Semester 1 Final Project
For my final project this semester I chose to take inspiration from Edward Hopper and emulate his 1942 painting Nighthawks. This painting caught my eye because the art style and theme intrigue me. I love the subtle tells in body language of the characters that make them all tell a different story. I also love the composition of this image and wanted to try and show that in a 3D way. Additionally, I had already heard of Edward Hopper and been interested in his work. Edward Hopper lived from 1882 to 1967 and was famous for his oil paintings of American modern life using realism. His work often has underlying themes highlighting isolation, modern alienation, solitude, and loneliness. He was born in New York and studied art at the New York School of Art, studying under Robert Henri. Henri taught him about the use of light and shadow, encouraging direct engagement with the world. Later Hopper traveled to Europe multiple times, taking inspiration from the European (mainly French) Realists and Impressionists. Originally working as an illustrator, in the 1920s Hopper shifted toward fine art and gained major recognition in 1942 for Nighthawks.
Research site used: Edward Hopper Biography
Stage 1: Brainstorm
When approaching beginning my project, I first sketched out a few loose plans/sketches to get the basis of what I was making in my head. I decided on a diorama-type box with an open side to see into the scene. My design/structure is loosely inspired by a ceramic diorama robot bar set that my uncle constructed a few years ago.
<-- Inspo
Stage 2: Greenware
Once I finalized my plan I slab-rolled all of my clay. I measured out three 10x6 rectangles of slab to be my bottom, back, and top. I had to rewedge my scraps and add more clay to have enough to slab roll and cut out two 6x6 squares for the sides. I then used a rubber kidney and water to smooth out both sides of my slabs. Before constructing my box I left my slabs outside in the sun for around 15 minutes in order to allow them to slightly stiffen up. Next, I scored and slipped one of my squares to the side of one of the rectangles. I used another piece of clay to prop the newly attached side up vertically while I added the rectangle that would become the back wall. Then I add the other square on the other side and the other rectangle on the other side, all five pieces forming a lid-less box. Then I put the whole box under plastic wrap for a day or two. Separately, I cut my bar out of a very thick slab then scored and slipped it onto the bottom of the box. I carved a door out of the back wall with a wooden carving tool. And last but not least I molded my people and decor, then scored and slipped it into the diagram. Before letting it dry I cleaned up all the edges with a wooden scoop tool and carved the bar name into the side of the box.
Stage 3: Underglazing and Glazing
Due to a shortage of time, I started underglazing when my piece was still wet (though it was leather hard so it didn't prove to be a problem). I painted the stools redwood brown, the bar and the door a darker brown, the bar decor grey, and the people black to look like silhouettes. Due to it being a small enclosed box, this project was very difficult to glaze with precision and I ended up scraping off underglaze with a needle tool a lot to clean it up. After the piece was bisqued I glazed the inside of the box with clear glaze and the outside with a blue as an homage to the blue in the original painting. The blue glaze on the outside is opalescent so that the bar name on the side of the box would show through.
Stage 4: Final Product/Conclusion
A few little problems emerged throughout the making of this that threatened its outcome, but it pulled through in the end. I was nervous that the roof of the box would collapse when I was sculpting inside it but I avoided that by drying the slabs in the sun to stuffen them and using other clay to make support braces for the walls. Another problem that occurred was that I couldn't get a precise angle with a brush to underglaze some in the back of the box, which I worked around by putting too much underglaze on and scraping off the excess. The main issue I ran into was obviously starting the project too late and missing the cutoff for firings. If I were to do this again I would keep my design and plan but make two changes to the way I went about it. 1) I would have added the inside bar decor and underglazed it before I added the roof on to make it easier to reach them. 2) I would have begun my project a week earlier than I did so that my piece would be fired twice, with time to spare (take away the urgency of working against the clock). But overall I am pleased with how it has turned out, and very grateful that it was fired in time.