Figurative Bust

Bust#1

Professional Images:

 interior disaster 

Materials: air-dry clay, beeswax, hot glue, foam

Dimensions: 5.5 x 7 x 5.5 inches

Artist Statement:

For interior disaster, I wanted to touch upon the inner workings of the human psyche. Within today's society, stress and anxiety has become more prevalent and affects our minds in the most negative of ways. I personally suffer from anxiety so wanted to convey what I am feeling during the school semester. So when viewing the sculpture, half of the brain, almost alien figure is clean, with the other half almost "melting" away. This depicts the two fronts we as student have to put on - looking presentable but are truly overwhelmed on the inside. The goal was to have an unsettling piece to look at, it's not supposed to bring comfort but to make the audience feel uneasy.

Research:

As stated earlier, stress/anxiety is endangering the minds of many students (myself being included) but it effects all of us in different ways. Harvard's Health Blog has an article discussing "what we know and how to cope", as there truly is no "cure" for this condition. We generally forget to "breathe" as we are constantly working all the time, it often feels like there's no time for breaks. So the best way to ensure we don't lose control is to just embrace the situations head-on.

Process Photos:

Bust #2

Professional Photos:

REMINDER - this clay sculpture broke so we agreed in progress photos would suffice

Title: not the coffee!

materials: air-dry clay, wood, paint,

Dimensions: n/a

Artist Statement:

Since my first bust was on the abstract side, I made sure to follow the same style for not the coffee! This also is applicable to students as we have an unhealthy amount of caffeine consumption which is essentially detrimental. But this problem stems much further than this, but extends to nature as well. As much as we all love coffee, it is detrimental to the environment in which we live in. Within this piece, the audience is viewing a half broken mug with coffee beans and the other half with tree bark to covey this idea of a painful type of beauty. The block that the bust sits upon is in the shape of a coffee bean with a wavy texture in the background which could indicate flames or destruction, it's up to the viewer to decide.

Research:

Prior to starting this project, I had no idea of the consequences of producing coffee. Everyone's favorite beverage leads to deforestation  which directly impacts the environment in the uttermost negative way. So as the article says, it's indeed "a bitter brew." Due to this it has an effect on other plants and thus limiting the biodiversity within the particular habitats that the coffee plants inhabit. Many "scientists in Finland are trying to come up with a sustainable, lab-grown alternative for the next cup of coffee — but the technology for producing it is still very costly." There is essentially no process in place to stop this problem as coffee consumption is high all around the world. However, small actions are being started which will inevitable allow for a positive turn of events.

Process Photos: