Geometric Shapes Dividing Space

Hey!

Since my last group tutorial, I am focusing on lines that create geometric forms. These geometric forms divides the space around them and they have the ability to create new forms of space.

I was asked to create a few 3-D pieces using the geometric shapes, and here is my porgress so far:

- Materials Used: Paper Straws, Masking Tape.

Controlled, equal-sized lines that combine together to create this geometric form take can change it's shape by moving the straws closer, creating a sense of restriction

  

- Materials Used: Paper Straws, Scotch Tape.

A more busy, complicated geometric form. Overlapping lines create triangular shapes, which also creates a restricted space between all the shapes. Also, each and every angle of the form is different; no two sides of the piece is the same.

The shadows on both of these pieces also shows how they both interact with their space differently.

To take this idea further, I looked at some origami ideas, and I also found out how to create geodesic forms, which are these ball-like structures which are made up of triangles and is very precise in it's measurements. Let's see how it goes!

I will talk to you guys tomorrow, but for now, good night!

Brand New Look To The Blog!

Hello!

Just a quick update to tell you about the changes I have made to the blog! How do you like the new look? I have added a "Tabs" bar which makes it easier to follow me on Twitter, add me on Facebook etc. I have also added a link to the main LSAD website, for people who are reading this blog and want to know more about the college. And finally, I have added a few links to some helpful websites which might be useful to other art students reading this blog!

I have more updates to post later on today, so be sure to check back later!

Bye for now!

The Dark Side To Restricted Space

Hey guys!

Here are some of the pieces I have made yesterday and today, and they are based on the picture of the girl in my last post, however, I decided to make these pieces upside down, because after taking with my tutors this week, they thought that turning it upside down distorts that girl's face, and makes the viewer's eye search for the face, rather than recognising the face straight away.

- Materials Used: Compressed charcoal, White Chalk, White Card Paper and Double Sided Tape on Brown Paper.

- Materials Used: Compressed Charcoal, on white paper.

- Materials Used: Black Watercolour Paint on Brown Paper.








These pieces were also made to challenge myself to work on a much larger scale, rather than the small pieces I am used to making. Micheal Canning suggested that if I stop using the office chair which I found, I can break away from this office-like space, and become more active which working on larger 2-D and 3-D pieces.

I have also finished some 3-D pieces relateing to geometrical shapes that can break up a space create a sense of restriction, which I will post later on this weekend.

Bye for now!

Printmaking Workshop and Studio Work

Hey guys!

Just thought I would share my thoughts on my first Printmaking workshop which I had today. I must say, I cannot wait to start making my own prints next Tuesday evening!

Des showed us pretty much everything we need to know about mono prints and lino prints and how to start making our own prints. I made some lino prints in secondary school with the cheap red handle cutters, but once I get some money in my pocket, I need to invest in a couple of the mushroom handle cutters! I pretty much forgotten that I had a particularly good interest for print. I was thinking it would be interesting make multiple different prints based on this picture of distorted, restricted girl, which I posted in my last post:

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Here are the photos of the other pieces which my tutors suggested I should focus upon, by playing with different forms such as 2-D and 3-D, and manipulating them with different materials:

- Materials Used: Card paper, double-sided tape, and making tape. 

Emerging from a confined space. Will be made again using different scales, to change the impact of the piece.

- Materials Used: Paper straws, masking tape, red Acrylic paint

Experimenting with geometric shapes which will be used to make a larger scale 3-D piece to form a sense of restricted space.

- Studying the shadows created by the wool strings partial confining the doorway alcove. Studying the perspective of shadows . Again, experimenting with the relationship with geometric shapes and restricted space.









Thanks for reading once again guys! I'll talk to you again soon!

Staying Focused and Editing Frequently

Hey guys!

This morning, I had a individual tutorial with three of my group tutors, Grainne, Mairead and Micheal Canning. They came by to talk to me about my current ideas and where they thought I should go next to keep the new ideas flowing. They first noticed that I had a lot of ideas still stuck on my studio wall which I either too literal/representational or no longer relevant to my current thinking process. It made me realise that my wall needs to be edited more frequently.

I found myself constantly leaving pieces on my wall to fill up the space on my wall. I need to keep thinking of ideas which I can replace with other, now irrelevant pieces. My tutors did say my work ethic and the level of ideas that I have is excellent, it's just now I need to stop being so representational, which was very helpful of them to tell me.

Another activity I need to focus on is to stick with a few ideas, and constantly make multiple pieces of an idea, rather than experimenting with an idea and not taking it to it's end. All in all, I must say, that tutorial was very helpful and insightful for myself, and my studio wall!

Here's one of the pieces that my tutors asked me to focus more on:

(There are several other pieces which they wanted me to work more on, but, of course, I forgot to take photos of them! I'll put them up in the next post!)

I also want to focus more on this bird cage I made. I was thinking of making it in a larger scale with rolled up newspaper, which would be capable of withholding a person. And it will be fun to make some other cages by playing with different materials. And even looking further into the shadows it makes.

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Tomorrow is the day I start the Printmaking workshop with Des tomorrow afternoon! I've always had a interest for printing, especially since I had my Work Experience in Limerick Printmaker's in Transition Year. Can't wait to see how it goes!

That's all from me for now!

Talk to you guys soon!

CCS: Researching Michelangelo & Dürer

Hello!

Since I do have my Critical and Contextual Essay due in a few weeks time, I gave some of my time today to think about which essay title I will do for Critical and Contextual Studies, and I have decided to choose essay no.2:

Evaluate the difference between Northern and Italian Renaissance art through an examination of two works each by a different artist, who worked contemporaneously.

I also did a little research on these artists, and so, here's just a little info on these artists and how they both work quite differently to one another:

Michelangelo

Michelangelo is one of my all time favourite artists. He created beautiful sculptures of the male body, which all have a sense of homo-eroticism  His major works have a religious subject matter, such as "The Last Judgement". Michelangelo was most definitely interested in the human form and included ignudi and sybils on the celing of the Sistine Chapel.

Dürer

Albrecht Dürer is a German artist who is famous for his paintings and woodcuts. Since religious imagery was not allowed in churches in Northern Europe, Dürer focused on portriature and landscape. He did not paint God as a man with almighty power and might like Michelangelo did, instead, he painted portraits of himself to show his beauty. He is the first artist who is known to have painted a self-portrait and to have done landscape painting.





Hopefully this essay will turn out well in the end, so far, so good!

That's all for now. I'll be talking to all of you soon! Bye for now!

Mark Making in Confined Spaces

Hey guys!

Thought I would start of this update by wishing all of you a Happy Halloween. I know it's a bit late, but it's better than not hoping you had a nice Halloween at all!

Last night I was trying to think of some new ideas which I can work upon, and after I went through some of the artists in my Contextual Notebook, I watched some of Matthew Barney's videos from his series titled "Drawing Restraint". Since Barney retrains himself in these videos while making marks in the space surrounding him, I thought that I can try mark making in some restricted spaces. It's time to go back to my roots for this particular project: the good old cardboard box.

I plan to get inside the cardboard box and starting drawing on the inner walls of the box, to see what marks are made, and if they look any different to the marks that can be made without sitting in this confined space i.e sitting with a pencil and paper in front of a desk. I love experiments that get myself really immersed in the whole project!

I also began thinking about this idea when I look through some photos I took of my friend, Philip Desmond, working in his studio space which is surrounded by electrical tape. He's investigating the shadows the tape makes in the studio, which is why his space looks so restricted at the moment.

So that is a little something I plan to do when I get back to college next week. Updates will be posted regularly!

Bye for now, and have a great weekend!