Final Blog Post - Reflection

1. -What was your biggest moment, achievement, or other specific detail related to your personal growth as a student of art?  Explain to what you owe this meaning, and what you have taken away from that insight…


I think that going into this class, I was a little worried about the fact that I was the only senior in the class and was going to be surrounded by Freshman.  But by the end of the year, I felt that this wasn't really a problem or hinderance to my growth as a student of art.  My biggest part of my growth I think was my ability to start out a project with a really crazy, ambitious idea, and then realizing that my idea was maybe not possible in the time frame we were under, and then tweaking my idea to a more do-able concept.  By starting out with really cool and interesting ideas and then sizing it down to fit under our time and resource constraints, I think I was able to create pretty interesting and fun pieces of art.


2. -List three specific details (word or short phrases) you have learned about your artistic self.  Explain how these exemplify you artistically, or your artistic development.


1. Ambitious
2. Focused
3. Cunning


I think overall, I was pretty ambitious throughout my growth as an art student over the past 7 or 8 months.  I consistently had crazy, near-impossible ideas of what I could create given the topic of art we were working on.  But even though they were maybe very hard to accomplish, it created a basis of what I could actually execute for the project.


I was also a very focused worker during class, usually keeping to myself and just listening to my iPod.  One of the reasons why I did this was because by getting into a "zone" where I was solely focusing on my work, I blocked all outside noise and distractions, and I think this greatly contributed to the overall look of my pieces.


My third detail I have learned about myself is my ability to be cunning, or using crafty, sly techniques to create my pieces.  A lot of the time, I kind of had to think on my toes of what I could add or subtract from a piece of art to make it the best it could be.  In doing so, I learned a lot about my ability to be skillful in a certain art medium.




3. -Considering the habits of mind, the techniques, the time dedicated to the practice, and any other insights gained from your work in studying art, what have you learned in this class that you may carry with you in your future work beyond the studio?  What skills might you be able to apply in other areas of your life?


One of the main aspects that I have really learned to grow and keep with me beyond just in the art classroom is using persistence and determination to achieve my goals, and if something doesn't end up working out, to make up for it creating something even better.  I have learned persistence and engage and persist throughout this year in creating pieces that sometimes would not work out how I wanted them to, and instead of quitting, I would make up for it with a new, cool idea.  These qualities are important to all aspects of life, from schoolwork, sports, social life, and working later in life.

"Metamorphosis" Carved Plaster

1. How did you come to consider the idea or concept of “Metamorphosis” through your work in this project?  How does your work physically address that insight?


Metamorphosis, which refers to the change in form from one stage to another in the process of an organism or object, was highly considered throughout my process of creating the plaster sculpture.  Going in to the project, I wanted to create a figure that both resembled human anatomy but at the same time could be looked at as something completely different from a human being.  I really felt that the legs of a person were a really cool and interesting aspect that I could base my sculpture off of.  By creating a "hole" through the four legs of the sculpture, I wanted to create a figure that could be looked at at multiple views and it would still look like the same figure.


2. How did you push yourself to gain a better understanding of the physical properties of the plaster?  In what ways to you come to better control the various tools you employed?


When I first started brainstorming for this project, I went very ambitious and wanted to create a figure with twisting, turning legs that went in many different directions.  At the time, I hadn't seen the type of plaster and the materials we would be using.  Once I got a better feeling of both the physical characteristics of the plaster and the tools I would be using to create my figure, I had a better sense of what was possible in this project. 


One thing that Ms. Seal really stressed was being careful when removing big pieces of plaster because of the brittle physical properties of the type of plaster we were using.  Keeping this in mind, I made sure to use a technique that slowly but surely removed the negative space of the plaster in a way that limited the amount of mistakes I could make.


3. In what ways did your intentions change over the course of your project?  What opportunities or occurrences led to these changes?


Over the course of the project, I slowly got a better and better grasp of how to best portray my figure.  Eventually, I realized how cool it would be to have a free space in the middle of the expanding legs.  In a way, I wanted this space to be like a window in the real world, past just the image of the figure.  I was led to this idea by noticing that without that added feature, my sculpture could look a little bland or boring.


Also, I thought that smoothing out and removing any blemishes from the sculpture was very important to me because of the sleek, elongated feeling of the piece.


4. Given what you know now about the material, how might you have changed your concept or approach to working?


I don't think I would change very much about the approach or process of creating my piece.  I think I had a good grasp of the type of plaster we were using and how to best use the tools on this material.  One thing I would be more careful of was when I mistakenly took off little chunks of plaster at the top of the legs.  Later on during the process, I had to go back and make sure I had these marks smoothed out.

Carved Plaster Project

In Process Reflection

1. If you could sum up your piece in one line or title, what would it be?

Multi-dimensional.

2. What are three formal considerations that make up your piece?

Three formal considerations that make up my piece are using interconnected holes to show multiple views of the same figure, a laterally figured and narrow piece, and using a smooth, fluid movement that spreads out as legs on the bottom of the figure.  I chose these formal identities because all three of these ideas contribute to my overall goal and feel of the project; a piece that is simple but at the same time also features a multi-dimensional look that can be viewed from multiple perspectives and still have the same look from each side.  

My favorite aspect of this project is the freedom to make our piece be anything we can think of, and in doing so, figure out a way to sculpt it in such a way that it reflects our initial ideas.  For my piece, I wanted to create a figure that was simple but at the same time could be interpreted in multiple ways.

Plaster Process

To make the plaster, the first thing we did was figure out how much plaster versus water to put into our molding box.  After calculating the 1:1.5 ratio of water to plaster, we slowly mixed the plaster with water by stirring the plaster into the tub of water.  After finishing mixing, we sprayed the non-stick spray to our box and poured the plaster into the box.  After reaching our desired point of plaster in the box, we put the box to the side and now must wait until the plaster dries.

Degree of Exploration (Stretch and Explore)

1. My drawings capture the gesture of the figure pretty well.  In this figure, I wanted to focus on creating a gesture without any part of the core of the body and primarily focusing on the legs and arms of the body.  In doing so, I will be able to create a figure that has protruding, curvy elements instead of bland, straight elements.  I think my drawings portray this idea very well.

2. I explored the simplifying and abstracting processes for the gestures a lot while creating my gesture because by not including very much of the core/abdomen in the figure, I will be able to use this abstract idea to create a structure with only the legs, arms and head.  This creates a more simplified version of the human body and also creates a more abstract figure that can be understood in a multitude of ways.

3. Over the course of the project, I have realized that in designing my figure, I have to be more realistic and expect that throughout the project, everything that could go wrong will indeed go wrong.  By having this mindset, I am always ready for the worst and can always have a plan B if need be.  At first, I wanted to create a structure that was so complex it would be impossible to create it with the time given.  By engaging and persisting, I think I have found a gesture that is possible to create under the given time frame and will look great as well.

4. In terms of my box, I chose a quart box to use for the plaster.  I wanted to use this box because by using a long and skinny box, I am better preparing myself to chip away from the plaster to create a long and slender figure.  Using a long/skinny box is more efficient for my project because then I have to spend less time chipping away the excess plaster and more time focusing on the details of the abstract piece.

Gesture Drawings and Process

Charcoal Contour Drawings

Value Drawing and Photography

Final Blog Post: Create a final "Value" post including an image of your completed drawing and at least one example of your photographic prints. a. Refer to your interim Blog post, consider the Habits of "stretch and explore" and "engage and persist" (See home course page or pdf download). -How has your persistence and engagement in these habits pushed you to further resolve the questions, tools, methods, etc as discussed in your previous post?By engaging and persisting, I was able to grasp a better sense of value of the objects I was drawing and photographing. One key way I was able to do this was by using shading and thickness of my lines to create a greater sense of value, distance, and lighting for my drawing.  For the photography, I focused on choosing a photo that featured multiple shades of black, grey, and white.

-How have these habits pushed you to further develop your artistic practice in general as well as your understanding of value (employing shadow and light to represent 3-D form)? These habits have allowed me to have a more direct approach to the piece I am working on and have enabled me to know exactly what I have to do to make the piece have a greater sense of value by focusing on line quality, contrasting shades, and distance between the objects.  These habits have also allowed me to employ shading and lighting to create a more 'real' piece of art that makes it more 3-D instead of 2-D.

b. Compare and Contrast your work in the darkroom and your work on the drawing. -Which medium felt more comfortable? Why? I felt more comfortable while drawing my objects because in that medium, I felt a greater connection with my piece than I did in the Dark Room.  I felt like I was adding my own sense of character to the drawing, not just drawing a random collection of shoes.  Because of this, I felt more comfortable and inspired while drawing.  While in the Dark Room, for some reason I felt like I was just doing the same process over and over again.  Not that that wasn't fun and interesting, it's just I felt like I wasn't able to add my own sense of expression and opinion into the photography. -Which medium allowed you more opportunity for "expression"? How? I think the value drawing allowed for more opportunity for expression because a person could take the same collection of objects and draw it in many different ways depending on their use of lines, shading, and lighting.  By allowing someone to implement their own use of feeling and opinion into a piece of art, it enables them to establish a stronger connection to the work of art. -How might you better improve your experience and/or results with each of the mediums in the future?  I could improve my experience and work by cutting out the steps that caused me to go back a step and focusing on always making improvements in the piece I am working on day after day.  I felt like in some areas, I made mistakes that made me have to erase or restart what I had done to make the drawing or photo have a greater sense of lighting and value.  By focusing on always making positive steps in my art, I will have a better experience and therefore a better result of my art in the future.

Value Photography

How did you develop craft with this assignment? 
I developed my craft with this assignment by learning how to choose and express a photo that featured multiple areas of blacks, whites, and greys.  By featuring all 3 of these shades, a greater sense of value was expressed and allowed the viewer to see which areas of the photo were more keen to the eye and which areas were more shady or not pronunciated.


What tools, methods and materials were essential to your process so far in the project? 
The essential materials I used was the digital and manual camera, developer, fixer,etc. and the pieces used to create the photos.  By creating a piece that expressed emotion and value, the photos were more than just a shot of some random materials, it expressed a feeling and emotion of the value of the objects.


What problems have emerged in the creation of this project?
Some of the problems I experienced was learning how to ensure the photo was in full aspect with the manual camera and making sure everything was in focus before I took the picture. 


How did you solve these problems (or how are you in the process of solving these problems)?
I solved these problems by learning how to adjust the position of the camera and changed the focus to make sure I was capturing the whole picture instead of just one or two parts of it.

Value Drawing

How did you develop craft with this assignment? 

I developed craft with this assignment by learning how to express the value of the object(s) I was drawing.  By learning to understand how to express distance, amount of light, and other aspects, I developed a higher and more interesting piece of art.

What tools, methods and materials were essential to your process so far in the project? 

Along with the normal 2B and 6B pencils and block eraser, a strong light was essential in making the shadows and sense of value more apparent to the human eye.  By examining the same piece in the same position every day, it allowed to us to have a picture in our mind of the piece and almost allowed me to draw the object without even having to see it in full detail.

What problems have emerged in the creation of this project?

One of the problems I experienced was the fact that other classes/groups removed the tape markings on the table that indicated where the object was to be positioned.  This made our group have to re-mark the object and changed my point of view a little bit.  Another potential problem was how to express the 3-D aspect of the object and showing areas where the object was closer to you or farther from you.

How did you solve these problems (or how are you in the process of solving these problems)?

I solved these problems by pronunciating my lines more where the object was closer to the eye, and making the lines less pronunciated where the object was in the distance.  In doing so, a more real life, 3-D object was created.

Abstract Relief Sculpture Project

Reflection Questions

 –      How varied is your collection of textures? 

My collection of textures is pretty varied, including wood grain, plaster, the imprint of cardboard in the plaster, and spraypaint.

 –     How thoroughly did you explore the effects of juxtaposing and organizing the collection?

I believe I thoroughly explored the effects of juxtaposing because through trial and error in this project, I ended up with a sculpture that really has an organized, juxtaposed creation.

 –     How well have you come to appreciate, understand, and manipulate non-objective abstraction as an art-form

I have really learned to appreciate and understand non-objective art by learning that all art does not necessarily have to have one, specific purpose and that although a piece as a whole may not "make sense" when you focus on the individual pieces, the sculpture as a whole begins to make sense.

Degree of Craftsmanship and attention to detail (engage and persist)

 -   How thoroughly does your process-folio exemplify your exploration of “texture”?

My process folio exemplify's texture by showing the steps from just a plank of wood to showing the evolution into a brick-like sculpture with many textures all going on in the same space.

 -   To what degree did you push yourself to rework and refine your work?

I think I pushed myself a lot because to me, this project consisted of a lot of trial and error.  Although my plaster imprint of the leaves did not work as I thought it would, I still think I did well with what I was presented with and making do with what I had.

 -   How well unified are the compositions of you final prints and relief sculpture?

My final print and sculpture is very well unified because I think that every piece of the sculpture fits well with one another.  From the shattered plaster pieces to the engraved wood grain, all the pieces have a collective meaning that is more than just their individual pieces.

Level of technical understanding and growth

-       In what ways have you developed technically in the areas of drawing (rubbings), digital photography and Photoshop, and sculpture?

I have developed technically because in the beginning, I just rubbed and photographed anything I thought was interesting without focusing on the details and purpose of the piece.  Now, I am using a more thought-process to create my art.

-       Are your final works free of glaring technical flaws or difficulties?  How might your works have benefitted from technical understanding or control?

Yes, I think my final works do not show any specific areas of flaw, although I did experience difficulty in the process of making the sculpture.  I think that if I had had more time, the piece could be a little more detailed than it is now.

Degree of insight in “aesthetic valuing” and self-reflection

-       How thoroughly were you involved during reflective or evaluative discussions and writings?

I think I was pretty involved in reflection meetings by critiquing other's pieces and giving both constructive criticism and areas where I though people portrayed their art in very unique ways.

-       How thoroughly are you able to communicate your aesthetic insights and concepts?

I think this piece portrays my aesthetic insights and concepts by portraying multiple layers all on one, single sculpture.  Showing the under-grains of the wood, the top layer of wood, and adding shattered pieces of plaster all on one canvas, I think my aesthetic design and purpose is shown very well.