Artist: Chanmealea Huy

Exhibition: Glass Eyes

Gallery: LBSU School of Art, Dr. Maxine Merlino Gallery

Instagram: @pichhuy

Chanmealea Huy is an undergraduate student in the Pre-Production program. Her art gallery, titled Glass Eyes, was a joint show with another artist I did not get to talk to. Guy seemed to have many different interests, but focused on mixing body shapes with robot-like features. She seemed to like the idea of making human-like figures and out of this world experience. She told us that her exhibit was a way for her to use her art talents outside of her major.

Huy had a very cartoonish outlook on art. The color scheme had lots of pale pink, purple, and blue tones. There were more pastel tones that vivid bright ones, creating a soft look to each piece. Everything was very straight and put together. It did not have an abstract jagged feel, but was very put together and easy to read. Each piece tied in with the next and the whole collection was very aesthetically pleasing. Both Huy and the other artist tried to tie their pieces together to create a common look that came across very well. 

When I asked Guy to talk a little bit about her art, she expressed how the exhibit was her chance at straying away from her major. She wanted to create a happier and cuter version of what she plans on doing with the rest of her life. Although she strived for cuteness, the message behind it had to do with mental health. She expressed how they were meant to explain the seriousness behind how important handling mental illness can be. She wanted to show different ways people can define themselves in our large world.

My experience was great and I would definitely go back to look at the different art shows again for my own pleasure. I did not know they existed before this class, and am very grateful that there is such a great place on campus where people can express their emotions through art. Huy was very nice and easy to talk to, and I am glad I picked her show to look at. I would love to go again and would also be interested in keeping up with her work because it was very inspiring to look at.

I thought the six sketches were a fun way to practice drawing. It had enough guidelines so that choosing a subject wasn’t too hard, but there was still room to be creative. I already do enjoy drawing and will definitely be doing it again after this activity. I do believe that doing sketches like that for another 100 hours or 1,000 hours would help you to improve. Practice makes perfect and setting aside time to sketch is important if you want to get better at it. It also allows you to discover what subjects you enjoy to sketch most. My major is public relations, which has a wide variety of things that I can do out of it. A big part in why I enjoy my major is that it has a lot of potential to use artistic abilities. Although I am not completely sure which branch I will end up in, I hope it ends up having something to do with art. I do believe drawing is a language. Some people struggle to communicate feelings through words, but can express a thousand emotions through a picture. Sometimes drawings can be better interpreted than just simply trying to voice a confusing feeling.

My group was looking for a peaceful and aesthetically pleasing piece of content to put our frame around. We chose this specific tree because it was obvious enough that people see it everyday, but we wanted people to really realize the beauty in the view. I do believe our art was art before we put a rectangle around it. I think nature is art in itself, it just became more noticeable when we put a frame around it. I think this goes the same way for the tree being art after we remove the rectangle. I think whether something should be considered art or not is up to the person viewing it. Everyone has their own sense of style when it comes to viewing art, and it depends on how many people would take the time out of their day to view a big beautiful tree a little differently. I think art could be many things, not just objects. Art is anywhere and everywhere, you just have to look for it. If you take the time each day to pay a little extra attention to the things around you, you could put an artistic view on anything. It is definitely up to the viewer to experience art in the way they want to.

The experience was fun and very different than what I am used to. Usually when I paint I use a brush and it was easier to create abstract art than I thought. Sometimes with a paintbrush it is easier to be more controlled, whereas using your fingers allows you to create loose lines and shapes. Not having a subject was a little confusing. It is a lot easier to paint something tangible, but I equally enjoyed not having a subject after I figured it out. It technically does not compare to other paintings I’ve seen, but that is the beauty of abstract art. Nothing is exactly like something else and I think it was a fun project that allowed me to expand my thoughts on how abstract art is created.

While performing maintenance art around the USU I felt good that so many students were able to come together to help upkeep a beautiful piece of art. I believe that Mierle Laderman Ukeles and Richaed Serra’s art have different messages, but a similar purpose. Richard Serra’s molten lead makes more of a mess than focusing on cleaning up the mess, but still holds a similar message. His work does take away the mess after the molds of the lead were removed, and it makes just as much of a statement as Mierle Laderman Ukeles work. I believe they both should be considered art. They are both abstract in their own way. I believe that Mierle Laderman Ukeles Art performance was art, but not because it was performed at an art museum. I think the placement did make it more well known, but the action in itself should be considered sort of beautiful. Although, I do think getting hired in a janitor factory and performing the act that is different. I believe this because she wanted to make a statement, while someone performing something like that for their job might not put as much effort into the idea. I believe Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ work should be considered art because that was her purpose and she put it out there for the world to see, whereas while a janitors work may be equally as important, that is not how they always portray it. I think that the intention of the person performing it means everything. The medium is important but the intention means more. If someone needed to write down their grocery list and all they had as a medium was a canvas, does not make it art. Yes, most art is portrayed on a canvas, but that doesnt mean its only purpose. I also believe that art can be displayed anywhere and it does not matter whether it is inside a home or a museum. The two examples have not changed my view because I already believed that their ideas of work are considered art. In Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ case, she wanted her act to be seen and in Jennifer Lopez’s case her music video expressing her opinion was considered art. Personally, I would clean Adam Sandler’s star. I have a lot of friends who love to tell me that Adam Sandler plays the same role in every movie and how bad that same character is. In my opinion, his movies are hilarious and I would love to be the person to clean the star of the creator of it all.