Links on Tumblr

I have continued some of the projects I have produced over these last couple of years and put any artwork relating to such projects online onto other sites. As stated before, for example, the outcome of my first project brief from university, so far in continuation up until last summer, is called Project Anthill. This was to carry on the idea of creating small figurines to be scattered throughout various towns and cities, often in unlikely locations:

 

"...much like ants making their nest within the walls of someone’s kitchen, it’s all a simple matter of ‘innocent intrusion’. What I mean in saying this is that one of the problems street art, even the sort as wholesomely innocent as this, is that it still has to put up with the very likely possibility that its presence will only be deemed as vandlaistic in nature and barely anything more...

 

However, if I completely avoided the notion of placing Anthill’s populants in such locations, that would more or less defeat the entire premise of the project. Urban living all too often steers us away from being fully aware of the world we created and possess but do not possess by our own right. As much as we may like to think our homes and towns and cities serve to shelter our kind alone, all forms of life may make their home in these environments too. The entire reason I named this project Anthill was to serve as a constant reminder of that and the ‘ants’ of this Anthill take on more human form because no matter how much we choose to form the land we inhabit, we are still a part of a grand and complex ecological system. This entire project works under paradoxes. In looking into the little things in life, one can find more appreciation for the grand scheme of it all."

- one of the posts on Project Anthill.



Project Anthill on Tumblr

 

Also, following an understanding of my interest in costumes I eventually created another Tumblr blog dedicated specifically to all costumes I produced. Though, this wasn't set up until partway into my second year, when I would eventually come to acknowledge artistic merit in another subject matter I will elaborate on another time in the future. I could the Tumblr blog Becoming the Myth, partly to carry on from my initial project title from the start of second year, where I aimed to establish some understanding in how I may try to identify with figures of myth by attempting to model myself after them in costume. As stated before, I will provide a more in-depth explanation however, on how I would come to the conclusion on expanding to what extent mythology itself has become prevalent even in our modern culture.

 

Becoming the Myth on Tumblr

 

Finally, my final major project from college had too expanded beyond its set brief. Since I knew how invested my interests can dwell on mythology and other relatable subjects such as occultism, demonology and even cryptozoology, I decided to organise myself with the expectation of producing more artwork under such themes beyond my time in college.

 

Myths & Mysteries on Tumblr

 

Although many of the works featured on these links will have crossed over from works shown here, I feel they will warrant more intrigue than the general presentation I offer through this particular blog.

Self-Directed Project: 'Defining Practice' Pt. 2

For the last segment of my project brief, I once again revisited my interest in exploring costume as a medium for my artwork. In fact, I worked on two separate costumes though one of them mostly involved re-using components of my previous costume piece, The Dealer. This costume was based on the Japanese mythological creature, the Tengu.

Tengu (2012)

Much like the Dealer, I chose to present myself publically with this costume, amusingly enough while being escorted by volunteers for a charity group.

At the point of undertaking this more unconventional means of exhibition, I was in the process of making my final piece for exhibit on our first year show close to the end of the year. This costume was actually a development from the Beelzebub piece. I used the wire torso from the original Beelzebub project and covered it in cloth and latex. The hands were reused too but I had to make the arms again from scratch. This time, I built them from cardboard and latex. This was to create an insectoid form.

The idea of this piece was based on how sources suggest that Beelzebub's name may have originated from a insult directed towards a Middle Eastern deity. I intended to therefore portray the character as having been pulled down from its former grace, now pathetically crawling around hoping for aid, unable to hold its own body together, let alone stand up.

I originally planned that I would wear the costume throughout the week of the art show but instead decided to only do for the private viewing.

Baal-Zebal (2012)

During the improvised performance, I had arranged for it all to be filmed by a fellow student.

At this point, I increasingly come to understand the relevance of costuming in my artwork, at the least in understanding that I found an invested interest in it. On another note, I was surprised to find an interest in lino-cutting and printmaking. This may have been because of my experience in exploring the works from the likes of the Vorticists, as mentioned from my last post.

I know that into my second year of university, I hope to further explore costume as a medium in my artistic practice and better develop an understanding on my growing interest. From this, I hope to therefore draw conclusions on what I hope to do as an artist.

Baal is Dead! (2012)

Self-Directed Project: 'Defining Practice' Pt. 1

Even without hindsight, this seemed like a rather presumptuous and overly ambitious concept of a project for first year, albeit the final brief for that year. This project was to run for the entire semester.

I actually struggled a considerable deal at the initial phase, as I contemplated looking back at the illustrative style of my older works prior to university and try explore the relationship my artwork may hold with commercial interests. I initially took off on this idea by creating a series of wire sculptures of insects and spiders. Though the whole process felt extremely lacking.

Spider #1 (2012)

Mayfly (2012)

Spider #2 (2012)

Cockroach (2012)

However, after a fruitless attempt of a survey and a relatively in-depth discussion with a tutor, I decided this was unnecessary to explore (from this point, at least). Instead, I chose to explore a growing interest in some media I more recently looked into and attempted to see what I could develop from there.

Throughout my first year, I had produced a series of stylised sketches of tutors and peers during lectures. There was something about this chosen point in time and place where I felt there was something more real in drawing the people when they were not aware of being drawn. For me, their expressions often felt more genuine at that point. Despite the former lack of satisfaction in exploring the media back in college, I decided to turn back to print-making and the process of lino-cutting, as this seemed appropriate in relation to how I drew the people for these sketches.

Andrew (2012)

Emily (2012)

This style was something I developed from my experience in seeing numerous works produced by a group of artists referred to as the Vorticists. Vorticism was a rather short-lived artistic movement that started in the early 1900s but declined by the early years of the First World War. With elements of Cubism present in some of the artists' works, many of them produced figures possessing angular forms.

Becci (2012)

Salome (2012)

Katie (2012)

Tom (2012)

I also went on to explore the potential to lino-cutting in other drawings of mine.

Peace of Mind (2012)

This was taken further after my trip into Madrid, where I was able to go into Museo del Prado. Here, I managed to re-establish an interest in classical art and apply this into my modernist-inspired drawing style. The result is something I'd like to consider comparable to the works of Eric Gill.

The Dead Christ Supported by an Angel (1646-1652)

by Alonso Cano (1601-1667)

Drawn interpretation of Cano's painting.

Lino-cut from drawing.

Interestingly enough, although the printed piece may be the usual expected outcome, I was more invested in the production of the lino-cut itself. I feel that the main reason drawing and lino-cutting seem to work so closely for me is because my drawing technique focused on form, particularly since some of my drawing styles have been influenced by sculptors.