The Semester's Almost Over!

So this week is chock full of fantastical final projects and enormous and a half exams, but soon I will be off to enjoy Christmas... and keep working on my capstone. I'm terribly tired, but I will just have to keep pushing forward. I finish a day early with my finals, so I'll be spending Friday finishing Billy. If I can complete one, it will give me hope for the break, methinks.

Since I finished my inflatable dragon today, I'm not really in the mood to do any more art, but I did make sure to put my project binder together. Binders aren't really my thing because I prefer simply putting everything into a sketchbook, but I made one anyway. It's nice and organized and crap, so you think I would like them more often. It doesn't actually work that way, though, because I don't have a big hole punch and I always feel like the papers fall out eventually. Half-torn papers annoy me more than anything else, let me tell you.

In conclusion, this is just a simply quick update on what I'm up to, and hopefully images of a finished Billy will be up soon! Hold your breath 'til then!

Plans for Winter Break

Before I leave for break, I’m going to burn a lot more receipt paper so that I can have it for the break. I will also be finishing my first piece, William Shakespeare, before I leave so that I have a very good idea for what I’ll be working on. I will also sketch my next piece if possible.

            As for on the actual break, I am a little behind from where I expected to be. Granted, I stopped to experiment and figure out if I would be heading in a new direction. Therefore, I want to do two or three pieces over the break. Four would be ideal, but I do know that is a lot of work. I want to really take advantage of my time, and at least sketch out more of my ideas.

            I like figuring out the different compositions early so that I have a good idea of how much work lies ahead of me. I may also experiment with other ways to make the texture and shade of jeans (which all of the men are wearing in the pieces. The women will be in black dresses) because I have a limited supply of barcodes which I have been using so far.

Working with Heat and Thermal Paper

Different shades on paper

Close-up of burns

If the heat gets too close, the chemicals burn away

After my second presentation before the class, I was pretty mush told not to do anything new and keep with my original idea. I had gotten off topic by also wanting to add more background information about the writers and by wanting to add text from their works. In the end, my message became too complicated and muddy. My main focus has returned to selling literature through sex to illustrate how writers of the past still matter today.

I have been working on burning the thermal paper with more technology than simply matches or lighters, which gives me much more control and is much more efficient. I've also experimented with a soldering iron, which gives me the ability to crosshatch and sketch onto the thermal paper using heat. I like the many different lines and marks I can get from the iron, but I do need to practice it some more. The problem I have is I 'm not sure if it fits with my project anymore since I'm returning to the collage idea. At least I know I have that option, and later on in the project, I may find a use for it.

I'm Presenting Tomorrow!

Well, somehow it has become November 29th, and tomorrow is my day to present. I have my Powerpoint prepared, and an idea of what I want to show. Hopefully, all will go well and my change in my project will go over well. I'm a little nervous, but I also think I'm getting pretty good at presenting my work.

Also, here are some of my new sketches!

Samuel T. Coleridge

Jane Austen

 

 

Lord Byron

The sketches of Lord Byron and Jane Austen have already changed because of my experiments, so their new looks will be presented shortly. I've also made a thumbnail sketch of Lord Byron on thermal paper, which gives a good representation of how I plan on rendering the images. I'll have those up as soon as I photograph them, as well as more examples of how much fun I can have playing with FIRE!!

Back from Thanksgiving

Now my belly is full of delicious home-cooked food and my mind somewhat rested from the break, it's time to finish the last three weeks of this semester. Obviously, I'm counting down and it's slightly (and when I say slightly I mean extremely) freaking me out. My English capstone presentation is in three days and the paper is due on the 15th of December. Put simply, this sort of terribly attacks my mind.

At the same time, I'm presenting my work so far in my Art capstone on Wednesday, yes, in two days. I have changed my project drastically and so I have a lot of work to do before then. I'm not expecting to have any finished work, but since I'm now working with fire as my medium, I have to do some sketches and examples. Through my experiments, I will be able to figure out how big I need to make my work and if it's possible or not. I accept the challenge, and we'll see how it goes! Expect another post soon.

A Fantastic (and Highly Flammable) New Development!

During my capstone presentation to the faculty, one of the professors brought up the idea of putting the actual words from the writers into my art. I liked the idea in theory, but had no idea how to make it a reality. First, I researched how thermal paper worked, learning that at a certain temperature, the chemical coating turns black, but could never find what temperature that might be. Next, I looked into how to go about writing on the thermal paper. Since I want the entire project to be made of receipt paper, I tried to avoid resorting to simply printing out quotes on any other material. I worried the mix of textures would be a problem. Yet another problem appeared when I learned how expensive the thermal printers were. This didn't really surprise me or anything, but did make it quite an obstacle.


I decided to test writing on the thermal paper to see how it looked. Here's the result:

 

 I suppose this image is against me because it will only upload sideways.  Anyway, from the bottom up it reads "WS" for William Shakespeare, although I've really come to call him Billy. The words come from two of his quotes: "When words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain" and "I hold the world but as the world; A stage where every man must play a part, and mine is a sad one." The notes I wrote next to this explain that I chose my uppercase print handwriting because it was the neatest, and since I would be cutting them apart, there are obvious spaces to do so. I worked not only with how my handwriting would look, but also experimented with the shape with which I tried to create. Obviously when I put the words onto the collage, they would get mixed a bit when I started to shade.

I was feeling pretty good about myself because I felt I had at least found a back-up plan. This way, I could simply cover over some of the text work I already did with white (or remove it, depending on how easy that is) and put down black paper. Then, with my own hand and playing with the typography I love so much, I could fill in the shaded areas. At the same time though, I don't really know if it's absolutely necessary to write my own words, because part of me also likes how the words are all from receipts instead of the writers, but the words from the writers make sense as well. This is an issue I can't seem to solve.

Yet my night was not over yet! A few hours earlier, I went to the store and bought a nice little pack of matches. When I was sitting in Solid Design today, a thought struck my head and made my mouth drop open. I had been thinking about the issue with writing on the paper and trying to think of ways that would be more controlled and how I could text what the temperature might be to alter the color of the paper. I suddenly thought of matches and candles, wondering how long they stayed warm after being blown out. I decided to rush to the store as soon as possible and experiment.

With a box of matches, my sketchbook full of quotes, and some thermal paper in my tiny hands, I dashed down the stairs to a well-lit, cement-infested, flame-resistant area outside. I wore my winter coat over a sweatshirt, trying to keep out the cold, but I barely noticed as I fell to my knees and held down the thermal paper with the edge of my sketchbook. I pressed the paper flat and pulled out my first match. Here's what transpired as I tried to write:

Words from Hamlet

"Words words words" - Billy

I found the writing was not going as I had planned, but I wasn't entirely against the results. Then, mostly out of play, I started gently brushing the lit matches close to the paper. It made marks that reminded me of painting with ink. After I ran out of my whole box of matches practicing, I ran back up to my flat with my receipt paper fluttering in the breeze behind me.

Paint brush marks from a flame

After speaking with a few of my professors, I have learned this technique is known as sfumato and has been used by people such as Leonardo daVinci. The best example would be the Mona Lisa, where the technique is used on her eyes. Now, that's using it on oil paints, whereas I'm using thermal paper. I'm going to do a few more experiments with this technique over Thanksgiving Break and show it to the class during my presentation to find out what they think. It's still a thought in progress, but I'm really starting to like it a lot more than the collage (which is oh so terribly tedious).

Huzzah, Prouctivity!

So lately, I've done some research on my writers. I found a great website which has detailed information about each of the writers, and from that I plan on finding even more. I've already started thinking about some of the things that I could say about each of them.When I have more of my own paragraphs written, I'll begin putting them up. I also have some more sketches of writers in their "sexy poses." All in all, it's been a surprisingly productive weekend.

I still have a lot of work ahead of me, and I need to start experimenting with trying to write the writer's actual words on the thermal paper. My collages have been put on hold at the moment as I try to figure it out, but my wonderful friends are still giving me plenty of receipts! I have quite a nice collection already, and hopefully I'll continue to collect more.

Artist Statement

I have now taken the tedious time out of my semi-busy schedule to type up all of my notes from my sketchbook so that I may be able to eventually put them into my binder. The binder which I must turn in to show that I've been doing work. I would prefer to just turn in my sketchbook, but it also involves things from my Solid Design class and other silly shenanigans, and I suppose my professors would not care for those things. Yet at the same time, I wish to not tear pages from the sacred book of doodles and rants.

On another note, last class we had Dr. Janet Bland, an English professor, come in to talk to us about our artist statements. It's only allowed to be a page long, but I'm not terribly worried about it... yet. To be fair, I have written a few similar pieces for some of my classes, but this is for my capstone, which means it has to be good.

I need to do more research on my writers and figure out how I wish to word those things. I also need to do more sketches this week. Fortunately, my life has gotten a little less hectic, but not entirely. I hate being torn between having free time and taking advantage of my final year in college. There's so much to do, so little time... ah well, I know I'll miss it all when it's gone.

Next Step...

All right, so I've hit a few bumps that I have to figure out before I can continue working on the actual project. If I want to put in the actual words from the writer's works, I have to find a way to transfer the words onto the thermal paper, or use a different paper. My ear is that it will take away from the texture if I use a different paper, but it might also add to the piece, and I can hold the words on better by using a stronger adhesive like acrylic medium.

That point aside, I also have to do a lot of research on the people to figure out the information that I want to put beside the pieces. I also need to find things I wold want the QR code to go to, but first have to learn about doing that as well.

I've been extremely stressed since coming back from Fall Break, and I can't seem to find a moment of peace. This project, with all the frustration I've been having hasn't helped. I've had many projects I'm working on, including my English capstone I'm doing right now, and extra curricular activities which are eating up any free time I would hope to acquire. By the time the weekend rears its gracious head, I'm exhausted, and until then, I've been battling the stress beast, with my productivity sword getting heavier in my hands with every attack.

I keep hoping that the next week will be easier, but I can't be sure. I've been getting plenty of sleep, but it's not good sleep so therefore it does nothing for me. I'd stay up and work on my project if I could, but I seem to drag myself into bed every night. Then to add onto all of this, I'm figuring out my schedule for my next and final semester, running into more road blocks and obstacles than is necessary. My head hurts from even thinking of how much work it is just to schedule the classes, let alone actually taking them next semester.

Hopefully in the end, all will go well, but until then, my brain will be about to explode.

Presentation Before the Faculty

Last Wednesday, I had to present my project to the entire art faculty. To put it simply: it was nerve-wracking. I spent two weeks freaking out about it, putting my slideshow together weeks in advance and working frantically on my project to get it to a point where I would show them all. I stressed myself out tremendously, and could barely eat any food. Everyone before me struggled under the scrutinizing gaze of our professors, feebly attempting to answer their challenging questions. I could only imagine what sort of traumatic event the presentation would be, and my mind was not helping the butterflies in my stomach.

In the end, I rushed up to do my presentation, and it went well. Yes, the professors were hard with their questions, but I also got some very good ideas out of the experience. One that I'm definitely hoping to do is put a QR code in each of the pieces which then leads to a website about the writer. I also want to see about putting the words of the writers into the piece instead of simply the words I found on the receipts. This is be a challenge, however, because I don't know if I can get the writing onto the receipt paper, which is what I would like. Also, in the display, I would have information for those without smartphones so they can learn a bit about the writer's lives. I would write it in a modern sense, and then allow the viewers to reveal who I'm  talking about by flipping a flap or something. This would help to show how the writers still fit into society today.

I didn't feel very relieved after finishing my project, partially because I then had to run to my Geology lab. When I returned to Hermann Fine Arts Building for my Solid Design class, I was a little early and decided to wait in the gallery, looking at the art hanging on the walls. While I was there, two of the professors came up to me and kindly told me they liked my project and were excited to see the final result. Finally, I felt relieved! Simply by hearing that my idea wasn't a total waste helped to ease my mind and reminded me why I did art, which I had started to question throughout the semester. Hopefully, I will keep working towards a better project, without too much hiccups.

First Day of Presenting Before Faculty

Well, today was quite the wake-up call. The art professors sure can be brutal when they want to be. Granted, I'd rather them be hard now than later on when we're farther in our projects. I noticed the main focus of the professors was the question: "Why?" To be fair, it's quite a good question.

Thus I decided this blog entry would focus on my why so that I will be ready for my own presentation next week (note: because of how today went, I've already started putting my powerpoint together). My why is that there's more to literature than dust and funny words. if I must illustrate Billy Shakespeare in an extremely suggestive pair of jeans, then so be it. Literature to me portrays what makes us human and how throughout history, we're all connected. As an example, I once was in the bookstore with my very scientific boyfriend, who naturally stood staring at the wall of computer programming books. I appeared next to him, my arms piled with literature ranging from Mark Twain to Oscar Wilde, when I noticed The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin and immediately snatched it. He looked at me curiously, wondering how such a scientific book fit in with my collection. "Have you any idea how much of a debate this caused in literature? It's amazing!" I explained as he simply raised an eyebrow. I went on to describe how people in the 19th century suddenly had to decide whether they would follow religion, or learn more about the science that was quickly developing. To me, literature is a true window into the past, but also a way to see that people have always struggled between religion and science, or even homosexuality, feminism, and the structure of power. William Shakespeare has been dead for centuries, and yet we still read his plays today because we can relate, even in this crazy age of speed and technology.


My goal is to have other people see writers as people and think more about how they can relate to them, even if all of the writers I've chosen have been dead for at least a century.

New Link!!

So my dear friend (although I now wonder what she searches online), Michelle, has shown me this new website, which I felt was relevant to my project. In this case, Chris Jordan uses garbage to make pieces of art. Only by zooming in can you tell it's made out of things from aluminum cans to bottle caps. The first on the page is an image of the moon, made out of old credit cards! It blew me away, but also made me think of my own project because of how I'm making the image that you can see from far away, but if you step closer, you can see the sparkle of burning receipts.

If you'd like to check it out yourself (which I absolutely suggest), click here. Enjoy!

My First Sketch!

 

So last night, I made my first sketch of my project. This is William Shakespeare on the body of one of my dear friends. I plan on taking this piece this weekend and make it larger. The background will be black with the help of the receipts, and I hope to have the background done before Fall Break is over. This is my first big step towards my project, and I'm super excited!

Let's Make 'em Sexy

I have most of the images I want and have started to put the faces with the bodies. I still need to photograph a few more people to figure out a couple more writers. I have decided that by the end of this week, I should have the beginning of my first piece started, which will be Billy Shakespeare.

I will be making each of my pieces on Bristol paper at 18"x24". I've researched frames and I know I can buy 9 of them at a decent price. I plan on just getting simple black frames because the pieces will be black and white so it should look nice. I want to sketch out a thumbnail sketch this evening of Billy and then blow it up to a larger size onto the Bristol paper. I will have to buy more paper, but I don't mind, especially since it's easy to find and not extremely expensive. I'm thinking for this project, I will be spending around $100 at the most, which isn't too bad at all. It helps when your medium is trash, and something most people simply discard!

Another Day, Trekking On...

Last night, I had some friends who were kind enough to pose for me so that I could get some references for my art. I was able to get a couple women and men of different body types so that I can match a body to a writer. Today, I will probably put the images on my computer and begin to mix and match them to get the results I desire. The hardest part of taking these images is that it's taboo according to Western culture. Even though I can look at it from the point of view as an artist, I still can't deviate my mind from the fact that I just took seductive images of my friends and I plan to keep them on my computer. Perhaps in a sense this illustrates my twisted mind. It definitely pushes me from my comfort zone, which makes me believe that this project is even better for me to do.

Steven, who graduated two years ago, came in today to present his own art capstone. He has a degree in Graphic Design, so the actual project did not entirely pertain to me. I listened more to the process and how he talked about managing his time. I think I should have a few of the pieces done by Winter Break, so that I have less to do in the spring. I'm thinking by the end of Winter Break (so about January) I should have four if not five of the images finished. This is about half, since I've decided to do nine portraits of the following people:

William Shakespeare
Emily Dickinson
Lord Byron (sexiest man alive in the 19th c.)
Jane Austen
Edgar Allen Poe
Aphra Behn (one of the first female writers in the 16th c.)
Charles Dickens
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (wrote Frankenstein)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (He wrote Rime of the Ancient Mariner and is a part of my English capstone)



Most people recognize these names, except for perhaps Behn and Coleridge, but don't know their faces. I feel it's necessary to do a few people don't know not only to illustrate my own knowledge and understanding of literature, but to also inspire them to read one of their pieces. Behn wrote Ooronoko, which was about slavery. It was extremely controversial at the time because it involved issues that weren't even considered at the end of the 16th century. Coleridge has written many journals on writing and the use of imagination in literature, delving into the issues of the mind.

Handsome folks, aren't they? This is only the beginning! I'm extremely excited to start working on this project, and feel the mix of literature, fire, and fighting against the taboo makes everything about this my sort of style.

A Quick Note...

I just remembered this and felt I should put it up. I've already asked a few handsome young men to pose to be the bodies of William Shakespeare and Lord Byron, but will also have to find some lovely ladies to be models. It's a little odd to ask such a thing, but I've gotten excited responses so far.

Men seem prepared to strip at any time, their eyes twinkling at the idea. I asked my friend Jim, who had been kind enough to pose as a model in my Life Drawing class, and he actually looked disappointed when I informed him he should wear just a pair of jeans. My other male friends immediately fall into seductive poses and if I ever turn around for even a second, their shirts come off. Although I have drawn nudes, this does create a lot of blushing and stammering on my part as they simply smile mischievously. I may put a few of these images up after I have taken them, but only to the consent of the models. I don't want to make any of them uncomfortable for being so helpful to me.

I may have some female friends who may as well pose for me. They will be wearing more than the men, but I will still need to be able to see a lot of skin to make sure my proportions are accurate. They probably can wear a pair of short shorts and a tank top. I'll be putting the writers in little black dresses for the pieces, but they'll be skin-tight so I can stay accurate. I may practice a few fabric sketches just in case. I like drawing fabric, but I don't want any small mistakes in how it falls to take away from the image.

On My Way

So far, I've been experimenting with a few ideas and working on figuring out the details of my project. When I started, I thought of making long, horizontal panels for my composition, but realized that for the expedition, it would be hard to frame them. 16x20 is one of the largest sizes of standard frames, and after going and pricing a few and seeing if I can find 8 to 10 of them, I may consider using that size. I am aware that this is much smaller than what I had originally planned, but at the same time, I really want to make a lot of them so that I can draw a multitude of writers. Since my message is more about the image, by making them slightly smaller will give me more opportunities for connection with my audience. This also gives me the chance to make a few pieces and if some don't work, I an make sure my best art will be shown.

As for other experiments, I tested a few different gluing solutions to figure out which would work best. Acrylic medium gets rid of the shiny texture of the receipts as well as makes the burned areas (which are black) turn gray. Since Elmer's glue flattens the paper, it too takes away some of the shine, but it stays black. Glue stick seems to be my best choice because not only can the sparkles still be found pretty easily, the crinkled texture stays in tact as well as the boldness of the black. I made some gradients to see how I may use the paper, and found that not only can I use the difference between variations of burned marks, but also using text or not. Many of the receipts use different fonts or thickness of letters, and I can easily use these to my advantage. I feel this would also bring out the issue of materialization and illustrate that what we buy supposedly marks who we are.

So... Much... Research...

So far I've been putting together research material and doing sketches to figure out how my pieces will go. Today, I'll be concentrating on the new information I've collected:

First, I started looking into what other people have done with receipts, and it's pretty obvious none of them have thought of burning them.

People have been pretty creative, and I'm glad I found out what other art has been done. Most just draw on them, but others concentrate on what the receipts say (Link). Another artist, Ceal Floyer, also concentrates on what the receipts. She actually tells the curators of the museum to buy certain things and hang the receipt on the wall. These can be worth £30,000 for a little piece of paper, especially since they must destroy the receipt when they take down the art. You can see this article here.

Other than looking at the medium, I focused on how I wanted to set up my composition. One artist who has inspired me is Juan Francisco Casas. He uses ball point pens to draw large realistic images. I like this idea of seeing something larger, but also how he uses a very simple medium.

More along the lines of composition, here are some images which will help me figure out how I wish to pose my sexy writers:

I want them to really reach out to the viewer, and I'm hoping to create a more intimate composition to help stress the idea of "sex sells." I've already talked to a few people about it, and not only do people seem to like the idea, but they're excited about literature... at least a little bit. My goal is for other people to see what I see when I read a piece of literature.

I Have a Topic!

Last Wednesday, I finally had my presentation in class. It was the last day, which made me extremely nervous. I probably talked too fast, but fortunately, I had a lot of images to show to help get my point across. It has been decided that I definitely use the receipts as a medium. I really like the idea, and come on, it lets me use fire. What's better than that?

My fellow capstone classmates also helped me decide to mix the receipt idea with the "Sexy Shakespeare" idea. Instead of simply making portraits, I will be making the images of famous literary writers in hot poses. The idea focusing how we sell products today and giving a new light to literature, which has been around for longer than any of us.

My next step is to do some sketches and figure out how I want my composition to be and how many I want to do. I have at least four male and four female writers that I've picked out, but since I want to make them large, I don't know how many I'll make. They will probably be long and hang sort of like tapestries. I may also make more than necessary and simply pick out my favorites, or maybe do some group images.

I also want to experiment with the medium and make sure it will work. I've already burned some receipts, but will have to burn some more. One of my professors kindly gave me some acrylic medium to use as glue and hopefully that should work. I'll be making a small model of my idea, and will put it up here as soon as it's finished.

All in all, I'm on my way. I have a lot of work to do before me, but I'm excited and curious how the project may transform as I work. I really do believe that this will be my best work, and will show in an unique manner what I've learned ere at Marietta College.

BRAIN FART!!

So I just remembered another idea of mine which I like more than Proposal #5. Therefore, I have taken out the one about me being a narcissist and added instead my twisted sense of humor. As an English major, I have read a lot of literature. Also in my free time (since I’m not a fan of romance novels or murder mysteries) I read literature as a way to keep my analysis skills sharp as well as to shed new light on old stories. When I talk to other people about books such as Moby Dick, A Tale of Two Cities, or Treasure Island, people know the stories, but consider them old. I went back and read Treasure Island as well as The Prince and the Pauper, Dracula, and Peter Pan to make my own conclusions. Yes, it’s true they’re written in a different form of English from today, but some of the messages are as contemporary as Harry Potter. Thus, I wish to bring a new life to these old stories. Actually, not only to these old stories, but these old writers as well.

Billy Shakespeare has never looked so awesome.

I call William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, Billy and Charlie to remind me that they once were humans. Sometimes I think we’ve put them on pedestals for so long, that we forget they were once just like us, making mistakes and suffering through life. With my art, I want to enhance this and bring back their characters. I also want to add humor by using the marketing gimmick: “sex sells.” Therefore, (if you haven’t figured it out just yet) I want to put the heads of famous writers on sexy bodies to return them to their former glory, however long ago that was. Perhaps I will only get a giggle or a snort from my audience, but perhaps they will think that writers of the past have lived as well, and that their tales are still read today for a reason; if only you have a guts and the diligence to find out why.

Further Explorations

I’ve done a bit more work towards my project ideas. One involved creating a rough draft of my fire idea. I first took a picture of one of my friends, and with the help of Photoshop, lit her hair on fire. My plan is to then take this idea and simplify it until I can make a collage out of the burned receipt paper.

I'm not the best at Photoshop, but you get the idea...

My other new addition to my projects is a story idea for Proposal #2. I thought of it awhile ago and only now stumbled upon some of my work. Here’s the idea:

The Bat and the Pig

It’s a tale about a pig who wishes to get out of the pig pen and fly like the birds. Unfortunately, he’s a pig, and is expected to simply eat food and stay where he is. One night while Pig is sleeping in the barn, a bat crashes into the hay next to him. The poor bat is blind, and can’t help but run into things all night. Pig then suggests that if the bat can hold him, the pig can be his eyes and the bat can be the pig’s wings. Bat’s talons are strong from hanging upside-down all day, so after a few tries, he lifts the pig from the ground and they soar off into the night.

(This part I’ve added to my proposal, thus it deserves to be italicized)

It’s a cute story I hope will teach about cooperation as well as not giving up on your dreams. It also looks at how even though people may be different, it doesn’t mean either is wrong or bad, but can still coexist together.

So far, that’s what I have. It’s a little challenging to be working on the projects when I’m not sure which one I want to do yet, but since those are my two main ideas, I don’t mind adding a bit more to them. Not to mention, the story will probably be written anyway, if not for my capstone.

It All Begins with an Idea...

Here are my proposals for my art capstone:

Proposal #1

Capstone Project Description: While I was in London, I learned if you slightly burn receipt paper, it turns black and begins to sparkle. I want to use this tainted media to make a sort of collage and create a unique image from something people usually ball up and stuff in the bottom of their bags. I would like to use a fire motif to keep the fact that I used fire to create it in mind, and possibly make portraits to illustrate how what we buy is a part of who we are. I personally like to shop, but also feel we shouldn’t be defined by what we buy, instead by our personality or the things we do.

I wish to attempt a similar effect...

Form: I want to make this into a series of portraits or images. I would like for people to see the image from far away, and then as they come closer, they see the detail of the paper as well as how it sparkles.

Materials: I already have five rolls of receipt paper to use. I want to also experiment with different backgrounds to see what brings out the paper the best. I wish to try canvas and Bristol paper, as well as using different colors with perhaps oil or acrylic paint, pastels, or ink.

Fire motif

Exhibition: I can imagine my project hung on a wall in three or four pieces. I would like them to be large so that I can work more with the texture of the paper. I would also like most of the background to show and use the receipt paper as a minimum and concentrate on negative space.

Proposal #2

Capstone Project Description: Since I’m a double major in Studio Art and English, I would want to write my own children’s book and illustrate it. I want to write a story relevant to children of the 21^st century, as well as using my skills to bring out my own inner child. I also like the idea of mixing both of my majors together for one large final project.

Alice in Wonderland inspires me.

Form: I would like it to be a book, but to also create some pieces for advertisement or to add to the book. Depending on my main character, I can also make a stuffed animal out of crochet or sewing.

I'm a fan of Winnie the Pooh as well.

Materials: This project, I would need to learn more about book-making. I would need sturdy paper as well as cardboard, and materials to make a cover. I would also like to make some sort of poster or advertisement to promote the book, so I would need large paper and ink.

Exhibition: I would want the book on a pedestal and allow people to flip through the pages. Behind it, I could see a large poster advertising it as well as a stuffed animal beside it. The colors would draw people forward and the story to keep them there until the end.

Proposal #3

Capstone Project Description: I began a project in London involving extra scraps of canvas to make something new and beautiful. While I was abroad, I mostly concentrated on the different textures I could create with simply the plain fabric and sewing it together, but I can also use color as well as experiment with shape and form. I tried this project because usually canvas is only used as a background. Painters stretch and prime the canvas, altering its form to fit their need for simply a blank nothingness. I wanted to show that even the simplest material in art can be used to create something beautiful and unique.

My work from London

Form: This project will be a sculpture. Either one that will hang from the ceiling similar to the one I made for London, or I would like to experiment with the free-standing piece.

Materials: I would need a lot of canvas and sewing needles. As I scrunch and fray the canvas, I use the string to sew the pieces together.

Exhibition: I could hang it from the ceiling again, but I would want it long enough to curl and twist along the floor. If it becomes a free-standing structure, I would aim to have it where no one will step on the canvas.

Proposal #4

Capstone Project Description: Another project idea that I tried in London before simply sewing the canvas together was taking a stretched canvas and adding texture by sewing more canvas onto it. It revolves around a similar idea in Proposal #3 with trying to enhance the use of canvas, but also along the lines of changing the texture and giving more of an illusion to the piece. I would like to do abstract images of landscapes with this project, concentrating on the simplicity of nature and the beauty it contains.

My rendition of English countryside... with texture.

Form: This would be a series of paintings illustrating either London or Marietta. I would like it to transgress from one to the next, and I base my painting style slightly on the Impressionists, so I would also be concentrating on light and color mostly with the added bonus of texture.

Materials: I would need enough canvas to stretch as well as to add to the flattened surface. I would prefer to use oil paints because I like them more, but will also experiment with acrylic. I would also need stretchers to stretch the canvas, as well as a nail gun, nails, and wood glue.

I would like to do one on Stonehenge.

Exhibition: This would hang on the wall next to each other. I would actually like to make these small so people have to step up to them to see them. I want their noses to almost touch the parts of canvas that stick out.

Proposal #5

Capstone Proposal Description: This idea I’ve had since sophomore year when I did over 6 self-portraits. Since Mary is a common name, I would like to take my face and dress myself as famous women of the past such as the Virgin Mary, Mary Queen of Scots, Mary Read the pirate, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly who wrote Frankenstein. By putting my face in their lives I would be illustrating how a name can not only add character to the person given the name, but also whoever else bears the name has a connection to them. What’s in a name, but the lives of others?

Everyone knows the Virgin Mary...

Form: These would be a series of paintings based off of their time periods, so mostly oil paintings on canvas. If I could give them some sort of modern feel, I am up for suggestions.

I'm quite a fan of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Materials: I would need the usual for oil painting on canvas: stretchers, wood glue, nails, nail gun, gesso, oil paints, etc.

Who wouldn't want to be Mary Poppins?

Exhibition: I would hang these up and make them large, once again trying to mimic those images of the famous women. I would name each piece after each Mary, because obviously with my face in the way, it may be hard to tell who I am.

Finally preparing the first steps of my capstone can be extremely intimidating, but I actually find myself excited over anything else. It may feel like my career as a student soon will end, but my life outside of what I know begins after only this year. My ideas almost burst from my mind, and although some interest me more than others, each proposal represents a part of who I am and what art means to me. I am a little quirky and a little strange, but with art, I find peace within a world of chaos.