Making my plaster mold was fun, but also kind of difficult. When I was making the second piece, I forgot to put Vaseline on the other side before pouring in plaster so I tried taking the plaster out (it wasn't a lot) then I put Vaseline on and started pouring it in again. That caused some issues getting the pieces apart when they dried, so I had to use a chisel to open it. They didn't turn out perfect, but I'm still going to try it out. There was a bubble on the lid, but I can fix that on the casts when they're finished.
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My idea is to make the Fat Cat Awards for my cats and my sister's cat. They're all so fat it's actually impressive so they deserve awards. I haven't thought much about the base, but I know I want to stack cat food cans relating to how much food each cat eats and how fat they are. Of course first place will have the most cans and third will only have one. I'm playing around with shapes for the bases, triangle is my favourite so far because it looks weird. I want to make my own labels for the cans if I have the time to do so, so I'm keeping the label for reference. This is a picture of the can I am using to make my cast, it has a dent in the side but I kind of like that because my cats sometimes get so excited about food they knock it off the counter, so the dent is perfect.
The last step to finishing my toolbox was painting the inside. I was originally planning on just leaving the burned interior, but I didn't feel like it truly showed who I am. I taped the edges around the inside so I wouldn't get too much on the outside, but I wouldn't be upset if it did because sometimes my interior finds its way outside. I mixed acrylic paint with liquin to make it more transparent so the texture of the wood would still be visible through it. After it was all dried, I took off the tape. I really like how it turned out, inside and out.
I used all of the scrap pieces of wood that I had left as well as scraps left in the wood shop. I cut some of them down into smaller pieces so they would be easier to build up on. I sanded the pieces because a lot of them weren't smooth. I didn't want the pieces perfect, but I wanted them to look more uniform with the rest of the toolbox. I also used the side of the sander to make lines and indentions in the pieces. Usually I would carefully plan out how to build up the wood, but since this is the exterior I decided to be more spontaneous. Whenever I do anything with my appearance, I don't do too much thinking about it (a lot of my tattoos, my hair, and my piercings). Another reason I didn't want to plan out the design is because I really don't know what my body looks like to other people or what it will look like the next time I look in the mirror so I didn't want to know what the exterior of my toolbox would end up looking like either. After I finished gluing the pieces of wood onto the sides, I decided to use my pocket knife to make the edges of the toolbox more uneven so there would be small imperfections. I did this to some edges of the small pieces of wood, on the heart shape on the edges, and on the top inner edge of the sides of the toolbox. I did this because I thought it looked too nice and I see imperfections in myself so I wanted to make my toolbox a little rough around the edges. I'm really liking how this is turning out.
I decided to build my toolbox in a very simple manner. My dad is a contractor and when I'm home I like working with him and he taught me easy ways to put things together so just using wood glue and the nail gun is the perfect way for me to craft my toolbox. I sanded the sides to try to create unity between the sides and the edges. I rounded the edges to join them together. I left the nails visible because I have metal on the outside, like my piercings, retainer, and glasses that I can never really forget I have or need. I intentionally didn't line up the nails perfectly because I really like imperfections in sculpture and I like to let myself not care about perfection when I'm working on certain types of artwork. I used the sander to add lines to the sides of the exterior that match the lines on the handle of my toolbox. I think my toolbox looks really nice with all of its imperfections, but I want to create more so I can really portray my confusion about my appearance.
I cut and sanded my wood and started working on the design. I burned most of the inside (image 1) as well as some of the outside (image 2) with a torch so they would correspond with each other. On the exterior sides (image 3 & 5), I cut horizontal lines with an x-acto blade and my pocket knife and I burned horizontal lines in with a lighter (thanks, Ben) to create more "scars" and imperfections. On the interior sides (image 4), I cut vertical lines at the top leading down to the burned wood that remind me of scars. I used the sander to make small lines on the top of the handle (image 6) and I did the same thing on the sides, just a little softer so the lines wouldn't be as dark. I also burnt the bottom of my handle because it faces the inside of my toolbox. I used the sander to make the line going across the exterior and interior end pieces (image 7). I cut vertical lines with a printmaking tool above the line on the end pieces to correspond with the vertical lines inside the toolbox.
EXTERIOR
1. Ouija Board: I liked the idea to make the outside of my toolbox a Ouija Board. I've been told that I'm "not very approachable" and I think a lot of people think the same thing about Ouija Boards. They're kind of creepy and everyone that knows me knows that I love stuff like that. Another reason I like the Ouija Board idea is because I don't believe in ghosts, so I think it's funny that some people are so put off by them and I think it's funny that some people think I'm going to be weird or mean just because I'm not talkative or approachable (thanks, mom). 2. Tattoos: Another idea I had was to draw my tattoos. Some of the most noticeable things about me are my tattoos. I have 22 of them and they're my prized possessions. My tattoos are my favourite part of my body, so I think it would be cool to have my toolbox reflect those. 3. Cats: I like the idea of drawing cat silhouettes and paw prints on the sides of my toolbox. Many people think of cats as animals that are stand-offish and prefer to be alone and I'm the same way around people I don't know. Like cats, it sometimes takes a while for me to get comfortable around people and when I do, I'm not very affectionate but I show my appreciation and friendship in my own way. 4. Abstract Figure: An idea I really like is to just mess up parts of the wood any way I can. I can cut into it, burn it, and glue smaller pieces of wood onto it. This reflects me because I have always struggled with body image issues and every time I see myself it's almost as if I'm looking at different bodies. If I just glue pieces of wood on instead of nailing them, I leave the possibility of pieces falling off and the shape of the toolbox changing, similar to the way I look different every time I look at myself in the mirror. The cuts and burns on the surface would reflect the scars and marks on my body that I have from many different injuries throughout my life that I believe shaped me and effect the way I look at myself. 5. Supernatural: I like the idea to decorate the outside of my toolbox with images relating to Halloween, aliens, and other spooky things. I don't know how well this would reflect me as a person, but it would definitely show the things that bring me joy and interest me more than most other things. Martin Puryear was born in Washington D.C. in 1941. He studied crafts and learned how to build guitars, furniture, and canoes through practical training. He earned his BA at the Catholic University in D.C. He was in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone from 1964-1966. Puryear also attended the Swedish Royal Academy of Art from 1966-1968 and in 1971 he earned his MFA in sculpture at Yale. He uses traditional ways of making and likes using wood, stone, tar, wire, and metals. Puryear uses abstract forms that retain elements from everyday life.
I included 3 images of my favourite works of his. The first is "Vessel" (1997-2002) which has an ampersand inside a wooden form that's almost cage-like. The second image is an untitled work Puryear made in 2005. I like this piece because I think it looks kind of funny and I like any art that can make me smile. The third piece is "Ladder for Booker T Washington" (1996). I liked this one a lot because of the way Puryear plays with perspective and makes the ladder look surreal. If Martin Puryear were in our class, he would probably be very careful while making his toolbox and leave the natural wood showing, maybe lightly staining it. He would definitely have very great craftsmanship because of his background in crafting with wood. The last site I used wasn't necessarily a "site" but my shot glass shelf. Since I was young, I have traveled to many different places with my family and all of those memories are the best I have. I didn't start collecting shot glasses until about 2 years ago, so I don't have a shot glass from everywhere I have ever been. When I look at my collection, I feel proud that I've experienced those places, but sad because it feels so incomplete. Stacking my shot glasses caused me to feel very nervous because I knew they could fall at any minute. As I put the final shot glass on top of one of my tall pieces, the sculpture fell and my shot glass from my favourite country broke. I wasn't sad about the shot glass, but about the memories it holds because it felt like a piece of those memories was broken with that shot glass. After that happened, my sculptures became inspired by the broken shot glass of my favourite country on Earth. I used two blank shot glasses with pieces of a map to represent the missing shot glasses I'm not sure I'll ever have the opportunity to get. The second site I used for this project is my bedroom. After I finish doing laundry for my partner and I, I put it on the bed and always have to immediately fold it and put it away or I feel more anxious in a space I should be comfortable in. As I did laundry over the weekend, I decided to leave the clothes on my bed until every load was finished and all I wanted to do was fold those clothes. When I finally let myself fold them, I arranged them in a few different ways. I separated them into stacks based on which drawer they go into, then by colour, then I separated them by each different outfit I wore last week and over the last two weekends. |
\Progress pictures for my sculpture projects. Currently in Sculpture I. Archives
December 2017
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