Dustin Yoder

I've nixed my old website provider and gone with a new one which I'm much happier with.  I'm also now able to have a blog and website all in one place!  This is something I've been wanting and now I've got it!

Now to continue my work.

     I find it a shame that art is displayed outside the context in which it was created or outside the context in which it was meant to be seen.  Especially the artwork of old.  Seeing the Sistine Chapel is what I am talking about.  The art was meant to be seen on that ceiling in that room.  Most often we see classic art inside new modern museums which force the art completely out of context.  Imagine seeing Monet's Haystack paintings on display in the field they were painted, in the lighting they were painted in...I guarantee it would be much more powerful.

     Since I am extremely interested in the perceptual aspect of art, these issues bother me a lot.  I've said before that it's not enough to presume knowledge of a color until it has been studied within the confines of its surroundings. Likewise, the surroundings must also be studied within the context of the object it encloses. In this way, my drawings can't be adequately understood unless defined by the parameters that created them.  Unless a drawing is seen in the same condition in which it was created, it will forever appear different than it did when it was created.  The surroundings are different, the light is different, the sounds are different.  Sound after all is a perception.  Every perception helps to shape the art that the artist creates.  

     I would like to do an installation of my works.  To do this I will need a space large enough to allow me to do multiple drawings at multiple stages without moving them after they are finished.  I will set up a space as I would for any typical drawing.  Once finished, I leave my easel/horse/pastels/drawing where it is and move to a different part of the room and do the same thing.  I will take care not to move into the view of my previous drawing or the space that I saw in that previous drawing will have been changed.  When I am satisfied that I have done enough or have no where else to do a drawing, I will simply stop.  That room will then become the gallery.  My drawings and their stations left in exactly the same place as they were when I created them.  People can then see them within the context in which I created them.  The viewer will not have to simply accept what I've told them through my drawing and can make their own conclusions, or perhaps see something new through the comparison.  I will have direct access to pointing out to the viewer what I was looking at and what I saw when looking at it.  Something they might in most cases overlook.   It would be interesting to do a series similar to my Blind Barb series (above) where I progressively move away a foot at a time.  In this case, my previous drawings will all be in the view of the newest drawing.  I love drawings within drawings.  I don't know why they intrigue me but they do.  They have come to be a reoccurring theme.

      I think I'll call these contextual drawings.

Friday evening Nate Tuttle, Josh Gomez, James Wisdom, Vinnie Sartoris and I will be having a show in Nate and Josh's basement.  It'll be hung salon style and I imagine most of the wall will not be visible.  I like it that way.  I actually despise many modern galleries.  They bore the crap out of me.  I'm excited.  I know many friends will be showing up, but since it is Pilsen's 2nd Fridays I'm hoping to get some of the residual gallery goers to stop by.

The show, titled Below, begins at 8pm and ends at 4am at 2005 S Alport in the coach house.  Come see it!

I really wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but I think I was expecting something a bit different than what actually came about.  I'm very pleased with last night and I had a lot of fun.  It was awesome getting to share a space with my friends who area amazing and that I respect greatly as artists.  In total there were 6 artists on display: Nate Tuttle, Josh Gomez, Greg Gomez, James Wisdom and Vinnie Sartoris.

There will definitely bemore BELOW shows in the future.and that excites me because it's a good motivator to make sure I've got something new to show for next time. I love it.

Here are some pictures of the work from last night.

The bamboo piece on the left is now owned by yours truly.  I did a swap with Nate for it.  I really enjoy acquiring art.  Especially, art that I highly respect.  I never thought I'd be able to afford it, but it never occured to me that I could simply trade!  This is the second piece by Nate that I've got now.  I'm hoping to have a piece by Josh soon as well.

 When I first started drawing the biggest problem I faced, as I now see it, was learning how to see properly.  The trick when trying to draw reality is to learn how to look without focusing directly on one object.  I used to get lost in the details, working too heavily in one area or on one object, while ignoring the bigger picture.  Sitting back, what at one point appeared perfect while my face was stuck directly into the drawing, now appeared foreign and apart from the rest of the image as a whole.  I didn't understand yet what I was doing wrong nor how I could change.

We were often told to look back and forth very quickly between two objects to observe the differences to accurately judge whether or not we were achieving the correct values or colors.  I now realize that this is getting halfway to the point.  Observing the entire picture is the most important thing, but the way in which you do this is even more important. Squinting is not enough to view a scene accurately. The trick is to not really look at anything.  *GASP*

To do this, look at a point in space without actually perceiving it and then focus on perceiving the space aroud it.  Peripheral vision should be used to judge relationships and a scene as a whole.  Peripheral vision is a beautiful thing and using it takes practice, but once trained to do so, allows you to see things so much more clearly.  No more looking back and forth between objects quickly to judge relationships.  I can look at 2, 3, 4, 5...etc. objects all at the same time.  At this moment, I can see, the relationships between 5 such objects all while I am typing this entry.  The trick is to not get lost in the detail...in other words, don't focus directly on something!  The moment you do, you lose sight of the bigger picture and inevitably  single objects out and draw them foreign to their surroundings.  This is the problem I used to have.  I used to squint, as I was told to do and then at some point, realized that I was actually using my periferal vision to see.

The trick is to look without focusing, like when you day dream and stare off into space.  You are not looking directly at something, yet you gaze is directed in a particular direction.  Direct your gaze somewhere, now scan your peripheral vision and find some objects, to focus your attention on.  

The important thing to understand here is that peripheral vision is really anything that is outside of your direct focal point.  If you hold your thumb out in front of you at arms length you will see the size of the area that your eyes see in focus at any one given moment.  It is only through tiny movements of the eye that you see entire images as a whole.  Thus, anything outside of that tiny area is prime retail space for your peripheral vision.  This should be used for objects near or far away from each other.  Everything should be seen in relation to everything else. and don't just compare single objects.  Compare everything to itself.  When you view a scene in such a general sense, you will be amazed at what your eye will tell you.  It will be much more apparent when something is amiss, because your eyes will certainly let you know.