"Menil Sketches" >>> A Day At The Menil Collection

Here are all of my sketches from the Menil Collection. Some of them were a little difficult to find, but I eventually found them all. And below are my responses to the writing assignment.

a) What was the most enjoyable thing you saw? Why?

I enjoy looking at paintings more than sculptures, which is why my favorite piece was a painting. The painting Glider by Robert Rauschenberg was very interesting. I loved the different geometric shapes that made up the massive painting. It looked very architectural, something you would not normally think of when painting comes to mind.

b) What was the most disturbing thing you saw? Why?

Many sculptures at the Menil were disturbing, but one of them stood out among the rest. The untitled sculpture of the girl on the crucifixes by Maurizo Cattelan was absurd. I felt like the piece was making fun of Jesus; I do not think the artist intended this, but I felt it was unnecessary. The way her head and other body parts were twisted was strange, especially the bolts that did not even touch the wall.

c) What piece in the museum is the most like something you might make yourself, or would like to make?

The painting Periscope by Jasper Johns was very oriented with a variety of things. I love mixing text with paintings, which is what made this painting stand out from the rest. I am not a big

painter, but when I do, I paint with lines and blobs, not actual human beings. I could see myself making a painting like this one because of the stenciled words and the use of blue hues.

d) What made

you curious, what do you want to know more about? Why?

As I continued through

the museum, I realized all of the sculptures which I made a weird face to are constructed by Maurizo

Cattelan. Although they were all disquieting, some of them made me very curious. The room filled with “bodies” covered in white blankets was very alarming, but it also made me want to lift up a cover to see what was truly beneath the blankets. I was very curious as to wondering if the room was filled with plastic or maybe even real humans; I will never know.

e) Which of the Menil’s buildings fit the art inside best?

The Rot

hko Chapel definit

ely worked the best with the artwork inside. The room was octagon

al shaped, with plain black paintings on each section of the wall. I think the room might have been built, knowing exactly where each painting was going to hang. It seemed very well planned out; I think I got goose bumps in the middle of the room.

"One Plus Fourteen" >>> Texture/Color Study Process

This is my second accordion book, still not sure which one will be turned in, maybe both!

I began laying out and pairing up my accordion book. I realized there are about three of the same techniques in this book, but I don't think it's as obvious as I can tell they are the same.

After it was arranged in order, I began gluing the textures to the accordion book, showing some brown paper.

And I love making covers for these books. While I was googling some ideas, I came across something similar to this. It looks like a book, but it still opens as an accordion book. I still need to cover the front and back.

"Not My Intentions" >>> Texture/Color Study Process

Yes, my plan was to make two accordion books.

No, I did not want to bind a book together using string.

The other day I went to the WASH building to work on texture stuff. I had made two accordion books in class on Tuesday, one out of bristol paper, and one out of drawing paper. The day I went up to work on stuff, I also made one out of brown paper. I made one out of brown paper because I realized the bristol paper was WAY to thick to be using for an accordion book. So I decided to cut up the bristol paper book and just use the paper as scraps for other projects. So I began cutting, and right when I got to the last page of the book, I realized I was cutting up my drawing paper accordion book!!!! :( :( :( I was so mad and frustrated by this point I did not even make a new accordion book. So I came to my second option of tying together the textures, which is actually turing out really cool looking. I'm kind of glad I made such a huge mistake!

So I began backing each of my textures (using the accordion book paper I cut up) lol and also putting grommets inside of the hole punches.

And then tied together each texture and cut off the extra string.

My book folded up while it was still in progress.

And I began making a cover for the book.

"Rounding Corners" >>> Texture/Color Study Process

I am almost finished on my swatch book. I thought it would make my book look a lot better if I rounded the corners. So i went and bought a corner rounder, and I was right, the book looks much better!

right angles...

round!

Once all of my textures were backed with bristol paper, and had rounded corners, I began laying out the swatch book. First I grouped similar colors.

Then I took all of the groups of colors and organized them from the beginning to the end of the book. The book will begin with blue/brown, blue, blue/pink, pink, pink/brown, pink/brown/blue, and finally end with just browns.

And here are all of the swatches stacked up ready to be hooked together. There are about 50 swatches on it, and I made a special cover for it too.

"I Love Books" >>> Texture/Color Study Process

For how much I hate READING books, I sure love MAKING them! I have been looking on the internet for some inspirations and ideas for my accordion books. I have came across some things I plan to do!

One of my accordion books. I am going to let some of the paper be the background.

Backing my textures!

All the textures that will go in one of my books. I will end up having two accordion books and a swatch full of textures. I never realized how many textures I had made until I began cutting them down to small squares.

"Taste The Rainbow" >>> Texture/Color Study Process

I worked on my textures yesterday and today. I laid them all out and looked at things that I did and did not have. Most of my textures were showing white, so I did some that were completely covered with a color. And those ones actually ended up being one of my favorites! Below is all of my textures I have created. I have around ninety textures!!! and I also have about ten that are completely 3D. But I tried to stay away from the 3D textures. I didn't one my books to be so bulky.

One I had all ninety or so of my textures laid out I organize them into pairs according to color/texture similarities. Some of them I did not use at all; their were about twenty ugly ones that I felt were not as good as some of my other ones.

Then I cut all of my pages to 6 x 5 inches. They are all much more nicely cropped now.

And here are some of my textures grouped next to its pair. This could possibly be an accordion book that I make, but we will see tomorrow when we get critiqued.

"A Stitch In Time" >>> Flatopia Process

The second phase of our flatopia process was very interesting. I used a bath towel as my material and sewed pieces together with brown string. Originally the stuffed animal was a bunny, but now it looks like a cross between a rabbit and a pig.

But in the end, I learned how different pieces fit together to make certain shapes. It will be very helpful when making my inflatable device.