Trimester 1 Breath

So far this trimester I have accomplished using a variety of media and using oil pastels for the first time. I feel I did pretty well but definitely need to work on pushing myself further with different subjects. For example I should work on drawing more figures/people instead of nature all of the time. A variety of subjects would add a lot more to my portfolio =] As of now I don't have a solid idea for my concentration yet. Looking at what I have done in the past has given me some great themes but nothing that I've decided on for concentration. I'm very excited for continuing AP Art and thinking of new works that would add a lot to my portfolio. As a class I believe everyone is really starting to define their own style and what they enjoy drawing. Trimester 2 would be a great time to start using my peers for more opinions/ideas that would benefit my artwork. Great job everyone and keep it up next trimester!! 

8 pieces so far =]

continued...

Topic Category- Artist

One of my topics was the city so I chose the artist Brian Simons from Vancouver Island, Canada. I had never heard of him until now, but really like his art. One of his main subjects is painting the city. He features a wide range of colors and value. I particularly liked his style of painting- it appears blurry because of the bustle of the city, but when you step back it looks different. Brian also shows many lights and reflections off of cars and buildings well. He definitely uses the city theme to his advantage by making his works so detailed, so when you look at his work you almost feel like you are actually there. I can use inspiration from his style and how he uses his brush strokes for my concentration pieces next trimester. He uses mostly acrylics and oil paints, but sometimes a combination of many medias. This is how he achieves a great value difference in his work. I probably won't be using oil paints in my work because I personally don't like using them as much as acrylics. 

-Digging Deeper into Themes

"Crows at Dusk" by Hana Firestone, 2008.

"The Flamingo" by Alexander Calder, 1973.

One of my favorite pieces that I have done in the past, is the watercolor piece from last year. The other two pictures are of "The Flamingo" sculpture that I took this summer in downtown Chicago. I like the angle I got on the first picture because it gives you an idea of how big this really is- 53 feet tall, 50 tons. I chose the watercolor piece because I remember I was surprised at how well it turned out considering hat I hadn't used watercolors in forever and I also love sunsets. The sculpture by Calder has been my favorite for a long time- I really like the shape of the archs and the bright red color against the black skyscrapers. It's also really cool to see it in person because the sculpture reflects off many nearby windoes. Truthfully, I don't see many similarities in these two pieces except the fact that they both include birds. They are actually VERY different in terms of color, shapes, value, and placement. The reason I like these differences is because they are both completely different and unique. I think the bold red is what really makes me want to look at his sculpture. My list of 100 items really reflect both pictures here, because it included a LOT of nature elements and colors, which reflects them well. :)

I wanted to chose an artist that had my exact birthday but could not find one, so I chose Anthony van Dyck, who died the same day as my birthday on December 9th.  He was born in March 1599 and lived to be only 42 years old. He was living in the baroque period and did mostly portraits- he did many of King Charles I, which he is know for. He painted, used watercolors, and did etchings. He was very important in the movement of the English portrait painting for his time. He also traveled to London and Italy to paint his portraits and continued to do many of King Charles I. This is a portrait of him called "Self Portrait With a Sunflower." The sunflower is said to represent royalty. 

Personal Stories and Themes

-My first story is from when I was about eight years old. I remember my grandma saying that she loved my artwork and that I should be an artist when I grow up. I guess I never really considered art to be a career back then, instead I thought it was more of a hobby. A couple years later I remember saying to myself how much I would hate being an artist for a living because they never make any money. For some reason there was always this assumption in my mind that artists were always poor. I think this story is funny because today I really couldn't imagine myself being anything else but an artist. I would rather be an artist and be happy with my career, than have a job that I don't like at all. Art is my passion and that's something that I'm proud of today, especially because I have come a very long way since then. 

My next story also involves art- When I was in elementary school, there was a bookmark contest being held at the library. I decided to enter, with no intention of winning because there were so many great artists in our school. A week later or so I remember they announced over the loudspeaker who won in each grade level. When they said my name I couldn't believe it! That was probably the best school day that year. =]

   Lupins-Cut paper project from last year

This is my newest piece- a random design done in pen. Please tell me what you think of it... thanks! =]

This is a piece done by Charley Harper... what gives me inspiration.

Photoshop piece- Tree and Sunset