Just keep making... just keep making...

What I did:
- potato prints
     - sketching (1hr)
     - carving (2hrs)
     - printing (1 hr)
- library book reading (2 hrs)
- artist research (2 hrs)
- paper writing/reflection (1hr)
- book character design (1hr)

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:
     I am finally back in the habit of making! Still not as much as I'd like, but I was able to spend some serious time with my potato prints. The process was both fun and frustrating. It was especially frustrating when I took a lot of time carving out an intricate design (epithelial cells) and it didn't turn out the way I had imagined. It was definitely a learning experience and I was able to work out some ideas I had. Working with stacking, rotating and repetition was the most successful process I discovered. The most rewarding part for me however, was having physcial evidence to show that I'm doing more than thinking.

feathers, epithelial and vertebrae oh my!

my carved tators

playing with repetition

some studies look good, others not so much

stacked vertebrae detail

pen + stamp = cool

I really enjoyed playing with vertebrae

     Speaking of research, I got some more library books this week. Sally Mann's "What Remains" was a suggestion of James'. It was an incredibly haunting book that paired dark  poetry with photographs of dog bones, the body farm, the site of a suicide, and her children. If anything this book made me realize that even though her work is powerful, I wish to illuminate anatomy in a much more whimsical sense. In addition to what remains, I got a book of DaVinci's illustrations, a compilation of scientific art from Philidelphia, and a book of medical curiosities. Although I didn't find any images that were particularly helpful to the current stage of my work, it was helpful to better understand the resources that were available.
     When sitting down to write my project proposal, I realized that I wasn't truly aware of artists who are working in congruence with my idea that anatomy, despite it's morbid connotations, is both important and exquisite. I googled "anatomy is beautiful" to see what would come up. After tweaking my searches a bit, I stumbled upon a press release for an exhibition aimed at presenting the body as something beautiful. I took a look at all the contributing artists and felt particularly intrigued with the work of Frederick Sommer and
Katherine Sherwood. Sommer uses medical imagery to create surreal compositions. Sherwood paints medieval symbols with bright abstracted images from x-rays and ct scans to make a piece that veers far from the subject of death. Chelsea also suggested I look at Thaniel Lee's collage work. His collages include many anatomical images, however the compositions look like something out of an occult manuscript than a dissection manual. It was definitely interesting to see the artist give the provided images a whole new feel by only using color and symmetry.

Sommer's collage "Maria am Gestade"

"Big Gremory" a mixed media piece by Katherine Sherwood

one of Thaniel Lee's many collages

     The latest thing I have been working on, is seeing through some of my character designs for my children's book idea. The best I have now is some very rough sketches and some poems. I am looking forward to better completing some of the ideas.

some of my ideas for bone characters

What I think I should do next:
     I want to explore using cut paper and light to make shadows. I also want to further explore my book characters. By Tuesday, I will have some cut designs and the documentation from my experimentation with light. I also will have at least one worked out book character by Thursday. At some point, I would also like to stop by the Taubman Library and browse their collections. I have been borrowing books from there via the library website, however I think physically browsing could be helpful.

Baby steps

     My goal for this semester is kaizen; taking small steps to initiate change. Whether it be new ways of thinking or doing, making little conscious efforts will not only improve my project, but also my brain. Interested? Read this awesome article we read for class to learn more about creating new habits and not necessarily breaking the old.

Time for a recap:

What I did:
     - Developed project ideas/source research (3 hrs)
     - Reflecting on class feedback (30 mins)
     - Library browsing (2 hrs)
     - Talking with James and researching his suggestions (2 hrs)
     - Reading and reflecting on The New York Times  article (30 mins)
     - Looking up and reflecting on Virgil Marti and related artists (1.5 hr)

     - Sketching up potato print ideas (1hr)

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:

     Upon Juliet's suggestion, I researched the artist Virgil Marti. Some of his work includes taking chicken bones or pictures of bones and re-articulating them into patterns. His work is extremely elegant, not something you would associate with a morbid thing like bones. When reading a review of his exhibit "Green Winter" where Marti arranged bones into large flowers along the walls,  the author referred to the installation clearly being about death. This triggered some questions. Why is it that bones and body parts have to refer to dying and pain? Without them, we would hardly be alive. Is it possible that entrails can represent something more than demise? I would like to play around with reversing these dark connotations. 

Virgil Marti's "VIP Room"

"VIP Room" wall detail

Marti's Installation "Green Winter"

take a closer look at Marti's "Green Winter" details

     The research on Marti led me to the work of Gunilla Klingberg. The shape and patterning in her large scale installation "Brand New View" reminded me of my piece "Mitosis". However, her use of light gave the intricate pattern a whole new sense of dimension. I was already considering utilizing projection in my final piece, however seeing the beauty that natural light can bring has built some new brain paths for me. 

"A Brand New View" by Gunilla Klingberg

I love the shadows created by Klingberg's work

A detail in the installation "A Brand New View"
Does is look familiar?

My freshman piece "Mitosis"

     On a slightly unrelated note, I am very excited about all the new library books I got this week. I will be even more excited when Sally Mann's "What Remains" becomes available. She is a photographer who James suggested I look at. The books I have now are include one on how body and medicine have been represented in art throughout history, several on Leonardo Davinci's anatomical studies and one specifically on art and medical curiosities. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to flip through all of them thus far, but as soon as I do, I will begin to scan in all the images I found inspiring/intriguing.

     I have encountered some artist block this week. Starting is always the hardest part for me, especially when I feel unclear about my direction. I spoke with both Juliet and Hannah on Thursday and they were able to give me a bit of a push. Juliet really wants me to get out of my comfort zone of drawing. She suggested playing with light and projecting images. I think this could be interesting, especially after looking at Marti and Klingberg's work. Hannah suggested I do something a little more playful, like potato prints. I think this would be a good way to get out of my bubble, without going too far (kaizen!). I also think the versatility I am allowed with print making would be a nice way to try out a lot of ideas, fast (and maybe even generate some new ones.)

some ideas to carve for my potato prints

What I think I should do next:

     I will be taking Hannah and Juliet's advice and stray from my comfort zone, even if it means taking baby steps. I will have a series of at least 20 designs made out of my potato prints. I will also skim through all of my books and scan the interesting pictures and post them on the blog by thursday. 

Developing Ideas

The last class assignment involved taking a few of our thesis ideas and introduce some new variables (e.g. location, audience, media...) 

Idea #1: Dealing with illness and ailments.
     It is interesting how even the smallest part of our body can have a large effect on us, whether it be a nerve ending or even a single cell. I also find it fascinating how different pieces of the body can represent these ailments. I think it would be interesting to highlight and even alter the affected part of the body, either with color or design. Originally, I was thinking of it to be a fine art piece, but I could change the audience by making it an educational piece. When I took media into consideration, thought about utilizing projection, paint, and even photoshop. I thought about scale and using repetition or a time scale, however, nothing compelling came to the surface yet. Ultimately, I would want the piece to use the body as means of introducing illness or even pain in an intriguing and beautiful way.
     My inspiration/sources came from rediscovered artists Jenny Morgan and Victor Rodriguez. Jenny works by creating photorealistic portraits and then alters a part of the figure, whereas Victor tends to put anatomical references in interesting settings.

Jenny Morgan's "Psychosomatic"

"Skull" by Victor Rodriguez

Idea #2: Creating patterns out of the anatomy.
     Although I personally believe that nature creates some of the most awe-inspiring patterns and pieces of artwork, I feel others might not agree. My idea is to make something that from far away looks like an eye-catching man-made pattern. However, closer inspection reveals a plethora of anatomical illustrations; from metatarsals to sphenoid to epithelial cells. I toyed around with the idea of making it an eye-spy game, or finding the objects and actually photographing/photoshopping them into a pattern. I also thought it could be fun to try and camouflage the images in everyday places or focus on one body part (e.g. noses, teeth, phalanges, etc). Overall, I want to emphasize and enlighten some to the beauty of the body.
     My inspirations/sources ranged from some wallpaper made out of tiny stickers to Kris Kuksi's intricate sculptures.

"The Salon at Sundown" By Brian Kaspr and Payton Turner

detail of "The Salon at Sundown"

James Hopkins' "Afterparty" 

"Afterparty"

Shannon Wright's "Wallpaper Number One"

Wallpaper by Barbara Hulanicki

Idea #3: Illustrating a children's book about anatomy.
     Those of you who know me well enough know that I have always wanted to write and illustrate a children's book. I think it mostly about how creative and playful the possibilities are. I am also obviously fascinated by anatomy, so if there is a way to mesh my two sides, this would be it. I also like the idea of teaching someone without them really realizing it. I have been thinking about how much I want to narrow down the subject as well as how in depth I want to get. I am also exploring the potential of introducing my illustrations to the digital realm.
     My inspirations were mostly from Jason Freeny and I Heart Guts. Both sources merge the anatomical with educational with a truckload of playfulness.

Jason Freeny "Potato Head Anatomy"

Freeny's "Cutaway 4" Anatomical My Little Pony (Modified Vinyl Action Figure)"

the hypothalamus

the liver

Responses:
     The next step was to discuss our ideas and gain feedback. This was especially helpful to hear what I was actually saying instead of just what I thought I was saying.
     Keywords (these are explicit and implicit words and phrases that popped up):
anatomy, pattern, play/playful, beauty in natural phenomenon, disease/illness, physical/actual, altering, combining, learning/educational, time lapse, health, the body, science, color, human interaction, metaphors, paint/illustrate, parts, bones, illness, unwell...
     I seem interested in:
"morbid" topics but in a conceptual approach, education, having a different take on health and beauty, taking aliments and finding the beauty in them, making "ugly" into "beautiful", work for children/educational and fun.
     Suggestions:
    My peers suggested I check out anatomical coloring books, the children's section of the ugli, x-rays and drawings on x-rays, health sciences library, medical illustration textbooks and films, and the "body parts" library. James and Stephanie were also very helpful by suggesting that I look up an insect pattern artist as well as Sally Mann's "What Remains". James also suggested I look into Stan Brakhage's "The Act of Seeing With One's Own Eyes".

What Next?
     I have already put in a request for Sally Mann's book at the library as well as a few other medical illustration books. I have also started reflecting on my idea feedback. The term "health and beauty" really struck me. I like that it is a term that you might find on the cover of the latest Cosmo magazine, but for me it means finding the beauty in the body's natural being. Perhaps I can look into visualizing the juxtaposition of the two meanings.
     On another note, it was interesting how my interest in educating and illustrating a children's book rang loud and clear to my peers. It was the third on my idea list, however I feel more excited about the idea now. It was a little discouraging that when I was looking up sources for good kid friendly anatomy books, I found barely anything. This might be my chance to change that.
     For now, I will be looking through all my new library books and taking some new inspiration from them.

Diving In

Starting the year off with a splash.

What I did:
    I spent at least an hour this week moving everything in to my studio. Although it isn't quite finished, I am already in love with it. It is wonderful to have a space that is completely devoted to making art.

my workspace!!

    Earlier this week, I began the first assignment of "make something". I spent two hours researching and rediscovering things that inspired and motivated me. I will delve into the specifics of my discoveries in the next section, but overall it was a refreshing time to refill my mind with ideas.
    One of the things I rediscovered was my anatomy sketchbook. I was really drawn (pun not intended) to a contour drawing of a mandible. I took some time to study it's shape and redraw it several times. An hour later I was ready to play. I took this open-ended assignment as a chance to see where my pencil took me. Not something I can do too often.
    Over the next few days I took time to add to my drawing, little by little. Overall, I spent about two hours drawing and tracing the piece. I started with the outline of a mandible I began drawing patterns and designs around it. While I drew I began to think about the kinds of things that are associated with jaw bones (e.g. eating, yawning, speaking, etc.) This thought process helped me come up with some of the surrounding designs.
    By the time I inked in the designs surrounding the mandible's contour, I had a negative space that I found intriguing. I decided to leave the space empty for the time being. Although the void was merely a call of intuition, I am beginning to consider the meaning of missing pieces; especially regarding the body.
    In order to finish the piece, I took an hour and a half for scanning, coloring and photoshopping my drawing.

i like to play

    Yesterday, I spent my three hours of studio time working up ideas and sketches about my dream IP projects and determining what happens if I change certain variables (e.g. medium, scale, audience...). Yesterday night however,  I spent three hours at the Max to Macs exhibit/demonstration at the Taubman Medical Library. The experience was amazing. Not only were there live demonstrations of medical illustration techniques from carbon dust to adobe illustrator, but the artists were more than happy to talk about their work, their lives, and offer all kinds of advice. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. I will be sure to keep in contact with my new resources as well as take some time to decide how much I want my love for medical illustration to play a role in my senior thesis.

What I accomplished/discovered/encountered:
    While looking over some of the images I had collected, I rediscovered an amazing illustrator, Teagan White. I took some time to look more closely at her work as well as read her bio. She deals with a lot of typography and anatomy. Her illustrations are usually science based and are super detailed. I would love for my work to be as beautiful and meaningful as hers. You should check out her website: http://www.teaganwhite.com/index.html. Below are just a few examples of her work that I found most captivating.

What I think I should do next:
    The next step for me right now is assessing all the possibilities of this project moving forward. After determining the different paths that my vision could take, I think I will be better prepared to take an actual step forward with my process. Until then, I will be trying to draw every single day. I also want to think about the symbolism associated with different body parts and what it represents when pieces are missing. Also, a little more research never hurt anybody...

Salutations!

Hello all!

My name is Kyla and this is my blog. For the next eight months I will documenting the progress of my senior thesis - the ups, the downs, the whole shebang. For those of you who might not know me so well, here is a brief synopsis of how I got to where I am now.

I am a senior in the school of Art & Design at the University of Michigan. I have always known that my path would include art, however life has thrown some interesting curveballs the past few years. I came into school thinking that studying advertising and graphic design would be my only options for getting a job. I still love designing, but I have also rekindled my passion for science. It is anatomy and physiology that get me excited and art is the way I show it. In an ideal world, eight months from now I would be doing technical and conceptual drawings for medical companies and textbooks. I know there will be a lot of work in between then and now as well as some extra schooling along the way, but I am determined to make it happen.

So here's to the beginning of an adventure!