Art Night — Friday, October 8th, 2010

How can I not be excited about a free evening of art, music and entertainment as Pasadena’s most prominent arts and cultural institutions swing open their doors. More than 10,000 people experience the excitement of ArtNight!  Unfortunately my time was enough to visit only 3 out of 16 venues. First stop — Armory Center for the Arts Featuring “Steve Roden: In Between, A 20 Year Survey,” the first survey of the artist’s work in all its different forms. Honestly I didn't get it. It wasn't captivating enough. Also at the armory, art by talented students, there were some impressive pieces. On the second floor 3D photos in the drawing and painting studio.  Second Stop — One Colorado There wasn't much to see other than an awesome solo contemporary performer. Third  Stop — Norton Simon Museum of Art Two exhibitions, “Hiroshige: Visions of Japan” (my friend bought the book and her excitement was priceless!) and “Not Wanting to Say Anything About Marcel: An Artwork by John Cage,” plus centuries of masterpieces on permanent view. Any chance that I get to see a Matisse painting I'll take it. He's my favorite. I also enjoy looking at Degas sculptures. All in all it was fun and refreshing to be surrounded by art lovers from all ages.  Thank you Pasadena.

The Caffeine Poster

My opinion about this chart is that it's simple, explanatory and engaging.

What bothers me about it is the middle section; the colors from red to green are old fashioned.

Escaping Flatland

So interesting, the first thing that came to my mind as I read this chapter was my flamboyant gym instructor Alfred. He uses excellent oldies music in his class and yet everyone including the teenagers enjoy it and respond positively. I see a similarity with what Tufte is trying to explain, by demonstrating old maps and charts. Time doesn't matter if it's done well. Presenting design or music in ways that make sense to others. 


I've learned that by following core design rules and adding density you can escape the flatland. Present dense information in a clear way. Points that stuck with me...clutter is a failure of design. I sometimes have the tendency to clutter...I will be careful. Repeated graphics displaying variations, or small multiples are good. 


I'm sure going to try and implement what I've learned in my next project.

Color & Information

I don't have the book Envisioning Information yet, but I read the section about color and information in class! My ADD kicked in when it got theoretical with the diagrams, but for the most part it was informative. What caught my attention was that trained colorists can distinguish among 1,000,000 colors...WOW!

I've always been attracted to nature colors, and according to Tufte, most people are because we are familiar to it and it has authority. Interesting!

Color is my favorite part of design, and there's a lot to learn about it.

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhCEhWiKXk

My colleague Esther, who is a writer doesn't like this video because she thinks the video doesn't justify the words of the song. Me, on the hand love it, because it's creative and unique. What do you think?

The Los Angeles Printers Fair

Last weekend, Sept. 25, was my first visit to Los Angeles Printers Fair at the International Printing Museum in Carson. Being with couple of enthusiastic art professors made my long trip on a super hot day interesting. Their artistic energy inspired me. The fair was well organized. A large number of vendors showcasing the book arts, letterpress printing, paper, printmaking, handmade announcements, invitations. Many vendors selling letterpress cards, posters and letterpress supplies.  The most interesting part was the vendor with the amazing etchings. Because of the heat we couldn’t last very long, but the few hours that we spent there was very rewarding. As a bonus, we went to Alpine Village, which was very close to he museum, and had German food and draft beer!