Category: Art Experience

This assignment was by far the best experience I did throughout this class. I bought all my supplies at the CSULB art store: the big canvas, and 5 paints of yellow, red, blue, black and and white. I didn’t know what colors I wanted to paint with so I went with the primary colors since I could create any color I wanted plus black and white for shades.

Finger painting sounds simple and easy but it was quite difficult than I expected. When I put the paint on top the canvas it dried very easily. I had to work very fast and mix the colors quickly.

The piece I made was originally going to a big canvas of blue and brown streaks. I did make it random at first but then it started to look like something. It was difficult for me to create an artwork with no subject as I like to make are that relates to myself. I don’t typically like abstract because its just random paint splattered everywhere. I was frustrated because once I finished the blue and brown streaks I thought it looked incomplete. This made me add more color but then it started to look like a subject. In my mind my piece is coral underwater. Originally, I didn’t intend for this to happen. I like drawing and painting things that have a subject. In my attempt to make a piece thats ideally abstract it turned into something not abstract.

Compared to other abstract paintings I’ve seen I don’t think mines is great. I like to use brushes and using my finger was difficult because I like clean cut lines. However, the overall experience was great! I love how it got messy and my hand was covered in paint by the time I finished painting. I believe that if I practice this technique I could get better at it and learn to appreciate it rather than using brushes.

On the day I was assigned to “make a plaster cast of my body part” I had no knowledge of what the term “plaster casting” meant. I soon learned it was a three-dimensional copy of a mold or object simply made by plaster. This project was assigned last week, however, due to the cold weather there was an extension. The next weekend I planned to go to the beach and do my project, but as I looked at the weather and I found out it was going to rain (both Saturday and Sunday). Seemingly, Friday was the perfect date.

On Friday, March 1st, my friend and I traveled to Seal Beach. We first arrived at a hardware store near the beach to buy my supplies. With a bucket, shovel, and plaster in my hand, we walked for five minutes and arrived at the beach. The sun was still up, but the weather was freezing. Putting down all my supplies on the sand I first started digging a hole. Grabbing wet sand from the shore, I buried my hand with it to create the mold. I then filled my bucket with a small amount of water and dumped the plaster, trying my best to create a 2:1 ratio. Stirring it together I wasn’t so sure if it was too watery or just right. It looked like buttermilk. I then began to pour the plaster into my mold. By the time I finished pouring, the sun went down and the wind began to blow. During the thirty minutes of waiting, my friend and I started listening and dancing to music while also taking in the view and calming breeze of the ocean. Time went by quickly. I gently removed my plaster and dusted off the sand. I was surprised at the outcome. Looking at what was supposed to be my hand I asked myself, “Where did my other fingers go?!” My piece looked like an aliens hand. We soon left the beach and arrived at home. Waiting a couple hours, I washed it off with water and it started to look like a piece of coral. I thought it was pretty cool.

This experience made me do something I’ve never done before. I was happily surprised with the outcome of my piece even though it wasn’t perfect. I would most likely make another plaster cast in the future, but maybe not with sand. It was very messy and the sand got everywhere. I was recently watching Youtube videos about plaster casting and people made casts of their face or objects around them out of silicone molds or gauze bandages. Those molds were very detailed and I loved the outcome of their pieces. Since I have some plaster left I would love to make another one in my free time!

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