

2) If I practiced for 100 or 100,000 hours I believe that I would get better but then again I believe that also applies to other things not just drawing. It an also be sports or whatever other hobby you are into. Practice does make perfect.

3) I am currently a psychology major but I am looking to switch to business. Maybe sketching like this does have its place in the business world. Maybe for ads, logos, or whatever type of promotion you may need done.

4) I don’t believe that drawing is a language. Because I believe that just because you can’t express something with words, doesn’t mean you can automatically just express that same feeling or thought with a drawing or a painting. Drawing is a way of universal expression but I would not consider it a language.

1)

2) Form- This is a large object with a rough texture and the color of it is kind of dull.

Aesthetics- It looks like it doesn’t have a pleasant feel to it and it could affect the viewer in a questionable way.

Content- I found that my art was explaining growth. In a tree I saw that it showed where we all start and how as we get older we branch out into the person that we become. It is important because a tree is something that someone most likely sees on the daily but never really stops to think about it’s deeper meaning.

3) I believe that it was, the only thing is that I never took the time to step back and think about it.

4) It will still be art because the only thing the rectangle does is focus in on what is already there.

5) I think that the only objects that can be art are the ones that hold some kind of substance.

6) Art can definitely be something other than an object.

7) Art also resides in the experience of the viewer. It all depends on whether a person actually wants to take the time to stop and actually think about the things around them.

1) It was interesting and different.

2) It was actually harder because even though it is something abstract, I found myself overthinking about what to paint.

3) It was confusing but it was also really easy going because I was not stressing about drawing something that looked good.

4) I have definitely seen better paintings than the one I made.

1) I felt like I was actually doing something good for the CSULB campus.

2) I believe that the two pieces of art that we discussed in class are different because one of them is more of an aggressive action whereas the other one is more passive. However, I think that they are both art because in a way they show the two different sides of human behavior.

3) I wouldn’t say that Laderman’s picture was art however I do thing that her action in that photograph was something that can be seen as beautiful. If she was a janitor then I don’t think people would’ve seen that as art. I believe that art is something that is done with precision and generates a feeling out of someone.

4) I believe that art is everywhere. From the paintings in your house to the paintings one sees in museums.

5) I believe that women’s work is art, but only when someone takes a step back to appreciate the sincerity and genuine nature of a “woman’s role” in society.

6) If Kobe Bryant had a star, I would clean it.