I AM RICHARD MEDINA.
AWARD-WINNING DESIGNER, ARTIST, AND FILMMAKER
I have self-studied graphic design, filmmaking, and visual art for the better part of my life. I currently take art and design classes from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I work with design, film, and art mentors. I created this website to showcase my portfolio and blog about my artistic explorations.
As an artist, I see myself as a creator. I make order. I explore process, ritual, and connections through my combined passions in art, design, and film. In my recent art projects, I focus on making visual, physical, and aural connections between objects though space and sound.
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Hu.Art Issue 2
The second issue of my biannual humanities and arts journal for Chicago-area students. This issue won a Silver Key in the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The journal will have it's third edition this summer.
http://huart.weebly.com
The second issue of my biannual humanities and arts journal for Chicago-area students. This issue won a Silver Key in the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The journal will have it's third edition this summer.
http://huart.weebly.com
The Art Kit: Basic
The Art Kit is a boxed set of basic miniature art supplies. It is my first foray into packaging design and entrepreneurship. I designed and hand made fifty kits, which I am selling through Ebay. You can buy them here: bit.ly/19a2jau
The Art Kit is a boxed set of basic miniature art supplies. It is my first foray into packaging design and entrepreneurship. I designed and hand made fifty kits, which I am selling through Ebay. You can buy them here: bit.ly/19a2jau
FIST
Multi-media animation project inspired by Russian propaganda, dada, and constructivism. It explores themes of power and protest. FIST won Best Animation, Junior Division in the CineYouth Film Festival.
Multi-media animation project inspired by Russian propaganda, dada, and constructivism. It explores themes of power and protest. FIST won Best Animation, Junior Division in the CineYouth Film Festival.
Train
Train is a short experimental film exploring mimicry and methods of communication through ritualistic deadpan absurdity. The film depicts an artist embodying the different systems of activity when a train passes through a station. The artist uses his body and sounds to dramatically render physical the titular train. The enigmatic performance transforms the modern commuting ritual into a primitive ceremony. Additionally, the white backdrop implies both a train station and an ancient cave, showing that humanity's dependence on routine remains unchanged.
The straight-faced presentation deconstructs the separate planes of activity and operation in a train station, and turns them into a single, linear, process.
Train uses humor to create an inscrutable viewing experience for the audience. However, underneath the surface layer of imitation lies an element of derision. Derisive of whom, is the question. Is the artist mocking the audience's personal tolerance for contemporary art by spending three minutes repetitively acting out a simple idea? Or is the artist parodying himself by reducing the sacred artistic concept to a superficial game of charades? Could the mockery extend past the artist-audience cycle into the art world? Train raises questions about communication, mimicry, and art itself.
Train is a short experimental film exploring mimicry and methods of communication through ritualistic deadpan absurdity. The film depicts an artist embodying the different systems of activity when a train passes through a station. The artist uses his body and sounds to dramatically render physical the titular train. The enigmatic performance transforms the modern commuting ritual into a primitive ceremony. Additionally, the white backdrop implies both a train station and an ancient cave, showing that humanity's dependence on routine remains unchanged.
The straight-faced presentation deconstructs the separate planes of activity and operation in a train station, and turns them into a single, linear, process.
Train uses humor to create an inscrutable viewing experience for the audience. However, underneath the surface layer of imitation lies an element of derision. Derisive of whom, is the question. Is the artist mocking the audience's personal tolerance for contemporary art by spending three minutes repetitively acting out a simple idea? Or is the artist parodying himself by reducing the sacred artistic concept to a superficial game of charades? Could the mockery extend past the artist-audience cycle into the art world? Train raises questions about communication, mimicry, and art itself.
Life - an Abstraction
Life is an series of small abstractions created with a variety of media. The series explores tactility and the relation between refinement and crudeness. It seeks to transcend figurative trickery and present a completely honest work of art, creating moments of truth between the art, the artist, and the viewer. Each piece is an image of one part of a normal day in the life. Instead of portraying people, the work shows the objects people interact with on a daily basis: a banana, a stapler, a cigarette. The seemingly childlike appearance of the pictures belies their inner sophistication. The intent here is not to realistically render an object, but to create moments of interaction between the audience and the art. The heightened use of tangibility in the artwork crosses the physical boundary separating the viewer from the pieces, and creates a tactile pleasure in the observer. Life is a living question mark, not only questioning preconceived notions of art, but also creating an enigmatic situation in which the viewer must rectify their own personal solution.
Life is an series of small abstractions created with a variety of media. The series explores tactility and the relation between refinement and crudeness. It seeks to transcend figurative trickery and present a completely honest work of art, creating moments of truth between the art, the artist, and the viewer. Each piece is an image of one part of a normal day in the life. Instead of portraying people, the work shows the objects people interact with on a daily basis: a banana, a stapler, a cigarette. The seemingly childlike appearance of the pictures belies their inner sophistication. The intent here is not to realistically render an object, but to create moments of interaction between the audience and the art. The heightened use of tangibility in the artwork crosses the physical boundary separating the viewer from the pieces, and creates a tactile pleasure in the observer. Life is a living question mark, not only questioning preconceived notions of art, but also creating an enigmatic situation in which the viewer must rectify their own personal solution.
Paintings
A selection of paintings exploring abstraction with oil paint.
A selection of paintings exploring abstraction with oil paint.
Poster for the Short Film 'Domino'
I used stills from the film to design an eye catching enigmatic film poster.
I used stills from the film to design an eye catching enigmatic film poster.
Talking Heads: 77
I redesigned Talking Heads' debut album for a design class.
I redesigned Talking Heads' debut album for a design class.
Logo for The Coral Reef Regeneration Project.
"The Coral Reef Regeneration (CR2) Project is a scientific immersion opportunity that encompasses both marine biology field research and cultural/historical exploration of the Dominican Republic."
http://cr2chicago.weebly.com/
"The Coral Reef Regeneration (CR2) Project is a scientific immersion opportunity that encompasses both marine biology field research and cultural/historical exploration of the Dominican Republic."
http://cr2chicago.weebly.com/
Logo for Nimun
Logo and identity redesign for the North Illinois Model UN.
Logo and identity redesign for the North Illinois Model UN.
Photography Series
This series is about honesty, truth, and minimalism. It is also about interactions between the body and objects. I'm still working on it.
This series is about honesty, truth, and minimalism. It is also about interactions between the body and objects. I'm still working on it.
