Self Directed

My project is focused on the African culture and the species with the African plains that are effected by everyday events such as poaching, hunting other animals etc. Africa's great cat, the magnificent lion, is facing a poaching crisis. Intensifying the pressure, the use of wire snares by people has devastated wildlife populations across the Savannah of Africa. The bush meat trade doubly impacts lions; it kills off their prey species to feed a hungry human population, and lions themselves are caught in snares, usually to die a slow and excruciatingly painful death. Pieter Kat said "About 50 years ago we had about 200,000 lions living in Africa,” Therefore I have created performance pieces of an lions and zebras head as a person can use them to act in the respect of the animals that once use to roam the African plains in peace, the movements that where involved actually got me to learn more about the specific animal and how it learns to survive in the wild. It shows the peacefulness they all shared within the images I have chosen and it’s a powerful thing showing the head of a creature that was free and now is used as a trophy for a show to satisfy the world. I have learned a lot about the African culture and what has happened over the past 50 years or so and is very emotional to learn that they are used for coats, medicine and the black market no part of the animal is spared.  Spartacus Chetwynd as inspired my creative side toward the feeling and performance of a lion and zebra on how they act in their natural habitat. She had a strong supportive network with wildlife conservation's where she helped support the protection of almost and extinct animals now in captivity. She also said “It’s important to make an effort to make things that last so they can continue to communicate to people.” With the learning of the artist and the emotional status I was in I decided to put both the performance and wild side together by creating two masks/ heads on a shields to represent the stability and support this world has gained over the 50 years these animals have been on this planet. Spartacus Chetwynd creates her work from house hold material and recycled object and I have used this inspiration to do the same but based on the masks of animals rather than the full piece i.e. costumes. 

Lion

This head piece took about a week to make less time than the zebra but on the other hand i made the head lighter and more durable. I did this by making a gum strip duplicate of a large mixing bown this was then formed in to the base where a persons head would go. As the tape was forming i used to packs of Blu Tac this was used for the teeth. I choose Blu Tac as it was easily to manipulate into different sizes and smoothness for each tooth. with the left over Blu Tac I flattened it out and bent it to form a tongue. To make the texture right i used the led end of a pencil and began to poke and smudge small hole into it. Making tape also helped me alot through the process of making the top half of the face near the nose area as i filled it with Newspaper and to seal it I used masking tape then Gum strip this not only helped keep the face together but it made it more sturdier.T o get the overall texture of the lions face I used a plant basket padding as it was rough and unusual to use. I then used different tones of golds, oranges, and browns. I then recycled an old hood i had on a coat this was the most effective way for me to create the mane I was looking for.

Zebra

The zebra was the first piece i had created as this was just an experimental piece it turned out to be part of the final outcomes. It took me about 2 and half weeks to make as the process I used was new to me but it was an enjoyable experience. To create the head i used a small celebrations box for the nose area followed by several manipulations of newspaper to form the snout of the zebra. I then used cardboard to form the rest of the zebras neck. to create the ears i used newspaper covered on wool smoothed over with PVA glue and white acrylic paint. The zebras mane was formed using wool and the bristles of decorating brushes. after this was done i used two layers of newspaper strips to smooth out the whole face and then i painted it all white and added the stripes for effect. 

Moose

To create the moose antler i used 2 whole newspapers PVA glues back to back to create the thickness needed for the modroc to form. I then used 3 layers of modroc and manipulated it to bend slightly this was to shape an actual antler. After it fully dried i then spray painted it to an off white colour.

Deer

To create the deer antler i used 2 whole newspapers PVA glues back to back to create the thickness needed for the modroc to form. I then used 3 layers of modroc and manipulated it to bend slightly this was to shape an actual antler. After it fully dried i then spray painted it to an off white colour.

Here is some of the development work i have done for the painting side of this project. this was very influential as this helped me to understand the culture more of the African Savannah and what they actually represent.

I created this image by cutting up strips of A3 card and painting them in metallic colours. After they had dried i decided to cross hatch them to create a colourful center piece. I them backed it up on white A3 card to show off the colours contrasting one another effectively. 

I have used multiple sized cardboard and splodged each piece in different tonal colours of reds, yellows, golds. and with the paint becoming thick and tacky it created this textured piece of art.