#2

Inspired by a photo of LA city scape

Sketch #1

I decided to try out the "a sketch a day" thing. (Kat Von D inspired)
So here goes day #1

This particular sketch came out of nowhere.

Ode to Winter

This piece is called Ode to Winter. It is located in the student gallery through the summer.
The colors chosen are descriptive of winter, as well as the underlying architecture sketch. Enjoy.

Doctrine of the Wean PHOTO

Finally! I was able to take a photo of Doctrine of the Wean, I also have a few detail photos.

Doctrine of the Wean

My latest drawing is entitled Doctrine of the Wean, as if I am granting the process of being weaned it's own rules or steps to follow. Creating the piece began with continuing my exploration of motherhood, the womb, and taking ownership of these things as a woman. As I worked with ink, crayon, pastel, and graphite, the drawing started to have a life of its own and the process of separation and growth became evident in it.

As a babies are weaned from their mother's breast, they must go through sort of a discomforting stage. Growing accustomed to a bottle can be a great task, and when you think about it the bottle is necessary. Being able to eat mushed up peas and tiny slices of pears requires that in-between stage of bottle feeding. As the idea of weaning filled my thoughts, I began to apply the concept to many life situations. For those of us who seek growth, do we not remove ourself from natural comforts? Do we not replace those natural comforts with artificial ones?
Maybe this would be best explained in an example:

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl (and vice versa). Boy is in the military. Boy gets deported. Girl must be weaned from boy. She wears his clothes (artificial comfort). She wears his dog-tags (artificial comfort). She walks his dog (artificial comfort).

Each of these "artificial comforts" she clings to lend to relieving her grief of being pushed away from the natural (or original comfort).


My interests still lie in studies of the womb, which this concept can be easily applied to as well and is very closely related to. We are separated from the warmth of existing inside our mothers but that separation is required for growth. This in mind, I aimed to keep themes of reproduction in mind (primarily female). I used reds to pop and mimic menstrual blood.  I used the image of fruit to push ideas of sexuality and fertility, as well as push the role of artificiality. I used cell growth imagery referenced directly from a blastocyst. I also used pairs or ideas of things occurring in twos, since it is so common in the body and reproductive organs.

Overall i feel that Doctrine of the Wean is the first step toward something I can really maintain an interest in and possibly please myself with. I view this piece and something I can really take ownership of. I also feel it is something that other women can get a sense of ownership from, as well as a sense of being comfortable with their wombs.

I guess the photo is not working. Will add photo soon...sorry!

The Place of Motherhood in Society

The womb is quite the place. Commonly ignored as a 'place', some of the most important and pivotal parts of the development of life occur here. The tricky thing is, though, nobody remembers it. It's like this mysterious life-source place that we exist inside of for 3/4 of a year, yet have no recollections. What turns a woman into a mother? Biologically, there are some changes which occur while the womb is occupied that the woman has no control over. Yet, these things are emotional and personal - usually things we have some sort of power over.

I am attempting to capture the essence of being in the womb through literature, art, and scientific imagery. I am drawn to the interactive installations of Ernesto Neto; although I have yet to personally experience his body-based art, I am doing the best I can to understand the feel of it through aesthetic. He uses nylon, weight, smell, and the human touch. Just looking at the image below gives a person the idea of comfort or nurture related to existing inside somebody.

I came across a short article about motherhood in different parts of the world, Norway and Australia are the top two, Afghanistan at the bottom of the list, along with many other Muslim countries that discourage education for girls. A strong part of the article referred to the importance and success due to the use of mid-wives, if they are highly trained. Many men refuse to let their wives be seen by a male doctor. I am eager to address the idea that women worldwide attain some sense of maternal instincts upon pregnancy. So why should differing parts of the world place such varying importance on the womb, pregnancy, and motherhood? Another issue to be addressed is the power of the female and what happens to that power with the arrival of pregnancy or motherhood?

Images for Walk or Run

As a series, the best way to photograph the images is one by one. Also, the final presentation format is not decided.