The Wall

One major landmark in SoHo is "The Wall" created by Forrest Myers in 1973. This wall structure is hard to miss. However, it's history is more inspiring than the work itself. After a ten year battle, two federal court cases, public hearings and endless rallies, the Landmarks Commission and the SoHo alliance gave Myers' work a permanent home. The new owners of the building settled on four small advertisements underneath the work, rather than keep fighting for a huge one to cover it up. They might think they won, but the work outshines the pointless advertisements anyway!

A Rooftop in SoHo

The view from my professor's studio

SoHo Landmark

Located on 101 Greene Street, "Subway Map Floating on a New York Sidewalk" was created by a Belgian artist, Francoise Schein in 1986. The concrete rods and lights used to make this piece go on for 87 feet. I can't wait to go back and see it at night time!

Jerilyn Jurinek: Minimal Living

Artists choose to live minimally.. why? Because they dedicate their lives to their passion. Jerilyn Jurinek is one of those artists who doesn't need much. I got the opportunity to see how she lives, get a feel for her artwork. The one television she has in her home is on the floor and it only plays DVDs. Majority of her space is occupied by books and studio space.

 

One inspiring thing about this particular artist, is that she works with her imagination from reading. It really is amazing  how people express themselves differently. She also dislikes working from photographs. After she explained her reasoning, it made me consider the difference between working from a photo rather than real life.

After speaking with her and asking questions, she told me I was too young to be patient. It meant something to me as a young artist. She explained to me that it just comes to you; being young requires practice and then  everything will fall into place, as it did for her. "Never be afraid to start"

SoHo: exposing the history

Being in SoHo for the first time was quite the experience. Seeing while learning was the best technique for me; walking through the streets while hearing stories of how artists illegally moved into abandon warehouses solely for the space for a studio. It's amazing to witness how SoHo has evolved, to see its history. With that being said, I've come to learn how history unfolds a mystery.

Loren Munk is a SoHo artist who had his debut in 1981

"Village of the Damned" 04-05 Loren Munk

"It's my theory that art is less mysterious than believed.  That the force we call art is creative energy passing through individuals, networks and associations.  Artists' communities and neighborhoods are the frameworks of this circuitry.  By understanding the placement of these creative components and their geographical relationships to each other, one can begin to recognize how the energy flows through these channels.  By exposing this history, one helps understand the mystery."

Artist's Statement

Biography

Born in the small town of Washingtonville, NY, Larissa Laba is an alumnus of Iona College. She has spent the last four years creating a life for herself. After maintaining a job and completing four years of school, she will be receiving her BA in Mass Communication with a concentration in Public Relations. It was not until her last two semesters that she was able to enroll in FPA courses; Drawing and Painting 1 and Watercolor. After fulfilling those two courses, she has earned the title of an artist.

Statement

My definition of the word artist is someone who can successfully express him or herself through any medium. Through the two FPA courses, I have established myself as exactly that. To me, art is an outlet in which I can easily express myself. I now define talent as satisfaction. I believe talent is the ability to be very good at something, but also something that satisfies oneself.

My passion for art began at the age of 10, when I began drawing Pokemon cards on a large scale on computer paper. I have taken art classes from first grade throughout my senior year of high school. I learned basic techniques regarding pencil, charcoal, pastel, acrylic paint and sculpture. My talents were suppressed when I came to college, but they were rejuvenated after completing my senior year.

The techniques I have acquired brought me to where I am today. I have looked back and am now aware of the progress I have made. I’ve learned to let my fear of a blank piece of paper go and in turn produce something I am proud of. For me, art has become a getaway, one that I will always run to.