Before the summer began I had made a calendar of goals for myself. In June I had planned to continue a series I had begun at the end of the school year which included layering wood to create an image. For those pieces the subject matter has remained consistent and something that I am interested in which is fashion over the years. As I continued to critique the design of the figures and the process in which they were made the work became cleaner. I created two more of the layered wood pieces during the summer and the second, I believe, is better than the first. In July I was ready to take part in the VCU Summer Intensive for Graphic Design. Those weeks were extremely challenging as I got used to the college rhetoric and the pace at which I would work as a designer in college. Overall it was an amazing learning experience. The work I made there was much more sophisticated than designs I had made in the past. Process was the main goal, in order to make work that was substantial you had to look at all the options before deciding which design choice would have the biggest impact. August was purely meant for experimentation. I looked at new materials and other ways I could incorporate design into studio art. Design is what I love to do so as I continue to work on my portfolio throughout the year, I plan to use the skills I learned this summer to influence my design.
Sculpture was my main priority this summer. I decided that I wanted to create something unique and distinct.
The challenge was the size; I wanted to make the overall piece eight feet tall and at least eight feet wide. Instead of making three individual works that were all connected by their meaning or subject matter I decided to connect all of them to create one large piece. I wanted to explore my options but still have boundaries so I wouldn't have to work completely outside my comfort zone and price range. This idea has shifted and changed from the beginning of the summer. It was originally frames that held the shards of broken glass then shifted into a more plausible and economic idea which was using fabric to create a similar thought. Patchwork was my first idea when I decided to use fabric within my overall design. I have been accustomed to using fabric since I was a child and loved to be able to use it as an artistic medium. I was also challenged when the fabric string started breaking if I lightly touched it. I quickly changed to fishing wire because it was a sturdier string that also reflected more light. The arch way describes the social standards of a population and how they are perceived in the public eye. Judgment of others and how we are judged shows the true nature of our being and how we are as a community. The Patchwork of our relationships connected in odd ways is the fabric of our lives and the strings of friends and family become the true legacy we leave behind. No matter the imperfections of these connections, relationships stay while materialistic objects are left behind. If you become controlled by those objects you will never learn to appreciate the relationships that you have created. |
AuthorAmanda OConnell ArchivesCategories |