In this figurative piece I created a clay shark using skills I learned from my previous project, animal head. I created a shark figure and a faux ocean using clay and glass. What I believe makes my piece unique is that I used glass and also clay. At first I had planned to melt my glass but after failed attempts I decided to glue on the broken glass instead. I really like the way it turned out; it makes the waves in the ocean have a choppy effect.
The animal head helped me learn about how to create hollow figures. It was hard at first combining two pieces of clay to start the figure out, but with my previous experiences it became easier. The animal head mini project also helped me become familiar with shaving clay and adding on attachments. I chose to sculpt a shark because I like their shape and smooth texture. Sharks in general are striking creatures so I hope I did them justice in this piece.
Since I was young I have appreciated Vollis Simpson’s work. Although I didn’t know his name I knew his art. My father would take me to the North Carolina Museum of Art’s park on the weekends and that’s where I could find Simpson’s sculptures. His sculptures can be found outdoors, and can only be truly appreciated when the wind is blowing. To quote the New York Times “Vollis Simpson made metal scraps into magnificent things that twirled and jangled and clattered when set out on land.” Simpson initially ran a machine shop in Lucama North Carolina; where he repaired heavy equipment and came up with customized devices for moving houses and towing large trucks. By the 1970s he began repurposing old pieces of “junk” into what he originally called windmills. “Everybody made fun of me and laughed at me,” Mr. Simpson said in a documentary. “I didn’t pay ’em no damn mind.” He didn’t set out to make art, but now he is considered an art star. When researching Simpson I was sad to find out he had died recently, but reading about him makes me feel assured he lived a long lively ninety-four years.
In this mini project we had to use a picture of nature and recreate it on a mini clay tile. This type of style was relief. As I stated before my medium was clay, which is one of my favorite mediums.I chose to do a basic flower as my inspiration from nature. I was really happy with the way it came out, until I glazed it. The glaze covered the small details of the flower and gave an all-around messy look to it. In the future I will know not to use glaze with a piece that has tiny details.
Cardboard Mini
In this mini project we had to pick an image from nature and recreate it on cardboard. This was also a relief piece.I found this medium difficult to work with because many times when peeling back the cardboard it would peel in sections I did not want it to. I saw many people do well with this project and were able to manipulate the cardboard in ways I could not. I do not think this is a strong medium for me, but it was a new experience and for that I am glad I did this project.
Book Cutting
In this project we had to carve letters into a book to create a relief style image. Once finished it produces a really interesting looking piece of art. The whole class worked together to create a phrase about art and apex high school with separate books. It was kind of hard and tedious to cut the same thing over and over again, but the look in the end was worth it. Unfortunately I don’t know where the book is so I will attach another picture of a book cutting project.
In this piece I learned a lot about shaping and molding hollow clay figures. I also learned about using different mediums on fired clay. My clay animal head is a mix between a cat and a fox. I think this piece is successful in the fact that I learned that it’s never too late to change your project and make it better. I first went with water color when choosing how to color my piece. I was however disappointed with the finished look and decided to spray paint it gold. I like the spray painted version much more than the watercolor version. If I were to do this project again I would probably work harder on the ears of my fox/cat.
This is a relief piece using clay as a medium. I think I learned that the amount of time and effort you put into projects reflects on how well your piece turns out. I wish I had put more time and effort into this one. I started off putting on each kernel individually, but it was taking a lot of time and energy that I did not have so I eventually gave up and just put on strips on clay. In the end it gave a brick looking appearance, which was not what I was going for. I think this project was successful in the fact that I learned that extra effort will go a long way and short cuts are ugly. If I were to go back and change something I would definitely change the corn kernels.