My most successful art work would have to be my slab box art project. I used a roller I designed to add texture on each of the walls of the box. I designed the box with things that I enjoyed. Such as band, a television show called, "The Walking Dead", a bottle cap to resemble my nickname, "Sodapop", and the video game "Fallout: New Vegas." This artwork represents a few things that make me who I am. I couldn't have asked for a better project. It really let me express myself with the embellishments and the glazing on the inside and outside. That's why I would consider it my most successful artwork.
The project I overcame the most obstacles would have to be my totem spoon. I struggled the most with placement and scoring and slipping. I had to step back several times to decide where to place my pieces for the totem spoon. When I finally decided where to put the pieces, I then had to find a way to slip them onto the spoon. It was difficult because of the placement I wanted the pieces to have. I had to let them all dry together and use smaller pieces of clay to hold up the parts that were hanging off of the spoon itself. Not to mention with the final product, Mrs. Barnett broke it, but hey, I overcame these obstacles with persistence. She's still in the process of fixing it as I type this.
The first piece that shows my growth as an artist would be my sphere. I had to form two pinch pots to create a hollow sphere then I had to score and slip them together. It shows my growth with the development of creating a hollow sphere and the combination of glazes. For the record, I'm happy with my sphere. I was supposed to add an emerald glaze for the last layer, but Mrs. Barnett put it in the kiln before I could finish. But hey, it looks awesome the way it is. So, shout out to you, Mrs. Barnett! Thanks, it looks so awesome now, better without the emerald glaze!
The second piece that shows my growth as an artist would have to be my tile. I took a slab of clay and picture of a zombie from the internet and started carving away pieces to give it the minimum of four levels. It showed my growth with carving to show dimensions of certain aspects it had. For example, I wanted the zombie to be seen in a 3-dimensional form when it was reaching out, so I had to carve out pieces from the background to give it that effect. Another way it depicts my growth is with the use of oil pastels and tempera paint. I used a combination of oil pastels to make the zombie look dull and dirty while making the background and frame pop out a little bit. I learned how to mix oil pastels a bit and how to give flat slabs a 3-dimensional look.
Working with clay and pretty much ONLY clay has made me realize how much I can actually create. It made me see how a block of clay can become something so much more than what it was. It showed me how to take something plain and turn it into my own creation. Some frustrations I have with only working with clay is that I don't get to experience other mediums that much as I do with clay. I pretty much only work with clay. At times the clay doesn't want to work the way I want it to and I have to end up making another decision. Positives I see while working with clay is the ability that my hands can create beautiful works of art. I can also focus on mastering one medium at a time without having to multitask.