Entries from August 2008
So, for my last screen-printing project I decided to recreate the mood of a birthday party. The specific memory that I’m working with is from one of my Dad’s birthdays when I was a kid. I remember we always used to get simple frozen Sara Lee cakes for our parent’s birthdays until we were old enough to make them cakes. So this is one of those simple birthday cakes. The drawing/screen-print is coming from the point of view of a child. That’s why certain elements are exaggerated, like the size of the cake, and the colors. The colors were inspired from different ice cream flavors. (Chocolate, raspberry, mint, orange sherbet) The bright colors represent selective memory. This part of the memory can chance really easily, personally & collectively. These are the parts of the memory that are exaggerated from a child’s perspective. I’m hoping that this can remind my audience about some of their memories or experiences. The brown color that I chose for the photograph is my permanent memory. This part of the memory doesn’t change for me, and makes it more personal. The photograph is simplified in a way that I think others can relate to even though it’s of my Dad, Sister, & I. I have a serious of prints on different papers. I think the print on the white paper is the most successful, but I really wanted to explore other possibilities on other types of paper as well. I also printed on silk dupioni & cotton sateen, but I’m still working with those so I’ll show them later.
OH! and for those of you who know a little about screen printing instead of burning my screens from transparencies, I used machine embroidery on white organza. I scanned my drawings into the computer, cleaned up my image in photoshop, transferred it into pfaff 4D software, and digitized it so that my embroidery machine would embroider my design. It was a long weekend trying to figure out how to use my machine & the software, but it was worth it!! Now I have a basic idea of how to do this process. I’ll have to keep working with it to get better at it, but that comes with every process. 
-
-
Birthday Print #1
-
-
Birthday Print #2
-
-
Birthday Print # 3
-
-
Birthday Print # 4
-
-
Birthday Print # 5
-
-
Birthday Print # 6
-
-
Birthday Print # 7
-
-
Birthday Print #8
-
-
Birthday Print # 9
-
-
Birthday Print #10
-
-
Birthday Print #10
-
-
Birthday Print #10
Categories: Concepts · Memory Work · Screen Printing
When I was in Surfaces and Structures during the spring quarter I got the idea to use the concept of memory and incorporate it with the embroidery that I was working on. I first decided to choose a few objects that directly relate to my Dad so that I could pull inspiration from them & create patterns/images. I chose to use a tea set that my Dad got while he went to Japan ( in 1988 ) when I was three years old. I created a repeat pattern and started working with it in various ways.
My Dad gave this tea set to my Grandma, and my Grandma has recently give it to me. So while I was thinking about the connections that this one object has, I decided to work with imagery of my Grandmother to try and make the motif look similar to a cameo. My goal was to illustrate connections through this imagery and get my audience thinking about a connection that they can relate to themselves. So if this gets anyone thinking please share your thoughts
Categories: Concepts · Embellished Samples · Embroidery
I’ve decided to start a blog about my graduate work so that I can show family and friends what I’m working on. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I just wrote a statement of purpose for the fibers graduate program and am going to post the highlights from my statement to update everyone on my concept and direction of work. I’ll be posting pictures soon so visit my blog often
I have always had a strong connection with the past and tend to focus on my own personal memories. I have so many great family memories from my childhood and love to reminisce about them. I think one of the joys of life is the time spent with close family and having the ability to remember all the little things that make these connections special. For this reason, I have been exploring the concept of memory during these last two quarters. One of the most important reasons why I am focusing on this concept is because my Dad passed away about five years ago and I feel all I have left are memories of him. This makes me want to hold on to these memories so that I will never lose them.
During this past year, I have been exploring numerous processes in the fibers department. My focus has been on embroidery and embellishing. I am using other processes like CAD and screen-printing to enhance my embroidery. As a starting point, I have been working with different objects that relate to my Dad in one way or another so that I can create patterns and images from them. The images that I am working on not only directly relate to my memories but are also images that others can relate to as well. I am illustrating connections within my work that are open to viewer interpretation.
I am using embroidery because this method translates my imagery into the cloth and makes them a part of the cloth. Not only does this method translate my images into the cloth but also it has a large cultural history and dialog. This trait makes me think about collective memory, which is an area that I want to explore as my concepts keep developing. Using this process opens up a dialog for others to relate to. Many people have had a piece of cloth passed down from generation to generation and it represents memory which is rich with meaning. I think that others will be able to relate to this concept through the cloth in a successful way.
At this time, I am exploring different ways of presenting my concepts and ideas and am seeking constructive criticism from professors and peers so that I can make the best body of work possible.
Categories: Concepts · New Blog
