Self Generated Project

This self generated drawing project was interesting because I have never created something and then drawn it, usually the other way around- drawing something and then creating it. At first, I had a difficult time trying to think of what to form from the paper clay. The clay was drying quickly, making it hard to knead. When doodling, I always seem to draw flowers and that's what I started to make. I made a rose, and found some dried leaves and twigs around where I was sitting. I stuck them into the flower to add a second element. This created an almost prickly, dangerous appearance to my rose. This made me think about the duality of the delicate, tenderness of rose petals with the sharp, threatening points of thorns on rose stems. Nature is a large part of my inspiration in my art work. I love to be surrounded by nature, as it's rejuvenating and full of beauty. For my project, I considered texture and use of materials to be important factors. I also like to reuse material that would normally get thrown away or is "scrap". Looking through my stuff, I found sandpaper, sheets of paper between duralar, and newsprint that would be effective for my project. I cut out petals from the thin sheets of white paper that was separating the duralar, and arranged them into a flat rose on the newsprint. I shaded them individually with graphite pencils and then used black ink on top for stronger lines. The outer edges of the paper petals curled up to create a 3D look. I cut out twig-like forms from the sandpaper and glued them coming out from the rose. Around the rose, I put dots of ink, as if the pollen was dispersed into the air. I decided to keep the theme simple and practically colorless, which is out of the ordinary for me. This piece is minimalist, without narrative. I actually really liked the end appearance and am willing to create more pieces like it. Cy Twombly has related works, especially his work "Untitled (Roses)". He experiments with a simplified form of abstraction. His work is very gestural, and I like his use of minimal color.