creativeprojectrachel

[creativeprojectrachel]

Project statement-

For this project I chose to appropriate the image of Christ on the cross. I wanted to recreate something that was already known by many and iconic. This piece is a humorous take on the horrific torture method that is being crucified.

Information about the piece -

Large scale sculpture

“Crucification for Dummies”

Materials - scrap bedsheets , wall paint , acrylic paint , wood , stuffing , nails.

This piece was created to appropriate the image of Christ on the cross. I wanted to steal the imagery of something iconic and known by everyone. I also wanted to create my own unique take on it. I wanted to give this character some personality like he wasn’t aware fully the horrific extent of being crucified and now he regrets it. My intent with this piece was not to shock people it was more to make people think … “yeah humans are kinda dumb, why do we do things like this?”

[creativeprojectrachel]

Setting up -

My boyfriend Alex helped me package the wood and creature small so I was able to carry it, my brother helped me carry the creature into town on the train and into college. Then Damian helped me nail the cross together.

I am very thankful to have support from the people around me as I definitely needed help.

Me and Damian had a few problems when setting up and we had to make the cross smaller as it was too big to fit in the room without the cross bending. We also had to add extra wood to the back of the cross to make it sturdier.

We attached it to the wall with command strips even though my original idea was to just to have it leaning against a wall , it is definitely too big to do this and it is too much of a health and safety risk to leave it there. It is now attached to the all safely and I feel like it is sturdy enough to leave.

I am happy with how the set up turned out even though I had a lot of issues and had to change things it turned out good as we were able to problem solve.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Final sculpture -

Painting the cross wood black with acrylic paint and a roller.

Painting details onto the cat creature.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Final sculpture -

I decided to go to BnQ for wood for the cross as I usually like to only use found materials or recycled materials but this time I had to buy new wood as I couldn’t find anything around my house or outside that was what I was looking for.

I had to get the man at BnQ to cut it for me into three pieces , it is in threes and will remain in threes until I am setting up in class , this is so I can carry it on my own and don’t have to get the train with a 6 foot crucifix.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Final sculpture -

I followed the same method for the smaller prototype I made , scrap fabric , sewed , stuffed , painted. Everything is going well so far and it is coming along nicely , again it would be good if it was larger but I have to think about how I will get this into Glasgow alone.

Next steps are the cross and attaching them together.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Final prototype

The test for the final piece worked very well on a smaller scale. It was easy to attach the pieces together and I think it looks really good and captures exactly what I was going for.

I now need to take what I learned from the smaller scale and apply this to a much larger scale. I am hopeful that I will be able to do it.

The only thing I am worried about is a large crucifix, I will have to make it out of large planks of wood which will be heavy and hard to transport so I will need to figure out what I will do.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Oil pastel sketches of final piece

I really enjoyed using oil pastels earlier in this project so I thought I would do some for this sculpture I’m making. I feel like when I’m making a sculpture sometimes it can become quite technical and you have you do everything very correctly or it will fall apart so it is good to take a break and sketch some fun expressive drawings and it kinda pulls the expression back into the piece you are making.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Prototype for final piece -

I used the same scrap fabric to create a small cat creature like the one from my drawings. I sewed it and painted it white. I then got some scrap cardboard and cut it to the size and shape I wanted then painted that black too.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Sketch -

Another sketch of how my final piece will look -

My character hung from a large scale cross.

The cross will be black and the character will be white. I want a strong contrast.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Digital sketch of character -

I thought it would be funny and help build personality of this character to do some little sketches of him. This one depicts the character reading a book titled “crucification for dummies!!” It is to poke fun at the fact that being crucified is horrific and a very inhumane way to torture someone. So the fact this strange little cat is reading about it and wants to do it to himself makes me laugh.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Sketches

I have decided the character on the cross will be a cat looking creature , I have no name for it just yet but I’m sure I will once I’m finished. I want to give this character some background and personality so that is what I will work on next. I will then create a smaller prototype of the cat on the cross to see if I like how it looks.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Sketches

I am unsure of who should be on the cross I have two main characters I have been developing throughout this project they are -

Frankenstuffed- the red hair white face dead girl

And

The Goomi bunny - the bunny shape creature

If I do Frankenstuffed on the cross as she looks the most human I feel like it will seem like I am making a comment about myself as she is basically me, like I am putting myself on a crucifix which I don’t think will be seen as funny or lighthearted.

If I put the bunny on it it will probably seen more silly but I have done the bunny quite a lot so maybe I just change the character a little to make a new one perhaps.

I want the sculpture to be impactful but I do not want it to be too serious.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Jesus on the cross

I spoke about the Mona Lisa being one of the most iconic pieces of art but of course Jesus on that cross out does any art ever made , everyone knows this imagery in some way. I wanted my final piece to be something that is obviously appropriating something or someone’s work and I think this is the one. The imagery of someone on a cross is heavy to look at and because most people know the religious reasons behind it it co,es with a lot of emotion and personal opinions. I would like to that the cross and put one of my own characters onto it but I think some will view that as offensive but that will not be my intention, I just want to steal the imagery of something iconic for my own and put a silly funny twist on it.

Meaning -

an ancient form of execution in which a person was nailed or bound to a cross.

Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthaginians, and Romans, among others.

I think the contrast with this horrific torture method with my silly creature will be something that is thought provoking for the viewer. I want people to look at it and think “this is silly” but yeah it is silly we used to hang humans from crosses till they were dead.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Appropriation of the cross -

I think it might be interesting to have one of my characters on the cross , this is because I wanted whatever u appropriated to be something that is iconic and well known so that from first sight you can tell what it is.

I also think it will be cool to do a large scale sculpture on a large scale cross. It will be massive and impactful.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Ron English

Ron English is another artist who I admire because of his ability to paint and his imagination. He also takes pop culture characters and appropriates them. The of his pieces that caught my attention were the ones that he deals with religious imagery, he uses well known characters and paints them in either iconic religious artworks or has them posed like Jesus on the cross. I like these as to me it isn’t trying to offend anyone but shine a different light on religion such as how little kids idolise Mickey Mouse and religiously watch Mickey Mouse and buy all his merchandise others treat Jesus and god in the same way. It also looks to me like he is just trying to make light and fun of it, like it’s silly and fun to look at. I’m glad I found these art works as I think this will be a direction I go with my own work.

Ron English’s work in real life -

I was fortunate enough to see English’s work in person when I was in Hong Kong. I was blown away by the size of his sculptures , the size alone is incredible but the sculpture is very cool and unlike anything I have seen before. His work always features characters and sometimes his own little character too , that looks like a mix between a dog and a mouse. I like that he has his own characters and creates art with them. It is very inspiring to me as this is something I enjoy doing with my work too.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Oil pastel experiment -

I thought it would be interesting to appropriate others art but in a more expressive and loose way while incorporating my own style.

I found it quite difficult to do this as I felt pressured to make it look a certain way but I do like the expressiveness of it , I think I will do oil pastels again with this project later on.

⭐️

⭐️

Evocative objects exhibition -

I really enjoyed making a piece for this exhibition, I liked that we were all given the same box yet we all made such different pieces of art from them.

I chose to create my little dog and have her collar inside. I really liked how it turned out as I have never created a creature this shape before so it was funny to see it square. I also really liked sewing it and adding all the little details , I think this piece turned out really lovely.

It was also great being able to set up in the exhibition space on level 7 , it felt very professional and it was fun setting it all up.

[creativeprojectrachel]

Todd Schorr

I have been a fan of Schorrs work for many years now and it’s always been something I have admired greatly. Schorrs ability to paint hyper realistically is amazing and he is aware he is able to do it and instead of just painting hyper realistic every day things he also has an incredible imagination and these two things combined are a unstoppable duo. As someone who can’t paint hyper realistic it is something I really love looking at , hyper realistic surreal paintings. I like how Schorr paints a mash up of pop culture mixed with his own characters, he is able to appropriate others work but he adds it into his own world. It would be interesting if I were able to do something like this in my own way.