This is the piece from which the idea for my concentration, experimentation through self-portraits, evolved. I remember in Drawing 1 doing self-portrait after self-portrait in such exciting media as charcoal and graphite to the point where I never wanted to do a self-portrait again. I wanted to express the boredom I felt with the simplicity of the assignments I received. To communicate this idea, I used charcoal, one of the most common basic drawing media, to reduce the interest in the piece through its lack of color. Certainly when I look at this piece, though I am happy with the end result, I think of how much I hated doing assignments like this over and over and over, and I also think that anyone who looks at it will also feel the colorless, boring, dismal feeling that I felt when making this piece. I also think that the choice of charcoal really helps convey this message, as well as the fact that none of my other concentration pieces use charcoal, really setting this one apart as what started it all. As boring as the piece is, I do still believe that I chose an interesting enough composition and that the piece has enough contrast between the darks and lights that any viewer should not feel entirely dissatisfied with the piece. Like I mentioned at the beginning, this is the piece from which my concentration evolved. I decided that I never wanted to do a lame self-portrait again, so from that point on I only did super cool self-portraits.
I was inspired to make this piece by the idea of multiple selfs with regard to the various personalities that make-up a person as well as the multiplicity that occurs with successive mirrors reflecting the same image back into each other. In order to prepare for this piece, I spent some time setting up mirrors in ways that would create interesting compositions and lighting with the resulting images, which took a long time as mirrors are, as I have learned, not super cooperative. Through this piece, I hope to communicate the idea of the various components of a person's personality and the emotions and inner conflicts that result in a way that causes the viewer to question their own inner turmoil. I feel that this piece, with the multiple faces with conflicting expressions, does a good job of communicating this idea. I also think that the vague expressions on the faces will allow the viewer to project upon them their own feelings. As far as media, this piece evolved greatly as I worked on it; it originated as an oil painting and I later photographed it and edited it in photoshop to increase the drama of the colors and provide more contrast between the faces. I don't know exactly how my concentration will evolve from this piece, but I will say that, like many of my other pieces, this was definitely an experiment, and I will continue to experiment with new media and techniques throughout my concentration.
I was inspired to make this piece by the way that funhouse mirrors warp the faces of all who look into them. I initially started with a basic sketch of a warped face, then I got a semi-flexible mirror and began to move it in order to find the most visually appealing warped version of my face. I wanted to communicate the melancholy feeling of looking at oneself in a mirror and the warped perception we, as people, form of ourselves. I want the viewer to really think about how they see themselves when they look into a mirror. The piece, I think, successfully communicates this idea, or at least it does for me. I wanted a really loose media for this piece, one that I could easily layer and experiment with. Further, I wanted the composition to be up close and personal, the same way that a viewer would feel when looking into a mirror. Additionally, the use of pattern and unrealistic color adds to the sense of surreality and warped perspective. From this piece I have decided that I would like to work more from observation, whether for my concentration or in other pieces I do.
For this piece I was inspired by some art pieces I had seen previously that incorporated newspapers, photos, colored paper, and many other materials into a finished product through weaving. In order to get a better idea of what I would have to do for this piece, I researched other woven pieces and did a few practice rounds with computer paper before moving onto the real thing. I wanted to communicate through this piece the the idea of the metaphorical calm before the storm. The woven parts represent the business and noise approaching the solemn face of the person. The viewer should get a conflicting hectic feeling from the background and a serene feeling from the portrait. I think the piece adequately portrays this idea as the background and foreground contrast sharply. I had originally planned to do this piece by weaving together two different photos, but when I attempted to do so I found that the piece lacked unity and the texture overwhelmed the photos. I think this piece fits in well with my concentration and I am glad that I had the chance to try out weaving in one of my pieces this year.
This piece was inspired by something I used to do as a child. When I was little, my nanny showed me how to make art with glue and colored sand. I wanted to do a reinvention of the traditional self-portrait by including an odd art technique from my childhood. I think I was successful in creating a unique type of self-portrait, unlike any other I have seen. The choice of media was obviously the big decision in this piece, but other things like getting the foreground and background to work together and creating an interesting composition came into play as well. I think that I will continue on with my idea of unconventional self-portraits for my concentration as it has worked out so far.
This artwork was inspired by the idea of brainstorming. I prepared by sketching out on fabric my basic plan and working from there, adding on more and more layers. I wanted to focus on the explosion of thoughts from the brain as colors and flowers. This artwork should feel inspiring and exciting. I think that the ideas were communicated fairly well. The bright colors and dynamic form help to convey the mood of the piece. The contrast of lines and shapes helps to give the piece varying weight, and to draw the viewer’s eyes throughout the entirety of the artwork. My current plan for my concentration is to do a series of self-portraits in slightly unconventional media, and so far this piece fits with the theme.
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