JONATHAN !GREER LEARNING PORTFOLIO

Icebreaker 1 iteration

A Well-Considered & Well- Crafted Thing Of Beauty:

Abstract Model making 6 iterations

A Well-Considered & Well- Crafted Thing Of Beauty:

Collage Studies 5 iterations

Icebreaker For the Icebreaker

exercise I analyized the core inspirations within myself in specific detail. It was very insightful to consider the detailed aspect of my life that our of true impact on an emotional level. As a open design to express These inspirations; I went ahead and designed it as a box that punctures from the wall and when dissected is interconnected by placement of relationship with specified parts that have acted on others creating a emphasis to all other inspirations.

My inspirations were of nature, which was specified into my passion for gardening; Music, to a paticular composition by Tagaki Masakatsu’s – New Flat; Art, into my favorite Japanese wood block by Hiroshi Yoshida’s – Calm Wind-

My family, stemmed into separate inspirations, my mother and father whom are a inspiration in an oppositional way and my grandmother whom is placed in the middle as the primary relationship to all inspirations. Gained from my grandmothers influence to me and words that have been expressed as words I stand by, “If you want something bad enough you have to work hard for it.”

Quercus muehlenbergii, the chinkapin oak (or chinquapin oak)

“A well-crafted & well-considered thing of beauty” the projects intention was to take a specific inspiration and create an abstract artifact that takes the very essence of it’s remains and represent the beauty of the object without actually being obvious.

After much thought, the North American eastern tree called the “Chinquapin Oak" was my selection. It symbolizes a lot of my own virtues; it thrives in soil where limestone is found, it’s expected to live a short life, at a young age it can go without much sun, but in adult years needs it to thrive. It sprouts acorns come fall that are sweet and edible by both animals and humans and must be aware of its biggest enemy the gypsy moth whom thrive when it defoliates.

Iteration 1

In my first iteration I wanted to capture the relationship that co-exist in the structure of the tree and the leaves.

I Also wanted to express the types of characteristics that are represented within a tree, the aging of the bark, the weight and It’s variations in proportions and the values that range from season to season.

The material used were manufactured raw paper (recovered off of bailers of paper bags which are separated by these), glue and acrylic colors (mixed): blue, yellow, green, and white.

In reflection, The design was to have the body of the tree thrust threw the middle of leaf skeleton that penetrates threw the trunk, creating a bridge between the two.

I spent to much time on creating the tree trunk that was over saturated by to many coats of brown, which than made the detail washed out. This also gave less time to focus on the design itself which should have been more primary. I had not researched enough and also not discovered my chinquapin oak tree which made it hard to specify the dualities intended.

Iteration 2

In my second iteration with I wanted to capture the deconstruction and character that is embodied by the chinquapin oak tree. For this abstract iteration I focused on movement at my primary, arch and direction as my secondary, and the compression of the material itself as the tertiary.

The material used were manufactured raw paper (recovered off of bailers of paper bags which are separated by these) variation in thickness of 3, 5, and 7, with the length of 7inches, and glue.

Also taking “Fabaino theory” which emphasizes that all things in nature relate to certain principal of geometric order and applying that to the layers of raw paper glued in different thicknesses.

In reflection, realized certain limitations with certain adhesive glues and with certain geometry order that is unfamiliar. Even though threw this trails; I was able to become more organized and create more relationship to the values. From playing with the material and giving myself more time was able to allow the vision to evolve regardless of design or material restrictions.

Iteration 3

In the third iteration, my intention was to focus more on the order and organization of the model. To emphasize on repetition and the direction.

The material used were manufactured raw paper (recovered off of bailers of paper bags which are separated by these) with thickness of 3,4,5 and gradual in length from eight, quarter, half inches, and glue.

In reflection, From emphasizing on only repetition and direction the relationship of primary, secondary and tertiary got lost in the symmetry of the iteration. What was gained were the planning and preparation; I spent time building a model before I built this iteration. This helped me in understanding the importance of “play” to try out thoughts, and be effective to seeing possibilities of my design and applying them.

Iteration 4

In iteration 4 I wanted to re emphasize on the relationship and network of the primary, secondary, and tertiary. By creating separate pieces and bringing them together to create the primary. With the different geometric lengths create the secondary. The space and repetition embodied the tertiary.

The material used were manufactured raw paper (recovered off of bailers of paper bags which are separated by these) with layers of 3 and gradually sized by a quarter to a half size by individual pieces, and glue.

In Reflection, creating separate pieces were a advantage to its composition. The intersection gave for a better relationship but threw complexity the relationship became lost. In the hierarchy there was a gain of implied converging purpose to the iteration. The intention was to create 2 separate pieces and to have them interact as the wind interacts with a chinquapin oak tree.

The 2 pieces are the external force (wind) and the relationship they have becomes the internal skeleton (tree.)

Iteration 5

The purpose in the fifth iteration was to find a relationship in 3 external pieces and how when implied, converge the skeleton as it transitions into it’s skin and make it the primary, as the secondary is the skeleton distorted in intervals, and the tertiary is seen through “fabaino theory”- layers that are in movement internally.

The material used were manufactured raw paper (recovered off of bailers of paper bags which are separated by these), layers of 4,5,6 and glue.

In reflection, without proper time management was unable to finish the project. Which was another learning lesson to be aware of the time it should take and where and what becomes of more value in the design if and when something can not be finish to express it’s purpose most. This iteration had a very important implication for me, that by making the material, I, lose more time emphasizing the design and that it was time to simplify the construction of material so that I can truly focus on it’s design.

Iteration 6

For iteration 6 with the introduction of new material allowed the model to evolve into a complex, organized, and well crafted thing of beauty. As the primary became more reconfigured as a relationship between the old material with the new material, the secondary as the 2 materials converge together intersecting and building on the skin of the primary as the skeleton, and the tertiary that compromised of the newly added material to create grace and elegant complexity.

The material used were manufactured raw paper (recovered off of bailers of paper bags which are separated by these), new added materials of chipboard (which layered to the raw paper), bass wood in various thicknesses, and glue.

In reflection, this iteration proved to be my strongest.

The emphasis of my design truly blossomed into something beautiful that the chinquapin oak tree resembles, whimsical by the curvilinear lines , a sense of direction, and this sense of dominance by the raw paper to the bass wood; the stronger hard material become the lighter more rhythmic piece, as the lighter raw paper becomes the rigid and stronger material.

Collage 1

In Collage one was an attempt to simplify the order of the complexity of my iterations in different scales of 3 dimensions into something of 2 dimensional landscape. The focal point of this iteration was to capture location and movement. Juxtaposing the dualities of the scale of small linear lines and enlarging them into the foreground give them a presence.

The process was over 200 photos from all landscape point of view, above, and below in 360 degree angles as well as details views of different linear lines detail and vanishing points. This than also was touched up in preview and printed over 300 copies. Next, was the process of elimination, photographs that could be related throughout all six iterations by oversaturation, weak in contrast, and lack the vitally of representing any complexity or clarity. To narrow it even further, selecting photographs that had certain relationships, cutting them and than playing with curvilinear lines, alignment, center points, vanishing points, proportions, intervals, displacements, and there intention. After settling and discarding certain elements glued what represented the best 2 dimensions of the 3 dimension iteration.

In reflection, realized that what is important in 3 dimension is vital in 2 dimensions with a larger primary to give shape, secondary that allows for skeleton or depth to develop, and tertiary that give for the complexity and dynamic to the collage. For this first iteration felt that it lacked such complexity through the larger photographs and the color affected judgment to it’s secondary properties, but that it achieved a primary skin.

Collage 2

For collage two I wanted to have a singular center point which all elements stemmed from. This allowed for certain displacements of the center point and gave solely a hierarchical importance to this center point. Using my 6th iteration because of its clarity and material relationship.

The process was over 200 photos from all landscape point of view, above, and below in 360 degree angles as well as details views of different linear lines detail and vanishing points. This than also was touched up in preview and printed over 300 copies. Next, was the process of elimination, photographs that could be related throughout all six iterations by oversaturation, weak contrast, and lack the vitally of representing any complexity or clarity. To narrow it even further, selecting photographs that had certain relationships, cutting them and than playing with curvilinear lines, alignment, center points, vanishing points, proportions, intervals, displacements, and there intention. After settling and discarding certain elements glued what represented the best 2 dimensions of the 3 dimension iteration.

In Reflection, the collage become more artistic than designed. It had achieved a singular vanishing point but lacked primary, secondary, and only seemed to have tertiary. This Collage felt as though a step back and from to complex, less elements are needed with repetition, and different scales of selected elements.

Collage 3

In collage three started to narrow paticular elements from my iterations. I noticed that with iterations 4,5, and 6 their were relationships that were constantly becoming apparent and simplified it to these three. After minimal zing the elements started to repetition certain elements that stemmed from two center point one in the upper left corner and one in the center. After this process began to create alignments and constructive lines to these center points. The intention was to have a lighter secondary transition by the second center point creating a transition of the elements into more depth and solid linear lines.

The process was to narrow the elements used by their relationship to one another. After the elements were made, began to find repetitive order and to apply this in center center points, alignments, intervals, and constructive lines. To further narrow these elements by cutting them and finding their placement and eliminating any further elements that might not thrive the order.

In reflection, the collage became to homogeneous and lacked certain simplified alignments that I wanted to achieve in my first collage. It did however, hold a more complex and simplified tertiary component, and the creation of a primary component. The secondary wasn’t as visible as it could’ve been within the transition. The elements need to be simplified further, more repetitive, and finally eliminate color to focus on the elements themselves.

Collage 4

For collage four I focused on function of repetition and the primary body than on secondary and tertiary. Simplified the elements by scale, converting them to black and white, and qualities that were lost in the previous iteration through its complexity. By creating a denser foreground that the center point comes from in the upper left hand corner, was able to create alignments, axial relationships, and proportions between the lighter elements and the transition of where the intersected with the denser foreground element.

The process were after tracing over collage 3 and taking 20 photos that have shown to have certain relationship values from iterations 4,5,6 and than converting them to black and white photographs. After eliminating certain photographs that have shown to condense rather than allow the elements to breathe made different scales of each. With another process of elimination pick three paticular elements that have shown to be most vital and consistent in the past 3 collages.

In reflection, this collage shows a solid design direction through alignment, axial relationship, center point, proportions of lighter to denser elements. Although it lacks a more dynamic primary, it proves to be a stronger collage relative to collage one. The next collage should have more organization, so that it creates a relationship with intention to the function of the primary, secondary, and tertiary.

Collage 5

For collage five the intention was to take the 3 elements that we’re selected and to re organize them in a manner that creates a more dynamic collage. By adding more repetitive elements to the collage and orientating them in a way that would best represent a primary to the secondary and tertiary elements.

The process were after tracing over collage 3 and taking 20 photos that have shown to have certain relationship values from iterations 4,5,6 and than converting them to black and white photographs. After eliminating certain photographs that have shown to condense rather than allow the elements to breathe made different scales of each. With another process of elimination pick three paticular elements that have shown to be most vital and consistent in the past 3 collages.

In reflection, from applying more repetition in bigger scales, displaced alignments, proportions, and the relationship between them. Adding to much complexity regardless of its repetition made the collage to scattered and was a step back from collage 4. Applying more trace to implement the alignments, the proportions, and their relationships were lacked from the previous collage which proved to be essential in transitioning those dualities into the following collage. More focus on the intention of what exist and understanding its function within the 2 dimension of collage.