Title: The Sun of Balance
Size: 25.908 cm x 25.910
Medium: Found and Made Objects
April 2016
Exhibition Text: My piece tried to show the unity and balance that lies within the sun. I also wanted to show the light that's usually seen in the sun. I was inspired by the art movement of symbolism.
Artistic Inspiration:
For artistic inspiration, I was inspired by the art movement of Symbolism. The artist I was inspired by was John Roddam Spencer Stanhope, specifically his piece Angels With Pan Pipes and Bagpipes. The painting uses a spring green, white, and golds. I wanted to use this specific gold tone, or at least something similar to it, for my piece since it appealed to me.
""Angels With Pan Pipes And Bagpipes" by John Roddam Spencer Stanhope (1829-1908, United Kingdom)." "Angels With Pan Pipes And Bagpipes" by John Roddam Spencer Stanhope (1829-1908, United Kingdom). Web. 10 May 2016. <http://en.wahooart.com/@@/9CWKAW-John-Roddam-Spencer-Stanhope-Angels-With-Pan-Pipes-And-Bagpipes>. |
Cultural Inspiration:
My piece was inspired by Egyptian mythology, more specifically the sun god: Ra. The story of the sun god, Ra, is that he was mostly known for bringing light and warmth to all of Earth's creatures. He is also seen, to some people, as the one and only god within Egyptian mythology, and that all the "other gods" are just extensions of Ra.
"Curriculum Visions Search Results." Curriculum Visions Search Results. Web. 10 May 2016. <http://www.curriculumvisions.com/search/R/ra/ra.html>. |
Process:
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1.) After getting the materials I needed, I began to paint the foam ball with the metallic paint to give it a shiny base. 2.) I painted the foam ball half way, that way it'll dry. 3.) While waiting for the ball to dry, I started gluing the flat toothpicks together with the liquid glue. 4.) After gluing enough toothpicks together, I began to attach them to the dried foam ball. 5.) Once all the toothpicks were attached to the ball, I began painting the rest of the ball. 6.) Finally once the ball was fully dried, I painted the toothpicks gold too. 7.) Then I let it set to dry out. |
Sketches:
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For my sketches, I didn't draw exactly in detail as to what I wanted the piece to look like, but I just wanted to create a quick sketch to get my point or idea across on what it might look like or similar to. I drew three sketches: one of the flat toothpicks, one of the side view of the piece and the last one on how it should look like in the top. Of course my final piece ended up looking different than what my sketches look like, but keep in mind that I drew my sketches before actually creating the piece, so my piece was modified. |
Meaning Behind My Piece:
As mentioned in my exhibition text, my piece represents the light and balance the Sun gives off. For in many cultures, the Sun is considered good, spreading it's light to everything, always glowing and burning. I also wanted to show the balance and unity of the piece, for I tried to get all the toothpicks to be even in length around the foam ball, and I created a sort of wave like form with the toothpicks.
Reflection:
In the end, if I could've done things differently, I would've. I went back and forth in the process: gluing toothpicks together, then painting the foam ball, then going back to glue more toothpicks and so on. I also didn't know what to do for this project when it was assigned to us, making me start the project late, wasting time on not having any work done. If I had more time I would've made the project look neater and would've added more toothpicks to the piece. I was however glad that I was able to finish the project in time and paint the whole area of the piece. I was also happy that I found way for my piece to stand, since I was originally going to have the whole piece be covered in toothpicks, which would've stood on it's own, but because I didn't have time to fill up the whole space with toothpicks, I decided to add two toothpicks in the back to keep it standing, and it did. So I was really happy about that.