Millie Striker's Folio
Anatomy the da Vinci and Michelangelo Way
I have taken inspiration from various artists over the years. However, there were two, in particular, that greatly inspired me - Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The Renaissance art style heavily influenced my tonal drawings.
Bones
da Vinci and Michelangelo embodied the Renaissance style, with both of them creating precise and detailed works of art which captivate and intrigue their audience. The Renaissance period is a style that I am passionate about exploring.
Blood
With this artwork, I took inspiration from Damien Hirst's sculpture 'The Virgin Mother'. This work altered my perspective with regard to anatomy within art.
Veins
In these pieces of artwork I used watercolour, which was a novel medium to me. This took me outside of my comfort zone. It pushed me towards a new set of skills as I worked with this method. The fluidity of watercolour was most beneficial to this style of art as it allowed me to create the effect of blood more effectively.
Blood and Bones
The drawing on the left was my attempt at using biro pen to create the effect of blood. This allowed me to expand my range of different drawing materials. Biro pen is something I am familiar with since my Higher Art Expressive Folio included this form of medium.
The drawing on the right is an A5 drawing, this was one of my smaller folio pieces. With this drawing I decided to use tonal paper to allow the colours of the pen to stand out more. Here I experimented with the use of two different colours to create both depth and shadow.
"Blood is thicker than water"
Lino printing is a new technique I developed during the folio class I attended at GSA. This approach gives a most creative effect spontaneously. Expressive art forms are something I tend not to gravitate towards, however I felt it was appropriate for this project and it is a style which I intend to explore further in the future.
The Start
I produced these prototypes for this folio to aid the advancement of my project to the next stage of its development. This process helped me to experiment with different kinds of materials that would eventually lead to further exploration as my project progressed.
The Making
This image demonstrates the development of an idea. Originally, the blood vessel had a white interior, and I added red glitter to form blood splatter. After looking at this for a prolonged period of time I felt the overall effect looked insipid and unfinished, so I changed the whole design to better represent the 'look' I was aiming to achieve.
Wool
To add a touch of realism to the design I added a textile I am familiar with and enjoy using i.e. wool. I identified this as being a material that I could incorporate effectively.
Texture
As the project developed I decided to change the aesthetic feel of the blood vessel through the use of texture and colour. I added tissue paper to the inside layer and sprayed it with two different colours of red acrylic paint. This change of design, I believe, creates a more professional look.
The Vessel
Here is my finished design. Considering Danela Conti's theory 'The Anatomy of the Home,' further supports my thesis regarding the suitability of having a light up 'blood vessel' adorned within a home or indeed, any other commercial environment. My decision to add lights was inspired by Paige Bradley's 'Expansion.' This feature I believe adds a further dimension, creating warmth and providing some soft lighting when necessary. The wool draping from the supports is intended to capture the organic nature of my design and is representative of the veins which are essential to life.
Evaluation/Future Intentions
Looking forward I would change the materials of paper to more durable felt as this would lengthen the lifespan of 'The Vessel.' In addition, I would use battery operated puck lights to light up 'The Vessel.' This would save energy and possibly make it more consumer friendly.
Ancient Greece
Last year as part of my Higher Art Folio I decided to make a hat fit for a 'Met Gala'. The final outcome was one of the proudest moments in my 'aspiring' design career.
Lockdown Blues
For the expressive aspect of my Higher Art Folio I decided to create a piece of work that represented how many people may have coped with the crisis of the lockdown. For this piece I used vibrant colours coupled with iconic symbols to illustrate this.
"smile"
Last year I chose to study Higher Photography. I discovered this was a fascinating subject. Consequently, it has inspired me to explore this artistic medium in my free time. Here are some examples of my work.
Becoming an Interior Designer who is capable of creating environments which are unique, sustainable, energy efficient, fit for purpose and generate a sense of well-being is my passion. Certainly, as someone who is: sociable; highly creative; an effective team player; not frightened to take risks with design projects and who thrives on learning from the experience of others, I believe I would be a most suitable candidate for studying Interior and Spatial Design at Napier University.
Image and personal appearance are paramount to this generation. Various forms of media portray what they want society to believe is the ‘perfect’ image. Pictures, paintings and sculptures whether or not they conform to this ‘image,’ in general, capture the human body in many forms e.g., face, body, hands etc. Nevertheless, for my designs I wanted to take the human body but look at it from an alternative perspective. As a sister of an autistic brother who both views/communicates with the world differently from myself I desired to challenge such ‘normal’ representations. Within my project I wanted to consider such individuals with ‘neurodivergent’ brains and create something totally different. Thus, I took the life-giving substance of a blood vessel and developed it into a decorative creation suitable for a variety of settings (home, office, doctor’s surgery, university foyer etc). Although the initial inspiration for this project came from Michelangelo’s sculpture of David and my development drawings were inspired by human anatomy, I hope to have reflected through my model my ability to ‘think outside of the box’ and to use my work as an opportunity to explore, experiment, review and amend (i.e., self-reflection and peer/teacher feedback).Certainly, various alterations (even dismantling it) were made to my design during the construction phase. Acknowledging the research element of the course, I truly believe that this is an area where I would flourish. For example, not only would I describe myself as a designer but also as a researcher. In my pursuit of justifying the ‘flexibility’ of my model with regard to its ‘placement’ in either a home or commercial setting I consequently discovered from my research, that Danela Conti too, holds a similar perspective. Conti for example has devised an ‘Anatomy of the Home,’ based on the heart, torso, head and limbs. My use of the blood vessel, nevertheless, is what makes my project unique. Damien Hirst’s sculpture ‘The Virgin Mother’ and Paige Bradley’s ‘Expansion’ are two other pieces I similarly took inspiration from. Considering the ‘Makers and Mentors Programme’ as outlined in ‘Design Week’ (Jan. 23), developing my blood vessel into a bespoke/sustainable chair could certainly be a future possibility. The option of studying abroad in Year 3 and the opportunity to engage in various work-based placements is another attractive feature of this course at Napier. During my work placement with Hudson and Mercer I learned so many interesting aspects of the role of an interior designer thus the prospect of having further such experiences integrated into my learning is most encouraging. In addition, similar to my mum who holds both a Masters’ and Doctorate degree, I too would love to continue studying at postgraduate level. Edinburgh Napier’s ‘Centre for Mind and Creativity Research’ certainly looks interesting, particularly the theme of ‘Environment, design and arts.’ My desire, therefore, is to first of all be accepted onto Napier’s undergraduate programme in order to fulfil my ambition of being a lifelong learner (and hopefully influencer) in the field of ‘design.’ In addition to the positive feedback of friends and relatives who already attend Napier University, I must admit I was very impressed with the display of student work and the discussions I had with the lecturers during my visit (Open Day). The teaching staff were certainly most informative with regard to the course and truly inspired me to try and secure a place.
