Forbes & Market
Something that I have noticed during my time in Pittsburgh is that from almost any point in the city, one can drive no more than ten minutes and find oneself immersed in nature. Unlike my hometown of Chicago, where a planted tree in the middle of a bustling sidewalk is about as much nature as you will encounter, Pittsburgh is surrounding by giant, plush greenery and hillsides.
At the intersection of Forbes Avenue and Market Square, however, that side of Pittsburgh seems to disappear for a moment. For a moment, you become lost in the urban aspect of the city. To your right, you see a small square filled with pedestrians, locals, tourists, children, adults, and everyone in between, enclosed by four streets of commercial restaurant chains and shops to your left. The square is decorated with brightly colored chairs and tables, some filled and some empty. Along the perimeter of the square, there are large globe sculptures painted in different ways, as well as interspersed box planted trees. Just like home.
When I arrived at the square around 6:30 PM on a Tuesday evening, it was starting to get relatively busy. There was a line of traffic circling the cobble stone streets around the square, businessmen walking at a brisk pace with their briefcases hitting against their laps as they did so, kids playing tag around the trees, a long line starting to form inside of the Chipotle across the street… And yet, there was no place I could’ve gone to feel more at ease. Without knowing it, I selected the intersection that would transport me momentarily to Chicago.
Some people will tell you that they feel most of home with the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling, but a true “city person” will tell you that home is actually the sound of cars passing by, overlapping conversations, and distant laughter. In the middle of a city is where things start to get interesting. You can witness anything from passive small talk to important business deals to your local crazy person, all while standing on the corner of an intersection like that of Forbes and Market.
Second Time Around
I came back to the intersection of Forbes Ave and Market Sq around noon on a Saturday to find the square even more alive than the first time. There was a market going on, drawing people in with a variety of food and clothing vendors, and inviting them to sit on the colorful seats in the center of the square.
Simplifying the Intersection
As I began to think about my paper compositions, I was primarily focused on simplifying the shapes in the photo to the point where they give enough information to the viewer but not too much. My initial draft (below) probably was a bit too simplified so it was not very descriptive, nor was it realistic.
After the in class critique, I decided that what was working in this composition was the geometry and I still felt as if it captured what I wanted to convey about my intersection, but it was lacking in clarity. I then experimented with some slight variations in composition, which I ultimately decided were distracting from what I was really trying to communicate.
I then settled on the composition below which I felt was the most accurate to what I saw and wanted to convey about my intersection.
Grayscale Compositions
My process work (below) for this next stage of the project consisted of mapping out the “grayscale” in marker and in a thumbnail cutout in my sketchbook and then transferring that digitally to illustrator to make everything clearer for myself before beginning the actual composition.
After considering what was causing confusion or lack of communication in my composition, I revised the lower right hand corner for my final grayscale version.
Splash of Color
Finally, I chose the color I felt best fit with my intersection and incorporated it as the sky and the reflections of the sky in the left windows.
Reflection
What did we learn? How would we describe this project to our parents?
I think more than anything this project taught me how to step out of my own work and view it from an outsider’s perspective. When you spend hours hunched over your desk staring at same composition, it starts to become largely about what you like, not necessarily what works. However, I felt as if whenever we had the opportunity to step away from our pieces, especially during class critiques, I was able to look at it with fresh eyes and determine whether I had made decisions simply because I wanted to (or I liked it), or because I was considering what communicated best. This project really challenged me to ask questions about my composition and look at it through a communicative lens, so that there was always room for improvement.