Primal Spirit

• Coleman Slader, Art, University of Delaware

• Katie Delaney, Art, University of Delaware

Primal Spirit

Coleman Slader, Art Student, University of Delaware

Katie Delaney, Mentor, Art & design, University of Delaware

For my summer research I wanted to develop a world of my own using familial nostalgia and media that has already had an influence in my art. I wanted to incorporate the nostalgia of having a grandparent who served in the marines and wanted to imitate the photo boards they had around the house. Along with this I wanted to make a world with creatures bigger than life but still maintain the feeling that they belong there. For research on how to create a science fiction / fantasy world I watched documentaries of people such as Phil Tippet and Ishiro Honda. My researching abilities grew better as I went through my grandfather’s military gear and visited military spots in Cape May such as the concrete boat and the bunkers throughout Jersey. These practices led to the creation of an in-universe photo board where you follow multiple characters’ journeys through an ever changing world in the 1960s, where creatures are being used for warfare and human benefit. During this project I grew my artistic abilities such as world building and creature design as well as bettering my research capabilities.