Lori Cai’s Blog

Welcome to Lori Cai’s blog. My work’s theme is 3D design based on the research of artists Peter Madden and Karl Maughan. Karl’s works  influenced my ideas about using colours, patterns and form in the context of  landscape design. Peter drew suspended works. I can learn from his work about the use of space to create 3D images that you can look my interior studio work ‘secret garden”. They both drew from photographs.  I will now discuss their works below.

You can view all my studio work by clicking on the “my studio” category. Likewise you can view all my research work by clicking on the “research” category.

Karl Maughan garden design 2

Here we see the fine detail of the photograph reproduced in the drawing. The pathway through the middle creates the impression of an archway. Again a 3D effect is apparent with tall trees in the background and short flowers in the foreground. The shadow on the left adds to this effect.  The context can be interpreted as a lifestyle with one-half engrossed in darkness (sadness) and the other half in light (happiness).  From this design I learn how to use colour to create wonderful images. Warm colours and cold colours can be matched to create desired feelings.  I can use this for my studio design work.

Karl Maughan garden design1

Karl used the photograph to draw  the different layers of  plants and their shadows in a way that gives a 3D depth to the drawing. The rich colours of the flowers are used effectively to add to this effect. The clusters of flowers of a particular colour are rounded which gives a pleasant appearance as they would naturally appear. His intent was to paint real-life representations of the photograph.

2D garden

This is my 2D garden. The form of a circle encompasses different aspects of life. The outer circle is composed of tiny tree shapes. The central feature is an arch which I chose in several images in my work.  When placed in the right context, the arch can convey different meanings and feelings.  The happy couple under the central arch conveys the suggestion they were recently married. But the arch to the right of the central arch conveys a life of happiness and hopefulness.

3D Garden

This is a 3D garden featuring a central pathway through an archway. On the pathway are roses which suggest a pathway of love. I made it using collage technique.

Suspended Lamp

Suspended Lamp

The unusual shape of this lantern lends itself to being suspended in a natural environment such as from a tree branch. The soft glow of light creates a natural easy feeling. Obtained from Internet research.

Butterfly Book

Butterfly Book

This butterfly book is from Peter Madden’s work. There are different layers of  butterflies from the base to the top of the book. The butterflies have good teamwork to open the pages of the book.  His intention was to create a 3D effect. The books acts as a base from which they fly towards the top of the book. The method is photographing the assembled butterflies in a book.   These features can be used for my interior studio work.

Peter Madden’s suspended face

Peter Madden's suspended face

This photograph of Peter Madden’s work of a suspended face is interesting because of the shadows it projects. His method was to photograph suspended objects on a line from the ceiling.  This served his intention to use the shadow and depth perception to create the 3D effect in a novel way. Notice the objects are not all faces. There are a variety of objects all serving the same purpose.  This gave me ideas for my secret garden studio work to create a 3D effect.

Painted Garden

Painted Garden

I painted this garden using water colours. The tall grass serves as a background and shorter grass (on the right) serves as a foreground. Between these two is a pathway. Along the pathway are white flowers and rocks. It is typical of New Zealand country paths and creates a natural peaceful feeling. Inspiration came from Paul Klee’s work which commonly featured shapes and colours in a garden setting

Painted Flower

Painted Flower

I painted this flower using water colours. In the background are blue storm clouds. The two main flowers are like a couple that can withstand any storm. The little flowers are their children that grow up in a difficult situation.