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?