Amy
DECONSTRUCTED SELF PORTRAIT
Acrylic on a 40” x 30” canvas, including sea shells, star fish, and gypsona bandages.
My deconstructed piece signifies one
within nature. Texture in my work is
shown to enhance
the
movement in nature and it’s divine beauty that should grab one’s
attention. The fact that one can
go to
see something so beautiful such as the ocean or sunset in one particular
moment, it is able to
create an
individual to just get lost in the moment and place, and feel at peace. The ocean is that
peaceful
place for me.
There is probably about 200 shells in your painting - that alone is impressive to me. I know that had to take some time. It's interesting that you portrayed yourself as/in nature. I hadn't thought of this until now but it would kind of cool to see your face done in sand...that would add another texture though and that might be too much. I like that you focused more on the beach and less on your face since you only painted half of it. I enjoy looking at this.
ReplyDeleteAmy this is so beautiful! I'm so glad you decided to keep shells in your self portrait. You conjure up a really peaceful piece. I think that this a very simplistic piece, so your palate choice was good in keep your colors to peaches and blue. I really enjoy this piece as is so it's hard to find something to critique. My only suggestion is to move up the hair line or to break apart the hair a little bit so you distinguish the strands.
ReplyDeleteThis feels very peaceful to me, so I think you did a good job of peaceful setting that you love so much. Your approach to this is fun and is a great way to portray yourself with/as nature. This is probably just me, but the uniformity of the rows of the shells bother me. I think I would have preferred to see more variation in shell sizes and move them around a bit more instead of the neat rows. I think that might help to view it more as hair. I would like to see more modeling in the face, highlighting and shadows, it feels just a bit too flat. Overall I think it turned out very well.
ReplyDeleteI think this piece turned out substantially better than you other ones prior but compositionally I think could be revised to find a better balance between textures and aspects. I like that you improve after each assignment and found a creative way of organizing this assignment.
ReplyDeleteI feel like each section of this piece is well done, but they are not integrated well with one another. Overall the ideas behind using each item are very strong and very pleasing compositionally. However, I think that the painting is lacking in a lot of depth everywhaere except the ovean. Even the shells feel very flat because they are all on the same surface plane.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see you expand on this piece - Literally - By having a pile of seashells coming off the canvas so thatit really pops out. I also think changing the seashell sun to another item would really enhance the sky portion of your composition.
For deconstruction - I can't decide if I see this as a deconstructed piece or not. You have broken out of a two dimensional frame, but I feel that it is more constructed than deconstructed. I think your deconstruction of idea is represented much better, especially with your artist's statement. I think the artist's statement could be crafted to help this idea more though.
The texture on the face is quite flat, but the use of shells and gypsona bandages added a lot of awesome texture to your painting! it definitely showed the ocean very well, but i think perhaps a different choice in composition as well as colors for the face would have made your piece stronger? an exception though is the sunset, that was very well rendered and is a powerful part of this painting.
ReplyDeleteThe tone is very sweet and I feel like the pallet and the way the face is rendered flat goes with the mood of this peace. I feel like the shells become your hair and the ocean sits on top as a great hat of some sort. The fusion of you into the nature would seem more naturally to me if the depth factors were played into more, like James said. maybe if the different sections sort of blended and bled into each other it would do a lot for me, as if nature and figure were being mixed and fuzed together.
ReplyDeleteI definitely get a sense of piece when looking at this self-portrait. The blending in the sunset is wonderful. I love how you added just the right amount of red to your opaque paints, and captured the hint of purple the sky gets only at sunset. I can't help but wonder what this would look like as a mural. The only thing I might change would be the sun. I think sense you did such a great job painting the sky, I would like to see a wonderfully matching sun.
ReplyDeleteI have found that the beach would not be the beach without the sand or the sea. Those who find a grace and beauty of the beach just like anyone else's solemn place will realize that they apart of that place in memory and in the moment. This painting speaking very well. The only thing that would help for me would be more build up of sea shells.
ReplyDeleteI love the effect you have created with the plaster strips. I wish you had built more dimension with the shells, maybe created a cascading effect with layers of shells. I can already see the amount of time you put into this painting and really appreciate that it doesn't look hurried. Your painting technique seems to have grown over the last few paintings, but I do wish you would have given your face more depth with shadows and highlights.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea, and this piece stands on its own very well. I'm still concerned as to how this is a deconstruction though. is your hair being deconstructed into a thousand shells? is your imagination or peace being deconstructed into something the viewer can understand as the ocean?
ReplyDeleteI think this piece has aesthetic interest, and I understand the deconstructive intent in the use of shells in place of hair. As a portrait, it portrays more a moment of peace rather than personality or presence. The sunset and water are done really well (the material on the water is especially interesting) though they somehow feel separate from the shells and face... Perhaps a beach would blend the water and shells, or maybe a shell border around the whole thing?
ReplyDelete