Bunnies

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In 3-D foundations class, we learned the process of slip casting. Slip (a clay and water mixture) is poured into a plaster mold. The plaster absorbs some of the water from the slip and creates a hard shell of clay. The excess slip is poured out of the mold, and when dried, the hallow clay object can be removed. The slip objects were fired in a kiln to make them finished ceramic pieces.

I chose to cast some small plastic Easter bunnies. I created a gang mold with three bunnies inside one mold. This allowed me to make 3 bunnies with each cast. I ended up with 153 bunnies in the end.

The assignment was to organize the slip cast objects based on an organizational system we researched. After much thought, I settled on creating a political map of Pennsylvania with the bunnies. I combined a population density map with a map of the most recent presidential election results. I put the map below the balcony overlooking the basement by the photography area of Tyler. This way, one could view the map from above, and also go down the stairs to see the bunnies up close.

On-going sketchbook assignment

In 2-D, we've been making 8 sketchbook pages a week. In the end, we'll bind all the pages together. Here is a small selection of the pages I've made thus far. These pages I've selected were inspired by my trip to Alaska. The goal in making these pages is to practice and experiment using color in different ways.

Stream

My friend Josh and I went to a park outside Philadelphia recently. There, I made this painting of a small stream with rocks and small waterfalls. It's acrylic on canvas and measures about 22" X 13.5".

Soft Sculpture

In 3-D class, we had a recent assignment to create a large soft sculpture inspired by the work of Claes Oldenburg. The sculpture had to approach or go beyond human scale. We also had to find a specific site at Tyler install the work in. We had to think about the context of the environment and how it related to the sculpture.

I chose to create a large pad (of the "sanitary napkin" kind), which I installed in a chair outside the advising office at Tyler. It was well received, and brought up good discussion about culture, what is considered disgusting, taboo, comfort, and choice. I chose to put the pad in a chair next to another empty one. This brought up the fact that when given the choice, most people would feel uncomfortable sitting in the chair next to the pad, and would choose a different set of chairs farther down the hall. The image on the left shows the pad outside the advising office. The image on the right shows my Professor, Dan Cutrone, posing with the pad.

2-D Color Study

In 2-D, we've been making small compositions with guoche to explore color value and saturation. These studies were all non-representational. Mine were 6" x 6". I think this one was the most successful.

Gerbil Painting

I've been slowly making a series of paintings of gerbils for a while now. This is the latest one. This isn't for any specific class. It was just for myself. The painting is acrylic on canvas and is about 9" X 12".

Spring Break Assignment

Over spring break, we are drawing bananas as they age. This assignment in Drawing class is an exercise in color observation. These bananas are from day 6. I used watercolor pencils to draw them and then add a painterly quality.