Maggie Farr
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Question/Issue
My Capstone project explores the use of imagery in writing and displays how the addition of descriptive language in literature can create a different experience for the reader by promoting visualization. The goal of my project is to show others how I visualize and interpret imagery as I read, and in turn display the important role that imagery plays in the writing process.
History & Distinction
Paper-crafting has been an art form since early history, yet for my project I focused more on modern art. Paper-crafting can be in many forms; origami, layered pieces, 3-D pieces, collages, etc. A subset of paper-crafting that has been gaining popularity in recent years is book sculpture, such as those created by artists Su Blackwell and Karine Diot. These artists use paper (often book pages) to create 3-D sculptures depicting a variety of objects, including people, architecture, nature, and more. I drew a lot of influence from this art style as I knew it would be a good way for me to display my visualizations based on my book excerpts. In the end, I ended up innovating by using a different technique where my actual piece was 2-D but included some 3-D elements and depth.
Approach
First, I began researching the history of paper-crafting as well as artists who specialize in this type of art. I discovered Su Blackwell and Karine Diot, two artists who create magnificent 3-D papercraft pieces using book pages. These resources gave me insight on how to approach my project. I then selected book scenes which I found to make great use of imagery and descriptive language. Then, based on my visualizations of these book scenes, I depicted them in art pieces where book pages are the main material used. As my project progressed, I also began experimenting with digital drawing and created a digital drawing for each book scene to further display my visualizations and my creative process. I used several different techniques to try and create depth in my pieces and also to create images referenced in the texts.
Audience & Impact.
My audience includes two groups of people: Those who enjoy reading and writing but may ignore the significance of descriptive language as a writing device, and those who do not enjoy reading at all. My goal is to show these audiences the validity of literature as an art form and discuss an aspect of literature that is not always apparent. I also hope to introduce my peers and other audiences to the art of papercrafting, as I find it is a very unique and expressive form of art. In completing this Capstone project, there have been many impacts on myself. I learned more about my style and my creative process, and uncovered an artist I did not know existed. I’ve also had time to reflect on the great impact that reading and literature has had on my life, which I will always cherish.
References
Diot, Karine. “KarineDiot - Professional, Artisan Crafter.” DeviantArt, www.deviantart.com/karinediot/gallery.
“Fine Art.” Su Blackwell, 23 Apr. 2016, www.sublackwell.co.uk/fineartportfolio/
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank everyone who helped me and encouraged me throughout this process! Heather, thank you for being patient and understanding, and always providing me with great advice and resources. To my friend Sarah Flores, thank you so much for giving me feedback on literally everything I created. I really needed that support and an outside perspective to help make this project successful, and you always got me through the times when I was struggling most. To my friend Celia Cook, thank you for writing a great book and allowing me to include it in my project! You are a great source of artistic inspiration for me. I couldn’t have completed this project without any of you and definitely not without the support from my family and peers.