QuickProject- Tap Dancing figurines

This Quick Project show the made up characters 'Cactus Flower' and the 'Golden Heritage Artifact' tap dancing to the beat of that Monday afternoon ;P

I want to create raw pieces that are put together sensibly through the joyfulness of play and explore the different materials to provoke the boundaries of what is art and its meaning. By challenging and appropriating traditional notions of originality, the mixture of media and their juxtaposition will end up attributing more character to the compositions and portray a richer narrative; consequently developing my artistic identity.

Durning the next couple of months I will be pushing myself in a new direction. I want to document in a more dynamic way my visual development, research and narrative that unfold from the intuitive dialogue between the objects and myself during the development of a piece. I want to push video as a research method that will become the storyteller of the characters created and their personalities.  These videos will be the window for the audience to connect with the artwork, encourage understanding and discussion, and hopefully provoke inspirational responses in the future. Or just have a laugh...

NORTH LANDS CREATIVE GLASS 2014 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

‘The Place and The Work’ Conference 

was held on Saturday 6, Sunday 7 September 2014 in Lyster, Scotland.

The main theme throughout this year’s Conference and Master Classes was to understand the impact our surroundings have over our research and development process as artists. By interacting with the particular surroundings of a moment, as artists we are challenged to explore and create intimate interpretations. These are directly linked to the particularities of the place and how our mind and body react to these new stimuli.

Northlands Creative Glass is the perfect example since its location is so remote. Its enchanting scenery and solitude, allow the mind to reboot and provoke creative exchanges.

One of the activities was during the first day was ‘Making Blowing Moulds from Clay’. This was a practical session using clay pressed into boxes to create blowing moulds. So everyone very happily got to take home his or her own design.

The presenters at the conference all spoke about their insights on the subject. I was personally drawn to Helen Maurer’s talk when she explained her development process and how she chooses ‘objects that speak of a former life’ and how these represent ‘relationship changes from time to time, depending on the life cycle’. She approaches the creative process by directly interacting with the materials of the moment and to later find it’s meaning. Take a look at the whole video here:

'The Rock Gardens was a solo show at Danielle Arnaud Contemporary Art, for much of the work I used drinking glasses placed on small revolving turntables. They were lit to produce moving shadow drawings on the wall, reminiscent of water, smoke and biological specimens. Some were filmed and looped, then projected on a large scale creating hypnotic effects as shadows slid down walls and moved between alcoves'. -Helen Maurer

**(Images and project information was taken from the artist's website ) 

To take a look at the whole panel of speakers, do reference the Event Details here.
Thanks to the support of Northlands Creative Glass and Creative Scotland, I had the chance to experience this great meet-up point for ideas to grow and develop in new directions.

quick project- 16may14

The last couple of weeks have been filled with getting things done in preparation for Collect 2014 and after being away for a week in London, I come back to the studio ready to work. I got lots of great feedback and I'm buzzing with new ideas. While talking to people at the exhibition about my work, the more I repeated and explained my concept, the better I interiorized what drives me to create and why. Especially, I have been pondering on the importance of preciousness and the role this concept plays on the development of my work.  

Preciousness not only represents valuable objects, but more so ideas. I find that my quick projects are precious because they jump start creativity and led to the creation of new ideas. And this friday I treated myself to a day of playing in the workshop to recharge batteries and start fresh.

So this is the particular reasoning behind this quick project: 1.My friend Che gave me one of the porcelain bowls he works with. I was drawn to the material and had an impulse to interact with its form. 2.Engraving or taking away to create pattern. Love how the diamond 'v' wheel creates a pattern that reminds me of leaves and nature-like arrangement. 3.Applying paint to use markings as a stamp. 4.Beautiful prints as product of the engraving. 5.Different mark-making with black pen to create more texture. 6.Cut-outs of the pattern. These remind me as if I was looking into a microscope and seeing tiny organisms. 7-8.From the off-cuts of the paper, played with the paper and created these mini 2D sculptures.

I love to document these type of exercises because these are the starting points to great ideas. Giving myself the time to execute and play around with the material without anticipating the outcome. 

~Photos by julibd~   

Back from 2011 at the ASL New York Exhbit

I just happened to stumble upon this video of the exhibition I had the chance to participate at the Art Students League of New York back in 2011. The whole exhibition was of students under Bruce Dorfman in the Combined Media, Assemblage and Art in Three Dimensions.

I participated with 'The Aura of Things' piece. This framed several everyday objects and highlighted to show their particular ephemeral beauty.

"...an aura is a field of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (like the halo or aureola irreligious art). The depiction of such an aura often connotes a person of particular power or holiness. Sometimes, however, all people, or all living things, or all objects whatsoever are said to manifest such an aura. Often it is held to be perceptible, whether spontaneously or with practice..." source

This project came about when I found an old printer destroyed in the reuse box - in 1,000 little pieces. These were about to be thrown out, so luckily we crossed paths on time. After closely observing the particular objects for a while, I noticed how the light interacted with all the different volumes creating intriguing shadows from various directions. Each of the pieces came to life as their auras showed themselves and portrayed their own particular beauty.  

Title: “Aura of Things” 

Inspiration: Everyday objects. 

Medium: Mixed media, illustration board, plywood & homosode base. 

City / Year: New York City, Feb. 2011 

Framed dimensions: 72'' H x 29'' L x 4'' W 

Photography: julibd

quick project- pattern & color blocks

I sometimes find myself repeating this pattern on and on... I wondered why until I understood that this relaxes me. Very simple and effective way to decompress the mind, just let ideas flow and relax. Then again, this is the reason why I do these quick projects.

In this particular one, the words that came to mind when appreciating the outcome were: stamp, rugs, patten & wall mountings... Imagine this on a greater scale, in fabric and woven onto a wall? Ja ja lots of ideas come from one simple sketch and never know what can come from this later on.

~ drawings by julibd ~

quick project- Limón Dulce or Sweet Lemon

Its been a month since I got to Costa Rica for my holidays, and it has been lovely to be able to relax and compare/contrast how different life is here. Not to mention the 20º + weather and constant sunshine and how this is soo different to the scottish one (of course !) ja ja. But this is a great opportunity to really savor and be grateful for our way of life here. 

One thing that I really love from here is that if we fancy orange juice, limón dulce or lemons, we can go out and take it from the tree. It doesn't get better than this (in my opinion). As my vacation is coming to an end, before going back I want to observe my surroundings and record some of the aspects. This is the purpose behind this quick project and hopefully works as inspiration for a new body of work...

ps. Sunshine loves this too ;P
~ photos by julibd ~

  

Recap of my last year of MFA

This last year of my MFA has been very full on in a good way. It was a crash course in pushing artistic ideas forward through the different research methods; building a cohesive and concise body of work, further communication skills to support the concept and the development of the professional practice. All of these aspects came together for our final project and the goal was to put on a professional exhibition. First was the Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show where Ode to Intuición made its debut and The Scottish Glass Society awarded Laura Reid and I the Prize for Best Student of Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show 2013.

-Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show 2013- Ode to Intuición Debut May 2013

A month later for New Designers we traveled down to London to show our work among 3,500 newly graduates from all over the UK’s leading universities. In my experience, New Designers was a great platform that jumpstarted my artistic experience because of its exposure, chance to network with a very specialized crowd and all the opportunities that came from it. I am happy to say that I got awarded the New Designers Contemporary Glass Society Associate Prize and was shortlisted in the final 12 for the New Designer of the Year Award.

Also I was invited by Joanna Bird Contemporary Collections to go to SOFA Chicago this October and Collect London in May 2014 and be represented by her as my agent.

-New Designers 2013- Edinburgh College of Art Stand June 2013

 Shortly after all of that, we traveled back to Edinburgh for Graduation. So it was a great way to close up the MFA experience.

-MFA Glass Graduation Proof ;D- June 2013

All of these are amazing opportunities that otherwise would no have been possible and New Designers was a stepping-stone for greater things, not only in the UK but also internationally. Here are some of the pictures of the exhibits since then:


Stanislav Libenský Award 2013. Prague Gallery of Czech Glass. Royal Summer Palace at Prague Castle. Prague. Czech Republic. September 20th- December 1st:

-Stanislav Libensky Award 2013- Royal SUmmer Palace at Prague Castle September 2013


SoFA Chicago 2013 with Joanna Bird Contemporary Collections, Navy Pier. Chicago. USA.

-SoFA Chicago 2013- Joanna Bird Contemporary Collections stand October 2013

And some more new exciting exhibitions are coming up so I will keep posting and look forward to what new projects are on the horizon. Happy 2014 !! to all and hope this year is even better than the last :D

~ photos by julibd ~ 

New Book: Ode to Intución Series

I have been meaning to show you guys my newly printed book of the Ode to Intuición Series. I am very happy with the outcome because this compilation becomes the principal storyteller of the project and portrays my journey as an artist. It is a personal space in which ideas where proposed without any restrictions and consequently, these became frozen moments that synthesized the preciousness of that intuitive thought. 

Looking back, I am glad I gave myself the time to put this book together because the value of the bound collection of sheets is as precious as the final Ode to Intuición Series. Also it is a great way to communicate my research and demonstrate the essence of the series.

~ photos by julibd ~ 

Starting my Artist in Residence at ECA

This was a very eventful summer to say the least, and I am working on 'clip notes version' post to explain myself fully. But for now, just wanted a quick note to mention that I am very excited to be one of the Artist In Residence at the Glass Department at ECA, alongside Anne Petters (mixing the hot shop with kiln casting/ Pâte de Verre), Andrea Walsh (cast glass with bone china) and Carrie Fertig (flame working mixed with performance)! The group is very diverse in techniques and expertise, so I can't wait to see what will come out of this experience.

I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to be an Artist in Residence. This is a scheme specially designed to support emerging artists and designers with the chance to access the studio free of charge, develop new skills and further their artistic career; acting as a stepping stone from student life to the real thing. In exchange, we assist staff members and  support students in the development of their creative and studio practice.

My plan for this one year residency, is to continue to evolve my studio practice by expanding the Mix&Match Series and explore new possibilities in the studio. Also I will be exhibiting my work, expanding my experience and exposure as an up-and-coming artist l designer. In the photo above, I am in the process of creating a new piece in the studio (mixing & matching though play) and on the left is the final non-functional vessel and it is called 'Abejón".

~ photos by Ainsley Francis and julibd (respectively) ~

Degree Show Setup of [Mix&Match] Series

Officially my Degree Show work was handed in on friday and here is the evidence of the setup in stop motion and the behind-the-scenes action. For some more information on the final piece and all its creative process visit: Go Here!

~ photos by julibd ~ 

[Mix&Match] Series Preview

So this is it. My final hand-in for my MFA is due tomorrow and these are some of the images of the [Mix&Match] Series that are going to be part of the written project. The aim of this reflective journal is to communicate most of the research methods used throughout the studio practice and illustrate the creative process from beginning to end of the 21 pieces.

  

The top image shows the visual thinking through the sketches of the non-functional vessels and the second, shows the 'chamán' from the series.

~ photos by julibd ~ 

[ visual thinking ] first week of april

So basically this is me trying to make sense of my thought process throughout my [mix and match] collection. For my final submission, I've been asked to explain what research methods I am using in my practice and I hadn't realized how the Visual Thinking is such a huge part of my artistic process. I am planning on including all these drawings as part of the piece, because I feel these communicate a more playful side to the objects themselves and in the end, communicates the personality of the collection. Hopefully this will encourage engagement, discussion and more creative responses from my audience.  So.. there you go!
~ photos by julibd ~ 

[ in the workshop ] second week of march

The countdown for the Degree Show has officially started now! It is very exciting yet a bit sad how time is running out and my two years of MFA are coming to an end. I wanted to share a bit more of my process and what I am going to be doing these couple of weeks. These are some photos of the works in progress and snapshots of some of the first [ Mix and Match ] nonfunctional vessels. 

{ Visual research and my understanding of the glass piece- Sketch and photo of the Mix and Match component. Alabaster/white color overlay with engraved pattern} Love the thickness and the play of the pattern. This was a gift from Che. He has given me several blanks that he was going to throw away, and I am glad he didn't. I started to saw off into bits and this is where these amazing components came from. 

This pictures above show: - two of the Mix and Match nonfunctional vessels in the inicial 'quick project' stage, - action shot of the saw cutting parts of the mint green blank and - the last one shows all the other new parts from the sawed blanks. I am very excited to start cold working these and playing around to build the other nonfunctional vessels. Laters!
~ photos by julibd ~ 

< Quick Project > Jan. 18th 2013

"Quick Project - Jan. 18th" This mini animated gif shows my thought process in action when playing around with the glass 'rings'. These were engraved this week as part of my component collection. Also I am fascinated with the casted shadow and how it gives a whole new dimension to the simple  engraved pieces.

~ photos by julibd ~ 

< Visual Exploration & Studio Work come together/Part 2>

{Moss from our walk to Arthur's Seat and engraved sample from the "Cut" series}

{organic lettuce at the farmer's market on Castle Road and tiny engraved perfume bottles/ clear glass}

{amazing ceiling at the David H. Koch Theater- Lincoln Center and bottom of engraved manufactured glass bottle}

{nyc lilac, cream and mint lettuce that looks like lace and engraved turquoise blank}

{vibrant pitangas from our graden back in Costa Rica and engraved pattern on decanter}

{double shadow of beer in plastic cup and shaping molten glass on the iron}

"Visual Exploration & Studio Work come together: Part 2 " So the collection continues to grow. I feel this is a very simple yet effective way of communicating my inspiration and showing the links to my studio work. These reference my creative process as an artist and it is easier for the spectator to relate to my world. As you can appreciate, I am drawn to the patterns and textures from my surroundings and how they are translated and appropriated into my work.

~ photos by julibd ~

< Visual Exploration & Studio Work come together >

{sights from our Highland road trip Scotland and my engraved yellow sample also used as a stamp}

{lovely nyc purple lettuce and royal purple perfume bottle/ engraved sample}

{agave plants from the Royal Botanic Gardens of Scotland and workshop samples of my quick projects using green beer bottles}

{old photo from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and some curvy engraved glass pieces}

{London architecture lit at night and a very detailed engraving on clear glass}

"Visual Exploration & Studio Work come together" is a mini exercise for me to organize and understand my creative process a bit better. Also it explains in a quick and easy way, what visual connections I make, collect from my inspiration, experiences, memories, etc. and how all of these come together in my work.

~ photos by julibd ~

< Quick Project > Manufactured glass versus Craft

Ever since I got back from Pilchuck, I tried to practice Michiko Miyake's Quick Project technique. This consists on giving yourself time to do sketches, drawings, collages, pretty much anything, to stimulate the creative process and come up with new ideas without any restrictions from your brain. This is basically trying to avoid sabotage and let your creative side of the brain be the boss.

This is one of the many that I've done since. This is particularly interesting because I am using a bottle mass produced and constructing a new connection to Craft, by engraving unique marks.  

The picture above shows the process from beginning to end. Step 1, 2, 3 & 4.

~ photos by julibd ~

< Inspiration > London

I wanted to share some of my pictures from our trip to London. What an amazing city! I didn't know what to expect, and ended up loving it, can't wait to go back and explore it some more! These ones are of specific buildings/ architecture that caught my eye. Enjoy :D

~ photos by julibd ~