wednesday 5/23 - revised expectations

Despite my hurried efforts, it has become clear over the past few days that I did not have time to complete four pieces in the amount of depth and detail that I planned. Instead, I am only capable of completing 2 whole pieces in the time of senior projects. This is wholly due to my drastic misjudgment of the time required to create what I imagined from scratch, not a lack of effort or persistance.

The threading process continued for most of the day on wednesday. I slowly added more layers, thickened the colors, and experimented with different stringing patterns (you'd be surprised how many different ways you can create the same curve!)

This is how the final mathematics piece looks (better in person):

I periodically took time to pull prints of the coins for the nixon background. After 3 pulls (drying in between), the background was covered using a silver and gold blend. After finishing these prints and cleaning, I added the last major message to the piece. This is the anti-war slogan that I painted over the 60's outer space scene. The letters read "GET THE HELL OUT OF VIETNAM" in sloppy font that is supposed to mimic a hand painted picket sign.

This is how each looks:

the last thing to do is attach borders to the wood!

tuesday 5/21

at school - 8:30 - 3:30
at home - 5:00 - 6:30, 8:30 - 9:30

I got a lot done today. first thing in the morning after arriving at school around 8:30, I finished setting up the math board by hammering 117 nails. This took a very long time due to difficulty properly spacing the nails with the t-square, but in the end they turned out pretty well.

I re-shot the open screen for the green/white blend behind Reagan, and then began shooting the coin pattern in gold and silver. the piece as a whole is finishing up nicely.

Lastly I started threading my designs onto the nails. this is how it looks as of an hour or so ago:

monday 5/20

without access to my car, I could not transport the large boards to school to work, so I decided to work from home today and come in to school tomorrow instead.

I worked at home in the morning. I sprayed 2 layers to the last stencil on the 50's section of the baby crawling away from the atomic bomb.

Next, I created the space background for the 60's section. This took some time due to the number of coats necessary to create the right colors and texture of the planets with spray paint. This is how it looks as of now:

 

After that, I came into school at 1:30 and copied a graphic to represent coins onto transparent acetate. I arranged three of them in line, and shot them onto a screen to go around Reagan's face. I'm planning on re-pulling an open screen for the green and white blend (I am not happy with the way it turned out) and then pull the new screen in a gold and silver blend (streaking in the other direction from the green/white). This will balance the aesthetic organization of the piece as a whole while adding to the representation of "tacky materialism".

 

 

Finally, I sketched my design ideas for the threading of the math piece in order to verify my plans. This is what I am playing with as of now:

 

 

thursday 5/16 AND friday 5/17

forgot to post yesterday.

Thursday: I was on campus with Ms. Blum from 9:45 until 3:30
I finished printing all three color separation of the lips onto the fifties section. I also finished 3 more colors on the 70's splatter (yellow, pink, and light blue)
I also got the black cloth stretched and stapled over the 2' x 2' board for calculus. This required swapping staple guns from mine to Ms. Boswick's (which was working much better) and buying new staples from the hardware store.

Friday: Worked from home. Started around 8 and worked until 12 (went to speak on a college-process panel at school until 2:30) then I worked again from 3 until 5:30.
I re-cut and finished spraying (both layers) of 3 out of 4 stencils (atomic bomb, nixon, and reagan). I still have to spray the crawling baby stencil, although I have already carved both layers. I also created the repetition graphic representing money/coins and sized it to be shot and pulled quickly over the 80's background in GOLD. it will look very tacky 80's, symbolize the shift in focus toward monetary wealth, and by providing a gridded detailed structure on the right end it will balance with the checkers on the far left.

here are a few pictures of recent details:

wednesday 5/15

at school hours: 9am - 3:30pm
(plus purchasing materials for an hour after that and blogging now)

Productive day.

Started with shooting the checker background, then printing it 3 different times to cover the section. the result looks like this:

it created the right look for the background i was intending, although i new it would be way to hectic (given how small the squares are) to add an image to the other half of the squares (the white checkers right now). So I'm leaving the background as it is, and have created a full size graphic of the lips and zipper that I was gonna use for the checker. At the end of the day today I shot those three color separations on a new screen so I'm ready to silkscreen it tomorrow morning.





Somewhere in between that, I gesso'd the 70's section (the white base), then gave it a coat of gloss medium. I began the splattering process for the background, but it takes time because if you let each color dry before splattering the next, the acrylics wont blend where the wet globs meet. I allowed for some of this with the black and red, but waited for complete dry before the blue. Tomorrow I'll be layering pink and yellow and possibly more.

After leaving school I went to "Creative Paints" to get the right nails, and "Fabrix" to get loose black cloth for the calculus piece. It's going to be staple gunned to the board, then I'll add nails and begin stringing designs between them. Plan to be done by the end of the weekend. (Media piece done by friday) 

tuesday 5/14

9am - 4pm

Today was very productive. I got to school and began transferring some print outs to acetate for the screen that Ms. Blum and I also prepared for tomorrow.
Next I drove down to DISCOUNT Builder's Supply at Mission and Duboce. I had a 4' x 8' sheet of 3/4" Poplar wood cut into two 6' x 2' rectangles, and two 2' x 2' squares.

Once I got the wood back to school, and moved up to the art room, I resized the Nixon and Reagan stencils to a smaller size to fit the new wood. Then I cut out both of the stencils with the soldering-iron/xacto-knife in entirety. This took time and precision


late lunch.

After that, I began priming the wood of the history piece with gesso and acrylic. It is white gesso on the far left, blue and black acrylic paint to the right of that. On the far left, I used a paper in the shape of the Reagan stencil to cover the area where the stencil will be on the wood. I then took an open screen (no emulsion) to  pull a blend of green and white ink. I used the rim of the plastic cup holding the green ink to arrange green on the screen before it was pulled at the suggestion of Ms. Blum. The way you arrange your paints on the screen before a blend completely determines the way the colors appear across the print, and where they are solid, streak, blended, etc. This is how the board looked at the end of today, when I cleaned up and left around 3:45

making up for sick time

I spent a lot of time today continuing to learn multiple algorithmic programs for writing, and rendering abstract graphic images. After hours of enhancing my understanding of what is essentially code writing, I came to the realization that this was not really what I'm going for. As cool as it can look, it had little to do with calculus, leaving the mathematical evaluation to a program that simply follows rules about where to put boxes.

The breakthrough was STRING ART

I have completely changed my plan for the Calculus representational piece, and it will work perfectly with my project, in my opinion. Now that I am planning to use wood sheets instead of canvas, I will be able to arrange nails in a simple geometric design on the wood. Then I will use different colors of string to wrap around the nails in different designs in order to create curves and shapes from equations and rules. The results will be hand crafted, rather than a digital image then transferred to reality, and therefore will be much more aesthetically appealing. I am very excited about this development, and already have ideas for how to get it done. I will be talking to Ms. Blum about this idea in person when we next meet on tuesday.

Back to History through Media

I also spent a chunk of time today developing images for the history piece. I have sketches to be be further developed into a checkered acetate color separation for the other half of the background with the  marlboro hammer and sickle. I also began draft sketches for the baby stencil to be used over this background.

And Labyrinths

I began organizing my ideas from this class for the English piece. I also continued my reading on the topic of visual note-taking, useful graphics to utilize, and other tips and tricks for organizing information in this unique format. I've started sketches, but there is much more sketching and 'doodling' to come.

GOALS FOR THIS PAST WEEK / NEXT WEEK: I have met my goals for the week in that I have a rough plan for how each piece is going to look, whether it has been accurately conveyed through my blog or not. Not everything I create and or decide makes it onto this page. I will be CONSTRUCTING this week. I hope to finish 2 pieces by the end of this week of hard work (history through media and one of the other 3).

graphic creation

This was supposed to post yesterday, but did not for some reason. Updated/edited this morning.

Yesterday I started creation on a number of different components. First, I began researching techniques for creating space-scenes with spray paint. Have you ever seen those guys making space posters on the street or at festivals? They use paint, some different sized cylinders, and a newspaper to create a scene with planets/moons/sun in space with a galaxy or nebula and stars and all. My plan is to utilize this technique for the outer-space background I envision for the section of the US history piece in which I'm attempting to portray the social significance of the Space Race and how it relates to other dominant components of the 1960's. After watching multiple video tutorials and doing some reading, I gave it a go. My first attempt came out pretty well! There are certainly things that I need to straighten out, but now I know what I have to do differently so I am very happy with the results. Most of the problems came from the set-up, meaning next time i need to do it in a less windy area, with a flatter or rigid surface underneath, and gloves so that I can use the proper star-method rather than the make-shift method that i resorted to upon realizing I had no gloves. I do not have a picture as of now, and am out of town for the weekend, but will upload one as soon as i return.

Next, I practiced using the stencil burner (heated Xacto blade) on acetate by carving a two-layered stencil of Obama's face. I even got to test the temporary spray adhesive I purchased, keeping the stencil's small pieces flat/pressed to the surface to avoid fuzzy lines. This stencil turned out very well, not perfectly, but well enough that I believe I can perfect Nixon and Reagan for the final piece.
Here is a picture:

After this trial, I scaled the Nixon and Reagan stencils to the proper size for the boards that they are going on. I must admit, the enormous heads of Nixon and Reagan printed across 2 pages each are rather intimidating to me and my family on my living room table...

I also created the graphic for one color separation of the background for the 1950's, which will be silk screened. It is half of the checkerboard-like design described in previous posts. The only difference from before is that the communist hammer and sickle is ON the marlboro packaging, so that the two of them are only half of the checkering. I thought this added another dimension to the statement it is making, by portraying the way in which McCarthyism was almost 'marketed'/'sold' to the public, as well as the way it became an irreversible, never-ending, damaging plague in parallel ways to an addiction to nicotine.
This is the RED portion of the graphic: (one piece of a larger image i have, but you get the idea)

My idea for the empty spaces is to have a finger over a womans lips in reference to both the lack of communication/openness acceptable in 1950's culture regarding anything (almost everything outside of a very narrow/specific stereotype) considered 'taboo'.

Further specifics

I spent the day today (first day back since monday!) brainstorming useful artistic representations/reviewing class content for use in all of the pieces. I also had a meeting with Ms. Blum in which we established a specific schedule of hours to be spent on campus under her supervision. We also spent time discussing my ideas and innovating her artistic sense into my vision. This is helpful in broadening the connections observers will make with the artwork due to a more advanced yet more accessible aesthetic.
Below are additions to the plans discussed in previous posts.

BLUEPRINTS ESTABLISHED TODAY: content plans (subject to adjustment)

I am toying with the idea of using wood sheets coated in smooth primer instead of canvas (suggested by Ms. Blum)

Modern US History Through Media

• 50's

1. marlboro / hammer-sicle reptition: balance between marketing (brand identity and loyalty) and prevalent social fears. repeated in reference to conformity of 'consensus society', "little boxes"
2. foreground smiling baby face: cheesy happy go lucky nature of advertisement, baby boomers, family life

• 60's

1. space scene background: space race
2. antiwar protestest signs: creates a parallel between societies goals (first to moon, and whether or not to remain in Vietnam), while still contrasting the country's united support for dominance with the controversial split in support for the Vietnam war.
3. will be shown to come from the 50's baby somehow in an attempt to demonstrate the baby boomers leading of antiwar protests in the 60's.

• 70's (incomplete vision)

1. pop icons - david bowie, more?
2. Nixon stencil foreground - representing the media event of watergate, more?

• 80's

1. money print background? coins? : symbolizes corporate greed, individual aspiration for wealth above all else. (the transformation of american dream through time)
2. Reagan stencil foreground: perhaps devil horns as well as a halo to portray the polarization of support. Loved him or hated him.

Labyrinths

• all sharpies/highlighters/other note taking utencils? break the rules! (in reference to the "antiplay" that was part of the syllabus) exercise free-will (major topic adressed by each piece of literature).
• explore other major topics and themes (space-time continuum, (sub)consciousness, morality, physics principles, and more) in a non-linear web of "visual notes".
• sketches to come!

Anatomy and Physiology

• painting and collaging (with three dimensional physical objects).
• select these objects with a metaphorical relationship in mind relating to the function or importance of this component of the body to our lives or to Mr. Culley's class.
• examples: wire framing in the shape of my body figure. inked fingerprints on fingertips.

continued preparation

I have been extremely ill for the past few days, and as a result I did not get anything done yesterday. I will make up for this time over the weekend and during evenings.

My goals for monday of next week:

1. To have completed outlines for all 4 pieces, including specific content and type of medium.
2. To have actual image drafts/finals for components (have begun construction of stencils, color separations on acetate, and potentially drafts of algorithmic designs).

This way, I will be able to begin transferring work onto the actual canvases by the beginning of next week.

here are some draft Nixon and Reagan 2 tone stencils that I am working on for components of the History Through Media piece:

 

Real anti-war protest sign quotes, that I intend to use in a stencil for the history piece:
"GET THE HELL OUT"
"Ours is the guilt... but the sorrow is theirs"
"DROP ACID NOT BOMBS"
"DEESCALATE"

first day of planning

Beginning the planning process.
For the first day of preparation, I decided to start by planning and envisioning the 'Calculus' and 'Modern History Through Media' representation pieces. The idea was to develop a more detailed and focused sense of the content, layout/format, and medium/media used for each of the canvases. This said, some aspects are undetermined or vague in order to allow room for alteration and innovation throughout the process as my aesthetic builds and my vision evolves.

Calculus (algorithmic/mathematical art)

First, I downloaded software for rendering algorithmic designs, including: Structure Synth, and Ultra Fractal. These programs are difficult to learn and understand, though with proper knowledge can be utilized to create an incredibly vast array of visual products. I am only beginning to learn the basic structures and manipulations, with much to learn! Here are a few examples of creations that I experimented with today shortly after downloading the software.

I think that I will use differential equations to construct a complex 2 dimensional graphical field for the background. I plan to layer a fractal and/or statement relating to the fundamental goals of calculus or my specific AP class with mrs. Ferrara as the foreground.

Modern US History Through Media (political/pop art)

My initial idea for the layout of this piece is a linear time-line-like progression of ideas as a representation of the development of American society from the 1950's through the 1980's. Besides the obvious reasons that this layout is fitting, I think it also provides a nice contrasting counter-example to the non-linearity of visual note-taking which will be used to represent 'Labyrinths'.

• This is an outline components I would like to represent in each phase of time
• conformity (housing developments), family-life, perceived material necessity, nuclear fear / red scare
• anti-war movement, civil rights protests
• Nixon and watergate
• Raegan, shallow wealth obsession, corporatism

These concepts and events will be represented using popular cultural icons and media examples studied in class. I have ideas of which I will use, but will wait to share until I am more certain.

The primary subject matter will be created using spray paint stenciling, as this resonates with popular culture / media in that it is the most ubiquitous form of "public" political art.

from forensics to murals

Before presenting my project proposal to the Senior Project committee, I chose to change the topic of my senior project from forensic science, to artistic expression. This change was initiated due to potential issues with the previous project idea, as well as a sincere desire to incorporate artwork into a project that serves as a more accurate capstone of my time at Drew. I had a difficult time finding an appropriate internship that would provide me with the required material to answer the essential question. This said, I am not disappointed by this outcome as I am much more content with my new project idea.
By using the artistic skills and aesthetic that I have developed throughout my time at Drew to portray my experience in a number of my favorite classes, I will be able to reflect on this time while simultaneously answering my essential question.

interests

interests:

printmaking - http://www.sfai.edu/printmaking-2
psychology - http://www.childrenshospitaloakland.org/medical_education/psychologyinternships.asp
criminal psychology/criminology - http://www.sonoma.edu/ccjs/intern.shtml
marketing/advertising - Vlad has connection to internships
animal rescue - spca internship