Place Project (week 12)

The word “Place” makes me think of the various places I’ve lived in throughout my life. My favorite place to live is by the beach and I enjoy spending my summers in a place called Bethany Beach in Delaware. For this project, I wanted to depict the culture and beauty of "The Quiet Resort" of Bethany Beach as much as possible. I thought about the ocean waves hitting the sand, the local shops and restaurants, and the seagulls flying over the boardwalk. When thinking about these subjects as a final drawing, I could not see how the viewer would know that this was a special place and not just any beach.

To solve this problem I decided to draw a unique landmark of the town. I chose the totem pole permanently displayed at the town's entrance depicting “Chief Little Owl” of the Nanticoke Indian Tribe. It was carved by, Peter Toth, who created the town’s first “Whispering Giant” and has erected totem poles in all 50 states. The goal of his nationwide project has been to create unity among all people. I believe that this statue not only reflects the culture and values of Bethany Beach, but that of all America.

This new "Whispering Giant" is carved from a single red cedar log from Alaska, which Toth selected personally. This wood is expected to last from 50 to 100 years. The salt air and wind off the ocean slowly weathers the giant adding to the feeling of history and character in the old chief’s face. I tried to capture that feeling and aesthetic value in my drawing. I focused on the textures and range of light value in the dry old red wood. The statue had to be sharp and crisp to show the detailed features of the carving. Using a blurry and more abstract background I further enhanced the vivid effect I was looking for. Since this beach is on the East coast I have the sun rising out over the ocean behind the carved giant. I played with a negative effect in the background to portray the sunrays as they break out above the clouds.

The struggles I had with this piece stem from the necessity of having to travel while working on it. I was unable to use the larger paper and charcoal that I had been using for my previous projects. I think a larger drawing in charcoal would have been more captivating and better represent the concepts involved. However, one benefit of the size I did work with is being able to scan the image and send it to the company I worked for in Bethany Beach, with the intention of having prints made and sold in their stores. Thus, in addition to my immediate audience, which includes my classmates, professors, friends, and family, I hope to expand my audience to the locals and tourists of Bethany Beach. When we critique this project I want to see if the class prefers the subject matter better than the more typical cliché beach scenes and whether my imagery is "immediately pleasing to the eye".