Week 11- 3 Different Versions of Clown Fish

Original Piece

Finding Emo

In the Dark

Swirling in the Sea

I decided to recreate my clown clownfish drawing in three different ways. "Finding Emo" is a punk rock fish with a black balloon and nose. I used a black sharpie and selected certain aspects that I wanted to outline more. In "In the Dark," I was in a dreary mood and allowed my emotions to play somewhat of a part in my work. At first I hated this creation, but the more I worked on it the more it seemed to make sense and flow. I used black and white acrylic paints along with my own finger to smear the paint around smoothly. There is a pattern of misshapen gray, black, and white dots. Lastly, in "Swirling in the Sea" I was thinking of Van Gogh's fantastic Starry Night painting. The swirls are so alluring and intense. Using more colored pencils I made thicker lines not only in the background but also on the fish to create a sense of movement. 

Week 11- Art Institute trip- Masterpiece and Disasterpiece

This painting, "Mater Dolorosa" (Sorrowing Virgin) is stunning and definitely a masterpiece. I first noticed the red eyes before every other facial feature. The artist, Dieric Bouts, somehow produced the most realistic, bloodshot, eyes. Looking upon them makes the viewer actually feel empathy and pain with the nun. She appears so innocent and depressed. Bouts mastered capturing such a powerful and deep emotion. It is sometimes more than a challenge to incorporate actual feelings into works. An artist must consider all the content in a creation to consider if certain poses, colors, or values fit a certain feeling. Here, dark and dreary hues fill the painting that contrast with the nun's pale skin and the white cloth. Her downcast head suggests that she is dejected. The dirty yellow backdrop does not feel comforting. The viewer is not able to exactly understand where this woman is. Perhaps she is in a church, or at home. Either way, it is very clear that the sorrowing virgin is in all kinds of pain. 

I consider this painting, "Portrait after a Costume Ball" (Portrait of Madame DietzMonnin) a disaster piece. In my opinion, there is just not enough definition around all of the figures and objects. I love many of the paintings Degas produced that have more clarity and precision. I also understand that this painting is of a dance... When a person thinks of dancing, they typically envision movement. Perhaps Degas was expressing the lively atmosphere in this piece. The colors are unpleasant and messy. An elongated brown scarf takes up too much space while a poorly illustrated, yellow-brown chair also distracts the viewer in the foreground. Brighter, more attractive tones would have benefitted this work. 

Week 10- Piece 5 "Memory Man."

Elephants are incredible. They are the largest animals on land and among some of the world's smartest creatures due to their memories. Many people struggle with remembering what they ate for breakfast, while an elephant may remember the miles they had to walk to even find a meal. Hence, the title for this piece. "Memory Man," is a distinguished gentleman. He is grasping a quill with his tusk to symbolize both his age and intelligence. He also sports glasses and gray hair which match his wrinkly skin. I used Prismacolor colored pencil throughout the entire work and various hues of gray. Gray is a dominant color that may also resemble age.

Week 9- Piece 4 "Clown-clown fish"

Clownfish are popular saltwater aquarium fish. This could be a result from the film Finding Nemo, since the main character Nemo and his father are both clownfish. These creatures have the unusual ability to change their genders. In comparison, an actual clown can merely mask his or her face with bright, dramatic makeup- which is also pretty strange. The fish themselves already possess attractive, bright scales. In this creation, I wanted to make the viewer giggle. The rainbow afro, red nose, and large pom-poms are all comical aspects. Aside from colored pencil, I used water colors to create a more immersive, watery backdrop.

Week 8- Piece 3 "Snake Eyes."

In my third piece, entitled "Snake Eyes," a dapper Honduran milk snake is center beside sets of dice. When a pair of dice land with two single dots facing upwards, it is called "snake eyes" since snakes typically have small eyes. Instead of only using Prismacolor colored pencils, I decided to give water color a spin. The watercolor paper was thicker and allowed for me to paint the gloomy background. I feel that the gray/brown colors evoke a sense of discomfort. Referring to a person as a "snake" is always derogatory. It may mean that this person is an avid liar or untrustworthy. For this reason, the only bright colors are in the snake's scales to provide a contrast. This piece was definitely less controlled, compared to my other two works because I was using water colors. The water marks flowed while the pencil remained neat and resolute.

Week 8- Art From the Heart/ Beverly Art Walk

This Saturday I was able to go down to the Beverly Art Walk/Art From the Heart around noon. Although the weather wasn't that great, I saw plenty of interesting pieces that were in fact, pretty great. Walking around different tents, I was amused with Matt Coglianese's hot dog sticking out of the Willis Tower. This edited photograph was so strange I immediately laughed. People don't typically think about large food sticking out of buildings. Stephanie Weiner's "Revolutionary Lemonade Stand" also caught my eye. Her clothing and accessories are based on current political issues, seeking justice. 

Week 7- Gallery Post Andrei Rabodzeenko

Artist Andrei Rabodzeenko, of the Soviet Union, has worked with all kinds of mediums including sculpture, paint, and drawings, which is quite impressive. Nothing slows him down. He claimed that he is "not obsessed with any exact style(s)." In his exhibit, he showed his Daedalus inspired paintings which were very elaborate. His current set of drawings displayed on brown and white paper, looked like they were done by a completely different artist compared to his previous works. They are not as colorful or realistic, but they still grab the viewer's attention as they are so intriguing...Quick, messy, dark and light lines lead the viewer's eye allover his pieces. One could describe his work as being very "gestural," or surprising. Rabodzeenko stated that switching mediums helped him gain more ideas. The artist's color scheme was a mix of black, white, and orange. Piece number five was one of my favorite works because it feels the most dramatic. It is as though the man is moving with his outstretched arm. In piece number thirteen, one of my least favorite pieces, a black outline fills the center amongst orange rectangles placed in the background. This composition feels messy but loose. A viewer can assume that Rabodzeenko quickly made his marks here and wasn't very concerned about perfection. 

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