Biography

Wesley Elefritz

Artistic Bio

Biography

Wes Elefritz has always been interested in art and exploring his creative side. His earliest exposure to hands-on art production that he remembers is in middle school where he explored mediums such as pencil, acrylic paint, ceramics, and copper. In high school, he furthered his art education and was exposed to graphic design. Elefritz's independent projects consist heavily of three dimensional construction. He is drawn to methods of creating works in which he can utilize numerous areas of expertise such as digital three dimensional design and construction. He blends the physical world and the digital and aims to create certain works that would otherwise be exclusive to the digital world. In addition, he often works with digital editing and production of both photos and videos. He is very passionate about his projects and always aims to create them works where his inspiration is evident and hopes to inspire others with his creations. At this time, Elefritz is currently studying visual communications ay Umpqua Community College in pursuit of his AAS degree. When not working or studying, he likes to learn more about and practice with the numerous computer programs he uses in his creative works. He aims to expand his knowledge and increase his capabilities in the creative world.

Design Statement

WES ELEFRITZ

-Design Statement, 2014

I am passionate about making creative works- in whatever form they take. It is my goal to create works that captivate, ensnare, mystify, and inspire creativity in others. My artistic works are widely varied in that they cover multiple types of media ranging from two-dimensional pieces to three-dimensional within multiple disciplines both physical and digital. In my artwork and design, I am driven to create with such a passion that I hope will affect the viewer and inspire such creative initiatives in them as well. I also like to create works that can be recognized and appreciated either for their resemblance or embracing of a well known ideological theme. When there is an understood criteria in place, I aim to not only meet it, but go beyond and solve any and all challenges while fusing my own creative intellect into them. My process is usually quite varied, sometimes it can be be relaxing, other times being whimsical, stressful, or even highly technical and tedious. I’ve been told that perhaps I work best under pressure. I am often able to effectively produce works with strict deadlines, as it encourages completion in a timely fashion, but I still have a powerful initiative to create art and works on my own, investing time and effort all the same. Ultimately, my process is driven by a powerful creative passion that always manages to manifest in some form or another and make itself evident in my projects.

Collected

Title of Work: Collected

Dimensions: 8 X 6"

Media: Digital

 

Collected was another project created during the Monster-a-day project in illustration for designers class. It was one of the runners up to solace that was to be put on a t-shirt as the final product. Collected earned its title by the expression worn by the tortoise. I am partial to desert animals, as I was raised in the Southwest and owned two desert tortoises myself. I enjoyed the process very much.

The Lift Log

Title of Work: The Lift Log
Dimensions: 11 X 17
Media: Digital

 

Lift log was part of a project for my Illustration for designers class. The project entailed creating an illustration that was inspired from a moment in a book we read. The book of my choice was The Edge Chronicles. The scene I referenced was one in which a fictional type of wood that becomes airborne when lit on fire is used as a makeshift jet to fire the main protagonist through the sky. The picture was created using numerous digital techniques; most notably composite photographs and utilizing a three-dimensional posing program to pose the character used in the image. I enjoyed creating the piece and was pleased with the way it turned out which was much better than I expected. I find the piece to be comical and pleasing with or without knowing the background information.

Warhammer Helmet

Title of work: Space Marine Helmet
Media: Card Stock, Elmer's Glue, Super Glue, Fiberglass Resin, Fiberglass Cloth, hot glue, Foam Cushion, Polarized Welding Mask, Corrugated Appliance Tubing, Automotive Body Filler, Spot Putty, Spray Paint, Metal Mesh Screen, Felt

This piece is a full-scale replica of a Space Marine helmet from the popular tabletop miniature game Warhammer. The pieces used in the game only stand about two inches tall with minuscule features, yet this helmet is full-scale and completely wearable. Though the shape of the helmet is simple and heavily geometric in design, it is still a powerful piece that bears its own expression, with the triangular ridge resembling somewhat of a furrowed brow and the mouthpiece an open mouth bearing its teeth.

In the lore of the game, the helmets are worn by the game's protagonist space marines. Though helmets are traditionally worn to hide the face of whoever wears them, this one still bears an expression of its own, representing the ferocity of its wearer and instilling fear in his opponents.

The helmet itself is constructed of fiberglass, with sections cut out to install ornamental pieces such as tubing along the jawline and grated vents in the mouth and forehead.

Olvidar

Title of work: Olvidar
Media: Layered Scratch paper
Dimensions: 2" X 2"

Olvidar was created using a piece of paper which could be scratched off in order to reveal the white beneath it. It was a very simple project at the time, but the more I looked at it over time, the more of a symbol it became. As the name suggests, it was looked at often during a period of time in which I often tried to forget. Although it was not originally created for any such reason, its somber look is appropriate for what it evolved to.

Solace

Title of Work: Solace
Media: Illustration paper, black India ink, toothbrush, Pilot .7mm Ballpoint Pen.

  

 

Solace was created as part of a monster-a-day project in an Illustration class. The project encouraged creating a monster a day using various methods. Solace was made using a toothbrush to spread the black ink on paper. In place of a straw, I took apart a pen and used the small hole in the end to blow the ink in various directions. After creating the arbitrary design with ink, I then added the skeletal elements using a ballpoint pen.

 



 

This was the first project I had done which involved scanning the physical image to the computer for the purpose of digital alterations and embellishments. I digitally removed the paper background and also filled the subject with a solid black color. I was very impressed with the capabilities I had pm the computer and was pleased with the result.