- hans christian andersen (andersen, 2013) · 2018-01-18 · artist’s statement “everything you...
TRANSCRIPT
ARTIST’S STATEMENT“Everything you look at can become a fairy tale and you can get a story from everything you touch.”
- Hans Christian Andersen (Andersen, 2013)
Simply put, the overarching theme of my artwork will be to explore the multi-faceted nature of living organisms through merging separate parts of them together. Appropriately enough, the
open-ended nature of the phrasing of my theme allows for various interpretations, all of which I will explore in my artwork. On one hand, it refers to fusing parts of the same living organism to create a
discordant effect. Likewise, it could also indicate having an amalgamation of various body parts coming from various living things. Moreover, the term living organism also need not necessarily refer to a
real-life subject, allowing me to draw inspiration from fantastical creatures inhabiting the realms of fictional novels or movies. All of these conceptual interpretations are possibilities I explored throughout
my IB Visual Arts course. As a literature student and a voracious book reader, I have always been interested by irony, ambiguity and the blurred lines within relationships in the natural world, both in
literature and in the visual arts. Hence, choosing merging parts of living organisms together to create creatures which could belong to a surrealistic, fantastical world was only natural.
Throughout the course, I have explored a range of various media and forms consistent with the intentions of my artwork. For example, I was initially enamored with the concept of man
versus nature and exploring the animalistic nature of mankind through merging bird bones with the human form. At its core, this was a baring open of the brutal, unconcealable nature of man. This wildness
demanded a sort of Expressionist style that was reflected in a series of oil paintings I completed on this theme. Thus, my artwork during the early periods of the art course combined painstaking realistic
observations of the human and animal form with gestural, Abstract Expressionist paint drippings.
As I moved on with this style of semi-Realism and the uniformity of oil painting however, I started to dabble with Pop Surrealism due to its whimsical, ironically macabre nature. Noticeably,
my artwork started to become much smaller in scale as I began an in-depth investigation into the usage of minimal drawing media such as the ballpoint pen. The subtle, intricate line strokes that the
ballpoint pen rendered interested me much more than oil painting, marking a transition in my artwork from Realism to a more stylized yet lifelike style. The reason behind my smaller-scale work is two-fold:
firstly, because the artwork appears more intricate, homely and secondly, I believe that it does not take a grand, large painting to make a statement. This feeling is also manifest in my small-sized paper
sculpture works. I began to take inspiration from a range of literary work and deconstructed charming fairy tales and children’s novels that were part of my childhood. For example, I borrowed characters
from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, juxtaposing them with other subject matter. Thus, one can glimpse familiar visual signs reproduced in my artwork, now merged with other dissonant parts to form
new conceptually layered pieces. The titular Alice finds herself merged with her mortal enemy, the Jabberwocky, in one of my studio works and the eyeless Cheshire Cat with fish and eyeballs. My objective
was to essentially explore idealized children’s texts or childhood texts with a darker, ironic insight as a teenager and to create my own fantastical creatures. Oftentimes, the effect is one that is dream-like
and surreal, displacing living beings from environments that they are comfortable with. Consistent with my intentions to examine the irony through merged creatures, I took to merging predator with prey, or
the traditionally ‘weak’ creature with the ‘strong’. I eventually progressed on to mixed media trials, experimenting with applying small splashes of color onto my black-and-white drawings. I drew
inspiration from a range of mixed-media artists, both contemporary and classical such as famed book illustrator Arthur Rackham and contemporary artist Lauren Marx. During this period, I was also
interested in experimenting with abstract geometrical shapes and the odd patterns that they made; joining various living organisms together with towers of curved triangles, or a curved bridge of
geometrically shaped shards of glass.
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OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES OF BIRDS
Type: Black ballpoint pen on paper (right)
Dimensions: 20 x 12 cm
This trial to the right depicts the anatomy of a bird; its innards showing
through under its downy feathers. Black ballpoint pen was utilized for
this drawing and the paper used was thinner, lightly tinted yellow in
hue. This contributed greatly to the decaying effect projected to
viewers in this art piece and was something I liked greatly.
Interestingly, I accidently spilt water over part of the drawing, causing
portions of it (e.g. the left side) to turn a deep, metallic purple. The
effect is a rather subtle, haunting sheen upon the feathers that
surprised me. I felt that this gave rise to other ideas and techniques
that could be developed further; for example, mixed media studies of
watercolor painting over a ballpoint pen underdrawing.
For some time I have fixated on the idea of flight and the connotations of freedom & struggle
associated with it. Hence, the first part of my process portfolio will focus on birds (e.g. bird wings,
bird skulls) as symbols for the concept of ‘fight’ or ‘flight’. But before I can tackle the conceptual
merging of bird parts with other living things, I must first polish my technical skills through
observational drawing to familiarize myself with their anatomical proportions.
The two ballpoint pen drawings above were a starting point for this portion. They were part of my
urge to investigate how different monochromatic colour schemes would contribute to the general
feeling of my art. As expected, the blue ballpoint pen was most appropriate for the contained
effect of the folded wings (left) whereas the red left an almost brutal and violent impression
(right). The fact that the dragonfly wings were arranged in a more abstract, chaotic manner helped
too. Although what pleased me the most was experimenting with the thin, delicate lines of the
ballpoint pen in order to convey these intense messages.
My Work (above)
Type: Blue ballpoint on paper
Dimensions: 10 x 10.5 cm
My Work (above)
Type: Red ballpoint pen on paper
Dimensions: 11 x 15 cm
My Work (above)
Type: Black and red ballpoint pen on paper, copper
wire
Dimensions: 10 x 11 cm
My Work (above)
Type: Black and red ballpoint pen on wrapping paper
with newspaper print
Dimensions: 12 x 12.5 cm
The two drawings to the left were part of
my exploration of mixed media and
drawing upon different surfaces. The trial
further left utilises copper wire glued on
top of a drawing of a raven’s head,
strangling it. The textural differences and
tonal differences made for an interesting
composition. The other trial similarly
depicts a bird’s head, drawn on a surface
of wrapping paper with newspaper print
however. I thought about creating a series
of paintings of drawings on book pages,
encyclopaedias with content relating to my
theme. However, I did not particularly like
the effect of this trial since the subject is
overpowered by the background
newspaper print. Hence, I decided not to
extend that process concept.
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My Work (left)
Type: Willow charcoal and acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 51 x 43 cm
In stark contrast to my charcoal drawing above, this charcoal
and acrylic painting is brighter in both tone and atmosphere.
However, the piercing stare of the owl still retains the same
sickly darkness as the eyes of the owl in the charcoal
drawing. A willow charcoal sketch of the owl’s head served as
the underdrawing; the charcoal blurring in with the acrylic at
times. In contrast with my tighter, more controlled ballpoint
pen drawings, this more gestural and abstract observational
painting was challenging to complete both technically and
stylistically. I appreciated how experimenting with a new
style forced me out of my comfort zones though.
My Work (left)
Type: Willow charcoal on paper
Dimensions: 20 x 24 cm
I set myself this charcoal drawing to do as an exercise so that I
would be better at balancing out the elements of a composition. At
times, I find that my art is too cluttered; there are too many
subjects, leading to an almost overwhelming effect. In this drawing,
I sought to select the most salient parts of the head of an owl (the
eyes and beak) and to render them in a bold, minimalistic way.
Specific parts are smudged by finger and other parts outlined by
thick, black lines. This was my first time drawing with willow
charcoal and the sticks of charcoal harder to control compared to
charcoal pencil. However, I liked how this forced me to draw in a
more loose, gestural style. The effect is rather darkly macabre,
especially with the eyes of the owl. I forgo drawing in the pupils and
instead, leave the centre of the eyes void of colour. The end effect is
reminiscent of the hollowed out crevices of a bird’s skull. Perhaps
later on in the course I will experiment with drawing bird skulls and
merge them with other dissonant living things (such as human heads
or living bird heads) to recreate this same haunting feeling.
OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES OF BIRDS: CONTINUED & WIRE SCULPTUREEXPERIMENTING WITH WIRE SCULPTURE
WIRE SCULPTURE PLANS (left)This marks my first foray into experimenting with a
three-dimensional art form: wire sculpture. In these
trials, I seek to merge a series of birds in flight
together. On a personal level, I meant for this
project to be a message about my life as a student
nearing the end of high school and the pressures of
work. As the work piles and is heaped onto me and
time shrinks the birds (symbol for myself) start to
burnout. As the birds increase in size (and age), they
start to merge with each other, their wings in a
tangled mess to symbolize literal chaos. I think that
copper wire will be a good choice of wire to use. The
reason is two-fold: firstly, copper is easily bent and
secondly, the reddish-gold glints of the wire parallel
those of dying flames, a literal ‘burnout’.
TOMOHIRO INABA
Title:星たちの逃げた夜 (2014) roughly translated into
The Night the Stars Ran Away
Artist: Tomohiro Inaba
Type: Iron sculpture
Dimensions: 19 x 19 x 17 m
Image retrieved from: http://www.tomohiro-inaba.com/
BURNING TRIALS (below)
The Night the Stars Ran Away by
Japanese wire sculptor Inaba
features one of Inaba's recurring
motifs: a fawn. The fawn has its
back arched upwards, the dispersed
tangles of wire sprouting out from
the middle half of its back. Initially,
I thought that I could recreate this
disintegrating wire effect to
represent the chaotic disarray of
mind. But ultimately, I did not think
that it would be a feasible option to
use this method for my sculpture as
specialised tools were needed to
meld the iron together. I thought to
wrap some material around the
wires and then burn it.
To test out my idea of wrapping material around the wire sculpture and
then burning it to yield a decaying effect, I did a test trial with an old
wire sculpture. Black trash bags were wrapped around it and a lighter
was used burn to the plastic (above left). Several problems I
encountered were trying to control the flame so it would not burn away
the plastic and preventing the wind from blowing out the flames.
However, the textural and color contrast between the copper wire and
the black trash bags conveyed the idea of disintegration appropriately
(final product above right).
Abstract technique: Dripping an
unusual color scheme mix of
diluted purple, black and white
paint down the canvas to create
abstract line patterns. Closeup of background line patterns
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EXPERIMENTING WITH WIRE SCULPTURE: CONTINUEDSCULPTING PROCESS (below) BURNING PROCESS (below)FINISHED PRODUCT (below) FINISHED PRODUCT (below)
Running the lighter up and down the plastic to make it burn and cling on
tautly to the wire bird sculpture. Safety precautions were taken to ensure
that my fingers were not burnt by the flame.
Wrapping black plastic trash bags around the bird. I had to ensure that
the pieces were wrapped tightly so that they would not fall apart.
Wings: Tightening the wire to form a loop for the wing and to strengthen the outer
frame using pliers. Finished wing shown above to the right.
Attaching the wing to the body by looping wire through the holes and tightening with pliers.
Side view of finished wire sculpture bird, wings arching
outwards and neck extended.
Aerial view of finished wire sculpture bird
Finished body of the bird with beak attached.
Overall, I liked this scorched effect the best, the burnt plastic shrunken
and molded around the copper wire
Closeup photographs of the beaks of the birds. Wire was
coiled tightly around a base to form a conical shape for
the beak. The head of the bird itself was made by
looping wire to form a spherical shape. The beak was
then attached to the head.
End product: the plastic is hardened and stretched tight
around the body.
Unfortunately, when I hung the plastic wrapped wire sculpture birds up, I felt that the
burnt plastic obscured a lot of the wire detail. Moreover, the effect was hardly
realistic. Hence, I decided to take off the burnt plastic and photograph the sculpture.
Initially, I thought of using this wire sculpture as one of my studio works. However, I
was not pleased with the aesthetic effect and decided instead to include this process
and finished work as part of my trials with a three-dimensional art form. However, I
still felt that using the copper wire was also a suitable choice as it resembled the
curling flames of a fire. Overall, I felt that this was a challenging and intriguing
experience. Perhaps I could experiment with different types of sculpture later in the
course (e.g. paper sculpture).
Type: Wire sculpture
Dimensions: 20 x 15 x 45 cm (length, width, height)
Light
Source
Smaller
(younger) bird
flying free
and unbound
Larger (older) birds
hopelessly entangled and
fused with each other in
chaos, hurtling to the
ground, about to crash and
burn.
Clear fishing twine
which would not show
on camera used to
hang the sculpture
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Color scheme: Monochromatic color scheme of burnt umber, burnt sienna,
black and white to serve as contrast against the black background
CHARLOTTE CARON French contemporary painter Charlotte Caron was one of the
first artists I came across who deals with the theme of man
versus nature by transposing animal heads onto the faces of
human beings. What set her art apart from other artists I
investigated was her peculiar use of multimedia. Caron’s
utilisation of photography and acrylic painting (Olda, n.d.) was
unique and I felt that the mating of these two dissonant
mediums felt similar with what I was attempting to convey in my
own art. Corbeau depicts a realistically rendered animal head
that is painted on but then trails and drips away as Caron’s
brushstrokes get increasingly gestural. I felt that this expressed
the wildness of the inherent nature of humankind well: we
appear to be contained on the outside but are animalistic and
desperate on the inside. Though Caron appears to humanise
animals in her art (the busts are in typical portrait positions that
exhibit the profile, face etc.) (Kenoyer, 2012), I instead wish to
show the animalistic nature of humankind.
Much like how Charlotte Caron managed to find a way to express
the humanistic nature of animals in her art, I wanted to do the
same to show the animalistic nature of humankind in my art.
Hence, the conception of my idea to depict the ‘fight’ or ‘flight’
nature of humankind through various monochromatic oil
paintings.
Title: Corbeau/Raven
Artist: Charlotte Caron
Type: Acrylic and photography
Image retrieved from: http://trendland.com/charlotte-carons-painted-portraits/
My Work (above)
Type: Ballpoint pen and acrylic on paper
Dimensions: 20 x 22.5 cm
This mixed media trial was one of the most enjoyable to
do due to the freedom I allowed myself when splashing
thin acrylic washes onto the paper to replicate the
effect of decay. The wash was created with a mix of
yellow ochre, burnt umber and green and applied in
diluted layers. The ballpoint pen drawing was similarly
interesting to do as I wanted to convey the effect of
fading away by allowing the pen lines to trail away at
the ends of the girl’s head. The parts of the human skull
that appear to blend into her face serve to emphasise
the concept of ‘flight’ (defeatism and decay) that I
wanted to explore in my next oil painting.
My Work (above)
Title: ‘flight’
Dimensions: 35.5 x 45 cm
Type: Oil on canvas
The painting indicates a merging between the living human
and an inanimate skull and is representative of the ‘flight’
concept; to resort to defeatism. The head lies suspended in
the middle of the painting, disembodied from its original
body, suggesting a lost soul. I felt that the aesthetic effect
of this portrait was better than my previous
anthropomorphic painting due to some changes in painting
technique and processes that I adopted.
Refining technique and process: I layered short, flat and
thick brushstrokes of oil paint upon each other. It was a
lengthier process compared to the ‘fight’ painting but this
achieved a better, more realistic effect since the tonal
differences of the face are clearly distinguishable. Multiple
layers of paint were used in this painting compared to the
single layer in ‘fight’, thus allowing the colors to build up on
the each other naturally. Less turpentine was used to dilute
the paint, giving it more consistency and allowing me to
work with thicker, more vibrant layers of paint. Also, this
ensured that the paint did not blend excessively like in
‘fight’. A close-up detail of the lower face is shown to the
left, showing the multiple layers of paint used to build up
the composition.
My Work (left)
Type: White colour pencil on black pastel paper
Dimensions: 21 x 29.7 cm
This observational study of the skull of a bird
sharpened my drawing skills immensely. The pencil
and thumb method was used to gauge the
proportions of the skull properly from a reference
photograph. I felt the colour contrast between the
white skull bones and the shadows of the crevices
of the skull made for a dramatic, macabre effect.
This trial was completed in order to familiarise
myself with the anatomy of a bird’s skull before I
moved on to more abstract oil paintings. However,
the monochromatic colour scheme will be
maintained due to its sharp, clean aesthetic appeal
and the balance it creates. This observational study
provided the basis for the painting portraying ‘fight’
which merges the skull of a bird and the body of a
human.
My Work (above)
Title: ‘fight’
Type: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 40 x 50 cm
‘fight’ depicts the anthropomorphic skull of a bird
merged with the body of a human and is
representative of the decision to give in to the
animalistic urge to fight on for a freedom of sorts
without the hesitations associated with human worry &
thinking. Nonrepresentational white brush strokes of
paint were added, going outside of the lines confining
the subject and providing a more abstract feel to the
painting. I also liked the stark color contrast between
the flat, black background and the much lighter shades
of the subject. This contributed to its ghostly
atmosphere. However, working with a monochromatic
color palette was hard for me to do as I had to
constantly alter parts to balance a painting with such a
limited colour palette of burnt sienna & white. I felt
that I overmixed the sienna with white, causing the
features of the head to turn out indistinguishable.
Another qualm was that merging was not explicitly or
clearly depicted enough.
Close-up detail of lower face (above)
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My Work
Type: Photography taken with iPhone
These photographs of urbanized areas in China
were taken with my iPhone for a sense of
intimacy, serving as inspiration for my
investigation of the strained relationship between
the built environment and mankind. Amongst them
are aerial views of peeling, old flats, graffiti on
walls, construction sites. These photographs
served purely as references for my paintings. As
such, I did not deeply consider the technical
elements of photography as this is not one of my
main art forms.
This art piece depicts the collision between man, nature and the built environment. I
wanted to explore the precarious situation of the built environment with this particular
mixed media piece, hence, the surrealistic scene of vines merged with the human eye,
hurling buildings into the air. Nature is literally retaliating against the built environment.
The eye, symbolic of mankind, serves as the focal point of the composition, looking on
calmly and larger-than-life in the midst of all the turmoil. Mankind is the catalyst of this
turmoil: deforestation, demolition happens at the hands of us. Most significant is the
colour contrast between the bright buildings and the monotone eye, vines and
background; the buildings are pops of colour that are short-lived.
REFLECTIONAlthough this concept was intriguing to explore, I feel that I will not continue with this
idea of the relationship between man, nature and the built environment. Mainly, I feel
that there is more scope to explore with examining irony, ambiguity and duality through
merging living organisms together than this concept (which is admittedly more cliched).
My Work (below)
Type: Black ballpoint pen, marker pen and watercolour on watercolour paper
Dimensions: 30 x 25 cm
Though this drawing of mine did not necessarily combine two living things, it was consistent with my concept of depicting the strained relationship
between mankind and urbanization. The purposefully oversized human hand is enmeshed in a tangle of telephone wires from which it is helpless to
extricate itself from; the relationship between mankind and the built environment is a toxic, symbiotic one. We build, tear down our creations
(seemingly dominant as symbolized by the unrealistically large hand) but are secretly dependent on them for shelter, as a means of communication
(symbolized with the telephone poles) and so on. Hence, the fragile and peculiar powerplay of elements in this art piece. Pastel colours were used to
suit the surrealistic, dreamy atmosphere of the piece. While I liked the tonal values of the hand (the purplish green veins protruding) I felt that the
positioning of the fingers came off as unnatural. Thus, I might have to do some extra observational studies of hands later in the course. The
watercolour technique of
My Work (left)
Type: Black ballpoint pen on paper
Dimensions: 17.5 x 11 cm
CONCEPT
Although this screen of my Process Portfolio is breaks away
from my usual subject matter by exploring the concept of
mankind versus the built environment, it remains consistent
with my intentions of merging disparate parts of living
organisms together. This time, man with plant matter. The
fantastical and dreamy atmosphere consistent in all my
work remains though, as I examine the fraught inner
workings of the relationship of man and the built
environment, with nature caught in between.
Crosshatching (1-4): Mainly used to build up tonal
layers for the tree bark.
Scumbling (5-8): I found this technique appropriate
for the section of tree vine as it allowed for a
realistic tangled effect for the vine strands.
Tonal values
My Work (above)
Type: Black ballpoint pen on paper
Dimensions: 13 x 14 cm
‘blooming’ was utilized; applying stroke upon
stroke of wet paint onto each other to make
them bleed into each other. The result is lovely
and whimsical
My Work (above)
Type: Watercolour and marker pen on
watercolour paper
Dimensions: 30 x 22 cm
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT (below)
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My Work (left)
Type: Black ballpoint pen on paper
Dimensions: 9.5 x 20 cm
This piece was done in the vein of Restu Ratnaningtyas’ pop surrealist art style. A graphic novel style
girl is merged with fish tails, her body dripping away. This sketch draws on the double meanings
behind the phrase/word ‘fishtails’/’fish tails’ which could either indicate the actual, feathery tails of a
fish or the popular hairstyle. The ‘fish tails’ are shown as stylistic drawings above the cartoon-like
girl’s head, dripping to suggest the quality of water. I wanted to convey the ironic complexities of life
in this drawing and to suggest that things are not as they originally seem. The curved lines of the
organically shaped fish tails are the focal point of this composition in my opinion.
My Work (above)
Type: Watercolour on paper
Dimensions: 14 x 21 cm
Title: Our eyes will sink in lies (2010)
Artist: Restu Ratnaningtyas
Type: Watercolour on paper
Image retrieved from: catalogue titled ‘Hotwave #1’
INVESTIGATION INTO POP SURREALISM
Pop surrealism is defined by its ‘abstract imagery and dreamy cartoon characters’ (Kordic, n.d.) and uses ‘humor and sarcasm
as its strongest tools’ (Kordic, n.d.) to criticize and mock ‘conventional matters of any kind.’ (Kordic, n.d.)
An artist who prompted me to experiment with pop surrealism was Indonesian artist Restu Ratnaningtyas, whom I had to the
pleasure of interviewing during an art camp in 11th grade. Her hybrid creatures fuse together cartoon cutesiness and current
issues such as consumerism and the destruction of the natural elements such as animals. What struck a chord with me
though was her portrayal of these grave issues through small scale, seemingly insignificant paintings in order to strike a
‘balance in the everyday lives of people’ (Ratnaningtyas, 2016). My reproduction of her watercolour painting (top left) thus
illustrates this very sentiment of the insignificant and the undermined being representative of bigger matters. This felt
heartening to me as I wanted to work on a small scale due to my choice of ballpoint pen drawings.
EXPERIMENTING WITH MIXED MEDIAMy Work (left)
Type: Black ballpoint pen and oil paint on paper
Dimensions: 11 x 17.5 cm
Though this drawing of mine did not necessarily combine two living things
(instead a used glass like shards to form the contours and interior of a
human eye), this was an important trial due to the mixed media involved.
The red, blood-like flecks of oil paint was a startlingly contrast against the
monotonous grey-scale tones of the eye, evoking a haunting effect.
My Work (right)
Type: Colour pencil on pastel paper
Dimensions: 21 x 30 cm
Again, this art piece attempted to emulate the style of the Pop
Surrealists. It depicts the merging of a garden setting with the eyes
of a rabbit. The toxic red eyes of the rabbit act as dewdrops,
clinging onto the blades of grass. ‘Red eye is a relatively common
condition which causes swelling or irritation in the rabbit's eye’
(petMD, LLC., n.d.), an illness I found out about firsthand when my
pet rabbit suffered from it. The merging is therefore darkly ironic:
the rabbit is now merged with its food through its eyes, the grass,
and has literally gotten ‘sick’ from it. This is a subversion of the
predator-prey relationship which I found fascinating. I intend to
complete more art pieces and perhaps some studio works following
this concept: merging prey and predator together to both weaken
the predator and strengthen the prey. Simultaneously, I wish to
convey that all subjects in the living environment are all
interconnected with each, harmonizing peculiarly together.
Prismacolor color pencils were used, their soft consistency allowed
the colors to blend together easily.
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OIL PAINTING STUDIES: adapting ballpoint pen drawing to oil painting
My Work (right)
Type: Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions: 25 x 25.5 cm
Reviewing and refining ideas: For the oil painting adaption of the
ballpoint pen drawing, I made several significant changes to the
composition so as to balance out the elements of the painting. Most
prominent is the removal of the cat’s eyes to project a sense of
whimsy and irony, considering the many eyes that are attached to
its body. Also eliminated was the mouth and the fish sprouting out
of the head of the cat as I felt that this creating an unwanted,
abrupt disruption to the flow of the composition. the color scheme
of this composition worked well; the contrast between the
complementary colors of yellow and purple resulted in a highly
vibrant, saturated and fantastical look. Also aesthetically pleasing
to the eye is the fluffy sky blue background framing the cat; the
negative space balancing out the complex composition of the cat. A
second, dry brush was used to blend the fur, creating a soft,
synthetically textured effect.
My Work (left)
Type: Ballpoint pen on paper
Dimensions: 12 x 18.5 cm
I utilised the classic Surrealist technique of displacement in this drawing: with the fish,
human eyes displaced from their original environments and attached to a cat. It depicts
the prey and predator relationship in a food chain. More than anything, this drawing was
supposed to be an amusing & ironic illustration of the fish being attached to their mortal
enemy, the cat. Several stray eyes, fingers linger around. This composition also partially
ponders the ironic wordplay of the name ‘catfish’ given to a particular group of fish. It is
a continuation and extension of the concept of irony portrayed in my previous ballpoint
drawing revolving around ‘fishtails’. Ironically, the appearance of the cat (and its glasses
as a marker of its intelligence) parallels that of the cunning Cheshire Cat from Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland. This gives rise to other concepts to explore in my Exhibition
pieces such as a series on this novel (a fantastical amalgamation of Alice and the
Jabberwocky would be darkly amusing).
My Work (above)
Type: Ballpoint pen on paper
Dimensions: 9.5 x 18 cm
This concept was one I thought of as I was messing around with
drawing the strands of hair on the girl and the hair grew into the
finely feathered wings of a bird, hence merging girl and bird
together. To me, the simultaneous juxtaposition between man and
animal and their commonalities of sweetness and warmth seemed
like a good subject to explore since it is a breath of fresh air
compared to my darker paintings of bird & human skulls. The soft
curved lines of both the bird’s wings and the girl’s hair harmonize
with each other, evoking a gentle sense of freedom and flight.
My Work (above)
Type: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 25 x 35 cm
In contrast with my previous paintings, this oil painting had warmer, more
whimsical connotations related to the idea of flight & freedom in birds and
humans alike. Both the reddish skin tone of the girl and her hair emulated a
sense of warmth associated with autumn, a symbol of being in transition and
freedom of decision. I felt that with this painting I started to grow more into
my own style: fantastical colour scheme choices, pop surrealistic, cartoon-like
style of the subject painted etc. Though merging the bird with the head of the
girl seemed like an odd choice at first, the blend of the colours and the sense
of vitality shared by both were instrumental in negating this. I used a 1:1
ratio of linseed oil and turpentine as solvents so that the paint would be
thicker and would blend better. Warm, vibrant colours symbolic of the season
of autumn were used.
Naples Yellow
Base fur color: 2 portions
Naples Yellow and 1 portion
Light Ultramarine
Base fish and eye color: 1 portion
Violet, 1 portion Permanent Magenta, ½
portion Titanium White
Background hues (left to right from
dark to light): Ultramarine mixed with
increasing portions of Titanium WhiteCOLOR SCHEME
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MIXED MEDIA STUDIESLAUREN MARX ARTHUR RACKHAM
ARTIST REFERENCESTwo artists who inspired the alteration of my art style and my experimentation with mixed media were
contemporary artist Lauren Marx and book illustrator Arthur Rackham. Though separated by centuries,
similarities can be drawn between their intricate, delicate art styles. Marx has stated that her ‘work
definitely plays upon the newly romanticized view of nature as…pure, beautiful, and distant’ and explores
the ‘symbolic side of nature and animals’ (Kazoo, 2016). In turn, Rackham’s illustrations for children’s book
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are rich representations of fantastical subjects on a realistic plane of art
style. The artists follow similar art processes: initial underdrawings of either ballpoint pen or ink (the distinct
and crisp) followed by multiple thin layers of watercolor to buildup a dreamy, surreal effect. This process is
one I emulated in further trials and explorations, utilizing ballpoint pen underdrawings and watercolor.
My Work (above)
Type: Black ballpoint pen and watercolour on paper
Dimensions: 17 x 3 cm
My Work (left)
Type: Black ballpoint pen and watercolour on
paper
Dimensions: 6 x 6 cm
This mixed media trial illustrates the dissonant
merging of a human eye and plaits of human
hair. Due to the distinct red watercolour
outlining, the effect is rather stylized. Instead
of applying watercolour washes over the entire
drawing in the style of Marx and Rackham, I
merely chose to outline the eye and apply a
light wash to the iris. In this way, the gradients
and values of the ballpoint pen underdrawing
still remain but are enhanced by subtle hints of
red watercolour.
My Work (left)
Type: Black and red ballpoint pen, marker pen
on paper
Dimensions: 6 x 6 cm
The ballpoint pen drawing to the left is
outlined with a fine-tipped marker pen,
depicting a jumble of ladybugs crawling on top
of each other.
The next stage of my process portfolio follows
my exploration of the amalgamation of
insects with human parts. These trials will be
rendered in the vein of Marx’s and Rackham’s
mixed media, illustration-like art styles.
Title: The Red Berries
Artist: Lauren Marx
Type: Ballpoint pen and ink
Image retrieved from:
http://www.ufunk.net/en/artistes/lauren-marx/
Illustration from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Illustrator: Arthur Rackham
Type: Pen, ink and watercolour on paper
Image retrieved from:
http://www.peterharrington.co.uk/blog/the-golden-age-
of-illustration-arthur-rackham/
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My Work (above)
Type: Mixed media; black ballpoint pen, watercolor, papercutting on hard press watercolor paper
Dimensions: 15.5 x 21 cm
The conception of this idea partially arose from exploring the relationship between prey and predator that was
previously depicted in a ballpoint sketch and oil painting of a cat merged together with its prey, fish. In this trial, the
wasp’s wings trail away and sharpen into human fingernails. I drew upon the human perception that we are at the
head of the food chain and the nonchalance we have as we swat insects and pests alike away. It is then ironic in this
drawing as human fingers are reduced to form the wings of an insect. There is also a double irony due to the
hazardous nature of wasps and their stings. Hard press watercolor paper was used as its smooth texture allowed me
to render the ballpoint pen underdrawing with ease, allowing the individual tones to show up with ease. I utilized an
X-Acto knife for the paper cutting and liked how the organically shaped cut-out leaf patterns of the paper cutting
harmonize with the curved lines of the wasp.
However, I was unsatisfied with the way the fingernails were painted on as they were not realistic or fully fleshed out
sufficiently. Hence, I completed a separate, observational painting of a girl covering her mouth with a hand, knuckles
bent and her fingernails exhibited clearly. Instead of merely painting on one layer of paint as I did before, I painted
on a first layer of light flesh-colored paint and then a second layer of darker paint at the edges of the nails. The effect
is more realistic. I felt that this practice improved my watercolor painting skills.
Progression from process portfolio to studio
work:
My Work (above)
Type: Mixed media ; black ballpoint pen, watercolor on paper
Ultimately, I incorporated elements from both trials in one of my studio pieces. A snapshot of
part of its detail in shown above. The wasp wings merged with human fingernails act almost as
a frame for the individual bee itself. As shown, only a subtle ochre and yellow watercolor wash
is applied to parts of the bee. Then body of the bee itself is left unpainted as are the wasp
wings and the fingers merged together with the bee wings. This was a change from my original
trial as I wanted the fine details of the ballpoint pen underdrawing to shine through more. In
addition, a thin sheet of sketchbook paper was utilized for this studio piece instead of hard
press watercolor paper. Hence, it was more pragmatic to only apply a hints of watercolor
painting to the drawing as the paper would not hold the weight of the water and would start to
furl in on itself.
My Work (above)
Type: Black ballpoint pen on paper
Dimensions: 16 x 22 cm
This trial depicts wasp wings merged with human fingernails, entangled together with each other in an inescapable mess to convey chaos.
My Work (above)
Type: Watercolor on watercolor paper
Dimensions: 13 x 18 cm
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PAPER SCULPTURE
EXHIBITION CONCEPT
Ultimately, I felt that my experimentations with paper sculpture were more technically and conceptuallysuccessful compared to my wire sculpture trials. The intricate, small-scale nature of my paper sculpture trialswas consistent with the general style of my art pieces. Hence, I feel that I could extend on my paper sculpturetrials and create a paper sculpture installation for the Exhibition. For example, I could produce large-scaleversions of the jellyfish-flowers for the viewers to interact with. They would be able to move their way througha maze-like installation, entrapped within a fantastical realm where the lines between land and sea areblurred. However, if I had to consider the feasibility of this plan, I would say that finding the materials (at leastA1 sized hard press watercolor paper) and the time to create such a large-scale installation would beimplausible. Hence, I think creating multiple, small-sized replicas of the jellyfish would be a wiser choice. Thishas its advantages too: the viewers would feel as though they were walking through a miniature fantasygarden or Lilliput (a fictional island from the novel Gulliver’s Travels populated by tiny people), henceenhancing the surrealistic atmosphere of the installation.
ELSA MORA
CONCEPTThe main goal of my paper sculpture trials was to explore the dichotomous
relationship between land and water. In these trials, the jellyfish finds itself
ironically displaced from its natural water environment: it instead finds itself as the
head of a flower. This idea arose when I was browsing through a National
Geographic magazine section on ocean creatures and observed with wry amusement
that the organic curved lines and form of the jellyfish were similar to that of a
flower head. Hence, using an X-Acto knife and white watercolour paper, I sought to
make a miniature garden of ‘jellyfish flowers’. The result is quaint and ethereal, a
fantasy garden where creatures of the land and sea coexist in peculiar harmony.
This delicate melding of disparate elements from the natural world parallels Mora’s,
as does the pure and simplistic use of white paper for the sculpture.
SELECTION OF MATERIALSI initially used white printing paper for the sculpture but discovered it
was too flimsy. I then tried out a thicker type of cartridge paper which
worked reasonably well. However, it would not bend or curve properly. I
finally settled on Arches hard press watercolor paper (the same type of
paper I use for my drawings) since it would curve well, was reasonably
thick but yet, easy enough to cut.
Wrapped the ends of the edges around a pencil to curve them
Light
Source
Light
Source
Light
Source
Light
Source
Light
SourceLight
Source
JELLYFISH
LEAVES
GRASS (below)
Title: Hand
Artist: Elsa Mora
Type: Paper sculpture
Image retrieved from:
http://elsita.typepad.com/elsita/papercuts-by-elsa-mora.html
I was initially drawn to Cuban-born mixed media artist Elsa
Mora’s paper art, specifically, her delicate works of paper
sculpture. Mora considers paper as an ‘expressive medium’
(Mora, 2012) and her work draws on her personal experiences
and emotional ‘growth, transformation and change’ (Mora,
2012). Hand (above) depicts the intimate mutation and hybridity
of a human hand with elements of the natural world like insects
and flowers. Startlingly, Mora’s concept (the merging of
dissonant elements) and her intricate small-scale art style were
similar to mine. Hence, I take inspiration from the style of her
whimsical paper sculpture works in this portion of the process
portfolio where I explore the dichotomy between land and
water.
Design template for jellyfish
Using an X-Acto knife to cut out the paper sculpture design
PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN AT DIFFERENT ANGLES (above)
First paper sculpture design for grass: realistic in style
A lamp with yellow light was used as a light source when photographs of the paper sculpture were taken from different angles. Yellow light
was chosen due to the warmth it emanated; it cast a aesthetically attractive creamy glow that complemented the white of the paper sculpture
My Work (above)
Type: Paper sculpture
Dimensions: 17 x 14 x 20 cm (length, width, height)
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CHINESE PHILOSOPHY: DUALITY阴阳
Artist: Wu Guanzhong
Title: 《屋楼》translated roughly into Buildings
Type: Chinese painting on rice paper
Image retrieved from: http://sinotime.lofter.com/post/1d2699d2_6a58f92
My Work (above)
Type: Black ballpoint pen and Chinese painting on
rice paper
Dimensions: 38 x 38 cm
WU GUANZHONG
Contemporary Chinese painter Wu Guanzhong was a main influence on my art as Iattempted to develop a style that fused together traditional Chinese painting and themore modern ballpoint pen drawing. Wu’s《屋楼》combines Western tradition in itsabstract depiction of a man-made environment of buildings (clashing with Chinesetradition to showcase the divinity of nature) and Chinese painting techniques. Wu’sintriguing color scheme choices, pastel reddish pinks and yellows alongside dull grey,were main influences on the color scheme of my representation of yin & yang.
Types of brushes used (from left to right): wolf, sheep, rabbit
My Work (below)
Type: Black ballpoint pen on paper
Dimensions: 20 x 20 cm
The juxtaposition of curved geometric shapes with the organic forms of the koi fish make
for an interesting composition. The koi fish is a symbol of prosperity in Chinese culture
(Carty, n.d.). I noticed that the curved lines of the koi fish resembled the yin and yang
symbol in Chinese philosophy and wanted to build on this idea in my exploration of
Chinese painting.
Technique practice: To create a gradient of two colours, I first loaded the brush with base paint and then loaded on a
second layer of blue paint on the tip of the brush. A spare sheet of rice paper was used to apply brush strokes until
the final, desired colour and effect was reached. Only then did I paint on the ballpoint pen underdrawing.
Technical difficulties: The paint spread out more uncontrollably due to the nature of the rice paper and the watery
consistency of the Chinese paint. This was a problem I initially attempted to counter but eventually, decided that the
way in which the faded paint leaked outside of the lines made for an interesting composition.
Ballpoint pen underdrawing of koi fish
Closeup detail of painted red fin
Ballpoint pen underdrawing of yin/yang symbols in nature
Practicing dry brush technique
Practicing line painting
Comparing and experimenting with color schemes
This mixed media exploration plays on the Chinese philosophical concept of yin (dark) and yang (light). The koi fish to the
left depicts a merging of a koi fish with decaying tree bark, dead leaves disintegrating away and worms wound around it.
This yin side is contrasted with its yang, the fish to the right merged with tree bark overflowing with bounty, vibrant
leaves and butterflies. The colour contrast between the reddish pink fish and the dark greyish-blue hues of the other fish
emulate Wu’s unique, clashing colour scheme choices. The rice paper used was already framed and mounted into a circular
shape, allowing the fish to model its curved edges closely and to create a flow greatly resembling the traditional yin/yang
symbol. The result is a harmonisation of various elements, creating a serene balance in line with Chinese philosophical
concepts. On a deeper level, it also portrays the merging of land and water which is a continuation of the concept of my
paper sculpture trials. Now the relationship is inverted, it is the trees which are displaced from their natural environment.
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CHINESE MYTHOLOGY: CHOUYU
My Work (above)
Type: Black ballpoint pen and Chinese painting on rice paper
Dimensions: 38 x 38 cm
This painting represents my personal take on the Chinese mythological creature of the
Chouyu. In comparison with the previous Chinese painting drawing on the symbolism
of yin and yang, the technique used for this painting was rather different. Instead of
merely applying subtle hints of color to portions of the creature, I applied washes of
Chinese paint over the entirety of the creature, akin to Western artists I examined
previously such as Arthur Rackham. Lighter washes were applied first, followed by
darker outlines for specific parts. A sheep hair brush was chosen as its texture allowed
for softer, fuller-bodied strokes. The analogous color scheme of brown, sienna and
ochre chosen resulted in a soothing effect; its monotony balanced out by the vibrant
splash of blue applied to the tail.
COLOR SCHEME AND BRUSHSTROKE PRACTICE (below) CONCEPTContinuing the concept of injecting
traditional Chinese cultural and
philosophical elements into my art, I
decided to examine Chinese mythology.
This is my personal take on a Chinese
mythological creature known as Chouyu,
said to have the body of a rabbit, the
eyes and beak of an eagle and the tail of
a snake. A creature of darkness and
ominous foreboding, its presence brings
with it a plague of locusts. (Jennifer,
2015). As it is not a well known creature,
depictions of it in art are rare and I was
only able to find a modern digital art
design of it shown below. I use this as a
reference, along with injecting my own
elements and personal take on its form.
Ballpoint pen underdrawing
Closeup detail of dark blue tail
First layer of paint
COLOR SCHEME REFERENCE (below)
Image retrieved from:
http://p2.zhimg.com/a1/9e/a19e5ed4fc6217a1931a3c0d11a58736
_m.jpg
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ANNE TEN DONKELAARAdobe Illustrator Process (below):DIGITAL ART: BUTTERFLIES AND GEOMETRY
Part of the series Broken Butterflies
Artist: Anne ten Donkelaar
Type: Butterfly missing two wings, reconstructed with threads and
pins
Image retrieved from: http://anneten.nl/works/16-broken-butterflies
Installation artist Anne Ten Donkelaar restores the bodies and wings
of damaged, dead butterflies. Her hybrid creations are constructed
out of ‘fine materials: iron, fabric, yarn, paper, gold leaf…unusual
materials to give a touch of fantasy.’ (Broken Butterflies from Anne
ten Donkelaar, n.d.). The creation that stunned be the most, however,
was her reconstruction of a butterfly’s two missing wings with pins
and threads, resulting in interesting geometrical shapes.
DESIGN CONCEPT:Drawing upon Anne Ten Donkelaar’s construction of butterfly wings from geometrical shapes, I decided to adapt
her creation process through utilizing digital art instead of traditional techniques.
The merging is two-fold: first, one half of the butterfly is composed entirely of triangles, the second half is instead
substituted with a leaf. A stock image of a butterfly was used as a template for constructing the geometrical
triangles composing one half of it. The opacity of this layer was lowered to 50% and on another layer, the line
segment tool was utilised to outline the triangles. This was a rather lengthy process since it was my first time
using Adobe Illustrator. However, I formed a technique of outlining the wing and then constructing large triangles,
dividing them up into smaller triangles with line segments. The effect is akin to fractured glass and the harsh,
straight edges of the lines juxtapose the curved lines of the original butterfly wings. I continue this digital art
exploration by experimenting with colour and merging these geometrical wings with wings formed by leaves.
Using the line segment tool to construct large triangles
Dividing the large triangles into smaller triangles with line segments
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TRIAL ONE: BELOW
For this particular trial, the triangles were individually colored with the fill tool.
To achieve a psychedelic, fantastical feel, variants of pastel colors were chosen.
The saturated geometrical wing is then contrasted in form, line and color with a
dead leaf forming the other half of the butterfly. I used a stock image (right) for
the leaf; a photograph with a pale background was chosen so that the magic
wand tool would be able to select the leaf portion with ease. The leaf was then
transposed onto the other half of the butterfly with the rotate tool. The resulting
composition is one of contrasts: the dead, decaying leaf in direct opposition with
the living vibrancy of the butterfly, the lines of the geometric shapes juxtapose
the delicately curved edges of the leaf and the eclectic mix of colors of the
shapes oppose the dark, monotonous colors of the dead leaf.
Sense of fragility that was present in Anne
PASTEL COLOR SCHEME BASIS:
(below)
TRIAL TWO: BELOW LEFT
In comparison with the first completed digital art trial, this trial is a much darker, sparer one in
terms of form and color. The triangles are left unfilled and the leaf itself is a dark green. The
stock photograph chosen is shown below. The result is a much cleaner, minimalistic one in
comparison with the first trial. In some aspects, I prefer the result of this trial due to its
elegant, stylized nature as well as the way in which the white space of the composition is a
dominant element. Also, since the triangles were unfilled, the straight lines of the triangle
were much more clearly distinguishable as opposed to the ones in the first trial.
DIGITAL ART: BUTTERFLIES AND GEOMETRY CONTINUED
Overall, I felt manipulating images and forms digitally was an
enjoyable experience. This also constituted an extension of my
exploration of ambiguously shaped forms in nature; for example,
the similarity in form of human fingers and insect wings. In this
case, it is the similarity in form and shape of butterfly wings with
leaves. This also marked my shift towards a more minimalistic,
less cluttered and intricate art style.
The only part of the digital art piece I was not satisfied was this portion of the leaf that overlapswith the geometric design. The effect is rather unnatural and awkward. I decided against using theeraser tool to get rid of the overlapping part of the leaf since the effect would be pixelated andjagged.
REFLECTION:
Whilst it has been fascinating and challenging experimenting with digital art and Adobe Illustrator, Ifeel that I do not want to include any digital art pieces in my Exhibition. I feel that my skills with thisart form are not polished enough to create a main Exhibition piece of sufficient quality (there aremany tools I have not had the pleasure of experimenting with yet). However, I think that my digitalart trials (e.g. the geometric butterflies) will act as lovely supporting pieces or decorations for theExhibition. For example, I could have a projection of these geometric butterflies across the walls ofmy Exhibition area, strengthening the effect of whimsy and fantasy of my chosen studio works.
Stock image retrieved from:
http://ancagray.tumblr.com/post/577052
92604/yama-bato2-yama-
bato2013?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma
Stock image retrieved from:
http://miniimalism.tumblr.com/post/151600892003?soc_src
=mail&soc_trk=ma
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