one to one with karen

I talked to Karen last week because I felt abit lost in my work, so we came up with the idea of different materialised panel's to represent my work.

Week 4 of Final Major Project

Week 3 of Final Major Project

Tribes

Kenya is a multi-ethnic state in East Africa, made up of 52 tripe's.

Bantu
Luhya, Kisii, Kuria, Gusii
Kikuyu, Kamba, Meru, Embu, Tharaka, Mbere
Mijikenda, Taveta, Pokomo, Taita, Digo, Giriama Duruma

Niloti Paraniloti
Luo
Iteso, Turkana
Maasai, Samburu, Njemps
Nandi, Kipsigis, Elgeyo, Sabaot, Marakwet, Tugen, Terik, Pokot

Cushiti
Somali, Rendille, Galla, Boni, Borana, Gabbra, Orma, Sakuye

Swahili
Bajun, Pate, Mvita, Vumba, Ozi, Fundi, Siyu, Shela, Amu

Hunters Gatherers
Dahalo, El-Molo, Ndorobo, Sanye

Kenyan flag meaning

The black stripe represents the African people, while the red stands for the struggle for independence. The green represents Kenya's agriculture and natural resources. The thin white stripes symbolise peace and unity. The central emblem represents Kenya's fight for freedom and the their preparedness to defend that freedom.

Laser cut wood carving

I wanted to develop my inner beast painting further, therefore I went to see the 3D work shop technician. It was a real hassle to get a scanned image of my painting because in the college they only have A4 scanners instead of A2, so instead I photocopied the A2 image into a black and white A4 print and used that in the scanner for the laser cut. The dark image photocopy lead to a different end piece than expected, by only highlighting the lightest part to the image. as a result I thought it was a good experimental piece which I would like to use in the future.

Week 2 of Final Major Project

Planning ahead

My plan for the next few weeks is to produce three sketchbooks, that will help me create a greater final piece, which I have yet to discover.

Plan for......
sketchbook 1: in depth research on my background and collecting inspirational works such as artists, film, music, galleries and everyday living.

sketchbook 2: photography development and experimental findings.

sketchbook 3: final piece ideas.

Gregory Wellman

Maasai warriors (pastels)






Maasai girls (acrylics)

Gregory maasai portraits
I really loved how he got the right tonal colour of the skin of the maasai. Using him as inspiration I created my own tribal portraits in my sketchbook.

Inner beast

I had the idea for a painting which incorporate the national coat of arms of kenya into my self portrait. My intention for this piece is to show power and the release of my inner beast that was waiting to come out.

Using Bete de mode series as inspiration I produced this image in photoshot of my face morphing into a lion face.

Bete de mode By Helmo

'Bete de mode (fashion animals) is a series of 13 images created by Helmo, of blue portraits and red animal portraits, for the Galeries Lafayette in Paris. The four images above are the ones I liked the most wish to incorporate it in my work.

Photoshot images

The photoshot is successful because with the help of my photographer Holly I came up with 50 images to work from. These are the 3 images I really liked

African Queen photoshot

Preparation for the Photoshot

Today I've been researching photographer that incorporate identity in there work.
Herring and Herring tribal photography engaging in art direction and fashion photograph produce amazing story telling photo shoot.
Beyonce's appears in an African photo shoot for L'Officiel Paris 'African Queen' 90nth anniversary.
Deola sagoe is a two-time international award winner creating designs that truly celebrate Africa.

Poses: face shot , full length body shot, sitting down, hands on face emphasising African beauty.

Lighting: black back drop shows a warm feel when using soft lighting on figure. full figure shots soft lighting at the back. face shot use reflective on opposite side of the light making the image look less harsh.

Costume: Fancy dehra showing more contemporary style, head band beaded jewellery, gold hoops , dark maroon lipstick and eyeliner showing a earthy Afrocentric feel to the image.

Week 1 of Final Major Project

Herring and Herring photography

Using Herring and Herring tribal photography as inspiration for photoshot. Look at poses etc.

Ikon gallery

It did not appeal to me because some of the exhibitions on display had no relevance to me, such as Robert Orcharson 'Endless facade'. It may be art to some people but I did not see the point of random shapes being put around the room. I think if he showed us more of a meaning behind his work it would have helped me understand his work better.

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

It did not have allot of inspirational work related to my specific identity but the BMAG give me ideas of how I can present my FMP, such as paintings, text, photography, audio and film. The galley dedicated an exhibition space to the community 'Your Birmingham' where all of these mediums were used, it shows the richness and importance of Birmingham's history before the industrial revolution. A 20 minute film which the local African Caribbean group produced was inspiring because it showed the viewer of the story of one individual heritage.

Washington Green Fine Art Gallery

Even though this gallery is niche and has much smaller exhibition space, it had more related inspirational pieces that I could use in my FMP.

Artist that stood out to me:

I found Lousie Dear's 'Pure' collection very admirable because she gives an unique flavor to her work.

Looking at Bill Bate work i found it fascinating how he uses the human form and captures lighting from water. it gave the feeling of mystery and beauty of the human form.

Hamish Blakery is another painter that got my attention because his work showed a powerful theatrical expression.

Emma Grozonkowski does self portraits which expresses her state of mind throughout her life. Secret and Enchanted are the two similar paintings on display.

Joy Kirton uses mixed media to expresses the human form in a beautiful way.

Olivia Guzman sculptures of the human form shows inner strength in people.

Local gallery visit's

As I vaguely know some of my history, the FMP will give me the opportunity to gain more knowledge of historical highlights and traditions of Kenya. Today I had the opportunity to visit local exhibitions in Birmingham this helped me allot because it's gives me idea's and the experience, which will influence my exhibition setup for the final piece.

Galleries visited:
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Washington Green Fine Art Gallery
Ikon Gallery

My identity

I had the day to think about a theme I could base my FMP , I really wanted to do something that has the relevance to my life, so which is why i came up with cultural identity. Throughout my life i have been questioned or mistaken about my race, it's getting annoying now, which why i am going to make a point to ignorant people about my ethnicity. I AM KENYAN .............................

Art and Design Foundation Level 3 (FMP)

I am currently doing my final major project, which is why I have decided to record my diary using a blog. I hope by developing my blog frequently it will enable me to reflect on my work and produce a greater out come then intended. The aim and purpose of the final major project is to enable me to develop skills, knowledge and understanding. So far I am kinda blank what i want my fmp to be about, hopefully tomorrow I will have an idea.