Brianna Evelo

Sept. 16th Post: 

This semester, I have had issues finding designs and subject matter for my projects. I tried to base most of my thoughts around the materials I am most interested in working with to figure out where to start. I was able to come up with some ideas based on my thematic threads from the last post as well as some others that incorporate some of the non-school-related thoughts and feelings I've been having recently. However, some feedback on my ideas would be much appreciated. 

Research on Women's Healthcare: 

• very misinformed
• maternal and menstrual health is not very good
• more likely to have major health issues and poor treatment that are totally preventable
• AFAB people have the highest rates of death from avoidable causes
• scarcity of clinical research/patriarchal-focused research
• 70% of those suffering from chronic pain are female while 80% of pain research is male-oriented
• the standard towards women's pain is to know and expect something is very painful but not do anything about it
• AFAB people experience adverse effects from medications at twice the rate as AMAB

(My one problem with this topic is figuring out how it can combine with my aesthetic)

Ideas: 

1) Female figure to express what hidden pains or illnesses women face

2) Snake wall piece; representation of how the medical field treats women's problems

3) Bronze Crocodile

4) Dragonfly

5) Metal turtle; feeling torn apart and exposed

6) Monster Flowers; human traits in odd plants

7) Humanoid flowers; women's disgust and anger

Sep. 1st Post:

Previous Work:

Homes

Felt, cardboard, wire paint

Summer 2024

    

    This was the color piece I made for portfolio review. I wanted to continue expanding my techniques with cardboard while also further understanding the limits of needle felting. Through this project and experiments prior, I have found a liking for needle felting which I would like to use in later projects. I wish to improve on the surface decoration to further push my message and add more visual interest/emphasis on the moccasins. 

Evelo Family Tree

Steel, paper, watercolor

Summer 2024

    This is the 3D project I made for portfolio review. I enjoyed playing with the steel and making organic, flowing curves with it. The owls are my favorite part because I enjoy using paper to make 3-dimensional forms. It's a material I've been drawn to recently and want to improve and learn more techniques with. One thing I would like to improve is the connection points of the leaves. I like the texture that the wire makes but it does have the tendency to stick out and it shows how my leaves are attached to the steel.

Invitation to Play

Steel, faux fur, faux leather, wire

Spring 2024

    I liked combining hard and soft materials together to make these large-scale headphones. I think the fur was a good addition to the piece because it draws the eyes to the headphone ear pads and invites you to look closer. I would like to improve on how the leather is attached to the steel because some of the holes have ripped due to the tension. I also would like to expand on the message (positive factors can be hidden in something unfamiliar if you only look) because I feel like it isn't easy to understand. 

Truth Lies Beneath the Surface

Bristol, Paint, Clay, Found objects, resin

Spring 2023

    This is a diorama that I made to highlight how our modern conveniences have destroyed environments and polluted water supplies. The diorama is inside of a tiny mini fridge. I wanted the fridge to look very small and whimsical while the inside displayed a destroyed village and ecosystem. This project was rather rushed so there are still some details I would like to include in the piece that would fill some of the empty space of the outside of the fridge as well as the inside with the empty dock. 

Materials: 

    The top 3 materials I want to focus on this semester are bronze, steel, and paper/fiber. I enjoyed learning how to cast bronze from wax last semester and would love to play with what forms I can make with the material and how to combine it with other materials. I'd also like to further my knowledge of welding to make structures for larger sculptures. 

Iron Pour:

    I have very little experience with casting metals so I'd love to experiment with what I can do with different molds and forms and how they work with iron vs bronze. I want to play with juxtapositions between the rigidity of the material and the forms I decide to create. 

Thematic Threads:

    In general, I would like to purposely convey themes within my pieces. This is one of my weaker points since I have always been more interested in aesthetics. One theme I want to focus on is the lack of quality in women's healthcare, especially reproductive care/rights. As I mentioned before, it could be fun to play with juxtapositions between material and content to emphasize themes in my work. 

Artist Inspirations:

1. Beth Cavener: 

    

    I am drawn to Beth Cavener's work because of her style of sculpture. She uses various animals to represent human emotions in their most basic, beastly form I love how she embraces the clay by using it to make fur-like texture. She doesn't sculpt every hair but rather the tuft of hair as they curl around the body which creates a fluid sense of movement. She also uses color in her pieces to help portray the emotion she associates with each sculpture. 

Trapped 

Stoneware, paint, 18k gold, rope, wood

2015

Beloved

Stoneware, paint, bone, rope, steel

2017

Tangled Up In You 

Stoneware, ink, paint, rope

2014

2. Lisa Lloyd:

Lisa has been a big inspiration for my paper projects. I like how she recreates fur, feathers, and scales with paper to make relatively naturalistic forms. I also like how in her newer pieces, she shapes the paper into curved, organic shapes that mimic the movements of being in water or manipulated by airflow. I would like to try to make more paper animal sculptures like hers to hone and practice my skills in creating textures with paper. 

Ovule

paper, card

2023

Yellow Eyelash Viper

Paper, card

2021

Flux

Foil block printed paper, card

2023

Types of Deadlines:

I think the type of deadline I prefer is having everything due at the end of the semester. However, having check-ins or even maybe partial progress deadlines would help (even if I have to make my own). That way there is plenty of time if something takes longer than expected but there are progress expectations to keep me on track.