Stella's Art Blog

Claes Oldenburg is a sculptor best known for his sculptures of giant-sized versions of everyday objects. Immediately I recognized his work (particularly the big spoon with the cherry)- I feel like I've done a blog on him before, perhaps? However, the last time I researched him, I was more focused on his giant sculptures instead of his work with fabric. I had no idea he even worked with fabric until the blog assignment mentioned it. Obviously, Claes plays a lot with shape and scale in his sculptures, but I was drawn to his use of texture and movement in his fabric works. He manipulates the fabric to lay a certain way, giving the sculpted object a prominent texture. This works especially well in his food sculptures, where he lays soft fabric to look like various breads/vegetables/etc. He is very loose with these fabric sculptures, and they almost look like they can be moved and manipulated like puppets.

Currently in Independent Studio, I am working on a piece titled "The Whole World and You". It features a nude woman riding a shooting star through the galaxy, attempting to shake a sentient planet off her back but is unable to. I created this piece to represent the way women are treated in a male-dominated society. We are catcalled, abused, raped, and stalked. Women fear for their lives just walking home after dark. And in some cases, there's no way to escape it- sometimes, resisting against a predatory man could be a death sentence. The empty galaxy represents the isolation and hopelessness a woman feels while being preyed on, helpless to escape the planet's clutches.

Right now in portfolio studio, I've started working on a sculpture of a small worm-like creature. I created him using yarn, wire, tin foil. mod podge, paint, and the real kicker- resin human teeth. My plans are to create a whole series of these little creatures, ranging in different sizes and shapes. Putting together a series of them would be very fun to display at the art show. My first creature, Clump, is very small, so I plan to create some on a larger scale. The largest would probably be reaching up to my ankles, while Clump fits in my hands. I've been using the internet to my advantage to look for inspiration. My creatures obviously won't be as grotesque as some of these, but they serve as great inspiration.

Finding information for Nick Cave the visual artist was a little difficult because there just so happens to be a far more popular musician by the name of Nick Cave as well. But with a bit of searching, I was able to find the works of Nick Cave the performance artist/sculptor. Instantly, I was drawn to his work- this is exactly the kind of work I'm interested in. Cave is a sculptor as well as a performance artist. He combines these two subjects in his work, creating sculptural suits that can be worn and performed with. His "Soundsuit" series uses bright fabric and fur as well as lots of found objects. Texture and color are some of the prominent elements of art in his work.  Cave's suits transform the human body into a trippy and whimsical creation. Cave isn't a puppeteer, but his work reminds me of puppetry that I would like to experiment with. So far, I have been creating cute plush Muppet-esque puppets, but I'd love to try and create more detailed and wei...

In Independent Studio, I have been taking a step back now that the stress of college applications and portfolios is over, and allowing myself to experiment with new concepts and playing around with my art style. I am trying to allow myself to get looser when it comes to figure drawing and painting and pushing my ideas and concepts further to create new pieces that are unlike anything I've done before. Working 3D is a relatively new thing to me, and I have been enjoying it greatly. I'm currently working on a little cool-down painting for the art show, but after that I want to start something more ambitious, like mixing video editing and 3D art together to make an installation piece. I'm also waiting to see what the plans are for Art Portfolio so I can manage my time and ideas when it comes to the installation concept. I'd want to do something focusing on the human consciousness and our inner psyche and morals. I love creating abstract and experimental pieces about human ...

Two project ideas I have been interested in are paper cutouts and installation art. Obviously, one is much easier than the other, but both are equally interesting to me. I would like to do a character in a scene for the paper cutouts idea by using both magazine papers and regular colored paper cut out carefully with an x-acto knife. I have experimented with stuff like this before and had a great time with it. My other idea is more ambitious, and that is to create an installation art piece. I would want to include elements of both 3D art and video, combining them to create an atmospheric piece. I am particularly inspired by Tony Oursler and his work, and would like to try something similar to his. He uses projections of faces onto 3D statues and shapes which is something I would like to experiment with.

There are many different styles of puppets and many different ways to make them. A style of puppet that has been most interesting to me over the years is the Muppet style. I have made a muppet-style puppet before and had a great time with it. The head base is made out of foam and covered with a layer of soft fabric to give it a plush feel. The body can be made with foam as well or other materials such as wood. The arms of a Muppet are usually connected to wooden sticks so they can be moved around by the puppeteer while the puppeteer's other hand goes inside the puppet to control its head and mouth. A muppet can be simple by having it just be a head and body, or it can be as advanced as adding eyes that can blink and other details to make it more realistic. Most muppets are covered in fabric to give them a soft and fuzzy appearance with hair made from yarn and string. Here are some of my favorite Muppet designs that I want to use as inspiration for my own muppet puppet. ...