"Sticky Situation"

 

     For this project, the theme was "Sticky Situation." While brainstorming ideas for the new assignment, I came up with lots of ideas that I could just simply paint on the canvas such as different candies and suckers. While sketching out different compositions, I couldn't get the idea out of my head of using actual tape to create my sticky situation. So I went with the idea and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! Creating this piece was actually a very sticky situation because I started out by sculpting the shape of the main rose with layers and layers of masking tape. Let's just say, I got a little wrapped up! After the main rose was completed, I painted the different layers of it being as true to the values as I could be and finished it off by painting the roses in the background. To make repetition a strong element of my piece, I not only repeated the shape and colors of the flowers, but I also tied them all together by incorporating some of the tape into the other flowers. 

     I have worked with acrylics before and I have always been fascinated with how they blend so easily, so I was really excited to have the opportunity to experiment with that with this project. I think there is definitely room to improve my skills with acrylic paint but I think this project really helped to do that. I think that I could have made the highlights a little stronger to show the strength of the light source. I also think that I could have  made some improvements to the shape of the leaf petals, but overall, I believe that this "sticky situation" was a great exhibit of how I have grown as an artist and where I plan to go!  
    

Up Close and Personal

For this piece, the theme was "Up close and personal." I played around a lot with what I thought truly fit this theme. I actually was pretty far along in the design phase working on the idea of "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear," really just doing it because I was running out of time and couldn't think of anything better ;) However, as I was planning out that project, the idea of bubbles came into my head. And it stayed there. And I couldn't get it out. So I went with it! And I have to say, I am really pleased with how this turned out. It was definitely a risk but I think that it paid off. I think that I really grew as an artist through this piece, not only in the skills that I learned, but in being inspired and really going with my gut. I truly believe that to create a good piece, you have to put all of your soul into it; that will show through in the final outcome, no matter how the technique is showed.

With this piece, we were told to focus on emphasis. I showed emphasis by playing up the size of the bubble and making that the focus in proportion to the rest of the piece. I used oil pastels to create this piece because I have worked with them before but never on such a large scale. Also, I was really interested in improving my technique with them and learning how to use them better. While I definitely think that I can continue to improve my technique with pastels, I am really happy with how this turned out! This piece symbolizes a lot of growth for me as an artist in my skills, concepts, and most importantly, in emotion. I am excited to take this growth and apply it to future works!