Instruction - Pharisee

JOURNAL

The following pages contain detailed instructional explanations of Studio ideas, thoughts, techniques, and processes used in the construction of artwork and media products.





TO JOURNAL

CONTACT

Don Bergland
redjello@shaw.ca

STUDIO PRODUCTION DETAILS

PAINTING - PHARISEE - By Don Bergland

This site provides a detailed presentation of the Studio processes used in the construction of the painting called, Pharisee. This is Painting #1407 in the production inventory.

This painting currently resides in an exhibition - Caladan Gallery - Charting the Future: Solo Exhibition - Don Bergland.

NOTE - This painting started with one idea and ended with an entirely different one. I don't think the end result is a successful manifestation of the original idea.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

ANXIETY! - I woke up very early this morning and was instantly filled with total anxiety. I lay there, trying to go back to sleep but I knew I wouldn't be able to. I had just had a dream about retiring into a life of poverty. So, my main thoughts were about retirement. But then, my thoughts quickly turned to all the things in my life that bring intense anxiety into it - teaching, scholastic competition, exhibition commitments, remaining inventive and innovative. When I wake up at night, the intensity of the anxiety about all this is overwhelming. I just have to get up. Maybe the theme of ANXIETY should be the one I am attempting for the Solo Show I have coming up at Caladan Gallery.

I'm intrigued about the theme of Anxiety for the Solo Show. Are there other artists out there who have constructed according to this theme?

Interesting Brainstorming Ideas about Anxiety - Here is one by George Grie - Panic Attack

This is interesting, but I don't know if this particular arrangement of objects depicts the way I feel when in anxiety.

Here is one called Anxiety Collage by Glen McCullough.

I'm not sure whether the feeling of Anxiety is best portrayed figuratively, or abstractly.

I think this might be a good theme to deal with since it is one I am going through quite frequently. But, can one only dissect and deconstruct Anxiety when one is in it?

RESEARCH QUESTION - PROJECT?

So, does this qualify as a "research" question. How does one express the concept of "anxiety" in an artwork. Follow through the Studio processes and discuss what happens.

I actually want to develop some ideas about this both for myself and for my AE 308 class. Interpreting Themes.

Interesting Brainstorming Ideas about Anxiety - This site has a brainstorming map. I wonder if this is useful?

brainstorm

Hmm. I don't know. I suppose some parts of this are useful. What I am interested in, however, is not a general expression of the theme of Anxiety, but only Anxiety as I feel it.

What are the steps an individual artist must go through in order to interpret a theme?

David Larsen (2008). Interpretive Themes: Saying Something Meaningful. Retrieved September 18, 2012 from (this website). This is a good resource.

In reviewing online websites dealing with Anxiety, I discover that there are a HOST of symptoms related to Anxiety. Although there are many physical sensations (see this site), Anxiety for me is almost entirely EMOTIONAL. So, I think I would want to express it this way.

I'll go through this list and isolate the ones that are relevant to me.

MIND
Fear of losing control
Fear of impending doom
Frequent feeling of being overwhelmed, or that there is just too much to handle or do
Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
A heightened fear of what people think of you
Constant feeling of being overwhelmed.
Fear of making mistakes or making a fool of yourself to others
Always feeling angry and lack of patience
Depression
Dramatic mood swings (emotional flipping)
Emotional "flipping" (dramatic mood swings)
Everything is scary, frightening
Feeling down in the dumps
Frequently being on edge or 'grouchy'
Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
You feel like you are under pressure all the time

Although this list is interesting, as a collective, it doesn't even approach my own feelings of Anxiety. So, I think in order to develop this more, I have to start seriously thinking about my "own" experiences when in the state of Anxiety.

Hmmm. I just came across Francis Bacon online. This might be an artist who has a great sense of Anxiety as I feel it. I did a Google Search and looked through a variety of his work. Very interesting. I need to study some of the techniques he uses to get his powerful imagery.

bacon

"a mouth frozen in a mute scream. It is, of course the mouth from Bacon's trademark 1953 painting, "Study After Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X," probably the most resonant shriek in the history of modern art. There are others--the distraught lonely soul in Edvard Munch's "The Cry" of 1895, the grieving woman of Picasso's "Guernica" of 1936. The thing that lends Bacon's painting singular significance is its point in time after World War II and the fact that it is based on a great portrait of an individual who embodies all the pomp and power of a temporal institution that claims to derive authority from an extra-terrestrial source" (website).

I don't know if Bacon is actually talking about Anxiety in many of his works, but essential techniques he uses offer me ideas about how to express my own sense of the theme. So far:

RESEARCH PROJECT - ANXIETY:
1.	Studio Reflection and discovery of Anxiety as a disturbing feature in hindering creative thought in the Studio.
2.	The Idea that I should use the theme of Anxiety for the Solo Show I have coming up. What is really interesting is that the Solo Show is one of the main causes of my Anxiety at the moment.
3.	I am also involved in trying to make Theme Studies a significant part of my AE 308 course. I am asking myself, "How do I teach non-artists the ability to create to a Theme?"
4.	I also need to be creating some Action Research based in the Studio. Maybe this would work.
5.	I went online, looking up definitions of Anxiety, finding some paintings called Anxiety.
6.	I found a definition of the symptoms of Anxiety and discovered that for me, Anxiety was all located in the head.
7.	Online, I continued typing in Search Terms and browsing the Internet. I stumbled across Francis Bacon, did a Google Search of his paintings and liked what I saw.
8.	A technique. Study Bacon and identify some of the visual techniques he uses that helps me explore my own image construction methods in more detail.

Again, this damn Dreamweaver Table won't allow me to get rid of this empty space at the bottom. Why?

1:05 pm - I would like to take a look at some more Francis Bacon. Bacon Website - Here is one - Painting - 1946

I'm going to move my ideas into a Project Structure.

PROJECT - ANXIETY THEME

Location - Projects/Project-Anxiety

Last Worked on -

I started thinking about the theme of Anxiety this morning. I thought about this on several levels, both as an artist and as a researcher.

RESEARCH PROJECT - ANXIETY:
1.	Studio Reflection and discovery of Anxiety as a disturbing feature in hindering creative thought in the Studio.
2.	The Idea that I should use the theme of Anxiety for the Solo Show I have coming up. What is really interesting is that the Solo Show is one of the main causes of my Anxiety at the moment.
3.	I am also involved in trying to make Theme Studies a significant part of my AE 308 course. I am asking myself, "How do I teach non-artists the ability to create to a Theme?"
4.	I also need to be creating some Action Research based in the Studio. Maybe this would work.
5.	I went online, looking up definitions of Anxiety, finding some paintings called Anxiety.
6.	I found a definition of the symptoms of Anxiety and discovered that for me, Anxiety was all located in the head.
7.	Online, I continued typing in Search Terms and browsing the Internet. I stumbled across Francis Bacon, did a Google Search of his paintings and liked what I saw.
8.	A technique. Study Bacon and identify some of the visual techniques he uses that helps me explore my own image construction methods in more detail.

Note, I have a host of reflection on the Journal page in front of this (September 18, 2012).

I found a painting by Francis Bacon called, Painting - 1946. I need to find a larger image of this.

He did a second version in 1971.

These are good exemplars in helping me figure out what I want to construct.

First, I want to break up the mechanisically realistic sets and environments I currently have in operation. I want to make the objects look like what they are, but somehow different and more deconstructed.

How do I do this? Do I start returning to the phase of production where I was bringing in linear forms, lines, shapes, and wireframes?

Is it possible to create a standard figure, render it, and then feed in imagery behind it?

I'm going to launch Poser and Photoshop and give it a try.

I used the default figure, focused on his head and opened his mouth as wide as I could get it.

I duplicated the figure, made it very small and then inserted into the large figure so the head was positioned inside the mouth area.

I set the camera, took a rendering, then opened it in Photoshop where I installed a Hubble background.

This is not really what I want. But, it was an interesting exploration anyway.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

PROJECT - ANXIETY THEME

Location - Projects/Project-Anxiety

Last Worked on -

I started working on the theme of Anxiety yesterday. While looking for Exemplars, I came across the work of Francis Bacon. Now, I want to use some of his work as Exemplars for my own small series.
5.	I want to engage with Bacon on the level of Exemplar, find some sets and object arrangements that push me into a dialogue with his work. I'm hoping that the result will be a kickstart into a new way of exploration through the style I am using.
6.	I went online to download a set of Exemplars (Exemplar Site).
	I decided to have paper and pen to notate ideas quickly
7.	I looked through 324 paintings, made screenshots of selected paintings, and made notations on paper.
8.	I'm going to assemble the collected Exemplars into a composite and then examine them.
	I collected 61 images. I don't think I'll keep them all for the composite, however.
	I also collected some written ideas.
9.	I want to construct a large composite so I can see his paintings all at once. I think this will allow me study ideas better when they are available as a visual unity.
	I went through all 61 and selected all the paintings in the same proportion. I then constructed the composite.

	I think I would like to take some of his set ideas and see if I can replicate some of the arenas of action he uses.
	There is a certain energy that results when the composition is vertical. I'm not sure the same energy can come from a horizontal image. Anyway, I would like to construct: - circular set with a platform in the center - circular set with a circular couch - a rectangular set with four wall made of curtains - a circular set with a bare bulb hanging down from the ceiling - circular set with the round table pushed into the floor to the tablecloth
10.	12:30 pm - I'm going to launch Poser and start work. Wait a minute. I have to think about how I get a circular set (walls). Should I construct this in Carrara? No. I don't have Carrara 8 on any of my computers. Do I find a circular wall set somewhere? There might be something in the Primitives or other models in the Library.
11.	I went looking on ShareCG for a circular wall set. What is the geometric form called? Actually, an arch turned on its side might work.
	I played around with this arch but nothing worked out.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

BACON DAYS!

Through his paintings, Francis Bacon was able to express depressive fear and anxiety in powerful ways. There are days in my life that contain more anxiety than others. These are usually days before my actual teaching days. Days that are needed to prepare for the classes I will conduct on the actual teaching days. For me, these days are Monday and Friday (especially Friday). I'm going to refer to these as "Bacon Days."

PROJECT - ANXIETY THEME

Location - Projects/Project-Anxiety

Last Worked on - Yesterday, September 19, 2012

I got swept away by a set and object arrangement yesterday and actually worked through to a finished image. The project came to an end because Poser froze, compelling me to shut the program down. Because I was using multiples of an imported 3ds file, the replications did not maintain their presence in the saved file.

NOTE - I spent most of the day working on a different painting concept - Painting #1405.

While working on this other concept, however, I am still interested in getting a good solid structure for the circular arena.

12.

I'm going to do some Internet research on models with circular walls.

Dining Room - Daz - $17.00
Carnival Big Tent Interior - $20.00
Carnival Picnic Table - $13.00

The only things I came up with that were interesting were a carnival picnic table and a large dining room.

I can imaging these two items together with a focus object either on or beside the table. Total cost for these items would be $30.00. I don't know if this would be worth it.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

PROJECT - ANXIETY THEME

Location - Projects/Project-Anxiety

Last Worked on - Yesterday, September 19, 2012

I started the day with my mind on 2 other paintings I was working on. I'm not sure I was happy with either one of them.

13.

I was working on several other paintings while thinking about elements for this current one. But, I wanted to move back to the Bacon inspiration. See whether I can make the Bacon inspiration work a little better.

14.

I'm going to move on. I'm going to make a purchase of a set and see if this inspires me in any way.

Dining Room - Daz - $17.00 - Figure - DH_Din_R
Carnival Picnic Table - $13.00

15.

I'll see if I'm online. If so, I'll go and order the Dining Room and then install it.

16.

This is the first time I've ordered a product from Daz that didn't have the installer. This means I have to go in and install this product manually in the Runtime folder.

LOCATION - Figure - DH_Din_R

17.

I'm going to launch Poser and check out the new model.

Hmm. The model launches in quite a distant location. It has to be moved. But once moved, its orientation is wrong.

I want to face the open end of the model.

18.

I rotated the model 180 degrees and moved in with the camera.

Interesting so far. There are some pieces I need to hide. I'm going to try rendering it with the default lighting.

19.

I had to hide a few front pieces of the set and use the provided lighting (DH_MBD_F/Light). But it worked out.

I actually like the starkness of this particular set. I think I can do some interesting things inside it.

20.

I set the Camera Focal down to 29 and moved the camera in.

21.

Now, what if I set one of those deco stools in the right side of the piece. What about the one out of diner?

22.

Hmm. Somehow the model has slipped out of the camera view. A piece of empty space is showing on the right.

23.

I added some objects.

24.

Some adjustments.

It might be interesting to call this the St. Francis Series. St. Francis in (something).

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

PROJECT - PAINTING #1407 - FRANCIS

Location - Projects/Paintings/1407-Francis

Last Worked on - Yesterday, September 21, 2012

I'm going to continue with the image I started yesterday.
25.	I'm not very happy with the end result of this. Several things need correcting in the model itself: - the camera needs to be pulled forward. - make sure that the proportion is scaled to 5 x 4.

	I don't know if I like the central figure I've established in this setting. I think I need to go back and look at some of Bacon's rooms settings and see if I can extract some of the essence of what he is doing.
26.	I built a composite of Bacon's work the other day. I'm going to review this and extract only those images I think are relevant to this project.
27.	I reviewed the composite. I would like to repeat it here, but it is so damn large.
	All of the FB images I collected are relevant and important in this project. It is how he uses the figure and its deconstruction that is important in his work. I'm not sure how I translate this.
	- Glass Box in the center of the room - circular bed - circus platform - I'm intrigued with these and the graphics which appear on them - dark shadows coming into the room from the front - the figure - Snarf - or whatever it is called
28.	I need to take this set, set it up in a good position, and then try running off multiples of the room using different wall textures, floors, etc.
29.	While deleting items out of the existing set, I turned the meatform upside down and suspended it from the ceiling.

	This was interesting and something that may want to be developed later.
30.	I'm going to create some new set appearances by changing wall and floor color. I'll open the Wall Texture Map - Textures/RHS/DH_Din_R/dr_int_walls.jpg.

31.	I'm going to take this map in Photoshop and add a variety of different colors and textures to it. I'll save the .psd file in the Painting Project folder.
32.	I created 4 Texture Maps.

33.	I think I like the last one best.

	Now, I need to think of some interior objects.
34.	I want something with a circus look. Now, what do they call those Circus Platforms?
	Carnival Big Tent Interior - I think I need to purchase this also. It has a number of things I like.

	I like these components. I just may buy this model and see how they work inside the room set. $20.00!!
	It says this product needs the Big Tent Model. But I don't know. These are just Props. I don't see how I need the big Figure model. I just may give it a try.
	Figures: "Carnival_B_Tent_I" Pose: "Carnival_B_Tent_I" Materials "Carnival_B_Tent_I"

35.	Okay. I'm now going to see if I can access these models or if I really do have to purchase the Big Tent model also.
	Figures: "Carnival_B_Tent_I"

	This is the unit I was primarily after - the circus stand. This model comes with two sizes - large and small.

	This is a very interesting tent arrangement. I like the structure itself. I tried moving the curtains, but they don't do anything. Although called a Figure, this unit acts more like a Prop.

	This is another unit that can be used in a variety of interesting ways. Two sizes, short and long.

	And this is a fully assembled Big Top arrangement of all these smaller models.
36.	I'm going to put this away for now and resume work on the sets later.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

PROJECT - PAINTING #1407 - FRANCIS

Location - Projects/Paintings/1407-Francis

Last Worked on - Yesterday, September 22, 2012

Yesterday, I worked on the Room Set and found an interesting color and texture for the walls and floor. I also purchased a few circus models that I want to use in the set. I'm going to continue this work now.
37.	I now have a Room Set in a color I like and floors that might work.

	I think the window sills might need some work. I'm also not happy with the opacity of the windows. I might have to get back to the Materials Editor and check this out.
38.	I also constructed a Circus Platform with a new Texture Map.

	I'm going to bring these together, although I'm starting to suspect that there may not be enough floor space to display the platform properly.
39.	I'm going to launch Poser and open the main file (francis03).

	Before I install the platform, I want to see if there are any possibilities of extending this room set.
40.	I pulled the camera out and looked at the set itself.

	I'm looking to see if there is a way of replicating one wall and then adding it to the front of the structure to extend it. I'm not sure the floor structure can be extended, but I could always create a new floor and then move it up slightly from the existing one (to cover the existing one).
41.	I'm going to save this set as Francis03-construct and see if some of the walls can be moved around.
	Probably the technique I will have to use will involve duplicating the whole model and then hiding parts of it.
42.	I duplicated the model and moved it out and away so I could work on it.

43.	I was able to take visibility off the individual sections.

44.	I moved the second room set to synchronize with the first set and then rendered the file.
45.	Damn!

	I didn't save the file, so I'll have to do the steps all over again. I think this time, I'll leave visibility on the roof alone.
46.	I re-launched Poser and opened Francis03-reconstruct.
	I replicated the steps above (created a duplicate set, hid wall, refitted the two sets together. This time I recorded the X axis - X Tran - 33.076, so I could easily move the second set in place.
47.	Hmmm. There is an artifact in the model.

	A wall set. Where did this come from.
48.	I identified this and hid the sections. I rendered again.

	I now have a longer set, able to accommodate more materials in the interior. I'm not happy with the ceiling and may try some exploration here. Removal of the ceiling entirely so as to reveal some Hubble imagery.
49.	So, I now have 2 different sets.

	The first set is the short one (Francis03). The second set is the long one (Francis04).
50.	I went into Francis04 and created a Primitive. I scaled it to represent a floor.
51.	I mapped the Carpet to this floor shape and moved the floor down.
52.	I'll save and keep this file as Francis04.
53.	I hid the roof elements of the model and saved this iteration as Francis05.
	I'm going to render this and then add a Hubble to see if this works without a roof.

	This is interesting, BUT! There are some compositional disturbances. - The long sweep of the righ wall into the lower right corner is aesthetically disturbing. I need to break this up.
	I could always break up this wall in Photoshop.
54.	In Photoshop, I'm going to pull the left foreground wall element and put it on the right.

	This is not great, but it is better. I should see if I can do this in the model itself.
55.	I duplicated the wall set one more time (Figure4). I spun this upside down.

56.	I then moved this in toward the set, just enough so that it provided a vertical component to the right side of the set.

	This is not great. I may have to think of something else.
	Note - I saved this iteration as Francis06.
57.	I'm going to try placing the Circus Platform in this set.
	It is interesting, but not defined enough.
58.	I'm going to add another Spotlight to the set to try and give some focus to the platform and add some shadows.


	Okay. I like where this is going. Now, I just have to figure out what salient and powerful object is going to provide the narrative for this set.

PROJECT - PAINTING #1407 - FRANCIS

Location - Projects/Paintings/1407-Francis

Last Worked on - Today, September 23, 2012

I'm at the place where I have an interesting set and supporting platform within it.

There are still some things to consider about this set. I am still a little wary about the dynamics of the right wall. I think there may be a way to alter this more in line with what is occurring on the left side.

After I resolve this, I have to cast around for a Figure to occupy this set.
- Bell Jar and object
- Old vintage toys. A figure on the outside of the window looking in.
- One of the old Figures I have

59.

I went in and duplicated the original set, shifted it over to the far right and removed a bunch of the excess components until I was left only with an abutment, which I wedged into the right wall.

Okay, This breaks up the right wall, adds some synchronicity and verticality to the structure.

I saved this as "franciscomp02."

60.

I'm going to use this as the fundamental set for the following compositions.

61.

I introduced a figure, scaled it large, and set it behind the set. I adjusted hands and hid body parts.

This is interesting, but a little stereotyped. I also think I want to keep the focus of attention on the platform. This adds a lot of confusion and also takes away the interesting focus set up by the platform.

I'm going to save it as franciscomp02a and move back to 02 (original set).

Maybe I need to open an empty set and just think about constructing innovative Actors for this set.

What about some kind of rocket apparatus. Searching for Oblivion?

62.

I had designed a rocket apparatus with one of my paintings.

These were Paintings #1242 and 1254. I think I have this figure saved in one of my Figure Libraries. I would like to get the Figure out of #1254. Note - The first of these images has already appeared at Caladan. I was also hoping to use the second one as a member of the Solo Show. So, if I use the Figure, I'm going to have to alter it quite a bit.

These look quite different in style from the image I am currently working on.

BUT, unfortunately, both these files are on the BACKUP DRIVE. I do think the first Figure is in a Poser Library, but I don't think the second Figure is.

63.

I found the first Figure in Figures/CyberObjects/SideshowEngine. I installed it in the set, did a rough positioning of it on the platform.

It's okay. Nothing wild. I like the red wheels and the basic shape of the object. I think it needs to be angled to the sky more.

64.

I scaled the object eliminated a number of components and aimed the object higher.

I think I like this better, but there is still something this needs. As it is, it is telling a fairly uninteresting story. I would still like to get the rocket form in here. I know I have this object as a Prop in a Poser Library.

65.

I found the Rocket - Props/CyberObjects/Rocket. I installed it, sized and positioned it, and did another render.

Okay. I'm going to leave this the way it is. I need to fix the angle of the tuba and call it a day.

66.

I'm going to make a large Default Render of Francis02b.

Damn. Poser crashed.

67.

I relaunched Poser and started the Render once again.

68.

I made a few Light Sets

01 - Default	02 - The Stele/Back-Prop-Right
03 - UltimateFire/Forest_01	04 - UltimateFire/Storm_01
05 - AS-GrungeWall/Light2	06 - Temp_of_Megaera/Light

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012

PROJECT - SOLO SHOW PREPARATION

Location - Archive/Exhibitions/CaladanSolo/12

Last Worked on - Sunday, September 23, 2012

Several weeks later, I am starting to focus on the Solo Exhibition I have this month at Caladan Gallery. Among the selections I am making for this show, is this painting, #1407 - Pharisee.
69.	A little while ago, I prepared a list of paintings that could be used in the exhibition. One of the pieces I identified for this show was - #1407 - Pharisee.
	I need to process this painting.
	- 1407 - I don't like the rocketship any more. It needs removal. This also needs a sky
70.	I don't like the rocketship any more.

	I like the set and the main object, but I don't like the rocketship launching into the sky.
71.	I'm going to launch Poser and open this file. I'll eliminate the rocketship and then re-Render the image.
	I'm going to add a Hubble background, modify it and add a black cover overlay.

72.	This is finished.
	SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2012
73.	I'm sending this off with 14 other paintings for the Solo Exhibition at Caladan Gallery.

PAINTING - PHARISEE - By Don Bergland

You can explore further Studio Production Instructional Details through Don Bergland's Online Journal