A Natural History of the Senses Relief Sculpture

 

“A Spring Day” 

14” x 13.5

Wood, Fabric, String, Cardboard, Ribbon, Cardstock Paper, Fake Flowers, Music Box

Artist Statement

This sculpture visually communicates ideas about the emotions that music makes us feel. It is inspired by a song that communicates themes around loss and yearning for the past and uses the metaphor of spring and winter to signify moving on and things getting better. The song itself was inspired by a tragedy where a bunch of high schoolers, unfortunately, passed away due to a ferry boat they were on for a field trip capsized. In a way, my sculpture is a tribute to not only a fantastic song but also to the events that inspired it. I tried to be very meticulous about the colors that I used, wanting them to evoke spring while not being too vibrant. I wanted the music box to be right in the center of the sculpture, tying everything around it together. You’re able to wind it up and listen to the song playing while letting your eyes wander around the rest of the sculpture, feeling the emotions of the song.  

In Process Photos:

Inspiration:

 

Memento

 

“Window to a Beautiful Memory”

2.25” x 2.25” x 2.63”

Cardstock Paper, Red Ribbon, Silver Gel Pen

 

Artist Statement

This sculpture reflects some of my favorite memories with my family. The memories are of going to Plaza las Americas in Puerto Rico with family, especially during Christmas. The overall shape is made to look like a Christmas gift to mimic the giant gift boxes that decorated the mall. Surrounding the box are arch windows that serve two purposes: to resemble some of the architecture of the mall, and to symbolize how I can only look at a memory, like through a window, but never actually go back to it. The red velvet ribbon represents the red velvet carpet that was in the mall during Christmas. I also made one of the bows smaller than the other to represent me and my little sister. 

In process photos:

Inspiration:

Experimental Sculpture Collection

“Spiraling”

Balsa Wood, Tracing Paper, Wire, Hot Glue, Cardboard, Paper, Inks, Acrylic Paint, Gel Medium

In Process Images:

Reflection Statement:

My intent is to visually communicate a sense of cohesiveness throughout the three sculptures. I wanted to focus on the spirals because I thought it would create a fun reoccurrence in the sculptures. I decided to not include any bright colors throughout because I wanted the sculptures to have a more natural look. I felt the second work (paper rolls) was not producing the results I wanted, it was looking unfinished and boring, so I added more paper rolls throughout and gave some of them a wash of black ink to create more dimension. I want to keep exploring the idea of creating works that share elements together while still being different from each other and being their own thing. These pieces allowed me to experiment with many new materials and even use existing ones in new ways. The making of this work exposed new ideas such as creating shapes out of tracing paper, gel medium, and wire, and it is something I want to keep practicing with in the future.