A T H I N K E R AN OBSERVER A COLLECTOR A P L A N N E R AN OPTIMIST A DESIGNER AMBER MAGEE
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...a sketchbook keeper, because to design, you must be inspired.
Across my creative education one thing has remained consistent; the insistence of my professors upon sketchbook keeping. This has been invaluable. It has taught me to collect, to document, to emote and above all to build an extensive and diverse visual vocabulary. My sketchbooks have become a visual map of my style.
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Sketchbook pages from Fall 2009 - Spring 2010 represent my habit of image collecting, observing my surroundings, and emulating the style of the artists I admire.
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Sketchbook pages from Fall 2009 - Spring 2010 showing my use of mixed media and an evolution of my style of figurative drawing.
...a figurative thinker.
I am inspired and amazed by the human figure. It is my favorite subject. It is expressed differently by each artist, and I have strived to develop my unique way of capturing it - through expressive line, composition and the occasional splash of color.
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Examples of drawings from live models. In these drawings I attempt to establish both dynamism and mood through use of expressive line in varied mediums and weights
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Contour line drawing from a live model. 2010
Graphite rendering from live model. 2010
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From Left to Right: Detail of Skeleton. 2010 ; Skeleton. 2010. In this life-sized drawing I hoped to express as much detail as possible, accentuating the eerie quality of a classroom skeleton in disrepair. The accents of color are meant to highlight the fragmented quality of the subject.
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Pink. 2009. This sculpture was created through a process of disassembling, molding, casting and reassembling objects from my childhood and adult lives. A highly personal project, it reflects the material iconography inherent in many young womens’’ lives. Pigmented resin. Plexiglas.
...a believer in practice, and a learner by doing.
What began as a daunting requirement turned out to be one of my greatest sources of pride. Painting is a process. You must plan. You must practice. You must wait. The reward is that with each of my paintings I have a chance to express the way I see the world - the moments and colors and textures that move me.
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The S. S. United States, a retired and neglected luxury ocean liner, resides at a loading dock off Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia. Its unlikely beauty in disrepair has always intrigued me, and in the Spring of 2010, I set out to document this in photographs, and interpret these photographs into oil paintings.
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From Left to Right: Pier 82. oil on wood panel. 2010 ; SSUS II. oil on wood panel. 2010
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Following an assignment to reinterpret the work of an artist I admire, I chose a photograph by William Eggleston and re-composed it, removing the “S” from the original composition which read ; “Shell Service”. I hoped in this painting to emulate Eggleton’s style of finding humor and ironic beauty in some of the most seemingly mundane areas of the modern American landscape.
...a possessor of style.
In the realm of graphic arts, style must set you apart. With technology that moves almost as fast as a creative mind, ideas, compositions, sizes, fonts and colors can change at the blink of an eye. A designer with style must know where to start, and perhaps more importantly, when to stop.
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The branding concept I developed for RX Restaurant in West Philadelphia was inspired by the structure itself: a turn-of-the-century corner pharmacy. With the slogan “Feel Good Food” and the inclusion of period maps and hand-drawn type, I hoped to evoke a feeling of comfort and practicality reminiscent of the neighborhood’s history and modern economy inviting to its current residents.
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Working in graphic design, I love and agonize over type. Paul Renner’s 1927 creation, Futura, has always stood out with a classic and economic beauty. Futura both informs and compliments my aesthetic. In this assignment, I celebrated the typeface in a type specimen book, hoping to compliment its modern, industrial character.
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Futura Type Specimen Book. 2011
Interior pages utilize a pattern I developed from typewriter keys as well as strict, recognizable, geometric shapes to reinforce the font’s consistent use of the perfect circle.
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Publicity concept for New York City’s Fulcrum Theatre advertising their production of Julius By Design. This particular poster design demonstrates multiple personal habits in my approach to design. I combined digitally illustrated, hand drawn and scanned elements, and strove to create a minimal yet effecting composition with strong, associative images.
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Over my last two years at Lehigh, I independently conceptualized, designed and published Intersection; a print magazine review of work from Lehigh’s department of Art Architecture and Design. Landing pages from Intersection I. 2011.
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Though developed for a course in Industrial Design, this project provided an opportunity to stretch my graphic aesthetic beyond the computer screen and into the third dimension. This prototype of a ‘non-traditional time keeping device’ utilizes red vinyl as a filter to block numbers printed in green . The time - in hour/minute/second - is read by recognizing the numbers you don’t see.
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Simply A.N.T.I Tee-shirt Concept 2009
Graphic developed to be screen printed for action sports clothing company Simply A.N.T.I as part of their ‘FAM’ - Functional Art Movement - initiative.
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Initial identity concepts and executed signage for Philadelphia chef Dan Freeman’s rustic Northern Italian restaurant Rimedio. The type is derived from a 18th century Roman and incorporates lithographic elements.
...a producer.
Product design begins with the relationship between a product and its user. The designer must understand the qualities that make an object appealing - to the hands, to the eyes, to the individual. Our relationships with products are becoming more and more relevant and each new design introduces an object that may be used to express our individual backgrounds, needs and tastes.
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Form Project. 2010 balsa foam, resin, automotive paint
This project challenged me to create an object with no function beyond being pleasing to touch and to hold. This required extensive planning, shaping, surfacing, and polishing and the end result was an acquired knowledge of the importance within product design to create objects with an ability to delight and perform.
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These renderings, combining hand sketches and digital elements, represent my attempt to create a hypothetical product representative of superfluousness in the name of luxury. The resulting piece of luggage, in the style of those by Louis Vuitton and Goyard is meant to carry the extensive collection of pharmaceuticals used by its owner. LuxRx.
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Working with the students at a local after-school club, I designed and prototyped this learning tool - a series of nesting lap desks. The desks were inspired by my childhood preoccupation with the privilege of writing on the blackboard in my classrooms. The surface I designed combines visual elements of a classic blackboard and modern dry erase board, and invites students to personally doodle, calculate and emote.
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This project challenged me to create an unlikely product for a very specific customer. Assigned the luxury giant Louis Vuitton, I was given the task of designing and prototyping a window unit air conditioner that could appeal to the brand’s specific consumer base. With influences ranging from vintage amps to steamer trunks comes an attempt at a blue-blooded consumer electronic.
... a character, and like any good design, I have plenty of personality.
I have always been infatuated with fashion. At Lehigh, I had the opportunity to study the history and philosophy of fashion, and to apply my knowledge to costume design and construction for the stage. I followed my infatuation into an apprenticeship with designer Kendra Brill, who eventually invited me to design and execute the visual identity of the pop-up shop for her first collection.
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Costume Renderings. 2011 pencil and watercolor
Initial rendering of a contemporary Helena and Hermia for a modern production of A Midsummer Nights Dream . Watercolor and pencil on watercolor paper. 2011
Initial rendering of a contemporary Demetrius and Lysander for a modern production of A Midsummer Nights Dream . Watercolor and pencil on watercolor paper. 2011
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Photographs exhibit elements of my identity work for Philadelphia designer Kendra Brill’s first pop-up. The vibrant coral prominent throughout is amplified by the minimal dark slate interior of the store. A centrally located, arched stainless steel display allows the clothes and their craftsmanship - to be the focal point of the space.