Secret Lives of Color

 

Alchemist Red, 11in. x 14in., Pen Ink, Acrylic Paint, Paper

This artwork was heavily inspired by the Villa dei Misteri; a massive red mural discovered in Pompeii during an excavation. The unknown meaning behind this mural intrigued me to take my own spin on it, the only purpose identified in the mural is the use of vermillion to create awe.  The title is reference to one way to manufacture vermillion; a combination of mercury and sulfur forged by alchemists. For anatomy of the figure and fabric I referenced this artwork https://i.pinimg.com/736x/af/ae/e4/afaee483de9d122b9dc813ced627d0a1.jpg.

Sepia Officinalis, 11in. x 14in., India Ink, Acrylic

I was inspired to create an artwork of a Cuttlefish, because they birthed the color. This cephalopod produces a burnt coffee-brown liquid to use as a defense mechanism; to blind their attacker. Sepia is truly a beautiful rich color (Although sepia now refers to a spectrum of warm browns in “nostalgic” photography), so I decided to use ink to be able to build up the color where I wanted. I found inspiration from scientific drawings of cuttlefish, specifically https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ae/8e/bc/ae8ebc2dd064d77ff6152c94e3f49d20.jpg to reference their anatomy. 

Experimental Sculpture Collection

 

 

(From Left to Right)

Hollow, Breathe, Restricted 

Hollow, 3-D Printer, 3-D Printer Pen, Paper, and Hot Glue, 9in. x 4 1/2in. x 6in.

Breathe, 3-D Printer Pen, Wood, Yarn, and Hot Glue, 8in. x  6in. x 13in.

Restricted, 3-D Printer Pen, Wood, Paper, and Hot Glue, 11 3/4in. x 7in. x 7 1/2in.

In-Progress Images

Artist Statement

    The three sculptures visually communicate repetition, focal point, and negative space. They are non-representational and ambiguous. While exploring the materials to build the sculptures, I wanted to focus on using the 3-D printer/pen because it is new to me. I decided to include more biomorphic looking shapes and lines to explore space. I felt the second work was lacking innovation so I decided to weave yarn throughout the 3-D printer pen to try and tie it together. I want to keep exploring the 3-D printer, I really enjoyed playing around in Blender creating unique shapes. I want to learn more about woodcutting, I did not end up using the wood shop for anything but the dermal and sander, It would be fun to get more into the other machines. This piece allowed me to explore interesting materials I would normally not think to use. The making of this work exposed new ideas such as using technology to aid creating art.