Breakdown of the name “CArtLab Solutions”
Back when I was on my search for the “right” college/university experience, I would get a range of responses to that initial survey each admissions office would have us all fill out with our experiences and interests.
“Oh, you wrote both art and chemistry! Can you talk about that?”
My interest was not obvious to academics then, nor is my expertise obvious to most people now, so let’s break it down!
Traditionally art and science are seen as polar opposites- each using different sides of one’s brain. When I would study both topics in the same day in college, I would find my brain would physically be strained from the unique effort. At CArtLab Solutions, the art studio and the chemistry or engineering lab are treated as equally important toward achieving an outcome.
Both disciplines of art and science require an understanding of principles, which are then applied in a creative way to innovate.
Before entering either the studio or the lab, there is a certain amount of ideation that needs to take place.
- What medium(s) or material(s) do I want to use?
- What safety must be in place to do this work?
- What training is necessary for me to use certain tools?
- What is my hypothesis of how the process will guide me through the project goal(s)?
Both the art studio and the science lab are places of intense productivity and experimentation that are revisited repetitively. In the lab or the art studio, a person becomes an expert by doing something 100+ times. During this phase, one can lose track of time getting into the details of subtasks:
- Mixing a gesso or size to prime a canvas for painting
- Grinding down a pigment to bring out a hue
- Mixing paint colors to achieve a specific contrast/ complimentary style
- Making stock solutions for specific reaction chemistries
- Measuring micro-samples for analysis
- Preparing sample surfaces with energy to prepare for subsequent layer additions like coatings
The vision behind CArtLab Solutions is to create equitable innovation, which stems from respecting both the art and the science of problem solving.