Madison's Methods

[madisongrosvenor]

Final documentation for body extension!

Song credit: Ben Howard, Keep Your Head Up

Here is my final video for my body extension project! I noticed in my household, that we were struggling with keeping our heads up, having to stay in one place all of the time. We needed some assistance (even the dogs). I felt that this video would be a very lighthearted and fun way of showing the purpose of my extension and how even the smallest actions can change your entire outlook on an entire situation. I used the Ben Howard song, as I felt it fit perfectly with my extension and is a very uplifting message. Special thanks to my mom and my dog for dealing with my shenanigans. Stay safe and keep your heads up!

[madisongrosvenor]

Timeline of a Year: Order, Blossom, and Flow (A series)

Final documentation of all three finished works! It was really hard to find nice lighting for taking pictures of my work (which is an obstacle I didn’t think I would have to worry about), but after some maneuvering and editing, I got them to a good place. I also played with a lot of set up, but found that the vertical display was the most effective. I also was worried that all lined up together, the individual pieces might not look connected or related, but was happy to discover that the colors matched up fairly well, and nothing really looked out of place! 

Here are 3 separate statements about each piece:

Order: The grid like pattern and intersecting planes are representative of the beginning of my freshman year, where I was a very deliberate creator, constantly worried about not maintaining perfection and afraid of failure. The multiple planes represent juggling multiple different interests and curiosities, looking for one road to go down.

Blossom: This middle piece is representative of the middle of my freshman year,  where I was finding multiple interests and an influx of knowledge was being presented to me. The piece is me, really blossoming as a creator.

Flow: The last piece is representative of the end of my freshman year. I was finally getting into a flow as an artist, following my creative pursuits and funneling all of my energy into what I love: creating art. While that has not stopped, my freshman year (like everyone else's) ended abruptly due to the state of the world. The invisible force that is stopping the liquid in the piece, is the impact that this has inevitably had on me and on the world.

Together these works are a timeline of my first year, and mark my growth as an artist. Ideally there would be many more pieces for every state of growth and happening that has changed me as an artist in the past, present and future, but these three summarize it enough. Overall, I am very proud of this composition and storyline, and had a lot of fun during this process. 

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Heres the completed third painting! Next I will document all three in their sequence!

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Progress shots of my third painting! The painting is completed, but I wanted to upload the progress shots separately. It was really fun to attempt to render a liquid-like substance but still keep with my fun color scheme. This piece is both about getting into a flow of creativity and getting rid of an artist block, only to have that flow be interrupted by the Corona virus pandemic, sending us home to complete school online. The flow of this abstract liquid painting is abruptly stopped by an unknown and unexpected force, much like the last half of the semester. I will upload the final product soon!

[madisongrosvenor]

Here is my sketch/plan for my final piece for my remapping project. In this piece, I am focusing on my time at the end of the semester. The piece is representative of me finally getting into a calm flow of creativity, and then having that be disrupted by the effects of the pandemic (the invisible surface the liquid is splashing against). I was toying around with the idea of including the relation to the virus, and ultimately decided it was necessary to include, as it is part of my timeline whether I like it or not. In a way, being home has its limitations and benefits and I am meant to show that through this piece ( but more on that later). 

[madisongrosvenor]

second piece is done! I worked on it a lot yesterday and am going to start the third one today! 

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More progress pics from yesterday for the 2/3 piece. While painting this second piece, I thought of what I could title this series, and then I remembered what I titled the black-out poem I did in the first week of this class, “The Explorer”. Its funny how something I made in the first week of class perfectly fits with my concept for this remapping project, the idea of exploring who I am as an artist throughout this year. The idea of exploration is particularly strong in this second piece, as I am branching out and “blossoming” at this point in the semester. I am hoping to get this painting done today, so expect more pics!

[madisongrosvenor]

2/3 sketch and plan! For the second painting I wanted the shapes to be almost exploding/blossoming towards something. I thought of this kind of leaf/botanical abstract form that also resembles the shape of a flame/fire would work well for this. This piece is going to reflect how I felt as an artist at the start of the second semester, blossoming into a curious and inquiring artist working on exploring everything that is offered to me in Stamps. It is also designed to look quite chaotic, as the end of a semester and the start of a new one always is. It is mainly supposed to represent growth and excitement we seek as artists. Painting starting soon! 

(p.s. also working on documentation of body extension soon!)

[madisongrosvenor]

Yesterday and todays progress on remapping painting 1/3 (obviously a working title). I took some close ups of the individual grid squares to show the imperfection that freehand will inevitably produce, and I am learning to be ok with that. Because all together, each individual line, messy or not, creates the work of art. Anyways, I am happy with the color story I have created so far! (also I thought my paint palette was pretty!) More to come!

[madisongrosvenor]

I was messing around with watercolors to do some messy ideation for my first painting iteration (1/3) and ended up with a new plan for my first piece! I originally started with some organic shapes and adding a grid to them, but then didn’t like how it turned out. So instead, I came up with an idea that felt better, which was intersecting planes, that still have a kind of organic feel, but also incorporate that grid I want. The intersecting planes better articulate my reflection of starting art school. My multiple planes of interests, and dislikes, all colliding with each other in one space and time. The grid is a reflection of my perfectionist mindset, of which I am attempting to break free. The grid represents how I saw my work (in the beginning of the year) to need to be organized, neat, and extremely planned out. Even in the ideation sketch, I was pinching myself at the watercolor not being perfectly inside the grid ( a bad habit, I know). Hopefully this piece will come to be a reflection of my start as an art student, and how I grew from this perfectionist mindset and accepted my imperfections (although I still have a long way to go). Starting painting today! More soon!

[madisongrosvenor]

I finished building my body extension today! I made a lot of adjustments from my prototype, including a “bouncy” place to rest my head for both comfortability and an uplifting feel which is what my extension is all about. I also used a different kind of cardboard that worked much better for my purpose, and added a kind of handle so that the extension could be much more secure. All thats left to do is find a creative way to document it! Yesterday I listened to a song that fit perfectly with my concept and idea for this project, it was “Keep Your Head Up” by Ben Howard. The words literally fit so well, and I am now thinking of a way in which I can incorporate that song into my project. I absolutely love when I find a song that is absolutely perfect for a particular moment. More updates soon!

[madisongrosvenor]

My makeshift workstation this morning!

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remapping project-proposal

For my remapping project I want to create a series of abstract paintings on canvas, illustrating my first year of college through patterns and color. I want to use the paintings as a timeline of beginning, middle, and end of my first year in Stamps. Through different colors, shapes, and compositions I want to use these paintings to show my growth as an artist, and show hope for how I will grow more throughout my time in university. What I have been working through recently, is how to illustrate the changes in both my mental state throughout the year, my skill, and my confidence as a maker.  

My paintings in the past have been incredibly calculated and usually contain a subject or figure. I haven’t much delved into the abstract art world, but I think that going abstract will be the best way to capture a feeling rather than letting a figure or an object project that feeling for me. I hope this decision highlights my willingness to dive into something new, and hopefully will spark a new interest in a particular form of art I have unitentionally stayed away from.

I am planning on creating three pieces, the first one being the beginning of the school year, where I was less willing to take risks, but still eager to learn and excited for my impending future at Stamps. The middle piece, I hope to illustrate this influx of knowledge, resources, and inspiration that came during my first year, I want this piece to be explosive and bold. My final piece, I want to find a way to illustrate how I hope to use all of this knowledge, these resources, and inspirations to my advantage to apply it to myself, and my future as an artist. I want to show through the last piece, me really coming into my own. Overall, I want these pieces to exhibit hope for me as a creator.

Here's some examples I found for inspiration and also a pastel color palette I hope to follow:

[madisongrosvenor]

Update on my Body extension project

Recently I have been working on gathering materials to create a second version of my body extension, so I don’t have an update on the building process yet. But they are coming soon! Recently I have been thinking of ways to interact with my family using my body extension. Given the current circumstance of the world, my family has been reading the news and occasionally it is bringing spirits down. Being that the purpose of my body extension is to keep my head up (metaphorically and physically), I realized instead of using the extension on just myself, I should use it on my family members. Although, right now my first prototype is a little flimsy and defeated from travel, but as soon as I create a more structurally sound extension, I will be documenting some interactions with my hopefully surprised family members. Process photos coming soon!

[madisongrosvenor]

Update!

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final plan for body extension. A wrist extension. 

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Process sketches for Body extension