Gillian Bolnick

I think next semester I would like to create a world of characters out of clay and found materials. I would like to create a detailed story and descriptions for the characters and their interactions. I will create a physical world for them. I will have the story established and then add on as time goes along every week with new characters or pieces of the story. I will make the figures out of polymer clay, found materials, yarn, felt and pom poms. I will use cardboard and more for their land, the project will be an installation. They will live in a fantasy world, some will be monsters and some will be peaceful forest folk. I will also create little structures for them to live in, like little fairy houses. I think through this project, I will be able to experiment as well as learn new techniques on how to create. Discover the world as it is built.

 Time goals- 7 weeks, each week create characters, 2d and 3d and descriptions and relationships while adding gradually to the environment. 2 a week

Description for characters before creation. 

For my final I did the paper mache mask show in demo B. I used a wig head to build the mask off of, and modge podge and newsprint to paper mache. The process was frustrating because I had trouble keeping the form, and having elements stick down. I stuffed the mask with plastic bags and bubble wrap to keep the form when I built it. It was a process that required patience for every piece to dry.

Here is the mask being built from the tin foil and the process of it being newsprinted and glued.

Here are the final results, including the mask wearing my wig to make it appear more human.

Toys are something I have an extremely personal connection with, more so than the average adult. I have more knowledge of the market than most because I spent months working at toy stores, learning and perfecting the craft. I paid close attention to brands and designs that sell. Gender plays a huge role into it, bigger than we think about. Working at a toy store while coming to terms with my gender was extremely interesting, I felt a sense of pride in the push for change, but the traditional roles were still there. The first store I worked at pushed for feminist items, like Feminist baby, and encoraged unisex play more. However, there were items like pretend play mops and a pretend play laundry kit (it never sold) that enforced gender roles so extremely. Any child should chose playing with dragons over playing with a mop. Parents buy these items to force their children into narrow boxes. It was infuriating, that kids cannot just be kids, and alot of the fundemental elements of toys for girls were training them to be wives and mothers. Someone would ask me “Can you show me toys for girls?” and I would show baby dolls, for toddlers to practice being a mother. Certain toys are not made to provide joy or nurture creativity but to uphold the patriachy. I was in a place where I realized my own childhood ended, marked by an event that haunted me.

I find comfort in stuffed animals, I try and surround myself with them now. I feel like they are toys made for the purpose of pleasure rather than to uphold the patriachy and are for everyone regardless of gender and age. Being at a toy store and helping children be happy is a very important goal for myself. Most of my life I have wanted to be a teacher, I think I still do but I am unsure.

For my toy project, I will do the second demo which was the paper mache project. I will make a paper mache head, following the demo and paint around it.

here is me starting to build it with the tin foil.

on the face I would like to deconstruct gender and the gender roles seen, and things I have heard.

The lecture showed the rich cultural histories of masks and their uses around the world. Masks can be used as many things within society, as fashion, education, entertainment, and cultural gear. Mask has now become an everyday word, previously left out of our daily dialogue, its now a word that is one of the most prevelent in society now. A mask traditionally covers the face, and every day we now have to physically wear masks. These masks have become so important that they have been personalized, people can see us and recognize unique characteristics from the masks we wear. The facemasks we wear around our mouths are very similar to traditional masks in that they are also a form of self expression. While many wear the more disposable blue masks many people wear unique cloth masks.

It is very interesting how integrated masks have become in our every day life.

For the project, I based what I am creating based on the lectures in Studio and my own personal interests. I have been wanting to get more into soft sculpture and embrodiery and am excited to work on a project with those medias. I am going to create a stuffed animal that is not necessarily childish, but strong in character. I have used the materials before and like sewing. I think back to the uncanny valley lecture and how it discussed how non human characters are more successful and less creepy. I think with my last project, the downfall was leaning more towards realism.

Here is my sketch for my character and a sample of the fabric bows they wear.

F0r my final, I used polymer clay to sculpt a face and then acrylic paint to go over it and yarn for the characters hair. I had not combined all of these materials before this project. My goal for this project was 3 dimensional portraiture in clay following the first demo. Working with this clay was interesting because I had to feel out the facial structures physically to create the piece. I  experimented with materiality for this project and feel confident in the resulting abilities I have gained from it. I used reference from my own face from initial sketches and studies I did of pictures of myself but because of how the hair is with the yarn, it no longer reflects my apearance.

For this project, I think I will make a head using the reference from my own, I will build upon that and exaggerate my features. I have had my roommate take pictures of myself to reference. I look at myself in the mirror everyday and have no idea what I look like. I have changed my hair 14 times since being quarantined. I feel like the most distinguishable thing about me is my hair. I literally cannot sit and draw a self portrait of my face without reference anymore. I spend hours staring at the mirror, having crisises over who is looking at me. My self esteem is not only my appearance, when I think I look ok, I still feel self loathing. I used to exclusively paint self portraits and draw myself because I am my most consistent model. Every time it would look different but still embody some of me, in different ways. Even when I draw other people, I can’t escape my own appearance resemblance showing through.

did some observational drawings based on my face from pictures my roommate took. I know selfies can be bias.

I will combine demos A and B for this process, using clay and newspaper and found materials to make a sculpture on how I view myself.