Sunday, October 20, 2013


Amanda
DECONSTRUCTED SELF-PORTRAIT
acrylic, hot glue, ribbon on canvas


I wasn’t sure exactly how to deconstruct my self-portrait. This was a difficult process for me; my mind couldn’t comprehend ‘deconstruction.’

Nevertheless, this is a deconstructed portrait. I painted this with my left hand and used a color palette that I would never use. It all felt backwards to me and this is the end result. Other than that, there is no meaning to this, it’s merely experimental. 

12 comments:

  1. I really admire your use of trying something really different and painting with your left hand. I'm sure that was a very difficult task. I feel the use of using your left hand was a great choice as it made your colors to stand out more then if you'd probably use your right hand and your lines would be really smooth blended really well. I really love the warm tones of reds and pinks set in the cheeks and the dark shading around the nose and eyes as it really gives it a larger dimension. I also like the use of hot glue in the hair as any hair seems to be kind of stringy. My only suggestion is to maybe add more darks and lights just in the neck and possibly the hair as well.

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  2. Wow this was a difficult fiet! That fact that you painted this with your non-dominant hand is pretty amazing. This is well painted and the color are super saturated. I think that this was a hard assignment to do. Maybe to further this portrait you could think about what you are trying to say about yourself and then apply that to your piece. Or if you are solely working on experimentation you could further that with added elements.

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  3. Visually it does not necessarily feel "deconstructed", in this case it much more about your process I feel, which works really well and is an interesting way to approach deconstruction. It seems so simple but it turned out so well, I really like the way it came out. It feels expressive in the brush strokes and I enjoy the color palette, it's very warm. I would like to see a bit more shadow on the neck, right under the chin. Just thinking about drawing or painting with my left hand makes me feel...uncomfortable I guess. Which I think kind of relates to your expression, you seem a bit uncomfortable.I can't really see the connection of the glue gun on this. I like the texture it created but it kind of feels like you just threw that in, but I think it works well and glad its there.

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  4. Initially the piece doesn't stike me as deconstructed but the process of painting this with your less dominate hand actually blows my mind. I think it is a neat way with exploring your identity and breaking out of norm for any painter. I really like the contrast between the dark hair and warm face (red tone) that being said, I would like a little more modeling in the hair of the portrait. Great job!

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  5. really nice warm portrayal of yourself, I think excluding the ribbon would improve this piece because of the idea behind it. I think its your best one so far and you definitely made it appear like yourself. it reminds me of matisse style work and I think captured a strong mood

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  6. I feel that this piece is conceptually deconstructed, but physically there is very littel deconstruction happening beyond the ribon, which does not feel very well integrated into this piece.
    Beyond that, the fact that you painted this with your left hand is impressive. I know I would have a hard time with that challenge. I think your willingness to experiment is a good strength and I think you should definitely continue

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  7. good for you for trying to paint with your non-dominant hand! the deconstruction is more within yourself though versus the actual work. everything is put together in a fairly conventional way, but the fact that this is done with your left hand makes it deconstruction.

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  8. In class Jasmen complemented how warm you paint eyes in your figure paintings. I agree with Jasmen, there is so much going on with your eyes. As a viewer I torn between whether I want to see what it is your feeling or am I seeing what it is that I'm feeling. Marina Abramović "The Artist is Present" if the viewer allows it, I feel like they would have a similar affect as the viewers that interacted with Abramović.

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  9. The way you deconstructed this piece without wanting to do so presents a very ironic feeling for me. The fact that you went outside of your norm to try something new within expression is truly refreshing to see. When looking at this one in person the way that you made the hair 3-D truly worked for me. Also the darkness is a nice touch but not overwhelming for me.

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  10. I was really impressed with your ability to paint with your left hand. The features you painted are very soft, and almost welcoming. I love the colors you chose to use in your palate! I feel the darkness really added a lot to the entire painting as it made the warms and brights of your painting pop. The 3D effect you gave yourself in the hair was very distracting to me. I feel that maybe a patterned fabric in the shape of your hair would be less distracting.

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  11. I enjoyed seeing this piece, and the whole left handed challenge worked very well. I would have liked to see a more obvious deconstruction though. Even if it meant adding more string as hair, or cutting the canvas at the hairline.

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  12. You painted this with your left hand and you are not left-handed?! That is impressive! I was going to say that this looked like an exploration in self-imagery, but the left-hand knowledge explains that feel. What a neat idea! I like the use of material to bring life to the strands of your hair. I agree with some of the others, that this does not quite succeed in being viewed as a "deconstructed" portrait, but it is a neat piece anyway.

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