For my translucent layer project I set out to draw a photograph I took a couple years ago. It is a long exposure which I thought would be perfect because of the layering that the photograph captures.

I began this project months ago but after trying to go in with a thorough plan, I began overthinking it so I stepped away from it. My initial sketch began with me outlining the main subject figure in the middle with graphite pencil. After revisiting it, I found that the outline of the figure i had created was helpful for me to then go back in and better locate the joints and proportions of the arms and torso. I began working with charcoal now that I had revisited. I found this a lot easier to work with because not only did it allow me to draw more loosely, it made darker marks that would show through the layering of the translucent sheets.

The first layer consists of a somewhat detailed, proportioned figure that you can see in the middle of the photographers. I went in with a black marker to fill in the hair and outline some of the leotard clothing. I also went in with white, black and tan conté to add some highlights and showdows.

The second layer consisted of me very loosely drawing the legs, arms, feet, and blurred movements that appear in the photograph. For this layer I went ahead and began by outlining these figures and then I colored them in with tan and white conte as well as with white and black water-soluble wax pastels.

For the second layer I loosely outlines the figures (legs, hands, arms , feet) in a gesture like drawing technique to capture the long exposure effect in the photograph. I only used white water-soluble wax pastels and some white conte.

For the fourth and last layer, I did the exact same thing as with the second layer except this time only with black water-soluble wax pastels.

For my individual art project I chose to use paper-mache techniques to create a series of different sized balls and explore the usage of texture on viewers experience as well as the artists, myself, as well.

I wanted to revisit a childhood craft of paper mache. This is primarily what inspired me to create this project. I knew I wanted to work with paper mache… the actual subject came later although I knew that I was going to be creating balls. I came across a Pinterest video of textured paint so from this came the idea of incorporating the usage of textured, thick patterned marks of black paint on the big balls.

The paste was made out of flour, glue, white acrylic paint, and water. I mixed black acrylic paint with flour as well to create the thick, textured element I wanted. I used a thick, dry brush to add it which helped create the streak marks on the black mark slabs.

The pictures below show how I went about choosing their placements.

I believe this project deals with the class theme, Drawing into Space, because of its 3D effect of balls and dots and lines. I see this project as a drawing brought to life.

For the Team Project, I was grateful to have been chosen to execute my proposal. I proposed to explore the intersection of nature and the mind using sensory perceptions. Materials used were mixed-media (video clips collected being projected), nature sounds, and others such as a fan and sheer curtains to allude to the qualities of nature. I drew inspiration from Artist Rachel Schmidt. Her installation “All My Children Sleep in the Sea” was exactly the idea I had in mind when brainstorming this project.

After doing further research on this artist and her works, I cam across another installation of hers titled “Out of Balance”. This installation is a mixed media work that explores the topics of climate change themes. It is accompanied by series of abstract paintings and sculptural elements that allude to the distrusted landscapes in nature. It also accompanied by chakra healing frequency-like sounds created by Kevin O’Meara. The videos of nature play on loop.

My group and I first began by locating a specific site where we would like to install this project. We ended up choosing the closet in the back of the screen printing room since it was very spacious and allowed for easy access to outlets. We cleaned it out and covered the walls and windows with some panels that were in there. We also decided to cover the windows from the screen printing room to allow for minimum amount of light from the outside to come in to allow viewers to see the projection best although, the long windows in the right side still had some light coming in. After this we used the super long tall latter to begin clipping some “clippers” to the ceiling panels. We tied the fishing line from these clippers to the metal rods which is how we were able to hang the sheer curtains.

This process took a while because we tried to be strategic about where we wanted the curtains to hang from and what angle we wanted them to be facing. We considered the viewers experience as well in regards to what passage/direction the location of the curtains would lead them to take. When I first proposed this project, I thought I wanted all of the curtains to all be hanging parallel to one another while they were all staggered, each having a different length to them, but as we began hanging the idea of creating an immersive experience for viewers came into mind which is why we ended up using the entire space in the room.

As a team, we divided the task of collecting video clips to later edit and put together on loop. We also divided the tasks of collecting nature sounds. I was able to capture videos of nature using my 50 mm lens camera which allowed for very detail, depth of field videos.

I used the audio recording app on my iPhone to record sounds of water, birds, chirping, and other sounds of nature. Once all of the curtains were hung, we sat down as a group to look over the video that America had put together no edited. We decided we wanted not only peaceful sounds with a Chakra healing frequency over it as the zen-full, peaceful clips were being portrayed, but we also decided to incorporate a couple sped up, more chaotic sounding clips to throw viewers off. After the video was finalized, we set it up on two projectors, each being on opposite sides of the room.

Overall I was extremely happy with the outcome and extremely thankful for such an amazing group. I am very thankful and appreciated of all of them and of this project.

For the 3D sculpture project I chose to create little cube-homelike structures. I got inspiration from the homes in Guanajuato, Mexico.

I furthered my research on Pinterest. Pinterest taught me a variety of techniques when creating cardboard structures. I began by stripping the cardboard of the top layer of “paper” it was covered with. I did this to reveal the textured part of the cardboard because one thing about me is that I love textured artwork. I then cut the 4 sides of the cubes/ “walls”. Two “walls” were a little longer in length allowing me to crease and fold them some so I could then glue the other wall allowing me to connect the walls to create the cube. I then went in and glued the roof to the four walls which completed the cube figure. Once I had the cube completed, I went in and drew rectangles and squares and cut them out with an exact knife to reveal a window in the now “homes”. Once I had a good amount of them, I began stacking them to play around with dimensions and to see how I wanted them to lay out. I used E600 glue as well as Tacky glue to allow for a sturdy finish.

JR is a French artist and photographer known for his large-scale public art installations. He began his career as a graffiti artist and later turned to photography, using his camera to document the lives and stories of people in communities around the world. JR’s work often involves pasting giant photographs onto buildings, streets, and other public spaces, creating striking and thought-provoking images that challenge viewers to think differently about social and political issues. He has created installations in cities all over the world, including New York, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro, and has been recognized with numerous awards and honors for his work. JR is also known for his commitment to social justice causes, and has used his art to raise awareness about issues such as immigration, poverty, and conflict.

He created a large scale installation located on the US-Mexico border wall near Tecate, California titled “Giants, Kikito”. The installation consists of a series of black and white photographs of people, mostly Mexicans, that are pasted onto the Mexican side of the border wall. The photographs are large enough to be visible from the US side of the wall, creating an image that appears to show people climbing over the wall or peering through gaps in the metal slats.

The installation was intended to draw attention to the human stories behind the debate over the border wall, and to challenge the idea that the wall can be an effective solution to issues of immigration and security. JR has described the installation as a way to “bridge the gap” between people on both sides of the border and to create a sense of connection and empathy.

The installation was controversial for some critics argued that it promoted illegal immigration and undermined national security. However, supporters of the project saw it as a powerful statement about the importance of compassion and human connection in a divided world.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/arts/design/jr-artist-mexico-border-wall.html

https://www.jr-art.net/projects/giants-border-mexico

Lauren Clay is a contemporary American artist known for her colorful, abstract sculptures and installations. She was born in 1982 in Savannah, Georgia. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia and a Master of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University. Clay’s work is characterized by its use of vibrant colors and organic forms, often incorporating repetitive patterns and geometric shapes.

Clay’s sculptures are created using a variety of materials, including paper, wood, and ceramics, and are often inspired by nature, particularly plant life and rock formations. She is interested in exploring the relationship between organic and inorganic materials, and her work often blurs the boundaries between the two.

In addition to her sculptures, Clay also creates large-scale installations that transform entire spaces. Her installations often incorporate geometric shapes and bright colors, creating immersive environments that engage the viewer’s senses. Her work has been praised for its bold use of color and form and its ability to create an atmosphere of playfulness and joy.

https://www.laurenclay.com

https://art.utexas.edu/event/lauren-clay-studio-sculptures-installations

Deanna C. Lee’s work is concerned with the relationship between humans and the environment, and she often uses found and recycled materials in her sculptures and installations to explore themes of transformation, decay, and growth. In her artist statement, Lee discusses the importance of process in her work, describing her practice as a “slow, deliberate, and accumulative” process of experimentation and discovery. She also emphasizes the importance of collaboration and community in her work, noting that many of her projects involve working with others to collect and repurpose materials. Lee’s artist statement also touches on her interest in exploring the boundaries between nature and culture, and her desire to create work that provokes reflection on our relationship with the environment. She notes that her work often incorporates elements of the natural world, such as plant life and soil, and that she seeks to create immersive and transformative experiences for viewers.

https://deannaclee.net

https://deannaclee.net/biocv/

Oscar Oiwa is a contemporary Brazilian-Japanese artist known for his large-scale installations and drawings. He was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1965 to Japanese parents and grew up in Brazil and Japan. Oiwa studied at the School of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo before pursuing a career as an artist. His work is characterized by bold, surreal imagery and often draws on themes of nature, urbanization, and identity. Oiwa is mainly known for his immersive, three-dimensional installations, often incorporating drawing, painting, and sculpture to create surreal, dreamlike environments. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

“Paradise” is a large-scale, three-dimensional installation created by Oscar Oiwa in 2017. The installation consists of a giant inflatable dome, measuring 12 meters in diameter and 6 meters in height, that is entirely covered in a mural drawn by the artist. The mural depicts a surreal and fantastical landscape with lush vegetation, winding rivers, and towering mountains. The landscape is rendered in black and white, giving it a dreamlike quality and creating a stark contrast with the white walls of the inflatable dome.

Cornelia Parker is a British artist known for her site-specific installations, sculptures, and prints. She was born in 1956 in Cheshire, England, and studied at Gloucestershire College of Art and Design and Wolverhampton Polytechnic. Parker is known for transforming ordinary objects through processes of destruction and reconstruction, often using explosive or violent methods to create her artworks. She is also interested in the relationship between objects and their histories, and her work often references historical events or cultural phenomena.

“Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View” is an artwork created by Cornelia Parker in 1991. It is a site-specific installation that consists of the fragments of a garden shed suspended in mid-air by wires and illuminated by a single lightbulb. The British Army blew up the shed at the artist’s request, and the resulting debris was carefully collected and arranged according to Parker’s specifications. The suspended fragments appear frozen in time, as if the explosion had just occurred and the debris had been momentarily paused in mid-air.

The artwork is meant to capture the moment just after an explosion when fragments are still flying through the air and before they hit the ground. Parker has described this moment as a “freeze-frame of destruction,” Her installation attempts to capture that moment and hold it in place. The artwork is also intended to provoke reflection on the destructive power of weapons and the beauty of destruction. By taking an object as mundane as a garden shed and transforming it through destruction, Parker encourages viewers to consider the many ways in which destruction can be both devastating and fascinating.

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/parker-cold-dark-matter-an-exploded-view-t06949/story-cold-dark-matter

The “Line Surface Space” installation by Kawahara Krause Architects is a site-specific project created for the 2012 DMY International Design Festival in Berlin. The installation consists of a series of interlocking wooden panels that form a continuous, undulating surface. The wooden panels are arranged to create a dynamic, three-dimensional space that visitors can move through and interact with. The installation challenges traditional notions of architecture and space, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior, form and function.

Visitors to the installation are encouraged to explore the space and engage with the panels designed to create a sense of movement and flow. The panels are connected by hinges and pins, allowing them to flex and shift as people move through the space. The “Line Surface Space” installation represents a creative and innovative approach to architectural design, emphasizing the importance of experimentation, collaboration, and pushing boundaries. By creating a dynamic, interactive space that challenges traditional notions of architecture, the installation invites viewers to question their own assumptions and engage with the built environment in new and exciting ways.

https://www.archdaily.com/253915/line-surface-space-installation-kawahara-krause-architects

https://kawahara-krause.com/jp/line-surface-space/