Charlie Gunns Art Blog: Non-Western Summative

The Process

This project was a unique one. When we were first introduced, we started to do a lot of brainstorming. The vague outline of the project made us try and go in many different directions. We originally had our heart set upon building a sculpture. We found out that this project would not work due to the material of clay, and the scale. We also thought of doing a large-scale painting that included inspired drawings from various motifs. This idea we felt was largely based on last years project with the video, so we felt the final product wouldn’t have been as original. The three countries that we studied were Africa, China, and Japan. The motifs from each of these countries were extremely different.

When looking online the MET museum website we found that most of the motifs we were studying were in these large scrolls. These scrolls appealed to us as something that would allow us to incorporate the motifs of Africa, China and Japan. We originally thought of using a thin light paper with black ink, all in one connected strip. We later decided to split the scroll up into 5 different sections. Also the weight of paper we used was a thicker yellow paper, a weight that we felt was necessary to withhold the Black India Ink. We brainstormed a lot about what motifs we were going to paint. After looking through many pictures we decided the first section to be a tree with leaves evoking styles of the Japanese and Chinese motifs. The second section we decided to draw a vista view, relating towards the Japanese Motifs. We wanted to include animals in one of the Motifs, which ended up being a giraffe in the fourth section. We had to think long and hard about what to do with the African Motifs because it was the most different of the three. We decided for this African Motif the third one (in the middle of the scroll) to be our focal point. The symbol was Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest Summit. We incorporated the Chinese and Japanese techniques by using the Black ink with simple defined line. We used these techniques to paint our African inspired patterns. The fourth panel we decided to include our giraffe, and for the moment we had no idea what to do for the fifth panel.

The first thing we did was measure our scroll, and then broke the piece into the 5 sections using tape that we later painted black. This was typical in the 1500’s to create a vista view, but another medium besides tape would be used (usually paint). When starting the scroll we knew we wanted to include more than plain black ink. This is where we came up with the giraffe stencil, Mount Kilimanjaro Stencil, and the Large Bird, located on the tree. We also experimented with different mediums. We used sharpie, watercolour, acrylic paint, and even spray paint. These mediums helped with the overall effect of the piece as the black ink and sharpie contrasted greatly with the spray paint and warm acrylic colours. In the end we came to the fifth section and had awful ideas. We tried doing a black ink painting and decided it did not contribute the final product in a positive way so we decided not to use it.

The part about this project that was the most difficult was how permanent every mark was. Since we decided to do a large scroll if we were to mess up one of the motifs, the whole outcome would be damaged. The use of Black India Ink made it hard for us to cover our mistakes. In past projects such as the Self Portrait Painting where we used Acrylic where you could go over and over with different colours. As I earlier stated experimentation in this project due to our freedom is key. But the experimentation that we did for this project would have to be done before working so that when it came to the Art piece we knew exactly what to paint. This made the element of precision key in the Art piece and made the work for Dominic and I a lot harder

Now that we felt our painting and drawings were done, we started to brainstorm ideas about what we should do with the piece. Leave it as a long scroll, or cut it up into little strips and re arrange them, we had a few clever ideas. We first experimented with the strips by printing off photos of the motifs we painted and cutting them up. We really liked the effect of this but in the end decided it looked too messy and busy and didn’t show the potential that the paintings had.

Finally with help from Mrs. Cockburn we figured out that we would display these strips (strips now of actual piece) as a sort of blind installation where both sides would show art. The contrast between the spaces of each blind overall give the piece a very interesting effect.

Overall this project took more time than it should of. We were given the freedom to go in whichever direction we wanted. The vague nature of this project made it hard for Dominic and I to know where to start. Our original vision changed many times, and is one of the main reasons why this project to take so long in the first place. This project was defiantly the toughest project that I have ever done in Visual Arts, as it made me stretch my imagination and go into a new experience. So many things were new about this project to me: Working with a partner, Studying Japanese, Chinese, and African motifs, and doing a project with such loose guidelines. Both Dominic and I tried extremely hard on this project but felt that we didn’t achieve the final outcome we had originally hoped for. The original scroll was supposed to have an eternal feel of unity with the three countries we studied. When we cut up the motifs into individual works we noticed that we liked the motifs better alone. This confirmed our suspicions on the lack of unity in the piece.

The actual paintings that we created were all of a certain scene where there was a main focal point. Whether this focal point was the tree, the giraffe, the mountains, or Mount Kilimanjaro, it gave each motif structure, and the rest of the paintings were based around these focal points. We liked the overall effect of the different texture throughout the piece. With the use of the stencils and spray paint the paper grew a tougher look.

Overall Japanese, Chinese, and African Motifs inspired our paintings. We did not copy certain motifs but rather gained the techniques from these time periods and tried to incorporate these techniques into our own paintings. The project was very long, and I am glad it is done. The experience of working with a partner is a good one but it will test your ability to share ideas, and use time management skills. Overall through all of the tough brainstorming and painting, I can come out of this project with the greater understanding of the Chinese, Japanese, and African Motifs, and how express the techniques used in the years of 1400-1600 AD.