feedback

My idea for this project was very vague and personal. The word I chose was breed, meant to symbolize family and blood as well as to suggest the way cows are bred, treated, and killed in the food making process (I am a vegetarian). The idea of the cow was mainly because of a family joke, the joke being that my mom has purchased 2 life sized cow statues to sit on my front lawn. In addition, my main connection to nature is when I go to the birkshires to stay at my aunt and uncle who live on this amazing farm in a beautiful house so cows always just seem to be present... As I introduced my piece to my group they instantly recognized the simple qualities of the picture, but struggled to identify my word. Once I pointed out "breed" hidden within the spots of the cow my group suggested I do something to highlight it to make it more clear to the viewer. We also discussed my intentions with the background, together we wondered if placing it in a setting would punctuate the piece or overpower it.

Fantasy vs. Reality

Drawing from observation felt much safer then drawing from the imagination. When drawing purely based on what you can directly see the challenge is to recreate a realistic 2 dimensional replica, while drawing from imagination demands less 'physical' accuracy and more 'emotional' accuracy. Though both individually and equally challenging 'physical' accuracy requires you to replicate each and every little line, shadow, and contour of your subject while 'emotional' accuracy is a visual mechanism used to recreat the feeling or thought an object or image may have and manipulating it to transform your work into a more communicative piece. At my stage now, I personally enjoy the challenge of recreating objects I have right in front of me. I feel as though I can conquer the subject and I am satisfied and sometimes amazed at the fluency in translation between 3 dimensional and 2. Drawing from imagination and memory usually proves itself frustrating and unsatisfying.