6th Finished Piece

I finished my 6th painting this term. It's based off a photo I took when I was in Saint John over a vacation. I loved the way the walls looked like a frame for the tree, so I decided to try painting it. This painting took a little longer than my others so far this year. It took much more precision and detail to give the walls some depth.

208 Squares #11

This week's theme is Your Birth Date. I decided to keep it simple and write my birthday and color the background.

208 Squares #10

Last week's theme was Your Horoscope. My horoscope is Gemini. I decided to use lots of buttons to make the shape of it and glued them down. I also put my initials in the middle.

Critique 2

Today we had our second critique in groups. I showed them my most recent paintings and talked about how I kept with the "blue" theme. They liked that I have continued to use blue in all my paintings. They seemed to like the painting I am working on now, and they said that it had so much detail. When I told them my idea for the final project about paintings of looking thought thing, they thought that I could use or paint a window.

Watercolor Painting 2

This watercolor painting is another painting based off a photo I took in Florida. It is a photo of a knife on a table with a table clothe, reflecting an umbrella, palm tree, and the sky. I used watercolor pencils to make it. 

Watercolor Painting 1

I decided that I wanted to do a watercolor painting. I looked through my photos and found one that I took at a beach in Florida. I used watercolor pencils to make it. 

Vija Celmins and Josephine Halvorson

I looked at the artwork of two Artists: Vija Celmins and Josephine Halvorson. Both of them paint realistically and neither of theme really use bright colors with the exception of a couple. I love way how some of their paintings seem so simple but are so detailed that they aren't simple. Here are some of the pieces of theirs that I like.

Vija Celmins

Vija Celmins

Josephine Halvorson

Josephine Halvorson

5th Finished Piece

I finished another painting this week. Last year, I decided to make paintings or some other kind of piece to represent one holiday for every month, that I would later turn into a calendar. This painting represents Mother's Day for May. I still have to do pieces for September, October, and November.

Art And Fear: Conceptual Worlds By David Bayles & Ted Orland

1. What is the difference between craft and art?

• The net result is that art is less polished- but more innovative- than craft.
• A work of craft is typically made to fit a specific template.
• One real difference between art and craft: with craft, perfection is possible.
• "The difference between art and craft lies not in the tools you hold in your hands, but in the mental set that guides them. For the artisan, craft is an end in itself. For you, the artist, craft is the vehicle for expressing your vision. Craft is the edge of art."

2. What do the authors mean when they refer to artist habits as a style?

• respond automatically to the familiar, and you're then free to respond selectively to the unfamiliar.
• notice the objects you notice
• make objects that talk- and then listen to them
• The trick, of course, is cultivating habitual gestures that are yours.
• whatever theme and technique attracts you, someone has already experimented with
• habits are deep-seated, reliable, helpful, and convenient. They are stylistically important.
• Habits are style
• Style is not an aspect of good work, it is an aspect of all work. 
• Style is the natural consequence of habit.

What is your style?

• I paint what I see
• realistic painter
• calm
• seeking engagement
• I enjoy making art almost more than the art itself

3. "All art is autobiographical?" Based on what you read what is your opinion?

• Even if it is used to express or connect with something outside of yourself, the need to express or connect to something outside is part of who you are. So even if the motivation to make art is connected to something outside of yourself, it is still a statement about yourself and your needs. Consequently, I believe all art is at least a little autobiographical.

208 Squares #9

This week's theme is Blank. I decided to a Mad Libs with lots of fill-in-the-blanks. I used pen.

208 Squares #8

Last week's theme was Google. I wasn't sure at first what I wanted to do, but then I thought of how on every holiday, Google has a theme, so I decided to do one of those themes. I painted it using water colors. To get the text, I googled the I have a dream speech, copy and pasted it into a document, and then printed it. Lastly, I transferred the writing to clear tape but putting tape on the printed out sheet and then soaked it in water for a couple hours.

Exhibition Formats

I find Kara Walker's art work very interesting. Because of the way the art is installed, it feels like the viewer just walked into a storybook, in which there are many different stories being told, or at least hints of stories being told. The characters seem to be from the past, perhaps from the slave era. Many of the characters look as if they are African American. Some of the characters seem to be in the air as a result of some kind of violence. While there does seem violence in the figures, there also seems to be some humor. Because the figures are all silhouettes, the viewer must imagine both the expressions on their faces and the feelings that they have. 

My Complement, My oppressor, My Enemy, My Love, by Kara Walker