new theme: insects

I have finalized a theme for this semester. I am working strictly with insects. The first project is a series of three brooches that show transformation. I have decided to work with a view from nature to examination(scientific). The insect I have chosen is the ant. As small and as insignificant as it may seem, the ant is important to us as humans. it is also tougher than we imagine. The Maricopa Ant is the deadliest insect in the world. With just four stings, it can kill a lab rat. Not only is this ant deadly, but its body is made up of amazing shapes. One brooch is going to show the nature of the ant, where the ant lives. The next brooch will be a detailed ant. This way we can see the make up of the ant. The final brooch will be a play off of an ant farm. That is where the scientific examination comes into play. Also, these brooches can all be playful. I like pieces that the wearer or the viewer can interact with. I hope to make the ant farm most playful. Once the sketches are finalized, I will post images along with sample pin backs.

Collecting..

I have been collecting different artists websites off of lostateminor.com

I LOVE THAT SITE!!!

This is what I came across the other day. It relates to my insect craze!
http://www.lostateminor.com/2010/08/02/flylashes-dead-fly-feet-eyelashes/

the summer of slacking

This summer, I took a rubber mold making class. It was for the month of June. I finished all three required molds and had multiple wax injections of each. Needless to say, that is all the art I have done all summer long. It has bothered me, I will admit that. However, that was not enough to encourage me and inspire me to do more. I guess I have been in a funk.

This past weekend, I ventured to NYC and Philly. I have been to NYC numerous times. As usual, we stayed in the New York Loft Hostel in Brooklyn. I find Brooklyn inspirational. I love the decay of the buildings. I love the spray painted walls. I love the wheat paste murals falling off buildings. I love the fire escapes. I love the dumpsters. I love how everything has layers.

Anyways, while in the city, my friend wanted to do some shopping in SoHo. Since I am broke and forever will be, I had no real interest in shopping. So all weekend, I took photos, over 300, however it still does not seem to be enough. In SoHo, we had passed this shop called The Evolution Store. I looked through the window as we passed by. Her brother had bought gifts from this store before. I saw bones and skulls and needed to go inside. Inside this store were bones, bugs, eyes, wings, creatures in weird bottles filled with blue liquids. I was in awe. I studied everything. I touched as much as i could. They had beetle wings, raccoon penis bones(weird, I know), alligator heads, sharks, etc. IT WAS AMAZING. After seeing all of these weird parts of creatures I felt so happy. I guess I liked the way they broke down the insects mostly. I wanted to see more! Then, I started thinking. The cranks started turning. This could be my theme for the fall semester. Since then, I have been picking at my brain for ideas. I have done some sketches and some research. Hopefully, I can actually use this as my theme. It is the first idea I have thought of and been excited about.

theevolutionstore.com

final piece, first junior studio

Last night, I worked in the studio until about midnight on my final piece. I made the switchblade. The original design was what IS tuck with, however it seemed too bulky. I just did not like the way it looked. I decided I would cut and piece into the copper. It has edges that represent graffiti inspired lines. I then just pierced some circles into the metal. This goes along with the rivets and previous graffiti etches I did earlier in the semester. The knuckles are made out of pine, so I am actually painting them. So far, I had used a black spray paint to cover most of it. I left some wood visible. I have not decided if I will eventually cover i all up or what. I will post a photo when it is complete! Crit is tomorrow at 7:40 am! I've got to print out my papers and finish painting.

other knuckles

flatware

For my final project, I have decided to make a set of wooden knuckles, like brass knuckles. From the knuckles, a switchblade will flip out! I am pretty excited for this. I feel like I chose easy shapes to work with. I only need a few rivets and minimal soldering. So far, I have all of my pieces cut out. The rest is the construction. Once I am completely finished putting the pieces together, I will then paint the knuckles. I am not certain as to what type of design I will paint of them, but it will be urban inspired.


http://12oz.com/

this website has multiple graffiti pages. These artists are from all over.

I really like this color scheme here. The style is nice as well.
http://s567.photobucket.com/albums/ss120/TUFFCITYSTYLES/?action=view¤t=29110_1366646420205_1653013203_9080.jpg

Hopefully, I will come up with a solid graffiti scene for the wooden knuckles!

researchhh

I woke up with an awful cold, so I have been running through websites finding some amazing work. Since my topic is urban culture, I have found a lot of urban artists. Most of them started off practicing typical street graffiti...the illegal kind. Now, they are all commissioned to do work in public spaces.

Here is a video featuring Alex Pardee and David Choe. I came across Pardee a few years ago. Choe I just stumbled upon on Tuesday. Thus far, he has inspired me the most.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDFQg0wPuLk&feature=player_embedded

David Choe: BRILLIANT! His work is beautiful. I love it. I believe last week was the opening of his latest show in L.A. He uses a lot of portraits in his work, however he adds a lot of graffiti inspired lines and images as well.

http://davechoe.blogspot.com/

Here are some of his works. I cannot stop looking at his blog!













Judith Supine is another street artist I found. I've seen his work before, but I never placed a name with it. He does ridiculous collages! Weird green people with multiple heads and other body parts. It makes me laugh. It is all just so bizarre.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/judithsupine/


C215 is another street artist. He has done some commissioned work. He creates these images using stencils and paints. He does all of this on paste paper, then he places the paper on the streets....up on walls, trains, phone booths, etc. http://www.flickr.com/photos/c215?PHPSESSID=4f20ff11d1fa18cf1fac6e8e000818aa

I honestly keep looking at their work. The colors are the best part. For my final piece, I'm making wooden knuckles and attaching a switchblade to them. It is a flatware based project. I wanted to make a spoon, but in the end it really does not portray urban culture at all. Tara suggested I work with the switchblade because it is flatware and it does give off the urban context. So my idea is to add color to the wooden knuckles. I was inspired by the rusty, graffiti doors








Tomorrow I am headed to the metal market, so I hope my knife will be cut and filed by tomorrow. Then, I would like to manipulate the stainless steel for the sides of the knuckles. We had discussed corrugating them..which could be very interesting! I just cannot wait to add some color!