Pratt is Pretty

I took some pictures around Pratt campus yesterday while technically doing research for my next studio project. The day was gorgeous, and so is the campus, so enjoy:

News from Newport

I spent part of this weekend in Newport celebrating my Dad's birthday. It was a perfect, bright crisp autumn weekend, and I had a moment to take a few pictures:

These are amazing plates that my mom and I hung earlier this summer on the kitchen walls (on your way out the doors to the patio):


This is a funny little arrangement, one of many on the table for the Captain's birthday feast:

Studio Secrets

In an Ash Smith Art exclusive, I am offering you a behind the scenes peek at the Pratt Studios (Room 112). Yes folks, this is where all the magic happens:


And this is my desk:

Color Me Happy

In my Colors and Materials class we are covering a number of the famous color experiments of Albers'. This is my attempt at two Light Squares:


The bottom row of colors are the pure hues, the darker colors are those colors in shade, and the lighter ones are those same colors lightened (as if in bright light perhaps). One squares is comprised of cool colors, while the other is made up of warm ones.


Ironically enough, the colors in these photos aren't very good.

Building Blocks

If you'll remember, last week for my Studio class we tackled Lines, well this time we're moving up to Volumes! We had to design 3 vignettes, each composed of 3 clay rectangles and cubes, arranged in an interesting and provocative manner. We were encouraged to photograph them if that would add to our presentation, and these are some of the images I used:


I think that this one was really helpful in illustrating the way that this composition has two objects meeting at the same line, but because one is raised above the other they are not touching.

Color and Materials

So far my most fun class has been Color & Materials. The subject matter is really fun and interesting, plus its right after our big studio critiques on Friday so the atmosphere is a great combo of restlessness and stress release that makes for a lot of laughs. Our first homework assignment was dealing with Value, which is basically the light or darkness of a color. We created 3 squares, each composed of one piece of gray paper, and two pieces of paper which were of the same Value as the gray but different colors. So while the squares are composed of many different colors, if photographed in black and white they would look solid because they are all of the same Value.

Here are my squares, you can see that the middle color in each square is a gray tone, and the two colors surrounding it are supposed to be of the same value as the gray:


By editing the picture to appear black & white, we can see if I was successful:



Hmm...not bad, I didn't photograph it before I turned it in because I'm trying to train my eyes not cheat, so this is my first really good look at it. The only one that really stands out to me is the center color on the center square which is a little too light.

On the Line

As promised, here is much more information and visuals from my F3 Studio Assignment. We were supposed to construct a 3-d model using only linear elements that explored rhythmicity and the nature of lines (to the exclusion of materiality, color etc). My first instinct was that I wanted to work with clear fishing line to emphasize an idea of light as lines.


The tension created by the fishing line was too great for me to simply put up vertical walls, I had to buttress them into little wedges to keep them from tipping into each other:


I was happy with the way that shadows and lines were both present and non-present, but I wasn't thrilled with the overall execution. I wish that the structure had been strong enough to hold the string completely taut, but there's always next time!

Thought Process

I presented my Stapler drawings in class today, and am now on to the next assignment (F3) which will be due on Friday. This is an examination of lines, and this is a preliminary sketch of the kind of object I'm intending to build:


I'll include a lot more information about the actual assignment and how my object turns out later this week.

More Staples Etc

I've spent most of the day transferring the rough drawings of the stapler (posted yesterday) onto nice Stone Henge paper for my presentation tomorrow. It's been super time consuming, and it has definitely made my back ache, but it was worth the effort:


I just want to rest and step away from it for a while now, but before I turn it in tomorrow I'm going to make sure that all the details are crisp and clear and dark enough to be seen from six feet away.

My Swingline Stapler

Ok so it isn't a Swingline, but I have been spending the weekend obsessing about my stapler. You see, for my Studio on tuesday I have due a drawing which represents a mechanical/functional object in my home. Thus I have chosen my stapler gun, and having looked at it for hours I must say that it has a pleasantly anthropomorphic quality, reminding me somewhat of a grasshopper.


Shown here are the preliminary drawings that I've worked out on tracing paper, tomorrow I am going to transfer them onto high quality "final draft" paper.

A Little Light Trickery

These candles are all the exact same color:


As the afternoon light hit this candelabra, the rays of warm light completely transformed the blue into a creamy white. This is what the candles look like in normal lighting:


And this is the amazing warm sunset light that transformed them completely:

Love for Alicia

My friend Alicia just stopped by the apartment after a trip to the jewelry supply store and I snapped this fun shot of some of here wares:



Check out more at her blog: alicia donna

Cozy Under the Covers

I have officially started my Masters program in Interior Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn!! Even though this was just my first week, I've already had some work due. Although I'm taking 4 classes, my Studio class is weighted the same as all of my other classes combined, and the others really function to support the work that we're doing for Studio. Over the next few months I plan to post pictures of most of my projects for Studio (they encourage us to document them for our portfolio so why not publish them?). So with that introduction out of the way, let me introduce you to my F1 project:

The official instructions say: "Through drawing, collage, sculpture, writing or composition, and by using colors, shapes, lines, textures etc., create a design that tells the story of a space that you have experienced in a significant way during your childhood." The space that I chose was in my bed, under the covers reading late at night:


When I was mulling over the prompt this was the image that immediately jumped into my mind, and its construction was relatively straightforward. The biggest challenge was creating a dark environment so that the flashlight could really illluminate the sheet and provoke the atmosphere of warmth and safety that I was trying for. My solution was to place the piece in my locker, which ended up being a very successful means of presentation.


After 3 hours of sitting in the same room everyone loved the chance to stretch our legs and visit my locker. It made mine really stand out from the pack (if I don't say so myself):