Kassidy Katona Expanded Art

My daily act was to hot glue a couple of buttons to a piece of 11x14 white Bristol paper every day. Using the buttons, I filled in an outline of a silhouette of a sparrow on a branch that I drew the first day. I didn't always just take one picture per day, and I didn't only put a specific number of buttons on per day. I wanted a nice casual flow of the piece that showed progression over time, but I didn't want it to be an exact science. Towards the end of my project, I continuously layered buttons on top of one another to smooth out the edges of the silhouette and play with different color juxtapositions. Before I ever started gluing, I did a practice run to see about how many buttons I would need. That definitely changed, though, once I began the project. I couldn't remember where I had put most of the buttons originally, so I ended up needing quite a few more buttons that I thought I would.

As you look at the piece and touch the buttons, you can see all of the layers that went into the piece. You can see the time it took to add each layer and smooth out the edges. In the photographic documentation of the piece over time, you see the sparrow and branch take form out of the blank white space. I used a plain black shadow box to display my piece for practical and sentimental purposes. I needed a frame that would allow more room for the layers of buttons. I also wanted the ability to open the case to allow for myself, and others, to touch the buttons. Also, the idea of a shadow box is to display trinkets and things that have a special meaning. Everything that I put into this piece is very special to me.

I chose to do this piece as my final presentation for a few reasons. All of the reasons stem from things that are very dear to my heart. The reason I drew a silhouette of a sparrow on a branch is because of a quote that has always comforted me. The quote I wrote in my piece is "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." This quote has origins that can be found in the Bible, and it is also on the front of my diary. Both of these items I carry with me and use every single day. So, to me, this quote represents a personal daily routine of mine. The buttons came from the fact that I just absolutely love buttons. For years, I have been making greeting cards with them for close friends and family members. Therefore, the buttons represent the way I have marked time over the years with the passing of holidays and birthdays of my loved ones. The clean white paper is a fresh start. I will be moving away from home in the fall and will have a brand new life to begin and a chance to dive into who I am as an artist and woman. But I will always hold on to what is nearest to my heart; my Lord and my family.