Such a peculiar object. How did it eventually consume all of my attention?
Like most people, I’ve always found the first piece to be a struggle - it is the foundation of everything, fresh, a new canvas. I began my exploration with my own photography. From there, I chose the photo with the most aesthetic potential, and began to develop my idea from it. I decided to begin with objects that had rough edges, a sense of imperfection and uncultivation apparent through the objects. Through this, I thought about creating an abstract and conceptual composition piece, but soon realized it was not my forte. I soon moved onto realism and keeping objects proportionate, allowing myself to experiment with more colour and technique. After completing of this, I realized fans were the new focus of my attention and would definitely be included in my next compositions for pieces.
I next created a short series - my second piece. Now spellbound by how the fan came to be, I imagined the designs of many other conventional objects, such as tables. Through taking DT, I had to create an orthographic for a table - an orthographic being the conventional way of designing an object. From this, I came up with my idea of my second piece being a 360 degree view of a fan.
In some ways, this art unit was a connection between two of my subjects - Art and DT, as I have been able to apply knowledge learnt from DT and used a piece of furniture, while taking conceptual skills associated with Art and been able to work away from the generic form, and to try to create something atypical and peculiar. Although the piece was on a small scale, I was quite pleased to how it turned out as I feel that it demonstrated my abilities to mix and mark-make well, as well as to incorporate different types of media on top of paint.
My work has been highly influenced by Stanley Spencer’s colour scheme, and he has been an artist I’ve looked up to and idolized. His influence on my work started in my first piece, but it was only in my third piece where it became apparent. In “Plumbers” and “Riveters”, Spencer mainly used warm tones - a vast array of browns and greys, often highlighting areas using red or white for a splash of contrast. I followed this concept and did something similar for my third piece. Using his pieces as an example, I strive to create a moody atmosphere in an interior space, which consisted of varied tints and tones of brown and red. I would occasionally use a purple to wash in areas lacking light, depicting the section as dreamy. This over painting worked surprisingly well, as it intensified the depth of the piece and brought contrast to the colours, as the purple glaze juxtaposed the browns.
For my third piece I experimented with multimedia, as I worked with chalks, something that I had not done before. I used the chalks to create soft, ghostly silhouettes, which in my opinion, seemed ethereal. The use of this media captured the intended effect perfectly, as it was dusty and powdery, and blended well into the painted fan. With the layering of the white chalky shadow, the piece became almost methodical.
My ESA final piece was when I struggled the most, fortunately not in the exam. I stumbled when it came to ideas, they escaped me like smoke through my fingers. However as I looked through my old works, I was inspired and ideas sparked. I began to synthesized ideas using my old pieces, taking some previous aspects and modifying them, changing them, refining them. During the timed piece, I believe I have created a piece to not only summarize the whole unit, but I have also incorporate new ideas with old ones. For example, all throughout my pieces I have wanted to try a composition that was synthesized and imagined, however sticking with the basics. I used elements I was knowledgeable about, the fans, the interior, the different types of media.
Throughout this Exam Unit, my work on Similarities and Differences has evolved in a way I could have never imagined. But never the less this topic has been amazing. It pushed me to trying new things, quirky things, things out of my comfort zone. I tried new media that I have barely thought of, chalk, I’ve always imagined it to be crumbly and difficult, I was right. But I learned to make it work something I would have refused to use in my early stages. Although still room for improvement, I believe I have handled myself well in the exam. Stress and Fret was always my enemy when it came to exams, however this time round, I managed to keep my cool and carry on, I took regular breaks and often stopped to look before I make drastic modifications. My work on Similarity and Differences has definitely changed from being to end, the pieces are all connected, yet they are all unique. From concept to reality, what a ride.
