"Obsession with Time"
Medium: Block Print
Size:15.4 x 22.86 cm
Date: October 2015
Obsession, we've all experienced the feeling of it. One of the biggest obsessions I've seen others struggle with, as well as myself, is with time. We get lost in our pasts or futures and suddenly it becomes an obsession. Inspired by Dali's piece "Persistence of Memory," I explored obsession with time and developed a piece to demonstrate it's harmful effects.
Medium: Block Print
Size:15.4 x 22.86 cm
Date: October 2015
Obsession, we've all experienced the feeling of it. One of the biggest obsessions I've seen others struggle with, as well as myself, is with time. We get lost in our pasts or futures and suddenly it becomes an obsession. Inspired by Dali's piece "Persistence of Memory," I explored obsession with time and developed a piece to demonstrate it's harmful effects.
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Planning
At first, I had trouble finding an idea as to what to create, however I knew that I wanted it to correlate with the theme of obsession. The first thing that popped into my head when I thought about the word obsession was the image of a hand grasping something. Therefore I began to sketch hands grasping onto a cylinder and then one grasping onto a heart. Although I really liked the idea of a hand grasping a heart to symbolize how love can become an obsession, it would be difficult to get the small details to show on my block print. Therefore I continued to think about what else reminded me of the theme obsession. Immediately I realized that time was something that people became obsessed with it was something that consumed them. Not be able to forget the past or being anxious about the future was an obsession that could cause a lot of stress. I decided to represent time with a pocket watch in the background falling apart to demonstrate how we can become lost in time, whether our past or future. Then I drew half of an upper body to show the struggle a person endures with this obsession over time. |
Inspiration
My inspiration for this piece was Salvador Dali and his piece, "Persistence of Memory." Dali was a surrealist artist who was well known for his odd, surrealistic paintings. One could say it was almost like an obsession with the bizarre. Among his most famous works is his piece "Persistence of Memory." The painting is most well-known for its melting clocks and odd appearance. I decide incorporate this feature of a melting clock along with that of one falling apart as I felt it demonstrated how one cauld become obsessed with time. The clocks in the painting represented a similar idea only rather about how the mind can become lost in time. Image Citation: Persistence of Memory. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fe0Bn1MfGpw/UMn_TKs37LI/AAAA AAAAAAU/zwc6QbrUnEs/s1600/persistence+of+memory.jpg>. Research: Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/salvador-dal-40389>. |
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Process
I began my process by transferring my sketch onto my block. Once my image was transferred, I proceeded to determine what areas I would be black and which would be white. Once I had determined the color scheme, I proceeded to carve away the areas that I wanted to be white with my carving tool. Once I have carved off the area that I wanted to appear white on my print, I began to ink my block. I utilized a roller to cover the block in ink, making sure not to use too much ink or too little. when I felt that my piece had enough ink on it, I then grabbed a sheet of drawing paper and placed my block in the center of it with the ink facing down. I then grabbed another sheet of paper and placed it on top of it. Then I began rubbing down on the block with a baren make sure to rub the entire piece. After rubbing down the piece, I removed the sheet of paper from the block and inspected the piece, Numerous times, the print came out with missing patches (as seen at left) and other times there was so much ink that the white did not show. Therefore I repeated the process a total of ten times until I got the print that I desired. |
Reflection
Overall, I feel that I was successful in accomplishing my goal of demonstrating how time can become an obsession. A few changes I may consider would be perhaps making the numbers on the clock a bit easier to read and perhaps better representing a clock. Also, next time I may pay better attention as to what I am making black and what will remain white as to not blend two separate elements together such as the head and the background spikes. Nonetheless, I enjoy my piece. Perhaps the most challenging part was just getting the perfect print, however by continuously making new ones, I eventually got the print I wanted.
Overall, I feel that I was successful in accomplishing my goal of demonstrating how time can become an obsession. A few changes I may consider would be perhaps making the numbers on the clock a bit easier to read and perhaps better representing a clock. Also, next time I may pay better attention as to what I am making black and what will remain white as to not blend two separate elements together such as the head and the background spikes. Nonetheless, I enjoy my piece. Perhaps the most challenging part was just getting the perfect print, however by continuously making new ones, I eventually got the print I wanted.