This semester, I expected to work with plaster a lot more than I actually did. Although I did use the plaster cloth strips for my self portrait/personal belief system and for the mold of my cousin’s face (Mercantile piece), then started working more with found objects. I am satisfied with what I did use of plaster and am also happy with the skills I have developed in found objects by assembling them together. I wanted to also use drawing this semester and was glad I could use drawings to hang in the student lounge and put into the showcase. I did not expect to go in the found object direction but it definitely opened up a new window for me and made an exciting semester. I didn't expect to have such an awesome class and enjoyed everyone in it. Every classmate was talented and inspired me in many ways. I had a great time with everybody!
2. Summarize the proposal for your intended body of work, and explain how this has been realized or perhaps altered during the course of working.
My proposal for my intended body of work was basically a plan to further all my skills from the art classes I had taken at NCC. I knew I wanted to do a bit of everything. I wanted to use my drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and 3-D skills. I was not sure of any definite ideas and realized them later into the class. I believe my view on my intended body of work changed when we went to New York. Pulse was very inspiring and I wanted to create something with shock value. I knew that nothing was off limit and wanted to take advantage of creating whatever I desired.
My proposal for my intended body of work was basically a plan to further all my skills from the art classes I had taken at NCC. I knew I wanted to do a bit of everything. I wanted to use my drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and 3-D skills. I was not sure of any definite ideas and realized them later into the class. I believe my view on my intended body of work changed when we went to New York. Pulse was very inspiring and I wanted to create something with shock value. I knew that nothing was off limit and wanted to take advantage of creating whatever I desired.
3. Describe the pieces you have completed this semester and how you feel about the state of the work at this point. What are the main ideas behind the work and how have you tried to communicate those ideas through each piece?
1. Medusa’s Daughter 2009
Acrylic, rubber snakes, cloth flowers on photograph
20.5”x30.3”
Medusa’s Daughter is the beginning of my found object pursue. I found this huge picture of myself in my basement that my grandmother enlarged. She enlarged it because she enlarged my older sister’s softball picture and thought I would feel “left out”. I did not remember ever seeing this before and thought it was really strange. But I also saw it as a canvas for even stranger. I began painting my face green and outlining my face in black lines. It became cartoonish and funny and then I stared at my dress that I was wearing in the photograph. I then thought this could be Medusa’s daughter in a school photo, and went to the dollar store and bought a few packs of rubber snakes. I left my eyes, mouth, and dress the photograph. I think that this piece shows a bit of my sense of humor and also the creepy side of me.
2. Personal Belief System/Self Portrait 2009
Acrylic, plaster cloth on wood/ plaster cloth mold, acrylic, fabric, rubber centipede, photogram on canvas
22”x40”x3.5”
My Personal Belief System/Self Portrait, the first two pieces of this class were created during a sad time of my life. My self portrait is a bit dark with the tilted death mask of my face and with the rubber centipede. I wanted to portray that we all die and even though that my grandfather and friend had recently passed, that they are now at rest and in time will be with them. I remember in December going with my mother, sister, and grandma to identify my grandfather’s body. It was a surreal moment and I could not get the image out of my head. The color of his body was a purplish blue, a color I had never seen on a human before. I wanted to that color on myself for my portrait. The wings I created for my personal belief of religion. I am not very religious but do believe that I have a creator of some sort. The wings, one for Frank and the other for my grandpa will take me away to them someday. I don’t expect people to feel all of the emotions that are secretly in these pieces but I do think people will appreciate its beauty and darkness.
3. Untitled 2009
Drawing collage
7”x29”
This drawing of a girl sitting on a pedestal was just something for fun. I have always liked drawing cartoonish people and wanted to make a mysterious fashionable one. I used colored pencil and water color on her and spray paint on the foam core board that she is mounted on.
4. Untitled drawing 2009
(Digital print 8”x10”)
Dimensions variable
This is a drawing from a sketchbook I did and decided to use it as a wallpaper feeling to my installation. I believe it fit in well with its animal prints and dark lines.
5. Untitled Installation 2009
Found objects
Dimensions variable
My installation is a playground of my imagination with found objects. I wanted to use the baby crib badly to portray the corruption of having children. I may or may not have children it is hard to say but as of now I feel it would be a real gamble bringing something into this world. I used gambling tickets (pull tabs) as a new skin for the crib. The egg cart pink foam is to show that babies should be kept safe but as a little joke made the vintage dolls pummeling each other. The turn table and bear skull are things I am lucky to have borrowed from my father. If they were mine they would have been painted. My dad didn’t want me to “destroy” his trophy and record player so I obeyed his desire and ended up enjoying the end result. I really enjoy focusing on portraits of faces and wanted to use the skull protruding out of the mannequins head. I knew that this would evoke reactions out of people and that’s what drove me to create this. I also get excited hearing people talk about my art and have no idea that is me who created it. The other day I literally saw a maintenance worker scratching his head in a confused state just staring at the spinning head. I thought it was pretty funny and just kept walking.
6. Cat 2009
Ink on paper
8”x10”
I wanted to create a detailed drawing of something and found and image of a cat on the internet. The cat appears old in my drawing but did not look the mangy in the photograph. I chose to put this piece to but in the showcase to show off my sweet drawing skills!
7. Gwen Steffani 2009
Pencil on paper
18”x24”
I have always been a fan of Gwen Steffani. I think she is a pretty cool singer and a good person to draw. I used to jam out to her band No Doubt as a youngster and still dig them. I appreciate her beauty and decided to draw her as realistically as possible.
8. The Packaged Deal 2009
Plaster mold, acrylic, ink, pink packaging foam on wooden board
8”x10”
This is the piece I created for “Hand Picked” at the Mercantile Home in Easton. I wish I would have maybe done a different thing for this because I realized a stranger would probably not want to purchase a mold of my cousin’s face. My cousin was visiting my family from Nebraska and has recently joined the army. He has been through some hard times so I am proud of his decision to join, although it is something I don’t ever see myself doing. I told him that I could take a mold of his face and he got really excited. I used the packaging foam because he will soon be sent away and I am hoping he will be safe. Joining the army is a deal so titling this “The Packaged Deal” is appropriate. He said I could do whatever I wanted with it but to just “make it cool”.
4. Describe the materials you have worked with and any techniques that you have developed or expanded upon. How have techniques and materials played a role in your ideas and feelings about the work?
Materials I have worked with this semester are numerous. I began this semester thinking that I will go plaster crazy but ended up not using it as much as I had planned. I did build a technique I believe, in the plaster cloth. I have only used it once before and never built with it as I did on my Personal Belief System wings. The plaster on the wings is almost unrecognizable and people have asked me what it is exactly that is on the wings. I think it is interesting when people don’t know the material you used and it almost becomes your secret technique. I have a stronger feeling towards plaster mold making of faces now that I did my cousin’s by myself and plan to make other peoples. I have realized my ability to create sculptures with found objects and can’t wait to see where this takes me. I plan to expand on this ability and want to let my mind go free in creating whatever comes to mind no matter how strange it may seem. Manipulating objects that exist for one idea and then making them represent something different with other objects is very powerful and meaningful to me. I also have been playing around with watercolors over colored pencil and ink. I feel I am discovering a new technique with combining different colors from different materials such as watercolor, pencil, and ink that I haven’t focused on in awhile. Here are some examples:
1. Medusa’s Daughter 2009
Acrylic, rubber snakes, cloth flowers on photograph
20.5”x30.3”
Medusa’s Daughter is the beginning of my found object pursue. I found this huge picture of myself in my basement that my grandmother enlarged. She enlarged it because she enlarged my older sister’s softball picture and thought I would feel “left out”. I did not remember ever seeing this before and thought it was really strange. But I also saw it as a canvas for even stranger. I began painting my face green and outlining my face in black lines. It became cartoonish and funny and then I stared at my dress that I was wearing in the photograph. I then thought this could be Medusa’s daughter in a school photo, and went to the dollar store and bought a few packs of rubber snakes. I left my eyes, mouth, and dress the photograph. I think that this piece shows a bit of my sense of humor and also the creepy side of me.
2. Personal Belief System/Self Portrait 2009
Acrylic, plaster cloth on wood/ plaster cloth mold, acrylic, fabric, rubber centipede, photogram on canvas
22”x40”x3.5”
My Personal Belief System/Self Portrait, the first two pieces of this class were created during a sad time of my life. My self portrait is a bit dark with the tilted death mask of my face and with the rubber centipede. I wanted to portray that we all die and even though that my grandfather and friend had recently passed, that they are now at rest and in time will be with them. I remember in December going with my mother, sister, and grandma to identify my grandfather’s body. It was a surreal moment and I could not get the image out of my head. The color of his body was a purplish blue, a color I had never seen on a human before. I wanted to that color on myself for my portrait. The wings I created for my personal belief of religion. I am not very religious but do believe that I have a creator of some sort. The wings, one for Frank and the other for my grandpa will take me away to them someday. I don’t expect people to feel all of the emotions that are secretly in these pieces but I do think people will appreciate its beauty and darkness.
3. Untitled 2009
Drawing collage
7”x29”
This drawing of a girl sitting on a pedestal was just something for fun. I have always liked drawing cartoonish people and wanted to make a mysterious fashionable one. I used colored pencil and water color on her and spray paint on the foam core board that she is mounted on.
4. Untitled drawing 2009
(Digital print 8”x10”)
Dimensions variable
This is a drawing from a sketchbook I did and decided to use it as a wallpaper feeling to my installation. I believe it fit in well with its animal prints and dark lines.
5. Untitled Installation 2009
Found objects
Dimensions variable
My installation is a playground of my imagination with found objects. I wanted to use the baby crib badly to portray the corruption of having children. I may or may not have children it is hard to say but as of now I feel it would be a real gamble bringing something into this world. I used gambling tickets (pull tabs) as a new skin for the crib. The egg cart pink foam is to show that babies should be kept safe but as a little joke made the vintage dolls pummeling each other. The turn table and bear skull are things I am lucky to have borrowed from my father. If they were mine they would have been painted. My dad didn’t want me to “destroy” his trophy and record player so I obeyed his desire and ended up enjoying the end result. I really enjoy focusing on portraits of faces and wanted to use the skull protruding out of the mannequins head. I knew that this would evoke reactions out of people and that’s what drove me to create this. I also get excited hearing people talk about my art and have no idea that is me who created it. The other day I literally saw a maintenance worker scratching his head in a confused state just staring at the spinning head. I thought it was pretty funny and just kept walking.
6. Cat 2009
Ink on paper
8”x10”
I wanted to create a detailed drawing of something and found and image of a cat on the internet. The cat appears old in my drawing but did not look the mangy in the photograph. I chose to put this piece to but in the showcase to show off my sweet drawing skills!
7. Gwen Steffani 2009
Pencil on paper
18”x24”
I have always been a fan of Gwen Steffani. I think she is a pretty cool singer and a good person to draw. I used to jam out to her band No Doubt as a youngster and still dig them. I appreciate her beauty and decided to draw her as realistically as possible.
8. The Packaged Deal 2009
Plaster mold, acrylic, ink, pink packaging foam on wooden board
8”x10”
This is the piece I created for “Hand Picked” at the Mercantile Home in Easton. I wish I would have maybe done a different thing for this because I realized a stranger would probably not want to purchase a mold of my cousin’s face. My cousin was visiting my family from Nebraska and has recently joined the army. He has been through some hard times so I am proud of his decision to join, although it is something I don’t ever see myself doing. I told him that I could take a mold of his face and he got really excited. I used the packaging foam because he will soon be sent away and I am hoping he will be safe. Joining the army is a deal so titling this “The Packaged Deal” is appropriate. He said I could do whatever I wanted with it but to just “make it cool”.
4. Describe the materials you have worked with and any techniques that you have developed or expanded upon. How have techniques and materials played a role in your ideas and feelings about the work?
Materials I have worked with this semester are numerous. I began this semester thinking that I will go plaster crazy but ended up not using it as much as I had planned. I did build a technique I believe, in the plaster cloth. I have only used it once before and never built with it as I did on my Personal Belief System wings. The plaster on the wings is almost unrecognizable and people have asked me what it is exactly that is on the wings. I think it is interesting when people don’t know the material you used and it almost becomes your secret technique. I have a stronger feeling towards plaster mold making of faces now that I did my cousin’s by myself and plan to make other peoples. I have realized my ability to create sculptures with found objects and can’t wait to see where this takes me. I plan to expand on this ability and want to let my mind go free in creating whatever comes to mind no matter how strange it may seem. Manipulating objects that exist for one idea and then making them represent something different with other objects is very powerful and meaningful to me. I also have been playing around with watercolors over colored pencil and ink. I feel I am discovering a new technique with combining different colors from different materials such as watercolor, pencil, and ink that I haven’t focused on in awhile. Here are some examples:
5. Have any comments about your work or thoughts expressed during critiques stood out in your thinking and helped to change or alter the direction of the work for the better?
The critique with my Medusa’s Daughter stands out to me. I was nervous in revealing this to my class because I wasn’t too sure how my classmates would take it. I was happy because people responded to it positively. I was glad that people understood it as humorous, and Molly said that it showed how I don’t take myself too seriously. I don’t take myself too seriously and like to have fun when I can. In realizing that I realized I could open up to more things like using a bear skull and other found objects. When Bruce noticed my “creepy but cute” style in this piece I also learned that I am kind of creepy myself. I was tired of art assignments from the previous classes and there standards. I wanted to develop my style now that people began to understand. I also will never forget the Frank Mann critique because I was so nervous and he ended being so down to earth and helpful. He noticed my fixation on things that are no longer here or never were such as my grandpa, Frank, and Medusa that I hadn’t really thought of before.
6. What artists, art movements, art historical time periods or visual culture issues have you researched? (Visual Culture Paper, etc.) What specifically has influenced you from looking at these artists?
For my visual culture paper, I had researched the history of death masks which was very interesting. I found it fascinating to see these molds of famous dead people. Even though they were only photographs they are 3-D replicas of these people that exist and can show what they actually looked like. I am fascinated with mold making and its influence it has on me. Matthew Dehaemers is a really interesting young artist. He has created an impressive number of numerous public art installations. His installation, Significance of the Moment was constructed from 72 pieces of laminated plywood, glued together and then carved and sanded into a human head. In the forehead is a video screen that loops interviews with 12 people who had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. From the back head is a 10ft long drawer filled with several thousand envelopes, each containing one sheet of paper, and two dozen cards with quotes on the subject of memory. This hit home to me because I would someday like to have a huge meaningful and interactive installation. Also because my grandmother that lives with me has Alzheimer’s. I am inspired by Hans Bellmer’s sculptures of body parts and dolls. I just feel he was so ahead of his time, like many artists are. Nancy Grossman is an artist I have just became familiar with and enjoy her drawings.
For my visual culture paper, I had researched the history of death masks which was very interesting. I found it fascinating to see these molds of famous dead people. Even though they were only photographs they are 3-D replicas of these people that exist and can show what they actually looked like. I am fascinated with mold making and its influence it has on me. Matthew Dehaemers is a really interesting young artist. He has created an impressive number of numerous public art installations. His installation, Significance of the Moment was constructed from 72 pieces of laminated plywood, glued together and then carved and sanded into a human head. In the forehead is a video screen that loops interviews with 12 people who had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. From the back head is a 10ft long drawer filled with several thousand envelopes, each containing one sheet of paper, and two dozen cards with quotes on the subject of memory. This hit home to me because I would someday like to have a huge meaningful and interactive installation. Also because my grandmother that lives with me has Alzheimer’s. I am inspired by Hans Bellmer’s sculptures of body parts and dolls. I just feel he was so ahead of his time, like many artists are. Nancy Grossman is an artist I have just became familiar with and enjoy her drawings.
Matthew Dehaemers and Hans Bellmer
7. From meeting and speaking with art professionals this semester, what insights did you gain about the art world and what it means to be a professional artist? Who made the biggest impression on you and why?
Paul and Renee Laster were very inspiring. I like their ability to find artists that people don’t know much about and the way they laid out their gallery space. I loved the mythological tire woman and basically every other piece of art that was in their gallery. Renee gave insight on how you have to be able as an artist to put yourself out there and to not give up. They are very busy people with very meaningful careers. Frank Mann brought up ideas about my work that I previously haven’t thought of and to work more with 3-D objects. Visual Arts and Education Coordinator, Rachel Akers was an inspiration and showed me that it is going to be hard work to get where I want to be in the art world. Every professional artist has had to start somewhere and it was humbling to meet with everyone I met that is now important in this overwhelming world of art.
7. From meeting and speaking with art professionals this semester, what insights did you gain about the art world and what it means to be a professional artist? Who made the biggest impression on you and why?
Paul and Renee Laster were very inspiring. I like their ability to find artists that people don’t know much about and the way they laid out their gallery space. I loved the mythological tire woman and basically every other piece of art that was in their gallery. Renee gave insight on how you have to be able as an artist to put yourself out there and to not give up. They are very busy people with very meaningful careers. Frank Mann brought up ideas about my work that I previously haven’t thought of and to work more with 3-D objects. Visual Arts and Education Coordinator, Rachel Akers was an inspiration and showed me that it is going to be hard work to get where I want to be in the art world. Every professional artist has had to start somewhere and it was humbling to meet with everyone I met that is now important in this overwhelming world of art.
8. Artist Statement: What is the essence of your artwork put into words? This can take the form of a description, a philosophical position, a poem, quote from a favorite artist, or any combination of these. A good artist statement tells us something about the mind set of the artist and compels us to look further into their world.
I have always been stimulated by the strange and eccentric. I encourage myself by creating bizarre art because of the response it arouses from people and from the pleasure it gives me. I am very fond of working with found objects and most of these, in this display, are from my basement. I like to look in my basement and see all of these forgotten memories that collect dust and turn them into new exciting pieces of art. Manipulating objects to evoke feelings is something I’ve just begun tampering with and don’t see it stopping anytime soon.
I have always been stimulated by the strange and eccentric. I encourage myself by creating bizarre art because of the response it arouses from people and from the pleasure it gives me. I am very fond of working with found objects and most of these, in this display, are from my basement. I like to look in my basement and see all of these forgotten memories that collect dust and turn them into new exciting pieces of art. Manipulating objects to evoke feelings is something I’ve just begun tampering with and don’t see it stopping anytime soon.
Excellent job.
ReplyDelete"I think it is interesting when people don’t know the material you used and it almost becomes your secret technique." Oh yes.
Courtney, you've really found a rhythm in your work this semester. keep it up, don't slow down (can be tough when it's just you alone) and gret things are in store.