1) How many pieces have you completed to date? How many pieces have you completed since our last reflection?
I have completed a total of 5 concentration pieces with the 6th half finished. Also, I have finished many other pieces which may or may not end up being part of my breadth. Since my last reflection, I have only completed 1 major concentration piece. However, in that time span I was more concerned with other pieces, such as my black ink contour drawings and my garden collage, to name a few.
2) Include a minimum of 2 pictures for each NEW piece (clearly taken and cropped)
CONCENTRATION PIECE #5 - "Nelson"
CONCENTRATION PIECE #6 (in progress) - "Sandpile"
BLACK INK CONTOUR DRAWINGS
GARDEN COLLAGE
- Subject: what are your most recent piece(s) of/about? Are you drawing from life, images, or imagination?
My most recent pieces are generally about aspects of my own life; memories (concentration pieces), hobbies (garden collage), experiences, even dreams. However, I do not represent them realistically or accurately. Rather, I distort them and skew them to achieve a measure of the surreal. In addition to these, I have also completed many pieces which are not derived from anything in particular, such as my black ink contour drawings.
- Medium/Materials: What mediums/materials did you use (paper, acrylic paint, graphite etc,)? What were you successful with and what did you struggle with in using these materials?
I have continued to work largely with digital mediums, specifically the iPad program “Procreate.” I have also worked with fine black micron pen, water colour paints, pencil and a wide variety of other mediums. I have improved greatly with digital mediums, my most recent piece is far superior to my first, and have continued to develop my skills with other tactile mediums such as pen, watercolour and pencil. I fine myself pleased with my traditional art more than I have been in the past, especially my garden collage, it being of better quality in terms of its realism and care. However, i did struggle initially with watercolour and how to apply it effectivley. I kept accidently going over other parts of my piece (garden collage) that were already finished and removing all the paint, having to then go back and repaint them. Watercolors are very fragile!
- Concept: How does each piece fit into the overall concept of your concentration? Has creating these images made your idea clearer or forced you to move in a new direction?
Each piece that I have made specifically for my concentration fits well with the theme of “illustrated and stylized childhood memories.” In my concentration, I have shifted away from vaguer subject matter towards the more specific, however this was planned from the start. My more recent concentration pieces have helped me better articulate my guiding idea; "childhood memories re-ilustrated and extended beyond reality into the surreal and fantastic as if seen through my own uninhibited eyes at that time." The pieces that I have made aside from my concentration also share some similarities with my theme, however were not intended to fit perfectly with it. For example, my garden collage could be included with either my breadth or concentration because it fits within my concentrations theme while also showing use of different mediums.
- Inspiration: Have you been inspired to move in a different direction, from work previously created? If so, what inspired you? How have you demonstrated growth as an artist over the course of this year?
I have indeed been inspired to move towards the more specific in terms of my concentration pieces. I began with vague landscapes or scenes, but have recently begun experimenting with more specific places, things, and moments. For example, my 5th concentration piece shows a surreal nelson, my home town, instead of an indeterminant landscape such as can be seen in the preceding 4. Works such as my garden collage were inspired from the notepages/sketches that I saw in the notebooks of great people, specifically Da Vinci. The messy, half finished casualness in them inspired to to try to achieve the same relatinoship between quality and roughness within my own work. Moreover, my black ink contour line drawings were inspired from the work of Carl Krull. His works are less abstract but are made through a similar method to my own. As for my Concentration pieces, they are largely the product of my own imagination and I did not intentionally base them on the work of any artist I am aware of. I have certainally grown as an artist over the course of this year, aquiring new skills in digital media, watercolour paints and rigerous line drawing. I believe my sence of colour has improved as well as my ability to effectivley render real life objects, specifically plants.
DA VINCI NOTES/SKETCHES (inspiration) CARL KRULL'S WORK (inspiration) | GARDEN COLLAGE (my work) CONTOUR DRAWINGS (my work) |
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