Tara Donovan - Of Paper Plates and Straws

 

     Tara Donovan is a world-renowned artist that innovates with everyday materials to create extraordinary sculptures. Donovan broke onto the art scene in the early 2000’s. Her work deals with space and light, with industrial materials that appear organic when assembled together. She mostly creates site-specific installations that are either wall-based or free standing. While her works use found objects and mass-produced materials, they are never ready-mades. Also, Donovan’s pieces are never outsourced - she and her assistants undertake the development of every project. 

     Each project begins with a singular material. It could be a cup, or a button, or a straw. Donovan starts by experimenting with the material and seeing what physical elements she can exploit. She follows predetermined rules to make modules, or units of what the piece will eventually become. Because of this process, of modules becoming modules and growing into bigger things, her pieces mimic the process of growth and nature, in that order and structure can give way to the unpredictable. Her sculptures gain a life of their own in this process, as they move away from a singular element to an unified armada. The original material is disguised by the sheer amount of units and the method of construction. 

     Many of the materials Donovan chooses have neutral or transparent qualities. This allows her to bring out the inherent qualities and aspects of the materials. As a whole, her work lacks a specific narrative and Donovan does not have a personal attachment to the materials she uses. Instead, her work is more an exploration of what the material could become, from something ordinary into something extraordinary.

Note: This was an assignment for an Art History class studying Modern Sculpture at school.
 

Adventures in Bookmaking (Part 3)

     This book was made using a fabric cover and a bound using the longstitch method. As seen in the image above, the stitches that bind the signature together form a decorative pattern on the outside of the spine.

     For the inside, I chose a vibrant color that related to the blues and greens on the cover. I also sewed in a ribbon into the cover that wrapped around to hold the book together in a nice package.

Adventures in Bookmaking (Part 2)

   
     This book was made using a traditional binding method - sewing on tapes (shown below). Out of all the books I made this was the one that I went the most in depth with. At one point I had to redo the cover because of a structural issue.

     Inside the book required even more work because I also created content for the book. Using the topic of modern fashion icons I curated a selection of women in the last century that have been looked up to for their style, either in being timeless or in pushing the boundaries of fashion. I fashioned a paper doll model using the help of my teacher who is well practiced at drawing the human figure. For the book I wanted to focus on diversity and beauty across different times, ethnicities, and body types. To help illustrate this I made my figure to be a plus size model. 

     The paper doll pattern I cut out of the pages of an old book I found at the thrift store. I liked the neutral color of the paper and the way the text interacted with the rest of the image. I also think it related well to the paper I used to make the cover of the book. After researching the fashions of my icons, I recreated some of their most famous pieces. These I pasted onto my paper doll model in layers to add depth to the illustrations and finally placed them in the pages of the book. I also included several facts and timelines regarding such things as how long each person lived and when, and how many times they had been married.

Adventures in Bookmaking (Part 1)

     It has recently occurred to me that while I have had this blog for several years and have named it "Taking Life a Page at a Time" because of my love for books, I have never shared the handmade books I learned how to make when I took a bookmaking class over a year ago! Well, that is going to change starting today! I won't share everything all at once. I will instead do several installments where I share one or two books and then talk about them individually.

     The first book I wanted to talk about is a flip book made using vintage patterns and a Japanese stab binding method. In retrospect, the stab binding isn't the most user friendly in flipping through the pages. But it still gets the job done! You can alter the girl's outfit on the top, bottom, and middle sections of her body (shown below).

   
     If I could do this book again I would probably use a different binding method. However, I am really pleased with the overall look of the book and how the different patterns line up to create the effect I was looking for.

     Since the book doesn't have a cover, I created a more heavy-duty backing for the book using some heavier card stock and layering pattern papers to allude to the vintage patterns used inside of the book.

Semester #8

This semester hasn't been as hectic as semester in the past, academically. It also has been very different in a lot of ways. Before I jump into what classes I am taking I want to give a quick update. Over winter break I applied for and received an on-campus position at my university. I am doing graphic design and marketing for one of the offices. That has been a great opportunity to get some experience under my belt and a position to put on my resume. My co-workers and supervisors have really made my work a great place. I am thankful to be working with them. In all of this, I still have a few hours a week at my previous retail job.

However, things are looking quite different now than they did at the beginning of the semester. Starting this week actually, all school has transitioned to being online to 'flatten the curve' of the COVID-19 global pandemic. These are strange times to be living in! This means that in addition to doing home schooling, I am also working from home. This has been an adjustment. However, the semester is almost over! Just gotta push through for the last little bit!

#1 - Drawing for Visual Communication
This class is technically a graphic design course, but it is more focused on the discipline for illustration. It has been fun to take on more 'light hearted' projects and stretch my drawing skills. Some of the projects we have tackled so far are various posters and illustrations. An example is included below.

#2 - Sequential Media

This is my other graphic design class for this semester. It is a more traditional graphic design course. In this class we have designed CD covers and gotten a bit into web design with art blogs.

#3 - Professional Practices

I took this class last semester and will take it for my next two semesters. It is a one-credit course that teaches us the ins and outs of our profession. This semester we have learned about paper and the printing process. Occasionally, we will have guest speakers come and talk to us. Aaron Draplin (a famous designer) was going to visit and give a talk this April, but that had to be canceled unfortunately due to the restrictions we are currently experiencing.

#4 - Art History: History of Graphic Design

I have taken several art history courses before, but this one is special as it covers the history of graphic design. We started learning about illuminated manuscripts and are now learning about the Art Nouveau movement.

#5 - Honors Research

Nothing against this class, I just have a hard time motivating myself to get excited about it. However, it is the last requirement I need to fulfill for my Honors track. We are working on group research projects. My group is studying how technology affects different generations differently. 

Semester #7

     In a lot of ways this semester has been tough. This can be evidenced by the fact that it is now halfway done and I am just now getting around to posting what classes I am taking. But, now that I am taking upper division graphic design classes, maybe that is to be expected.

1. Typography II
     Similar to Typography I, we continue to explore type, typefaces, and typographical layouts. An example of a project was to design a brochure on a period in design history. I had Art Deco.

2. Package Design
     Pretty much what ti sounds like. We design packages, mostly in the 'box' range (haven't gotten into bottles or pouches or anything crazy like that yet). A memorable project was making a paper banana (pictured below). This was supposedly our hardest project of the semester. Good thing we got it out of the way first! As a whole, I am enjoying this class.

3. Explorations of Graphic Design
     My other main graphic design class of the semester. This one is more general in application, as we are exploring various methods of design. So far we have worked on logos, icons, posters, and now advertisements.

4. Professional Practices
     This is less of a regular class and more of a weekly 'how to' seminar. We have learned about resumes, assembling our portfolios, and other bits and bobs necessary to become a graphic designer. I am also somewhat involved in the local graphic design guild.

5. Intro to Marketing
     Funnily enough, this is the only non-graphic design class I am taking this semester. Marketing is connected to graphic design and it has been interesting to learn about some of the other sides of the coin. I enjoy my teacher and the class, but am not looking forward to the two papers we will have to write this semester.

Kora's Sloppy Joes

Kora's Sloppy Joes
     This recipe came from a family friend. 10/10 would recommend.

2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. celery

2 TB vinegar
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 Tb brown sugar
ketchup to taste
1//2 tsp. prepared mustard
1 1/4 tsp. salt, pepper

     Brown and mix beef, onion, and celery. Drain extra fat and juices from mixture. Add additional ingredients to meat and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve on buns.

Note: For more versatility this recipe can be altered to become 'Taco Joe.' Now it can double as Sloppy Joe filling and also taco meat. Just omit the brown sugar, use less ketchup, and add some taco seasoning.