Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Project #2




Christopher Keiper
" Circular Tension "

Project #1





Christopher Keiper
"Paradigm Shift"

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Fine Art Revolutionaries


Sarah Freitag

Fine Art Revolutionaries

Foam, Cement, Acrylic Paint, Found objects

This piece started as a play on fine art in the garden and tacky garden art. The painting Washington Crossing the Delaware depicts the United States’ foundation by showing glory, victory, and hard work. Garden gnomes represent the consumerism within our middle to lower class citizens. This piece shows how the United States started to where it is today.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Andrew Vavala




Andrew Vavala
Bush
2011
Metal Rod
7' x 3' x 3'

The inspiration behind this project was a pattern that I have had stuck in my head for some time. The pattern is a combination of a spiraling wave, common in Greek art, and a fractal pattern. I wanted to create a structure that showcases this pattern in a three dimensional form. The UD botanic gardens is the perfect place to display this work because it mimics the natural elements of the garden such as branches of a tree, bush, or vine. The two most important elements for me are the contrast between the unnatural and natural and the interior void created by a form that no longer exist. Envision a vine has grown up around a cube and the cube has disappeared, much like the vines that grow up around trees in the rainforest, killing the tree inside leaving an empty space between a network of vines.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Kyle Hackett





The Veneration Portraits

Stained Hand Casted Concrete and Ornamentation w/ Graphite and Oil Paint

kylehackettstudio.com


The Veneration Portraits investigates identity that is described through deeply rooted interactions with nature. The University of Delaware grounds keeping members interested in the devoted physical labor required to maintain forces of nature, sustain this campus and are the subjects of my piece. I consider grounds keeping’s collaborative efforts a powerful part of an unseen history that is often overlooked. Their poses reference presidential portraiture where one single figure represents a larger group and assumes power. My goal is to create visual landmarks to represent the permanent integrity of their work while commemorating their labor-intensive and dignified involvement with nature.


Sunday, May 8, 2011

Susana Cortez










Susana Cortez
“Embrace”
Tree branches, rocks, twine.

This piece centers on the soul. The close form represents a soul who hides feelings and emotions. In contrast the open form reveals everything that is inside, representing the sincere self that which shares with everyone the beauty of their soul.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Kevin Bielicki




Kevin Bielicki
Untitled
2011
Polystyrene and Copper Paint
4' x 4' x 8'

In this work I explored the transformation of rectangular pieces of foam into a solid form. I went about this work intuitively, by which I built one block upon the other in response to the shapes the previous block made.






http://kevinbielicki.com/


Shannon Tomanovich




Chiaroscuro
2011

Charred wood, white cement and flowers
5" x 204" x 60"

I found black and white floors:


On the Masonic Emblem,


Inside seventeenth century Dutch houses,


In an abandoned convent-turned-active boarding home in Braddock, PA


When I stayed in Mater Delarosa’s Church hall in New Orleans, LA with volunteers and elderly people displaced by Hurricane Katrina,

And in my Great Grandmother’s kitchen, in the lost paper mill town of Johnsonburg, PA, as Alzheimer’s gradually stole her awareness of time and sense of place.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Eugenes




Wasted Society
A meticulous arrangement of Americas discarded lust

Wait Hold On










Wait Hold On
31" 15" 22"
Steel, Wood, Earth

Elizabeth Lang






































Elizabeth Lang
A place of Scandal
Found Material
7.5'

Women have traditionally been box in roles. One role, a bird in a gilded cage
has been looked upon by society with negative connotations, a beautiful woman
gaining her place in society by marrying well but notably without love.
She strives for a high place in the hierarchy of society, yet is she truly happy?

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Melissa Carr




Melissa Carr
Youth
2011
Televisions, steel, clothing

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Andrew Vavala

Andrew Vavala
Zoombinis
2011
Wire, Pantyhose, Painted Plastic
2' x 6'' x 6''
The inspiration for this piece came from the ceiling, and coulombs of Gaudi’s cathedral in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia. The way the coulombs branched out like tree branches was interesting to me. When looking up at the ceiling in the cathedral you are overwhelmed by light pouring in from the stain glass windows, lighting up all of coulombs. I wanted to recreate the structure of the coulombs, while at the same time give the feeling that they are glowing. As I built each coulomb out of wire and then stretched fabric over them the project began to change. I put so much effort into creating each frame that they began to take on personalities. I wanted to put the coulombs together in a group while still allowing each one to be different like individual creatures. Light from the ceiling is directed through blue plastic discs causing each structure to glow.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Hair Piece



14inches x 10inches
welded steel and artificial hair
This piece is about a personal safety connection to hair. Since the beginning of human life, early people's sole need for hair was to keep them warm and protect their skull. Today hair still keeps us warm, but it has become more of an accessory rather than a part of our bodies. For many people, hair is a comfort blanket to make them feel less exposed. This feeling of fear of losing hair is a very primitive and subconscious thought. To lose hair makes most people feel self-conscious. Therefore, wigs and hair growth formulas are made to give the illusion of hair growth. I used long hair, because with age people experience hair thinning and hair loss.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Kyle Hackett



10 in x 10 in
Oil on wood panel, digital print with chain
Plexiglass, plastic framework
kylehackettstudio.com

Motivated to explore issues of personal identity, I consider human skin a unique specimen that has the ability to both conceal and reveal. Ambitious to hide objects, actions and interactions, the process in creating this piece becomes a precious history. The hidden history beneath the surface skin can only be revealed if the entire piece is destroyed. As reflections and surface patterns distort the inner layer, one can only speculate the interactions and history beneath the surface. Furthermore, a history of touch also plays an important factor in the work. The skin print sample (seen on the right) represents the artists signature and is the only object to come directly from my physical skin. I began by using oil paint to cover my hand until I matched my skin tone and ultimately created a small mono print from the paint on my skin. These mono prints became the reference imagery for my sculptural painting.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Tia Fay




Because it makes me feel better
Dimensions Variable
Tia Fay
Spring 2011

Monday, March 21, 2011

Kevin Bielicki










Kevin Bielicki
ELI (maquette)
2011

This sculpture is dedicated to the English Language Institute. It represents international community and growth through its relationship to a coral reef. Coral reefs are structures made from colonies of tiny living animals living together that create the most diverse ecosystem on earth. The sculptures foundation is a mineral or Gemstone from which coral is built upon, grows and thrives. The sculpture tapers to a point to symbolize the continual intellectual growth achieved at the ELI, through the persistent commitment of teaching linguistics and professional skills to international students. This sculpture represents a diverse international community through the varying shapes, sizes, and perspectives that shift when someone views the coral like forms from the different angles. The coral like forms all come together to make one sculpture representing a partnership and active international network. Its red color similar to that of blood symbolizes the one color all coral reefs have in common.

The sculpture will be placed at the entrance to the newly constructed ELI building. The sculpture will be visible as you walk in the entrance and from every area inside the two-story space and stair well. It will be installed on the first floor and rise all the way to the second floor. Visitors, students, and faculty can view the different intricate paths of the structure as they walk up the steps. It will have an equally dynamic and different view as they view it from the second floor balcony.

The sculpture will be 2 ‘ long by 2’ wide by 16’ height. It will be painted red with a semi-gloss finish. This sculpture will be built as one solid structure and will be strong and lightweight. The sculpture will be free standing and held in place by two pins which will secure it to the cement foundation. The material used to form this sculpture will be foam. I will reinforce this lightweight material with a layer of fiberglass resin and mat to give it rigid strength and support. I will finish it with a epoxy gel coat which is a high strength and durable fiberglass coating. Its base will be 2.5’ long by 2.5’ wide by 2.5’ height. It will be composed in a semi-transparent teal resin to compliment the sculpture.