Entries categorized as ‘Concepts’
This is my final project for my Artist as Designer/Designer as Artist class. We had all of our critiques and the last day of class was today. Thanks Cat Chow for traveling to Savannah for the past seven weeks to teach our class. It was such a great experience!
The title is Past Present Future. It’s about past, present, and future memories. I used each compartment in the doll trunk that I bought to represent these three eras of time.
The left side of the trunk represents the past. I created a frame like structure that I hung in the back part of the trunk. I thought about past memories and how they are suspended in time so I made a cameo form that represents my memories suspended in time. I started twisting this wire around and flattening part of it out so that it was this quirky “memory”. It is made up of precious crystals, beads, and pearls wrapped in copper tubing.
The right side of the trunk represents the present. I made forms out of copper wire that have the characteristics of the iron work in Savannah. I’ve been thinking a lot about iron work because it is a memory of a cast. This works well with the concepts of memory that I’ve been working with. Then, I made dream catcher forms out of different colored wire and place beads wrapped in copper tubing in each “memory catcher”.
The small compartment in the trunk represents the future. I made a mock drawer out of copper mesh. Then I placed the “memory catcher” forms in the drawer along with one beaded cameo. This represents what is waiting for me in the future. Some things are planned and some and unknown. They are not fully developed and are not ready to come out of this drawer. Some day they will join the rest of the memories, but right now they safe and waiting in this drawer. The presence of the future is always leering in the background, but will not be completely understood until the time is right.
Here are some pictures from the rest of my day! Just a little inspiration from Savannah. 
Categories: Class with Cat Chow · Concepts · Fall Quarter 2008 · Memory Work · Metal
I’ve been working on my final project for my Artist as Designer/Designer as Artist class this week. I’ve also been thinking a lot about a few questions that I have: What do memories actually mean to people?, Why are people drawn to them?, What is the best way of interacting with my memory objects?, and How should I present my ideas. So far, I’ve come up with memories remind people of happy moments or experiences that they may or may not experience again. These are different to everyone based on their own personal life experiences. Some people think memory is really important and some don’t. I’m one of those people who thinks memory is extremely important and very interesting (Obviously!! haha).
A few ways that I’ve been thinking about presenting my ideas are: using suitcases, trunks, cosmetic cases, jars, and special boxes. Basically I’m trying to create an environment that my audience can relate to. I’ve also found out through my survey that sight, smell, and sound are the three most important senses when it comes to remembering a specific memory. So ideally I would combine these three senses and present my objects in one of the possible ways that I just listed to create the best environment. I’m still thinking and working a lot of things out, but for this final I’ve come to a conclusion. I bought a vintage doll trunk to use as my space for my project. Then once I sat down with all my materials and my trunk, ideas started to flow. I’m also working with the dichotomy of a memory in terms of past, present, and future. So here are some of my in progress pictures.
It’s coming together really well! Feel free to comment, leave feedback, or answer the above questions.
Categories: Class with Cat Chow · Concepts · Fall Quarter 2008 · Memory Work · Metal
I’ve been working on small samples that will inform my stitch work and hopefully finished pieces.
I started off with drawing on 3 by 5 note cards. I was just drawing really quick to get some ideas out.
I was thinking about my embroidery, frames, and lockets. I was trying to figure out how I could use this in my work. Then I started stitching small samples. Most of them are still in progress but I did finish one. YAY! I’m using a lot of my deconstructed silk in the centers of my embroidered frames. I showed these at my midterm critique and got some really great feedback.
So feel free to leave comments. Oh and just a reminder my survey is an ongoing process so I hope you continue to leave comments. An easy way to find the post is by clicking on the category “I need your comments” and it will take you there. Thanks to everyone who has already responded!
Categories: Concepts · Drawing · Embroidery · Fall Quarter 2008 · Memory Work
Here are more examples of how I’m deconstructing silk for some of my work.
It started with a sample that I posted from my stitch class. I started thinking about the word destroy while I was responding to another group’s presentation in our class. Then after I made the sample I thought about how this process relates to memory. Memories are not always clear and over time they can start to deconstruct.
So I’m using it in my little samples as reverse applique. There are lots of possibilities with this process so hopefully you’ll see more posts about this in my work. I’m just starting to explore it so it might take a while.
I’m also saving the threads that I’m pulling out of the fabric and plan on using them in some way eventually.
One thought that was brought up in class would be sewing the loose threads on water dissolving stabilizer. I am working on a free motion pattern for this so that a pattern joins these threads together. If anyone has any other thoughts I’d really appreciate them.
Categories: Concepts · Inspiration · Memory Work
My midterm project for the artist as designer/designer as artist class was to make something out of white paper.
I used different types of water color paper, pearlescent pigment, and embroidery floss to create this work. It’s called 204 Pleasure Drive. I used abstracted images of things that are strong in my memory as a concept to create this work. In the end they were all things that reminded me of my home (where I grew up) in Yorkville, IL. My address was 204 Pleasure Drive, and it seemed perfect for my old address to be the title of this piece.
This work has inspired me to work with smaller compositions using this same imagery. I’m in the process of making smaller prints and putting images together. I think 204 Pleasure Drive is going to be something that I’ll continue to re-work and add on to during this next year. This is a good start of something new and a step in the right direction for creating more collective and abstracted work dealing with memory.
Awls can be used to hold things in place as well as punching holes..hehe These are the kind of things you figure out at 2am. So any comments about this work??
Categories: Class with Cat Chow · Concepts · Embroidery · Fall Quarter 2008 · Memory Work · Screen Printing
This is part of my Artist as Designer/Designer as Artist midterm project. I love it on its own and will probably make more similar to this. It is just a small part of my project so there is more to come. I screen-printed white pearlescent pigment on slightly off-white watercolor paper. Then I layered a softer watercolor paper over the screen-print. I embroidered french knots to keep both pieces of paper together.
These two are close ups
For those of you interested, the images are abstracted versions of my house (that I grew up in), my Dad’s signature, the tea cup that I’ve been using in my work, and some of my embroidery that I created.
Categories: Class with Cat Chow · Concepts · Embroidery · Fall Quarter 2008 · Memory Work · Screen Printing
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.
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Birthday Print #1
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Birthday Print #2
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Birthday Print # 3
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Birthday Print # 4
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Birthday Print # 5
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Birthday Print # 6
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Birthday Print # 7
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Birthday Print #8
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Birthday Print # 9
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Birthday Print #10
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Birthday Print #10
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Birthday Print #10
Categories: Concepts · Memory Work · Screen Printing
Stitch Spectacular
January 11, 2009 · 2 Comments
The Stitch Spectacular show opened last night!
The show was a huge success and all of the work was amazing!
This is the last panel that I finished over the break. Click here to see it on the Stitch Spectacular website.
Check out the website because they are posting all the work soon: Stitch Spectacular!
Categories: Concepts · Embroidery · I need your comments