Previous Work
In 2021, I made a series of sketches while brainstorming for a project. The sketches were so successful I was encouraged to circle back to them, eventually creating a whole series. The project involved using a found object, in this case, a small green vase I had gotten from Barts. Most of my plans for this semester revolve around completing this series. Here are the original images and my attempts at creating two of them.
Overall, I intend to redo existing components of the ones I have already done, and I will attempt to make a third one from this series. I have found one of the most critical parts of the process for me is research and, unfortunately, when I made these sketches, I wasn't thinking of anything or any artist in particular, so before I get any further with this series, I intend to do some thorough research on female surrealist sculptors and possibly carnivorous plants.
I don't remember exactly what I was going for when I made these sketches, but I do remember parts of what I wanted. I wanted to create something that seemed alive, like a plant, and I wanted them to look aggressive like they would try to bite you. I can push that a lot further now.
The following is my ongoing Palestine Series:
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Displacement
Steel, Sand, and Paper
Fall 2024
1 Bead, 1 Child
Fabric, 13,000 Seed Beads, Steel, found object
Fall 2024
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The Distance Between Us
Wood, Plaster, Yarn
Fall 2024
The following are the other works I have made that I don't hate but don't belong in a series or might need some TLC.
Door Knocker
Bronze, Resin, & Braided cord
Fall 2020
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The Wyoming Jackalope
Bronze, fo-leather, fo-fur, metal button, resin gem
Spring 2019
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Inside Me (Alt: Anxiety & Depression)
Polymer Clay & Found Objects
Spring 2021
Untitled
Plaster, Tissue Paper, String Lights
Winter 2020
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CAUTION: CLIMATE
Mini Gallery
Found traffic cone, Wax, Sand, Cardboard, & String Lights
Navigating Tool
Glass Enameled Copper, Brass, and Found Object
Spring 2019
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Untitled Installation
Ice & Pinecones
Spring 2023
Materials & Processes
I can tell that this semester, I will be doing a lot of plaster mold making for my vase series and wax sculpting to eventually cast it in iron (and maybe bronze). I intend to keep a 'hard and soft' mindset when designing these pieces, so I will probably be playing with some fiber as well. Paper will also probably find its way into my designs, as I love how versatile it can be in texture.
If I had to pick something I wanted a demo on, it would probably be casting in Aluminium, as I have never done it, so I don't know how to use it in my designs. It seems like a cheap resource that will be easier to acquire for a home forge down the road, and it's one of the metals I haven't played with yet. Because I have no plans, as of right now, to use aluminum this semester, and I think I heard in class once that it is kind of a pain to cast with, I would understand if we didn't get to it.
Iron Pour & Iron Confrence Plans
Conference: Tiny Cryptoids (tiny iron) & Door Knocker (shell mold)
Local Pour: Door knocker and/or back plate? (good for sand mold?)
Thematic Threads
Almost all of my work is abstract, usually rooted in emotions, trying to convey my feelings about one topic or another. Since that theme is pretty general, I intend to narrow my focus within each body of work in the future.
Palestine & Genocide Body: Exploring the effects and steps of Genocide, using Palestine as a case example. How connections with loved ones are strained and broken, loss of place and home, and the effect of mass death. I intend to keep creating works for this body, but only in ideation this semester.
Vase Creatures Series: ( DEVELOPMENT IN PROGRESS ) We, as humans, often put up a front and make ourselves seem unapproachable to others for various reasons. I am interested in creating these plant-like sculptures, with similar shells (the vase) representing our outer self, containing different creatures that each have a different motive and fear.
Tiny Cryptoids: ( DEVELOPMENT IN PROGRESS ) Our opportunity to cast tiny iron seemed like an excellent chance to build on my bronze Jackalope work from 2019. Perhaps a small series of tiny, fictional cryptoids. I have always been fascinated with cryptids and how the crafting of their stories is so very inherently human. My existing Jackalope needs work, providing me an opportunity to blend it into a whole series.
Door Knocker Series: ( DEVELOPMENT IN PROGRESS ) I am realizing just how many casting opportunities we are going to have this semester, and I still have my base mold for my original door knocker, so I think I would be remiss to pass on the opportunity to develop this tiny body of work I have had in my head for a while. My Original knocker was meant to be gross-looking and challenging to hold. I wanted the person knocking on the door to go through effort or a bit of work if they wanted to get the homeowner's attention. Many of my relationships had begun to strain at the time, and these knockers felt like a way to show what people sometimes have to go through to be with the ones they love. It can be gross and uncomfortable because people aren't perfect, but to preserve the relationship, you must grab the knocker anyway to gain entry. To further this series, I think I shall create more challenging-to-hold knockers.
Artist Influences
(Click the names to see website)
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The following are artists who have not had a direct influence on my work (YET), but they are really cool, and I wanted to share.
These are not the only things she does, but ever since I randomly saw her Jerked-Beef Ruins series in 2021 on an obscure website that I don't even remember, these meat pillars and walls pop into my head at least twice a month.
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Megan,
ReplyDeleteAlthough you don't mention it in your themes or as something you want to expand upon, I absolutely love your piece titled "Inside Me". The piece itself is very dynamic and it invites me in to look more but also has this almost 'gross' or repelling feeling/look to it that makes me want to stay away. I can really in vision a series of these small miniatures hung on a wall within a gallery space.
Your first sketches definitely do represent some kind of plants, mainly the carnivorous and poisons ones. I would agree with you on researching some. One of your sketches actually as a similar form (except upside down) to the Chinese Lantern Plant. I know you don't have a set theme for these sketches yet, but one thing I think about when looking at carnivorous or poisonous plants is how beautiful and inviting they look despite being incredibly dangerous and even life threatening to us as humans or other animals. This might be an idea you could explore within this theme if it interested you.
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteI know you have a few themes listed but I almost feel there is something in common with some of them. To me, there is a common element between your Vase Creatures series and your Door Knocker series. There's a sense of repelling the viewer, but inviting them to examine further, or even take action. Would you be interested in combining the two series into one? As people, we are constantly growing and changing from our experiences, so we become different versions of ourselves, which can affect our relationships. In turn, we may build walls if we don't feel accepted by those around us. Then it's a matter of working through the discomfort to preserve the relationship.
I like the idea of making your own miniature cryptids. You could research different folklore and other stories about some creatures to make your own interpretations from the descriptions of the creatures. Maybe you could exaggerate certain aspects of the creatures and what makes them well-known/recognizable while keeping them fairly original. I don't know your processes for the vase creatures but you could probably find some entertaining vases at a thrift store and decorate them to be closer to what you want. Sculpting them out of clay or casting the vases could be cool too. The forms could be inspired by various plants like you mentioned before.
ReplyDeleteHi Megan,
ReplyDeleteI love seeing all these ideas that sort of have a thread of similarity. I think that picking one or two of these ideas to focus on for this semester or even year would be beneficial. I could feel myself getting a little overwhelmed with just the sheer amount of bodies of work occurring in this blog, so I can't imagine how you feel trying to decide how to go forward and what to focus on. Your vase creatures and tiny cryptids are the most compelling to me and seem to relate to one another nicely. I think that they could work together in terms of fabrication nicely as well. Found objects could definitely find their way into these works as well and might help lessen the work load.
Some artists I found for you are Donna Watson, Barbara Frank, Su Blackwell, Noriko Ambe, and Glen Taylor.