Charlotte Walker Art Foundation Degree

  With a chunky graphite pencil I created these rubbings from leaves of the various plants Tom brought in, I love how well the veins showed up and it's interesting how some came up much stronger than others. I scanned it and printed out some copies, turning the colour density up to emphasise the intricate lines. I also tried some copies in different colours:  I went over some of the copies with watercolours to crate a washy background to bring out the various leaf shapes. The style is quite graphic and the markings really remind me of mono-prints, together with the single colour background these pieces kind of gesture towards pop-art. In the afternoon I did some 3D work with wire, paper and masking tape, using an image of a crow as a guide. I started off by making the little feet with wire, and when it came to make the body I decided it would be hard to make it entirely out of wire without any kind of structure to shape it around, otherwise it might all uncoil. I did this by packin

This morning we visited Djanogly Gallery where there was an exhibition displaying sculptural works by female artists. I took photos of the pieces I was most drawn to and did some small sketches. I was surprised to find that this toilet piece, 'God's Bog' by Rose Finn-Kelcey, was actually fairly relevant to our project theme - it relates to society and its impact on nature, so I wrote some notes on the art analysis sheet.  Another piece that reminded me of the project was Helen Marten's 'Bluebutter Idles' because it involves found objects which I am interested in collecting for my work on Fabricated Nature. Although I didn't really understand the piece, I was still interested in all the visual elements like the different objects and materials. These are my pen and pencil sketches from the visit, they're quite rough but I like the solid pen markings against the soft pencil. There is also a jumble of natural and artificial looking forms.   More Pictures:

  Today we made 3D forms based on lots of greenery that Tom brought in (along with bugs) using paper, straws and wire. I decided to make a holly branch because the spiky leaves are unmistakeable, and I really like the outcome. To make the leaves I covered a piece of paper in masking tape, stuck wire down the middle then cut out the shape - I folded the leaves along the wire so they wouldn't be flat and wrapped them around the branch which is wire inside a paper straw. I wanted to use masking tape to make the leaves thicker and give a two-toned contrast between the top and underneath, like in real life, plus it means there are more surface textures to feel. I also made a piece using paper straws with wire inside bent into a leaf shape, then wrapping wire from the middle to the edges of the leaf to recreate the veins of the leaf. I like how this looks but I think it would look better if I made multiple, then it would have a better sense of belonging.    These are some quick sketches

The title of our first project this year is 'Fabricated Nature'. I'm already excited about this because my work last year embodied similar themes, of human's role in the natural world, and I found it really enjoyable to explore. To begin with I wrote down my initial ideas on the subject and thought about what processes I might use. I'm into the idea of the relationship between people and urban birds, particularly pigeons. They are considered vermin, but guess who's fault it is that they are living in the city, instead of on the cliff sides as nature intended? It's both ironic and sad. Anyway, another bird that I'm interested in is crows and the stereotype that they collect shiny objects. I think its quite powerful to imagine a birds nest full of metal, and osprey nests are also mainly composed of human trash in current times, adding layers and layers every year until they are the size of cars. Magpies are also known to be collectors so I want to look at