Sigmun Freud - Psychoanalysis (Self Directed Project Researc)

I have been looking at key ideas by founder of Psychoanalysis - Sigmund Freud and how it will feed into my current self-directed projected 'Inside a Surgeon's Mind'. There are various tenets of Psychoanalysis,  but in particular I am concerned with the following:

- In addition to inherited constitution of personality, a person's development is determined by events in early childhood.
- Humans attitude, mannerism and experience is thought largely influenced by irrational drives that are unconscious.
- Conflicts that occur between conscious and unconscious, can materialise into the form of mental or emotional disturbances such as anxiety, depression, neurosis and neurotic traits.

The above areas intrigue me the most due to curiosity and memory being the themes that are the most present within my work.  I find myself questioning what the Surgeon's childhood and life experiences were like, how did they shape him during the transition from childhood to adulthood, how they affect him mentally and what conflicts occur in his mind?, what are his obsessions? What do his personal belongings look like? What elements does he preserve? - These are all questions I am currently asking and hopefully will respond to through my project.

 



I am reading FREUD by Anthony Storr as part of my research on Psychoanalysis.  I found the following quote very interesting as I want my character to display a high level of self control:

''Obsessional personalities usually exhibit self-control to the point of appearing inhibited and lacking in spontaneity''. Storr,p.9

Polly Becker Assemblages

I really love Polly Becker's Assemblages that are created with found objects, children's toys, vintage paper cuttings and fabric.  They so intricate and beautiful, little narrative unfold in each composition.

Below are a few of my favourites....

 

 

Here is a link to Polly Becker's website.

 

 

I also looked at Polly Becker's Blog and read an interview she did with a French magazine Grandbag / Open Art Revue.  A really interesting read, I really liked this comment by Polly Becker:

 

 

''I think not fitting in has probably helped me, even though I am aware my work isn’t for everybody. Work that is odd might sometimes put people off, but can also be easier to notice and remember''.

 

 

It's nice reading that of someone who is practising and is making and selling work, It just shows that you should be true to yourself and your not work, and do what us natural, as I also like to 'go against the grain' as so to speak and make work that I want to, I don't want to conform or please, I just want to be true to myself and interests, and take the risk, not everyone likes everything!.

 

I also loved her definition of what Illustration means to her:

 

''I do! I notice that the word includes the root of the word for “light” –”luster” being like illumination (as in an illuminated manuscript). I love that: the idea that an illustrator might be trying to elucidate, shed light, or be lucid.''

 

Link to the interview here.

Hattie Stewart!

I recedntly read a magazing article on Hattie Stewart a new and upcoming illustrator.  Hattie's style is playful and new, her work invoves customising vintage vogue and playboy magazines with her doodles and character faces.  Her work is really out there and she is getting snapped up by the likes of Diesel and Marc Jacobs etc.

A really interesting part of the interview was about how illustration is being used more and more in the fashion industry, which is really exciting news!, Hattie also explained how she is collaborating with a make up artist, something she never thought would happen.

You can read the article here http://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2012/03/emerging-hattie-stewart/

Hattie Stewart Blog is here http://hattiestewart.com/

Just a few amazing images of Hattie Stewarts work....

Maissa Toulet: Artist

One of my peers introduced me to Maissa Toulet, what can I say!, Maissa Toulet is a french artist who creates characters from found oddities and also makes cabinets of curiosities.  They evoke an eerie feel, but they are also mysterious, secretive, innocent and tell stories in themselves.

I have been looking to Maissa Toulet for influences for the 'Mood & Memory' brief.

To view more of her beautiful work, see  http://www.maissatoulet.fr/

They have a wonderful surreal element to them. 

Mirror Mask

I watched Jim Henson's 'Mirror Mask' yesterday, being a huge fan of Jim Henson's work (in particular Labyrinth) I was naturally drawn to this film.  Mirror Mask is a fantasy film about a girl Helena who feels trapped within the family circus, she draws characters and worlds to escape, however her drawings come to life when she is swept away into a surreal world.

The film gave me some great ideas for my current project 'Mood & Memory' as I am looking to explore dreams and reality and how they cross over with one another into every day to day life.  I also really appreciated how the film is made and the look it has, it's a combination of film, animation, drawing and mixed media.

Dave McKean was the Art Director for 'Mirror Mask' his work is also amazing. Here are some images from the film that I was most drawn to.  There were some beautiful ideas within the film like the mask shop, the clock singers and the small musical box.





 

The amazing Vanessa Boer!

I was very pleased to have a lovely response from the amazing Vanessa Boer who is based in Portland, USA.  Vanessa Boer is a Illustrator and Craft Stylist who works in a variety of mediums,in addition to Illustration, Vanessa also makes props, 3D work and characters created from various materials.  The thing I love about Vanessa Boer is that her work is really out there and she is so versatile which is very inspiring.

Here is the lovely and short but very helpful interview:

- How did you branch out into making props?, was it a natural progression from making or is it something you have always done/wanted to do?

I got my BFA in painting at the University of Hawaii and during my last year in art school, I worked as an assistant art teacher with kindergarten through high school kids. After college I worked as an art teacher full-time at the Honolulu Academy of Arts as well as a few schools in Honolulu. When I decided to move to NYC, I was put in touch with a family friend who was a photographer. She recommended I consider prop /set styling  as I had a fine arts background and was familiar with making still lifes. After assisting set stylists who knew I was an artist, I was soon commissioned to make custom surfaces, backdrops and props. I eventually became a stylist myself and focused on the craft styling as I would always prefer to make props rather than buy or rent them and arrange them. So, in short, I didn't even know prop styling was a job at first! But once I did, I saw evidence of it everywhere. I still make custom props but I have been focusing more on illustration and our Scout & Whistle business as of recent.

- Where do you find all the lovely finds you have in your studio and your work?

I LOVE going to thrift shops, antique shops and flea markets. I have found a lot of my treasures that way, as well as absorbing little things from my family's collections. 

-Do you characters come from initial ideas and drawings or do they come from things you make/find?

Because I draw almost entirely animals, I use a lot of photo references from nature photography and then draw them in my own anthropomorphic way. I am definitely inspired by artists like Thornton Burgess (from the late 1800s-early 1900s). He had a really sweet drawing style, you should definitely check him out. As for which animals, I go through phases of what I like to draw. Birds, foxes, sloths, bison and raccoons have all been in that list. Not sure what is next!

-Do you have any advice you could offer to a student like myself going into the industry?

You probably hear it a lot but try to make as much work as you can. The more you make, the more you will cultivate your own style and feel proud of your portfolio. It's common to really like a certain artist and subconsciously start making work similar to theirs, but the more you work, the more your own voice comes through, and then you will stand out from the crowd. There are so many talented people in our industry, it's the dedication and perseverance that will get you work. You can make the most beautiful paintings but nobody is coming to find you, you need to get your work out into the world.

To see more of Vanessa Boer's beautiful work, please see her website http://vanessaboer.com/

Thing about studios...

I am not sure why, but I really love seeing artists work spaces and studios.  They really intrigue me and I think they say alot about the artist or Illustrator.  When I visited New York last November we went to see Andre Da Loba's studio in Brooklyn...wow!, the studio was like a gallery in itself, cram-packed with things that he had created, made and painted.  I think it's really important to have a personal space where you can just be creative and feel relaxed.

I have my own little art room where I keep all my things that I make, things I collect, paints and strange oddities that may be used one day for a project!.  I found these pictures the other day via Face book for Lia Kent who is a visual artist that works in mixed media alot.  I went crazy over the pictures of her studio and things that are in her studio, it made me realise how dull and boring my room looks! So I now feel inspired to spruce it up when I finish for summer!.

I also loved the 'inspiration board' - what a great idea!

This is the link to her page https://www.facebook.com/ArtJunk

Visual World

I have started putting a visual world of my own up in my art room at home, I feel it really helps and inspires me, it's a little random, but they all have a tiny meaning to me!...I have only started it so don't have too much up, but I plan on filling the wall!...

Castle.

I got this for free today as it had been thrown away in my partner's antique shop as it was slightly damaged.  It's wooden and is from the 40s/50s! It is a little tatty but with a touch of paint and a few characters living inside it will be fab.  I am saving it for a project as it has so much charm and character!.

Vanessa Boer - Illustrator & Maker

I have not been having much luck lately trying to find a Illustrator-Maker type person who works in a variety of mediums, however today I stumbled across Vanessa Boer by chance, Her work is magical and tells of stories. She is currently located in Broklyn, NY, Vanessa is a great all rounder as she is an Illustrator, Maker and Collector who has her own shop on Etsy where she sells handmade things, prints, greeting cards etc, another string to her bow is how she creates props and sets for all kinds of events - This is something I am really drawn to myself.

I found her to be really inspiring how she markets herself as a 'Maker' too and not just an Illustrator.

Here is a link Vanessa Boer's website.

I really loved her website too, the navigation was really good and the 'Studio Tour' was a lovely insight into her visual world.

Some of Vanessa Boer's work...


Handmade Mobile


Handmade character


Vanessa Boer's Studio


Prop / Set Illustration for events

Wonderful Maja Sten

I discovered Maja Sten the other day through one of my friends at university.  What beautiful work it is, very character based, fun and surreal with lots of faces everywhere!.  Some of her work would be great reference for the next up and coming project of 'Wind and the Willows'.

Volkov Commanders..

Wowzers.  Wowzers.  Wowzers!... I have just discovered the crazy, bonkers world of the 'Volkov Commanders' who are a Manchester based collaborative of creatives, who hold strange and mysterious events normally in Manchester, the events are very interactive and appear to engage all who attened.  Lots of surreal looking costumes there too!.  I am very intrigued to go to one of there events.

Here are some images from their blog

Photographer E.S Curtis

Following on from my post about my great experience at the School Of Visual Arts in New York,  I wanted to look at more at Edward Sheriff Curtis's photography work as his interest lies in Tribal Cultures and Masks.  Edward Curtis visited and photographed approximately 80 western Native American tribes between 1890 to 1930.  Below are some of his photographs that I was most drawn to.

                                                        (Dancing Mask - Nootka, 1915)

(God Impersonator, 1904)

                                                         (Mask of Tsunukwalahl, 1914)

                                                           (Cermonial Dancer, 1914)

Creative Writing at the School of Visual Arts New York

I was very fortunate to sit in on a 'Creative Writing' class hosted by Michele Zackheim who is a Arts Lecturer at the School of Visual Arts in New York.  The lesson was about 'Creative Writing' which is something I want to do more of as I loven to create imaginary worlds, characters and narratives. We were asked to select an image at random, Being a massive fan of Masks I chose E. S. Curtis's 'Humanoid Mask'.

 Once we had a image to work with we began creating a 'Sense of Place' for the world in which this person lived in, the message or meaning it communicated to me and the era/location it originates from.  I came up with the following....

• A tribal Chief, Figure of importance
• Proud stance, dominant
• Aztec Tribe, Native American
• Mysterious, Secretive
• Unsure if Male or Female
• We all wear Masks in our lives either physically or subconsciously
• Vibrant warm colours such as Red, Yellow, Orange & Green
• Religious Beliefs, Mother Nature
• Smells: Fire, Ink, Wood, Midnight air & Nature
• Sounds: Tribal Drums & strange songs

We then were asked to write a short story to describe our chosen character in a creative, descriptive way....

''Under the bright moon, deep in the native forest the leaves move to the beat of the drums and song dances through the deep, dark night.  Tall burning flames flicker up totem poles that reach high into the sky and beyond.  Warm yellow, orange and red beam from above, whilst below dark shadows worship this human shaped burst of colour.  It's mask is still and dominant in it's presence.  Silently.  It sits''

I found this exercise very beneficial and useful, from looking at one image it's possible to create a 'Sense of Place' and a short piece of descriptive language that could be the main essence of a story/narrative.  It really opened up my mind and I enjoyed it very much.  I shall use this process again for creating stories in the future, It's also a great way to create characters and worlds.

The students in the class were also a delight to meet and they made us feel so welcome, So a big thank you to all at SVA!, I also got to sit at an American style desk!

Another great thing from this experience was that I discovered the photographer E.S Curtis, who has done alot of Mask & Tribal photography, So I shall look into their work some more.

The City That Never Sleeps

In less than four days I shall be stood in 'The City That Never Sleeps' - New York City!.  I am visiting for a week with University and there are just no words to describe how excited I am to be going.  Since I can remember it's been a dream of mine to go to the US and now it's happening!

Below is New York City at dusk.

 

I shall be armed with my camera and sketchbook and hope to collect lots of things whilst I am there, And of course a little shopping!.  I look forward to posting lots of great photos and sharing my experiences here when I return.

The Amazing Sarah Orstein...

What can I say!... This morning I was shown the magical and beautiful works of Sarah Orstein who is a Designer, Animator, and Moving Picture Maker currently based in New York City which is ironic as I am due to visit in New York in a few weeks!.

I literally was blown away her work, I am not entirely sure how she creates her work but I am very keen to find out.  She appears to use mixed media, combined with 3D and animation, whilst looking at her website which is available here, I recognised the British Gas advert straight away and I can recall falling in love with the look and feel and the characters/world she had brought to life as it's right down my street!

In particular I was most drawn to 'Windows, Masks & Doors' which is digital animation piece, obviously I love masks and I was just speechless whilst watching the animation.

I would like to make to contact with Sarah Orenstein in the near future and find out more about her influences and how she creates her work.  Below is some more of her spectacular work....