Progression
UCA - Farnham
Illustration animation
Everything is designed. Whether it be grown or crafted. It draws together into the set that is the world. I am continuously inspired by my surroundings. I see story’s and what’s not there. I can imagine something new and something old. I want to share these stories I wish to tell them with whatever I can make.
I can look to the past for inspiration such as ancient methods of storytelling such as cave paintings and sculptures. Artists such as Francis Bacon, Egon Schiele and Vincent Van Gogh creating expressionist art where emotion and subjective is valued over objective. In expressionist art the soul could be heard louder than before in still image such as Der Schrei der Natur (1893) Edvard Munch. Disturbing to this day, it could be argued that the swirling sky and lake are screaming along with the shocked androgynous figure in the foreground portraying Munch himself. This painting was disturbing for its time and to some it still is. Artist like Munch who were breaking normalities and societal values in their time are an ode to art today. What is considered art and its boundaries are something that is open to anyone today and I want to help do that by being transparent in my work and focusing on expressing myself. Respecting new movements and investigating the latest methods of expressionism and other art movements are important to building a palette of storytelling tools which I am eager to venture for.
Artists today such as Yayoi Kusuma who has produced work from the sixties to today is an example of art thriving through the everchanging art scene. She was ahead of her time moving from traditional Japanese art style nihonga to then being inspired by America’s abstract impressionism scene to her now diverse mediums in contemporary artDirector Wes Anderson’s discography of films are artworks. These include his motifs of symmetrical frames, limited and slightly off-colour palette, often portraying children characters as the mature adults by use of smart clothing and confident body language contradicting his slightly disarranged adults. I will be an auteur of my own in illustration animation and I will define my style through motifs and skills developed through continuous expanding and learning. I will experiment like my idols and carry on igniting my imagination for the sake of sharing because I think this is the most important thing to do.
Communicating through images is very important for the imagination and I think the mass majority people this resonates with is children. They are usually the target audience for animation and I’m not surprised. Animation films are visually appealing and often have very linear and understandable narratives that are engaging and easier to comprehend than their verbal or written dialogue. I think it’s important to make sure those creating these stories have a positive influence on their growth as a person.
I was a cub scout young leader for two years with children ages ranging from 7 ½ to 11 helping them have fun developing communication and creativity simple skills needed for life. I am inspired by the children’s desire for independence and I hope that they can nurture their awe of the world and build their forms of communication such as through art with help from creative tools that I have been able to share through what I make.
I studied film studies at A Level and I’m currently studying on a foundation art and design course and I want to combine what I have learnt and what I am currently learning; my habitual drawing with my passion of film.
Notebook Process deciding what university to study at and what course:
UCAS Final Personal Statement
Everything is designed. Whether it is grown or crafted. Every detail is part of a bigger
picture that is the world. I am constantly amazed and inspired by my surroundings. I read
between the lines to discover what others may not think to look for. I have a creative desire
to share stories of my findings with whatever I am able to make.
I am able to look into the past and present for inspiration to influence my work and
creativity. For example, ancient methods of storytelling like the cave art Venus figurine,
depicts the inheritance of values to female fertility. This provokes me consider the preferred
reading and sustainability of what I create. Artists that inspire me from the past include
Vincent Van Gogh and Edvard Munch. These artists helped build the foundations to the
expressionism and impressionism movement where emotion and subjectivity is valued over
objectivity. I am a huge fan of this art because soul and individuality can be heard louder in
works such as Der Schrei der Natur (1893) Edvard Munch more than in the vacant and mysterious
Portrait of Mona Lisa (1503-19) Leonardo Da Vinci. Its swirling sky and lake can be
interpreted as screaming along with the infamously disturbed and androgynous figure in the
foreground possibly depicting Munch himself. This painting, perceived as unsettling for its
time, exhibits the pain of Munch's tragic life, frozen in a time of mistreatment and disregard
to mental health much like his contemporary approaches to creating. Artists like Munch who
were breaking normalities and societal values are an ode to art today. Artists today that
inspire me include Yayoi Kusuma who have produced work from the sixties up to the present day,
are examples of art thriving through the ever changing global art scene as well as societal
values and changes. Kusuma was certainly ahead of her time as a female artist moving from the
traditional Japanese art style 'Nihonga', to then being inspired by America's abstract
impressionism scene to her now diverse mediums in contemporary art like installation of
Narcissus Garden (1966-2018). I believe that any medium can be considered to be part of the
fine art world. Films by director, screenwriter and producer, Wes Anderson, are artworks
bursting with creativity from a well-loved discography that I adore. His iconic filmmaking
motifs of symmetrical frames, limited and slightly off-colour palettes and often visually
portraying children characters as mature adults with the use of formal costumes and confident,
affirmative body language, contradicting his slightly disarranged adult characters all
resonate as fine art to me. I will take inspiration from auteurs like Anderson and be an
auteur of my own in my fine art work by discovering and defining my style through motifs and
skills that I will develop through continuous experimenting and a burn to ignite my
imagination for the sake of art and sharing.
Collaboration is key for change. I have completed my Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award and
National Citizen Service Award and I am currently completing my DofE Gold Award. Throughout
completing these, I have committed to months of volunteering at my local Cub Scouts group and
spent close time with my expedition teams. I have studied film studies at A Level, where I
helped create two short films in small production crews. These collaboration projects have
collectively taught me to not underestimate the importance of listening and to not be afraid
of questioning things for the better. This could simply mean remembering to value all feedback
of an art piece I've created, especially if it is critical but instead using it as an
opportunity to try something new. I am currently studying foundation art and design combining
my collaboration experiences to motivate and inspire me to change the world. The world needs
artists and with the combination of my skills and university I will reach my creative
potential as an independent and confident creator.