Drawing with Water

After reading "To Draw is to Be Human," I started viewing the act of drawing a little differently. According to the reading, drawing "... is the means by which we can understand and map, decipher, and come to terms with our surroundings as we leave marks, tracks, or shadows to mark our passing."

My new understanding of drawing is that it is the act of changing or manipulating something to show my influence on it. This process can be intricate and invested or simple, yet thoughtful. With something as pure and simple as water, I decided not to over think it and let the water naturally respond to the materials I put it on.

The method for this series of 8 is quite simple. I take a cup of water and pour it on a material and document it's response. Here are my results ...

1. Colored Construction Paper

2. Cotton Dress

3. Bamboo Mats

4. Cardboard

5. Leather

6. Aluminum Foil

7. Coffee Grounds

8. Vegetable Oil

Masked Identity Process

Sound Confession

For my sound confession, I wasn't entirely sure what to confess. Secrets are secrets for a reason. They are private. So instead, I decided to display some habits I use as a crutch to help me deal with some of my secrets. Some people find this habits vulgar. Others abuse them just as much, maybe even more, than I.

I recycled an old Stella bottle and an old cigarette pack. I filled the stella bottle with brown paper to represent the beer and shiney paper on top to represent the foam. The brown paper also represents the ugly secrets I keep hidden, while the shiney paper represents the bubbly personality and brave face I show to others. Inside the cigarette pack is the speaker for my sound confession.

My recording is from Charles Bukowski, You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense. It reads:

“LIGHTING NEW CIGARETTES,

POURING MORE

DRINKS.

IT HAS BEEN A BEAUTIFUL

FIGHT.

STILL

IS.”

Poetry Response

Click Here to watch my video

Masked Identity

Watch my video for this project on YouTube!

Paper Stacking Project

The produce I chose for the first part of the paper stacking project is a banana. I chose a banana because I thought it would be more of a challenge than an apple or orange. The greatest challenge I faced in recreating the banana was to ignore my perception of a stereotypical banana, and actually observe the one I had in front of me. After completing the paper sculpture, I covered the paper gesso and also painted it with acrylics to look like an actual banana.

For the second part of the project, I made an object with a mold similar to the shape of a cell phone or iPod. It was made from paper stacking, but some of the paper was covered in very personal texting conversations and emails. From the rectangle shape strips of paper covered with more personal conversations shot out and were tangled amongst one another.

Memento

My memento consists of a PBR can, a leather cord, and black tape.

The PBR can represents home. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Every where you go in Milwaukee you are bombarded with Pabst ads and historic Pabst landmarks (The Pabst Theater, The Pabst Mansion, the brewery, etc.).

I cut apart the PBR can, and built a sphere frame out of it. This frame represents the cycle of my travels between St. Augustine and Milwaukee. I know in the end, I will return home. The frame also completes an entire circle. When I'm home I feel complete.

Through the frame, I wove various size strips of the PBR can. This creates confusion and disorder. This confusion reflects my feelings toward a relationship that I relate with being home. For many years this relationship has caused problems in my life, and has left me emotionally frustrated. It creates chaos in what would otherwise be a very structured life.

Tying the leather cord onto the small globe turns it into a necklace. This allows me to keep my memento close to my heart at all times. It will constantly be a reminder of home and a reminder of where my heart is.