Eric Luther McClendon Artist Portfolio
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Hello,
TABLE OF CONTENTS series 6-14 15-18 drawings design 19-21 22-25
photography
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welcome to Eric Luther McClendon’s artist viewbook and portfolio. Under the title Eric Luther Studios, he operates to achieve a high standard of visual proficiency ranging from fine art photography, video, design, and craft work. Eric McClendon earned his BFA in photography and graphic design at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. While utilizing a fine arts perspective of photography, he is exploring the facets of graphic design and the correlation between the two worlds of art. Exhibiting works at the Gadsden Museum of Art and member exhibitions at the SPESC 2014 regional conference. Also in 2014, his series photo series Flux Inertia was featured on the web-based Nakid Magazine. “My style consists of encompassing the idea in its own world where tones and emotion create an atmosphere where the subject can breathe and become real. This derives from a transition I have examined in people - attempting to identify the niches within our personalities; the changes that occur when we aren’t particularly aware of them, the feeling of those times when we aren’t aware.”
STATEMENT
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SERIES FLUX
INERTIA
Chariot Pigmented Ink Print, 2014, 20”x11”
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Flux Inertia
is a cross-examination between us and the cause and effect of movement. The movement in this scenario is the “unseen” force of nature -
Sensitive Pigmented Ink Print, 2014, 20”x11”
SOUND We are perpetually receiving sound, all around us - made by cars, the fan in the bathroom, even the high pitch buzz of the LED lights on your flatscreen sounds you hear but don’t even realize. The essence of this series is how sound can influence movement or change upon us emotionally and physically. In many ways these images are meant to represent a balance between the interaction of humans and sound as an entity - how we are ultimately affected and how sound can be ignored, utilized or subdued. Futura Pigmented Ink Print, 2014, 20”x11”
Majesty Pigmented Ink Print, 2014, 20”x11”
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Moth Pigmented Ink Print, 2014, 20”x11”
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Affairs Pigmented Ink Print, 2014, 20”x11”
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I D E N T I T Y
I N
T H E
M O D E R N
W O R L D
COMPO SURE O O 10
I D E N T I T Y M O R ATO R I U M
IDENTITY DIFFUSION
Pigmented Ink Print, 2013, 11”x17”
Pigmented Ink Print, 2013, 11”x17”
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C O M P O S U R E “Composure” deals with three very distinctive forms of identity crises within our present sociocultural situation. Identity, being a theme almost relentlessly explored through photography, has been a vital part of understanding human behavior and the ever-changing social issues in our modern world. With that said, a part of this exploration has been left unexamined. This specific thread of issues lie within the present sociocultural situation: exposure to different lifestyles, at a young age, through the wide spectrum of social culture and “raw freedom” of the internet. The responsive became apparent to me as an individual first through personal experiences, but also looking at the differences in how adolescents would formerly acquire their sense of who they are before this vast realm of information was at our fingertips.
I D E N T I T Y
Pigmented Ink Print, 2013, 11”x17”
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F O R E C LO S U R E
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Untitled color studies This group of images, resulting in a variety of color schemes, exemplifies the foundation of a basic understanding of how color can be used - without having to be concerned with imagery. Different mediums such as ink pens, watercolor, and pastels also contribute to the aesthetic and style of each study.
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DRAWi n g s
Untited 1 Charcoal on newsprint, 2014, 18”x14”
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Untitled 12 Graphite and Conte on paper, 2014, 18”x24”
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Tu t e n k h a m e n I P a s t e l s a n d C o n t e o n p a p e r, 2 0 1 4 , 1 0. 5 ” x 1 0. 5 ”
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“Pickett’s Charge” band logo Ink on paper, 2015, 8.5”x11”
DESIGN raphic
DESIGN
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Visual Arts Society RSVP Invitation Using different mediums - like watercolor in this example - creates a more unique visual aspect to overall design. As you can see, the process allows for infinite possibilies once the “handmade� art has been digitized. Below are examples of the paper inserts and envelope cover.
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Jacksonville State University Jazz Promotional Poster To highlight the jazz studies at JSU, the client came to me and wanted something to bring excitement to this musical language and course of study. Thinking about interesting ways to display information, I thought about how jazz can encapsulate “raw� thoughts and flow from one idea to the next seemlessly. Although geometric, this poster attemps to keep the looseness yet also give reference to the tight structure of jazz
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The design also incorporates texture inside the shapes, giving another layer of depth that can sometimes go unnoticed. Another important feature to this piece is the implied white space. This not only adds to the dynamic lines of the other shapes, but gives further interest in the subject forcing the eye to actively observe the page. Using a rich pastel color scheme was also a conscious decision - cool tones with gradation keep the viewer from being overwhelmed with the various directional lines and shapes.
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T-PAIN CONCERT PROMOTIONAL POSTER & VIP BADGES While working as a student designer at Jacksonville State University, I was able to work with all of the promotional material for the “welcome back� concert featuring T-PAIN. Although observing certain specifications from his PR, I was able to vamp up and sylize the feel of this major event for the entire student body. In an attempt to keep a sleek and modern look, I used dynamic lines - once again - inherently contributing to the nature of his logo and musical genre. This also narrowed my target audience and made it easier to design postcards, posters, and concert badges that all correlated aesthetically with an edgy composition. This event was open to the public as well - so with that in mind, I used a very legible typeface for the show information and spaced everything in a way to also help with legibility. Below are the concert badges, shown without the rectagular crop (so to give an example of how layers can be utilized to give depth).
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PHOTOGRAPHY FINE ART Throughout our lives we are constantly
digesting imagery from a digital source. And in this technology driven world, photography has been increasingly more accesible to everyone. Not to say that this fact contaminates the output of imagery, it only desenstizes us as viewers - scanning over photographs without a thought. The phenomena of Photoshop has created an untrusting attitude towards the consumption of images, assuming that “there are no true photographs in our modern world,” and “everything is tampered with.” From the early days of photography, image making was another playground for illusion and surrealism. Many of the great photographers tampered with their images - if not only subtly by “dodging” or “burning” in the darkroom. Since our concept of photography and its controversial history are skewed, we are skeptical - throwing on our criticism hats and approaching the art form more intensely than say drawing or painting. These are a few of the images that do not belong in a series (yet) that embrace the spectacular abilities of technology and the processes that were used long ago in the early days of photography. Nashville Pigmented Ink Print
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2015, 8.5”x11”
Choices Silver Print, 2013, 11”x17”
Those Were The Days Silver Print, 2013, 11”x17”
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Twelve Angels Pigmented Ink Print, 2015, 13”x26”
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CONTACT INFORMATION Eric Luther McClendon ericlutherstudios.com ericlutherstudios@gmail.com Social Media Information: Instagram - @ericlutherstudios Facebook - /ericlutherstudios LinkedIn - Eric McClendon
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