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Gianna Santucci: capstone

Date

2021

Authors

Santucci, Gianna, artist

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Abstract

The artist's statement: As an artist I have always been interested in the magical and the weird. Nature has been a powerful force in my life, and I have always associated nature with the idea of enchantment, strangeness, and the extraordinary. Our planet and our universe is cyclical and diverse. I incorporate the idea of that energy, flow, and movement into my work. One specific way that I create this is through my use of glaze, particularly choosing glazes with movement. When I find an intriguing glaze, I continue to explore its potential because each change and interruption in a glaze is inspiring and complex. I want my artwork to create a feeling of wonder for the viewer to create their own story of what it means. Within my pottery practice I make sculptures and wheel thrown pottery. In my current body of work I am creating large mushroom sculptures. As a whole, the body of work is titled Mushroom Social. I feel that mushrooms are a good representation of how nature can send energy and communicate. Mushrooms are known to function like the internet of nature, the mycelium are like wires that allow plants and trees to communicate through nutrients and electrical impulses. Mushrooms have a unique type of intelligence compared to what humans have. The form of the mushroom is also very alluring with its curves, shapes, and textures. My fascination in this has led me to incorporate many textures and colors into the mushroom sculptures. The faces on my mushrooms connect the idea of human communication and experience. I am making large-scale mushroom sculptures to try and connect the two very different worlds, one world close to the ground, and one much taller. I'm making a statement about how people need to start relating themselves to nature, plants, animals, fungi and the land. If people continue to live with the mindset of the human experience being the only thing that matters, then we are going to lose so many of these beautiful, intricate, flowing life forms. It is important for humans to decentralize themselves from the experience of life.

Description

Colorado State University Art and Art History Department capstone project.
Capstone contains the artist's statement, a list of works, and images of works.

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Subject

pottery

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