Mikhail Hunker
I have always enjoyed engaging in physical activities associated with learning. I have also discovered that the easiest way for me to learn is through tactile, hands-on activities. I like creating things with my hands, I like finding new ways to solve problems or to do things. I am always experimenting with new ideas, and new ways to solve issues or problems confronting me.
Throughout the years, I have always liked music and art, and the creative aspects of each. As I have progressed through my education, I have found that the classwork that most interests me involves problem-solving and connects to learning by doing.
I have done many different creative projects over the years. For example, I always liked building different designs with “Lincoln Logs,” “K’nex,” and “Legos.” What attracted me was the ability to create your own designs and objects with these systems, and even combine them. I have always enjoyed drawing and creating two-dimensional work, as well as taking photographs. I have self-created various models or other works for school projects starting with my elementary school years where we did a major project called “Interest Fair” in February every year. I have worked with product design in high school, and in a summer design program, the process of creating a working clock from design elements associated with selected architectural works. I have also produced glass art windows and other pieces, and lately, have been experimenting with ceramic pieces including trying-out different design techniques using cooper, glass in the firing of the ceramic works.
I like to show detail when drawing, and this often takes some time, which other people may not have the patience to do, although many artists do very detailed drawings. I enjoy wildlife photography, but I have also used photographic techniques to create abstract images. My three-dimensional design work has varied from product design to ceramics to glass art. I am still developing many techniques and styles with ceramic work. In sum, the style of my work varies greatly, from detailed drawings of specific items and photographs of wildlife to abstract images and different three-dimensional design work.
I hope other people appreciate my attention detail and quality of work, and creativity expressed in my work. For example, I did an art glass fish of abstract design that received many positive comments. The table design I worked on with our class went from a design idea to a prototype to now a completed table. My ceramic work and use of metals in firing the clay is somewhat novel, at least as I understand it to be at Wellington. My goal is that people find my artwork and designs interesting, creative, and when necessary, also functional.
Given my interests as I have expressed, I believe a creative career, possibly in design, is right for me. I hope to gain the skills necessary long-term to making a living in creative or design-related work.
Table Design
This piece was created with pencil, pen, and colored pastel, on paper (roughly 17x11). The viewer will notice the conceptual table design, and how it may look in a certain space. The viewer may also get a better understanding of how I wish the table to look simply due to it being drawn in perspective. I also tried making the table seem up close, and the walls back several feet.
This piece is specifically aimed at helping viewers visualize my ideas for the design of this table. To me, this piece is mainly a step forward, and a step closer to having a final design and actually creating this table. I think others would agree on the design of the table as well as how it was presented to them in perspective. As many from the Wellington art community are aware, this piece does in fact tell a story that continues to be told. So far, some of the key points on which this story touches, is the ability to grow people’s minds through bring ing design awareness into our community. It represents not only the design of a great table, but the people and great ideas needed to make it possible.
From my understanding based on others’ opinions, and my own, this piece shows understanding of color, shading, perspective, and overall design as well as clean/crisp lines. I believe that there is room for improvement regarding certain aspects of my perspective, such as scale and depth. There really is only one thing that I might have, and still may do differently which is to fade out or just completely color in the large white portion at the bottom of the page. I am mostly thinking about coloring it all in, and therefore making it part of the floor.
Octopus
For this artwork, I chose to use pencil and paper (11x17). To most, this piece portrays an octopus, however it is truly up to the viewer to express what they really see. This piece is made from a series of somewhat simple scribbles, but in a way the small parts all work together to create something bigger and better. In the words of my art teacher, these smaller scribbles create an “implied line”.
This piece was never intended to be about anything. In a way, it came into its’ own existence from letting my mind wander while I happened to have a pencil in my hand. It is something from nothing. I had no idea this fun little doodle would eventually turn into a larger creature. I believe many others will see the octopus as I do, however there is still leeway that allows the viewer’s mind to wander. This piece tells its own story of how something came out of nothing, and how something originally thought to be abstract, would later on be altered, creating a new idea.
As noted earlier one of the main things this piece is good at doing is creating a false sense of order and shape. Its many small pieces help create an implied line. Others have suggested the addition of color into the “creature”, however I am convinced that doing so would distract and subliminally suggest what the piece is rather than let the viewer decide for themselves.
Camera
For this piece, I chose to use pencil and paper (11x17). As was mentioned in a previous blog post, this piece was intended be mainly a practice for studying freehand perspective and different shading techniques. There was a fair amount of time that was spent drawing and redrawing the lens portion. This is something that will just have to come over time with a decent amount of practice.
When this piece was critiqued there was not very much constructive criticism. Many believed that the piece was well executed, especially in regard to the shading. Though it was well received by the audience, there are certain aspects, such as parts of the perspective which will have to be improved upon in the future.
As mentioned earlier the main strength of this piece is its shading. One of the primary reasons for this is because it was what the most time was spent on. Once again, improving the perspective would be most easily executed by taking more time to set up the structure of my drawing.
CRKT Ripple
For this piece I chose to use pencil and paper, (8.5 x 11, in Sketchbook). For this piece I decided to do one of my favorite pocket knives, my CRKT Ripple. I mainly choose to keep the focus on shading technique and level of detail/realism. Because the handle of this knife is metal, reflection of the light source was another thing I had to keep in thought.
This piece was to not only show my attention too detail, but also my curiosity and passion for tools that many of us take for granted in our everyday lives. The piece is also intended to not only portray the knife’s aspect of functionality, but it’s beauty through design. Like most tools, this knife has it’s own story and history. Mainly this work tells the story of quality and reliability.
As many noted in a recent critique, this piece shows the understanding of shading and detail. The one improvement suggested, which I also agreed with was the idea of including some background. Note, it would not be a background that would fill the page, but a background that only gave the viewer enough context and nothing more.
Dali Homage
For my Dali inspired homage-piece there were several aspects of his work I chose to focus on. First, was the obvious surreal aspect of his paintings. Not being a painter I choose to use pencil (on paper) to create this piece. I had started out using a regular pencil, but then decided to use a mechanical pencil as it would allow me to get the finer detail I wanted without continually having to re-sharpened pencil. I knew what I wanted to incorporate in this piece, but throughout the process I just let my mind wander. There was no “real” picture in my mind and there was no exact way I wanted it to look. It was primarily line by line and detail by detail, which is one of my favorite ways of drawing because you never know what you're going to create next. While working on the piece I kept i mind certain aspects of his work. Some of the major ones I chose to include where the long stilts, drastically overdramatized figures, organic landscapes, and the feel of a deserted landscape.
My interpretation of this piece is mainly how it connects to Dali through his way of thinking and almost random nature of imagery. To me this piece highlights the emotions of sadness, remorse, curiosity, and tragedy. I have not yet completed the piece, but I am quite happy with how it turned out in relation to many of Dali’s works. Mostly I am happy because I was able to capture the style and thought process of one of the art worlds most creative and enigmatic minds.
Knife Set
This photo is an in-process drawing including an observation of to knives, one new, and one old. I choose these two objects for the main purpose of including more than just one object, and additionally due to my interest in their design. As one can see, these two knives have contrasting designs, both of which I hope to convey through crosshatch shading, as well as drawing them in perspective. I plan only on using the one shading technique. However I may decide to take a different approach, such as smudging especially if it will better help convey the objects’ realism.
Sea Salt & Copper Carbonate Vase
For this piece I chose to use high fire clay as it would allow me to take advantage of different high fire glaze techniques. I used a throwing wheel to create my vase. While I wanted my vase to be symmetrical and somewhat traditional, I wanted it to be unique as well. Like many of my other (non clay) pieces I wanted to focus in on detail. Another key aspect was how the vase would feel in hand. I wanted to give it weight, but without disrupting the overall form.
After the vase had been low fired, I thought of several different methods of finishing the piece. The idea I decided to use involved using copper carbonate as a colorant mixed into a clear glaze at a certain percentage. For my first batch of glaze I added copper carbonate into the clear glaze at a 3 percent concentration. On the outside I decided to use a sea-salt high fire glaze, which when fired resulted in a smooth texture with the look of speckled ivory. This piece was only the beginning as there are truly endless possibilities for glaze combinations, and I will explore as many as I can.
During our critique I received many complements and questions, all of which I was delighted to answer. There were no suggestions on the vase, but there were thoughts and ideas for future pieces, and inspired me even more to keep creating.
Round Bowl
For this piece choose to use a high fire porcelain clay. This bowl tells the story of failure and success. I originally aimed to create a piece similar to many of the pots and bowls out of Santa Clara and San Ildefonso. I tried creating my own glaze and slip incorporating graphite. Unfortunately I had no success in recreating the matte black finish I had sought after. However, the only design that had stayed on the piece was the deep teal blue glaze create by a clear glaze with 4 percent copper carbonate.
This piece shows the process of experimentation and how easily you can be proven wrong. After going through a total of three firings it had turned out well enough for my liking. Though it was nowhere close to what I had hoped I greatly enjoyed seeing the brilliant deep blues it came out with. Sometimes I find that the least expected results turn out the most interesting.
During the critique I received several questions regarding how I was able to achieve bringing out the dark hairline cracks within the clear glaze. It is a simple process, but one i am still somewhat new to. It involves rubbing on either an ink or dark acrylic paint and then removing it from the surface and leaving the residual substance behind to dry in the cracks. Due to the positive feedback from this piece I plan on trying out more experiments with different inking methods.
Cracked Saucer
For this piece choose to use a high fire porcelain clay. I also decided to used an iron oxide/filings slip which I applied to the entire surface, I believe this gives it more of a worn look. This piece may look like a simple saucer/dish, but has more thought in it than one might expect. A good amount of time was spent trimming and refining the piece to ensure it would have a clean and professional finished appearance.
I intended to create a rustic/antique feel with this piece. I wanted it to be simple yet complex, and I did so by using the same black ink rubbing process. Even though the cracks are not from age I like to believe that this piece helps represent time and how every hairline fracture tells its own story, Being more of a representational piece, this dish gives the viewer a false sense of age, which I feel is somewhat difficult to achieve.
As noted earlier one of the main things this piece is good at doing is creating a false sense of age. Its many small fragmented pieces help create an overall abstract but intriguing shape. I really enjoyed hearing how good the inked hairline cracks look, as it was what I had been aiming to do.
