Weeks:
Studio Documentation
Week 5 (25th - 29th Oct)
Oil Pastel details
I wanted to add another layer to this acrylic experiment. I have used oil pastels before and know how to use them, and I knew that I would be able to create controlled marks with vibrant colours.
I used similar marks from the experiments I did in the first week, and I used the painting to guide the direction I drew the marks. I also used a contrasting and lighter colour scheme to the painting, making the marks stand out but work with the piece underneath.
I love how it turned out. I didn't expect the background and the oil pastel to work visually well together. Even though I added another layer, it didn't remove any movement within the piece, and I felt that it intensified and made the direction clearer.
Larger Acrylic Painting
I wanted to experiment with the same technique on a larger canvas and use a different colour scheme.
This piece is an A3 board canvas. The acrylic outcome shows a similar effect as the first piece.
Mini Plaster sculptures
I watched a video about using plaster to create a mould then to be chipped away with a chisel to create a sculpture. I wanted to try this out.
For the moulds for the plaster, I used a ready-made food container and a plastic cup. It creates straightforward shapes before chipping them to create a different shape.
I used a chisel to change the shape into rocks that change naturally over time. I create holes, jagged straight lines and dips within the body.
This gave texture to the shapes, but I realised when looking at the form in real life that those new adjustments were not noticeable unless holding it or looking very closely. I think this was because it was white, and having one colour takes away the shape making it seem smooth when looking at a distance.
Acrylic Pouring on mini sculptures
To gain the texture back to the mini sculptures, the easiest way to do that is to add colour.
I used watered down acrylic paint. I did two colours of paint. The first colour was red with a little bit of yellow and the second colour was blue. From the red, you can see specks of yellow that didn't mix it, which adds a nice contrast of colour. The blue that was poured next was watered down more than the red.
I think blue was the colour that brought out the textures. Since the colour was very watered down, it greatly affected chipped areas but didn't wash out the red as it's still present. I like the end product of this experiment, and I'm going to create more to experiment with colour schemes.
Crochet - Yarn
I wanted to experiment with something other than paint and plaster. After staring at my painting outcome, I could see that it has curves as its natural shape. I thought that thin fabric or yarn could imitate the movement as the fabric or yarn can be easily manipulated.
I also thought of ways to combine yarn into the painting where gravity can give the yarn its curvy shape. This was my solution, to add nails for the yarn to hang.
When crocheting the yarn I purposely left strings that hang and cut strings of yarn just to tie on to the chain which gives a loose feeling to the piece.
I picked colours that are similar to the painting or the oil pastel. The colours are part of the reason the yarn ties into the painting.
I crochet as a hobby, and I thought it was perfect for including it. Instead of just adding the yarn plain, I combined two colours, created a long chain stitch, and then created hoops that connect.
Overall I think that the yarn did what I thought it would do. It created natural curves from gravity within the pieces. I think the pieces work very well. The colours from the yarn make the yarn blend without being overbearing.
Arangement
What I thought was a failed experiment can be used differently. My original idea for this cardboard piece was hanging on the wall. The cardboard was another base for a plaster experiment, but the layering of the plaster became too heavy to be supported to stand.
I left this piece on the floor and forgot about it to do other experiments. I glanced at it a few times and thought it would be great to stay on the floor. The swirls of plaster remind me of seafoam or running water, and there was a clear correlation to nature or natural form.
I felt that this floor piece would do well with a sculpture along with it. I took pictures of positions I thought would be a good composition with the polystyrene sculpture I put together.
These two pieces combined was an exciting way to put two pieces that suppose to be separate but give a different dynamic when placed together. I will keep this cardboard plaster experiment to see if any other experiments would suit well when put together. This realisation made me consider using the whole space, including the floor, in terms of composition.
Oil Pastle/ Nails
Similar to the first painting experiment, I added oil pastel to add details.
I did the same technique where I followed the curves of the painting to create the lines and dots of the oil pastel—using a colour scheme that complements the colours from the painting, which makes a pleasing composition.
I wanted to play around with yarn and manipulate the yarn using crochet. I placed the nails on where I wanted the yarn to be placed. I'll probably choose colours that blend into the painting. The yarn will become an extension of the piece, not outshine what is already there.