New Ecosystem, Plastic Collograph prints
These two pieces were an experimentation in implementing plastic items into collagraph printing. For both pieces, the print is on the left and the plate is on the right. They both focused on the aspect of plastics effect on sea life. I used different plastic items for both collagraphs: plastic bag strips, a plastic bag handle, plastic wrap, bubble wrap, plastic netting, and synthetic feathers. I also carved into modeling paste on cardboard. In continuing the theme of plastic, I created three portfolio pieces “Caught in a Nest of Plastic”, “Plastic Tapestry” and “Raining Plastic”. But to go even further I want to branch off of an idea in “Fish Platter”, where the water background is made out of plastic wrap to underscore that the ocean itself is becoming plastic and how we have allowed it into our food chain. So the next natural direction I would take is to depict humans as plastic, since we are what we eat in the cycle of plastic production and it making its way into our bodies. I would love to create an animation. It could be a stop motion, where I shape different characters and items out of colorful plastic bottles, like Sprite’s lime green bottle or Fanta orange. To shape them, warming the plastic with hot water and molding it would create the smooth and simple lines that I want to achieve. The characters could explore the city where the skyscrapers are constructed of tall bottles molded into a building shape. I would have some under lighting or even back lighting so that the color of the plastic comes through on film.
