Fine Art The Black Box 5th november

The Black Box 5th November

With only today and tomorrow morning to finish my fine art piece, I had to get in early to have a chance on finishing it on time. With my box made yesterday and ready to be painted, I had to decide what would be on it. My original idea was to have the each side tell a separate story, or show a different state of depression. The thing that would be hard about that idea was it might take too long to paint. I had to finish on time and thinking up six different ideas in such a short time and paint them would be a hard task.

Just as I was mapping out my drawings, the tutor came to see what I was doing. After I told him my ideas and how I would like my cube to turn out, he asked if it had to be so detailed. The main purpose of the cube is to have the ability to feel the weight of depression as if it was a physical thing, so why not have it more as a dark abstract object? The talk moved to having a black box hanging so the people could come and feel the weigh of it and also view it as an object.

I find talking my ideas through very helpful. Having to try and gather my thoughts together so that someone else can clearly understand makes me think carefully on how my idea is formed. Also, the questions they ask are useful because they make you think of things you may have forgotten.

With ideas being tossed around, I thought keeping the black dog on the box was something important. It interested me having the idea of depression as not only something that hangs over you, but as a being, an animal that is always following you. With so much happening from the last day, my design had become something very different from the original 'maze'. However, I think this is a good thing and the interesting part is my original idea or concept hasn't really changed very much. There is still a black dog looming over a person, only the person isn't in the painting now. I think that's much more engaging for the viewer.

With a lot to do and little time, I got down to paining my box black. This is something that would take the longest as the paint would have to dry in between coats, and I would have to give it at least two coats of paint before it would be dark enough. I started with the top, then worked my way around. By the time I had done the bottom, the top was just dry enough to paint again. I had to do three layers of paint so that I couldn't see any of the white showing through. While it dried, I went to look up ideas for putting my black dog on the box. By the time returned, the class was over and I had only 5 minutes to get to my next one.

With so much still to do, I have to get in early tomorrow so I can make sure I have the nice people in 3D all to myself.