Unconventional Material Challenge

My unconventional material for this project was fabric samples. For my piece, I decided to use the fabric samples and wire to make a hat. A big challenge that I overcame during this project was figuring out what I was going to do with my material.  It took me a while to come up with an idea. The hot glue was a challenge as well; it was messy and when it dried it left marks on the fabric. One thing I would change would be to use an adhesive that isn't hot glue because it didn't work out very well. Another challenge that I overcame was working with wire because it was very difficult to use. Using the wire turned out to be a success, however, in the future I would probably choose a wire that is easier to work with. I picked the project that I did because I asked my mom for ideas and one of them was to make a hat. An idea that I first had for this project was to do a relief piece with cardboard and somehow work the fabric into it, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. However, the first idea that came to mind was to make a skirt, but I thought that it would be too easy and not creative enough.

Origami Installation

I created my cranes out of paper. I used instructions to make the first few, but I got the hang of it and did the rest myself.  As a class, we made several cranes. We then came up with the idea to hang the cranes in the lobby of the school to create one large installation. We lined the cranes up in two different "V" shapes by order of size. This lesson taught us how to work as a team and put all of our ideas into one large work of art. A process is the steps taken to make a product.

Tray and Cup/Bowl

I created a cup using hump molds. I thought the process was frustrating because the clay would not stay in the shape that I wanted. I experimented with different forms and had to start over quite a few times. I did not use the underglaze on my piece. The product of my piece was not good because it broke in the kiln. It was not a successful project for me.  If I could change something it would be making the cup thicker so it would not break.

Dwelling

For this project I crocheted a birds nest using yarn. This project was very challenging because I had never crocheted before this. I made a few practice ones before making the final one. The yarn was difficult to use because it had thin strands coming off of it (I chose this yarn for this reason because it made it look more realistic). I successfully created the whole nest, with few mistakes (you can't even see them). The bottom of the nest was challenging, but somehow I did it.

"Between the Folds" Documentary

I enjoyed this documentary. It is about artists and scientists from MIT and NASA. They have devoted their lives to the unlikely medium of modern origami. The film follows them through their determination to reinterpret the world in paper. They show a strong passion towards art, form, expressiveness, creativity and meaning. I expected to be introduced to a different side of origami that I had never seen before. What I was unprepared for was how far beyond "beauty" and "technique" that this art can take us. This film discovered a deeper meaning in the art and science of folding paper. Each artist approached their work with a passion and clarity that lead to greater discovery. The film is a perfect balance of informative storytelling and artistic inspiration.

Vessel

A challenge that I faced during this project was coming up with the initial idea. I had to start over three or four times because my original idea kept falling apart. Another challenge that I overcame was putting the glaze on the piece. It was difficult for me because of the shape of  the bowl. The entire bowl turned out to be a success. My goal was to make it look like a sun or sunflower and it does. In the future, I would put more coats of glaze on it before firing it so that the color looks better. My piece is a vessel because it is a bowl. It can hold various items ranging from candy to jewelry. It is a functioning vessel because it can be used.o

Molds

I thought that the mold process was fun and easy. I was a little anxious that it wouldn't turn out looking right since it was my first time. In the end, my piece turned out looking pretty good so I think that this process was a success. My baby hand looks almost exactly like the mold that I made it out of.