Mixed Media Piece
Daily Journals:
1/6
Today I began brainstorming and just looking at the materials I had in my bag. I really like my magazine so I really want to use that. I look up the meanings of ambient and milieu.
Ambient: relating to the immediate surroundings of something.
Milieu: a person's social environment.
Through that, I interpreted it meaning the environment of now.
1/7
Today, I came up with a list of events that could relate to the theme and I think I want to relate it back to the void that anxiety creates especially now during this pandemic. I think it relates back to the theme since it is a news reality people face no matter the social scene or the time frame; it truly creates an alternate reality that consumes the person suffering. I hope to use the photos of basketball from my magazine and the paint to try and create a visual of how my anxiety/depressive states make me feel.
1/8
I looked through my magazine and found photos that related to my topic of study. I’ve decided to use words as well to help control the complexity of my idea.
1/9
I didn’t really do anything on the project today except take off the brown part of the circle and see the red. It really works since I have red paint so I think the cohesion will be artistically pleasing.
1/10
Today I got a lot done on my project. I decided to use the square boards instead of the circle because then I could have more space to work. The painting was very therapeutic for me and allowed me to explore my emotions. I did not really have a plan when going into what I was doing besides the magazine pictures/words I chose. Overall, it is a really raw representation of what happens to me when I begin to overthink and how I am in a depressive state. I think the work came out really cool and now I am just going to let it sit while I think of what kind of things I want to do on the next board. I am really excited!
1/11
I decided to add the second board through a metaphorical string which represents a separate reality. I feel like that connection is coherent to the theme and relates well to how it feels to be in this limbo of not knowing what to think.
1/12
I decided on adding a sort of ying-yang effect to my second piece of cardboard. I really like how it was easy to incorporate this idealogy of these two realities through this symbolic representation. Overall, the concept is really coming together!
1/13
I used paint pens today to add dimension and by adding in the white, I feel like the whole piece really came together. I finished my piece and really like it!
1/14
I worked on taking pictures for my website and my journal entries.
1/15
I started working on my reflection piece regarding my influence in why i took the piece in the direction I took it.
1/16
I put everything on my website and refined it.
Reflection:
How does this prompt relate to me?
What is an experience of the environment of now?
How can i express my intent, should i plan more or just let it happen?
What pieces of the magazine should be included?
How do I want to represent how I feel?
Does just having the red and yellow paint add the whole story or should I add in other colors with the paint pens?
While working on my mixed media piece, the spontaneity of my work style drove the creative process. For example, the addition of magazine pieces sporadically placed on the border contributed to the many additions that elevated the message I am trying to convey. At the beginning of the creation process, I thought I would use the red disk since it matched with the overall aesthetic of my idea. Though I liked the disk, I went with the cardboard pieces to allow for more space and I really like how it was such a blank canvas. Due to the blankness, the piece incorporates lots of paint, which I really enjoy, and even though this was a school project, it allowed me to release lots of emotions. I put them on a physical canvas and felt a small feeling of relief. This creation is what I see a lot in my head and it is really therapeutic to have it sprawled out. Painting has been a good way for me to stress relieve, so I incorporated it. Overall, this piece is driven by the idea of how reality is different for each individual and how the mental aspect of life is not what the physical might display.
Progress Photos:
