Small Paintings

Finals are almost upon us!

I will post 3 more pictures on the next blog. Finals are almost upon us and all those blood, sweat, and tears are paying off. I will still be continuing to work on these paintings next semester along with the new set of 10 that I have planned. I am working on some smaller scale paintings as we speak. I have also been working on my artist statement!

This body of work is a collection inspired by the atmosphere, with each painting containing aspects of cloud formation and atmospheric activity that act as a metaphor for personal experience and emotion. From storms to twilight, the sky is a diverse resource that allows me to express myself as I work through establishing myself as an artist and a person. I intend these works to provide an accessible outlet for not only my emotions but also those of my audience, allowing for each viewer’s unique life experience to direct the way he or she relates to each painting. This unpredictability of my audience’s life experience also corresponds closely with the inconsistency of the ever changing sky.

Vibrantly contrasted colors – often found in both dawn and twilight – along with quick and energetic marks bring a sense of conflict to the work. I have used thin transparent glazes to represent, in a physical form, the intangibility of the atmosphere and its reflected light. Twilight literally means the onset of darkness at the end of the day, and the act of the night overwhelming the day. It is a transition or transformation that I relate to my own personal journey through life.

I want my viewers to share in the sensation of my journey buy allow them to define and direct their own paths – a shared ride, but a unique, unpredictable experience. The consistency of sun rise and sunset are calming reassurances that things are as they should be, yet the potential is always there for the abrupt and unexpected turn of events that defines a new path.

Tell me what you guys think! Do you like where the paintings are going? Does my artist statement make viewing my work more interesting? Or would you rather not have the explanation?

Im sorry for the glare. I will try and take the pics in a different light soon. This was the stage they were in at midterm. There is gloss varnish and a spot light on them (hence the glare) I will most likely end up useing a semigloss varnish to finish them to cut down on some of the glare. These paintings are not finished however they have come along way since the begging.

My crit went really well and I have an A in the class! I will post a newly revised artist statement with the next blog. Right now I just have to keep on crankin them out.

Birches

"...So was I once myself a swinger of birches.
And so I dream of going back to be.
It's when I'm weary of considerations,
And life is too much like a pathless wood
Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs
Broken across it, and one eye is weeping..."

-Robert Frost

Updates

I have been playing around with different techniques since my last post. I have added oil paint as a hazy glaze and as an accent glaze. #1 painting will get a brighter application of oil paint and also more of the hazy glazes. I have also begun to paint with quick wet on wet application. I think that this brings out the moodiness of the piece. #2 painting has almost a torn flesh look, with atmospheric qualities. The next thing to experiment with will be neon paint. My professor gave me some bright green paint to get started, and I already really like what it's doing. #3 Painting is an updated picture from my previous post. I applied a brown glaze of varnish, then applied highlights and haze to create better depth.

As for the concept behind these paintings, I feel it has changed. It seems less of a representation of hope and more of an expression of my own general aggravation with life. As an artists, emotions like this drive me to create. Whether it be for my own therapy or to show others.

I will continue to explore both technique and concept by pushing my boundaries. Being an artists lets me dive deep into the whys and whos, of who I am and who I want to be. Does an artist ever find themselves? Or are they stuck searching forever?

Thesis Beginnings

These are my first 2 skyscape thesis paintings. Both are still in progress. They are 60X60 inch canvases, painted with acrylic paint, matt medium, gloss medium, and Varnish on the second one.

My artwork is a collection of atmospheric- themed work that is intended to create different moods. Some are quiet and tranquil, while others are dark and turbulent. Throughout history we as humans have used art to express our own beliefs and emotions, some through symbolic messages. We choose subjects that are relatable to our own lives. Life experiences color the way each member of the audience feels towards a work of art.

The twilight sky has been a great intrest of mine for a few years now. I discovered while gazing into the bright colorful sky that my mood would lift. Mesmerizing colors skitter across the atmosphere in new patterns every afternoon, drawing my gaze upwards. I want my audience to have that same awe-inspiring and engulfing feeling of the warmth of a summer sunset of the cold stiffness of a stormy day.

Atmosphere
Winds blow the open grassy places bleak; But where this old wall burns a sunny cheek, They eddy over it too toppling weak To blow the earth or anything self-clear; Moisture and color and odor thicken here. The hours of daylight gather atmosphere.

-Robert Frost