Reading Response: “Ornament” by William M. Ivins

William Ivins explains how design is based on craftsmanship and the two are different established by the study of the two. The difference between design and craftsmanship is that design involves creating a technical language, ornamental drawing or blueprint on drawing paper for the craftsman. In comparison, the craftsman works from that sketch on the drawing paper. The author says it is important to collect and study drawings, prints and book decorations because not only for proper understanding of the functional growth and development of ornament but also as the source for inspiration of a new design.  

The museum communicates this idea of collection and study because the museums display valuable collections of woodwork, plates, pottery, furniture and textiles. In addition, museums display these collections to and study of drawings, book decorations, and prints to influence and inspire viewers to create new designs for creating potential artwork. Irvins, explains how this country has been tending to fail in design and is falling behind the development of craftsmanship.  He clarifies, it is important to collect and study drawings, prints and book decorations because not only for proper understanding of the functional growth and development of ornament but also as the source for inspiration of a new designs. 

Furthermore, Irvins expresses how museums should be more progressive as a collective force towards establishing great collections of ornament and utilizing it so that artists may turn to for inspiration and aid when they have learned the art.

Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh: Deep Surface "Ornament and Pattern"

Pattern is described as essential to life and fundamental towards its relationship with ornament. With pattern recognition, we recognize relationships which helps us interpret what we see and adds layers of meaning to that encounter. As designers and artists use ornament to translate their perception or concept that ornament becomes an extension of their vision. Ornament mirrors the intertwined nature of life, ornament communicates in an aesthetic language of complex exchanges. In addition, contemporary designers use ornament as their medium of exchange and tell us tales and stories about objects. The tales of ornament are woven by their own experiences by outside influences.

Ornament and Pattern were meant to engage the mind through the eye. Ornament and Pattern work as form- based languages by visually depicting ideas. Contemporary ornaments communicate customs, lore, histories and the appreciation of craft. Despite ornament’s pejorative associations with eastern decadence and feminine weakness known as “feminine arts of decoration” ornament survived. With technology advancing, mass production handcrafted decoration declined because of the expense. Machines were inexpensive than highly trained artisans.  Later, machine produced ornament would be known as “inferior ornament”. Quickly, ornament started losing its cache of exclusivity and social refinement.

With the future approaching, ornament would arrive in the form (and forms) of Modernism. The values of design were changing to structural elements including abstract and geometric ornament. In brief, technology helped develop potentials to rethink and remake ornament that would be renovated based on the changing elements of design within ornament and pattern.

Topic #2: Pattern and Ornament Small Work #2 Chair Design

       From the furniture section of the pattern book " A handbook of Ornament" I chose a chair pattern that best communicated my personality. I chose the chair pattern "Stool",below in the center of the photo, chair pattern figure: eight/image plate: two hundred forty seven.

      I chose this chair pattern because even with its simple frame and a lower stool height it provides an appealing yet attractive feature to it due to the curvature of the legs and the fabric laced over. The stool is petite but is still functional as a chair to sit on. This stool reminds me of when I am getting ready to go out to an event as I sit applying my makeup in front of my vanity mirror.

Topic #2: Pattern and Ornament Small Work #1

      The first small work for the Pattern and Ornament topic was to create a three-dimensional representation of one of our fifty Form based-language designs. The formed was to be created fully three- dimensional using planar materials including: paper (bristol), cardboard, matboard, manila folders, tin foil, cardboard, plastic wrap, and paper mache.


      The form had to fit within the volume of approximately four inches in all dimensions. Based on the materials we were allowed to use for this small work we had to use Bloom's taxonomy method: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create to develop our three dimensional language based form. 


    Furthermore, as part of this assignment as well we created a set of instructions describing the process on how to recreate the form so that one of our classmates can build the structure. In class we exchanged our instructions with each other and began building the language based form just by following the set of instructions given. One of most important aspects in creating this small work was focusing on the creative process to make the three dimensional form.

Pattern and Ornament: Research (observational)

     Here I have posted below are some images of pattern and ornament within my daily life. I chose patterns and ornamental decorations from the environment around me.

    I selected patterns and ornamental decorations from a quilt, room separator, ornamental decorative element on below the glass top of a table, the organic wood ring forms on the side of a desk, and the geometric shaped pattern on the couch in my room.

 

Sketchbook Work: Form-Based Language

            For this assignment I developed my own personal language of shapes that draw upon my own experiences based on my visual environment. I created my own personal language of shapes joined with organic forms that visually represent thoughts, places, actions, events, and objects within my daily life.

            The organization of the designs are based on a collage style with perception of depth pattern reoccurring with a vary of values. The personal form-based language designs communicated to the viewer, changes depending on the perspective. Furthermore, the planning of the form-based language designs incorporates industrial style forms with linear shapes.

The Creative Impulse: Assignment #1

              For this assignment we were to create three images or objects two dimensional, three dimensional or both based on a similar object in our home/ environment. The second part of the assignment was to create two more works but one of them would be compose of the three material choices we chose in class. The first three art works I made were based on: Pilon (wooden kitchen grinder), woven palm fan, ceramic serving dishes (white and blue).

             Based on the three objects I chose for this assignment I create a small abstract painting, rubbing of hair brushes intersecting each other, and a fan from recycled cardboard. The other two small works I created were based on: glass-blown oil lamp, and sushi. I created another painting with organic forms and geometric shapes and made sushi from recycled materials including: foam, wood shavings, plastic wrap and can holders.


            This assignment helped me realize that you are not limited to materials you can use to create your artwork. I enjoyed painting but it was a bit challenging because I have never taken a painting class before. I experimented on a way to create an abstract painting with the technique called "fluid painting" which I took pleasure in making because I have never painted using this technique before.

PAMM: Spots, Dots, Pips, Tile

When I was first given this assignment I really did not know what to expect from the exhibition. I knew that I would be viewing artwork using the context of dominos but I did not know how the artists' would connect dominos to their artwork. This was my second time going to Perez Art Museum Miami so I was really excited to go to see this new exhibition.

My overall impression from the show was that it was very successful in communicating the context of the domino including community, unification and chain reaction towards how dominos brings people of different cultures together. There was a balance of different forms of art that were used throughout the exhibition.

I enjoyed the interactive qualities to the exhibit including the video art and the interactive table with the domino game set up for the audience to play.

As a Puertorican artist it was refreshing to see artwork made by people from my culture because I have not seen enough of Puertorican art. The art work that I viewed discussed the history of sugar cane harvesting on the island, the chaotic city life where the domino game are is often played, and connects the personal and cultural relationship with dominos using the table design from outdoor domino tables in the park.