"Functional and Tasteful Art" - Russ Martin

This is a proposal for an artwork piece I’ve created that would be used to adorn the building of the Art Department itself (this is just a sample if this were the art building; I think it would be neat to have signage like this for each of the buildings that added color and function).  It seems only apt that the blank canvas of the artwork building be somehow enriched/beautified with something more fulfilling, something that inspires those in the major and draw others to it.  This work work is designed to add color to the scenery but also be functional with both the text and imagery as to the purpose of the building.  Opacity was used to bring out the texture of the wall behind the art and I did not make the work overly bright as I wanted it to more truly represent what it might look like in with paints used and the nature of the surface painted on.  The piece I’ve created is just one of many that might be put up (with more time I would create more rectangular pieces with complementary colors to the white background above and set them end to end).   I’ve wrapped this particular  piece along the wall (and placed it up high) so that the “art dept” text and image added to the work would be visible and practical to students coming from various directions.  In creating researching work other mural work done, I think I was most inspired to create this piece after viewing the work by Agents of Change in London where they created very bright geometrical pieces for the wall.  While I did not use their brightness levels in this work, I thought the use of white would be a nice complement to other bright pieces that could be aligned next to this piece as mentioned above.

-Russ Martin