Clay Project

For my clay project, I have chosen to do a representation of myself. I chose this because I know myself better than anyone else. To represent myself, I have chosen to use a lion. A lion fits me well because it captures bravery, fierceness, and boldness (for instance, "heart of a lion"). These are three very important elements of my personality. Rather than putting a lion in an environment that was out of the ordinary, I am choosing to put it in a position it wouldn't normally be in. By making the lion standing on two legs, winking, and making one of those finger gun symbols with its paw, I am trying to obviously convey my sense of humor and love fun.

Symbolic Portrait

For my symbolic portrait, I have decided to use John Coltrane. He is a fantastic jazz saxophonist, but I wanted to know more about him, and create what I think his mind would be like. Religious influence took a huge part in his music, and he was actually dubbed a saint by the African Orthodox Church. This sort of inspiration, I think, has many tangible attributes. This would be excellent if I were using objects in a picture to make a representation of him. Other interesting thing which could be covered in this portrait would be his death at 40, and his use of heroin. The complexity of this genius's life would make for a great portrait basis.

Hamlett Dobbins

This was my favorite piece of Hamlett Dobbins' work. It is still somewhat obscure, as are many of his paintings, while keeping an element of neatness. I think that the meticulously drawn numerals provide a degree of deep contrast which adds a lot to the painting. The piece leaves the viewer wondering what significance the number 4 has to the artist, and gives leeway for personal interpretation. A question I would like to ask Hamlett Dobbins would regard his artistic process, and what inspires him to create such abstract work.

When I asked Hamlett about his process, he told me that he likes to find a significant moment to him in his life, and either take a picture or recreate it with found objects. This is a base for a painting he would do about said moment.