Research: Tom Fruin
This artist was recommended to me by my tutor as he also includes the De Stijl pattern in his designs to create intricate and visually pleasing reflections.
Small biography:
Tom Fruin is a relatively small artist so I couldn't find many articles about his life. He was born in Los Angeles 1974. The main materials he works with include plexiglass, steel plastic and scrap materials.
I will be showing some of his work in the following space:
This is probably my favourite design Fruin has completed. The first thing I noticed was that he encompassed a rectangular textured design in a cylindrical sculpture which created a very cohesive and contrasting outcome. The colour pallet used in the design resembles the one that I will be using for my own.
I really like that there is an evident pattern in his sculptures where he incorporates either transparent or hollow elements. In this design, he added transparent elements with some being tinted with a colour. This design during the night is magical as the reflections emitted are in different colours. It is placed in an area without any buildings or distractions around it. This ensures that the focus is on the sculpture so it can exist in a space where it acts as a main character. The large scale design of this makes it even more enchanting to the viewer. It is placed next to a bridge where it will attract the eye of everyone passing by it. I like how busy and colourful it is which can evoke a sense of joy and happiness.
I did look at including transparent elements inspired by Philippe Starck, however, it did not work well with my aims and objectives. Maybe I can look at this next term and examine it closely.
He uses split-complementary colours to make sure that the design looks cohesive and matches.
In this design, Fruin examines primary colours and how he add them in a design. In comparison to the previous design, I like how he also incorporates solid and transparent elements together. Combining the both creates a variety of shadows and reflection, some brighter and some less bright.
Observing this design closely, it is evident that the red and yellow dominate the colour pallet. There is a blue shade seen once in every side of the design. In my own designs, I tried to make the purple dominate as it is the main focal point of it. Fruin had the same goal but using the yellow and orange colour.
I like that Fruin focused on creating 2-3 shades of each colour as it connects each surface better and makes sure that it does not look messy. I like that each colour has a bright undertone which makes them co-exist well within the design.
I also like how this design is in the shape of a house as it is evident that Fruin has a tendency for architectural sized sculptures. This reflects on Fruins preferences and adds a touch of authenticity and originality.
What really stands out to me in this design is the asymmetry created. I also like that the shapes are not very geometrical as the lines are bent and wobbly. De stijl is all about asymmetry yet geometry in the design. However, Fruin decides to be more creative and structure unique patterns. I like that this does not include a lot of colour as it encompasses a more neutral, modern and simplistic colour scheme. The reflective silver makes the design even more magical as it shimmers in the light. I like how most rectangles are hollow. For the rectangles that do have shading inside, he implements different patterns like circles or texture inside the shading to make it more interesting and visually pleasing. Maybe in another project I could implement his technique by including shades for shadowing within other shapes.
What captured my attention was a shape that leans towards a triangle. There is one shape in the middle which resembles a triangle which seized my attention as it breaks up the rectangular theme. I think it is really clever to implement different shapes to break up the monotony created.
I really like this design. Last term I looked at neutral colours, this term I looked at bright purple colours. Perhaps next term I could explore a more modern and minimalistic genre and include black and white colour scheme shades, just like Fruin did here.
Concluding: It is evident that Fruin tries to explore all potential outcomes and goes out of his comfort zone to try new things. I tried to select three different examples. One is a large scale item with split- complementary colours, the other is a small scale with primary colours and the last one is a monochromatic medium scale design with dull colours.
This term, I decided to use the same concept with last term but make it better and improve it. Looking at Fruin, I realised the beauty of exploring different things and going out of your comfort zone. I will definitely go out of my comfort zone next term to create something unique and enhance my technical skills and creativity.
I liked some of the characteristics he included in his design and I will definitely try and incorporate some of his techniques next term. I am glad I looked at this research and it was very beneficial.
Fruin's use of polychromatic colour is important in terms of how your use of different shades of purple has developed during this project. Using a range of colours as a part of the design process and not just as decoration is a link to Fruin's work.
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