Finn Droga Artist Statement
When starting my project I was very excited for all the freedom we would get and really wanted to do something cool with the project. Originally I was aiming for something like a painting since I am exposed to a lot of street art in my neighborhood. But then I thought that, street art isn't really something that interested me as much I wanted. So I decided maybe it would a good idea to take some time alone to brainstorm away from distractions. I spent a class looking or inspirations through different artists I was fascinated by and music. By the next time I came to class I knew that I wanted to do an animation to capture a story of companionship through clay figures. Since I am very into music I also wanted to experiment with the way that music can make people feel certain ways. And since I wanted to go beyond just the regular happy, sad, anger etc. I thought that the best way to do that would be with a non humane figures where I can control there facial features and what they communicate. One thing I was mainly inspired by was Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox. Because he really took the characters and put life into them. Which I plan to do in my animation.
For me personally the create process is the easiest to get carried away. When you have so many ideas going on at once its hard to narrow down your ideas into one idea that fits into an overall theme. But during the create process I spent a lot of time creating my clay people which I wanted to be perfect from the colors I chose for their skin to the shape of their lips. So that took me a lot of time. I feel like I might have been able to spend my time a little more productively during class where I had a lot of resources. But during my off week I worked some on my set which is whole other aspect to my create process. I chose to make the set a piece of cardboard folded into three pieces to create a three way rotating set. My first scenery a restaurant with tables with be drawn onto the cardboard with pastel and then I will add a 3d aspect with a table and chairs from my sisters doll house. The second scenery a forest drawn also with with pastels. But this one I glued some plants and leaves on the cardboard to make it a bit more nature like. And the third and last scenery will be covered completely with a wallpaper I picked out for his bedroom. The wallpaper is a replica of Margot Tenenbaum’s wallpaper. Inside his the room there will be a bed I made of cardboard, fabric, paper and tissue paper.
Throughout my whole experience working on this project, starting to where I am now, my ideas and thoughts have changed and I have come a lot father into this project than I thought I would. I hate making something that isn't interesting in art. I think this can kind of make it harder for me to work sometimes because I always feel like I either want to make something great or not make anything at all. And starting this project I had a bad feeling that this was going to be project where time was going to hold me back and become my enemy during this project. Luckily it did not hold me back too much, and now reaching the end of my project I am a bit behind where I feel comfortable but am really excited to see how this turns out.