The first project of the semester was the Ice Breaker. For this project, the students were to pick an abstract painting and then use the painting as the “floor plan”, “elevation”, or “section” to create a 3D model that would fit in a 10x10x10in cube. For the project I decided to use the oil painting titled “Violin and Guitar” by Juan Gris. I chose this painting because I felt attracted by the colors. However , I knew it was going to be a challenge to make a model because of its open composition and because there was no organization, no pattern. The painting contained too much chaos.

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To start creating my first model I attempted to make the oil painting as the floor plan. I was planning to make my model the 3D representation of the painting. However, there were too many objects in the composition, so at the end, I decided to only focus on the center of the painting. My first model had many problems. The biggest problem I was having is that I was thinking too literal, and I wasn’t able to make a model as abstract as the painting. The model and the painting seemed too different. The painting had rhythm, and it was dynamic, abstract, and chaotic, but my model was too literal, static and organized. The one thing about this model was the craft, it was well built and it was neat.

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The second model that I created finally was dynamic, abstract, and chaotic, just like the painting. I was also able to create the rhythm, and movement, by creating curvilinear planes which gave the geometric shapes the sense of falling and moving. one problem that I know was confronting with was that it was too abstract and there was no pattern. I was told that even if a model was meant to be chaotic there had to be a sense of organization and pattern. Everything was place randomly. I tried to create a pattern by putting the colors in certain order but it wasn’t clear to the viewer because there were to many different shapes. I had to come up with reasons of why I had different shapes and different colors. I also lacked the unity and hierarchy that everyone else had in their models. I had three different levels that created a separation between the objects but I didn’t have a reason for building the levels. Another issue I had to address for my next iteration, was the craft. My model was not stable and it was too fragile to move. I argued that the stableness was to represent the chaos but it was agreed that I had to build a model that wouldn’t be destroyed when being moved.

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For the third model I decided to take the middle planes from the previous model off. By trying to take the planes off, I was hoping to create unity within my model. But I still wanted to show rhythm and movement, so I wanted now the bases of the model to be in a wavy shape or curvilinear. In the second model it seems like the bases have nothing to do with the model but now I am attempting for the bases to be part of the overall model. I also took out all of the different shapes so that my model doesn’t seem like is made up of random shapes.

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Shape of Bases

The main difference from the second model and the third model is the materials being used. For this third model I decided to leave the construction paper behind and switch to a material that is more stable. So I decided to use wood and it was challenge for me to make the model because I had never used nor cut wood before. Another challenge that I had was that the wood was not as flexible to use as the paper. Many things I was able to use with the paper I couldn’t do with the wood. I try to make the bases to curve but I couldn’t. My bases were both linear and curvilinear and that just made it seem like I had issues with the craft. But the bases originally were all curved but they kept moving because the glue was not strong enough to hold the shape I wanted. Another thing I try to work on is creating a pattern. I tried

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