Here is my artists statement that will be placed next to my painting in the shop in town.
We are hoping to go down to the shop in our free periods to display the work.
Alex Shaw
A Force of Nature, 2011, 30cm x 40cm
Acrylic paints on canvas.
“A Force of Nature” shows the beauty and excitement of the weather, but is an issue in daily life. Tornados, which occur mainly in Tornado Alley in the USA, cause death and destruction, and this is what many people see, but they do not see the beauty, power and excitement of a tornado.
Alex Shaw is in the second-year of an Advanced Diploma in Creative and Media at Long Road Sixth Form College. His ambition is to go to America and chase tornados.
Changing Spaces is a project set up by Cambridge City Council and Love Cambridge, which has negotiated the use of vacant shop fronts around the city for exhibition purposes.
Statement Of Intent
What I intend to do for my final pieces is, on my canvas, I would paint this image but enlarge it and add more to it.
This is the test painting that I did yesterday.
I intend to paint a tornado in an open landscape, but have a transmission tower and wire poles. My original idea was to add a town as well, but I could not paint the town to the style of the rest of the painting.
My main goal is to paint the painting in the same style as I did to the test painting. I expect to finish the painting tomorrow as I have a full day at college. One problem that I might face is the paint not drying fast enough so that I can add in extra detail. At the moment, the title of the piece that I have in place is ‘A Force of Nature’. I am planning to change the title, but have not come up with the final one yet. I am hoping to think of the title when the final piece is finished tomorrow.I want the title name to have a relationship with the painting.
I will be creating a physical object. The materials that I am working with is Acrylic paint, (White, Black, Brown, Blue, Green, Red, and Yellow) I will be mixing the colours on paper to get the correct colours that I want. For example, grey, light blue, dirty blue, ect. I will be working on a canvas, the size is A3, which I feel is suitable. On the canvas I will draw an outline of the image that I will be painting in black pen so that it stands out and I can see it clearly when painting. I have chosen to use acrylic paint as it is thick and I can paint in a blotchy style and you can see it more clearly. I will be using a medium size paintbrush for most of the painting, then a small thin paintbrush for the more detailed parts. I decided to work on a canvas instead of working on a sheet of card because I felt that it would be more professional and that it would stand out. I also felt that working on a A3 sized canvas would be easier than working on one that is larger. I also have a small amount of time to create it and finish it.
My piece is about the issues of tornadoes. Tornadoes are a force of nature that cannot be controlled. In the painting, I want to show the beauty of a tornado, but then show that it can destroy things. I want the viewer to have the same view on them as me, as people don’t fully understand them. Tomorrow is the only day that we have been given to complete the piece. I plan for the painting to be finished in time. I cannot plan a timetable for tomorrow, as I will be working as I go along, because of the way that I will be painting it.
Project Proposal - Idea 1 – Tornado
My first idea is, on a sheet of card, A2 size, I would paint a huge tornado with a town by the side of it. In the painting I want to show the beauty and excitement of a tornado and then the fear and the destruction of it.
On the card, it is going to have a hilly landscape. The tornado is going to cover around half of the sheet of card to make it stand out. I would paint the tornado using a mixture of grey paints which can be made from black and white paint. Then under the tornado, I am going to have dirt being thrown up in the air.
On the right had side of the page, I am going to have a town. This is to show that the tornado could change path and destroy this town, like many evens in the past.
I am going to have a water tower being ripped from it’s support and being sucked into the tornado. Even though the tornado has not hit town, it’s still creating destruction.The tornado will come from a stormy dark sky, with streaks of dark green to show that a tornado would have been able to form and give it the right setting.
To create this, I will need a sheet of A2 card, then a few paintbrushes, small and medium. The other main thing that I am going to need is the paint. It does not matter what paint I use but I will have to the standard colours like, blue, green, red, yellow, black, white and brown. When it’s being displayed, it will be stuck on a wall with either blutac or pins. I think that it will work in the exhibition space as it will draw the people in, as they would be interested in looking at it.
I want to communicate in my work that tornadoes can be big issues. They are deadly and destroy peoples lives. The subject is that tornadoes are deadly. Tornadoes are not something that we get in the UK, but in the US, they get a lot. I want the audience to be interested in my work. I don’t really know how I would expect them to react, as I don’t know that person that would be viewing it. I would be looking at the book Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers, which is a photographers work while storm chasing. It has some very exciting photos.
Challenge 2 - "JUST A MINUTE, VIDEO DIARY"
The subject of tornadoes is important to me because it is a force of nature that is beautiful, but deadly and devastating. The science of it is also very interesting. It gives excitement and fear at the same time to people. My feelings towards tornadoes is mainly beauty and excitement, even though people are getting their lives torn apart. The devastation does not really hit me until the tornado has gone, then your main attention is on the path that it left behind. In my paintings, i want to show the two sides of a tornado. The beauty and the devastation. A tornado is a force that no man can control. A tornado is an uncontrollable, unpredictable, and your life is in the hang of it, if near one. Tornadoes cannot be created by mankind. Only the force of nature can create this. The effect of a tornado after it's gone cause's much pain to many people. This is a thing that most people forget about when a tornado happens, they are more concentrated on the beauty of it. If i was chasing a tornado, i feel that i would forget about the devastation it would cause. I would be having excitement and fun while others fight to save their life's.
(To note, i have not seen a real tornado. - Seen them through films, tv shows and footage.)
Project Proposal - Idea 2 – Flu – Hospital on black Alert
My second idea is, on a sheet of card, A2 size, I would draw and colour many different items to show the state of emergency at the hospital.
When the product is finished, it will look like a collage of many items that will be drawn by hand the coloured in afterwards. Items that I might draw could be bacteria, the hospital, injections, a high figure number in the colour red to show the amount of people ill with it.
What made me think of the idea was the major flu outbreak that is happening at the moment, at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge. The hospital is on ‘Black Alert’, which is the highest alert. Also many people have died of it at the moment.
To create this, I will need a sheet of A2 card, a drawing pencil, and colouring pens. When it comes to being displayed, it will be stuck on a wall with either blutac or pins. I think that it will work in the exhibition space, as it will draw the people in, as they would be interested in looking at it. I hope that they would agree that flu is a serious problem at the moment.
I want to communicate in my work that the flu is a big problem and that people should take it seriously. I want the audience to be interested in my work. I don’t really know how I would expect them to react, as I don’t know that person that would be viewing it. But I hope that they will understand it and take it seriously. For my mentor I would like to ask Steve Thorne, who is another media teacher at college. He has a history with art experience, so if I need any help or support he could guide me.
Project Proposal - Idea 3 Money Issues - VAT Increase
My third idea is, on a sheet of card, A2 size, I would a someone in a supermarket with a trolley, and they would be looking at the price of a product with a shocked face.
On the card, I am going to have long supermarket shelves with many items on them with price tags. The price tags will be prices that you would not expect to pay for that item. For example, a loaf of bread, priced at £1.49 and a 2-litre bottle of coke for £1.99. Due to the recent VAT increase, this has inspired me to think of the idea.
In front of the supermarket shelves, I will then have a person with a trolley. The trolley will be nearly empty due to the price of items. The person is looking at the price of a product with a shock face due to it being very expensive.
To create this, I will need a sheet of A2 card, a drawing pencil, and colouring pens. When it comes to being displayed, it will be stuck on a wall with either blutac or pins. I think that it will work in the exhibition space, as it will draw the people in, as they would be interested in looking at it and they would agree with the character in the piece of work.
I want to communicate in my work that money can cause big issues. The VAT has increased and shop prices are increasing. I want the audience to be interested in my work. I don’t really know how I would expect them to react, as I don’t know that person that would be viewing it. For my mentor I would like to ask Steve Thorne, who is another media teacher at college. He has a history with art experience, so if I need any help or support he could guide me. What inspired me to do this, is the recent VAT increase and all the talk that has gone on about it. At the moment, I do not know of any creative practitioners that my idea could relate to.
Project Proposal - Idea 1 – Tornado
My first idea is, on a sheet of card, A2 size, I would paint a huge tornado with a town by the side of it. In the painting I want to show the beauty and excitement of a tornado and then the fear and the destruction of it.
On the card, it is going to have a hilly landscape. The tornado is going to cover around half of the sheet of card to make it stand out. I would paint the tornado using a mixture of grey paints which can be made from black and white paint. Then under the tornado, I am going to have dirt being thrown up in the air.
On the right had side of the page, I am going to have a town. This is to show that the tornado could change path and destroy this town, like many evens in the past.
I am going to have a water tower being ripped from it’s support and being sucked into the tornado. Even though the tornado has not hit town, it’s still creating destruction. The tornado will come from a stormy dark sky, with streaks of dark green to show that a tornado would have been able to form and give it the right setting.
To create this, I will need a sheet of A2 card, then a few paintbrushes, small and medium. The other main thing that I am going to need is the paint. It does not matter what paint I use but I will have to the standard colours like, blue, green, red, yellow, black, white and brown. When it’s being displayed, it will be stuck on a wall with either blutac or pins. I think that it will work in the exhibition space as it will draw the people in, as they would be interested in looking at it.
I want to communicate in my work that tornadoes can be big issues. They are deadly and destroy peoples lives. The subject is that tornadoes are deadly. Tornadoes are not something that we get in the UK, but in the US, they get a lot. I want the audience to be interested in my work. I don’t really know how I would expect them to react, as I don’t know that person that would be viewing it. I would be looking at the book Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers, which is a photographers work while storm chasing. It has some very exciting photos. For my mentor I would like to ask Steve Thorne, who is another media teacher at college. He has a history with art experience.
Screen grab of some of the images in microsoft word, so that i could print them out, and then place them in my sketch book along with the future city concept art. I am also going to but architectural building in my sketch book as well. All this will then help me draw my shanty town and city.
Also in my sketchbook i have nearly finished the design layout of my product. A photo of this can be seen below.:
Frank Lloyd Wright, original name, Frank Lincoln Wright was bourn in June 8th 1867 and died in April 9th 1959. Before he died, he was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 projects, which resulted in more than 500 completed works. Wright promoted organic architecture (exemplified by Fallingwater), was a leader of the Prairie School movement of architecture (exemplified by the Robie House, the Westcott House, and the Darwin D. Martin House), and developed the concept of the Usonian home (exemplified by the Rosenbaum House). His work includes original and innovative examples of many different building types, including offices, churches, schools, skyscrapers, hotels, and museums. Wright also often designed many of the interior elements of his buildings, such as the furniture and stained glass.
Wright authored 20 books and many articles, and was a popular lecturer in the United States and in Europe. His colorful personal life often made headlines, most notably for the 1914 fire and murders at his Taliesin studio.
Already well-known during his lifetime, Wright was recognized in 1991 by the American Institute of Architects as "the greatest American architect of all time".
To View Much More Information, Please Go To This URL Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright
Architecture
Another way to describe my advanced built city is some amazing architectural designs but within them having advanced technology. You cannot see the technology designs in my design as its designing an advanced city, so you would only see the city designs.
Below are some details on what an architectural designer is:
An architectural designer is an architect that works in the design of a building or urban landscapes, as opposed to the construction documents and management required to construct it. (It’s the designs of buildings that will be seen in my product as you cannot see the technology). Architectural designers have good creative skills, imagination and artistic talent. Although most students of architecture are trained to be designers in school, not all become designers in practice. Non-registered designers are similar, but cannot legally refer to themselves as "architectural" designers in most parts of the world. Most are referred to as building designers, especially when not employed by an architectural firm.
Here is where the information a an architecture comes from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_designer
Checkpoint 1 – 17th November 2010
Description
Most of my work is placed in my folder as I find it easier to work in. I also have some work on my blog and in my sketchbook.
The very first thing that I’ve done was think of my ideas. My ideas have been put into a 2-paged document with short descriptions. Then after that I, expanded on my three ideas, with a wider description of the idea. Also for each idea, I have created a rough layout for what the product would look like. My three ideas are descriptive. I have done a lot of work for the ideas, as the ideas are important as one will be chosen out of them for me then to work on and produce. This took a while as I found it very difficult to understand the exam document. The ideas slowly came along. I have created and presented my presentation, which had two of my ideas in, that interested me the most. After the presentation to the client, I was aloud to choose which idea I wanted to produce as the client like them both and thought that they would be doable. After this I have started the working process on idea 1, looking into cities with futuristic looking buildings, getting future city examples. It is still a work in process. Just yesterday I have started on the audience feedback of idea one, but no one seems to want to give me feedback. Today I am hoping to create a questionnaire for my idea 1 and have people look at my idea and answer the questions.
Analysis
I was surprised by the views of the client after the presentation of my two ideas. I was also aloud to choose which idea I want to work on and produce, and for me, it was idea one where they world and technology come together to create this advanced city as I strongly believe that it can be done. After the presentation, I have started to work and develop my idea, since the presentation. Also gathering feedback on the idea and still gathering feedback on it witch I plan to do tonight or tomorrow when I am not at college.
Evaluation
I found it difficult to think of my ideas due to me finding it hard to understand the exam document. It was a long process for me to understand it and to get my three ideas. Since I have though of my ideas, I have found this exam project quite enjoyable, as I am left alone to do my work. I have needed a rough outline of where I need to go next after finishing an item. At the moment I feel that I am on track. I am looking forward to start producing the product in a week or two’s time. I have also found it difficult to get audience feedback. I have posted a message on Facebook, which leads to a link with my idea on a separate blog, asking if they could read it and give me their views/comments. I have also sent an email to all of my hotmail contacts, but have not received and feedback yet, so this has lead me to creating a questionnaire. This has still to be done, my aims is that it would be fully completed next Monday as I am also going to get member of the class to fill them out as well.
Forward Planning
From today, I plan to create my questionnaire and finish the audience feedback of my idea. They would be place in my work folder afterwards. Any negative feedback from the questionnaires will be taken into account and I would work on the negative feedback with my idea and make it better. I am also going to research online to see an estimate prediction of when the world could, or might be possible to create something like my idea. Even though, I believe with today’s technology, the world could create a city like my idea now ready for around 2025
Next week I shall start to sketch some building designs in my sketchbook, then some designs for a shack town. I shall also use the web to get a huge collection of technology company logos so that I can get a more of an idea of what the product will look like.
Its his views on how i presented the presentation and views on the ideas.Start Of Day
Today I plan to blog Pete’s comments on my ideas from the presentation from last Friday. After this I then plan to correct and comment on my presentation printout that is located in my folder, then go back to my digital save file of the presentation then edit it to the corrected version that I’ve done to the 1st printed version in my folder then print that out and place it with the hand corrected version. Then start to write a one-page report explaining how I plan to change my idea with the client’s feedback.
End Of Day
I have finished blogging Pete's comments, and I have also hand corrected my printed presentation powerpoint. I then have corrected the digital copy of the presentation and printed that off, which is now located within my folder. The corrected presentation shall be uploaded onto my blog tomorrow. I am half way through the one page report and i shall finish this tomorrow.
Presentation Feedback
Today I had to present the presentation to the client. The presentations were running over the time schedule that was given, so instead of my presentation being at 12:50pm, it was at around 1:05pm. I had been very nervous today because I really find it uncomfortable getting up in front someone to talk or present something to somebody. Later in the day I then found out that the presentation was going to be recorded so that I had proof that I did it when it comes to examining my work, and this made me feel more nervous about the presentation.
When I got into the classroom, I did not know how to start. When I started the presentation, I went straight to the 3rd slide which was the example of idea I as I though that if I talked about the idea before the client saw the example, he might not have understood it as well, so I talked about the idea with the example showing, so that I could explain it bit by bit.
When the presentation was over, Pete (The Client) then gave me his thoughts on the presentation and ideas. He was near enough positive about the presentation, but I made a few mistakes within he creation of the presentation, for example, on the 1st idea example, I included the Coca Cola logo in the example layout image, and the client did not understand what Coca Cola had to do with companies and their technology as it was meant to have technology companies logos as they would have imputed their technology to help create this advanced city in the near future. The client thought that the two ideas would work well and asked me which idea I liked the most, and that was idea one – an advance city. Also one last thing that the client thought that wouldn’t work as well on idea one is that the present day scene was countryside and he though that people would not want to change a lovely countryside into a city. So at the minutes, I think I am going to change it to a poor looking town, as this would have a better effect on the audience. So I believe that idea 1 is my chosen project idea now, and of course I will take in the client’s feedback and make the changes. On Monday 15th Nov 10, I shall begin the work towards me creating the final product.
