Final craft and episode review

Season 8 Episode 2

This episode is all about art being inspired by nature here in America. The artists call it translating their experiences in that natural environment for others to see and understand as well. This was interesting that so many artists are influenced by something so simple as just looking out side and would want to share it with others. One of my favorite pieces in this episode was 'Nature's Gift' (2016) by Preston Singletary. He is a native American glass artist who uses his surroundings as his inspiration. His techniques captures the motion of the wild creatures in something that is so stiff and immobile like glass. Most artists speak of a connection they feel between them, the materials, and the nature around them. They say that nature is the most critical resource in the world.

 

For my piece, I decided to create an altered image of a woman with clay. It was roughly 8x4in. on dimensions. My idea for this was how society tried to break down and build up women to fit the image they want them to portray. I decided to put an altered and asymmetric body on what seems to be a surgery table. From the small waist to the bigger breast, eyes, lips, and thighs,  I started piecing together the perfect woman yet somehow still creating a female version of Victor Frankenstein's monster. This is a replica of how I see us as a people ending up because we tend to always change ourselves to please other people. In my opinion, this piece demonstrates the damage of conformity and no self worth.

1. Something that surprised me was how easy it was to get carried away while molding and shaping the clay. I noticed that it was also harder to do exactly what I wanted to do with this but it wasn't surprising since I have worked with this material before. I was surprised with how long it took me to get everything right as well. Normally it takes me less than 20 minutes to draw and color a piece on a 9x12in board, so I had to work my patience here. 
2. Something that impressed me with my project was how big of a message it portrayed to me. In today's society, it seems as if people and their opinions have more control over what we do and how we should look than we do. This shows how monstrous that can be in the end. bending and changing yourself in the end only makes you into a monster, unfit for anyone's eyes. We should appreciate ourselves as we are.
3. The take home from this project is that I learned how to manipulate clay better and I was also able to learn a few more techniques while trying to shape the clay how I wanted. This project taught me more patience, time maintenance and how to take my time and not rush in order to get certain shapes and forms right.