Xavier Robles de Medina

SKETCHBOOK SHOW

2012-01-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

Burning and Drowning

2011-12-31T16:34:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone! I won't explain this too much, since I feel part of its charm is its ambiguity. It is the most personal thing I've ever written. I had written a rough version a few years ago. Then several months ago I felt the need to revise it and re-wrote it entirely. It resonated so strongly with me that I threw away my original concept for my senior film and decided to go with this. With this poem, as well as the film, I feel that it is both an elaboration as well as an evolution from all my previous concepts. It is a lot less literal, and dare I say, more spiritual. Burning and Drowning is to the Pursuit of Perfection, as poetry is to prose. That's the best analogy I can think of. Thank you so much for reading this, and visiting my blog. This poem is so very personal to me; I am completely exposed. My hopes, fascinations, and fears. I present to you my soul,

Sincerely,

Xavier

Senior Film:
Concept Art
Sneak Peek

2011 Playlist

2011-12-27T21:39:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! Music is immensely important to me. It often inspires me and even dictates my creative decisions. There's something extremely cathartic about music, that I don't immediately get from visual art and 2011 marks the year that I first started playing around with making music myself. So here's a list of songs that influenced and inspired me in 2011. It is in chronological order:

The Smiths - Half A Person
The Cure - A Letter To Elise
Deerhunter - Desire Lines
Orange Juice - You Old Eccentric
The Legends - Turn Away
Sharon Van Etten - Don’t Do It
The Horrors - Scarlet Fields
Madonna - Secret Garden
Britney Spears - Til The World Ends
Robyn - Hang With Me
Solvent - My Radio
Lida Husik - Cafe Con Leche
Lower Dens - I Get Nervous
Washed Out - Amor Fati
Neon Indian - Fallout
Twin Shadow - Yellow Balloon
Depeche Mode - Blue Dress
Colleen Green - Y Do U Call Me?
The Vaccines - Norgaard
Triathalon - A Song For Brian Mitchell
Wolfsheim - Once In A Lifetime
OMD - Tesla Girls
Berlin - Tell Me Why
Radiohead - Separator
Til’ Tuesday - On Sunday
The Jesus and Mary Chain - My Little Underground

Self-Portrait/Goodbye 2011

2011-12-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

Self-portrait, Pastel pencil on paper, 22"x 24"

This piece took me the longest to make in 2011. I started it right after I reached my mental and physical nadir. Also right after I finished the majority of the Pursuit of Perfection paintings. I wanted to create something starkly different from everything else I had ever done. This portrait to me, is challenging in that it is not challenging at all. It is quite simply about being happy to be alive and looking at the world with hope and gratitude.

2011:

3 January: Strathmore selects my painting for the cover of their canvas pad.
28 january: My self portrait is selected for the SCAD Drawing Works Exhibit.
18 March: Realize that people are good, and nothing is ever a personal attack. The Way people treat you is a result of their internal struggles.
24 April: I wrote the Pursuit of Perfection.
8 May: Make a fool of myself due to overexhaustion
10 May: Have my first physical breakdown, find out that people really do care about my wellbeing.
16 May: My first mental breakdown, publicly crying included.
17 May: Finish my first performance piece.
2 June: Realize it was all worth it.
13 June: Randomly run into my cousin in Curacao.
16 June: My interview with Strathmore paper is published
20 June: Visit some amazing friends I hadn't seen for years.
26 June: Randomly run into an old friend on the train in Germany.
15 July: Readytex Art Gallery decides to sell prints of my work.
1 August: Move into my apartment.
6 September: Wrote a very special poem. Threw away everything I did in senior concept, decide to do something a little more challenging.
9 October: Shot the majority of my senior film.
15 October: SAX Magazine (fifth edition) published my interview
31 October: My first public screening, went home with "most original vision" for my film Boiling Point.
17 November: Finish the song for my Senior Film, thanks to Taylor Noll, Henry Neels, and Jake Ellis.
22 December: Sold my first piece of art in Suriname, and donated all of it to charity. Note to self: Many people DO care, never be shy about your passion for life and people.

Auction/Veiling

2011-12-18T23:14:00.000-08:00

(For Dutch scroll down)
The Kinderen van Morgen Foundation is organizing a Christmas dinner for eight orphanages. More than three hundred children are to attend the three-day celebration. To help raise money for this event, I made a drawing of a very special boy: Karan. The auction is for the drawing as well as the picture frame (sponsored by Picture Perfect N.V.) The starting price is SRD 300.

The auction will be held online, on my Facebook artist page:

https://www.facebook.com/theartofxavier,

On Wednesday 21 December, 12 pm – Thursday 22 December, 12 pm Suriname time.

Bidding will start after I post the drawing to my Facebook artist page (at 12 pm). The bidder will indicate his/her price by commenting on the image.

We would greatly appreciate it if you helped promote this event!

Sincerely,

Xavier Robles de Medina

Graphite on paper, 12"x 15"

Stichting Kinderen van Morgen organiseert een Kerst Diner voor acht kindertehuizen. Er zullen meer dan driehonderd kinderen aanwezig zijn gedurende het drie-daagse festiviteit. Om geld op te brengen voor dit evenement heb ik een tekening gemaakt van een ontzettend speciaal jongetje: Karan. De tekening inclusief beschermlijst (gesponsert door Picture Perfect N.V.) wordt geveild tegen een beginprijs van SRD 300.

De veiling zal op mijn Facebook artiesten pagina plaats vinden:

https://www.facebook.com/theartofxavier,

Op Woensdag 21 December 2011, 12 pm – Donderdag 12 pm Surinaamse tijd.

De veiling begint meteen als ik de tekening heb geladen op mijn Facebook artiesten pagina (om 12 pm.) Veilen gebeurt door een aanbieding te laten op de tekening.

Help ons a.u.b. dit evenement te promoten,

Hoogachtend,

Xavier Robles de Medina

Artist Statement (Sketchbook Show Remix)

2011-12-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

I study Classical painting devotedly, yet I am not a Classicist. I find nothing more inspiring than twentieth century and contemporary art, yet I am not a Modernist. In my paintings I use measuring tools and color grids, yet I am spontaneous, expressive, and theatrical.

The essence of my work lies in nonconformity, logic, and sincerity. To me there is a strong relationship between self-portraiture and performance art, as well as Baroque art and Pop culture. My challenge is in the seamless integration of the so-called contradiction. I seek to find a universal truth about human nature by studying relationships between art works divided by genre, time-period, art-movement, sexual orientation, culture, and race.

These sketches are a record of my thoughts concerning growth/decay, conception/cancer, and life/death. I am fascinated with microscopic relationships as allegories for macroscopic experiences. Whether I am drawing cell structures and tumors, or creating performances and paintings about a fictional character’s blundered ambition – the essence of my art stems from a sheer fascination with human perseverance.

Mask

2011-12-11T17:48:00.001-08:00

Win A Portrait!

2011-12-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

From now until 31 December 2011 (midnight), "like" my facebook page for your chance to win a free portrait, by me: https://www.facebook.com/theartofxavier

Unfortunately you must live in Savannah, GA, to be eligible. Of all the Savannah residents who "like" my facebook page (including old supporters) one lucky winner will be drawn from a hat. I require six hours posing, but it is yours when it is finished. Also, I will triple your chances if you "share" the news of the raffle on your facebook wall.

I will be graduating from SCAD in three quarters, and want to give something back to the community that has inspired my art for the past three years,

Sincerely,

Xavier

Conception

2011-12-09T11:34:00.001-08:00

I have been sitting on these drawings for a while and was hesitant to share them with anyone. These four are my favorites from the entire series I did (initially in collaboration with Erin Goodman for her senior Fashion collection). I started feeling so passionately for them that they became the main inspiration for my own senior film. They're mainly inspired by the concept of tumors and cancer. The loss of two grandparents to cancer, an uncle who is fighting cancer, a mother who smokes viciously, and a raging fear of death lead to the conception of an emotionally fueled poem. This poem was then transformed into a song with the help of three brilliant musicians, and I am finishing up the film next quarter. I believe it is the most honest piece of art I have ever created and am very excited to share it with you when it's done. This is why I decided to share these drawings: they are the very first stages of my most intimate work to date, and I feel you deserve to see that.

Sincerely,

Xavier

My Right Eye

2011-11-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

This is a painting I did for my Portrait Painting class with Roger Walton. The middle eye is painted from life, and the top and bottom are from photographs, referring to the middle for color notes.

Sincerely,

Xavier

Natalie

2011-10-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

This is the second drawing for the portrait contest. I will try to do this every quarter from now on! Of all the people who "like" my facebook artist page, I select people at random to draw, for free! Yes, it is yours once it's finished! You have to like my page to be eligible.

Natalie is seriously stunning. I feel really grateful that I was able to work with her, because she has a very interesting face and character. I see these as collaborations, so something I like to do is play the sitter's favorite music. Natalie wanted to listen to Billie Holiday and oddly enough, this is one of my absolute favorite singers. Another thing about Natalie: she is very glamorous. Natalie is always flawlessly dressed and obviously takes very good care of herself. For the portrait, I wanted to strip her bare of all her glamor, and hopefully unveil her amazing personality. I think it really works in that regard. Natalie is extremely wise, strong-willed, and sympathetic. Hopefully you can get a sense for who Natalie is, and not just what she looks like. To me this really, truly, is Natalie,

Xavier

Akmyrat

2011-10-16T22:28:00.001-07:00

Akmyrat is one of the winners of the portrait contest. To be considered, follow my artist page on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theartofxavier The selection is random. I can't even explain how amazing it was to work with Akmyrat. He's seriously an amazingly driven, and ambitious person and I can only hope his character rubbed off on me in the process of getting to know him for this drawing,

X

TWITTER

2011-09-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

I have a Twitter now... thats it.

Follow @XavierDRdM

Animation Senior Thesis

2011-09-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ben Gabelman.

Here is what you can expect from my Animation Senior Thesis. Been working with some amazing people and have never been this inspired in my life. I wont give it away, but I will say that it is a collaboration with amazing musicians, fashion designers, motion media artists, and more. It’s gonna be EPIC.

X

Portrait Contest Winners!

2011-09-07T16:45:00.001-07:00

Win a portrait!

2011-08-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

Starting today, August 17, and ending September 6 (midnight), "like" for your chance to win a portrait by me. All you have to do is "like" my facebook artist page. I will choose three lucky winners at random from a hat. This is exclusively for Savannah residents, as it will be from life. The portrait is graphite on white paper, three hour pose.
X

Prints at Readytex Gallery, Suriname

2011-07-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Great news for art lovers in Suriname!!! You can now find digital prints of the following pieces in Readytex Art Gallery, in Paramaribo Suriname! I am so excited about this, you have no idea! I have been admiring many of the artists represented by the gallery, as well as Monique Nouh-Chaia, who is incredibly supportive. The prints are made by N.V. Screenprint on Premium Matte Paper, and the images are high res. I have to thank Pearl Brunings and my lovely aunt Thea van Dijk, for being so patient with me during the printing process. So If you happen to be in Suriname, swing by the Gallery!

X

Mt. Feathertop

2011-07-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I helped animate on this animated short, Mt. Feathertop, directed by Nath Milburn. It's pretty awesome, so check it out. My role in this was mostly doing lip syncing, but I did do some character animation. Anyway, its a must-see so enjoy!

X

Pursuit of Perfection #3

2011-07-09T04:12:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I finally wrote about POP #3. As I was in a rush to clean and pack and travel right after I finished it, I procrastinated a bit with the blogging. But here it is:

http://theartofxavier.blogspot.com/2011/06/pursuit-of-perfection-3.html

Strathmore Interview

2011-06-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed by Strathmore Artist Papers regarding their promotion for their new pad covers (my painting is featured on their new line of 300 series canvas paper pads.) It's short so yeah, here it is: http://www.strathmoreartist.com/xavier-robles-de-medina.html

Fellow Artists Tab

2011-06-13T12:13:00.001-07:00

So in honor of all the brilliant people I am surrounded with and inspired by, I created this tab. It is a very, very, very diverse list of artists ranging from painters to sound-designers. They are predominantly fellow SCAD students and are all people who are great at what they do and should be acknowledged for their efforts,

Sincerely,

Xavier

"Blog-love" Isaac McCaslin

2011-06-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

If you dig what I do, I assure you you're missing out if you don't follow Isaac McCaslin's art blog. I have known Isaac for three years now and have been a huge fan from day one! The one thing everyone probably knows about Isaac is that he's just about the most passionate person about life drawing you might ever come across at SCAD. He's probably never missed a single session at the free open model sessions at SCAD, a good indicator that great things are in store for this guy. What you might also admire upon meeting him is his instant aura of extreme dedication, he's covered in paint from head to toe and walks around with sketchbooks tied to his waist. He's one of the people I recognize to be passionate about classical painting, as well as Avant-guarde ideas and alternative methods of communication in art. I remember walking into his workspace one time and admiring a painting he was doing of drapery. The next day I walked back in to see his progress, and he had cut up his painting and arranged it amongst the drapery as a kind of "painting within the painting" arrangement. This is really the beauty of Isaac's work, his fearlessness of being deconstructive within a classical medium and the potential he sees for more interesting conceptual and visual relationships is really admirable. I hope you can appreciate him for his brilliance as well as his absolute dedication,

Sincerely,

Xavier

Pursuit of Perfection

2011-06-02T18:37:00.001-07:00

Pursuit of Perfection #3

2011-06-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hi! Thanks for visiting! This painting, means so much to me because it was the most difficult to make. Compared to the first two it is a lot more simple and I expected it to be easier to complete. There were, however, several bumps in the road that I could not have predicted, and I am so happy I experienced them because my "mistakes" actually birthed an expansion in the series.

After I had completed POP #2 I was forced to spend some more time on my two other studios as I had put all my time into the POP series for two weeks. Because of this, I was put off schedule by two days in the work-flow of the POP series, which ultimately set me back an entire week. To elaborate: I wasn't able to show my professor the sketch for this painting before the weekend and decided to just start the large painting. I was already behind and couldn't afford to lose an entire weekend of painting. So... I see my professor in class on Tuesday, we talk about the now completed under-painting: it wasn't working. She said: "Xavier, this is a nice painting. You'll probably do a great job and it will be a really handsome portrait. But how on earth does this support your CONCEPT?"

In my rush to get the painting done I had lost focus and forgotten the essence of what I was doing. The painting I had started was a profile view as well, but my chest was turned towards the viewer, my left arm was holding my back, and the pose was extremely dynamic. The point of the third painting was to demonstrate the last act of the story I had written in which the character paints himself white to become a mannequin. Thus the pose wasn't working. (Ultimately I am happy I went through that because this "failed" painting will probably work very well as POP #4, for which I am planning on also making an accompanying POP #0).

That same night I re-stretched my linen.

The actual painting went well until the last day of school. I had finished everything except the dripping paint, the day before it was due on Wednesday. I worked on my other finals for a few hours, and at two in the morning on Thursday, I went to my dorm room to shave my head again (for continuity). I must have cut myself in five different places because of a lack of sleep. At three I went to Alexander Hall, threw diluted white acrylic paint over myself and painted. This must be one of the most uncomfortable scenarios I have ever painted in. While I was painting, I observed a pinkness in the white paint on my head. My head was bleeding and mixing with the paint! (I felt like a bad ass). I finished the painting when my alarm on my phone went off to wake up at six in the morning.

That my friends, is how a performance painting is made,

Xavier

Pastel Self-portrait

2011-05-28T22:44:00.001-07:00

My first ever pastel pencil drawing. It's a self-portrait I did during my independent study with professor Roger Walton (who is a genius.) Hope you like it, thanks for visiting,

Sincerely,

Xavier

Final sketch: Pursuit of Perfection #3

2011-05-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Strathmore Back To School Catalog

2011-05-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hey! John Rise's students, including me, made the cover of Strathmore Back to School Catalog!

Process pics for Pursuit of Perfection #2

2011-05-22T05:41:00.000-07:00

Final Sketch

Initial drawing on linen, using yellow ocher pale and titanium white

Under-painting

Final painting

Sincerely,

Xavier

Pursuit of Perfection #2

2011-05-22T05:09:00.000-07:00

This project, "Pursuit of Perfection," consists of three paintings, of which this is the second. Please do watch the performance art piece that accompanies it; you'll be able to understand my work better. It is unique not only because it is so different, but also because it is the absolute most clear.

These paintings are based on a short story I wrote, which I never intended on sharing with anyone; it was simply a reference. When I showed Pursuit of Perfection #1 to people, I didn't feel that anyone really understood what I was getting at and started thinking of ways in which I could communicate my story without it becoming something heavy-handed or on-the-nose. So here it is: the second act. Think about it, and tell me what you think,

Sincerely,

Xavier

Revised Composition

2011-04-28T21:23:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! Thank you so much for your help. I think the most sacred thing in the world (other than family), is a community of people who care about your art, and are invested enough in the work to give constructive criticism. I am so very grateful for your involvement.

So this is the reworked version of the one I asked you to critique. I took your advice into consideration and came up with this! Tell me if you feel this is stronger,

Sincerely,

Xavier

Composition sketch

2011-04-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I am about to start my next painting and have been exploring several ideas and compositions. This is the strongest contender and I would love to get some feedback about the strengths and weaknesses. I know it might seem quite different from my previous painting, but I am elaborating on the aspects that I feel are the most interesting. The black and red mannequins are very very glossy and shiny. I think that will add to the theme of idealization and youth, as well as artificiality contrasting my skin tones, and the mannequin on the far left. The composition is a square, which is another departure from classical tradition, but a format I am quite fond of. How do you feel about the graphic nature? Do you like the square and all the negative space? What do you think of the placement of the objects, and my position in the painting? Do you like it? I would really appreciate your opinion,

X

Artist Statement (First Draft)

2011-04-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

I am a representational painter. My work examines the relationship between the Classical tradition of representational painting, and Pop culture.

Technically my work alludes to Neo-Classical and Baroque painters in particular. Through the technique of the Old Masters, I re-present reality while discussing contemporary issues. Working from life is integral as my work incorporates color and form as experienced in the real world. By incorporating a meticulous technique of honest re-presentation of reality, my work does not simply preserve a tradition, but also a passion for the real experience of life.

I am inevitably a product of the time I live in. Being inspired by Caravaggio is as valid to me as being inspired by Michael Jackson. On the surface it might seem like a contradiction however, Caravaggio and Jackson stand for many of the same ideals. Both demonstrate an extremely high standard of technical mastery. Both exhibit boundless ambition and have single-handedly inspired and changed the course of history and culture. Through the power of the image both reveal the essence of what defines us: ambition, passion, and intelligence.

My self-portraits create an intimacy between the viewer and the artist. I wholeheartedly embrace the person I truthfully am by presenting myself honestly, exposing my asymmetries and “flaws” in the hope that the viewer will realize that these are ones’ defining attributes and should be embraced. The pride and love I have for myself, has greatly advanced my passion for other people, art, and life. My self-portrait is not a symbol of narcissism, but an allegory for honesty, and sincerity.

The theme of personal, as well as collective identity is a reoccurring theme. My work observes parallels between modern and classical ideals and addresses how society has evolved whilst our nature has stayed the same. My work addresses our natural obsession with appearance, idealization, and youth. I see a relationship, for instance, between industrially made mannequins and Polykleitos.

Essentially my work bridges the gap between classical tradition and contemporary sentiments, drawing inspiration from modern and contemporary art, Pop culture, and classical painting in an attempt to unify them in a cohesive idea and aesthetic that honors not only one or the other, but seamlessly portrays their essence. My goal is to exhibit a greater truth about who we are regardless of time period, religion, or culture.

Sketch for self-portrait

2011-04-24T16:42:00.001-07:00

Hey! Here's the initial sketch for my self-portrait. I decided to share it with you because several people seemed interested in the process of how I made the painting. I did not record the steps it took to make the painting, but did have this in my sketchbook and thought you might enjoy comparing it to the end result! Notice that I changed my mind about the cropping, and also made several minor changes in the arrangement of the objects. You can also see the calculation of how I scaled it up!

Sincerely,

Xavier

Self-portrait

2011-04-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hey there! First of all, thanks for visiting! This is a photograph of a painting I made for Intermediate Painting at SCAD. It's a self-portrait from observation. The class entails that we create a series of work that relates to each other. This is the first painting for this particular class, but for those of you familiar with my work, you might realize that the imagery and feeling is very much cohesive with the rest of my work. I was very flattered when someone told me that it looks very similar to my graphite self-portrait. I really did want it to have that sculptural element. The difference between this painting and the rest of my work is that it combines (finally) the ideas and concepts I have been exploring in my still-life work, with the figurative work of self-portraits I've been doing. The technique is a slight alteration from what I learned in "materials and techniques of Peter Paul Rubens." I feel quite strongly that this piece demonstrates a concept I am immensely passionate about: "the preservation of youth." Leave a comment and tell me what you get from it!

Sincerely,

Xavier

Boiling Point

2011-03-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

All the footage used in Boiling Point was made by drawing and painting directly onto 16 mm film. It was an interesting process because it was the first time I used this technique. Scratch on film was really somewhat invented and popularized by Len Lye and thus this piece directly references his work. However, because of Len Lye's extensive exploration of the scratch on film technique, I was encouraged to find alternative ways of applying this technique. Fortunately I took Josh Yu's waterbased media exploration class Fall quarter. This project, in a way, is somewhat of an accumulation of the techniques I learned in that class. I used a lot of bleach as bleach will subtract the black paint from the film strip. Some of the techniques are: "Wash off" (applying designer's gouache and washing the black film with bleach so that the only black parts are the parts where designer's gouache was added. Furthermore, from the "brush free project" we learned to paint with saran wrap, which is also what I used quite a bit. I wrapped the film in saran wrap and poured bleach into it. Or at times, with the clear-leader, I poured paint into the saran wrap, as clear-leader is transparent. So, as a result, I am pretty satisfied with the result as I have been playing around with the idea of animation being a form of painting (or having the potential for that), and how film and painting relate or could relate. The answer, of course, is never fully satisfied, however this is a very practical solution, I feel, to an infinitely complex and ever-changing question of two similar yet very different media.

Xavier

Yellow

2011-03-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is an abstract animation I did this quarter for experimental animation with Christoph Simon. It was quite interesting exploring the animation medium and trying to push the fina art aspect of it. I genuinely feel animation can be just as much a fine art as painting and really want to explore this further.

Xavier

Self-portrait

2011-03-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! This is a self-portrait I did for Roger Walton's "Materials and techniques class of Pieter Paul Rubens." I used charcoal pencils and Canson "Pearl" paper. I've been working on this for a while now and am quite proud of it for several reasons. The first reason being the fact that I actually despise working with charcoal and managed not to rip the drawing apart in the process. Secondly, because I learned to love and manage the medium and feel it has actually enhanced my hand-eye coordination as I had to be very careful not to make it too dark. I am also happy with it because I feel it is a significant improvement from my last self-portrait. The main improvement being that the lighting is more carefully thought out. So yeah... Thanks again for visiting! Take a look at my artist page if you like what you see,

https://www.facebook.com/theartofxavier

Xavier

Drawing Works

2011-03-05T12:13:00.001-08:00

My drawing in the Drawing Works Show! If you haven't seen the show yet, try to make it down to Alexander Hall before March 18, it is a very strong show,

Xavier

Juried Group Exhibition: "Drawing Works: Ideation, Exploration, Expression"

2011-02-26T18:24:00.001-08:00

Mar. 04 – Mar. 18, 2011
Alexander Hall | 668 Indian St., Savannah, Ga.

"Drawing Works: Ideation, Exploration, Expression" is a juried group exhibition highlighting SCAD undergraduate students' unique perspectives in drawing. From studio portraits to digital and sketchbook drawings, this exhibition celebrates the processes, materials and variety that the language of drawing offers to all. Juried by the exhibitions and foundation studies departments.

Lecture by awards juror Rachel Liebowitz, assistant curator, The Drawing Center, New York, New York: Friday, March 4, 2011, 5 p.m., Alexander Auditorium

Reception and award announcements: Friday, March 4, 2011, 6-7 p.m., Alexander Hall Gallery.

Gallery hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.

Cornelius van der Geest

2011-02-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

Hello all. This is a replica drawing I did after the painting by Anthony Van Dyck. It is for my "materials and techniques" class with Roger Walton.

X

Waterbased Media Exploration

2011-01-31T12:41:00.001-08:00

Hey! Thanks for visiting my blog. These pieces were all for the water-based painting class at SCAD with professor Josh Yu. They all entail a completely different method which I will explain more thoroughly in the future. Tell me what you think!

Xavier

Drawing Works Info

2011-01-31T12:38:00.000-08:00

If you live in Savannah, Georgia, mark your calendar:

March 4-17
"Drawing Works: Ideation/ Exploration/ Expression" Exhibition
Alexander Hall, 668 Indian St., Savannah, Ga.
This exhibition highlights drawing as a fundamental language in all creative fields. The act of drawing can be used to develop, plan and implement ideas, respond to experiences and create expressions. From quick sketches in journals to meticulously developed full size renderings, "Drawing Works" celebrates the processes, the materials - traditional, digital and unconventional - and above all the flexibility the language of drawing offers to all.

Drawing Works

2011-01-28T12:37:00.001-08:00

My graphite self-portrait got selected for the SCAD Drawing Works Exhibit!!! :)

Here's the description of the show:

Drawing Works: Ideation, Exploration, Expression Exhibition
This exhibition highlights drawing as a fundamental language in all creative fields. The act of drawing can be used to develop, plan and implement ideas, respond to experiences and create expressions. From quick sketches in journals to meticulously developed full size renderings, “Drawing Works” celebrates the processes, the materials – traditional, digital and unconventional – and above all the flexibility the language of drawing offers to all. Entry requirements: open to all Savannah and Atlanta SCAD undergraduate students in all majors; submit 1-3 images for jury, no size limit; all drawing forms, mediums, styles, and formats will be considered, including but not limited to sketchbooks, computer generated drawings, working drawings, illustrations, fine art, storyboards, installations, prints, quick sketches, conceptual, mechanical, digital media, idea development, sculptural, graphic, technical drawings, works that define /redefine drawing, etc.; images of drawings should be e-mailed in a power point presentation and should read “Drawing Works” in the subject line. The e-mail text should provide the artist’s name, contact information and major/ minor. Each power point image should include the following information: artist, title, medium, dimensions, artist price; hard copy (ready to hang); and digital submissions to be on exhibit, which should include a LCD screen for digital work. Time line: submission deadline: Jan. 17, 2011; jury review and selection: Jan. 21, 2011; notification of inclusion: Jan. 25, 2011; delivery of works: Feb. 17 and 18, 9-11 a.m. and 2-5 p.m. only to Exhibitions Storage, 102 E. Lathrop Ave., Attn. Michael Runnels, Registrar; lecture by juror Rachel Liebowitz: March 4, 2011, 5 p.m. in Alexander Auditorium; reception and awards announcements: March 4, 2011, 6-7 p.m. in Alexander Gallery. Awards: Best in Show, Ideation: $500; Best in Show, Exploration: $500; Best in Show, Expression: $500.

Thursday 1-27-'11

2011-01-26T21:44:00.000-08:00

Right now I'm waiting on my experimental film to render out. It's a scratch on film project which has been a lot of fun and opened me up to the world of video editing (which is not easy). I am also, anxiously, waiting for a notification of whether my drawings are going to be in the Drawing Works exhibition. I am nervous as they were supposed to get back to everyone on the 25th (two days ago...). I just finished the book "Never Eat Alone" by Keath Ferrazzi which is excellent and highly recommended to anyone interested in finding success through people. I finished the dog walk cycle for Kin Valley (apart from a few glitches). I've really been enjoying Materials and Techniques of Rubens and will soon post my replica drawing of a portrait of Cornelius by van Dijck. I am really grateful for the opportunity with Kin Valley and am learning so much from them. I'm trying to rediscover my work-ethic from last quarter, which has been very hard (I suspect due to the weather and my procrastination to go to bed on time). In entertainment news, I saw the film "Welcome to the Dollhouse" and like it a lot. That's the most rambling you're gonna get out of this blogger,

Thanks for visiting,

X

Self-portrait

2011-01-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

Hey! Thanks for visiting! This is my very latest self-portrait. I started it during winter break. It was supposed to be a Christmas present, however I wasn't happy with it and took it to SCAD to get some feedback from professors. I am so happy I did, because I got some really amazing advice and made some big improvements on it after I spoke to Roger Walton (who is an unbelievable painter, I'm a very very big fan). Anyway, tell me what you think!

X

Strathmore Canvas Paper

2011-01-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

Strathmore Paper just told me they'll be using my painting on the cover of their 300 Series Canvas Paper!!! SCORE!!!!!!
I'm sorry about the quality, this is the best image I have of it, note that the yellow edge is the recognizable Strathmore sketchbook yellow, I cropped it because I'm not sure I'm allowed to show what the product looks like (because of copyright etc.)

LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK!!!

2010-12-28T17:12:00.000-08:00

LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK!!!

Guilt & Luck

2010-12-17T22:07:00.000-08:00

I was commissioned by this band called AmPm (now Mail The Horse) to design the cover of their album called Guilt & Luck. They never ended up using it, however I am still pretty happy with it and have decided to share it with you. I'd love to hear your thoughts though! Does this work as an album cover? Why?

X

SCAD HONG KONG DRAWING SHOW

2010-12-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

I have just been notified that two of my drawings are expected to be in the SCAD Hong Kong Drawing Exhibition winter quarter 2011. The pieces are, a portrait I did of a model at SCAD, and a group of portraits from my sketchbook, both drawings I did in James Langley's Portrait Drawing Class:

Remembering Miss November 1967

2010-11-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

Shrine for Miss May 1966

2010-11-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

Drawing III Exhibition

2010-11-26T16:55:00.001-08:00

This is a picture of my two drawings in the Drawing III Show! Photo by Aaron Apsley

Erin Goodman

2010-11-26T16:43:00.001-08:00

Pre-Production for "Hide and Seek"

2010-11-19T19:16:00.000-08:00

Here are most of the paintings and drawings I made and used in the short "Hide and Seek". I like showing these because I feel in the film there isn't really much time to appreciate them, so here you go. Also, I want to get some feedback because I am not a very experienced layout artist and really want to improve!!

Hide and Seek

2010-11-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

Hide and Seek from Xavier Robles de Medina on Vimeo.

Hey! Here is my short for 2D Production with John Webber at SCAD. There are a few things I'd like to change/improve, but overall I am delighted for you to see it,

Thanks

Xavier

Group Exhibition

2010-11-01T19:14:00.001-07:00

My drawing 3 class is having an exhibition from 12 - 16 November. The reception is on Friday 12 November from 6 - 9 PM. It will be held at the Desotorow Gallery on 2427 De Soto Avenue, Savannah, GA. The show will blow you away, there are so many amazingly talented kids in the class and the most exciting and varied work that I’ve ever seen in one class. Personally, I am very proud to have two drawings that demonstrate what I’ve been thinking about for the past year. Please take the time to come and see it, you will not regret it,

X

Bonfire Blue - Get Down

2010-10-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Bonfire Blue - 'Get Down' from Taylor Noll on Vimeo.

My work on St.Clare's, Oxford news page

2010-10-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.stclares.ac.uk/news/news_xavier.php

The Painting Lesson

2010-09-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Xavier Robles de Medina - The Painting Lesson

This painting is a recreation of Balthus' The Guitar Lesson . It was my final for Oil Based Media Exploration with Sandra Reed. The assignment was to choose a painting and change something about it to change the meaning. I would very much like to hear what you think of it and how it communicates, and what you read from it.

Balthus - The Guitar Lesson

Artition

2010-09-02T09:45:00.001-07:00

I was interviewed by Artition.com:

http://www.artition.com/news/tag/drawing/

Self-Portrait

2010-08-30T19:48:00.001-07:00

I just realized I never posted this self-portrait, and do think it's one of my better ones, not necessarily for the technique, but for the personal context. In the vanity of staring at myself for hours and hours, I started thinking about Popular iconography, thus my fascination for Warhol began. I remember exactly what I was listening to, exactly what was going through my head. In the depth of my concentration and solitude arose a superficial and powerful vanity, and I found happiness and fame for fifteen minutes.

Xavier

Sketchbook cont'd

2010-08-26T20:50:00.001-07:00

Sketchbook

2010-08-26T20:48:00.001-07:00

Still-life with radio

2010-08-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hey! I found this while organizing my portfolio. I wasn't going to show it at all because it's not really the look I'm going for in my drawings. However I did spend a lot of time on it and feel like it was a crucial stepping stone. Also I'm quite happy with how it looks on its own,

Xavier

Ants

2010-08-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ants from Xavier Robles de Medina on Vimeo.

Hey everyone! This is my final for Digital Cel Animation 1 with John Webber. It was made in Flash. I really enjoyed designing the characters and coming up with a scenario and aesthetic for it. I hope you like it and would love to hear back from you with ideas and feedback! Doing these dialogue pieces in Flash has really been a lot of fun and I am planning on continuing these short pieces in my own time, so any input you give will not go to waste,

Kindest Regards,

Xavier

Tumblr

2010-08-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Reader,

http://xavierdrdm.tumblr.com/

I have been keeping an inspiration blog, and promise to be faithful to it. From what I've noticed, people quite enjoy seeing the process of how I create. Thus I am exposing my sources to you and hope you find as much joy in them as I,

Yours truly,

Xavier

Reaching

2010-08-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

This image won me First Place B&W drawing, the Canson Award, and a whole lot of self-esteem at the SCAD Honor's Show 2010. I didn't want to post it until I had a clear, well-photographed version of it for you to see, and I am so grateful to Judith Kruger for helping me photograph my work today! It goes without saying that it means a lot to me, but I will emphasize that this image took 9 weeks to complete. It is called Reaching because of the imagery and the concept which is "aspiring to be something better". It is 29"x29" and graphite on paper. I hope you like it, and would like to hear your thoughts on the execution and concept, so please don't be shy, I need your help to improve my future pieces and to improve the art of visual communication,

Thank you so much for visiting,

Xavier

P.S. AmPm's album cover is done, will not be posting any images of it until their album comes out with my image on the cover.

Toast

2010-08-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

Toast from Xavier Robles de Medina on Vimeo.

Hey! Thanks for visiting my blog. Toast is a dialogue assignment for Digital Cel Animation 1 with John Webber, at SCAD. It was made in Flash. I had so much fun doing it and am rather proud of it. I hope you enjoy watching it, and would love to read what you think of it so don't hold back on commenting,

Be cool

Xavier

Wake Up

2010-07-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Wake Up from Xavier Robles de Medina on Vimeo.

Hey everyone! This is an assignment for Digital Cel Animation with John Webber. We had to use adobe flash to create an abstract music video to an instrumental song. Of course I saw this as a great opportunity to use one of Jake Ellis 's songs. This is my favorite song by Jake and am so grateful to him for letting me use this for the project. I'm very happy that he liked it, and if I get the chance will make a music video for the whole song. As for now, see this as a demo. I would really love to hear what you guys think about it,

Xavier

Monochromatic Self-Portrait

2010-07-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I finally have a decent quality photo of this painting. Did this one for my portrait drawing class with professor Langley in the Spring of 2010. I started it in color, and ended up going over the color with raw umber and titanium white, because it was a drawing class, and it would have taken far too long to complete. This is the first time I painted on linen, and guarantee you, not the last. The dimensions are around 18"x22". The assignment was to draw inspiration from a masterpiece, take the elements you like, and integrate them in a self-portrait. The masterpiece I chose was Caravaggio's Boy with a Basket of Fruit.

The image on my left is not done by me, this was my inspiration for the self-portrait above. This is the great master Caravaggio's Boy with a Basket of Fruit.
So what do you think? Was I successful in my imitation? Please feel free to comment,

Xavier

Fashion as Fine Art

2010-07-11T18:07:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, this might seem like a bit of an unusual post for me, but am absolutely fascinated by British designer Katie Eary. In an attempt for this post to stay relevant, I am comparing it to a drawing I did in Spring of 2009, in Jesse Payne's Life Drawing 1 class. The question this raises to me is what is the "real" difference between fashion design and fine art? To me the difference is that clothes and fashion are utilitarian, does that mean it isn't fine art? The answer of course, is relative, and the question perhaps trite, but does make me think,

Xavier

Kyle detail

2010-07-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

After posting the full image yesterday, I realized that it's really hard to appreciate the drawing through this low-res photo, so decided to also post a detail image, tell me what you think!

Thanx,

Xavier

Kyle

2010-07-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

Dear artists, and critics. This is a drawing I did in the Spring of 2010 outside of class at the open model sessions at Alexander Hall, the painting building. Of course I have to thank Kyle, the model, for this gorgeous pose. As you can see the drawing is not completely finished, as I ran out of time, but am happy with the level of detail I managed to capture in the face. I spent 15 hours on this in total, but lost a lot of time because of bad measurements etc. Anyway, I really want to know what you think of the drawing. Do you mind that it isn't completely done, do you like the pose? I really cherish your opinion!

Xavier

Digital Cel Background

2010-06-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I am very proud to post this blog's very first animation-oriented, digital piece. This was my first assignment for Digital Cel Animation 1 with John Webber. The assignment was to create a background in Adobe Flash. This is both the first time using flash, and the first background I've ever done. I know I've a lot to learn, so please tell me what you think!

Xavier

Squirrel Animation

2010-06-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

Squirrel Animation from Xavier Robles de Medina on Vimeo.

This was my final for 2D Character animation 1 with John Webber. The audio is from Dumb and Dumber and the character is from Sleeping Beauty. Feel free to comment,

Xavier

Process Pics

2010-06-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! First of all, I want to thank you for visiting my blog. These photos relate to two paintings I posted previously from my Oil Based Media class with Professor Sandra Reed. They were taken by Judith Kruger, who was interning as a TA.

I like this picture because I think it shows a lot about my process at once. As you can see, there is a real physical still life set up. This is probably one of the most important things to me: working from a real experience. You can see where the light is coming from to create such a strong shadow below the mannequin-face. Also, you can see that most of the panel was still white, and some of it was already covered in local color. This technique is called "trompe l'oeil" (fool of the eye) and is a form of direct painting. This entails that through mixing the paint on the palette and then applying it on the panel where it corresponds to the still life, I tried to create an image that seems to be 3 dimensional.

This image shows one step in the process of a glaze painting. Right behind professor Reed we can see what my glazed Self-Portrait looked like before I went over it with transparent oil paints. This particular under-painting was done by adding a Burnt Sienna ground, and then doing a complete drawing of the painting with Flake White. In this photo, Professor Reed is helping me separate the transparent paints from the opaque (something that isn't always obvious, caution: Winsor and Newton Yellow Ochre says transparent on the tube but is opaque in actuality!!).

So, I usually don't like showing process pictures like these of my own work. However, I do love seeing process pictures myself, and I think they are crucial in understanding how paintings are made, since every painting is different and the process is never the same. But I don't know, what do you think? Do you like these, or would you have preferred not to have seen them? Please tell me!

Xavier

Feather and Eye of David

2010-06-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Feather and Eye of David
Graphite on Strathmore Cold Press White Paper
15"x 15"
Winter 2010

I did this drawing right after doing "The Essentials" (below). At the time I was interested in observing, using, and creating imagery based on pop culture. The motivation was my fascination for Andy Warhol and the 60's in general, as well as my obsession with the Baroque period, namely Caravaggio. My intention was to take images that had their roots in contemporary popular culture, and abstract them into classical imagery. This might seem farfetched, but my theory was that both Pop art and Baroque art, were art forms that were aimed at both mass culture as well as the more educated. The Baroque period is said to have started because of the decreasing popularity of the Catholic Church. The Baroque period started as an attempt to attract as many people back to the Church as possible by inspiring them with highly theatrical and realistic scenes of Biblical stories. Anyway, there's a lot more behind that, but this piece in particular has its roots in cash, using the images on the one dollar bill (the all-seeing-eye and the American Bald Eagle)

The Essentials
Graphite on Strathmore Cold Press White Paper
15"x 15"
Winter 2010

This drawing, in a classical sense, is a portrayal of the bust of Venus. However, the idea behind it was that we have an obsession with female beauty. We are obsessed with celebrities and pop stars. So I chose the image of Venus to express that, lit in a Baroque way, by a spot-light, lit from above. Similar to a pop singer on a stage.

I am really curious to hear your reactions to my theory, or just the drawing on its' own, but do remember that my intention with these was to add a bit of a conceptual side to the drawings, so, whether it works or not... Tell me what your reaction is, do you have any ideas? I'd love to hear it!

Xavier

Glazing

2010-06-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

Self-portrait with glazing technique
Oil on Canvas
34"x 34"
Spring 2010

This painting was somewhat of a disaster starting out. First of all, we were required to stretch and prime our own canvases: long story short, I had to do it twice because of the (not-so-great) first attempt. I was about two weeks into it when I realized I hadn't a clue what I really wanted to paint. As a result I did a self-portrait, with the idea that working from life was better than working from a photo-collage, which was the actual project. However, the response I've gotten from people seems to be positive, and they even seem to like the unfinished aspect, which I have to admit, doesn't bother me as much as I would have thought. It was also a challenging project because going in I knew that I did not fully understand the glazing process. So, I'd like to know what you think and hope you like it,

Xavier

Brandy

2010-06-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hey! I'm trying to post all the stuff I haven't shown anyone yet. The problem is that most of it is poorly photographed, so my plan is to post one new piece a day, until I run out of presentable ones, thus forcing me to go to Alexander Hall and photograph them properly.

Here's the last drawing I did for Portrait Drawing in the Spring '10 of Brandy, a fantastic model who was such a pleasure to work with! Thank you so much for the pose. The medium is charcoal on toned paper, dimensions are 20"x 30". Feedback is more than welcome!

Xavier

The First Post

2010-06-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It's taken some time, but after seeing some of my friends' blogs, I have come to the conclusion that blogs are pretty cool. For the first post, I've decided to show a photograph of a painting I did in the Spring called "Imagination Rules the World". It's based on a quote by Napoleon Bonaparte. The medium is oil paint on wood panel, and is 16"x 16". This also marks the non-posting of work on facebook (hopefully a motivation to go to my blog),

Xavier