Crocheting Brings Awareness About the Health of Our Oceans
HYPERBOLIC
Reefs, Rubbish, and Reason
I was introduced to this work a couple years back and was absolutely so intrigued.
Margaret Wertheim, HYPERBOLIC co-curator, science writer and author is also the co-director of IFF, The Institute For Figuring. The Institute For Figurings is an organization dedicated to the poetic and aesthetic dimensions of science, mathematics and the technical arts. Wertheim describes the beautiful math in coral in this TED video She explains how this geometry can be demonstrated through knitting and crocheting. Don’t you love it when art helps us to understand science!
Wertheim went on to display works and create a world wide involvement with knitters around the world who are knitting a coral reef to bring awareness to ocean health. What is our social responsibility?
I do hope that IFF and Margaret Wertheim will one day let us interview her for the Art and Technology podcast. I’m looking forward to exploring the future possibilities and encouraging others in their exploration and love of our great earth.
If you are interested in viewing the Hyperbolic reef for yourself and you happen to be in Pasadena, CA check out the exhibit HYPERBOLIC Reefs, Rubbish, and Reason June 7 — August 21, 2011 For more information here is a link to The Williamson Art Gallery, click on the word “now” in the left hand column. Now, If I could just get the show to come to my neck of the woods. We in Houston and the Gulf Coast have a special desire to make others aware of the social responsibilities for the health of our waters!
____________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
So Excited- FREE 3D Sculpting With Pixologic? Try Sculptris
The new version of Sculptris is currently available as a free download at: www.pixologic.com/sculptris I can hardly wait to download it and give it a try. Thanks Pixologic for offering this free and for making it in both platforms (Mac and PC). We Mac users appreciate your diligence.
So, 3d sculptors weigh in. I can’t wait to see what you create and hear what you have to say. Download it, try it out, and send me an email with your thoughts and comparisons.
Here is what Pixologic says in their press release.
Sculptris is an elegant and simple 3D modeling solution, offering artists a platform to harness their imagination and create 3D sculpts in a way that is unique to the digital world.
Tomas Pettersson, the bright young programmer and brainchild behind Sculptris commented: “I trust that, with this version, Sculptris will be more accessible for all people on both PC’s and Mac’s. Everyone should be able to sculpt!”
Sculptris introduces a dynamic tessellation system, giving its user the capability to sculpt or paint freely on any part of the surface without having to worry about underlining geometry. With Sculptris, triangles are automatically added as needed, and only to the areas where a stroke has been applied to the surface.
Users can do just about anything that’s possible with real clay. For example, they can pull, twist and pinch the surface, easily adding volume as needed without the rigorous attention to underlying structure that is typically associated with 3D modeling programs.
Pixologic envisions Sculptris as an entry level ‘eye opener’ for a new generation of artists wishing to explore 3D sculpting and digital creation. Fun to use, it’s also a truly effective tool that can be embraced by hobbyists and professional artists, alike.
For those wishing to explore further, Sculptris is seen as a perfect ground level upon which to build one’s skills while advancing to the substantial ‘world of ZBrush’.
Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Glad You Could Join Us. Some Pictures From Class
Love the feeling of having students fall in love with the clay.
Though my schedule over the last years has not permitted me to have classes in the studio I have decided to squeeze some in. This is a portrait sculpture class, two all day Saturday classes. A bit intense, but also incredibly rewarding.
It is interesting to see so many working people in my own studio. It is a private place only becoming lively during one of our parties, where everyone seems to congregate. The best part about doing classes is meeting so may incredible artistic people. There are some beginners in clay and others who are not. It is a challenge as a teacher but I want everyone to feel comfortable with their creative place. Some are very realistic and others become stylized. Those are the hardest students. I can help them make their work more realistic, but I hesitate in touching it. I like their style.
The subject for this class is a newborn baby. It offers some challenges, but the best part about it is that it is inspiring for the teacher! I must say it feels strange to be working on a portrait without a client in mind. Though I have told the parents that I will give them either the original or a copy of their wonderful inspiration. So in some ways they are my client.
The class starts early on a Saturday with students arriving at 9:00 a.m.. We take a short break for lunch, no one wants to pull away from the sculpture, but I like the sharing time and it is good to walk away from a sculpture from time to time. we all hang out on the porch, which does not feel so bad in the heat with the pond nearby and the shade of my trees.
Class is two long Saturdays, but very fulfilling. If you missed signing up for this class, don’t worry. I’m doing another in August- two Saturdays beginning August 6th. I wish I could find more time to do this on a regular basis.
Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Ceramic Extrusion And Homemade 3D Printer
I had heard it rumored that the home made 3d printer called Rep Rap was adding an extruder so that a ceramic mix could be pushed through the printer. I want to start watching this much closer and look at possibly doing this in my own studio.
I know that several universities have been working with this entire topic. The leading university in this is Solheim research laboratory . They are however using a very expensive machine. They have even made their recipe public, and are supporting and interested in other individuals endeavors into the research of this area.
My curiosity is in being able to use something in my own home studio.
Some posts on a rather new blog called Unfold-fab I am absolutely going to have to watch more closely.
Open3DP is Solheim Additive Manufacturing Laboratory in the Mechanical Engineering Department on the University of Washington campus blog. It describes their progress in ceramic printing in 3d.
Colbert Has His Head Created As A 3D Print
Makerbot talks about scanning and creating a 3d copy of Colbert. For those who are not aware of the Maker bot here is a link to them. The other leading 3d homemade printer is RepRap.
I have seen the cup cake which is the baby Makerbot in action. Sure would like to get one of these, but I’m holding out. I think the Reprap is now offering a ceramic 3d extrusion attachment. Now we are talking.
Creative Angst- Step 3-Puking On The Page
Now that you have your notebook, I’m going to teach you some things that will help you get to your subconscious and your creativity. Because we have a notebook, and usually notebooks mean writing, I’m going to teach you this little trick that I learned years ago. Not everyone is a writer and sometimes just owning a notebook can feel overwhelming. These tips I am sharing have helped me to write and organize my thoughts. A long time ago I went through some of these processes and learned quite a bit about myself and my creativity.
Clustering developed by Gabriel Lusser Rico.
Clustering is similar to mind mapping, but I feel clustering is so much better. It fits my personality perfectly! Take one whole sheet of paper preferably one that has an entire white sheet next to it. Now, in the middle of the sheet write the word creativity and circle it. Now let your mind and your hand go and think of everything that this word means to you. Draw a line and another circle, does that thought lead to another one? Then write that thought down and another circle. When a thought is depleted, come back to the center and write another trail of words from the word “creativity”, this can be anything, personal items, sayings, anything that comes to your mind. Let your mind go. What does creativity taste like, smell like, sound like etc? If you feel stuck for a moment, doodle on the page, circle a word or wait a moment. When you feel you have exhausted your thoughts then go to the right-hand side of the paper, the clean sheet and start with this prompt.
Creativity is…
Then let yourself write for a few minutes. There is no right or wrong way to do this. There is no one to check your spelling or your grammar and that is not important. Just write. I call this puking on the page. No need to sort through your vomit to see what you have eaten, just purge!
When your writing is complete, if you want to edit it you may. Please be careful when doing your free writing, some people have an internal editor that is so overpowering, it does not let them do anything without butting in.
If you want to share your thoughts, I would love to hear them. Check out the forum and start a thread or look for a thread called Creativity cluster 1 under the Creative Angst forum. Or post it right here on this blog post as a comment. Give yourself a pat on the back for loving your creative self.
We will use this technique often to help us get through our creative barriers and to understand some of the things that might be holding us back concerning our creativity.
As a side note- clustering is a powerful tool. It can be used in business, for students and for just about anything that requires you to be creative.
We will be working with this technique from time to time, as well as some other creative techniques that I have developed. IF you want to cluster more, feel free to do so. Don’t feel confined to only writing what I tell you in your creative journal. Explore. I’ll be sharing more prompts later- Happy creative journaling.
My two favorite books by this remarkable woman
Creative Angst- is a series of blog posts by sculptor Bridgette Mongeon that help individuals to get past their creative angst.
I CAN’T DO THIS ALONE
Do you need a little hand holding, somewhere to be accountable? There are two suggestions
1. Comment on the blog posts,
WHEN WILL YOU BE BACK?
How will I know when there are more posts? There are several ways-
_____________________________________________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwritertwitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Class- Learn How To Sculpt A Likeness
create a sculpture of anyone.
A portrait sculpture class will be given by master sculptor Bridgette Mongeon in her Houston area Heights Studio. The process of sculpting a bust and the tools you will learn in this class can be translated to sculpting any of your loved ones. Our subject is a beautiful baby, an inspiring model for all and a creative inspiration for those who might have a hankering to sculpt dolls.DATE:The class will take place two Saturdays, June 18 and 25th from 9:00-3:00. Please bring a sack lunch. The cost of the class is 200.00 plus $25 material fee. Space is limited.(There is no need to bring materials, if you have sculpting tools especially calipers, it is suggested to bring them, but not necessary. Be sure all of your tools are clearly marked with your identification. Smocks are also encouraged. ) Bridgette measures B. B. King with calipers.
To register:Click the Pay Pal link below for your Pay Pal payment or contact Bridgette and she can send you an address to pay with a check. Please register by Monday June 13th. If you need further information please call 713-699-1739. The artists work can be found at https://creativesculpture.com NOTE we are setting up a second class for those who cannot make the June date. the dates are tentatively August 6-13th. Please indicate which class you are taking.
In Which Medium Is It Easier For You To Concentrate? An Interview Cont.
10. In which medium is it easier for you to concentrate?
They each are great. Working in the studio listening to an audio book with tools and photographic reference strewn about is a wonderful place. However, settling into my workstation upstairs with classical guitar music playing and my cintiq is another great vibe. Though I am probably more apt to get distracted being on the computer and having access to the Internet, or having a problem with zbrush or mudbox and having to look it up. Digital tools change regularly with each update, making it a challenge. So my answer would be whatever I am in the mood for and meets my present need.
This is an interview of 10 questions by Mathias Herbster of FH Vorarlberg University in Austria directed to Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon about the comparison of digital and traditional sculpture.
______________________________________________________________
Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
Is It Easy For You To Identify And Judge 3-Dimensional Shapes, Distances And Proportions On a Computer Screen? An Interview Cont.
9. Is it easy for you to identify and judge 3-dimensional shapes,
distances and proportions on a computer screen?
1. The hardest part, and we mention this in the book is the size of the sculpture. If I am working on a maquette in the studio, I know if I enlarge that maquette 500% I will not have as much detail as I need. So what is the actual size of a virtual piece of art? What happens with the translation from digital work a the size I have created, to the physical size I need output?
2. I would love to see calipers in the digital programs. Something that resembled more traditional calipers in a digital environment.
3. I also was very confused when I first worked in mudbox with perspective view and orthographic view.
4. There is also a cliche with Macs that if you hit the some keys in a certain order your sculpture flips. This is not just a problem with Mudbox or Zbrush but many graphics programs. This freaked me out, and I wish someone could solve this.
5. It is easier for me to judge 3d space now than in the beginning. Though when symmetry begins to act funky, and I know It is some sort of driver error, I get a bit frustrated. I love being able to spin around a sculpture.
6. I do wish that I had more access to my photographs. The one solution I have found for this is Macs Photstickies.
By the way, question number 8 was
8. Which medium is more comofortable for you to use?
( see other posts)
This is an interview of 10 questions by Mathias Herbster of FH Vorarlberg University in Austria directed to Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon about the comparison of digital and traditional sculpture.
______________________________________________________________
Sculptor, Writer and Speaker
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter twitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast
What Do You Miss In The Digital Sculpting Technology? An Interview Cont.
7. What do you miss in the digital sculpting technology?
As mentioned before, ease and affordability of output. Ease of quickly sculpting without having to worry about topology. As I have mentioned before, retopologizing is actually the holy grail of this process. However, I have seen this change over the last year, and it is quickly becoming a non issue. I look forward to exploring these in the up and coming months.
At first I might have missed much about traditional and I still will continue in it. However, one of the main factors that pushed me in the direction of this exploration was damage to my hand, I could no longer hold a sculpting tool. Years of pushing and pulling clay, pounding with tools or scraping had taken its toll. I have since had surgery and am happy to say I have my hand back, but the advances and exploration of this digital technology will be a very important element of creating late in life, when my body may rise up again in revolt. It has extended my tool set and capabilities as a sculptor far beyond anything I could have imagined for myself.
This is an interview of 10 questions by Mathias Herbster of FH Vorarlberg University in Austria directed to Sculptor Bridgette Mongeon about the comparison of digital and traditional sculpture.
______________________________________________________________
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
Follow the artists on twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwritertwitter.com/creategodsword
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/bridgette.mongeon
Listen to The Creative Christian Podcast or the Inspiration/Generation Podcast Click on Podcast Host Bios for a list of all podcasts.
Listen to the Art and Technology Podcast