Hello, there! Yes, you, with the cute smile and the coffee cup. I’m Kayleigh, and this learning blog marks my first steps into the MFA program at CCAD. I’ll show a couple samples of my previous work and what I hope to accomplish in my first semester (unless you want to hear me ramble about myself and the kinds of art I make for a few minutes, in which case I recently started a YouTube channel and posted this handy introduction). So, let’s jump in!
I’ve always loved telling stories through fictional characters. Within these worlds, I merged the fantastical with the everyday to create strange yet comfortable spaces that focus on emotional hardship and personal growth. What became important to me over the years was unpacking those touchy subjects (such as depression, identity, belonging, and body image) in a way that felt genuine, that spoke from personal experience without being 100% autobiographical. Moreover, I wanted to express how these characters overcame their particular obstacles and developed as people.
Enter Izumi (below, in the blue cardigan) and Pashmina (below, in the pink sweater). I could dedicate an entire video discussion to them, and I likely will. I want to reflect on character-specific details, how they’ve changed since their original conceptions and designs, how their story has evolved…the list goes on.
My original project proposal for this semester focused on sculpting a very different character into the world of 3D, a much younger girl with her mind and eyes full of nighttime stars: Hako (below). The biggest “issue” I’ve come across in Hako’s character is that she is essentially resolved. To me, she embodies childlike wonder. Unlike Izumi or Pashmina, Hako is content in herself and her surroundings. Her story is one of sublime first-time discoveries. While I still adore her playfulness, I feel it might be more appropriate to explore the other two as separate (and even united) entities.
In developing Izumi and Pashmina’s characters and relationships to their world and each other, I found that I came to know them as I would some of my closer friends. I’m excited to begin translating their individual personas into articulated-doll form (body schematic sketch below), and I cannot wait to share more of my progress here!
Congrats on making it through my long-winded welcome, and thank you for reading!
Many hugs,
Kayleigh
Kayleigh Fogle 