Reflective Log: Peer Feedback/ Peer Crit and Self Reflection

Key points & Reflections:

• The group said they liked the burn marks on the stainless steel cut outs over the aluminium material. This is something I could continue (cutting out sections of metal). 
• I am more inclined to use stainless steel anyway due to the connection that I feel with this material, which is perhaps due to its polished surface, but also due to its desirability within the commercial art markets as 'luxury'. 
• Making my art more succinct and complete. 
• Test black underneath the cut-outs on the aluminium. Place a black canvas or wall behind. 
• If you're going to cut so much out of the material, does it even have to be stainless steel? As you're cutting a lot of the material away it seems like a waste. 

Further Development:

• I want to make my work more commercial and perhaps I could figure out a way of creating the metal to look more like a Canvas - taking inspiration from Louise's paintings, and also Marina's metal canvas style wraps I saw at the Chelsea College of Art show. 

Placing black board behind the cut out after feedback:

• The black and silver combination does work really well, and if I chose to continue with silver I would place it on a black wall. 

Further Designs & Development:

Example of mild steel metal tubing for frame. 

• My new idea is to create a metal wall piece which has a frame, and can resembles the canvas style painting. 
• After speaking to Rob, he suggested that we have a go at using mild steel first, and using box tubes for the frame, and then welding the sheet metal on afterwards. As the uni doesn't have the facilities for box folding, which is what I would need to do if I wanted this edge on the metal. 
• He also suggested researching powder coating which you can put on top of the mild steel and comes in a variety of colours. This powder coating idea seems to be opposing to my practice at the moment which is monochrome, but I am actually quite excited about the use of colour and think I want to start incorporating it. 

Reflection/ revelation: 

• I think my work is quite conceptual at the moment and I want this to change, to become more commercial. 
• I want to create something that is a whole thing - whether that is a whole complete sculpture or a wall piece, and I think its more likely to be a mixture of the both. This sculptural wall piece idea (that still incorporates all the textural details I have learned throughout the course so far) seems to be the answer, and including colour is fine as long as the surface still looks polished. Anish Kapoor still uses colour and as he has said previously, it's the surface that inspires. 
• If I can somehow create this frame structure I think I will be more content with my work, as at the moment everything is just incomplete or sheet metal or texture experimentation. 
• Also Rob told me I can't weld with aluminium, therefore, I will leave this material alone for now.  

Powder Coating Research:

https://www.redcarpetfx.com/products/mehron-metallic-powder-paint-silver?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=9574560261&gclid=CKPh1tuj5dQCFcyT7QodefMNqQ 

• Available in a range of bright colours.
• Available in chrome, which could be a cheaper way of getting a bright reflecitve finish equivalent to stainlesss steel but using mild steel. 
• £9.99 covers 4 square meters. 
"All of our powders are Polyester, which provides great resistance to the outdoor elements. Electrostatic Magic's 'High Chrome' is manufactured from high quality pigments you can be rest assured your project will look fantastic for many years to come."

• The black and white gloss effect coatings also could look quite effective.