joshmasiasart-blog

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Drawing #7. 4′x4′x 20″. Wood, Plastic, Foam, Misc. Hardware. 

(I apologize that this piece isn’t hanging. The mounting hardware was put on during the installation of this piece in the GVA (social sciences building), at the University of Montana for the BFA Senior Thesis Exhibition.

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Drawing #6.  4′x4′x10″.  Wood, Metal, Foam, Misc. Hardware. 

This construction felt pretty pinnacle to my studio practice. In making these works, I am aiming to converse with my drawing practice by attempting to recreate what happens optically (in the 2D format), through the use of materials as marks and their interactions happening within physical space (3D format). All of these materials just sort of felt really good together. Each material held a good energy when I found it, and the following material’s energies complemented the previous very well. I think I really had a little bit of everything I’ve made leading up to this piece, neatly included in a balanced manner. This “drawing”, along with Drawing #7(to come), are also included in my Senior BFA Thesis Exhibition at the University of Montana, along with all of the other BFA seniors. The exhibition will be up until May 12th if anyone cares to see a great show! Gallery of Visual Arts, in the Social Sciences Building. 

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Drawing #5. 4′x4′x 20″. Plastic, Metal, Misc. Harware. 

I am really enjoying using these old railing posts as bars for my frames. They are already cut at 45′s so they come ready to work with. In this piece I began to focus more heavily on my intent when choosing what bolts and brackets to use. Being specific with the placement of the found hardware, and minimizing the amount of space that is occupied by each material. I was considering the fact that I haven’t really left much negative space in one of these constructions, so I allowed for a lot of negative space, leaving more room for the curvilinear line to move through and to break up the composition with more organic edges. 

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Drawing #4. 4′x4′x 20″. Wood, Metal, Plastic, Carpet Padding, Misc. Hardware. 

This piece was some what nostalgic for me. I was working with carpet padding as a medium and as my subject matter for paintings, so to work with it again felt good. I am drawn to this material because of its impressionistic painter-like quality, along with its slight amount of rigidity that enables in to hold a form. I had a chance to put this piece in a group show for April’s first friday, at The Broad Gallery. 

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Rough installation shot after hanging work in the show “Low Def Abs”

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This is the third sculptural drawing I have made at my time here thus far. It is very interesting to see what kind of interesting cast shadows come from these works, considering that shadows are an element that my 2-D drawings do not possess. I am becoming very pleased with the different materials/forms that I have been able to use in effort to create a “mark”. My next step will be to move towards focusing on the finer details within the hardware I am using to mount and fix things into place, and potentially using some actual paint as well!

These works are currently on display in the Fine Arts Student Gallery at the University of Montana in the Fine Art building, and they will be exhibited through March 10th.

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Frame of Expansion

The first thing I have quickly come to realize is that transitioning from creating 2-D work, to creating 3-D work is somewhat of a challenge in itself.  Not only that, but it is extremely difficult to approach when you are surrounded by so many wonderful materials. Okay, maybe it isn’t difficult, but it is overwhelming. I spent a lot of time wandering the aisles of the warehouse with no real material choice in mind, and a rather scattered idea of the format in which the work to be would come to life in. Will in be a sculpture in the round, will it hang from the ceiling, will it be on the floor or need a pedestal, will it mount on the wall? After discovering a few extensions that were pulled from some tables I imagine, I knew it was a start.  

The work Frame of Expansion is the first piece I have made here at Home ReSource, and the first of its kind in terms of my practice. My goal with the body of work I make during my time here is to create sculptures that mimic the nature of my non-objective drawings. This piece doesn’t necessarily do this closely, but the linear quality of the orange wire travelling throughout is indicative of the same lines that I use within a 2-D composition. My drawings hold a sense of atmosphere between the different zones of color and surrounding marks. With Frame of Expansion there are no large swatches of material to emulate the squeegeed swipes of paint that I use in my drawings, but the squared negative spaces between the vertical and horizontal marks in the sculpture imply that element. I found what is happening between the face of the sculpture and the wall to be most interesting. The cast shadows enforce a greater sense of depth than what is really there, developing an illusionary atmosphere within this shallow space. 

This is something I entirely consider a sketch. Dipping my toe in the water to check the temp before I jump in. Though I am pleased with the outcome and I think just getting something made was what needed to happen in order to knock away some of these feelings of being overwhelmed. There’s only more to come. Stay tuned!

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Frame of Expansion, 72”x 34”x 4”, Wood, Aluminum, Wire, 2017

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1.24.17

This week begins a new semester and the start of my time as an artist in residence at Home ReSource building materials reuse center (homeresource.org). I will be documenting my work in progress as well as utilizing this page to journal about my day to day experience, ideas, and thoughts. Thanks to Home ReSource and MaryAnn Bonjorni for providing me with this opportunity, and stay tuned to see what’s going on in my studio as well as my mind!