IN PROGRESS

Life Drawing Still-Lives (2012)

After much debate, I decided to put these life-drawings up for display.  Although I am not extraordinarily excited about their composition, or color choice, I am pretty happy with the line quality.  I have seem to have forgotten about my roots in rendering, and the joy I used to have in just drawing.  I want these to stand as a testament that I like to draw more than just sketching for sculptures, and I plan to keep that spirit alive.  

Children’s Hospital Project (2013)

This semester I had the opportunity to work with KOLAR, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and 6 other students in my class to create artwork for the PCIU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit).  The theme was “Fresh Air,” which, after a lot of brainstorming between the group and KOLAR, was translated into pleasant meadows, playful children, giant birds, and a tea party.  All of these themes were chosen because they seemed to communicate a sense of carefree joy, which would be able to give the families visiting the PCIU the breath of fresh air that they so desperately need and deserve.  

I feel honored that I was able to make artwork to give to the children, families, and staff of the PCIU.  After meeting them to talk about the project, I realized how strong they all are, and how much they deserve recognition for what they go through on a day-to-day basis.  I’m also very glad I had the opportunity to work with the brilliant minds at KOLAR.  Everyone was very friendly, helpful, and constantly enthusiastic about the project.  And I can’t forget to mention what a great group of people I worked with to actually put these pieces together!  I couldn’t have asked for a better group to work  with.  

In creating this project, I personally drew and painted the backgrounds of the 2nd, 4th, and 5th pieces, drew various tea cups, pieced together the flower trees featured in the 3rd and 5th collages, and took part in the extreme amounts of cutting and pasting done by all of the group members.  

Homemade Amplified Speaker and Microphone (2012)

I decided to take an audio hardware hacking class because I’d never worked with electronics before, and it sounded like it could be really interesting.  This was the first assignment for the class - wiring a microphone and an amplified speaker, and then packaging it in an interesting way.  I chose to make my microphone look like an ice cream cone because I really, really like ice cream (as you can see from my super-happy expression). And what goes better with an ice cream cone microphone than a Ben and Jerry’s speaker?  I’ll tell you what - nothing. 

RC Hot Dog Cooker (2012)

A hot dog cart is a uniting force in many communal gatherings across America. The hot dog is an iconic American comfort food, not only embodying the joys of summer, but also a sense of national pride. Instead of building a hot dog cart that gathers people around it, I wanted to invent something that would get people more excited about the hot dog cooking experience.

The Hot Dog Car uses a remote control car to rotate a hot dog over hot coals. This makes for a much more amusing hot dog cooking experience than standing over a grill and turning the hot dogs by hand. The use of a remote control car brings about comforting feelings of childhood. By uniting remote control cars and hot dogs, I wanted to create something that could embody the lighthearted leisure of summer, and the possibilities of inventive creativity.

Self-Igniting Wood Sculpture (2012)

I find that when I make sculptures I need to focus on their unique ability to interact and move for the audience.  Because I want to focus on sculpture’s kinetic and interactive abilities, I want this sculpture to be a spectacle.  I want to draw attention to the object and create something that will not be forgotten.  And what better a way to catch attention than catching something on fire?  

I have had two main motivations for creating this destructive machine.  First, all of the sculptures from my past art assignments have collected in my parents’ basement.  This has led me to thinking about how all of my hard work and effort goes toward creating elaborate projects, which in the end only seem to be forgotten and collect dust.  Through a self destructing-machine, I want to create something that can speed up this process of abandonment and rot.  Secondly, through creating this self-igniting sculpture, I can make something that will truly catch people’s attention.  Instead of becoming just another old forgotten project that I have to criticize and mull over, it will be forever honored in the fiery film stills and video frames that will eternally preserved it in the glory of the first and last time the machine will ever work.

This sculpture was supposed to be completely self destructive, but because I used mineral spirits instead of gasoline (for safety reasons) the contraption did not burn as much as I would have liked.  This is good too, because I built the base out of treated lumber before I learned how dangerous those chemicals were to breathe in.  

Death Ray (2012)

Made for an assignment for which the criteria was to make something that an alien would have at a garage sale.  It had to be constricted primarily out of MDF and blue/pink board insulation.  With a few extra materials, like an old broken disco ball and a laser pointer) I was able to create a makeshift death ray. 

(It’s pretty killer for any space themed party!)

Cube (2010)

Another architecture final where two shades of wood were to be used to explore the space within a theoretical cube.  I consider this a testament to the lessons I learned about the importance of craftsmanship.

Exploded View of DVD Player  (2010)

Drawn for my final in a first year architecture class.  I may not be continuing in the architecture field, but the lessons I learned about the importance of quality line work has been life changing.