LINE, PLANE & MASS

I strive for clarity and a sense of intuition in my art. This project, through its focus on rectilinear relationships between a line, a plane, and a volume, spoke directly to that sense of intuition. I do not have training in proportionality or architecture but recognize that I can still rely on my relationship with the world to make informed design decisions. I’m inclined to add complexity and to, paradoxically, align that complexity within a kind of intuitive simplicity. The black and white collage illustrates exactly that inclination. I wanted the collage to emphasize and play into the natural light that fell on the sculpture. From one angle the piece appears primarily white and light gray, while from the other the piece appears black and dark gray. By collaging the body of the piece and its three components, I sought to create a distinction between those three components and the base of the piece. I also played with presentation of this piece, particularly leaning into the pixelation properties of different light sources. The pixelation—which creates its own kind of pattern interacts with the black and white collage and the warm-toned base piece.

Moving from the liquid nature of plaster to the rigidity and exactness inherent in wood working proved incredibly difficult. Just as I’d learned to embrace the disorder of plaster, the chipboard models and the wood construction required preciseness and planning. After sketching potential designs, building three chipboard models, and receiving feedback on the designs and construction, the wood portion came surprisingly easy. However, upon constructing and staining the piece, including the base piece, I felt that the piece was visually too simple. In a way, the black and white collage that I chose to apply to the surface of this project reflects my need to bring in some of that “productive chaos” that I’d felt during the plaster project. It gave a degree of motion to a strict and rectilinear piece.