Avatar: The Next Project

Today's critique went by very well, which is something I'm not used to. The mock-up and scale model were both well received with minor criticism. All I need to do is adjust my grouping, increase my volume, and consider how I'm going to paint the walls given the fact that the white paper will get lost in the white gallery wall. I'm thinking just a box of that shelf-gray paint we use to frame the installation area.

Over the course of the critique, I brought up how I am now producing little avatars to act as a reoccurring character. Jack made the suggestion of producing a sculpture of the little guy. Everyone got excited by that idea, including myself. Problem was, which version? My avatar changes from group to group, and sometimes from style of drawing. Jack, much like all the teachers I had before him, said to keep it simple. The Hello Kitty version of my avatar I had up in the mock-up was simple enough to translate into a Murakami-like sculpture. Plaster would be the material to use, and I'd have to paint it the four colors that go with that avatar's aesthetics (black, peach, blue, and brown).

So how big do I make the little guy? The reply to this question was an awkward scene where everyone kept moving their hands up and down or sideway to show an approximation. The group settled on a size no bigger than a lawn gnome, which is ambitious enough to command attention in the gallery space.

Now here's my problem I'm still trying to figure out: What is my little avatar doing? Will he be part of the installation or a separate piece entirely? The answer to the first question will help answer the second.