Main Question
My Hundertwasser inspired painting is the piece that I am the proudest of from this semester, which is surprising because I generally avoided that style in painting before doing this piece. Surrealism is my newfound love!
The process of creating this was really interesting. I had no idea what my subject would be, so I started by compiling a lot of pictures that I've taken over the years and sketching them stylistically in my sketchbook. I then made a list of elements that I knew for sure I wanted to include in my painting, such as eyes and glitter. I practiced drawing lollipop trees in the style of Hundertwasser. After playing with multiple very different ideas, I decided that I should paint an alien holding a solar system, and at the center would be an eye! So then I got to work. The medium that we were tasked with using was acrylic, which is the one that I am most familiar with, so I was fairly confident going into this for that reason. Painting this was more difficult than I anticipated, however. The paint was very thin and it was difficult to mix colors that gave me the effect that I wanted. Notably, the purple paint was very runny and splotchy, so I brought in my own from home, which helped a lot. It was hard to combine so many elements and keep my piece coherent at the same time, but after painting over areas multiple times, I finally achieved the look that I was going for. My final step was to add glitter glaze, which added a lot of interest to my piece! I'm proud of the trial and error that went into this painting that eventually got me where I am now in my artistic journey.
My Hundertwasser inspired painting is the piece that I am the proudest of from this semester, which is surprising because I generally avoided that style in painting before doing this piece. Surrealism is my newfound love!
The process of creating this was really interesting. I had no idea what my subject would be, so I started by compiling a lot of pictures that I've taken over the years and sketching them stylistically in my sketchbook. I then made a list of elements that I knew for sure I wanted to include in my painting, such as eyes and glitter. I practiced drawing lollipop trees in the style of Hundertwasser. After playing with multiple very different ideas, I decided that I should paint an alien holding a solar system, and at the center would be an eye! So then I got to work. The medium that we were tasked with using was acrylic, which is the one that I am most familiar with, so I was fairly confident going into this for that reason. Painting this was more difficult than I anticipated, however. The paint was very thin and it was difficult to mix colors that gave me the effect that I wanted. Notably, the purple paint was very runny and splotchy, so I brought in my own from home, which helped a lot. It was hard to combine so many elements and keep my piece coherent at the same time, but after painting over areas multiple times, I finally achieved the look that I was going for. My final step was to add glitter glaze, which added a lot of interest to my piece! I'm proud of the trial and error that went into this painting that eventually got me where I am now in my artistic journey.
Artistic Perspective
My artistic style is surrealistic. I define success as an artist as the achievement of self-fulfillment and expression. Having a vision and still being able to adapt to the circumstances thrown at you by the artistic process is the most important skill to have. Art has made me the flexible person that I am; when I was younger, I was a perfectionist, but now I am able to adapt to every situation and find beauty in imperfection.
This cemetery textured landscape is an exemplary showcase of my style. The subject is dark and contradictory; cemeteries are still and silent yet the nature and sky show movement. Originally, the plan was to paint this scene realistically but I soon realized that I would not have fun doing that, and art is meant to bring joy! So I played around with different color schemes, ultimately landing upon purple and yellow, as they are complementary and would create the atmosphere that I wanted. Then I worked on the texture. To create interest, I made the trees and ground textured while keeping the sky and headstones smooth. This along with the contrasting colors made my piece much more interesting and fun for me!
My artistic style is surrealistic. I define success as an artist as the achievement of self-fulfillment and expression. Having a vision and still being able to adapt to the circumstances thrown at you by the artistic process is the most important skill to have. Art has made me the flexible person that I am; when I was younger, I was a perfectionist, but now I am able to adapt to every situation and find beauty in imperfection.
This cemetery textured landscape is an exemplary showcase of my style. The subject is dark and contradictory; cemeteries are still and silent yet the nature and sky show movement. Originally, the plan was to paint this scene realistically but I soon realized that I would not have fun doing that, and art is meant to bring joy! So I played around with different color schemes, ultimately landing upon purple and yellow, as they are complementary and would create the atmosphere that I wanted. Then I worked on the texture. To create interest, I made the trees and ground textured while keeping the sky and headstones smooth. This along with the contrasting colors made my piece much more interesting and fun for me!
Body of Work
My improvement over this semester is huge. The first project that I completed was a watercolor landscape, which was by far the largest watercolor piece that I have ever worked on. Generally I work on small paintings, but this class pushed me out of my comfort zone. The last painting that I completed was my pet portrait, and I was less preoccupied with realism at that point than conveying texture and motion, which is something that I've come to love throughout this course. The differences between my first and last pieces are extremely notable. I was much more comfortable with blending colors by the end, and I was able to compose the picture how I wanted to much faster than I was during my first piece.
My improvement over this semester is huge. The first project that I completed was a watercolor landscape, which was by far the largest watercolor piece that I have ever worked on. Generally I work on small paintings, but this class pushed me out of my comfort zone. The last painting that I completed was my pet portrait, and I was less preoccupied with realism at that point than conveying texture and motion, which is something that I've come to love throughout this course. The differences between my first and last pieces are extremely notable. I was much more comfortable with blending colors by the end, and I was able to compose the picture how I wanted to much faster than I was during my first piece.
Classmate's Exemplary Work
I am infatuated with Architha's oil landscape of the Delicate Arch. It is one of my all-time favorite paintings! She did an amazing job creating the texture of the rocks while keeping them simple and extremely pleasing to the eye. I always tell her that this piece reminds me of Georgia O'Keeffe's work because of the bright colors, subject matter, and specific style. The composition is simple and extremely effective in transporting the viewer to the landscape that Architha is trying to depict. The colors of her painting make me so happy! The rocks are red, but she used so many different colors to achieve depth and realism. I really love this painting and believe that it is an amazing showcase of a textured landscape.
I am infatuated with Architha's oil landscape of the Delicate Arch. It is one of my all-time favorite paintings! She did an amazing job creating the texture of the rocks while keeping them simple and extremely pleasing to the eye. I always tell her that this piece reminds me of Georgia O'Keeffe's work because of the bright colors, subject matter, and specific style. The composition is simple and extremely effective in transporting the viewer to the landscape that Architha is trying to depict. The colors of her painting make me so happy! The rocks are red, but she used so many different colors to achieve depth and realism. I really love this painting and believe that it is an amazing showcase of a textured landscape.
Favorite Medium
My favorite medium to work with this semester was by far oil paint. This was my first time working with it, and the growth that I showed throughout this learning process is huge. My very first experience with oil paints was creating the pear shown below. This was extremely difficult for me; the colors got muddy and I was frustrated with how long it was taking to dry. I really disliked how this pear turned out. After a little more practice with techniques, I was tasked with a still-life of fruit and flowers. I was apprehensive at first, but after learning patience and layering skills necessary for working with oils, I ended up with a piece that I was really proud of. Blending colors was so fun and therapeutic and I was starting to fall in love with the medium. Next, the project was a textured landscape in oils. I took a lot of creative liberties and decided that it would be the most fun for me to use crazy colors in order to practice creating an eerie mood with oils. It worked very well, and blending and building up texture was very easy and fun. The last painting we were tasked with was a pet portrait, and we could do it in any medium of our choice. I decided on oils, as they had become my favorite. In the beginning, I did not like oil paints because of the different consistency and properties; they're very different from acrylics, which is the medium with which I am most familiar. But by the end of this class, oils have become my favorite medium. I have even bought oils to use in my free time outside of school!
My favorite medium to work with this semester was by far oil paint. This was my first time working with it, and the growth that I showed throughout this learning process is huge. My very first experience with oil paints was creating the pear shown below. This was extremely difficult for me; the colors got muddy and I was frustrated with how long it was taking to dry. I really disliked how this pear turned out. After a little more practice with techniques, I was tasked with a still-life of fruit and flowers. I was apprehensive at first, but after learning patience and layering skills necessary for working with oils, I ended up with a piece that I was really proud of. Blending colors was so fun and therapeutic and I was starting to fall in love with the medium. Next, the project was a textured landscape in oils. I took a lot of creative liberties and decided that it would be the most fun for me to use crazy colors in order to practice creating an eerie mood with oils. It worked very well, and blending and building up texture was very easy and fun. The last painting we were tasked with was a pet portrait, and we could do it in any medium of our choice. I decided on oils, as they had become my favorite. In the beginning, I did not like oil paints because of the different consistency and properties; they're very different from acrylics, which is the medium with which I am most familiar. But by the end of this class, oils have become my favorite medium. I have even bought oils to use in my free time outside of school!