C-Laws and Luckett
Niches
We made our molds from cardboard by cutting them out using a pattern.
Digital Sketchbook Reflection
Summarize your learning experience working with your classmates, instructor, and our visiting artist Fabiola Jean Louis. Describe the role(s) you played in helping create the niche pieces. Describe what you found most interesting about being part of the production team. Would you consider working collaboratively on a project again in the future? Describe anything that you found challenging as being part of the team and why. What new technical processes or material experiences did you learn as a part of making the niches? Many of you have previously disclosed that you have limited experience working with sculptural/3D processes. Do you feel like this experience has strengthened your comfort level with exploring ideas three-dimensionally? Please describe why or why not.
Working on niches with my classmates was an exercise in trust and it was a first for me to work collaboratively on a project. I learned each area of production, like an assembly line, from paper tearing to applying the paper clay and everything in between. Everyone was helpful and we all took turns at different posts. Our instructor was the one who showed us how to work each station in the production line. It was inspiring to see our visiting artist's work along side of our own. The only thing I found challenging about working in a group was the level of trust that is put into each piece that is made. Will I end up with one that was made properly or just thrown together? I now know how to make this particular recipe of paper clay. I found our visiting artist's work to be inspiring. It was one of my inspirations for my niche sculpture. I loved the soft lighting and the textured niches. I also very much enjoyed her color palette and jewels, gold leaf, and sparkle.
I think that this experience has strengthened my 3D skills by creating something I have never created before. I do wish that we had a little more time and guidance on our sculptures for our niches but complications with the niches took up more time than we had expected.
C-Laws and Luckett
Sculpture for Niche
Personal Significance and Consideration of the space it is meant to occupy with lighting
This piece started out as an homage to my inner crazy cat lady as I rescue kittens and am pet owner to four cats. I have always loved cats. However, last year I adopted a Standard Poodle and fell in love. My heart has been taken over by poodles! Poodles are wonderful pets to own and they are beautiful even with their funny haircuts. I chose a Toy Poodle to put into the niche project because I wanted Poodles to be represented. Many poodle owners that I know love them and miss them after they pass over the rainbow bridge. This niche was a great little spot to add a representation of all of the poodles that have died, a memorial. This is accentuated by the spot light shining from the top of the niche.
How my aesthetic choices support that personal significance and Reference the elements and principles of design
Tiny Tim is to scale for a Toy Poodle for a reason. I wanted people to be aware of this size of Poodle since there are a few different sizes. I chose to create a simple Toy Poodle shape in a simple, yet recognizable, haircut that represents the Poodle in general and eliminating unnecessary details for economy. I used texture that came naturnally from the paper clay to represent an abstract type of fur for the Poodle’s coat. When the paints were applied, the texture really stood out with dark colors in the valleys and light colors on the hills.
I have four cats and used to rescue litters of kittens for a non-profit here in Conway. I stopped doing that a few years ago due to my health. However, I have always wanted an Apricot-colored Standard Poodle! Almost a year ago, I finally adopted one. His name is Toby and he just turned a year old. Instead of the crazy cat lady, I have evolved overnight into a crazy Poodle lady.
I decided to use paper mache clay to create my to-scale, miniature poodle because I had never used handmade paper clay before and wanted to make sure it would do what the expensive store-bought paper clay would do. That is what I used in this sculpture. I had not created a sculpture this size before.
The miniature poodle is to scale and is meant to look like a relic of a beloved pet in the catacombs that Fabiola, myself, and the group have created. I used handmade paper mache clay over a cardboard and wire armature. the paper mache clay was very heavy on the little armature so the legs started splaying and I had to staple his feet temporarily to a piece of cardboard until dry. I used masking tape and newsprint to pad him out into the desired shape. Once again, this is the first time I had done something like this so he has a few flaws. After his armature was made, his body was padded out by newsprint and masking tape, and paper mache clay was added for his fur and skin, I dry brushed onto the dry paper mache clay a heavy body white paint to give him a base color. I chose white because I think that most people think of poodles as white and I wanted it to be recognizable as a poodle to raise awareness of this majestic dog. People tend to think of poodles, no matter what the size, as fru-fru dogs but they are not unless you make them, as with any dog. They make excellent pets! I then added a little bit of Payne's Gray and glazing medium to the cracks and wiped off the excess with baby wipes. I then dry brushed on fluid acrylic paint in gold. Next, I repeated the same process with Golden fluid acrylics in Gold-Green with a glazing medium to tone down the gold and bring everything together. I then used burnt umber to age the piece. Next, I added a bit of fine moss to give the piece a garden statue look. It is a homage to a dead companion dog. His name is Tiny Tim.
Dr. Okoli Article
Journal Prompts
Journal Prompts
1. After reading the journal piece written by Dr. K Okoli, reconsider the simplicity of the niche. Think about its material, color, texture, and shape. Use those characteristics to add meaning to the niche in relation to the artwork it will hold. Now, what does it symbolize to you?
To me it symbolizes a trash to treasure vibe. We took paper pulp, something that nobody wanted, and turned it into a beautiful niche for a piece of art. The colors are natural, the texture is natural. We manipulated the paper pulp clay to a pleasing shape that is beautiful, especially with the lighting installed above. The whole niche, put together with the lighting, is a beautiful object. It also symbolizes the catacombs found in Europe, for me. I have been to catacombs in France and Italy. They are about the same color and texture as the niches but don’t have lighting. The lighting adds a more serious and eerie effect to the overall appearance of the object placed inside.
2. Do you think that meaning is important in art? Why or why not?
I believe that meaning can have an important meaning but I believe that art does not have to have meaning that is important in art. This is because, if you study some works of art, especially Modern Art, you will find that some pieces have no meaning and art simply created for shock value. I create art just because I like to make things. There is no specific meaning to many of my pieces. I only learned to do this really when I entered art classes here at the University of Central Arkansas.
3. What is your creative voice? What would you like your art to say?
I guess I really haven’t found my overall creative voice. Most of my art for this past year has been classwork and it mainly says that I am a crazy Poodle lady. For the past year, I have owned a Standard Poodle and it has taken over my life. Most of my pieces have centered around Poodle awareness that they are magnificent pets. The only thing I have had time to work on outside of class are my weavings. They are abstracted mountains scenes from my recent Spring Break trip to North and Northwestern Colorado. I was inspired by the mountains and the colors and the composition. I think I may be the type of artist that finds inspiration in everyday things and not just one overall creative voice.