The start of my final piece

After completing my experiment work with the material I intend to use, I have reused the frame to start work on the final piece. I have started looking at the largest panel for the modern view I have started planning out in charcoal and a little bit of raised relief. However before I get to involved with the putting the image on to canvas I need to make the rest of the structure.

Happy Birthday Miles Van Der Rohe

Today marks the 125th birthday of the revolutionary architect Miles Van Der Rohe. He is famously known for his work that includes the Barcelona Pavilion and the new national gallery in Berlin. He has been awarded throughout his career for the work he has done and has been dubbed the pioneer of modern architecture along with Le Courbiser and Walter Gropius.

End of full scale experiment

I have now concluded the experiment on testing all my full scale testing of raised relief, frame making and testing charcoal. I only have a few alterations to make for my final piece, fist of all I shall use duck tape for the centre of canvas to keep it taut and secondly I shall use more charcoal an chalk to get a greater tonal range.

Raised relief on canvas frame test

I have used cardboard to create a raised relief of the charcoal drawing I have done. Today I have focused mainly on making the raised relief trees as this is the most complex and time consuming. I have made much progress on this and I will complete the trees tomorrow.

Charcoal onto canvas

I have used the frame I made to test its stability and tautness of the material, to draw on with charcoal the only problem I have is that the cross beam affects the lines an tones of the marks I make. However I can overcome this by putting cardboard on to back to block the beam. I have also started putting a cardboard raised relief on to the surface.

Preparing new area and material testing

Today I have expanded my area ready for the final project as my piece will take up a lot of room. I have also tried stretching the material over the wooden frame I have made. It has gone quite well although I may have to refine the attachment of material of wood to the centre.

Congratulations Wang Shu

Wang Shu an Chinese Architect has been announced for the Pritzker prize in architecture for 2012. His winning design is The Ningbo Museum in China, which is developed from the theme of mountains and oceans which have played a pivotal role in the history of Ningbo. The tilt of the second floor imitates the rocky mountainous outcrops around Ningbo, and it can also be seen to imitate the shape of the hull of a boat referring to Ningbo's Maritime history. There are two different ways the outer walls are decorated the first being an old method of stacking many tiles together used before cement was introduced the other being made of cement covered bamboo's.



I do admire Wang Shu's work on the Ningbo museum well thought out with a good use of appropriate architecture.

BCU card board spaceship

Whilst on an open day to the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design i saw a small installation made by the students. It was made under £250 in cardboard and parcel paper, displaying a spaceship like interior with two astronauts with the centre console exploding. The range of different techniques achieved by the treatment to a very few amount of materials is quite broad. I liked the installation as it shows a complex installation made with simple materials.