Grace Branch

This was the first project we did for our course that focused on using Revit; our assignment was to create a house that started with the basics we were taught, and then altered to fit what we wanted it to look like. Our instructor helped us with adding in different elements, and then from there we could explore different looks and design aspects for the final. My space was a three bedroom, two and a half bath, with an office space, lots of storage, and a large open front room. I had some specific ideas I wanted to incorporate, like the open staircase and the corner range tucked into a little alcove, and I wanted to use a lot of fun colors and patterns in the materials.

My second semester of my junior year was spent working on a school. We were given a floor plan to follow, and then based on what kind of school it was and the population we could fill the inside as we pleased. I wanted to do a high school somewhere surrounded by nice environment, like out west by the water, to really encourage students and faculty to use the outdoors in the learning. I also wanted to incorporate art classes, because encouraging creativity in an academic environment is incredibly important. Like my other projects, color and materiality were important for me to explore, and in the end it made for what could hopefully be a great place for students.

This sponsored studio was a collaboration between product design and interior design. I worked with Annie Shpeter, Nicole Kinkade, and Karen Tucker on this project, and together we curated a collection of residential doors, and designed interior spaces for the clientele that Masonite typically caters to. We used a pill shape as a motif throughout the doors, hence the name of the collection, and we have doors that all function differently and add some extra flair to a space. I designed a house for Gina, who is a middle-aged woman basically made up by Masonite, and created a home for her that incorporated a majority of the door collection.

This ring was for a project in a metalsmithing and jewelry course, and it was a pretty open ended project so I really just wanted to experiment with shapes and materials. I used sterling silver and kind of bent and shaped to create something funky, and then incorporated some stones I had purchased and fit them within the roundness. I really like how this turned out and all of the techniques I used in the process.

This lamp was apart of a lighting project in my Glassblowing with Molds course; the project was pretty open-ended, but we needed to use wire to create a mold to blow into. I had an idea for something with a completely different look, but considering it’s glass, it did not go entirely to plan. I created a wire mold and despite the glass not forming to it the way I intended, I like the more round shape and how the wire plays into it.

This project was my final for my Beginning Glassblowing course. The prompt was to create something that was a response to the word “organic”. I really enjoyed making cups during this class, so I wanted to experiment with those and adding on to them to make something organic. I love floral elements in my art, so I created these flowers that I attached on to the pitcher, and then used those colors in the cup and saucer. This was a big exploration of techniques and the basics, but also color and addatives that could be pulled from something organic.