Thoughts on Transformation of Wood + Spirit Animal
In retrospect, I realize I was drawn to the segmentation of the form of the beetle. The “z” form in cherry that I incorporated in the top of the shelf is reminiscent of the beetle’s legs. The triangular windows take from the vaulted wings in flight in both the cardboard and ceramic pieces. This idea of letting light and negative space into the shelf kept me interested in the piece. I didn’t necessarily think about directly about the beetles I created while designing and making the shelf. However, because I had spent so much time with the form in three different mediums, the shelf subconsciously reflects the familiar form. Shaping the ash into a piece that was functional and had formal qualities was intimidating. I thought of the assignment too literally and ended up with a complete four-post shelf. I could’ve worked larger in scale too. This isn’t to say that I’m not pleased with my project, but I underestimated the tools and how much I could alter the six-foot piece of ash. I do like how the smaller scale allowed me to focus more on perfecting the tiny details such as sanding and adding the cherry wood.
I tried to be more ambitious in this project and gave myself more time within and out of the woodshop hours. I stuck to my design for the most part, although the Friday before ran into issues with fitting the top. Using the table-saw without the safety, I trimmed the piece to make it more precise. Underneath, I added the cherry support “beams”. I ended up really liking these unexpected pops of color. I came to understand how helpful precision can be, yet you must plan as if the cuts won’t be perfect in the beginning to achieve this precision. This lesson of leaving room for mistakes to achieve this “practiced-perfectionism” is worth thinking about applying to other facets of life.
Thoughts on Assisi from Memory
I created this Italian passageway based entirely from my 12-year-old memory. I remember the feeling of walking through history from my trip and wanted to evoke this same sense of history with the cobblestone-like walkway. I remember the way light dipped in through the archways. I particularly recall the sunrises and sunsets over the countryside. I knew the warm glow would have to become a part of this sculpture model for it to conjure the same feelings. I created the warmth through the colors painted on the butter board. I built the walk of history through the “rocky” wooden-sculptamold cobblestone. Lastly, the perspective and shift of inside-out is represented with a focal point that leads to nowhere. Or is it just somewhere we haven’t arrived at yet?