Louisiana's Oil

The next process we studied in printmaking was Wood Cut/Linoleum Cut (we had a choice of which medium we wanted to carve).  Both are Relief Printmaking, meaning that ink is applied to the raised portion of the block surface and printed (whereas with intaglio, where ink was rubbed into the crevices of the plate and that is what printed).  The process is pretty straight-forward: create a black and white composition, carve out the white space, and print the block.

Sketch of woodblock composition.

The concept for this project was "Positive and Negative".  Instantly I thought of Louisiana, because this interplay of positive and negative associations is what haunts me about the state.  I thought about our recent tragedies, Katrina and the oil spill.  And I think they are related.  Related to the Mississippi River, related to politics, related to this dynamic and really unique environment that makes Louisiana special.  I focused on the oil industry.  For 30 years in Louisiana it has been extremely positive for the state.  A source of revenue and stable jobs it is the backbone of our economy.  And yet this spill gives light to precarious nature of the industry and how suddenly what was good became bad.  What we were thankful for became everyone's worse nightmare.  It is a confusing juxtaposition for sure.

Test Plate, Linoleum Cut, Samara Study

My composition illustrates oil on water.  It creates these beautiful marbled patterns, yet it harms our fragile coastline.  Another contradiction.  The oil is meant to be shown out in the gulf, with the mouth of the Mississippi on the horizon.  These forms, our eroding coastline and the marbled oil, I think share the same visual language.  They seemed related to me in some way.  I tried to create a visual perspective with the oil in the foreground,  the gulf in the middle ground, and Louisiana beyond.

I chose use wood for the block.  I  wanted the horizontal grain to be part of the image.  We tested the carving process on a linoleum plate to begin, and then did a few test prints, to learn the process.  Carving wood was a completely different animal... any cut against the grain felt like a gamble.  It was a slow process.  I used a drill bit with steel bristles to remove the weaker parts of the wood to create the middle ground texture. The printing process was mostly painless.  There were several areas where I just hadn't carved down deep enough so area that were white were revealing 'chatter', or black specs that weren't intended.

Overall I'm pleased with the result of my first wood block.  It is a strong concept, and I think and appropriate medium to talk about the spill.  I printed 5 on Japanese Masa paper.  If any Louisiana folk would like a print let me know.  Now that the plate is carved it's rather simple to make more prints.

My Work on Display

Perhaps you remember this series of drawings done in May?  (If not, check out the two posts here and here).  My professor, Dawn Hunter, stole the work, framed them, and displayed them in a new gallery of student work at USC.  Of the 2D work that I have completed at USC I'm really glad these pieces been featured.  They are studies of the variety of textures and forms that are found in nature, which are elements that are very informative in my current work.

About the Jo Holladay Funchess Gallery:

A new Department of Art student gallery that is opening in the Counseling and Human Development Center at USC. This space is dedicated in memory of former Carolina student Jo Holladay Funchess. 

Jo Holladay Funchess, *Jo Holly*, died prematurely this past spring. She touched the lives of so many in the Department of Art and the university community. The Student Gallery Committee felt that it will be a great privilege to remember her by naming this new gallery space in her honor. They especially felt this way because Jo Holly was the first student to exhibit her work in the McMaster Student Gallery when it opened five years ago.

This new gallery is featured as part of the newly remodeled 7th floor waiting area and vestibule spaces of the Byrnes building. The 7thfloor of the Byrnes building houses the Counseling and Human Development Center, Human Resources: International Support for Faculty and Staff, and the School of the Environment.

Printmaking: Monotype and Transfers

Our first printmaking project we focused on 2 processes:  monotype and transfer.  These images are a combination of the two processes.  Transfer is simple:  a line drawing is created using black ink, run a copy of the drawing in a copy machine.  Then you use the solvent 'Citrasolve' and the press to transfer the image to your high quality paper.  

Monotype was our first introduction to printmaking inks, which are thick and oil based and really sticky.  For the monotype process apply ink to a small sheet of plexiglass, lay the inked plexiglass face down on your paper and run it through the press.  The ink should be applied in a really thin coat.  

For this project we were required to create an series of three images that illustrated a sequence.  I chose to illustrate the process of decomposition of a leaf.  I wanted to zoom in and examine the vein structure of a leaf and how it breaks apart over time.  

I ran 3 versions of each image in the series.  The middle edition was the 'ghost' image, meaning with the monotype I didn't ink the plate again, I just ran it through the press to capture the ink remaining on the glass from the previous run.  I think I like these ghost images the best; it looks more natural and less fussed over.  There was quite a bit of experimentation across all 9 prints, trying to figure out the properties of these new materials and how to best use the processes.

The jury is still out on printmaking as an art form, and I must say, prospects are not looking good.  The associated processes are slow, and the ink is such a pain to work with and clean up.  I suppose I'm also getting frustrated with myself for not being more patient!  But I'll do my best to see it through the semester.

The following images are the ghosts that I liked best.

      

Art 112: Portfolio 3

Our final project in my Maymester drawing course was a still life.  We were to create a composition of objects that reflected our lives.  Ironically the week I worked on this assignment was also my last week of work at Grimball-Cotterill, the design firm I've been working for.  My mixture of feelings about my decision to leave probably influenced my composition.  Moving away from the profession that I have invested so much of myself in....

Plant material was my favorite part of landscape architecture - that is where I found mystery and beauty.  So I arranged plant materials that are withering and in various stages of decay, along with my 'plant bible'.  I think this displays my conflicting feelings of nostalgia, and maybe, the end of something that was once vibrant and beautiful.

Ok, thumbnail sketches, deciding on the composition.

 

In this assignment we were employing all the principles we had been working on: scale, proportion, composition, texture, linework, and now adding perspective.

I used graphite, vine charcoal, and charcoal.  The quietness of the composition and the dramatic lighting speaks to the emotion I was trying to convey.

Art 112: Portfolio 2

I'm excited to share this work with you.  Week 2 in drawing we focused on linework.  Descriptive lines, lines that create texture, lines that translate form.  Adjust of lineweight, value, and material to accurately describe the object you are seeing.

Drawing Wonder
Phase I - Texture Study of Organic Object
We each chose a highly textured organic object.  We created a grid of 9 5"x5" squares and in each we described a different topographical texture found on the object.  We were only to use line to describe each surface (which is a very difficult task!).  I ended up layering lines often to create value.  The object I was to study and describe was a cluster of clam shells, each open and facing different angles, with all kinds of various sea creatures growing on it.  (Sorry I neglected to take a picture of the shells).

The drawing was too large to scan, and you really can't see the detail of the linework in this drawing in this photograph.  It was a pretty intense assignment and I spent alot of time developing each.  I used pen, drafting pencils, charcoal, and graphite.

Vertical Line Only

Dawn Hunter, my professor, developed this project herself.  Using only vertical lines, in a grayscale of pastels,  we intuitively composed a landscape.  The entire page was to be covered in lines using value to describe the scene.  Interesting project - it was nice to let go a little and trust instinct.

Drawing Wonder

Phase II - Final Project

Chose a collection of highly textured organic objects to use in a composition.  Use linework to describe the topographic and visual texture of the objects.  The kicker:  we had to choose one medium and use it consistently.  I chose graphite (which is nice, but it never gets quite as dark as I would like).  Again, I don't think the photo is the best representation of this drawing; the detail isn't evident.  But I'm pleased with this piece.

My subject:  roots exposed due to erosion, magnolia leaves and flower center, mulch, twigs, ect.   I traveled to Louisiana for Maggie's wedding the weekend before this was due, so I ended up printing the photo and using it to create alot of the drawing.

Art 112: Portfolio 1

What fun. A few intense weeks of drawing during the Maymester session at USC. (I really do think this is fun - no sarcasm this time around). Drawing was my first introduction to art, the most basic form of artistic expression. More than just a matter of hand/eye coordination, it is an exercise in seeing. How you break down the image that you see into parts. How you interpret value and texture and translate it to your drawing. Scale, proportion, perspective... the foundations of accurately depicting reality... the basic elements of a constructed rendering.

It was refreshing to be able to explore these basic principles again, and to think about them in a new way.

Gesture Drawing/Thumbnails
We focused on landscape drawing for the semester. Very appropriate! On the first day we went to the quad and produced 4 quick thumbnail drawings. Historically I have had problems with gesture drawings, for a couple of reasons. Mainly, the time limit. To produce a drawing that quickly you have to let go. You have to look at the object you are drawing more than your paper. You give up control, you have to let process and instinct guide you.

We then chose one of our compositions to develop into a larger, more refined drawing.  We used a view finder frame the scene.  In this composition we were to focus on proportion and scale and the relationship between elements.  We used a skewer for measuring and sighting.  I chose to develop the horizontal canna sketch.

I took this image of the scene a couple of days after I began the drawing, and many of the fronds had unfurled... so it is not a direct representation.

This is my final composition.  And I had to really manipulate the values to create depth in the drawing... otherwise the overlaps were the only way to judge distance.  I used charcoal, vine charcoal, and graphite.  

Everything Has It's Place

In this exercise we drew a layered still life, focusing on sighting, measuring, and proportion, and using a consistent view point with our view finders.  Only a line drawing, we were aiming to be as accurate as possible, constantly measuring and adjusting our drawings.  First we developed thumbnail sketches to choose a composition, then we rendered the final on bristol board.