Visual evaluation

 I have produced a visual evaluation page, analysing each of my final pieces.

The first piece I have produced is a plastered baby grow in the style of Alison Watt and Alasdair Tompson. I have taken the idea of preserving the folds in the fabric and preserving a meaningful garment from these artists. Consequently, I have plastered of my nephews baby grows and mounted it on board.

I have then drawn from this garment in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci and Mark Powell. These images show a step by step progress of the drawing as I completed it. I Chose to draw it using compressed charcoal and chalk and completed in in black and white in the style of Da Vinci. Notice how I have placed emphasis on the folds of the fabric, by creating light and dark areas using the contrast between black and white. I have taken inspiration for this idea from Mark Powell who really emphasises the wrinkles in peoples faces to symbolise a life lived and a story to tell. this is what I want to viewer to feel when the view this drawing.   

This is the finished piece. This is about A1 size, if not slightly larger. Therefore, it is too large to fit inside of the chest and the plastered garment will go inside but this will be shown on an easel alongside the chest.  

To unify these final pieces, I have used an old chest which I had at home. This is an image of me fixing the chest on to its base using nails and thin pieces of wood. this chest would eventually enclose all of my final pieces.

            

Once the chest was fixed to its base, I could begin to fix the large mass of plastered fabric onto its corner. To do this, I firstly had to protect the wood of the chest using bind bags and cling-film to prevent the plaster from soaking into the wood.

I then had to mix up a large volume of plaster and dip this large sheet of Calico into it. This was the most trickiest part of this process. It was a matter of minutes before the plaster would dry and so it was very intense trying to make sure that the fabric was completely covered in plaster. I then had to carry the plaster and position it on to the side of the chest. This was even more difficult because of the weight of it. I used balls of scrunched newspaper to give the fabric more form and emphasise it folds. Within minutes, the plaster was drying and so moulding it became more and more difficult. It took around 2-3 days for the plaster to dry, however I was very pleased with the finished product.

I really like the contrast between the brown wood and the white fabric. It looks natural which is what I wanted. once it was dry I could add in all of my symbolic objects including the plastered baby grow.

Another object which still needed to be put inside of the chest was the board which had the drawing of my uncle Ray. This drawn was drawn upon a letter which my mother wrote about him after his death and is therefore very personal. This drawing was completed with inspiration from Mark Powell, in pencil on paper. These images show a step-by-step of how the drawing was completed.  

I am very please with the completed board. As you can see, I have placed emphasis on the wrinkled in his face. I have defined his cheek bones and the ripples in his arm. Like Mark Powell, this acts as a symbol of a life lived. There is a message hidden within these lines which defines the life he lived,. This is again a personal drawing which will be put inside of the protected, preserved chest.

The third piece that will be included in my installation is a drawing of my mothers wedding dress. This has been produced in a similar style to the baby grow, except I have introduced a brown tinge to the chalk. This drawing as bee produced from a photograph which I have taken in the style of Tom hussy. These photographs can be seen altogether in the united final piece at the end of this post. Likewise to the baby grown and the drawing of my uncle, I have again placed emphasis on the fold in the fabric like Mark Powel, Alison Watt and Leonardo Da Vinci. I wanted to express the life that this dress has had. It is my mothers and so has a certain personal reflectivity associated to me. Within each of the folds of the fabric tells a story about my mother. This is something I hope the viewer will reflect upon when viewing this piece. This is a large scale drawing and so will be hung next to the chest. The dress itself from which it was drawn will feature inside of the chest so everything links together. These images are of a step by step to producing the final drawing:

The final product therefore can be seen below. This is my installation with inspiration from Louis Bourgeois. The chest can be seen centred in the middle, which includes the drawing of my uncle, the plastered baby grow and my mothers wedding dress. Surrounding the chest are the photographs which I have taken in the style of Tom hussy and separating these 6 photographs is the drawing of my mothers wedding dress which is featured in the photographs. this has been drawn in the style of Mark Powell and Leonardo Da Vinci. The garment itself can be seen on the left corner of the chest. Finally, to the left of this photograph is the drawing of the plastered baby grown which is also in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci, Alasdair Tompson and Mark Powell.

Hidden between the folds of the fabric and surrounded by various objects of my mother and grandmother is my essay. This has been presented in a Bell Jar which is also a symbol of preservation. I first came across this idea in the Saatchi Gallery when looking at the taxidermist Polly Morgan who displays many of her works in bell jars. I thought that this would also be a fitting idea in which to display my essay. The essay itself has been printed onto a scroll of coffee washed paper which again links to the idea of a meaningful surface.

Overall I am very pleased with my outcome. I have followed a journey in this project and I have managed to incorporate personal meaning and reflectivity and I have taken the title of 'Reflection' into an unusual and different dimension.