Sustained Investigation Series
The big idea of my Sustained Investigation is to show how different elements of nature interact with each other. Throughout the series I explored 3 inquiry questions
How do different plants interact with other aspects of nature?
How do non-living elements interact with other parts of nature?
How can I show how nature interacts in different ecosystems?
How do non-living elements interact with other parts of nature?
How can I show how nature interacts in different ecosystems?
My biggest challenges during this investigation was coming up with new ideas and shapes for my artworks. I needed to find different plants and non-living elements of nature to incorporate into my artworks that worked well together and matched my art style. I think the best moment I had while making the series was when I came up with an idea for my 4th and 5th sustained. I had a hard time coming up with new ideas that were in my skill level and once I figured out the different textures and sketched out my ideas I was able to move on. I think I grew a lot as an artist while making this series because I was able to explore new textures and techniques that I would never have tried otherwise. Additionally I learned how to use clay and was able to start creating artwork I was proud of.
"Woodland" | 4” x 4.75” x 6.6” | Clay, glaze, glass | This mug was my first clay piece and was meant to show a puddle in a vine-covered forest. I added leaves and vines all over the cup and used glass to make the water in the bottom. This piece led to the idea for my sustained investigation.
Interior view of "Woodland"
"Bog" | 4.2” x 6.5” x 6” | Clay and glaze | This piece is meant to show a tree covered in moss and fungi. I chose a forest that gets rain often as the ecosystem for this first piece in a collection of 3 called mossy wood. I used techniques like carving and scoring and slipping to add detailing.
Interior view of "Bog"
"Moss" | 5.4” x 4.5” x 4” | Clay and glaze | This is the second piece in my collection of mossy wood pieces. This one is also also a log covered in moss. I shaped this one in a different way to experiment with new shapes and try a more organic base.
"Marsh" | 4.2” x 4.9” x 5” | Clay and glaze | This is the last piece in my mossy wood collection. For this piece, I tried a more complicated triangular shape. Each side has a different type of fungus.
"Creek" | 4.7” x 5” x 4.5” | Clay and glaze | This piece is the first in a collection of two meant to show how water and rocks interact in nature. These pieces are representative of the many small waterfalls and creek found in the mountains. This piece has a lid on it showing how water flows down and over rocks from a pool at the top.
"Cascade" | 5.2” x 4.3” x 4.2” | Clay and glaze | This is the second piece in a collection of two. This piece is specifically meant to show the falling of water from a tall cliff to the bottom of the mountain. The lid on this piece is textured and colored white to show the aerated water that is present at the bottom of a waterfall.
Process Development for Sustained Investigation
Additional Artworks
"Orbit" | 8.5” x 8” x 10” | Air dry clay, paint, glove, paper, glue, wooden rod | The idea behind this was to make an artwork with every planet in our solar system. Each planet is painted according to how they really look. I put the earth at the top because I wanted to highlight our planet.
"Secret Garden" | Flowers, leaves, vines, pine cones, branches | This artwork is inspired by the environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy. I did my own artwork based off of his, he makes them completely off of what he finds in nature and leaves them there. Mine is hidden inside a tree, I used the hibiscus flower as a centerpiece and added colorful flowers around it to draw your eye around the piece.
"Christmas Wreath" | Holly branches, pine cones, leaves, pine needles | I made this as a representation of Christmas. When I think of Christmas I see Christmas trees and holly. I made this artwork similar to a wreath you might hang on your door, but I made it an environmental artwork so it is hanging on a tree instead.
“Rainbow Road” | 4” x 4” x 1” | Clay and glaze
"Luna" | 14” x 17” x 1.5” | Mixed-media collage
"Lucky" | 5” x 6” x 8.4” | Air dry clay, wooden rod, paint | This was made after a more sleek and elegant version of my cat. I was inspired by the Egyptian depictions of cats. I also made it similar to a more cartoon-like sculpture.
"Making Waves" | 11.5” x 7.5” x 6” | Paper pulp, gloves, newspaper, cotton balls, string paint, sand, and glue | I made this artwork as a way to show that the pollution of the ocean is in our hands. Fishing nets make up over half of the pollution in our oceans. The netting on the hand is made of knotted string.
“Marigold” | Mixed-media
