FINAL VALUE REFLECTION

Formal Intentions

What did you find meaningful about the process and practice of this project?

What I found meaningful was creating the same type of art using different practices. I felt that I was able to express forms and ideas through charcoal and I think it contributed to my skill in this way. 

What are some techniques you fostered to work with the charcoal? 

I fostered the use of shading and also the use of the white charcoal to contribute to the value of my drawing. I feel that through these techniques I was able to create that which I imagine with a higher level of accuracy, especially using value to my advantage. 

What intrigues you about working with charcoal? 

Charcoal is cool in my opinion because it is a sort of mix between clay and pencil. Like pencil, it is two dimensional and is applied to the paper. But also like clay, it is malleable and is able to be mixed and spread. I think the mixture is very intriguing. 

What frustrates you?

 The charcoal frustrates me in the same way it intrigues me. For the mediums that are not malleable (like pencil and unlike paint, charcoal and clay) there are a high degree of accuracy that is lost in the malleable nature of the clay.

Stretch and Explore

In what ways did your intentions change over the course of your project?  

At the beginning of the project, I intended to draw the subjects with extreme accuracy. But for the second drawing, I think I solely used the object as a guide to form, and then I was able to play with the charcoal values. 

What opportunities or occurrences led to these changes?

Using the lantern as a subject led me to the question "what would it look like if it were producing light?" This question led to my experimentation with value in this way. 

Given what you know now about your work and your materials choices, how might you have changed your approach to working?

I would have let myself experiment with the malleability of the charcoal more. I felt that I didn't do this enough and treated the charcoal more like a pencil then a value-studded sheet of clay

Consider our work with value over the course of the entire project, what did you find meaningful about the process and practice of paying attention to light and contrast?

The way we observe the world visually is using value and color. Paying attention to value is more fully understanding the way we perceive the world. This was extremely important while doing this project. 

Where do you feel you found the most success, in drawing or in photography? 

I feel like I was more successful in drawing, because I was able to spend more time with the subject, whereas in drawing, every part is created individually, so a relationship with the object is more fully developed. It was tricky in photography because every moment was fleeting, and each aspect was not able to be perfected to its full potential

What do you attribute that success to?

I attribute my success to a balance. This balance is between working on individual components and working on these things as a whole. I felt like I was able to pay close attention to each individual component while keeping in mind the relationship between each part as a whole

What does paying attention to value offer you as an artist? How does your understanding of value impact your artwork?

Value is a critical part of how we percieve the world, and thus how we express our ideas relating to it. As an Artist I think I am able to now express ideas with a higher degree of confidence, and with a higher degree of accuracy to my own thoughts on the subject. 

Value photography project pt 1

- Consider our focus on the Element of Value:  How did your practice capturing black and white photographs through our various daily practice routine afford you a deeper understanding of the power of light in art?

Through our daily practice, I feel that I was able to more fully appreciate value and light mostly by experimenting with the lighting environments. I feel that I was able to utilize a white or black background to more fully draw attention to the object. Also, I learned how to use focusing to blur and focus the light in my image. Also, after much experimentation, I was able to more fully utilize direct sunlight and reflected light to increase interesting facets of my photos. 

-  Recall specific moments where you found or saw something that inspired your work in this project.

My photo that I took of the Santa for the drawing unit compelled me to more fully explore this object. In addition, after seeing the interesting texture of the mallet, I made sure to highlight this in my representation of the image. 

-  How much did you expand your ability to observe “value” in your work?

I feel that through utilizing greyscale and contrast, I was able to make my photos more interesting. I experimented with different backgrounds as well as subject matters to play with tees to ideas and more fully develop my understanding. 

- Consider the habit “engage and persist”:  What did you learn technically (both in shooting and editing your photographs) through your engagement in the process of experimentation, analysis, and persistence?

Through this project, I learned that many photos, even if set up meticulously, will not always work. Because of this, I realized that I must take many photos, and edit as much of them as I can, then, with fresh eyes, come back and choose my favorites. 

- What, specifically,  did you “learn” through the process of this project?

In addition to developing my habits of mind, I learned to take more compelling photos using greyscale, contrast, rule of thirds, fibonacci, etc. I learned when to utilize these tools and learned when and when not to use them to more fully complete my photos. 

-Consider our work with composition during this unit.  Were you able to recall the earlier experiences you had experimenting with composition and apply that to your work on this project?  Do you feel like you have a better understanding of how to manipulate and utilize the aspects of composition in your art?

Yes. Using things I learned from the paper cut out project I was able to improve my photos. From that project, I learned compositional styles, for example center of interest, rhythm and repetition. I feel that now that I have new additional tools at my disposal, the interesting qualities of my photos can increase. 

-To what degree do you agree or disagree with the class feedback you received in choosing your “best” image?  What new insights about your imagery did the class discussion about your work provide for you?

I really agreed with the class's feedback for my photos. Many people thought the Santa was very interesting and unexpected. This was good feedback for me because I have come to know the Santa object very well. A set of fresh eyes was useful feedback for me because it showed me how we can become inclined towards photos we have worked on for a long time. The comments I got on the other two photos were helpful, but only reinforced ideas which I already had. 

Final blog post for Texture and Form

What are the expectations?   What was the given Inquiry for this project?

Explain your intentions for the exploration of texture and form.

The expectations for this project for me was to experiment with unfamiliar mediums and also to really try out different types of textures and forms in my art. I tried to do this my experimenting with different abstract forms, and also with many different types of textures, ranging from the ridges on my clay, contrasting with the smoothness of the clay. I was also able to explore the mediums of clay, not a medium in which I am extremely skilled, and also plaster and wood, which I have never worked with. 

How did you approach this work?

-How did you take to explore and develop craft?

I felt that through the project, I was able to more fully understand the ideas of texture and form, as well as more fully understanding the mediums I used to make the art. I felt that I was able to fully experiment with the malleability of the clay, and thus by able to shape abstract ideas quickly using the power of texture and form, which are able to convey a message much easier than words in some cases. Thus, I was able to make use of this powerful tool and use it to communicate in a different way. 

-What opportunities did you take to explore risks and “engage and persist” in your artistic growth – translating ideas, inspirations, or concepts into form?

I think I took the most risks with my woodblocks, less with my clay, and not very many with the plaster. For me, the plaster was daunting in that it is unrebuildable if a mistake is made. With the clay, I was able to take risks in the form of the protruding arms, which were not stable but seemed to have an intriguing quality. The woodblocks for me were the ones with the most experimentation, being able to explore a single texture. I think this is where I failed the most, but also I learned a lot from my mistakes as well as my successes. 

Self Reflection – the assessment of your practice, process and ultimate level of aesthetic success.

Weigh previous insights with your work and honestly and insightfully appraise your work.

I think that I did a decent job with my woodblocks, but for me, they were used as a method of experimentation, not necessarily a final piece. I think I did a good job with, balancing taking the safe road, but through the clay, still able to experiment. I think the plaster could have been more experimentative, but I was able to still create a form that was not too risky. I would have liked to experiment with the plaster more, but for me it was a bit daunting. 

What I'm most interested in exploring

I'm excited about exploring the properties of plaster. This is because I have never worked in plaster and I am excited about the possible horizons with this medium.

What if you...

Fully smoothed out the sculpture?
i disagree with this comment because the ridges is the whole texture and idea of this sculpture
Added a heal?
Made things dripping/hanging off of it?

Greenware blog reflection

document your work and post an image on your blog. 

a. what excited you about the process of working with clay, of creating a an abstract form focused on texture? what are you most curious about?

the idea and process of working with clay excited me because clay is such a quick way to make an abstract form in space. It also allows for the third dimension. The malleability of the clay allowed for a high degree of variability texture as well as form. While making this project, I was curious about reinforcing the clay and the idea of sacrificing a cool form for the stability of the clay. The clay also allowed for me to quickly bring abstract ideas to life, and watching both how the clay influenced my ideas and how my ideas influenced the clay were both things that were interesting to see. 

b. if you were to begin the clay sculpture anew, what is the most important piece of advice you would need?

The most important piece of advice I would give myself would be that the flexibility of the clay is a good thing, not necisarily a detriment. The experimentation allowed with the clay brought a welcome complexity in the project. Early on in this project, I was afraid of the clay not taking the shape I had for it in my mind. Next time I might allow for the clay's properties to influence my work more. 

Abstract Form in Space

Texture

In the future, I want to incorporate a a ridged texture onto my piece. I think this would add the illusion of elasticity would could add some interesting aspects to this artwork.

Form

I want to covey the form of being steadfast and reaching into the world. I think I was able to convey this idea through the four study legs, and also the sensory outcroppings coming from the piece.