Psyche Inspired: Zarina Karapetyan

Institution: Arizona State University

Major: Art History

Psyche Inspired Class: 2020-2021

Reflections on Psyche Inspired

Reflections on Project 1: Textures of Psyche

A canvas spread with sand, cement paste, and acrylic and watercolor to create craters, peaks, and cracks reminiscent of the asteroid's surface. Soft whites, blues, and browns are layerered with gold and copper metal paint.

Textures of Psyche

Zarina Karapetyan

December 17, 2020

Major: Art History

Genre/Medium: plaster, sand, texture paste, acrylic and watercolor

About the work: This multi-media piece titled The Textures of Psyche is inspired by the rugged landscape of what the Psyche asteroid could look like. This piece was made with sand, cement paste, and earthy elements that flow seamlessly with each other. The craters, peaks, and cracks show the impacts that this metallic world has gone through over time. The colors are soft and hold an atmospheric quality to them, representing the ethereal nature of the cosmos. Further layers of gold and copper metal paint reflect in the light, representing the unknown metals on the mysterious Psyche asteroid.

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Reflections on Project 2: Sight of Psyche

A metallic aluminum sheet with scattered abstract paste throughout the piece. The colors are grey, purple, and copper.

Sight of Psyche

Zarina Karapetyan

January 27,2021

Major: Art History

Genre/Medium: metal, texture paste, and acrylic

About the work: The piece is created on a sheet of galvanized aluminum, with sand and paste to create contrasting elements and textures to represent Psyche. This abstract painting pushes and pulls the eye into different mediums and allows the atmospheric quality of space and metal to be pulled forward. Using the aluminum sheet, the light is constantly shifting depending on the viewer’s perspective. The piece is created on a sheet of galvanized aluminum, with sand and paste to create contrasting elements and textures to represent Psyche. This abstract painting pushes and pulls the eye into different mediums and allows the atmospheric quality of space and metal to be pulled forward. Using the aluminum sheet, the light is constantly shifting depending on the viewer’s perspective.

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Reflections on Project 3: Movement at Psyche

A tan 36'' x 36'' painting with a sheet of brass and aluminum. In the left hand top corner, details of the Psyche asteroid are written underneath the brass sheet. On the top right corner is a sheet of aluminum, and beneath it is a slab of dark grey sand. These elements represent the possible make-up of the Psyche asteroid. In the left hand bottom corner is a diagram of the trajectory of the Psyche mission launch . On the bottom of the image is a 16 Psyche symbol, which consists of a half circle dome with a star on top.

Movement at Psyche

Zarina Karapetyan

April 5, 2021

Major: Art History

Genre/Medium: texture, sand, metals

About the work: This piece was inspired by the idea of research and note taking: the beginning stages of the Psyche mission. Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebook was a key inspiration for this piece, with the red and grey writing invoking a similar style of writing to his sketches. The writings include statistics and details of the Psyche asteroid, along with a sheet of brass, aluminum, and slab of sand to represent the different metallic and earthly materials the asteroid may be composed of. The circular diagram shows the Psyche mission launch map in context with the Sun, Earth, and Mars. When viewing this piece, it feels like you’re looking at a topographical map, as well architectural plans. This piece also harbors the symbol for the Psyche asteroid on the right hand corner, the semicircle representing the symbol for the soul in Greek and the star on top representing a butterfly’s wing. The word Ψυχή is Greek for the Psyche goddess of the soul. All together, these elements create a painting that feels like a sheet ripped from a plan book, though elevated to highlight the research that goes into a space mission.

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Reflections on Project 4: The Butterfly & Star

This piece titled depicts the the symbol of the (16) Psyche asteroid. The symbol is in a bold white font wrapped with the three primary colors, red, yellow and blue. These colors give a sense that the symbol is slightly vibrating. The background is painted black with little white stars, representing space and the infinite universe behind it. The painting in size is 36 x 28, and it has a rough texture to compliment the black space around the symbol.

The Butterfly & Star

Zarina Karapetyan

April 21, 2021

Major: Art History

Genre/Medium: acrylic, ink, and texture on canvas

About the work: “The Butterfly and the Star” depicts the symbol of the (16) Psyche asteroid. The symbol is a semicircle with a star on top. The semicircle is a representation of a butterfly’s wing – a reference to the Greek word, Psyche, which means “soul.” The painting showcases this symbol in a bold white font wrapped with the three primary colors: red, yellow and blue. These colors give a sense that the symbol is slightly vibrating. The background is painted black with little white stars, representing space and the infinite universe behind it.

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Psyche Inspired

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Psyche Inspired