Interpreting memory: Photography

The town of Totnes has housed many generations of people as well as countless memories, it has shifted tonally and architecturally for centuries leaving behind structures like the castle, churches and the host of oddities found in the museum. The wonderful art of photography has been used to capture all manner of places on earth with Totnes being no exception, this presents a great opportunity for me; with a project exploring memory and the way nostalgia and our own shifting desires morph the past. I propose an updated look into this a medieval town from someone who hasn’t lived long enough to see the changes made over the decades upon decades of rich history. I think it is important that I gather a collection of old photographs (and possibly some sketches and paintings) of Totnes at various points in history and take new photos at those locations as in their current state as of 2019, will this produce compelling enough results that I will utilize photography in my final major project?

Behind Church

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Artist research

Jake & Dinos Chapman

I plan on using miniature figures in this project, preferably I will place a significant emphasis on them and use them as the great canvases that they can be. Jake & Dinos Chapman use miniatures to both horrifyingly and effectively depict hectic, gruesome and frightening scenes that deal with such themes as gluttony, religion and fascism. They’re work demonstrates excellent technical skills with detailed stylized brush work on a minuscule scale and meticulously crafted sculptures. It’s this fine art aspect that inspires me most about they’re work, I hope to achieve something similar.

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Old Kent road, 2014

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Final major project proposal: draft #1

Up until now, my work has been experimental and often directionless. Although still working within themes, I have not yet chosen a specific goal with the ideas, means and method planned out early enough to follow a well articulated creative journey resulting in an impressive final piece or pieces that had as much time and effort transferred into them as the pre-production that preceded it. Most of my work has been fickle and disconnected with a large variety of themes and ideas but lacking a tangible goal. Some of my final pieces have even had less time given to them than experimental pieces with the sole purpose of developing ideas and techniques to apply to the end product itself. For my final major project, I hope to subvert my past methods of completing projects and place significantly more effort into creating an end product that I am proud of and that can be displayed in the end of year show, validating the project and the commitment to a commission. Continue reading “Final major project proposal: draft #1” →

Unit 2 annotations

After the ink experiments, the first real step was to research the Lord of thee rings’s ethical, cultural and artistic impact on the world. I wanted to do this because I’m a reader of Tolkien and had read The Lord of the Rings recently, tying the two together nicely. Whilst researching previous depictions of The Lord of the Rings, I came across a number of works that used watercolor to illustrate Tolkien’s environments and characters. This inspired me to test the medium and to consider other painting options. The decision to paint landscapes for my final three pieces was reached because of my research. I noticed that most of the artwork depicted characters or events with the world only acting as a background to the action. After some consideration, this got me painting landscapes. Continue reading “Unit 2 annotations” →

Unit 2 evaluation

I learned much from this project. At first it did not go well as I did not have a direction and could not start my work or enjoy it without a compelling theme. After I found a direction that I liked, I worked hard to catch up with my peers and enjoyed creating artwork about something that interested me. This lesson should prove doubly helpful for my final major project which is on a much larger scale. I will be placing a lot of focus on not only finding a theme quickly but also on finding one that compels me personally. Continue reading “Unit 2 evaluation” →

Final major project ideas

Idea #1

I could try out photography, perhaps the project could revolve around memories and what they mean to us. I could take photos of locations and items from my past that have had significant effects on me such as a bench that me and my friend used to sit on a few years ago. I could then write a short excerpt explaining the significance of the location or even item that had been photographed. Continue reading “Final major project ideas” →