L a n d s c a p e

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.

the end.

This is the year I became an artist. Over the summer my mom encouraged me to take an art class and I was so far from into it. I had an image of myself as being too athletic for art. It didnt stretch my mind, I was always just frustrated with the disapointed with the outcome. This year really changed that for me. In all the stresses highschool brings, art class balanced it out. It was what my ideal class would be. It wasnt that I used this class to relax or waste time, of all the time I have spent in countless hours of classes in these two terms I have done the most learning and growing in this space. I love this space. Everything about it is warm (litterally and figuratively) and every corner is filled with work. There are always people in here doing something. Even when its empty you feel the presence of the art and all that art brings love to this room. We take advantage of every inch using the floor the tables the windows and hopefully some day the roof top to fuel our creativity. My story is not ending, this class has brought me to learn new skills and passions I plan on taking with me. Pencil drawing has really stayed with me, all through these two terms I have pushed my self to get better and have found I just really love it. Freshman year is about finding what your likes and dislikes are, there are plenty of ups and downs and growing experiences but for me this class has been the greatest. During plenty of study halls I would beg sarah to come up here with me to just escape the dry work we knew we had to get done down there. If my this is a story then we have only gotten to the intro. Thank you so much for a fabulous year, and I know it sounds tacky but you have really made a difference and dont think you wont see me monday (even though we dont have class)

I see the light

This project was one of my favorites. My favorite media is just pencil and paper! so when we were assigned this project I wanted to challenge my self but not so much that I would be frustrated with the outcome. When we had to think of how light could be symbolic I kept thinking of age. I went through many ideas. The subject of my drawing is pretty vague, but I intended for the doll head to look as if it has been left behind by a now grown child.

Clay Alter Ego

Portraying your self in another form is always difficult. Its hard enough knowing who you are as a person, trying to translate that into an animal is that much harder. It was really hard to develop an idea, thinking of the situation and the animal separately to represent myself was simpler, merging the two together posed a problem. When I listed my traits I tried to be as honest as possible. The development stage was the most fun. Helping friends create an alternative self as an animal was really fun and allowed us to learn a lot about eachother. But I struggled when it came to developing my own idea. As soon as a friend suggested the peacock to represent my more relaxed side I knew I needed something like the roller skates to show a more energetic side as well. The conceptual side of this project was challenging and fun, and the technical side provided more of the same. It started out well with the body of the peacock, the real challenge was making the fan. I went through three different ideas before one worked. This project more than any made me exert the most physical effort, but I was pleased with the outcome, although I am yet to see it fully glazed.

Me-scape: reductive block print

This project was a really good experience although I did not feel as passionate about this project as the others. It the process was fun and the carving was strangely satisfying but overall it was a little frustrating. Every step of the way I was sooo worried that I would make a fatal mistake causing something to not show up. Each time I printed it became aggravating that they did not line up each time. This project demanded more brain power than all the others causing it to be tiring and I was dissapointed when all the work I put out added up to something I was not so proud of.