DAHLE AP ART - Inspiration and Examples

Sustained Investigation:

Ideas and Inspiration

student examples:

Copy of Copy of Ap Drawing Portfolio.pdf

artists

"On vintage serving ware and ornately decorated plates, artist Susannah Carson renders fragmented portraits of women who peer out from the center of the vessels. The oil paintings evoke the Georgian tradition of the “lover’s eye,” sentimental miniatures depicting the facial features of a spouse, child, or family member often found on jewelry of the time. These tiny works would also allow the wearer to obscure the exact identity of the subject, making them ambiguous keepsakes for affairs and other clandestine activities.

For Carson, this amorous practice becomes the basis of inquiry as she imagines her lively characters, their stories, and how they connect to the history of such unconventional canvases—an avid antique collector, she’s currently working on an illustrated guide on the process, as well as a series of paintings paired with the antiques they depict. Blending past and present, her pieces highlight the unknown, whether the lineage of the vessel itself or the identity of the subject. She explains:

I’m interested in painting as not just an optical illusion, but as an illusion of life—of otherness, of richness, of engagement, of that delicate connection we have with other beings which allows us to feel, for a moment, not so alone. With compositions highlighting the gaze, these subjects tell us their stories with a single look and ask for us to tell them our stories in return, thereby creating—unlike the alienation of much modern art—a welcoming intimacy."

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/

Tina Kraus

"Tina Kraus (previously) recreates nature’s beauty, idiosyncrasies, and diversity through her intricate paper sculptures. Though the environment has been a source of inspiration since her childhood, Kraus explains to Colossal, “In the past decade, I have become more and more worried about the future. The climate crisis, pollution, and the loss of biodiversity already have a big impact on nature and life on this planet.” These disquietudes gave rise to her Paper Life! Ocean series, in which she focused on marine pollution by depicting a hermit crab living in a tin can, a squid trapped in a fishing net, and more.

Kraus challenges herself to create sculptures that are more and more life-like every time. Working intuitively with a bit of experimentation and spontaneity, the Münster, Germany-based artist always starts with a sketch before continuously building up layers of crepe paper to create depth.

Kraus’ Paper Life! Ocean sculptures will be shown early next year in an international group exhibition at MAKE Southwest. For more updates and artwork, visit her Instagram and website."

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/

Jennifer Crupi

"How do our bodies communicate? Jennifer Crupi prods this question as she designs metal contraptions fit for limbs and torsos. Following her unconventional collection that considered gesture as embellishment, the artist’s new Tools for Reassuring Contact series similarly focuses on hands while exploring the power of human touch.

Born out of lockdown-induced isolation, the prosthetic-like pieces curve and press the fingers and palms down, presumably into the shoulder or arm of a companion. “Each work implies an empty space where a second user is encouraged to place his or her hand,” Crupi shares. “Once engaged with the piece, a clamp-like mechanism exaggerates the contact and pressure.” Made of sterling silver, the Tools outline and emphasize the value of the touch itself, with common blue rubber serving as a facilitator.

Other series include Guarded and Unguarded Gestures, comprising pieces that hang from wearers’ necks and place their limbs in either defensive, reserved positions or open and welcoming ones. These companion works reflect Crupi’s profound interest in psychology and human behavior, particularly the way we use our bodies to communicate confidence or for protection. She shares:

All frontal-covering gestures are supposed to be subtle but meaningful acts of self-protection. They work to varying degrees, of course, but even slight movements can be all the security we need. Apparently, most everyone locks ankles or crosses their legs when in the dentist’s chair, for example—I have tried a few times myself not to do this, but it is not easy! Likewise, at times when we need to show we are open to someone’s ideas or need to take charge we will adopt open postures. The “hands-on-hips” posture is supposed to have its roots in the animal kingdom, evolving from the way animals fluff their fur to make themselves look larger when in a threatening situation.

Some of Crupi’s works are included in the group exhibition Gestures: Past, Present and Future on view through November 5, 2023, at Koblenz State Museum Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. She will also open a solo show on March 25, 2024, at Indianapolis Art Center. Until then, follow updates to the ongoing Tools for Reassuring Contact series on her site."

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/

Kumkum Fernando

"In vibrant color, Kumkum Fernando’s hulking, hybrid figures (previously) wander through an enigmatic and quickly evolving world. “The melancholy characters of The Lost Mystics are searching for meaning, crisscrossing time and space, unmoored and chasing illusions,” says a statement from Jonathan Levine Projects, which presents the artist’s solo exhibition during ArtPrize.

Fernando repurposes found wood, nails, and metal details into modular beings, some of which have removable crowns. The artist draws on a wide range of global traditions, from Ethiopian and Sri Lankan masks to American board games to Buddhist and Hindu folktales. Simultaneously robotic and mystical, each character interacts with its surroundings in a unique way. The duo in “Soul Mates,” for example, are said to have traveled 23 million light years to find one another, and in “Which Way Is Home,” the creature turns its three heads in a perpetual search for direction.

The Lost Mystics is on view at the ArtPrize Clubhouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan, through October 1. Explore more on the artist’s website and Instagram."

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/