Patti PogodzinskiMFA Illustration Practice 2016

Maryland Institute College of ArtDissertation

I Intro

II Goals

III Narrative Paintings

IV Patterns

V Exhibition

VI Conclusion

CONTENTS

Inspired by my grandfather’s career as a pilot in the Polish Air Force during the 1920s, Fata

Morgana, Italian for an elaborate mirage, is a story of Antoine and Antoinette, an adventurous

pilot and mechanic team from Poland, who decide to embark on a grand trip around the world

in a decade alive and bustling with energy.

Throughout the story, they travel to places that shaped the history of flight, enjoying each

location’s history and culture. They experience things real and unreal — huge birds, tiny hot

air balloons and other phantasmagoria.

With every new location comes different sensual delights — exotic textiles, comestibles, and

heady scents. The pair pick these items up along with new sights and sounds. Fata Morgana

connects the viewers imagination to the romance of air travel through illustrations, pattern

design.

A THEME

Fata Morgana is a series of projects tied together by a story inspired by my grandfather’s time in the Polish Air Force. The projects comprise of narrative paintings, patterns and ceramics. The paintings illustrate the story of two pilots, Antoine and Antoinette who embark on an around the world journey. Along their journey they visit locations that have a rich heritage in aviation.

The pattern project is a collection of patterns inspired by aviation, and the specific cities that Antoine and Antoinette visit. The ceramics pieces were created in mind of the exhibition. They are hot air balloon like shapes, that mimic the visual language of the illustrations. The three projects create the entirety of my thesis, Fata Morgana.

I always found my family’s history and personal stories as a source of inspiration for my work. The idea to create a body of work based on their stories came to mind at the end of the spring semester of my 1st year. I heard about my grandfather’s

WHAT IS

?

experience quite recently when my dad received his father’s photographs from his sister last year. This had a great impact on me- it was the first time my father had ever spoken about my grandfather. I was surprised to learn that he was in the Polish Air Force in the 1920s and 30s. His platoon had two pilots preparing for an around the world journey which sadly, never happened. Therefor, the story of Antoine and Antoinette takes their lost chance and fulfills it in Fata Morgana.

In essence, Fata Morgana is a project that seeks to create a unique, optimistic rendition of tourism and places with aviation heritage. This is chapter one which follows Antoine and Antoinette’s adventure through Europe depicted through narrative paintings, patterns and ceramics.

I graduated from MICA’s undergraduate Fine Arts program feeling a bit directionless. I wanted to find purpose for the work I was creating. A year after graduation, during which I did a variety of things; travel, an artist residency and work at an ad agency. I discovered the field of illustration, which seemed attractive and responsive to the type of work I wanted to create. However, I felt that my work and artist’s practice needed more refinement, especially to fit into illustration’s competitive field. That is how I ended up pursuing a master’s in illustration practice. This is what I wanted to accomplish in grad school:

Refine my ‘style’ so that its translatable to illustration.

Explore different subjects and concepts, like book and

editorial illustration.

Utilize digital tools to refine my workflow and final

execution of artwork.

Create a pronounced professional practice: know which

markets are a best fit for my work.

STRIDES WITHIN

After these two years, I achieved more than the initial goals I set out on. After my first year, exploring different applications of illustrations through a variety of workshops, I discovered pattern design. I loved seeing my watercolors repeated at different scales. My aesthetic seemed to work comfortably in pattern design. It allowed me to refine my traditional and digital skills. It opened up endless possibilities of places to apply my work- textiles, packaging, stationary and even within my illustrations .

I achieved a sense of direction, the knowledge of different markets and subcategories of illustra-tion. I know the importance of articulating and sketching ideas before creating the final art. I was able to practice teaching and in a way, art directing as a Graduate Teaching Intern. The experience of working in a studio environment with talented people, who were always there to give helpful feedback and inspiration was an added bonus. With the skill and wisdom gained in graduate school, I feel confident and excited to move forward with my illustration and artistic practice.

I wanted to create a series of illustrations that captures the mood of a certain time and place experienced by two characters. Each illustration was to depict the two pilots experiencing a specific city through it’s cultural and historical attributes. Fata Morgana’s inspiration derives from the decades that were my grandfather’s prime time as a pilot. They were tumultuous times; being between two world wars and economic hardship. Yet, there was a pocket of optimism and wonder, I would expect. His platoon was preparing two of their colleagues for an around the world flight, a first of its kind coming from Poland. Aviation was still humanity’s fresh achievement that stirred notions of a roman-ticized future brought on by manufacturing and technology. Antoine and Antoinette’s story is about this optimism. In these paintings I wanted to capture their exploration of all the wonders and pleasant things that come with air travel.

Aviation and tourism are new themes that gave me great amounts of material to work with. I wanted to convey these themes by creating a visual hierarchy with small scale motives interspersed among the main composition and borders. In order to create this hierarchy holding the information about each location,I had to do an adequate amount of research and planning.

One of my goals for graduate school was to refine my style and create a body of work that conveyed a visually consistent theme. I wanted to work with narrative and serialized content, yet I struggled with creating imagery that held up together. I developed a system of executing my thesis paintings, which may have not been the most efficient way of working, especially if I had a tight deadline. But this was for thesis, and from my understanding, thesis is for developing and researching. I admit, too much of my energy during the fall semester was spent, anxiously developing this style. In the end, I am satisfied with the paintings as a whole, especially when they hung together in the exhibit. I created these paintings by first drawing out thumbnails based on the research I did on the locations. After choosing the winning composition, I took a pencil, drew it out on 12 x 14 bristol paper, which I later would ink with a thin black pen. This way I was able to refine the composition, add and subtract elements and take the time to contemplate on the painting part. After finishing the drawing, it was scanned and blown up to a little more than twice its size. Next I traced the new size onto BFK which would finally feel the graces of my brushes and paint. I’ve received feedback from colleagues and critics, that the line drawings can stand as finished pieces. I was able to utilize the Reims

drawing for my thesis exhibition’s wall painting. Therefore, in the following pages I include both the line drawings and the finished finals. The final paintings are laid out with a pattern on the opposing page. Each pattern was created with a specific location in mind. For the thesis exhibition I created a booklet housing together the paintings with the appropriate pattern, along with a written narrative.

The written part of the story needs refinement. Initially, I wanted to create a purposely vague, impressionistic narrative. Having completed my thesis, however, I think that this project has some real potential as a story. I want to revisit it as a more structured narrative.

Before starting chapter two, I’d like to continue developing chapter one by painting three more additional paintings. The next locations in the works are: Farnborough, England, Florence, Italy and Moscow, Russia.

The last two paintings, I followed my sketches and stood by my ideas with conviction. Mistakes happened but I didn’t dwell on them or start over right away. They were completed successfully,

painlessly and in reasonable time. Kitty Hawk and my stork painting (also painted at a large format) were my last illustrations, each taking three days to complete-from sketch to final. Compared to the first illustrations which I worked on for a few months. All things considered, I believe I can complete the next paintings quickly and successfully.

The narrative pieces taught me how to focus on my ideas from start to finish. Second guessing myself when painting only leads to falling behind schedule and loosing track of other important things.

I earned a lot from this project- the process, as much as I complained about it, was truly enjoyable. I had fun working with my beloved watercolors and BFK paper, and exploring this different variation in my style. The paintings allowed me to realize my goal of developing serialized illustrations with a consistent style that set a mood to Fata Morgana’s story. With this accomplishment, I will continue developing my next plans for Antoine and Antoinette’s adventures.

Antoine and Antoinette experience these loca-tions through playful, colorful phantasmagoria. Each illustration interprets the location’s touristic attributes through little motifs interspersed among the illustrations. They start in their hometown of Warsaw, Poland. Their platoon invites the entire city of Warsaw to join them in a celebratory departure. This illustration is closely tied to my grandfather’s life and photographs. Two of my grandfather’s crew mates were about to set off on an around the world journey, that was unfortunately cut for unknown reasons.

This illustration is most focused on the event that could have happened- the pilots and their crew pos-ing for a photo amongst a crowd. Many photographs from the 1910s and 20s, picturing celebrations of departing or returning pilots were used as refer-ences and inspiration for this illustration. The pilots and people in the photographs would be holding bundles of flowers and gifts which they received

WARSAW, POLAND

from the crowds. Here, Antoine holds a goose that he receives as a gift from the crowd.

For the thesis show, I produced a booklet which contained the illustrations and corresponding pat-terns on the opposing page of each illustration. The narrative’s text was included along with each image as a description of the pilot’s activities in a given location. Here is that text, as it pertains to Warsaw, reproduced on the next page.

For the thesis show, I produced a booklet which contained the illustrations and corresponding patterns on the opposing page of each illustration. The narrative’s text was included along with each image as a description of the pilot’s activities in a given location. The text for Warsaw:

Before they departed on their epic journey, the pair celebrated with their crew at home in Warsaw. They were given a goose for good luck, and assistance if trouble were to meet them along the way.

Before they departed on their epic journey, the pair celebrated with their crew at home in Warsaw. They were given a goose for good luck, and to assist them if trouble were to meet them along the way.

In Reims France, the pair finds themselves surrounded by delicious drinks, architectural wonders and airplanes. In 1909, Reims, France held the first ever air races, which made it the perfect location for Antoine and Antoinette to visit. Reims is the capital of the Champagne region which, as it’s name suggests, produces the world’s finest champagnes. Here they sit among the city’s archi-tectural wonder: the Reims Cathedral with its magnificent rose window. They enjoy a relaxing day among friends watching planes and balloons fly by.

REIMS, FRANCE

Their first destination was in Reims, where the first air races had been held in 1909. They wore their best clothes and watched the annual race from the vineyard-laced hills of the Champagne region. They lounged with their goose, their new friends, and savoured the fizzy drink as the planes zoomed by.

KONSTANZ, GERMANY

Antoine and Antoinette take their next flight to Konstanz, Germany, a small town situated on Lake Constance. Count Zeppelin was born in Konstanz, and founded the Zeppelin Airship company, where blimps, among other aircrafts, were manufac-tured. This region is known for its manufacturing, aviation and tourism. I’ve had the luck to visit this region a couple of times, and I remember it being saturated with beautiful mountain views, sail boats and people relaxing along the shores. The shores are lined with long promenades with bustling street cafes and pizzerias. This illustration focuses on these attributes with illustrated scenes and motives surrounding the action of Antoine and Count Zeppelin being recused by Antoinette.

The next stop was Konstanz, Germany, where they were to meet a Count who had invented the blimp. Count Zeppelin was to show the views of his hometown, Konstanz, which was set on Lake Constance, amongst the high peaks of the Alps. The majestic views were too much for Antoine to handle, and for his sake, they avoided the descent and waited for Antoinette to fly by and save them.

Heraklion is a town in Crete, close in proximity to Knossos Palace. Its connection to flight lies in the myth of Icarus and Daedalus, which takes place in Knossos. The illustration reinterprets the myth with Antoinette attaching a gigantic hoopoe onto Antoine’s back. The hoopoe has been following the pilots around on their journey, and until this point, keeping an eye on them from afar. Here he becomes an absurd symbol for the wings Daedalus makes for Icarus, which in turn is a symbol for humans over coming their natural limits through science.

HERAKLION, CRETE

The ancient myth of Icarus and Daedalus led them to Heraklion, Crete, where the ruins of a palace lay nearby in Knossos. Legend has it that it was the palace of King Minos, who locked Daedalus away to his demise. Our adventurous duo went to investigate the site where one event after another had led to the exploration of an alternative flying contraption.

KITTY HAWK, NC

The last illustration in this chapter, is a prelude to the next chapter which will take place in the Americas. The pilots fly across the atlantic to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where the Wrights conducted their test flights. The pair dangle from their plane as an allegory to the way the Wrights would test fly their planes. It hints at the windy conditions at Kitty Hawk beach, where many visit to wind surf and fly kites. The town lies in the outer banks, which I have always associated with family vacations, beach houses on stilts and nesting sea turtles.

Antoine and Antoinette crossed the Atlantic Ocean and barely landed safely on the sands of Kitty Hawk beach. The town barely showed up on the map, and yet, despite it’s tininess the beach was filled with flying enthusi-asts of all sorts- kite fliers, birds and the brothers who started it all.

I wanted to create a collection of patterns inspired by Antoine and Antoinette’s travels and the culture surrounding aviation. These patterns were to be supplemental to the illustrations in the booklet and to stand as their own collection. Creating a collection became an important task for me this year because I wanted to fill my portfolio with more pattern design. I wanted to learn how to correctly repeat and color separate my motifs. As well as, experience the entrepreneurial side of pattern and surface design. Creating this collection required a lot of self-learning and research into the industry, which happened when I collaborated with my aunt for the Art Market project. There was also, a lot of trial and error and I felt like a lot of my patterns didn’t hold the same visual mood as my illustrations, which was one of my goals. Despite that, I gained the knowledge and skill to create visually compelling patterns. I have the insight and knowledge of the industry, which gives me confidence to pursue it further.

I choose to display two of my most successful patterns as framed square scarves for the show. I printed three designs: “Reim’s Floral”, “Storks” and “Irises and Planes”. Silk retains the attractive trans-lucent quality of watercolors which works well with my work and aesthetic. Printing art onto silk or any textile is a interesting solution to displaying it- its easily packable, can be displayed with or without a frame. It can wrap and hold things, and you can wear it.

I like this idea of being able to carry a painting with you, getting glimpses of it as you walk down the

street or when you unfold it from your bag to wrap around your neck. Printed silk has had a number of different functions, for example, it was used as tactical maps by American and British soldiers during World War 1. A piece of silk can be bunched up, folded into a small square, stuffed into a pocket and still be readable when unfolded. Another example of functional silk is, Furoshiki, a traditional Japanese reusable gift wrap. Its can perform as gift wrap and as a bag to hold things when folded appro-priately. The universality of silk and its quality to retain the aesthetics of watercolor paintings made it the prefect choice to work with.

Overall, patterns and surface design feel like a comfortable place for my aesthetic and way of working. I feel a sense of freedom and endless possi-bilities for my work with patterning. I can create a dozen variations form a few different motifs, each one acquiring different moods and sensibili-ties. My plan is to continue creating more patterns for Antoine and Antoinette’s story that are closer to the visual language of the illustrations. The prints, “Storks” and “Reims Floral” are the best examples of the visual aesthetic I want to capture in my next patterns.

“IRISES AND PLANES”

“REIMS FLORAL”

“STORKS”

FATA MORGANA COLLECTION

REIMS FLORAL NIGHT WEAR

I designed a set of nightwear consisting of a kimono, camisole and shorts, and pillow case using my Reims Floral print. This project was a collaboration with my aunt, Monique Galazka, who is a professional seamster and fashion consultant. We both mused about the idea of starting a clothing and accessories business together. As I’ve become older and more passionate about pattern design, the idea seems more realistic than ever before. So far I’ve worked with printing my work onto square scarves, and this time I wanted to explore different types of textile surfaces. Considering that this project was a pajama set and pillow case, I order the print on two different types of cotton: “Organic Cotton Sateen” and “Cotton Jersey”. The fabric was ordered on spoon flower and sent to my aunt who lives in Florida. I used MICA’s Art Market as a venue to sell our nightwear along with my prints and scarves left over from last year’s project. Separate branding that credited my collaboration with my aunt, had clothing labels and business cards created specif-ically for Reims Floral Nightwear. This project allowed me to approach my work entrepreneurially, and test run a clothing project with my aunt.

I considered this project a short term success since I sold most of the nightwear products and received commissions for more shorts and kimonos. However, it raises questions and concerns on the prospects of forming a future business endeavor. The main question is: how much do I price something so that it is profitable and sellable?

Moving ahead, I have a lot of different ideas of how I want to continue with my pattern work. I want to continue creating patterns and selling prints on my online store. Ideally, I want to find a retailer that would commission me for pattern design and resell it through their store. I’d like to find a job as a in-house pattern designer at a surface design studio, preferably, creating prints for fashion or home wear. My aunt and I would like to push our collaboration into designing a full line of clothing and accessories. However, before moving forward with that, we need to research a business model that will be profitable for the both of us.

The thesis exhibition was in the back of my mind since starting the development of Fata Morgana. I knew the thesis show wasn’t only about exhibiting the entire year’s worth of work, but it had to display the ambience I envisioned for Fata Morgana. My plan for the gallery space was to pull all the parts of my thesis together. I wanted the exhibit to bring out Fata Morgana’s aesthetic, which had become an important part of my thesis’s research. The thesis exhibition was the end goal for my illustrations. It was part of the reason I chose to work exclu-sively in traditional media. I considered the frames as important part of the wall’s entire look as well, which is why I had them custom made. The ceramics project’s purpose was to extend the narrative painting’s visual language and theme into three-dimensional forms. I utilized the line drawings in designing the mural. I intended for the mural to act like a structure for the rest of the space, cradling the marquee and framed pieces together.

I didn’t want to loose the deckled edges or the matte finishing of the paintings’ paper when framed. I commissioned the framed panels from my father. Specifically, I asked him to build a panel with dark wood with minimally finished maple frames around it. The dark panel gave the painting a small border that highlight the deckled edges of the paper.

THE FRAMES

Painting the mural was my favorite part of the entire year. I loved every part of it- from the mock up stage to the actual realization of it on the wall. It was like the hammer on the head. I had an epiphany when I finished installing the wall. I saw the completed mural surrounding the rest of my work, and I knew instantly where I want to take illustration. The space made me aware of the specific markets my practice could fit. I could see Fata Morgana as an ad campaign for a boutique hotel’s lobby, or a wall inside an airport advertising it’s new luxury shopping terminal. Instantly I knew how to articulate what my ideal job would look like. That job would be to make creative content for a luxury brand or institution, for example the department store La Samaritaine or the macaroon shop, Laduree. This realization was exactly what I was looking for when pursuing a master’s through the Il-lustration Practice program. The gallery space, spe-cifically painting the mural and installing the show, made me come to that important realization.

THE MURAL

CERAMICS

I wanted to create small hot air balloon sculptures that utilized the same language seen in my narrative illustrations. They were to pull out the whimsical nature of the narrative into 3D form. I am satisfied with the way the ceramics turned out, however, I think they were not as strong standing among the rest of the content in the gallery space. If I were to revisit the show again with the sculptures, I would place the display further away form the narrative pieces, perhaps display them as a functional object, such as a wine bottle stopper or paper weight.

The past two years in the Illustration Practice MFA program was a journey of development

and discoveries. I joined the program to refine my artist practice, one that is translatable to

the illustration field. I wanted to polish my understanding and skills of the different markets

in illustration, so that I’d be prepared to finely execute creative projects in the professional

realm.

Fata Morgana led me to having the confidence to move forward with my own personal projects

and develop them further. In the next few months, I will paint the additional illustrations for

chapter 1 and revisit the writing with a clearer idea of the narrative. Ideally, I’d like to form

the pilots’ story into a published book.

Along with the illustrations, I will continue to create more patterns inspired by Antoine and

Antoinette’s travels. I think the collection will stand on its own without being formatted to

fit the potential book. With that in mind, I will continue to develop the collaboration with my

aunt and create an entire line of nightwear and accessories using my prints. We hope that it

turns into a potentially sufficient business.

I am hoping to find work as an in-house pattern designer at a studio, ideally, working

with fashion and home prints. I have created a list of potential employers that I will be

contacting in the next few weeks. The past few months, I have received a couple of freelance

commissions: patterns for a stationary set that will be sold in every Sam’s Club near you! As

well as, a commissioned 20 page CD booklet project for Laura Kafka-Price, a professional

opera singer and professor at the Peabody.

Find out more at:

www.pattipogodzinski.com

Or send questions and comments directly to:

patrizja@gmail.com

Dedicated to: Tata, Mami, Ciocia, Tom and Jozef Pogodzinski. Thank you for the love, support and inspiration.