The Book of Hairs documentation of the Thesis
George and The Tiger by Megan Jones
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the book of hairs documentation of the thesis
George and The Tiger by Megan Jones
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Table of Contents
I.
Introduction & Personal History
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II.
George and the Tiger vs. St. George & The Dragon
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III. Why Animals? History of Anthropomorphism IV. Why Ceramic? Ceramics and Illustration V. Synopsis for George and the Tiger
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VI. Development 16 VII. Final Imagery 24 VIII. Exhibition 50 IX.
Final Reflections
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X.
Onwards and Upwards
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XI. Acknowledgements 67
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I. Introduction Personal History
I was born along the border between Missouri and Kansas, raised between suburban Kansas City, Missouri and a rural area an hour to the south. After graduating from the second smallest school in the state, I attended the University of Central Missouri where I graduated with a dual major in Studio Arts with an emphasis in Painting and Commercial Arts with an emphasis in Illustration. After graduation, I completed post bachelorette work in Ceramics, where I fell in love with the illustrative opportunity that the clay surface and form could achieve. My work is often reflective of my upbringing, having been raised in two worlds; that of a small farm and of suburban Midwest America. Bouncing between the idyllic life of rural America, where people still strive toward the “American Dream�, and the ever changing, technology-centric living of suburban life created a sense of time confusion. The entertainment for children living on farms tended to be based around exploration of nature and reading. In the suburbs, video games and the Internet provided entertainment. Due to the constant shifting between homes, I related more to the animals that inhabited my two homes. Often outdoors, exploring the woodlands and prairie near my home, I fought the isolation by finding comfort in my animal friendships and nature itself. As I grew, my drawings were often telling stories with anthropomorphic animals, looking from classic fairy tales and myths, to Bugs Bunny and the Bernstein Bears. To this day I find comfort in the nature that pop up in urban life and the proximity to some of the best museums in the world.
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II. George and the Tiger vs. St. George and the Dragon
Stories have been shared from generation to generation, morphing and adapting over time from one culture to the next. From creation myths to Bugs Bunny, tales have been blended and assimilated to the point where the origin is often forgotten. In the modern world, many classic tales have been laid by the wayside in exchange for more easily digestible stories such as Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Aladdin. The work of animation companies and publishers has both helped and hindered the continuity of the tradition of the fable. As generations have gone by, stories have been interpreted for the changing audience, often removing the core values and morals that were embedded within some of the darker, gorier areas. Many of the tales have been blended and censored to the point that they are at risk of being completely erased from history. St. George & The Dragon is an example of those stories at risk of being forgotten. With roots in the Byzantine Empire, the story of St. George has been adopted by many countries for their sigils and many a famous painting remains, but the original roots have been all but forgotten to all but those who work in the study of medieval manuscripts and religious scholars. In the simplest of translations, a dragon terrorizes a kingdom in Libya, forcing the king to send out sacrifices. When he has no other choice, he sends out his daughter to the beast. As she waits to be eaten, a knight rides in upon his white steed. George subdues the dragon and parades it into town, using it to convert the kingdom to Christianity. “George & The Tiger� however, is not intended to be a faithful retelling of this tale, but rather, an adaptation that blends the storytelling aspects, materials and processes from antiquity to modern times, while still
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holding to many of the systems of epics such as Beowulf, Gilgamesh and Ysengrimus. It is intended to play upon the mystique of the “White Knight� created by the original story and the history of anthropomorphic animals as proxies for humanity and morality, while creating a world that brings depth to a tale whose origins have been all but forgotten beyond lingering religious iconography.
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III. Why Animals? A Brief History of Anthropomorphism
Since the beginning of cultural history, man has always sought to interpret and control the world around them. One of the earliest remaining imagery was created by shamans in the form of a Lion headed goddess idol which can easily be related to that of the early civilizations, blending human and animal characteristics in those that were seen as gods. In Mesopotamia it included a winged bull deity called Lamassu, in Egypt it was a pantheon of gods and creatures that ranged from Ammut to Rah. Elsewhere it was Coyote the trickster in America and Hanuman the indispensable friend of Ramma in India. Anthropomorphism has always been an integral form of expression in cultures, shifting from the godly at the advent of Christianity to playful interpretation of the animals around us. Many of Aesop’s Fables were translated, some of which eventually becoming the medieval bestiaries that illustrated the stories of Reynard the Fox and many other animals. For hundreds of years, anthropomorphism was represented in these books, and continued to grow in popularity with the advent of printing and publishing. Today, anthropomorphism can be seen in everything from picture books to animation series.
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IV. Why Ceramics? Ceramics & The Illustrative Form
Ceramics has traditionally been seen both as a functional and decorative art, with roots all the way back to ancient times. As it spread around the world, each culture found ways to blend and incorporate the influences of the previous. With wealth came the ability to more lavishly decorate the surfaces and sculpt figurines. Today, ceramics sits within the gray area between high art and craft, with some artists being represented by galleries and paid incredible sums for their work, while others are seen as no more than skilled artisans. Illustration also fits within it’s own gray area, with some artists being seen as gallery worthy, while others can be interpretted as having no connection to the imagery they make; It is just a job and they get paid to do it. On the contrary, both art forms have levels of concept, technique, and emotion that is currently at risk of being lost within high art. It’s place in the every day world means that an immediate read is much more important. Hidden details and concepts can be incorporated, but the piece must be able to stand on it’s own using it’s form, function, and inherent beauty. While many ceramic artists decorate their forms with illustrations of characters, they do not make the connection of worlds. And vice versa with those in the illustration world. There are sculptural illustrators, but not many have taken the leap of faith to ceramics. The potential is there for a beautiful harmony, artists just need to jump.
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V. Synopsis for George and the Tiger
George, a young mouseling from the borders of the Mousedonian Kingdom, is raised by a flock of birds after his home was destroyed by a tiger named Attila, killing his mother and eventually his father. He spends his life training from the moment when he will face Attila again, living for the thought of vengeance. We learn that Attila was set of his warpath by Dio, a scheming prince who, through jealousy and spite, sought to murder his father and brother to ascend to the throne. Dio ruled as a hero king, raising his neice as if she wrere his own child, until the day of Attila’s return. In an attempt to appease the giant beast’s hunger, Dio sends out peasants as sacrifices. Princess Isa, horrified by Dio’s plan, tries to stop him by switching places with one of her friends who is next to be sacrificed. George, after defending the birds from a giant snake intruder, learns of Attila’s visit and seizes the opportunity to exact his revenge. In doing so, he saves the princess from the claws of the tiger. In his rage, Attila reveals Dio’s deceit and the circumstances that led to the demise of not only George’s family but also his ascension to the throne. What follows is the battle that determines the fate of not only George and Attila, but also the future of the kingdom.
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VI. Development
In the early stages of the decision making for this project, the pieces were all going to be pen and ink. After discussions with guest critics and Whitney, the question came up of why not sculptural? One of my goals of coming to graduate school was to better incorporate my two dimensional and three dimensional work. Once the decision had been made that the work would be made from ceramic, a decisive system had to be put in place. Each piece was drawn and designed to a dummy book of the text. As the images were translated from the page to the slab, they took on new life, often changing radically from the thumbnails to incorporate space and shadow. Once I had a number of pieces I had to work in sections so that the initial, bisque, firing would fill the kiln. As they were being prepared for bisque, I began sculpting three dimensional pieces that would enhance the world building that I hoped to acheive. When it came time to color the surfaces, many options were tested including majolica, underglazes, stains, and eventually watercolor. The watercolor was the most attractive of the options, as it soaked into the surface of the details rather than sitting on top and potentially hiding the intricate work that went into each tile. In total, there are 26 full color tile illustrations, 3 figurative busts, 3 sculptures in the round depicting scenes from the story, and 1 mosaic. Illustrated on the facing page is the process for one tile.
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VII.
Final Imagery
Hide, quickly! 7.25”x8” As a giant tiger attacks her village, Jolenta hides her young son named George in a hole in wall behind the cabinetry. “Be brave, be quiet!”
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Pleading Rats 7.75”x8” Pirate rats break into Jolenta’s home, seeking shelter from the tiger attack. “Hide us, please!” they hysterically cry, barricading the door behind them.
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You alive, Boyao? 7”x8” After Attila the tiger destroys his village, George climbs out of the rubble of his home to meet Thrush, the sparrow. Due to the shock of the attack, George will never verbally speak again.
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Come Away 5.25”x7” With nothing left to call home, Thrush takes George away to his village.
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Get out! 5.25”x6” Fed up with his oldest son’s drunken antics, King Virgil kicks out of the war room.
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Attila Introducing Himself to Dio 12�x8� After being kicked out of the war room, prince Dio drunkenly wanders into the desert. Unbeknownst to him, Attila sneaks up behind him.
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Such an Honor 6”x11” After scheming with Attila, Dio arranges to have the tiger murder anyone wearing the purple cape that represents the royal family. In his jealousy toward Bernard, a general in the army and the father of George, Dio “gifts” him with his own cape.
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The Wound 9”x6.25” Bernard manages to ruin the eye of Attila before he crushes him in his anger. Before the tiger crushes Bernard to death, Dio convinces the tiger to take his rage out on Bernard’s village after the battle.
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Finish it off! 14�x12.5� Attila leaps into a crowd of rats, eager to exact his revenge and move on to destroying villages of mice.
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Meet George 13�x6� We are reintroduced to George, now a young adult who has been training with the intent of seeking revenge against Attila. He trains every day under a tree that Attila had scarred before his arrival.
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Sneaking through the leaves 7.75�x9� Sassanith the viper hides amongst the leaves, stalking a sparrow resting further out on the branch.
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Sassanith Strikes! 10”x18” George attempts to defend the birds’ homes, but he is terribly overwhelmed. He trips, having just enough time to aim his spear back toward the racing maw. Rushing too quickly to stop, Sassanith spears himself through the head.
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Goodbye 6�x3.25� After the death of Sassanith, word comes that Attila has returned to the Mousedonian Kingdom. George says goodbye to his adoptive parent, Thrush.
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Let’s Go! 4.25”x8” Caracalla and George fly off to find Attila.
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Scheming 5.75”x5” Dio and his advisor, Seneca scheme how to expand their army’s influence.
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Our wonderful Princess 7.25�x6� Unaware of the scheming of her adoptive father, princess Isa entertains the children of the Mousedonian capitol.
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Sacrificial Soldiers 6�x7.5� After the order of King Dio, the children are gathered up and conscripted into the army against the wills of their families.
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Run! 3.25�x3� As the child soldiers set out to train in the borderlands, Attila returns and decimates their ranks, leaving children and soldiers alike to run for their lives.
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(Opposite) Begging the Devil 11.5”x6” Attila is not pleased with King Dio and demands sacrifices.
(Above) The Trade 4.75”x5.5” When one of Isa’s closest friends is chosen in the lottery to be sacrificed, Isa trades places with her, hoping that it will make her adoptive father stop the deaths.
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Help! 4.5�x5.25� Her plan failed, Isa is staked out as an offering for Attila.
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Reach! 5.5””x7” Just as Attila nears to enjoy his meal, George and Caracalla swoop in and save the princess.
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The Battle 14”x 9.25” & 5.75” x 6.5” (varies) After returning Isa to safety, George returns to fight Attila. Caracalla is injured in the process, and George defends her from the tiger’s wrath.
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Mortal Wounds 7�x6.5� Using his climbing skills from being raised in the trees with the birds, George climbs up Attila and stabs him in the neck, killing the giant beast.
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Saying Goodbye 6�x5.5� After mortally wounding Attila, George is gravely injured when the beast falls onto him. Isa rushes out to comfort the dying hero.
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VIII. Exhibition Reflection
As my thesis developed, the exhibition was always integral to my planning. I wanted the space to resemble that of a museum, honoring a long lost civilization. When one thinks of a show that looks upon an older civilization, context is very important. This is given using different artifacts, such as jewelry, pottery, and sculpture. To strengthen the world building, I created sculptures that mimicked marble statues, vases that were both utilitarian and funerary. The surfaces were carefully selected to reflect historical applications, such as gold lustre and wood and soda fired ceramic.
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IX. Final Reflections Successes & failures
As i’ve started packing and arranging things to move out, I happened upon one of the pieces that was included in my entrance portfolio. It was painful to look at. This is not a bad thing though, as it means that my time here was well spent. Not only did the quality of my work grow exponentially, but I found the sense of direction that I had yearned for so desperately after undegraduate school concluded. With growth, there always comes failure though, and this is to be expected. But from the failure comes the most sincere of reflection, and the will to challenge oneself to push beyond toward success. This project had many intricate areas that had to be working concurrently to be successful. While the imagery is all completed, the book that they are intended to be housed in is not. After many tests, (and failures), a redesign is required. I know that this set back is not one that will be detrimental to the piece but actually the opposite. With some time to reflect and tweak the design, I feel that it will be much better for it. This year, I have gained that sense of direction required for success, but also developed a distinct handling of the clay surface, an understanding of how to pace a large scale ceramic project, and a better understanding of the limitations of the form. And for that, I will always be grateful.
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X Onward & Upwards!
While the school year is done, it does not mean that my work is complete! It’s actually quite the opposite! As I wrap up work on the physical book for George and The Dragon, I have other projects and opportunities that are appearing. These include: -Maintaining and growing the “Sloths Are Bad At Things” brand. -Building “Kestrel Clay” with Chad Collins; a business centered on our ceramic world. -Reaching out to publishers with some of my stories in development such as a medieval Bestiary of Ugly Dogs. -Researching the historical significance of anthropomorphism in the hopes publishing a scholarly paper on the suject. -Teaching at MICA and other universities.
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Acknowledgements Whitney Sherman Joyce Hesselberth Jaime Zollars Stephanie Plunkett Joyce Schiller Sarah Barnes
My Fellow Night Owls from Around the World — Diana Abby Danny Cat Laurent Liz Rob Jiyeon Il Sung Jasu Spring Eric Sarah S Sara L Shreyas Ricardo Big Kut George Aimee Claire Meltem Ashley Jackie Jia Patti Cinyee Melissa — Thank you to the Guest Critics and my family, friends, and faculty. __ And to my wonderful fiancé Chad, without whom none of this would be possible. Thank you for playing Author, Agent, Critic, and Nanny. ___ Photo Credits Diana Florese Blazquez, Grant Jones, & Shreyas R. Krishnan
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