...a written statement that reflects your accomplishments over the semester. This should take into consideration the expectations that you outlined at the beginning.
I felt that overall, I learnt alot in terms of technical skill of using equipment, which was what I was hoping to do at the beginning of the semester. Being exposed to a Fine Arts class has also broadened my concepts and expectations of what can be considered art. It has also taught me not to overcomplicate, or to at least try my best to simplify my ideas. Through the assignments, I have also found out what are the things I am naturally drawn towards, and it has helped me discover who I am, in a sense. Even though very often the final products do not turn out as I had envisioned them, I've learnt to compromise while still keeping the aesthetic appeal.
Also, because of this documentation process, I have picked up the habit of having my camera with me most of the time, in order to capture the process, as I have found that the pictures are the best way for me to remind myself of what my thought process was at the time.
Re-reading what I had written at the beginning of the semester, I have certainly come far from having little or no knowledge about the equipment and the materials.
my only regret is that several of my works are still unfinished in my eyes, and if only the workshop was open over the break, I would be able to refine the pieces just a little more for my own satisfaction. Perhaps when school reopens I might be able to do it in the first week... who knows.
It was an eventful class and I am grateful and glad that I had the opportunity to be in this class. I hope that I will have time to continue this practice to keep my memory and knowledge fresh. Cheers to a good semester's work!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Iron Pour @ Tellehasse
Will update this section when I have optimized the pictures for internet posting. So many to go through... but worth it.
Sand Cast - Classmates
In the meantime, as I was only just starting with the form for the sand cast, my fellow classmates had already created their items from very interesting selection of choices... I wish I had been as smart as them.
Sand Cast - Creating the mold itself
sprinkle talcum powder over the item so that it will ease the removal of the item from the sand cast.
Kim making the sand for the mold... a mixture of sand and silicon that will create heat when hardening. it's hard to see but she is wearing rubber gloves and a gas mask. Health first!
After pouring in the sand, use something flat (like a brick?) to flatten the top so that it is flat on its back when the metal is being poured in.
Came back later that night to remove the item from the mold...
due to the many layers of cardboard (to create the thickness for pouring the iron), I had a little bit of difficulty peeling it out...
as you can see some of the top bits got stuck in the sand, but I managed to pull it out eventually.
I have a feeling I did not compress the sand enough in the beginning when I was pouring the sand, resulting in the loss of details being written into the sand. the rough grainy texture also contributed to this loss.... It was here that I realised I was being overly ambitious and that sculpting something this detailed is not too suitable for this project. Should have done something simpler. I really need to learn to simplify my ideas... it's a bad habit, I think, to over-complicate things.
Sand Cast - Creating the item to be casted
So here goes the beginnings of the coral-woman's head.. using plasticine instead of sculpey. Again, on hindsight, perhaps I could have used sculpey to do the form, and after ripping it out, go back to work on repairing it so that I could bake it? I wonder if the heat from the sand when it is hardening will bake the super sculpey in the process, but I didn't want to risk not being able to pull out the object as it would mean that I had to create another sand mold.
I did not like how the face was turning out, and after re-working it at least 3 times (meaning ripping off the whole face to start again, which was a rather painful process), I finally was sort-of satisfied with the shape on the 4th attempt.. which meant I could start adding all the extra details and parts, which was much more fun to work with.
Casting - Ideas
For the Sand mold, since it was going to be iron and flat on one side, I wanted to create something that seemed to be emerging from the surface of whatever the sculpture was on. This led me to think of a creature peeping out from the surface of the water. The other idea was to make something floating on the top of the water, but my impression was that it would be harder to cast... On hindsight, I should have used a ready-made object but it was an interesting learning process nonetheless.
the water-creature evolved into a woman with coral parts..I was looking at Nervous System and seeing how they are inspired by organic geometrical patterns, I was hoping to incorporate that inspiration into my work as well, especially for the plaster cast.
the repetitive pattern made sense to attempt to recreate with the plaster cast, but at this stage I was still not very sure how I wanted it to look like.
the water-creature evolved into a woman with coral parts..I was looking at Nervous System and seeing how they are inspired by organic geometrical patterns, I was hoping to incorporate that inspiration into my work as well, especially for the plaster cast.
the repetitive pattern made sense to attempt to recreate with the plaster cast, but at this stage I was still not very sure how I wanted it to look like.
Casting - Demo
Because I am muddleheaded and need these pictures to remind me what to do...
Set up container
Breathing in plaster powder is not good for health, so remember to wear a gas mask. (though I don't think we did that... more applicable for when mixing the sand.)
Add water and mix in plaster in incremental amounts until the mix is the texture of pancake mix.
Remember to spray oil / pam? so that the plaster will not stick to the other plaster piece.
splatter some plaster before pouring in the rest.
The result = YAY
Chapter 7 – the art of Lucas Samaras
Lucas Samaras did paintings at first after he graduated from Rutgers University with a major in art, but turned to using different media such as found objects, like many of the artists in his era. He was attracted to the Happening & avant-garde, both of which he took part in. What made him different from other artists was that he explored the theme of selfhood rather than social relevance and connection.
In his installation Room #1, he recreates his own room with things from his personal life, and in the center of it all is a single bed. The author feels that Samara's piece represented the gathering of pieces that makes up a person's identity, which needs to be done before being able to intergrate art and life together. The absence of the human figure emphasises the presence of someone that was there before. Many key symbols in the room such as the bed, where many intimate things take place, and the chair, which in early buddhism represents someone or a ghost who is no longer there, or “a sculpture base from which the real sculpture, the human figure, has escaped”.
This fixation with chairs led him to create more “chair transformations” in 1965 – 1970.using materials ranging from razor blades to wool and flowers, these symbolized the different aspects of human characteristics. Transition from 2 – 3d. For example, the monochrome painting functioned as “diagram of oneness/emptiness/ the void” in the fifties. About 1960, it became predecessor of Minimalist sculpture. Using the monochrome idea, Samara created a monochrome surface on which a nail sticks out toward the audience – instead of inviting people to touch, it is like a defensive armor, an outsider attitude that keeps people at a certain distance. More examples of his works that portray such a quality include pin-covered books & boxes. The author points out that boxes were “like a book” with information about things rather than simply just things itself. Important to flux artists as a break with aesthetic tradition because of its portability, its invitation to be found, and that it bypasses pictorial treatment. However Samara's box works have more in common with Cornell than with the Flux artists. Not about statements against easel painting or representation or the museum. Focus on inside & outside of box, suggesting secrecy & privacy, offering only a peek of its contents. Despite the prickly surface, they still invite the viewer to perhaps open the box, but only if they dare to take the risk – it is a take at crossing boundaries to find out more about the other party.
In his installation Room #1, he recreates his own room with things from his personal life, and in the center of it all is a single bed. The author feels that Samara's piece represented the gathering of pieces that makes up a person's identity, which needs to be done before being able to intergrate art and life together. The absence of the human figure emphasises the presence of someone that was there before. Many key symbols in the room such as the bed, where many intimate things take place, and the chair, which in early buddhism represents someone or a ghost who is no longer there, or “a sculpture base from which the real sculpture, the human figure, has escaped”.
This fixation with chairs led him to create more “chair transformations” in 1965 – 1970.using materials ranging from razor blades to wool and flowers, these symbolized the different aspects of human characteristics. Transition from 2 – 3d. For example, the monochrome painting functioned as “diagram of oneness/emptiness/ the void” in the fifties. About 1960, it became predecessor of Minimalist sculpture. Using the monochrome idea, Samara created a monochrome surface on which a nail sticks out toward the audience – instead of inviting people to touch, it is like a defensive armor, an outsider attitude that keeps people at a certain distance. More examples of his works that portray such a quality include pin-covered books & boxes. The author points out that boxes were “like a book” with information about things rather than simply just things itself. Important to flux artists as a break with aesthetic tradition because of its portability, its invitation to be found, and that it bypasses pictorial treatment. However Samara's box works have more in common with Cornell than with the Flux artists. Not about statements against easel painting or representation or the museum. Focus on inside & outside of box, suggesting secrecy & privacy, offering only a peek of its contents. Despite the prickly surface, they still invite the viewer to perhaps open the box, but only if they dare to take the risk – it is a take at crossing boundaries to find out more about the other party.
Casting - Research
Allen Petersonhttp://www.allenpeterson.com/artwork/terrain-map-globe/696
Title: Terrain, 2004, cast iron
WIL: the repeating shapes interacting with the environment reminds me of a digital landscape, liek we are entering into a different world.
Artist: PaintMonsterhttp://paintmonster.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-08-12T08%3A00%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7
title: unknown
WIL: simple shape that is open to different designs! The artist also shows his/her process of casting, which is an interesting read.
Artist: Shelley Curtishttp://www.kellysgalleryatjoseph.com/bronze/bronze_sculpture_tour/bronze_casting_tour.html
WIL: Another artist that shows her process, this time of bronze casting. the smoothness of the form is beautiful.
Artist: Tony Craggtitle: Companion, 2008
http://freeartlondon.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/ (scroll right to the bottom of the page)
WIL: the organic shapes give it the impression of growing, and the treatment of color gives it an airy feel.
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