interesting reference for my tree sculpture

http://i1.exhibit-e.com/jamescohan/fe94e0f0.pdf
www.jamescohan.com/artists/roxy-paine/

i was looking at artists to reference in my project for my conceptual sculpture class. It was suggested that I  look at Roxy Paine who creates large metal trees that he installs in sculpture gardens and parks all over america. he creates ambiguos links between these trees and humas veins and arteries.

photography development

These photographs were the original stimulus for the ideas and work I have been creating in Madrid. The blatancy of the images in situ empowers them; they tower above plaza’s in central Madrid.  But for me a lot of interest lies in their scale and magnificence and constantly changing appearance. I don’t think many people notice the windows or even if they do don’t look at them for long. But when presented as photographs the images attract a lot of interest.

After realising that paintings of the images don’t create the same impact as the photographs, i think i rediscovered my initial interest in them. The power of the photographs lies in their reminiscent abstraction, and their unintentional existence in the city. The high quality of detail and photographic finish enhance the painterly qualities of the images and add a contemporary twist on the popular abstract aesthetic. The fact that no computer editing or camera effects have been used to create the pictures adds to their value and interest.

The photographs as they are, create the interest that i desire, but i think if i could crop the images and eliminate some of the clues to what and where the images are, it could introduce a little more mystique. I think that the more clues to identity i can eliminate, the longer i can captivate an audience.

I have been actively looking for more places around Madrid to collect similar images, as at the moment i have only the one building. I have found 2 more that i can use, and one of them is a completely glass building, which could improve the elusive identity of the images.

sketch for mural design

This picture is the design i presented after conversations with my partner about the theme and aesthetic we wanted for our mural. We both wanted to play on the fact that the concave arched wall we had had strong religious conections with murals typical of anchient churches and cathedrals. I wanted to include the stylised designs that i had procured from the window photographs i had taken. And my friend wanted a quite paganistic theme with dancers and music.

these are the 6 maquettes that i made for my fundamentos escultora class, we were asked to produce over a hundred small sketches for ideas and then, create a minimum of 6 of them into maquettes, carved out of polystyrene. the brief was that they just had to be very organic forms. these ideas were loosely based on drawings that i did from the window photographs.
 i had to choose one to transform into wood, the one i want to make, has to be encased between two sheets of plastic, held together with nuts and long bolts. this frame acts as the the outline of the block of wood, helping us to see what we need to remove. the models are 21cm tall x 10 x10cm, which is to scale with our wood.

processos tecnicos escultora initial idea presentation

In this project I am agagin using the window photographs as a stimulus, but  im looking for a different approach to explore.

I saw these sculptures in retiro park, by spanish sculptor Jose G omnieva. The rusted iron gave a real autumnal feeling magnified by all the orange and golden leaves falling from the other trees. These trees also move in the wind, they rotate and wobble from side to side, it is quite an elegant movement for such large and imposing stuctures.

•I was thinking alot about the reflections, when I saw these tree sculptures it made me think about the reflective properties of trees.

•They reflect the conditions they are presented with, if it is dry the leaves will yellow, when wet new growth will accelerate, and the leaves will move to maximise light intake.

•We also associate trees directly with the seasons, when leaves turn brown its autumn, trees are bare its winter, and new growth is spring.

• I discovered that we have a mirror in our house that gives a similar effect to the windows that I saw.

•It is slightly concave therefore from close up it magnifies the image and from a distance it blurs and distorts the image.

• I think it could be interesting to use this effect that interested me in a sculpture rather than working from it.

•This was an initial sketch of my idea.

• I thought that the mirrors could reflect the sparse foliage creating a full and dense looking tree.

• from a distance I was hoping that the mirrors would create the blurred and organic shapes creating interesting forms and reflecting the surroundings.

•The nature of the swivelling mirror would allow me to position each pane, to create the best effect.

•I was also toying with the idea of placing it in a room, with 4 large painted panels each representing the colours of a different season, therefore as you walk around it, it would appear to go through its annual cycle as the different colours are reflected in the mirrors.

•The maquette displays the technique I intend to use, the round metal discs will be the mirrors.

•So I intend to buy about 5 and use as much of each one as possible so its all made of this kind of stainless steel.

The mirrors are also double sided so the sculpture would work from every angle.

painting project presentation

This image for me is the starting point to my project, it has had me thinking about what theme I could draw from it to create some personal guidelines for the project.

These paintings are small studdies of the windows, my original thoughts wee that simply copying the images out onto a large canvas would create very striking paintings. But after doing these studdies it made me think that  maybe the power of the original images were that they were are bizzare phenomenon and towering over the plaza in ten foot windows. Simply painting from them would just create fairly random abstract faces. I  plan to isolate some of individual windows into photographs and have them printed out in an a3 sized format.

I decided that I wanted to experiment further with the images and try to take from it some compositional ideas. I really like all the sections of twisted lines in the photographs, i think they are distorted reflections of the metal balconies. This form intrigued me particularly  as it seems to resemble a seated figure, an i particularly like the mixture of thick and thin lines as well as the mix of the straight and curved.

I wanted to copy this image as firstly I think it works better as a  painting because it doesn't directly resemble a face, also the presence of the complementary colours  really works for me.  The painting reminds me of a desert scene with sand dunes and an oasis. But it also contains a Dali-esque feel to it.

This  picture has a very bold appearance, i especially like the strong contrast between the whites, and greys with the strong blue behind.  I want to take this aesthetic and utilise it within some paintings, as a guideline

In this painting i followed the colour scheme of the previous image and elaborated on the form slightly creating a slightly more fluid form. i painted it from a small sketch that i made, which had a completely abstract intentions. But when i finished it, i couldn't stop thinking that it resembled a cow! How ever I think this only reconfirms the theme of the photographs where you cant help but  see faces in the reflections.

This  painting again I have followed the colour scheme of the  previous photograph, but  I have created a more elaborate pattern.

 I did initially intend  to create  the peacock as I thought  some of the sketches I did resembles peacock feathers. I chose to cut it out of a separate piece of paper as  I think it helps to refrain it from getting lost in the background.

 im not  dure if the reference to the peacock is too direct maybe i  should have  made a more subtle reference.

Sculpture techniques and processes

This class is very much like my course at camberwell in that you are invited to develop your own project in a very independent manner. Then regularly check up on the other students work and all discuss specific reasons for techniques and materials. I was keen to maintain this kind of practice so as to keep the ball rolling when i return. 

Painting

This class is just open studio time with three scheduled critiques with other students between now and Christmas. its good to study such a liberal class after some of the more structured classes. I have  found that the painting is a useful class as i can come up with ideas in this subject that i can then translate into all the other mediums in the other classes. I have found that it helps to have a concurrent theme throughout all the classes otherwise working on 5 different projects aswell as the blog becomes a bit much! I have been actively photographing madrid as a means of stimulation for the paintings and i am working on a concept extracted from them.

Fundamental Sculpture

This class focuses on production and technique also, the emphasis seems to be on the translation from drawing to maquet, then maquet to sculpture. We learn basic carving techniques and can buy lumps of wood or stone from the college. I was asked to present a hundred rough sketches of some organic forms, as proposals for maquets.

Lithography

This class again is very open in that you can bring your own ideas into the class and adapt them to the techniques we learn. Firstly we are beginning to learn how to print using the large slabs of what I think is lime stone. The initial chore is again to remove the previous image that was put on the stone by the previous user. To remove the last image you need two of the stones, you have to rub them together file off the old image and smooth the stone to create a good printing surface. You have to turn them so the printing surfaces are the ones that touch, on one of the printing surfaces you need to splash some water and then cover it in a dusting of iron filings, the filings act as the abrasive removing the previous image and the top layer of the stone. You have to use two different grades of the filings, a more coarse one to remove the image and then a fine one smooth the surface. This is process took me two lessons, so about 4 hours, as you have to apply several applications of the filings, and then rub the stones together for about ten minutes in a figure of eight, then wipe off the paste and start again. This is the stage I am at currently and I will update the rest of the procedure and photographs as it happens.

Mural Painting

The first class I chose was mural painting, the course is really open to interpretation in terms of what u want to create, the class is more about learning the techniques rather than what we paint. We were put into groups of 2 to 4 people depending on the size of the wall, the wall we chose is really interesting as it is a large (maybe 3.5m tall by 2.5m wide) concave archway similar to what you might find in the walls of an old cathedral or church. We chose the wall due to its curiosity and the connotations that come with it. The mural painting studio has two levels with really high ceilings and different sized and shaped walls for interesting murals, there are also a number of designated walls around the college that you can apply to use as well. The first few lessons were covering different materials we need and protective clothing, then we looked at the types of plaster used for fresco murals, and then got told to collaborate on some designs.

The first lesson when we got down to work involved removing last year’s mural from the wall. This was a messy job with twenty other people in the studio at the same time the room was a cloud of dust. We were required to by face masks with breathing filters, goggles, and gloves. For the entire three hour lesson we had to chip away at the old plaster work with a pick-axe until just the bare brick was remaining.

The next stage is to re-apply the plaster (or Cal) to get the wall smooth and level. after the wall is smooth, we need to draw a scale drawing, in a scale of 1:10. then create a grid over the drawing, so we can tranfer it onto a sheet of paper the same size as the wall. when we have the drawing to the size of the wall, we pin it up onto the wall. to transfer this image onto the wall behind, you take a sharp point of pencil and stab holes along the lines of the drawing. this allows us to take the pigment and dab it over the lines, tranfering the image exactly onto the wall behind.

when the drawing is mapped out on the wall, we have to mix another batch of plaster, and fill in small sections of the drawing one at a time. the pigment has to be applied to wet plaster to ensure a rich colour and that stays on the wall.

Starting classes

For the last three weeks at the university we have been choosing which lessons we wish to attend. For one semester each lesson is 6 credits so I have to choose 5 to make the 30credits. I have chosen two painting classes, two sculpture classes and one printmaking.  The variety of possible courses is really extensive, and as an Erasmus student I had the ability to study in any of the classes for any of the year groups. this was a really time consuming activity as there are no real course outlines, so you just have to attend as many classes as you can, they range from starting at 8am to finishing at 9pm, and most classes last 3 hours, and are twice a week.

La Reina Sofia

La Reina Sofia houses the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Madrid. It regularly hosts large international exhibitions. It has an extensive permanent collection of works covering the last century including numerous by Dali and Picasso, including the world famous Guernica, which was previously held in Museo Del Prado, but later moved to La Reina Sofia along with all other works from post 1920. The building is a combination of 18^th century Spanish architecture, and a modern 1980’s extension. I think the combination of styles really adds to the atmosphere of the building. The old building was previously a hospital and the space makes an amazing exhibition space, with an abundance of natural light. The extension is a large steel and glass construction with a large 4^th floor mezzanine looking out over the city, and down to the museum entrance.

The current exhibition held is of works by the post modernist Artist Hans Peter Feldman. He works largely with repetition, using archiving and re-representation to create his scenarios. One of his works displayed consisted of hundreds of front pages from news papers across the world on September 12^th 2001. The work creates and interesting historical documentation of global reactions to the event, ranging from headlines like “declaration of war” to (ironically) a Spanish news paper where the headline is “jugar sin mierdo” (to play without fear) referring to a Barcelona football match, then with tiny thumb nail picture if the twin towers!

My favorite Feldman work is called ‘shaddowplay’ and is an elegant montage of shadows projected onto the gallery wall. The work consists of a seemingly random objects such as; a gun, Bambi, the Statue of Liberty, Barbie, a palm tree, a sailing boat, a helicopter,and a Tyrannosaurus rex. These symbolic and familiar objects are placed on a revolving trays, this turns the shadows into a revolving clockwork reference to life and contemporary culture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqAjPJlbMJ4




The simple shaddows create a cartoon-esque effect, it seems like the simple shapes and images are creating a simplified sumary of a busy image obsessed society. I also like how the artist hasnt tried to cover up the obects and making of the work. and hasn't bothered staging it with plinths etc, covering up wires, it looks kind of hap hazzard, or a work in progress, as the tables also have random bottles and gloves for example which arent actually part of the 'shaddow play' which enrich the sense of experimenting and temporality of the work.

Museo del Prado

I have visited Museo del Prado which is renowned for having one of the best collections in the world. It s basis is the Spanish royal collection which has now been built on, containing world famous works by Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, Titian, Rubens and many more. I think the favourite work I saw was “The garden of earthly delights” by Hieronymous Bosch. Its a large triptych depicting the creation of the earth, for a 16^th century painting the style is surprisingly modern and surreal. It was defiantly one of the most striking pieces in the gallery looking out of place alongside anything else in the gallery. The composition is very orthodox with its slight confusion of perspective, but its the phallic lobster’esque spires and metallic orbs that throw the whole painting.

Whilst in Museo del Prado there were several artists painting directly from the pieces in the gallery. I was walking around and in front of Velazquez’s , Christ on the cross 1632 (268x170cm) there was a crowd of people that I thought were gathering round admiring the work, when I got closer I realised they were actually just crowding round a man who was copying the painting. The irony of this scene really struck me, twenty or so people who had paid ten Euros each paying more attention to amateur copyist than the world acclaimed master piece. I think perhaps this was the most thought provoking part of the day for me!

El Noche en Blanco

On September the 11^th there is an annual fiesta called El Noche en Blanco, which is uniquely celebrated in Madrid. The streets were packed throughout the entire city, with music and performances in all the plaza’s, exhibitions and antiquities in abundance with large swings and hammocks installed all down the Gran via. Each plaza had a different theme or activity, some where thousands of people were dancing the tango, one where a thousand beach balls had appeared from somewhere and were being thrown everywhere, others with fire jugglers and acrobats. Even the university had organised a huge party with dj’s all night, they even provide breakfast before you get the metro home! The attendance was huge, the only event comparable in London is perhaps new years eve, but they try to get people to leave as soon as possible rather than enticing them to stay out all night with the promise of a free breakfast! The fiesta attracts people of all ages, as well as music and performance, a major feature of the fiesta is that all the museums in the city are open all night and are free to enter. It was strange to see a mile long queue for what you would presume would be a club, only to walk along and see that they are queuing for El Thyssen to view the collections of 17^th century painting!

The city

I have spent a lot of time exploring the city and getting to know the area. I’m living right in the centre of the city just off the Gran via, which is the equivalent of the high street. This means that everything is happening right on my doorstep. The city is at its most vibrant at night, with street performers displaying a range of talents from string quartets, flamenco dancing, mariachi bands (with sombrero’s and Spanish guitar!), to people walking on broken glass, people with elaborate costumes made to look like statues standing still for hours on end. The list is endless but so are the performances which happen all over the city everyday, it creates a really vibrant atmosphere. Even when you’re sitting down for a drink in the plaza you’ll find yourself getting serenaded by violinists, guitarists and accordion players throughout the night. There is also an abundance of artists selling work on the streets and creating it in front of a crowd as they do so. It all accumulates to create a really creative and exciting city.

Universidad Complutense Madrid

I have been in Madrid for just over two weeks. I have been to the university to attend a two week language course. We had 4 hours of lessons per day, they threw us in at the deep end as they were conducted entirely in Spanish. We focused on grammar, learning the multiple tenses of verbs and their uses. I learnt a lot of vocabulary and feel much more confident with comprehension. My course starts on the 4^th of October, and I still have to choose my modules, it works a lot differently to Camberwell with more class based lessons. I have short listed the courses I am interested in such as; project sculpture, building sculpture, sculptural form, principles and processes of sculpture, artistic production with painting, process painting, techniques and procedures of sculpture, natural modelling and mural painting. I just need to get some more detailed information about the courses before I sign up and choose.