Today's Class- We opened by looking at the foam core relief panels projects, which were graded and returned by the end of the day. Most of the class period was spent working on new portfolio exercise creating sculptures from parts of pulp cardboard coffee trays and similar materials. The last part of class was spent talking about our next graded project, found object sculptures made from discarded plastic and metal objects.
How to make this up- Get yourself 3 or 4 of the molded pulp cardboard trays available wherever a lot of take out coffee is sold. These are designed specifically to hold coffee cups, but also have very complex shapes, with concave and convex curves and spaces top and bottom, and interesting transitions from one part to another. Spend a few minutes carefully looking at the trays, and consider what you might do with the various shapes. When you are ready, start to cut them into pieces with your scissors or x-acto knife, and then assemble the pieces into a sculpture. You may make a representative object, or just create an abstract design. The important thing is to take advantage of the shapes available to you. Above are two examples from today's class. Additional directions and student examples can be found here.
This is a portfolio exercise that can be made up any time before the end of the semester, but I recommend doing it soon for two reasons. First of all, the big projects at the end of the semester will be time consuming. Second, considering how to use the shape possibilities here will be good practice for the next major project involving cast off plastic.
Homework- Nothing new, but those who still owe the modules project or the foam core relief panels should try to get them done as soon as possible to receive partial credit.
*******Spring Break March 10 to 14, 2014. No class next week*******
For next class 3/18/14- We will start our next graded project, found object sculptures making use of cast off plastics, metal, and other manufactured items. Below are several examples of such sculptures made by New Jersey artist Lisa Bagwell. Her materials are all things she finds as garbage or has given to her by friends who are familiar with her art.
Above and below are two views of a piece based on a sub sandwich. The bread is made from wine corks, and the filling includes plastic lids, gloves, disposable plastic razors, and sponges. The olive on top is made from plastic bottle caps.
Above is a bird made largely from starter plant label tabs, a conch shell made from plastic cigar mouthpiece tips, and an ice cream cone that includes popsicle sticks, bottle caps, and a plastic spout. Some of the same materials were used below for the hawk in a cork tree.
The egret below is largely made from plastic utensils and pencils.
The shapes and colors of your found objects must be part of the design. You can arrive to class with a plan, or just bring a bunch of stuff and see what it can be when you get there. Bring your supply of found objects, hot glue gun and sticks, and anything that you might use to build on or fasten it. Also consider what will form the main volume of your object that the surface colors and textures are attached to. The resulting sculptures must be at least 12" in one dimension and resemble the subjects in terms of proportion, shape, and color.
