A peculiar pair…

In Project 1b, I worked on three parts, namely: ‘Fire’, ‘Perish’ and ‘Ice’ in relation to the poem, ‘Fire and Ice’ by Robert Frost. I embarked on this project by thinking of the cause-effect relationship that the two elements have with emotions and visual evidences. For the process, I made use of painting in an abstract way to bring out the emotions I have for each element. I chose to present my final work digitally by incorporating my first hand images with a second hand image of an eye through digital manipulation.

 

My Idea in translating texts in the poem into images:

  • Eye as a medium to convey the poem because we see the world through our eyes; our eyes are windows into the world we see
  • Use of circular/ round form to represent a sphere, the form of a globe, like Earth, and to represent a continuous line, unity, balance, a shape that links the three images together

 

‘Fire’:

  • fiery, hot tempered, passionate, bright, destructive (Emotions)
  • ashes, disintegration, light, melt things, sparks, steam, smoothen, friction, burn (Visual evidences)
Abstract painting for my interpretation of 'Fire'
An abstract painting I did for my interpretation of ‘Fire’

Medium:

  • Charcoal powder – consist of carbon and ash, produced by the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen,
  • Acrylic paint (crimson red and lemon yellow) – warm and bright colours,
  • Impasto gel (matt) – Easy to manipulate with to create thick textures resembling ground
'Some say the world will end in fire'
‘Some say the world will end in fire’

 

 

‘Perish’:

  • The word that links/ strikes a harmony between the two elements in the poem in the middle line (5th line)
  • Represents emptiness, a void, to be gone/ away
  • My choice of a neutral hue to show that the word is not specific to any of the elements
  • Suggests my unwillingness to have any of the two elements in sight; that I deny both fire and ice to be in my sight
'But if it had to perish twice'
‘But if it had to perish twice’
Link: http://photos-images.net/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1_%D9%85%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A9_%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%8A%D9%86_%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB_%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB_%D8%A7%D9%84/
Second hand image of an eye

 

 

 

 

 

I used only the iris from the second hand image in my final work because I liked the abstract quality of the iris when I zoom into it.

 

 

 

 

'Eye of History II', Etching Edition of 50 by Marc Quinn
‘Eye of History II’, Etching Edition of 50 by Marc Quinn

 

 

 

 

 

 

My idea was mainly inspired by Marc Quinn’s Eye series, depicting an eye in each edition like the one shown in ‘Eye of history II’.

 

 

 

 

‘Ice’:

  • Cold, icy, aloof, dark, alone, disharmony (Emotions)
  • Cracks, cold, melts into water/ gas (dry ice), reflective, burn (Visual evidences)
An abstract painting I did for my interpretation of 'Ice'
An abstract painting I did for my interpretation of ‘Ice’
Close-up on painting to show reflection of gloss
Close-up on painting to show reflection of gloss 1
Close-up of painting to show reflection of gloss 2
Close-up on painting to show reflection of gloss 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medium:

  • Tracing paper – for its inherent quality of translucency to represent ice,
  • Painting lines with strings – to create thin uneven & irregular lines, which resembles cracks in ice that tells of the tension in something cold; the emotional strain between relationships,
  • String – an object that appear to be frozen in time, stuck onto the paper,
  • Gloss medium & varnish – layered onto strings and tracing paper. To serve as an adhesive for them to be stuck onto the paper and to provide shine as a reflective surface similar to that of ice
'To say that for destruction ice Is also great'
‘To say that for destruction ice
Is also great’

 

 

Final Presentation for Project 1b:

Digital layout for final presentation for Project 1b
Digital layout for final presentation for Project 1b

 

 

My reflection: I thought that fire and ice are elements that should never go together. In my struggle to create a set of definition for each element, I realised the two elements could actually go together. They are both destructive, or at least to me. I have been burnt by a fog machine once so I could empathize with the definition of the words, especially that of ‘burn’.

 

 

Citation:

  1. “صور مقربة لبوبوة العين احدث صور احدث الصور – اجمل الصور × صور جميلة HD.” اجمل الصور × صور جميلة HD. September 25, 2014. Accessed September 14, 2015. http://photos-images.net/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1_%D9%85%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A9_%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%8A%D9%86_%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB_%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB_%D8%A7%D9%84/
  2. Accessed September 14, 2015. http://www.thedranggallery.com/index.php/artists/marc-quinn

Author: Ong Xin Hong

Painting is not just a mere documentation of what you see.

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