Peter Kelly 11/4/22

It is done! All the beans have been glued except most of them.

Hi, I’m Peter Kelly, and I glued down some beans. It is not a coincidence that the beans come together to resemble an ancient Ostia Antica mosaic, nor is it a coincidence that these mosaics were often used to display goods being sold at a group’s shop, nor is it a coincidence that mosaics like this were extremely popular and are still admired today. I embarked on this journey as one adolescent, with some beans and a dream, but I left with the beans glued down to some posterboard. I used hot glue to stick a border of beans around an area, and filled in that area with some more beans. My main purpose of this work was to closely replicate the mosaic, while still adding my own flair. I tried to replicate the colors and shape of the mosaic, and through my replication I displayed the mosaic’s original meaning. I also did not want a zero. A main theme of this mosaic is the reliance of poor merchants on these mosaics to advertise their products, essentially depending on the effectiveness of these mosaics. I expressed this by making the colors pop and the shape very clear. I think it is very symbolic how I used food to replicate a mosaic that often signified food being sold and effectively put food on the table, as I said earlier. My influences include Ellsworth Kelly, who tended to use vibrant colors, but often resorted to black and white art. Kelly was an abstract artist, as can be seen in his “White and Black” (1952). There is even a book compiling all of his black and white paintings, showing how he valued shape and contrast, much like the mosaic.

Here is my video, where I say the exact same thing.

This is a song that I greatly enjoy. While I do not normally listen to this style of music, I think it is a great song. This is symbolic of how I do not normally make mosaics, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. The song is very upbeat, which reflects the mood I want to evoke and have the viewers of my art feel. The title is ‘Summit’, and I felt like I reached the summit of my creativity when I was finished with my mosaic. I felt very triumphant, just like the song. Even if you don’t normally like this type of music, you should still listen to it because it goes very well with my mosaic. While the actual sound of the song may not relate as much, the mood, pace, and tones reflect the themes of my mosaic.

This is my picture of the floor from the Van Gogh exhibit. When Van Gogh’s “The Harvest” appeared on the walls, wheat rushed on the floor all around the viewer, in an effort to engage the observer. I think Van Gogh tried really hard to make this look good, but deep down he knows that he can’t compete with my artistic genius. That’s why the creators of the exhibit had to make his art dynamic, to try to best me. I can convey a beautiful message without movement. I’d like to see Van Gogh use a hot glue gun as expertly as I can. It can’t be done; no one can match my dexterity and deftness.

Questions

1. I know I ran into challenges early on in the creation process, but I was able to adapt and change my plan of attack. Is that something that anyone else experienced?
2. Did anyone listen to music or watch something else while constructing their mosaic? I do this because it helps me focus, but I’m interested in how other people lock in and what they use to get themselves in the right mindset.
3. How did people reflect on their mosaic? Did their interpretations of the meaning change as they were creating it?