Block Print |
Title Loyalty
Size 30.5 cm x 22.9 cm Medium Linoleum Cut Block Print Completion January 2019 Exhibition TextThis piece uses contrast to create a fearful mood, where there is a foot stepping on a girl on the ground. With the inspiration of artists Martha Kelly and Steve Prince, and my personal experience with heart break, I created the block print Loyalty to show the pain of losing a friend due to a falling out.
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Inspiration
Kelly, Martha. “Girlhood.” Martha Kelly, www.marthakellyart.com/figures.html.
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In Martha Kelly's block prints, she often depicts people in contrast with their backgrounds. Kelly works in Memphis, Tennessee, and she is known for her block prints inn addition to her paintings and illustrations. I was inspired to depict the characters in my block print in a solid color, similar to how her figure is shown as a silhouette in her piece in a series called Girlhood. I also want to add flowers to the horizon, like she did. The flowers convey a sense of a silver lining, and in my piece I would love to incorporate a sense of hope.
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Prince, Valerie Sweeney. “Order the Current Issue, Back Issues, and Subscriptions at the IRAAA Online Store. Http://Iraaa.museum.hamptonu.edu/Store.” The International Review of African American Art Plus, Extending the Coverage of the Print Journal, iraaa.museum.hamptonu.edu/page/Steve-Prince's-Portrait-of-a-Marriage.
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In Steve Prince's piece Genesis : in the Beginning (which is only one from a series of Portraits of a Marriage), there are many lines to convey value. The repetition of these lines create a sense of form, which I want to incorporate in my piece. I love the detail of the legs in this piece especially, where seemingly simple patterns are used to create such defined texture.
I will be emulating the foot as well. I want to create a relationship between two people, but in a much different way. In my piece, I want a foot to be a hostile and scary thing, something that can hurt the main subject. This contrasts with the meaning of the foot in Steve Prince's piece, where all limbs of these depicted peoples are very relaxed. |
Planning
Kibbitzer. “Feet Reference.” DeviantArt, www.deviantart.com/kibbitzer/art/Feet-Reference-321767782.
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I have never been very good at sketching feet or hands so I decided to use a reference drawing from a DeviantArt artist going by the pen name of Kibbitzer. I found this reference on google images and used the center-most drawing as a reference when I was planning the foot position in my piece. I took note of the shadows and toe stretch as well, and kept in mind the apparent pull of skin on the bottom of the foot.
Next, there was a lot of brainstorming.
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Experimentation
I have never used a linoleum plate to create a block print piece before, and so there was a definite learning curve. I needed to test my cutting tools and their thicknesses on the back of my linoleum plate. I did not want to be surprised by the ease, or lack of, when carving, but also the thickness and end value of each line.
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I ended up accidentally cutting off two of the five toes that I originally wanted to incorporate in the art. I did this because I was having troubles controlling my cutting tool and it slipped too far, only I didn't notice. At first I thought that I needed to start over, but after giving it more thought, I decided that the missing toes could be incorporated in the art.
The missing toe now creates a sense of unity because it helps convey that both parties are injured and hurting from their relationship. I wanted to show that, although the piece shows the foot as the evil one, stepping on someone much smaller, the holder of the foot was also hurting from the relationship. The overall composition's meaning changed, and now it shows the aftermath of a toxic relationship.
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Process
Next step was to carve into the linoleum cut using a combination of four different blade thicknesses. It was difficult to use the blades, and often I would find myself slipping, so I made a conscious effort to use a stop block to make sure I did not accidentally cut into the table top I was working on.
To the left is the first finished carved linoleum cut.
After I was done with the first linoleum cut, I moved on to make the second in the same fashion, but as I completed the project I decided that the second linoleum cut didn't accent the piece like I wanted it to, and in the end, I never finished carving the second piece all the way. I thought that the second print would add unnecessary detail.
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Lastly it was time to start printing. I brought a metal tray over to my work space and, using a plastic spoon, scooped the water based jet black ink onto the tray. I then used a brayer to spread the ink. Once I felt as though the ink was evenly spread around the brayer, I turned to my linoleum cut.
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Evaluation
Kelly, Martha. “Girlhood.” Martha Kelly, www.marthakellyart.com/figures.html.
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Loyalty by Lu8cia Flores
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Prince, Valerie Sweeney. “Order the Current Issue, Back Issues, and Subscriptions at the IRAAA Online Store. Http://Iraaa.museum.hamptonu.edu/Store.” The International Review of African American Art Plus, Extending the Coverage of the Print Journal, iraaa.museum.hamptonu.edu/page/Steve-Prince's-Portrait-of-a-Marriage.
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There are multiple similarities between my piece and the formal qualities of my inspiration pieces, as seen above. The contrast is an obvious similarity; block print makes use of applying one color against the paper, which can be utilized to create emphasis, as can be seen in Martha Kelly's piece where the silhouette of the girl is emphasized by the contrasting white background. I created emphasis in a similar manner, where I cut out a comic-like star to contrast against the black foot. I used Steve Prince's method of using line to create a sense of form in the limbs of his characters. The foot shown in my piece resembles the value of the legs in Prince's piece.
The theme of my piece was relationships and heart break. I wanted to show the pain of growing apart from a loved one, especially in an abrupt way. I took the childishness from Mary Kelly's piece when I used the comic-like star in my piece and when the girl has child-like proportions; I took the relationship between the two characters in Steve Prince's piece, but took out the body of one of the characters in my piece and changed the tone to a hostile one. These thematic aspects helped create depth to the meaning of my piece.
I think the hardest part of making my piece was cutting the linoleum cut using the speed ball razors. I didn't feel as though I had complete control over my movements and I often cut too far on accident. I was able to overcome this struggle by slowing my pace and practicing my cuts on another piece of linoleum.
I am proud how my piece turned out in the end. I think it effectively shows a sense of fear or pain after a relationship falls through. At first I thought my idea of heart break seemed juvenile, but the final piece doesn't seem juvenile and I am glad.
The theme of my piece was relationships and heart break. I wanted to show the pain of growing apart from a loved one, especially in an abrupt way. I took the childishness from Mary Kelly's piece when I used the comic-like star in my piece and when the girl has child-like proportions; I took the relationship between the two characters in Steve Prince's piece, but took out the body of one of the characters in my piece and changed the tone to a hostile one. These thematic aspects helped create depth to the meaning of my piece.
I think the hardest part of making my piece was cutting the linoleum cut using the speed ball razors. I didn't feel as though I had complete control over my movements and I often cut too far on accident. I was able to overcome this struggle by slowing my pace and practicing my cuts on another piece of linoleum.
I am proud how my piece turned out in the end. I think it effectively shows a sense of fear or pain after a relationship falls through. At first I thought my idea of heart break seemed juvenile, but the final piece doesn't seem juvenile and I am glad.
ACT Questions
Clearly explain how your are able to identify the cause-effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork.
I like the natural contrast between values in block prints, but I did not know how to effectively apply these formal elements, so I looked to artists Martha Kelley and Steve Prince. I liked the silhouette in Kelley's piece, and I liked the shading of the human limbs in Prince's piece. I used both these qualities in my piece, but changed the meaning of them.
I like the natural contrast between values in block prints, but I did not know how to effectively apply these formal elements, so I looked to artists Martha Kelley and Steve Prince. I liked the silhouette in Kelley's piece, and I liked the shading of the human limbs in Prince's piece. I used both these qualities in my piece, but changed the meaning of them.
What is the overall approach the author had regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors of the websites I visited to reference these pieces were trying to sell the pieces. The Martha Kelley website had very little words, and only wanted to show the viewer the images. The Steve Prince website went more in depth of the meaning of his pieces, but the main focus was still to sell the images.
The authors of the websites I visited to reference these pieces were trying to sell the pieces. The Martha Kelley website had very little words, and only wanted to show the viewer the images. The Steve Prince website went more in depth of the meaning of his pieces, but the main focus was still to sell the images.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I have made a generalization that straight lines convey a less playful tone than curving and flowing lines. I found this contrast between artists Martha Kelley and Steve Prince's pieces, and believe it to be true in any comparison.
I have made a generalization that straight lines convey a less playful tone than curving and flowing lines. I found this contrast between artists Martha Kelley and Steve Prince's pieces, and believe it to be true in any comparison.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
There was no central idea around my search for inspiration, because I didn't use the themes suggested in the pieces I based my composition off of. There was a common content, and that was block print, because I wanted to be inspired to use contrast and value in my piece and needed a way to do it.
There was no central idea around my search for inspiration, because I didn't use the themes suggested in the pieces I based my composition off of. There was a common content, and that was block print, because I wanted to be inspired to use contrast and value in my piece and needed a way to do it.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
At first, I inferred that Steve Prince's piece Genesis : In the Beginning was about an absent marriage, but after reading more about it, I couldn't make such a broad generalization. Now I have learned that the piece was a contrast between the religious norms and what sensual acts secretly still take place behind the safety of closed walls. This is different with researching Martha Kelley's piece Girlhood, because she isn't well known. I had to make a generalization that a girl leaping in a flower meadow was a happy message depicting fond memories of being a child.
At first, I inferred that Steve Prince's piece Genesis : In the Beginning was about an absent marriage, but after reading more about it, I couldn't make such a broad generalization. Now I have learned that the piece was a contrast between the religious norms and what sensual acts secretly still take place behind the safety of closed walls. This is different with researching Martha Kelley's piece Girlhood, because she isn't well known. I had to make a generalization that a girl leaping in a flower meadow was a happy message depicting fond memories of being a child.
Bibliography
- Kelly, Martha. “Girlhood.” Martha Kelly, www.marthakellyart.com/figures.html.
- Kibbitzer. “Feet Reference.” DeviantArt, www.deviantart.com/kibbitzer/art/Feet-Reference-321767782.
- Prince, Valerie Sweeney. “Order the Current Issue, Back Issues, and Subscriptions at the IRAAA Online Store. Http://Iraaa.museum.hamptonu.edu/Store.” The International Review of African American Art Plus, Extending the Coverage of the Print Journal, iraaa.museum.hamptonu.edu/page/Steve-Prince's-Portrait-of-a-Marriage.