This was a fun homework project that required us to observe a set chosen space and draw that real life scene to create a view point we would later add a historical scene to that lens. I chose to observe a space I frequented, the halls in the art building. Our art building was rather neglected when I was in school. We would laugh on days when it rained because buckets would be spread out throughout the halls to catch the rain coming through dripping holes in the ceiling. This was the perfect space for me to include as a window into a time capsule of historical viewpoint that would later be added. I nestled in a corner of the hallway that looked out several windows into a courtyard. The windows and courtyard would be my historical vantage point. My historical window included ruins and tons of architectural detail while the industrial art building contrasted the historical present paradox.
To start I sketched some ideas on how to intertwine my historical and present scene into a cohesive composition. Then I nestled in a corner of the hallway that looked out several windows into a courtyard. Here I posted up for several hours to draw the perspective from my view onto the paper background that would house the piece. After observing and drawing the present space and the windows and doors that would be the filter to the historical scene I took the drawing back to my dorm room to finish. I then drew in the historical scene from referencing resources and books to create a realistic historical scene that also perspectively matched the vantage point. Once the drawing was complete I laminated it to retain the charcoal for years to come.
The final drawing was a neat finished product that shows the contrast of historical vs. present perspective. The industrial art building is a stark difference from the decorative ruins of the historical old world seen through the windows. I loved that I included one of our magazine racks from College Avenue, the magazine I worked for at the time. This was a fun project that required many skills to push ourselves outside of the box creatively.
I still have this piece and laminating it was a good choice given the state of my other charcoal drawings. The contrast of the scene is striking and challenges your eye and perspective. I haven't decided if I will keep this or let it go, so it currently lives in my closet. I like taking it out to admire from time to time and hopefully I find a purpose for it to live out it's impact.
One foot deep in creative and one foot deep in the alpine. Designing solutions to solve big challenges & suffering in beautiful places.
