3D Materials and Concepts Final Blog: Coursework
3D Materials and Concepts Final Blog: Coursework
Justin Cottrell
Masking Tape Shoes
Title: PF Flyers
Materials: Masking Tape
Dimensions: 11 in. x 3.5 in. x 4.5 in.
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Balsa Wood Small Sculptures
Title: Heights/Roundabout
Materials: Balsa wood, masking tape, pins, paper, skewers
Dimensions: 5 in. x 5 in. x 17 in./6 in. x 6 in. x 15 in.
Artist Statement
This project proved to be quite a daunting experience for me, as I had never worked with balsa wood before, let alone wood in general. My artwork prior to this had been limited to the two dimensional plane, so I was unsure on how to tackle it at first. I wanted to extend the range of my exploration, and delve into a more expressive and abstract creation, while still holding onto a tangible idea. The planning process was frustrating, and kept leading to dead ends. I noticed toward the final sketches that I was limiting myself, and trapped my designs in a box. This box was me attempting to have detailed reasoning in all of my intentions, instead of allowing the elements of the work itself to tell the story. I wanted to focus all of my thinking on creating a narrative, instead of allowing the tools of design to do the work for me.
After trying to let go of these restraints, I think that I ended up creating a mess of a work, that still shows progress in my study of new materials. The first work, made primarily of balsa wood, explored space through verticality and the use of negative area. The cage design in both the top and bottom makes use of negative space to create a strange perspective in angle and view, while the entire piece reaches a very slim and lengthy height. I believe this was much stronger than the second piece, and showed more of a dynamic approach in the end.
The second piece also explored negative space and height, but also attempted to implement some repetition in the use of masking tape. I ran into a wall with this piece, and really lost direction at points, but I still think it was progressive in my understanding of three dimensional materials. The height and inner negative space worked very well, but I think the tape constellations were a little aimless and random at points. It could've been focused a little better, but I was still happy with the outcome.
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Soap Carving
Title: Phillip
Materials: Soap
Dimensions: 4.5 in. x 1.25 in. x 2.5 in.
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Memento
Title: I'll Be Your Star, I Live to Let You Shine
Materials: Wood, black acrylic paint, light bulb
Dimensions: 3.5 in. x 3 in. x 5 in.
Artist Statement
'I'll Be Your Star, I Live to Let You Shine' began as a loose idea, surrounding a memory of being trapped inside a convenience store during an active shooting. I was often left frustrated and misguided during the planning process; so much so, that I considered abandoning the memory all together at points. As I planned, I was inspired by the strangest outside influences, which formulated a concept of atmosphere and material substance. These influences included specific music, movies, artists and books, which all helped create a vague but workable image in my head.
As I worked, I changed my approach several times. The idea of a lantern, or trapped light, came after building the entire cage. The song 'Evil Genius' by Ab-Soul inspired me to consider a detail of my memory that I had never thought about including: the owner of the convenience store protecting me and keeping me safe. I decided to make the light inside the cage two things: being safe inside the store's walls, and the owner saving my life. The dark color and worn visuals of the cage were inspired by the book 'Roadside Picnic' by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, as well as the artist Felix Dolah.
As I finished this project, I came to realize that it had become one of my darkest pieces of art I've ever made. It strays so far from what I've created in the past, and takes on a whole new tone that I had never explored before. I wanted it to match the feelings I get from that memory, and allow others to feel a similar emotion when holding it themselves.
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Fluxus Box
Title: Perfect Pair
Materials: Wood, acrylic paint, twine, paper, ink, mason jars, felt, metal
Dimensions: 11 in. x 4 in. x 7 in.
Artist Statement
The Fluxus Box, to me, felt like the project that the balsa wood assignment was leading up to. The use of elements and principles, and the craft with three dimensional materials all were to be refined for this moment. I had never built any structure out of wood before, so I was very nervous going in. My ideas were all much more ambitious than previous projects, and I felt that I was getting in over my head at times. The idea of a double-sided box came from my peers, who suggested that I tackle the theme of good and evil, present in the movie 'Spirited Away.' At first, I considered making two separate boxes, or even just a box with a split down the middle. After listening to the ideas of my classmates though, I decided I wanted to veer off in a completely different direction. I wanted to add a little bit of an interactive ability to my box, and give the viewer more to do than just hold it in their hands. At this stage, I decided to create two boxes and attach them by their foundations, so the viewer would have to flip it to see the other side.
The idea of good and evil is a reoccurring theme that gave me a lot of room to work with. I didn't want to create items directly from the movie, and instead chose to make things based on the feelings and themes presented throughout the film. Each object tackles a different theme, and comes together to represent not only the entire movie, but the elements of repetition and texture too. Many of the objects are in multiples, and have a different feeling when held. I tried to use materials that reflected this better, like twine, glass and wood. I really wanted my craftsmanship to show in this project, and I feel that it reflects in the intricate work I put together.
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