ADVANCED DRAWING: Mixed Media Project-Maddy Cartwright

Maddy Cartwright

Mixed Media Project

I decided to title my series “Line of thought” because each image symbolizes abstract thought, and I connected each of them by a physical black string running across all twelve images. In this class, we have often discussed the importance of meaning imbued into a work by the artist, but it is also recognized that sometimes the viewer’s interpretation can be just as important. This is especially true with my piece. Since I am the only one who has seen it at the time of this post, I have a single interpretation for each set of prints, along with an interpretation of the piece as a whole. However, if I were to put this in a gallery space, I would purposefully not describe what I see in the images and leave it up to the viewer to interact with each piece.

The first artist that inspired me throughout this process came from an unlikely source. Hermann Rorschach, who designed the Rorschach inkblot tests was both an artist and a scientist. At first, I attempted to make a floral arrangement in my prints, but a mishap in this process led one piece to take on an abstract but familiar form similar to the Rorschach tests. Upon researching his work more, I found that he discovered the psychoanalytical use for his inkblot pieces on accident, similar to my initial discovery. Another artist that inspired me is Wangechi Mutu, her take on disassembled organic forms lead to my experimentation with distorting my original idea of pursuing a floral/botanical theme throughout my series.