For my project, I chose to construct ten containers in which clay and non-traditional drawings were combined. The various materials  used were ceramics, drawings on Plexiglas, wood, and other found materials.  The questions to be answered by the completion of the ten pieces were the following: 1. What types of containers are most complimentary in combining ceramics and drawings? 2. What types of drawing media are most successful for combining drawings with ceramics? 3. What types of presentation are most successful? 4. What three-dimensional materials other than ceramics are visually important in the combined pieces

Ellis, Lou

UNT Digital Library

THE COMBINATION OF OBJECTS IN
BOX-LIKE CONTAINERS
PROBLEM IN LIEU OF THESIS
Presented to the Graduate Council of the
North Texas State University in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of
MASTER OF FINE ARTS
By
Lou Ellis, B. S.
Denton, Texas
August, 1978
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PROBLEM . . . . . 1
II. STUDIO INVESTIGATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
III. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
iii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure Page
1. "Box of Roses" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2. "A Child's Box" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3. "Cylinder of White Dress Shoes" . . . . . . . . . 9
4. "A Box to Sleep In" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
5. "The Doll and the Tennessee Sheep" . . . . . . . . 12
6. "Pillows to Lay My Head On #1" . . . . . . . . . . 14
7. "Cylinder of Rose-Covered Shoes" . . . . . . . . . 16
iv
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Within the past few years, boxes have become intriguing
objects to me. Through my reading of the book, Art in Boxes,
by Alex Mogelon and Norman Laliberte, I have realized how
boxes are a part of a person's everyday life and how they
often hold a sort of mysticism. How often do you look at
a closed box and not feel a desire to open it and see what
is inside? From my interest in boxes, I have set forth to
create boxes which contain items that produce a mystical or
fantasy type environment.
Boxes and containers have always been an
integral part of our life. The incubator, the
infant's crib, the baby carriage are all boxes
of a sort. Our earliest recollections are of
boxes: an empty carton occupied us, the jack-
in-the-box amused us, the church collection
box mystified us.
When we were children, boxes represented
a special kind of magic...Every big sister had
a hope chest stowed away some place in the
stillness of the house - a box embracing all
that was yet to be...Many of us saved cookie
and cigar boxes for collections of important
things like thread and string, buttons, silver
foil, china figurines, bottle tops, coupons
and foreign stamps.
Who can forget rummaging through trunks
and suitcases stored high in the attic or deep
in the basement, boxes of "remember when"?
And at Christmas time we contemplated different
sized, gaily decorated boxes under the tree,
boxes which held the promise of tomorrow.
1
2All good things came and still come in
boxes...The box is the conveyor of our needs,
our triumphs, our creativity, our ability to
produce, our follies, our hang-ups, our memo-
rabilia and finally that which we have reduced
to refuse...
Our involvement with and obsession for boxes
is incessant and seemingly quite inescapable.
From the moment we first open our eyes to the
very instant we close them for the last time,
the box - as an intriguing and exciting physical
form, design or concept - is ever present.'
The box form has a universality. Within it
can be captured a concept, imagery, symbo ism
and the entire array of human activities.
Throughout my work in ceramics and drawing I have col-
lected small fabricated and found objects such as fragments
of discarded ceramic pieces, doll heads, faces, shoes, knobs,
and roses. These objects, which are on the floors, shelves,
or tables of my home and studio, are an ever present part of
my environment. My ideas begin and grow from these familiar
everyday objects that I have collected and stored. From my
construction of boxes and containers I have been able to put
these ideas and objects together in a more permanent and pro-
tected environment. The contained items are removed from the
everyday world and thus become objects having different mean-
ings. When these objects exist in a protected and enclosed
space of their own, they take on a calm and serene atmosphere.
1Alex Mogelon and Norman Laliberte, Art in Boxes, (New
York, 1974), p. 7.
2Dona Z. Meilach, Box Art, Assemblage and Construction,
(New York, 1975), p. 7.
3The boxes often times hold my fantasies and become shrines
for meaningful objects and ideas.
During the fall semester of 1976 I began combining my
ceramics and drawings together in plexiglas box containers
to create an entirely different visual effect than when they
were viewed separately. My first concern was whether the
two media would complement each other when combined in con-
tainers. Through my first series of boxes I found that the
two media could work together successfully to form a new
visual unit.
For my project, I chose to construct ten containers in
which clay and non-traditional drawings were combined. The
various materials used were ceramics, drawings on plexiglas,
wood, and other found materials. The questions to be answered
by the completion of the ten pieces were the following:
1. What types of containers are most complimentary in
combining ceramics and drawings?
2. What types of drawing media are most successful for
combining drawings with ceramics?
3. What types of presentation are most successful?
4. What three-dimensional materials other than ceramics
are visually important in the combined pieces?
CHAPTER II
STUDIO INVESTIGATION
During the completion of the pieces a written journal
was kept showing my findings and reactions to the box-like
containers. Photographs of the completed pieces were also
taken. From this information the following analysis of
the finished pieces is presented. I have chosen to discuss
seven of the ten completed boxes which I feel are most
successful. Seven different approaches, each of which is
described, were used. All of the box-like containers,
whether fabricated plexiglas or wooden boxes, antique
boxes, or thrown ceramic containers, are used to hold objects.
The majority of the items enclosed in the boxes are of a soft
or delicate nature and therefore create a pleasant and mysti-
cal world.
Through the completion of this creative project I gained
a certain satisfaction in simply learning how to construct
boxes out of plexiglas and wood. Both of these materials
were fairly new to me. I found that it was easier to build
more than one box at a time and then work with the inside
compositions. In that way, I was not forced to hold in my
ideas for compositions until I had constructed the box. The
box was immediately ready for the composition and idea to be
4
5put inside. I gained ideas for new box constructions from
unfinished or discarded boxes that I had laying around in my
house and studio. Often times, I would tear apart an almost
completed box so I could use a portion of that composition
in a new box I was constructing at that moment.
Figure #1: "Box of Roses"
Size: 6" tall x 6" wide x 6" deep
"Box of Roses," a table piece, is a fabricated plexiglas
container. Inside it contains a low fire ceramic object,
plaster roses, velveteen, semi-opaque fabric, and gold thread.
The drawing media and techniques used in the box consist of
tiny drilled holes on the lid of the box. The holes, drilled
completely through the plexiglas, create a curved line across
the lid. The sides of the lid are cut in scallop-type curves
and painted white. The white painted trim also serves as a
type of frame for the objects inside the box. On two sides
of the box a gold spray paint was applied, and again the
scallop-type curves were repeated. The gold thread on the
inside of the box creates a loosely flowing line. This line
creates a definite contrast to the controlled line on the
outside of the box.
Figure #2: "A Child's Box"
Size: 122" tall x 42" wide x 4" deep
"A Child's Box," a wall piece, is a found container - an
old sewing machine drawer. Vinyl doll arms and a porcelain
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Fig. 1. "Box of Roses"
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Fig. 2. "A Child's Box"
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8knob are attached to the outside of the box. The inside
contains a white cotton handkerchief with tatting around the
edges, an egg, pins, paper, and a blue velvet ribbon. In
this box, spray paint and gesso are the drawing media used.
Pastel pencil on paper is incorporated with the ribbon and
pins. On the plexiglas covering, a faint vertical line is
created by tiny drilled holes going completely through the
plexiglas. A strong horizontal line is created by the yellow
stripe of paint sprayed onto the plexiglas.
Figure #3: "Cylinder of White Dress Shoes"
Size: 21-1/2" tall x 8-3/4" wide
"Cylinder of White Dress Shoes," a floor piece, is a
thrown stoneware cylinder container. The cylinder contains
low fire, slip-cast shoes, silver thread, and small clear
beads. The lid for the cylinder consists of a round 4" thick
sheet of clear plexiglas. The drawing techniques incorporated
into this piece are on the plexiglas lid. Scallop-type
flowing lines were incised with a sharp pointed tool and
small holes were drilled into the plexiglas. This time the
holes only went partially through the plexiglas. The holes
were later filled with silver ink. The total area of the
plexiglas was sanded except for two oval areas. Therefore,
the vision of the shoes was blurred except when viewed through
these two areas.
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Fig. 3. "Cylinder of White Dress Shoes"
1
10
Figure #4: "A Box to Sleep In"
Size: 5" tall x 32" wide x 6" deep
"A Box to Sleep In," a table piece, is a fabricated
plexiglas box. It is an open, double decker type of box
consisting of two box shapes joined together. This box,
unlike the previous containers, is not completely closed.
It remains open on the top. The ceramic piece inside the
box is a porcelain object with a gold metallic lustre on
the knob portion. Other materials are lace, beaded lace,
gold thread, and brass rods. Brass rods and scallop-type
edges of the plexiglas create lines around the ceramic
object. Tiny drilled holes in the plexiglas also create
line.
Figure #5: "The Doll and the Tennessee Sheep"
Size: 13-1/3" tall x 8-1/4" wide x 5-3/4" deep
"The Doll and the Tennessee Sheep," a table piece, is a
found, ready-made wooden box. It is hinged on one side so
that the wooden lid can be opened and shut. I added a clear
plexiglas lid between the box and the wooden lid to cover
the objects inside the box. The materials used inside the
box are plaster, a found toy sheep, lace, silver thread, a
wooden wing, and a found doll covered lightly with plaster.
Drawing media and techniques consist of scallop-type lines
enscribed into the plexiglas lid with a sharp pointed tool.
A blurred effect is created by the sanded areas of the
11
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Fig. 4. "A Box to Sleep In"
12
Fig. 5. "The Doll and the Tennessee Sheep"
13
plexiglas. Lines are also used on the inside of the box,
which is partially painted with gesso. Drawing techniques
are also used on the doll itself. Soft, muted color on the
surface of the doll was achieved by magazine transfer,
colored pencils, and pastels. A white iridescent paint was
applied over the previously mentioned colors. This box
became more drawing oriented than any of the other boxes
because I treated the surface of the doll in the same fashion
as I would approach a drawing on paper.
Figure #6: "Pillows to Lay My Head On #1"
Size: 3 i" tall x 3" wide x 14" deep
"Pillows to Lay My Head On #1," a table piece, is a
fabricated walnut box with a plexiglas lid. The box contains
a porcelain ceramic object with a gold metallic lustre knob.
Other materials used inside are lace, trim from an old dress,
satin, and a gauze-like material. A strip of plexiglas with
curved edges is enclosed in the box. A line enscribed on
the lid of the box repeats the same flow of the curved edge
of the plexiglas within the box. The strip of plexiglas and
the enscribed line make up the major portion of the drawing
techniques. A white border around the outside of the plexi-
glas lid frames the composition inside the box.
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Fig. 6. "Pillows to Lay My Head
14
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15
Figure #7: "Cylinder of Rose-Covered Shoes"
Size: 17" tall x 10" wide
"Cylinder of Rose-Covered Shoes," a floor piece, is a
thrown stoneware cylinder container. The cylinder contains
low fire, slip-cast shoes with applied ceramic decals. Other
materials used are velveteen, net from a doll's wedding dress,
lace, beads, and plastic wrap. The main drawing media used
is thread stitched into the plastic wrap. This thread creates
a flowing line around the shoes. No lid was made for this
container. The only type of covering over the objects is the
plastic wrap which is wrapped around all of the objects in
the cylinder.
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Fig. 7. "Cylinder of Rose-Covered Shoes"
1 law.
1
CHAPTER III
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
I feel that this project was successful in many ways
other than in answering the questions I had set forth. This
project is not simply a problem that I have begun and solved.-
through the completion of the ten box-like containers. Al-
though I have answered the questions I asked of myself, I
find new questions beginning, and I feel the need to continue
working in this area of concentration.
Of the different types of presentation used (floor
pieces, wall pieces, and table pieces), the table pieces
were the most successful. Most of the boxes were fairly
small and tended to be cubical in nature. Because of this
fact, the pieces often became engulfed on a wall, or they
protruded from the wall too far. The boxes seemed to need
a small and more personal environment, such as that of a
table.
Fabricated containers were more complimentary in com-
bining ceramics and drawings. By constructing the containers
myself, I could make them especially for the idea and objects
which were to go inside. When I used found boxes, I often
could not incorporate a certain set of objects and ideas into
the box because of the size, shape, or total over-all
17
18
appearance of the box. I had to find objects that would
relate with that particular box. The boxes that I made re-
lated more successfully to the enclosed pieces because, as I
was constructing the box, I usually had some idea of what
items were to be placed inside. Therefore, I could allow for
these items through the size, shape, and total appearance of
the box.
The drawing media and techniques most successful were
the drilled holes that created lines and the lines enscribed
on the plexiglas. These lines on the outside of the boxes
related the plexiglas lids or containers to the lines created
by the metallic thread, lace, or other fabric on the inside
of the boxes. The drawing techniques on the outside of the
boxes often enhanced or mystified the materials used inside
the boxes. Fogging the plexiglas by sanding it created a
mystical feeling because the objects underneath the plexiglas
were not easily focused upon. Small clear areas were always
left in the fogged areas of the plexiglas so that some of the
actual items under the plexiglas could be focused on clearly.
The fogging technique also created a softness to the plexi-
glas which was similar to the softness of the items enclosed
in the boxes.
Three-dimensional materials, other than ceramic objects,
that were visually important were lace, metallic thread,
fabrics, and found objects such as roses or toy sheep. The
lace and fabric seemed to be most important because they often
19
became a sort of protecting cushion for the ceramic object
or other objects to rest upon or in which to be engulfed.
The materials I chose to use inside the boxes were usually
old or made to look old. These antique qualities seemed to
bring about nostalgic feelings and often a feeling of pre-
served age or antiquity.
The three-dimensional objects that I chose to use inside
the boxes were often substitutions for images that I use in
my drawings. These objects, such as the roses, sheep, or
flower decals often portray a sense of nostalgia or pleasan-
try. These feelings are also prominent in my drawings.
In my work, the boxes are an extension and incorporation
of my ceramics and my drawings. My personal feelings from
both areas are captured in these box-like containers. The
boxes put the combined items in a separate and complete
world of their own and contribute in creating a complete and
valid statement of the combination of ceramics, found objects,
and drawing techniques.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Meilach, Dona Z . , Box Art, Assemblage and Construction, New
York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1975.
Mogelon, Alex and Laliberte, Norman, Art in Boxes, New York:
Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1974.
20


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