Hey guys....

Hey everybody! My name is Eric Ng. I am an artist who dabbles in various fields such as: painting, graphic design, photography, videography and music. I am a full time student here at Rutgers and I major in graphic design. Before arriving at Rutgers, I was at Essex County College studying Business Administration, which I received my Associates Degree. I chose to switch my major upon arriving at Rutgers because I want to start my own business (clothing line). As of right now, I am a partner in a company called E and Co. Which is a company that helps local street venders in India get back onto their feet by buying their hand made products and selling them back here in the States. To learn more about it, click here.

Before entering high school, I was always drawing. As I entered into high school, all I cared about was playing and writing music. For some reason I decided to stop taking any fine arts classes and just focus learning more about music. It wasn’t until my second year out of high school that I got into stenciling (street art) and all my artistic desires started to dwell up again.

 I wanted to know learn how to be get better not just with street art but with all forms of art. One day a friend of mine suggested that I spray paint my face onto t-shirts and sell it for money. Surprisingly my friends bought them from me.  I wanted to learn more and develop my skills so I would be able to make my dream possible. So I started to go to school full time and pursue my dreams.

Art fits into my studies and interest by giving me the ability to express myself whether it is through painting or performing on stage. Studying art also gives me the skills I need to make it out there in the real world. As for art history, it teaches me the rules of art and how each style/ movement came to be.  Without these rules, I would not know how to break them or show how I am feeling.

I do feel like politics and societal conditions influence art and culture. If we look back in into the Renaissance period, artists were only allowed to create images that taught about the Bible (unless it was a memorial). Even today, what we see on television to what we read in the newspapers effects how artists express themselves. Even our living conditions can influence are and a culture. It sets the standard of how far we (the artists) can push the envelope and therefore setting a new standard for our culture. Anyway, I am looking forward to this class and seeing what I can take from it!

Eric.