W A T E R   W O R K S 

(Final Project)

G E O F  M C F E T R I D G E

( Shapes Within )

Geof McFetridge graduated from the Alberta College of Art and California Institute of the Arts.  He is an extremely talented designer and artist.  McFetridge is extremely diverse in his work and does everything from poetry to 3D design.  He currently lives in LA and leaps the divide between design and fine art on a daily basis.  His work is known for its interesting play with shape and space. His work is detailed and abstract at the same time. What is interesting about his work is it takes time is appreciate and navigate through.  It is not just a bunch of colors and meaningless shapes, but everything has a purpose.  He has done a significant amount of work for the New York Times, Nike, and Colette. 

              After researching this work I did not find the title but still am extremely impressed with it's visual aesthetics.  The break up of space in a 4 x 4 grid is immediately recognized in the 6 perfectly spaced and same sized dark grey circles. It is the top view of six figures who are using a red rectangle in a different way. Visually the angular movement of all the characters keep the eye moving left, right up and down staying within the grid. It is primarily simple shapes and curves.  The muted tones give the piece although simple geometry, a heightened elegance. 

              The movement of this space is what I find most interesting. It is extremely clever design with the 6 dots.  I enjoyed how each head became a unique individual. I also enjoyed how the red shapes became a briefcase, a box, a table, a camera and whatever else it could be. The view from above also adds interest because the faces are obscured.  Who are these people?  Where are they going? It also means to me how we all are moving in different directions yet are connected through overall movement of directions. The clever use of shape also makes this piece a pleasure to view.  He turned 6 dots into a cohesive design through shape.  The simple elegance of this piece interests me in viewing more of his work and how he plays with shape and negative space.

H     O      M      E

( Comfort  and  Joy )

For this extra credit assignment I wanted to represent the complexity of comfort.  What does it mean to be comfortable? What makes something uncomfortable? I pushed the contrast between my warm, fuzzy cat Jim and the sharp geometry that is naturally present throughout his face and body.  Despite the sharp angles, the image still has a warm lightness to it.  This comes partially from my relationship with my cat, but also the position of the animal, the lighting and its facial expression all suggest comfort and relaxation. Instead of becoming afraid of the angles, the viewer may find his or herself delightfully tracing and understanding the very purposeful positioning of the triangles.  

             To me, Jim is a very complex creature.  I consider him a brother of mine and there is no question this simple, furry animal has a very deep and interesting personality. I wanted to show that deepness within something that is stereotypical of a cat almost cliche. Jim represents home to me.  Home is also a many angled word.  When we think of home what comes to mind? My experience when thinking about home is we recall things we love most.  While we recall these things we love another small part of us remembers the uncomfortable and the strange associated with HOME. At a single moment both of these feelings collide. In the end we see past the sharp edges of our memory 

Troels Carlsen

T R O E L S    C A R L S E N

(Spheres)

Little biographical information exists on Troels Carlsen.  Carlsen was born in 1973 and currently resides in Denmark.  His work ranges from sculpture to acrylic paintings.  Some would label him as a surrealist due to the content in many of his paintings.  Carlsen takes antique, formal illustrations and turns them into fine art by painting on top of them, collaging them, and practicing other creative methods.  One piece of his in particular I was drawn to was his 2007 acrylic painting on an antique illustration called "Spheres" 

           Formally this piece is visually striking.  Because Carlsen's fantastic ability to render, the piece appears to be done all by the same hand.  The palate also unites the piece, giving it an overall old textbook feel.  The muted tones and the texture of the paper also add to it's antique illustrations.  There appears to be an anatomical figure with a landscape burning through his or her core.  A water fall protrudes from the lower abdomen close to the pubic region.  The water fades into the page further giving the piece the floating textbook illustration quality.   The fire appears to be rendered on a level higher than the figure and landscape.  This gives the piece a three dimensional effect.  Conceptually I'm in love with this piece.

            Two things I find fascinating is how deep the human body is, and the wonder of nature.  The two marry beautifully in this piece.  Nature is bursting, and burning forth from the human body.  To me this is the soul of man, something that is natural, more natural than any physical thing, yearning to break free of all the knowledge we think we know.  The illustration of the human body represents how we humans love to break down things, put them in little boxes, stack them in neat layers.  Nature yearns to burst from these contrived ideas of power and control.  The fire and water bring forth the beautiful anarchy of nature.  The contrast between structure and the natural elements are what make this piece so interesting.  I look forward to seeing more work from Troels Carlsen.   

              

my very sad first attempt at animation