Patricia McDonald: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sculpture

Left to Right: The Boccioni Defense: The Durability of Movement, Untitled (Garden Piece), Venus
Patricia McDonald

Patricia McDonald
Fragment I, Fragment II, Fragment III, Fragment IV, Fragments V
with detailed drawings

Originally attracted to sculpture through architecture, many of McDonald's pieces convey a sense of simple and clean design. In her pieces titled Fragments I through Fragments V, she breaks up simple shapes into fragments and carefully balances each piece to create a continually moving and changing form.  McDonald strives for simplicity and precision, which is reflected in her color choices as well as construction. Restricting her pieces to black, white, and red elements, space and form remain the primary concern of her sculptures.

While her Fragments series relies on chance to create a continually moving sculpture, McDonald has also used motors to create moving pieces of art. Revolution in Black and White uses a small battery powered motor to rotate a triangular form balanced on a pyramidal base. Her outdoor sculpture Umbra, located outside University Art Gallery, relies on solar power to rotate two metal arms extending from a base constructed of I-beams.

Although Patricia McDonald’s sculptures vary in size and content, she embraces the medium of each of her pieces through the form and texture used. Her large scale Untitled (Garden Piece) utilizes form and scale to create a space of its own that the viewer may interact with. Although it looks weighted and heavy, it is actually constructed of Styrofoam and clay with a wooden base. The clay applied to the surface and painted white creates an interesting texture reminiscent of interior spaces, reinforcing the space that the sculpture creates.

McDonald also embraces material in her figural sculptures, titled Venus and The Boccioni Defense: The Durability of Movement. In Venus, she uses plaster casts to create fragments of a human figure, which are then connected to be in proportion to an actual figure. The exterior is smooth, much like a classical sculpture of a figure, but the interior is exposed to be a rough and unworked interpretation of plaster. The Boccioni Defense is cast as a more complete figure, but with the head and torso hollow from the front view. She creates texture on the exterior of this piece with plaster and paraffin wax, allowing the material to drip and run down to the base.

 Patricia McDonald is graduating at the end of the semester with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture. Her work, along with the three other graduates of the BFA program, will be on display until December 13th, with a reception on December 5th from 4:30 to 7 pm.



Amy Gibas
Gallery Assistant
University Art Gallery
Saginaw Valley State University

Great Places to Sell Artwork Online

In this day and age instead of carrying around a portfolio of work, artists are posting online, creating websites, and using social media. If you are interested in selling your work online here are a few great websites to get started.

  Rebubble

       Great website to create a portfolio and sell your work. This website allows you to sell your work as prints, canvas prints, t-shirts, iphone cases and ipad cases. While also functioning as a great artist community, by being able to submit work to online groups, and receive comments from other members. However, when you sell work on Redbubble, they will take a commission for every product you sell. All products start at a base price, and you control the percentage you make by raising the price of the product.

Saatchi Online

        Sattachi is a great place to sell work online in a fine art setting. Work can be sold in print or as the original piece, and are sold at a great price. However Saatchi also takes a commission and you have to include it in your taxes? But it is a great way to get your work out to potential buyers and clients that are looking for original work. 

Etsy

         Recently, Etsy has been really growing in popularity, but I would only recommend it if you are willing to do all of the work yourself! Including matting, framing, and shipping! As an art student I don’t have the time or the money to sell my work on Etsy, but a lot of people have had success on this site!

Zazzle

          Another great place to sell work is Zazzle, where you can upload designs and sell them in a variety of cool ways, from t-shirts to lunch boxes! They have great products and for an affordable price. However, they will also take a commission.

If you're looking to sell work online there are many websites to chose from, it’s all about finding the right one for you. And if you have any other suggestions please comment!

Redbubble:  http://www.redbubble.com

Etsy: www.etsy.com

Zazzle: www.zazzle.com

Saatchi Online: www.saatchionline.com


Alison Bur
Gallery Assistant
University Art Gallery
Saginaw Valley State University

Olivia Nixon: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design

 

All Things Hair
Olivia Nixon

The main component of Olivia Nixon’s Bachelor of Fine Arts graduating exhibition, titled “All Things Hair,” is a combination of science, history, and mythology orchestrated and organized within the frames of graphic design. Nixon’s colorful infographics display information on color, texture, and length of hair, as well as many subcategories. The format for Nixon’s exhibition design comes from a childhood visiting various museums with interactive and informative exhibits of their own, which helped to spark her love of learning.

Why hair? According to the artist, “the topic of hair is universal. We express ourselves, describe ourselves and judge each other based on hair… On every continent, in every civilization, everyone has hair and everyone uses it to express who they are.” While the topic of hair is universal, it is also a personal topic, because Nixon’s long, curly hair is often used to identify her, and helps to define who she is.

Nixon’s designs are colorful, clean, and organized. Each component seems to have been carefully considered, down to the punctuation. Her organization creates an easy and logical visual flow for the viewer to follow, within a variety of information. The largest infographics mounted to the walls contain illustrated scientific information, accompanied by smaller panels on pedestals with history, mythology and fun facts. Above all this information is a timeline of hair styles during the twentieth century, created graphically by the artist.

SVSU 50th Anniversary Logo Design and
Locks of Love logo Campaign by Olivia Nixon.

Continuing the theme of hair, Olivia’s exhibit also contains advertisements and a logo identity manual
for the organization Locks of Love, showcasing her versatility as a designer. Saginaw Valley State University has also had the privilege of using Olivia’s design for their 50th anniversary logo, which is available on t-shirts, sweatshirts, and coffee mugs in the campus bookstore, as well as on display in the University Art Gallery.

 Olivia Nixon is graduating at the end of the semester with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Her work, along with the three other graduates of the BFA program, will be on display until December 13th, with a reception on December 5th from 4:30 to 7 pm.



Amy Gibas
Gallery Assistant
University Art Gallery
Saginaw Valley State University

How to Save Money on Art Supplies

            Being a college student is never easy, trying to balance school, work and money. Plus having to pay for books, living costs and tuition can get overwhelming, and being an art student is no different. Paying for supplies can get expensive! They haven’t been calling us starving artists for nothing. So don’t be like Van Gogh, don’t eat paint, here are a few tips to save money, and at least eat Ramen instead!

First, always use coupons when possible, Hobby Lobby offers a 40 to 50 % off coupon every week on one item, which is a great way to get your drawing pad or Bristol board half off! Also Jo-Ann’s and Michaels offer weekly coupons on certain items, and sometimes 30-40% off on one item. You can find these coupons on Facebook, their website, and in their weekly ads. You can also look for other coupons on websites such as, Retailmenot.com, that search for coupons for you Another thing to note is that Jo-Ann’s has a student discount program, if you enroll you can get a discount card of 10% that you can use everyday! They will also send you other coupons as well. But, the first time you use it you must show your student I.D to a manager. You can also save money by looking in the clearance sections of Hobby Lobby and Michaels, I’ve found a lot of things I’ve needed for half the price! Also, all of the stores accept returns usually within 60 days, but items must be unused, and not on clearance or seasonal!

When deciding where to go, most students believe that Michaels is cheaper, however, I find that Hobby Lobby has a lot more to choose from. Either way, I find both to be equally good. Also when looking for building materials for sculpture or 3-D Design, most students believe Home Depot is cheaper than Lowe’s. Either way, when buying building supplies don’t be afraid to ask for help, the customer service representatives at Home Depot and Lowe’s are there to help and can show you items you would have never thought to use! I’ve found them to be very helpful. Lowe’s also has a great program, where you can return a tool within 60 days of purchase. Also, Harbor Freight.com is a great place to look for discounted tools.

Also if interested in using fabric, know what you’re buying, I’ve made this mistake time and time again. At Jo-Ann’s you can return cut fabric if it was not on clearance or marked down (full price only!!). So if you’ve never bought fabric before (like me!!) make sure you know how many yards you need, and go at a later time in the day…I had to wait in line for a half hour to get my fabric cut during the day! Plus, most of the time you don’t need to go expensive, take your time to look and really find what you need, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Also, don’t forget about the Dollar Store, they have a lot of things you can use! Including glue sticks for the hot glue gun, poster board, construction paper, etc.

Another good way to save money is to share supplies with other students, by splitting the cost of a large sheet of foam, half a drawing board, or mat board, etc. Most students are willing to do that and share supplies at one table/area. Also, don’t forget about yard/estate sales, you never know what you’re going to find!

And finally, a note on the bookstore, sometimes you can find what you need there but it’s very expensive! Nevertheless, A few things are good to buy there including, film and photo paper for Art 225 but only for convenience and to make sure you are buying the right stuff! (Buying online is still cheaper) Otherwise, most everything else can be found elsewhere and for a much lower price. And if you find yourself really broke, don’t forget, artists for centuries have been using found items, from garbage to household items, and even body fluid and dirt! So, don’t feel discouraged, the best thing about being an artist is being able to create with anything.

Have any money saving tips? Please comment!

Alison Bur

Gallery Assistant

University Art Gallery

Saginaw Valley State University

Student artwork on campus: Umbra by Patricia McDonald

Umbra

Patricia McDonald

During the month of October, The Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance hosted Fall in... Art and Sol across the bay region. According to the Fall in... Art and Sol website, the goal of the celebration is to "showcase ...artistic and architectural expression, scientific achievement and the region’s natural splendor."Among the many sculptures across Saginaw is a piece by Patricia McDonald, and can be found here on campus. 

Patricia's sculpture consists of three I-beams, stretching up to the sky as a solar-powered motor keeps arms on either side rotating in circles. The repetition of circular forms give homage to the form of the sun, while the rotation of the arms remind the viewer of the rotation of our planet and our relation to the sun. As well as powering the sculpture, the sun also interacts with the sculpture by creating a shadow that changes throughout the day with the movement of the sun. Time also becomes a long term factor in her sculpture, as it rusts and weathers from the forces of nature.

Patricia's sculpture can be seen outside of Curtis Hall on SVSU's campus. Patricia will be graduating this semester, earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in sculpture. She is one of four students featured in the Fall 2013 BFA Show, starting November 18th in the University Art Gallery. 

To see more work by Patricia McDonald,  as well as artists Samuel Dantuma, Jon Elliot, and Olivia Nixon, visit the University Art Gallery between November 18th and December 13th. An opening reception will take place December 5th from 4:30-7pm.

For more information and artwork from Fall in... art and sol, visit http://fallin-glbr.com/.

Amy Gibas

Gallery Assistant

University Art Gallery

Saginaw Valley State University