week 6 - cover stencil

For the cover of my sketchbook, I’ve decided to make a stencil inspired by generic plastic shopping bags, like the one pictured above. My stencil contains a rose with the text, “THANK YOU HAVE A NICE DAY” written underneath. It took me awhile to decide on an image for my cover. I wanted something simple that spoke to my interests and/or my artistic practice. I ultimately decided to reference a plastic shopping bag for several reasons. One – I’ve used shopping bags in my art before. I’ve made photograms of a plastic shopping bag and I even used one in a ceramic sculpture that I just finished this week. Two – I just think the design of a generic plastic bag is aesthetically pleasing. It’s simple and familiar. It conjures up some nostalgia in me. I can't help but think of all the times I’d walk to the tiendita down the street with my grandma when I was a kid. She’d get groceries for dinner and buy me a paleta for being good and the person behind the counter would put all our goodies into one of those bags. And three – I think the plastic shopping bag can be a politically charged object/image because of its associations. For instance, plastic bags that say “Thank You” on them are generally connected to small businesses. Large companies can afford to have bags made with their name and logo printed on them, small ones cannot. It’s also hard to see a plastic bag and not think about consumerism or the environment.