Creativity & Development of concepts

[Philip Streeting]

Gordon, I think a 'you've dun good' is an appropriate comment to make. Your words, for me, are as important than the object in that you have described a shift in your view of what may be possible for you.

Hopefully others will now be encouraged to give it a go. You have illustrated the only right solution to the problem posed is the one you are satisfied with. If it is right then move on to the next, if it isn't quite then try again or modify.

Maybe this exercise will encourage you to be more confident and try other shapes and forms or refine the ones you are using within the work you have to do to make some money!

Look forward to seeing how things develop for you both on this thread and others.

Phil

 

[Philip Streeting]

Concepts and theories.

As well as using physical or pictorial references for ideas and work it is interesting to use words, concepts and theories as points of departure to produce a body of work. This method can sometimes provide difficulties for the viewer or critic. In recent years artists and some craftspeople have used ideas and theories from diverse sources to provide stimulus and direction for their works. Ideas may come from literature, social comment, the media, philosophy, science, psychoanalysis and many other sources.

When commenting on a piece it may be necessary to have some idea or understanding of the concept/idea/theory being used and how it is being applied before it is possible to describe the success or failure of the work presented. This would apply equally to both the artistic merit and applied craft techniques used as they may well be interdependent.

Creative Brief 2:
To begin to investigate the above method as a source of ideas for your work use the word ‘Balance’ described here

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Balance

as a starting point to produce a small body of work and present it for discussion and critique.

 

[Philip Streeting]

Happy discussing.
Phil

 

[gus3049]

Good brief.... rats, misprint - that should have said 'good grief'

This will need a bit of cogitation as, of course, some things work because they don't have balance but actually set certain elements against each other in, shall we say for the joy of it "unbalanced juxtaposition:"

I thought the idea was to stimulate the grey cells, not send them screaming for help

 

[Wood spoiler]

Sorry Phil, I am struggling to keep up already!

Haven't turned my object based on your plant parts yet. I am keeping track though. Hopefully will catch up soon.

Just have to get my turning in Balance :lol:

 

[Philip Streeting]

No probs Colin - none of this is time limited. It is your discussion thread primarily to which I said I would add some example project briefs. My job is done

Phil

 

[gus3049]

Hmm...... :shock:

I suppose one must start by trying to define what 'balance' means in relation to form. I would guess that there is only one perfectly balanced form and that would be a perfect sphere where every part, section or point on its surface relates to every other in exactly the same way. Followed by a cube - assuming it is standing level on one side and then ever onward.

Socrates, he say " Well, then, if we cannot capture the good in one form, we will have to take hold of it in a conjunction of three: beauty, proportion and truth. Let us affirm that these should by right be treated as a unity and be held responsible for what is in the mixture, for goodness is what makes the mixture good in itself".

So we have a further 'balance' to consider. Not just the physical form itself but the way its impinges on our developed sense of beauty and proportion - which is probably rather different in all of us but one has to accept that there is, in every generation, an accepted standard to judge against.

The 'truth' bit becomes a little contentious I suspect in relation to the discussion here. For me, when it comes to making stuff, I have no sense of trying to actually 'say' anything. I am just trying to find something in the wood that says "hey, that is interesting and beautiful and I would like to put it on the mantlepiece and stare at it for a while" Perhaps my philosophical pretensions have been leaned on. It either looks 'good' or it doesn't according to education, how we have been sensitised to art and design or if we have been subject to the "philistine' approach to living that seems to aim at the lowest common denominator in all things. (Not sure about the last bit, I suppose its up for discussion :lol: )

However, I see other people describing what a piece represents to them and unless it is truly representational, I usually find the imagery either incredibly obvious or too obscure to actually mean what they say. This is why I would never name a piece although it seems a popular thing to do, maybe its about added value. I would also say, that I have very little time for work that is done "just because I could", stretching the technical limits but giving, it seems, almost no thought to the beauty and balance of the form itself. Surely, the technical skills are there to help produce what the heart and mind says it wants to achieve. The practice pieces should be left in storage.

Perhaps my sensitivity needs turning up. :roll:

Over to others.

 

[Wood spoiler]

I have no philosophical pretensions. The only quote I can recall is Confucious. He say "man with hand in pocket feel cocky all day". The balance or balancing found there is not suitable for a discussion here!

Balance in the real world is around the pivotal point or in the reflective yin to yang.
Balance can also be viewed as Moderation. Broadcasters take the term to be by having all extremes or contra views it achieves balance.

The dictionary has it's own description being the term Phil has referred us to. But let's face it the legal systems generates billions arguing over the printed, and implied, word.theologians have spent millennia debating the same.

Final analysis says, like all things we produce it is in the eye of the beholder, meaning, as is the point of this, it is whatever we interpret it to be

 

[gus3049]

Used up the bit of box that was left over after the little form and wondered how the effect would look on a bowl. Bit of work to do on the finish again but I quite like it. The bowl itself is just 60mm diameter.

Mustn't get hung up on this sort of thing but it seems worth pursuing to see where it leads.

 

[Silverbirch]

Still trying to work my way through brief 1!
As I suggested in the sketch I posted previously, I thought the central section of Phil`s piece of plant material could be the basis for a vase with a diagonal pattern of spots/dots/circles etc.

As it`s based on a natural object, I want the pattern to be obvious, but not too crisp and regular, like my coffee mug.

I`ve turned the basic piece. Next step is to decide on the colour, pattern and texture to be added.

I`ll keep you posted!

Ian

 

[gus3049]

Still trying to work my way through brief 1!
As I suggested in the sketch I posted previously, I thought the central section of Phil`s piece of plant material could be the basis for a vase with a diagonal pattern of spots/dots/circles etc.
As it`s based on a natural object, I want the pattern to be obvious, but not too crisp and regular, like my coffee mug.
I`ve turned the basic piece. Next step is to decide on the colour, pattern and texture to be added.
I`ll keep you posted!
Ian

Oh goodie,

I was feeling lonely

 

[Silverbirch]

However, I see other people describing what a piece represents to them and unless it is truly representational, I usually find the imagery either incredibly obvious or too obscure to actually mean what they say. This is why I would never name a piece although it seems a popular thing to do, maybe its about added value.

Very well put, Gordon.

The practice pieces should be left in storage.

Agreed, but there is a distinction to be made between practice pieces and experimental pieces, which are always interesting to see, or if the practice piece is posted to ask for advice or feedback, that`s OK too.

Ian

 

[Wood spoiler]

Still trying to work my way through brief 1!
As I suggested in the sketch I posted previously, I thought the central section of Phil`s piece of plant material could be the basis for a vase with a diagonal pattern of spots/dots/circles etc.

As it`s based on a natural object, I want the pattern to be obvious, but not too crisp and regular, like my coffee mug.

I`ve turned the basic piece. Next step is to decide on the colour, pattern and texture to be added.

I`ll keep you posted!

Ian

My eye is drawn to the same section. My practical interpretation is still lagging behind.

Your blank is a lovely shape - almost tempted to say doing anything else would ruin it :shock:

I sometimes take in to work for show and tell, a work in progress. I always get asked by one of the chaps if I'm going to ruin it with graffiti or take great lumps out of it!

Usually the finished article is appreciated

It's looking good - we're watching this space ....

 

[Philip Streeting]

Good to see some more things happening

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

Phil

 

[Silverbirch]

Your blank is a lovely shape - almost tempted to say doing anything else would ruin it :shock:

Thanks Colin, but the lovely shape will hopefully remain, whatever else I do.
You just might not notice it any more under the c**p that I put on top :lol:

Ian

 

[Wood spoiler]

OK chaps - I have been up the shed and turned my "form" ready to express myself on

A journey into the unknown is plotted

 

[gus3049]

Good to see some more things happening

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

Phil

That is one great speech. Its hard to argue with anything he said. One has to say that the word 'balance' comes to mind here. We are going to need the head as well as the heart or humans really won't survive. As he said though the word 'failure' has a lot to answer for. Best not get into the current climate in the UK I think, there are other threads for that.

 

[Philip Streeting]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_(sculpture)

 

[boysie39]

OK chaps - I have been up the shed and turned my "form" ready to express myself on

A journey into the unknown is plotted

Well folks' Phil seems to have everything under control from OUR :roll: :lol: side of things, it's up to you now to sort your way through the mine fields and produce your interpretations best of luck to you all.

In the meantime as Colin has quoted I am off to the Big Shed where they are going to hook me up to the National Grid to see if they can straighten me out So watch out for a reduction of power when you are at your lathes I'm not sure which day yet, but you can blame me for your mistakes :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Take care a nd God Bless

 

[Philip Streeting]

Thanks Eugene - I think we have illustrated together what can be achieved with some collaborative working.
Phil

Here are some other links just to stimulate some thoughts. Photobucket and any other online image storage system can provide random and sometimes disconnected images named 'Balance' that can send you thinking off at a tangent as well as providing useful ones! Research can sometimes be the key to unlock your creative thinking and doing. Try typing in some of the more usual words we use in turning such as bowl, vase, hollow, spindle, skew and see what surfaces :shock:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fileavid ... alance.jpg

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Balance& ... 00&bih=747

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/v ... jx9IsgPKVr

http://photobucket.com/images/balance/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ28