Thesis Progress... Maybe

I have made two more rooms since I have last posted about my thesis. I also wrote a poem about how I feel about my project and representing memory. Here it is.


memories that define us.

recalling memories from the brilliant spaces in our minds

seeing objects, smelling odors, hearing sounds,
opening the rooms of the past

to remember and recreate.

so we can define, understand or appreciate
the intimacy of our thoughts

and hopefully learn something

wonderful

terrifying

or beautiful              about who we are.


I read this allowed as presented my project to my thesis class. I recognize that I have become fond of my tiny rooms and have loved making them. My professor and class, while thrilled about my enthusiasm, were not so convinced of that my tiny rooms did a good job of representing memories.

I was shocked but had to consider the feedback. They felt that the rooms were a little ridged and "perfect" like a doll house, frozen. Not full of emotion and passion that my interviewees expressed to me. While I am saddened by this reaction I need to move on. I need to revisit my concept and brainstorm a better way to communicate these intimate memories. If no one understands my project but myself, than I failed. I must adapt.

Stay toned for drastic changes.

Completed!

I'm delighted to note that my first room of many is completed. I hit a few glue gun road blocks but I think it captured the essence the memory. I am the most exited about the mini lamps and wall mirror.

 

Room 1: An Adventure

Construction of the first room is almost complete!
This room is inspired by an interview with a 23 year old woman from New Jersey.

Here is an excerpt from our dialog:

“Its just the bed, the TV the console that holds the tv, two night stands, um and the off to the side you have your bathroom and the sink you know, that’s you know outside of the room, I mean outside of the bathroom.

The red roof color scheme is like red. (laughing) the sheets are all white. I don’t even remember the carpet color. Just like a flat carpet. The walls were fluffed up with just like a few generic hotel.. art. The bathroom was good. The area into the bathroom was like wooden floors. All the Red rooms had been recently renovated. I don’t know since when but they are pretty nice. We wouldn’t have gone to them as often as we did if it was nasty. No but it was actually pretty clean. The bathroom was clean, It was just the toilet, and then the bathtub and the shower and the curtains were white. The wooden floors where like a light brown. Like a tan. No it was like that’s fake wood that’s just like a a… when you walk into the room its like carpet to the sink area and the bathroom.

“Oh so when Isie was sleeping and I was sleeping It would just be dark and if I couldn’t sleep id fall asleep to watching tv. And that would light up the room. Yeah it was exciting because we were there to just hang out, just me and him. It was a different sensation. And it was our personal space, and every time we pass it, I’m like look our home! Our first home! It was a situation iv never been in. it was more of like an adventure."

Thesis: The Big Idea

It is my senior year at Mason Gross School of the Arts. It's sad and exciting for all the typical reasons. Throughout the past three years people mentioned how fast college passes by, but I had no idea how right they were. My time at Rutgers was/is a crazy jam packed whirlwind of experiences. Looking back at my freshman self, reminds me that I evolved in many surprising ways. I don't think I changed in a super incredible dramatic way. I think I just leaned, a lot, which is good, because that's the point of school.

Part of my senior year, as a design major, is applying what I have learned to a thesis project. I am required to research something meaningful to me, create a purposeful work, and show it off at the end of the year.

I decided to explore the idea of the miniature. Mini objects, doll houses, tiny homes, mini cupcakes, mini  dachshunds and so on. Why are people attracted to miniature things? What is intriguing about something reduced to a smaller scale?
 The answer is, there are many reasons. Sometimes making something miniature is cheaper, or has less calories, or just looks adorable. Small things can be more palatable or less intimidating.

Small objects requires a viewer to get closer, to get intimate. The doll house seems like the most obvious example of this. A viewer, has to get down and close up and personal with a little mini set up world. The change in scale requires the viewer enter an new space. They have to see something relatively ordinary, like a bed or chair, but in a new miniature intimate context.

I am fascinated by the effect of the miniature and I want to use it to create empathy. It is hard to empathize with people who hold different views, or live life differently than one does. People can be intimidating or scary.

 I want to make mini models of different individual's personal space or significant room based on their description. Each model or room becomes an addition to the whole, "doll house." Displayed alongside a book of descriptions, the viewer can see a representation of someones life in a non-threatening and intimate way.

My goal is that this will bring about some empathy and maybe excitement for the innumerable variances that human beings have. I hope to log my progress here as the project develops.

Teacher

For my lovely friend,

John 20 depicts a precious moment that you hold dear. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this passage with me. 

I present to you, my pictorial depiction of this important encounter. 

With love, 

Natalie

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

 Jesus said to her, 

“Mary.” 

She turned and said to him,  “Teacher!” 

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

John 20: 11-18

Little Red Leaf

Today was one of those slightly cold and gloomy days of the fall season. I was feeling blue and grey and all the other boring colors. I was moody until mid afternoon when I got a text from my friend. It was picture of a tree in a park with a hilarious little red leaf hanging out all by himself at the bottom of the tree trunk. He was so jolly compared to his surroundings. I smiled and laughed. So today I thank my friend for sending me this little moment and I thank God for the little red leaf. It is a reminder that if you take a second to look around for God you will find his glory and be filled with joy.

Plated Pies

Knowing when to stop painting is hard. There is a delicate balance between knowing when to stop or when to put more work in. For me, I tend to look at it for a few days. Sometimes I'll hang it up on the wall so if feels more final. If I look at it and I only want to change one or two things, than I leave it alone. If I hate it beyond a reasonable doubt, then I put more work in. I always have been drawn to a more Impressionistic style. When looking at Monet's work I specifically enjoy his river boat painting or his haystack series. However Monet's haystacks are obviously painted very maliciously yet they exude effortlessly beauty.  I don't think I could ever compare my work his masterpieces.   When I study Monet, I'm just fascinated and maybe understand art a little bit better. I digress...  I think I finished my pie painting. I'm semi satisfied with it. Most importantly I hope it is well received by its new owners. 

Sketching It Out

Here is the rough idea for my pie painting. I quickly sketched out six plated pie slices on a muted blue background to start. I feel like I always need to add blue for some contrast to my earth tones. I tend to make everything little two yellow or pink. Now that I have a general composition laid out, I can really focus in on making this painting about a joyful summer afternoon.

Pie Tones

When thinking about what to paint for my wonderful friends I thought back to a moment we shared together eating pies. We traveled all the way to Brooklyn to try the Four and Twenty Blackbirds famous pies. We bought one slice of each kind they had. Then we displayed them out on the table before we dove in. Their arrangement looked so pretty that I didn't even want to disturb them. The dark table against the white plates and the yellow crusts were just lovely to look at. A perfect composition. I had that thought for about a second because the salted caramel slice was calling my name.

Before I start my pie inspired painting I need to mix my pie colors, my pie-tones you might say.
I started with yellow ocher, alizarin crimson, lemon yellow, raw umber, and venetian red. These mixed with titanium white will be my mid tones.

New Project

I'm starting a new project for a beautiful married couple. They are in their mid twenties and have lively personalities. They love traveling the world and helping people in need. They recently acquired a summer cabin and want me to make something to put on the wall.

I'm going to see if I can document the process of making this painting as I go. I constructed a 20 x 30 inch canvas today. The raw canvas look is so nice so I had to take a picture of it before I put the gesso on. I still need to figure out what exactly I am going to paint for them. They have a wide variety of interests. Let the brainstorming begin. 

New York City Sky Line

I made this painting for my friend who wanted a sky line picture in his living room. Many depictions of the New York Sky line tend to be a little too gray and stark. I wanted to make something with warm ochers and earthy reds. I think this will hopefully bring some life and variety to my friends living space. 

New And Improved Haiti Collage

 The chaotic nature of Haiti was not reflected in the original collage. I felt it needed more layers to represent the craziness of this place more accurately. The materials I added include plastic bags, paper, ink, photographs and paint.