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.