Reflective Drawings

I did two of my summer projects in pencil and both were of reflective objects. I used to not like doing all the highlights because I didn't like the way it turned out but now since I have practiced highlights over and over again, its one of my go to project ideas. I learned that if ignore how I "think" how its supposed to look and just draw exactly what I see, then it turns out to look more accurate. I really liked these two pieces because in top one, the metal of the can has a lot of contrast and the reflections in the light bulb are windows. The bottom one is all glass bottles and jars, and I had a lot of fun drawing the lights and the darks while also capturing the warped look of things through the glass. I think my favorit part of that one is the jar in the back through the front jar because of the warped lines.

Oil Painted Apples

WITH BRUSH:

WITH PALETTE KNIFE:

For our practice pieces in oils I did two apples, one with a brush and the other with a palette knife. I definitely liked using a brush more than the palette knife because I felt like I had more control on where I wanted the paint. Oils were definitely different from mediums I have used in the past because of how long it takes to dry and I could go back in two or three days later and still blend more paint into the existing colors. But at the same time, the wet paint makes it tricky because no color I laid down stayed that color because it blended with others so it was hard to make bright highlights. All the whites on top of the red became pink and the yellow became orange. With the palette knife, I was laying down much thicker coats of paint which made it hard for me to keep the reds in the apple separate from the green in the background.

Artist Statement

I enjoy creating works of art because I love how I can capture moments or images in time.  Whether I am taking pictures of a gorgeous sunset or capturing a still life of reflective bottles in pencil, there is a beauty to both. Photography is my favorite medium because I see differently through a lens; the way light is refracted through the glass or how colors seem even more vibrant than what I see simply with my eyes. One of my favorite artists is M.C. Escher who creates amazing black and white illustrations that make me have to look twice because each image is warped or incorporates something that should be impossible.

I am inspired by my love and desire of traveling because I want to see places in the world that are both well known and unknown. I would like to experience the many different cultures and incorporate the variations of art styles into my own pieces.  Water droplets, cobblestone streets with terraces overhead, modern reflective buildings, or crumbling ancient ruins; they are all so different, yet each are a part of our world and have a story to tell. Fire vs. ice, modern vs. vintage, colorful vs. black and white; most think that you have to choose one or the other but my favorite part of art, and about life, is that we have so many variations and opposites that make our countries and cultures unique and interesting.

1: Paris in a Puddle

For this Prismacolor project I chose to do an Eiffel tower key chain I got while visiting Paris over the summer. To incorporate reflections I put it in a puddle and took at an angle that showed a really clear reflection. It was kind of hard to start because of how bright the metal was reflecting and I knew I wanted to capture that. I started with an outline of the tower and just worked my way up putting in the whites and then adding shadows of blue, purple, and pink. For the background, I laid down a layer of brown and green and layered whites and blacks over to capture to stone look. In the photo, only the center band of the picture was in focus so I used a blender pencil over the top and the bottom of the page to blur the stone. The chain was probably the hardest part for me because in my practice drawing I hadn't liked the way I had drawn it so it made me work even harder on it in the final piece. Now the chain is my favorite part because I love the highlights I put and the contrast.

Exploration Collage

For one of my summer projects, I chose to do a collage using pictures and postcards from my trip to Paris and London. I love to travel and I knew I wanted to depict that in my art pieces so I use things I had gotten from these different countries. I started with a background of plain newspaper and layered photos, postcards, stamps, and maps on top. I then decided to add red and pink tissue paper on top to provide more contrast and vibrant colors. I still wasn't all that happy with it so I wrote in black and white across it words that I thought described my personality and love of travel. I still feel like it is missing something so I will probably add more color or a larger image; something to draw your eye to on the canvas.