Mixed Media
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Mothers Jewelry Box Mixed Media 18cm x 18cm February 13, 2017 |
Exhibition Text: Mothers Jewelry box is a representation of my mother and all Mexican women. The box itself is what everyone sees, and it is beautiful, but in the inside, that's where the most beautiful thing is at. The whole purpose for this box was for that, to hold the most precious, that's where the gold is, and that is their soul and heart. Besides, it having the purpose of it being a jewelry box, to me since it holds the most precious, my memories are in that box. My family smokes a lot, and within the odor of cigarettes there lies my childhood memories. My memories are rolled like a cigarette blunt in a simple cigarette box designed with Mexican art.
Planning
Inspiration
My inspiration is the famous artist, Joseph Cornell. I am intrigued with the idea of a set of ideas or a whole world in a box, as if it were a box of secrets and mystery. If you see to your right, there is artwork from a very famous artist, Joseph Cornell who not just simply made art in the box but created modern art and surrealism. He was and is known to be a very successful artist. My inspiration was also my mother and the jewelry my grandma always brings from Mexico for her and me. The jewelry is beautiful and intricate in ways that it's very detailed and unique. In Mexico my grandma puts all her jewelry in boxes like the one on the right, they're Mexican traditional boxes with many flowers painted. A lot of the flowers painted are similar to the ones Frida Kahlo paints on her head, however I am planning to paint it on a box. |
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Critical Investigation
Joseph Cornell was born on December 24, 1903, in Nyack, NY and died on December 29, 1972 in New York City. During his lifetime, Cornell attended Phillips Academy for his high school years. Joseph Cornell through out time learned that his passion was art; therefore he pursued his career as an American artist and sculptor. He was also one of the most well known artists who created assemblage pieces. Assemblage pieces are an artistic form or medium usually created on a defined surface that consists of three-dimensional elements projecting out of or from the surface. It is similar to collage, a two-dimensional medium.Cornell was mostly influenced by surrealists, that's why his work is out of the "box". Lastly, he was also a very experimental filmmaker. Some of those films being, Rose Hobart, Jack's Dream, Cornell, 1965, Carousel: Animal Opera, Flushing Meadows, and Aviary. Frida Kahlo was a surrealist and is one of the most famous Mexican artists in the art history and her flowers are very exquisite with a lot of precision. Similar flowers have been painted on Mexican traditional boxes for jewelry throughout the centuries in Mexico.
Joseph Cornell was born on December 24, 1903, in Nyack, NY and died on December 29, 1972 in New York City. During his lifetime, Cornell attended Phillips Academy for his high school years. Joseph Cornell through out time learned that his passion was art; therefore he pursued his career as an American artist and sculptor. He was also one of the most well known artists who created assemblage pieces. Assemblage pieces are an artistic form or medium usually created on a defined surface that consists of three-dimensional elements projecting out of or from the surface. It is similar to collage, a two-dimensional medium.Cornell was mostly influenced by surrealists, that's why his work is out of the "box". Lastly, he was also a very experimental filmmaker. Some of those films being, Rose Hobart, Jack's Dream, Cornell, 1965, Carousel: Animal Opera, Flushing Meadows, and Aviary. Frida Kahlo was a surrealist and is one of the most famous Mexican artists in the art history and her flowers are very exquisite with a lot of precision. Similar flowers have been painted on Mexican traditional boxes for jewelry throughout the centuries in Mexico.
Sketches
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The sketches show my plans and the structure of the box I plan to utilize in this project. It also shows where the jewel will go and how big it will be. Also, I have two different designs. One is about the moon and the sun and the other one is the common Mexican flower art they usually do on pottery and boxes.
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Process
The process was long and lengthy. Especially painting the box. I painted it black for the designs to stand out, and it took the pain to dry out good around a day in a half. It was very lengthy, but worth it. Before I painted it, I had to take out the nails and metals it has so it can paint properly and after I was done painting it, I put them in back. I then measured the distance how long and wide the orange lines should be. After, I measured them with a pencil and ruler, I got tape and colored the inside of the the tape, so the line can be straight. After that, I placed a red dot on the bottom orange line. Then I did the white petals and placed blue dots on the other side of the orange line with a q-tip. After that, I drew and painted flowers in the inside, with acrylic paint. I let everything dry. I set the cotton thing like for the jewelry inside the box. I then set the necklace and earrings. After, I had the critique with UW-Milwaukee my whole project changed. On the outside nothing changed, but what was in the inside did. I searched and ask many people for cigarette boxes and after two weeks I was given one. I took my mother's jewelry and set it aside and instead, I painted the box with vivid colors and inside I rolled printed pictures of my childhood.
Critique
In my informal critique with three other classmates I received valuable information on my project, ideas and sketches. I was told that my project was really good and had a good thought about it's meaning and representation. They also said it was a great example for an assemblage and found objects, since I found the box in my aunt's basement and gave it to me for five dollars and the necklace has been an object that has been kept in a box of jewelry for three years since that is when my grandmother gave my mother the necklace from Mexico. I plan on painting the box black, which I have already and plan to design it with traditional Mexican art. When I went to Mexico they would sell a lot of pottery and boxes with these designs and I will contribute to Mexican Art by painting the box and assembling Mexican jewelry inside the box so it can demonstrate how most Mexican women are, beliefs, culture and tradition. Mexican women often hide themselves in colorful clothing, but they wear that to hide what is truly in the inside, which is gold. All women are gold, but I am Mexican therefore my project is based on Mexican women and our culture, customs and traditions. In the critique I was told to explain my thoughts and perhaps think about how I will be setting the jewelry into the box. For example, if it will just be laying there or if I will put like a stand or something to hold it up. Also, what colors I will use for the design or what flowers in specific will I be painting in the box. There was a lot of thinking and taking many ideas into consideration since this project is not done and has a lot to be worked on still.
Experimentation
I experimented a bit on how I made the flowers. I tried making them a different way, and then my mom told me a different way to make them, and it gave me the idea of making the flowers a combination of two colors and blending, instead of just being one color and tracing some white on it. I had the necklace inside and after I experimented with what was going to go in the inside I decided I would place the cigarette box with my pictures as a baby and family.
Meaning
The meaning to this piece is very valuable because it represents my view on the women in my culture, which is Mexican women. I look at my mom and I see a beautiful woman, in the outside and in the inside. To me, my mom is the most beautiful woman that has ever existed and it's not because I'm her daughter but because she truly is very beautiful. My mom, she is the most kindest, humble and warm hearted woman and that is why I decided to make a box; I made a box to represent my mother and all the women in my culture. They are beautiful and colorful in the inside, with a hard cover which represents how strong they are, but it also means that because of the hard cover they protect what is in the inside, which is gold. Literally gold, because in the inside of the box there is a golden necklace and earrings that my grandma brought from Mexico to my mother. I found the box, and assembled created an assemblage by putting my mothers old necklace inside. After, UW-Milwaukee came in my whole meaning of my project changed.I decided that inside the box, I would have a cigarette box with pictures of my memories, since when I was younger a lot of my family members used to smoke and it is like my memories were smoked away as they lit each cigarette. I had asthma and still do, but it was worse when I was younger so when my uncles, aunts and grandparents would smoke it was hard for me.
Reflection
This project was very hard. The black paint in my box was like a different type of paint, that made the acrylic paint hard to apply on. I had so much trouble with that. Also, my hand shakes a lot so when I have the brush, I struggle a lot and the fact that the paint wouldn't stay made it all worse. Therefore, that made this project very difficult and time consuming. Plus, the flowers were really hard to paint and so were the lines. I struggled with it a lot. However, as much as I struggled it was completely worth it, because my view is out and is now on a box and it gives me a sense of satisfaction that I have desired ever since this project started. When I was critiqued I was really nervous and I had to fix many things, such as making the petals whiter and fixing the whole inside. I really wanted to have the jewelry, but I was told that it wasn't a good idea and to change it. I didn't know what to do, but with guidance from Mr. Chad I got an idea and the idea of cigarettes and a box full of memories evolved into something more meaningful to me. My final product was nothing how I imagined it to be, it was totally different from my sketches but I loved it and I am glad I changed it, because I believe this project was successful. This piece is both an assemblage and a found objects piece. I assembled found objects, such as the box and the cigarrette box into an assemblage with a mixture of other objects.
ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
My inspiration, which was Mexican art on pottery or/and on boxes specifically had a lot of effect in my project due to its meaning and representation. I believe that my project represents Mexican women and our traditions, cultures and customs and it creates a great relationship with me and this project because that is my ethnicity.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors overall approach regarding the topic of my inspiration is that it covers the importance I have for Mexican women and our culture, traditions and customs. .
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Some generalizations and conclusions I have discovered about this certain topic is that people tend to humiliate, crush and shame on Mexican women in the United States by thinking Mexican women are only servants. That's the main role a Mexican woman has on TV and it's sad to see how my people are treated.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research was melancholy, love and nostalgia.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I believe that where you come from, is one of the most important things in this world and it creates a huge impact on everyone, because it's who you are.
Bibliography
"Mexican Folk Painting." Copal, Mexican Folk Art at its best Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
My inspiration, which was Mexican art on pottery or/and on boxes specifically had a lot of effect in my project due to its meaning and representation. I believe that my project represents Mexican women and our traditions, cultures and customs and it creates a great relationship with me and this project because that is my ethnicity.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors overall approach regarding the topic of my inspiration is that it covers the importance I have for Mexican women and our culture, traditions and customs. .
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Some generalizations and conclusions I have discovered about this certain topic is that people tend to humiliate, crush and shame on Mexican women in the United States by thinking Mexican women are only servants. That's the main role a Mexican woman has on TV and it's sad to see how my people are treated.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research was melancholy, love and nostalgia.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I believe that where you come from, is one of the most important things in this world and it creates a huge impact on everyone, because it's who you are.
Bibliography
"Mexican Folk Painting." Copal, Mexican Folk Art at its best Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.