—————————-Spring Semester 2010-2011————————————–
Progress Report #7
5/13/11
1. The art show approaches! I have planned and re-planned my set up, gathered items, and finished up work. My terrariums have taken a different turn than I had expected, but still will be a part of my installation!
2.I had originally planned to make full-out, live terrariums. However, that requires lots of running around and spending and things I don’t have time for, so I have become resourceful and I am using things I already have. Shells, rocks, wire, old light bulbs. Random collections I have been saving for just this sort of project!
3.The art show! Then the year is over. ]=
Progress Report #6
4/29/11
1. I have begun a new project: terrariums! My mom gave me a bunch of little glass jars that she didn’t want, and I knew they would be perfect for an art project. I also planned out my art show installation and made a list of everything I need. I think my terrariums will work well within my idea for my art show installation.
2. So far I haven’t faced any major challenges and I’m still gathering supplies. It is pretty hard to get stickers/labels off of glass jars, though. The tough parts have yet to come, unless you include just finding the right kind of things. The same goes for my installation. Once I can secure the right props, it will be awesome.
3. In the next week- week and a half I will complete my terrariums. I also need to go to Impact and see what cool things there are for my installation.
Progress Report #5
4/8/11
1. I created an ambitious “Panography” of the entire Still Life using the photos I took earlier last marking period. I also made a video of all of my photographic work from this past year. I then installed it into the display case along with Amelija and Georgina and their work.
2. I need to learn how to make videos myself, because relying on other people does not always work! Also, Macs are confusing when trying to figure out disc functions.
3. Printing on vellum/clear papery material is hard! My ultimate dream of having my Panoraph printed out cannot yet be realized, but I hope to someday revisit this and try again when I have better access to materials. My video is really awesome, but since I had a relatively short time period to make it for the display case, I don’t know if I will use the same one for my art show installation. I will have more work by then, plus I want to add more transitions, music, and an introduction. This video did take much effort to produce, since I had to ask other people to do it for me, so I would feel bad asking others to do it again. We shall see…
Progress Report #4
3/18/11
1. Time has flown by as I have been working on my observational still life drawing. This applies to my latest project proposal.
2. I really think I have improved a lot and this experience will be so helpful for me next year when I’m sure I will have lots of observational drawing to do! I am forging a sort of comfort zone for myself in the niche of drawing that I am actually happy with.
3. I am almost done this aspect of it and I have an exciting idea for my next exploration of the still life. I want to make a panorama with transparencies of photos I took of the still life.
Progress Report #3
3/4/11
1. I have been continuing Still Life-based work, but this time it is further observational skills.
2. I have definitely improved, even just from the beginning of the year when I was trying to work on my observational drawing skills. Something about this time is causing me to be an over all better artist, even though I am taking basically the same approach with the same materials. I’m glad I have this experience before college, it is really increasing my confidence!
3. I will continue this exploration of the Still Life a bit further and then move on to a last Still Life project.
Progress Report #2
2/18/11
1. I completed my goal of 10 successful Still Life-based painted photos. I have now been working on and improving my observational drawing via the Still Life. This year I am really enjoying it, and this attempt and observational drawing is far more successful than my last.
2. I think the non-stop absorption in Honors Art has helped. From constantly working on it every day in class, I can already see my improvement. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I am gaining confidence in my drawing skills and I am happy with my work. It even almost looks -gasp!- realistic. I enjoy working on the white paper, it is not too large or too small.
3. I will continue on this size and see where it expands from there!
Progress Report #1
2/4/11
1. Since the marking period began, I have been working on my painted-over still life photos. I took quite a lot of photos, then edited the ones I liked best, which are the ones I am painting on.
2. I really like almost all of my paintings, except for two that I messed up on. I think overall it is becoming a very successful collection, and it is a unique take on the still life. I have developed my own techniques and I am trying to incorporate Rothko-esque patterns.
3. Next I want to continue working based on the still life.
—————————-Fall Semester 2010-2011————————————
Progress Report #7
1/7/11
I have begun working on my newest project and this is very much of a learning process for me. I first scanned all these cool slides of art work, and then I decided to try an make a surreal landscape using elements from various pieces. I was reminded that my Photoshop skills are very elementary, since I usually just edit photos, not create scenes from scratch. I decided that while my landscape looks interesting, I should focus more on the photographic element than the manipulative. I took photos over winter break that I think work well with this assignment and am working on combining them. I think this assignment will take longer than my previous because of its experimental nature. I may even try some Photoshop tutorials.
Progress Report #6
12/17/10
These past two weeks were filled with working on my latest project, which I am calling “Blurred Painting”. I photographed the mini still life area of the room completely out of focus. These photos themselves already look like paintings, particularly watercolor painting because of the soft edges that allow the colors to blend into each other. I decided that instead of focusing on the colors, I wanted to focus on the shapes and compositional elements, though it was still difficult to not get tied up in trying to get the colors as accurate as possible, since they are part of what makes the photos attractive in the first place. In the end, I only made one painting that I feel is successful, from a mixture of house and acrylic paint. I tried to do watercolor, but in that instance not having the accurate colors really does make it look…. ugly. It’s just not possible to purposefully recreate an abstract image with watercolor that relies on spontaneity and the flow and bleeding on the pigment on the paper.
Over all, I really liked this idea, but I am more happy with my photographic images than with my painting. When the photographs themselves look so painterly, it seems kind of redundant to make a painting of them that I won’t like as much as the photographs. I think I just need to find a way to translate them that makes them similar but unique enough that it can stand on its own, which is why my one painting is successful.
Progress Report #5
12/3/10
Last week I finished my “Unpurpose Art” series, which I think was really successful. I made the iMovie and I created a Tumblr site, to which all of the individuals photos are uploaded. The link for this is under my “Portfolio Art Page”. I also got my new project, which is kind of inspired by my this last one. I really love the idea Mr. Miller! Especially because taking out of focus photos is something I have long enjoyed and experimented with. Theres so many I already have that would make cool paintings, but I’ll take some new ones for this! I honestly haven’t started yet because I’ve been focusing on my Honors work, and also it’s been so stormy and dark that every day I wanted to take photos, the light was awful. Unfocused images work best when there is tons of bright, natural light. Maybe this is a lame excuse, but it is also very true. I will take the photos this week and start the painting!
Progress Report #4
11/12/10
I have started immediately on my new project, which is photographing accidental art around the classroom. I developed a new name for this: Unpurpose Art. With the 150+ photos I have taken, I will narrow them down, edit them, and turn them into an iMovie presentation.
As for my previous project, I completed it with 3 charcoal drawings and 2 graphite drawings. I discovered a lot through this process, namely that how much I loathed making these drawings revealed that the school I was making them for wasn’t for me. Still, I know observational work is a very important part of anyone’s art experience and schooling, so I’m glad I did it.
Progress Report #3
10/15/10
I have taken a break from my tree to focus on the ever-important and dreaded portfolio element of drawing from observation. I completed 2 charcoal drawings this week for beginning practice and then started on one of my graphite drawings required for RISD. I am honestly not enjoying this process nor am I really happy with the outcome, but it is a requirement. I know that I can actually draw pretty well, but size, environment, and material are key to my success, things that I just cannot get out of this drawing. I really wish I was confident enough to have at least 2, though preferably all 3 of my drawings done by portfolio day, but I doubt it. I think my main issue is that regardless of my drawing abilities, it isn’t something I do enough to have my own comfortable style, so I am stuck struggling with whatever raw, untrained abilities are there. Regardless of all that, I think I made pretty good progress this week. I also need to start preparing for portfolio day in general- right now my portfolio only consists of photographs, and I want to show more diversity with sketchbook & daily art journal pages, and possibly an art project or two. It would be cool if I could have my tree done by then, but then I would sacrifice time working on my drawings. This is definitely creeping up way too fast, and I feel regret for not being more prepared.
Progress Report #2
10/1/10
Now that I am finally back in school for my first full week, I have been able to start making progress, though it may appear as if I have been off-task. The progress has been more mental than physical. Physically, I got a base (a large glass vase) and my tree has fallen over several times and broken. That being said, the rest is mostly frustration that I could not make my idea happen exactly how I wanted… so I have been taking a break to recharge my creative batteries, and it has been working. The pieces that I have been creating this week were completely spontaneous and unplanned, nothing like I have ever thought of before, but I really enjoy them and will turn them into their own project, but they are helping me with my tree. I realize now that while I love the idea of my tree, it was not meant to happen exactly as I pictured it, and it needs to go in a new direction. I can always make another tree more like I imagined after this trial and error! My main inspiration for this new direction comes from this and my recent pieces. After all of my hard work, I am not giving up on this tree yet!
There are some new projects I really want to start, but I am holding off on them because I am starting Saturday classes at Moore. I really feel that once I get started, the things I will learn there will be extremely beneficial to me and will help me approach my ideas better, so they will wait for just a week or two longer. (These are observational pieces Mr. Miller!)
As far as my Daily Art Journal goes, I have amazingly kept up with it through all of my recent traveling and craziness! I scan them in around the end of every week, so keep checking that out.
Progress Report #1
9/17/10
So far, I have sanded and painted my branches which make up the tree, but from there it has been rough. Connecting the branches in a tree-like manner has proven to be very complicated. The copper wire alone slides along the branches so I had to reinforce it with hot glue. Also, I have not yet fully figured out how to make a base for my tree. I have an idea, but it takes doing some work I can’t do alone or at school. The time period I allowed myself was definitely wishful thinking, though it may have been possible if we were having full weeks of school and I wasn’t missing most of this week due to a college visit. The problems I have been encountering with this project are typical for me; I have an idea that seems awesome in my head, but making it actually happen just as I pictured it is much more difficult. But, I am determined, and I will just keep trying different methods and materials to make this tree happen! Also, once I figure out what works, I will hopefully turn this into a series of at least 4 (one for each season) but we’ll see how this first one goes.
Also, my Daily Journal is going well. I have not missed a day yet, even when I went to the beach! [= Check out the link under my “portfolio art work” page to see what I’ve done so far.
