Homework-- 9/30

FOR MONDAY: 
1) We are hanging our Master Copy & Master Studies. Make sure you have them AND your artist statement. If you never found one, write something up about your artist from what you did find.

2) We are doing gouache studies dealing with depth of field. Bring everything you need to accomplish this and a notebook for critiques.

ALSO:

Check your email!! We will be starting our presentations on alternative painting NEXT Wednesday! I MUST have your topic ASAP if you have not given them to me already, so I can get you a schedule for presenting.

At this point you have PRESENTATIONS (alt painting) and your FINAL project(s) left. Keep up with your blog posts and homework.

Homework 10/23--

1. MASTER COPY/ MASTER STUDY due Monday! I know that working with egg tempera has been an adventure for everyone! You must remember that working with this medium it is best to start with light or bright surfaces and build up from there, as it is not entirely opaque and your layers can influence each other (like in glazing). Think about what you are using to put paint down and how it is working on your surface. There are plenty of tricks and methods for this. Play around and be smart with it.

http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/intro/tempera.html

I have had several questions from you all about how to finish or glaze your work. This is from a wonderful painter and instructor, Julia Lambright:

"It is interesting to read about the finishing process of egg tempera's painting... In icon painting you must varnish to enrich colors and to preserve for generations... I am sure your students know about gloss and satin finishes. If some of your students really, really hate glossy finishes than they can make a satin finish, or simply use cold wax medium and buff it after a while to get pleasant sheen."

This is a link discussing such things. Again, finish this as you see fit, but be smart with your materials. Check it out.

http://www.eggtempera.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4

2. Your critiques for projects 2 & 3 are due NEXT WEDNESDAY! Do not put them all off until the last minute! There are 30 total due (45 including the first project). A few a day helps to not get overwhelmed the last day!

3. We are making gouache on Monday! Bring in all of your supplies for doing this:
YOU WILL NEED TO PREPARE YOUR BINDER AT HOME! 

~pigments
~gum arabic BINDER (see recipe below--MAKE AT HOME and bring in!)
~filler (for opacity): either calcium carbonate or whiting chalk (read link)
http://www.paintmaking.com/inert_pigments.htm
~palette/ knife
~gloves
~muller (optional)
~brushes for testing paint

Binder links (PICK ONE!):

http://parideazafarmart.wordpress.com/workshop-on-making-paint-from-soil/
http://www.earthpigments.com/artists-watercolor-and-gouache/
http://www.paintmaking.com/grinding_watercolor_gouache.htm
(wetting agent in most formulas honey & water suspension (1:1) and the preservative clove oil)

REFRIGERATE YOUR BINDER ONCE IT IS MADE TO AVOID SPOILING! 
This can be stored in a jar like most mediums or binders. 

This is our final medium we are making as a class. Once your binder is made it is the easiest paint to mix. This can be stored in your tubes easily. 

http://www.winsornewton.com/resource-centre/hints-tips-and-techniques/gouache/mediums/

Nick

DECONSTRUCTED SELF PORTRAIT

acrylic and crayon on paper with mirror and horse

In this piece I wanted to focus on the parts of my body that could be seen while sitting in the drawing horse and facing a mirror. My torso and upper legs were obstructed from view; and even though my forearms and lower legs were able to be seen, I wanted to focus on the three parts of the body that are considered most important in mastering the human figure. The face, hands, and feet are the most difficult to render and most emotional parts of the body according to the authors Burne Hogarth and George Bridgeman. Considering their fame for being masters of the human figure, I decided I would conduct an intensive figure study using acrylic paint (since it was required) and crayon. The crayon was used as a tool of deconstruction of my own art. Instead of using tools of “high art” (charcoal, oil paint, etc). I decided to create a composition that used a drawing utensil that is widely sold to children. Not only that, but this piece is deconstructed from where I was sitting while conducting this figure study. The mirror is the frame that the viewer uses to fill in what parts of the human figure remain aside from the face, hand, and foot.

Zach

DECONSTRUCTED SELF PORTRAIT

acrylic on masonite, easel

I feel like the view I have of myself constantly changes for good and bad. The few constant aspects I could sum up as confused, fluxuation of interest and unsure of purpose. My self portrait was not flashy or well thought out kind of representing me. It is really just a mess with a half assed portrait of me in the middle. This shows my lack of understanding in many of the things in my life. When I say messy I don’t mean in a good way mine doesn’t show a positive expression of chaos but my personal frustration and lack of a goal in the piece. I think it also shows my inexperience and experimental process that could be much better developed. It also shows my straight forward approach to things and in some ways lack of creativity at this point in my work.

The biggest exposure for me was making me realize the thought I need to place into my work and set a goal to achieve otherwise I will remain aimless and a messy. This piece also shows how I just do things and hope to figure it out in the process instead of “doing my homework” so I can understand and have an outcome to expect. In some ways this piece properly portrayed me but it could be taken further.

Rabia

DECONSTRUCTED SELF PORTRAIT

acrylic, paper, glue on cardboard

Art does not solely impact an audience, but it forever shapes the creator. My life has always been affected by creating and observing art. From a young age I developed a desire to explore my creativity, and art always made sense to me. Drawing and painting provided me a solution for the disconnect between thought, emotion and exterior.

The earliest memory I have of creating art was when I was four and loved to draw my family. I did not draw my family as human but rather as a spider family. There was mommy spider, daddy spider and daughter spider; I was very abstract minded. As a child I possessed an infatuation with coloring, which only grew as I learned how to form figures instead of blobs. Something about applying marker to paper could make me the happiest kid in the world. As an adult I still like to translate those concepts to my work.
          As an artist I like to explore color in ways that can create a deeper sense of meaning. If I am working from real life I try to depict colors realistically and improvise on color combinations that work harmoniously together. In my self-portrait piece I took the idea of a painting by using found colors in magazines. I cut tons of colors out of numerous magazines that represented the palette I wanted to use for my painting. After I had the right color palette I evaluated where my features where and how the light played up those features. I used darker tones to make shadows the same way I would with a painting. I used acrylic to paint some pieces of paper that I wanted to keep a solid color that I couldn’t find in a magazine. For my self-portrait I wanted to show how art is a combination of technique and materials. If you can observe an object and have an interesting color palette, you can create a piece of art. Traditional materials do not limit art; you can make something lovely out of any found objects you may possess.

Lydia

DECONSTRUCTED SELF PORTRAITS

acrylic on wood and canvas board

There are many misconceptions with deer as animals, that they are dumb creatures who are easily caught. If anyone has gone shooting before they realize that catching a deer takes a lot longer, and is harder than they expect. Deer will change their schedules of feeding during game season to the midday, just to avoid the hunters that only hunt during early morning hours and dusk hours. A creature of change. I decided to represent myself as a gender neutral deer for that reason alone. I have seen many times in my life where I have taken drastic steps to change my behavior when I have become too comfortable; whether it be something small like driving a different way home, or cutting 16" off my hair, change is something that I feel everyone needs in order to progress. I chose to start this project by taking special effects makeup and transforming myself into a doe. I then painted myself with acrylic on four separate panels to divide the negative space and show the importance of the materials, and allow for simplicity. I chose to paint on untreated wood panel because the grain of the wood was important to the connection with nature, and my influence of designers that choose material over ornament, like Frank Lloyd Wright. I began to paint antlers because only the male deer have them, showing strength. I decided to paint them on another surface and have them raised to juxtapose the difference of material. Because I am influenced by the era of pinup art, I chose to represent myself in the style, which is also how I wear my makeup and hair. Cat eye eyeliner, big eyes, and big hair. I feel that the piece really represents different aspects of my life. 

Lucia

DECONSTRUCTED SELF PORTRAIT

acrylic on doors/ wood and canvas board, easel

            Art has always been therapeutic to me, until I decided to paint for more than just myself.

I’ve decided to use a powerful background by using old closet doors.  I wanted the doors to be appealing and my body a small after thought.  As the artist I know how I see myself and I would rather skip over how I feel and focus on what the viewer feels.

          

           My self-portraits are my rebellions against the racist town I was born in, social norms, and family expectations.  My home town made me tired of hearing how better fair skin is than cinnamon skin.   Painting my figures darker than they appear in life is a form of rebellion against them.  Not too long ago I was told what social rules to follow when speaking to strangers, or acquaintances.  I get tired of having to pretend to be quiet avoiding confrontation.  So I often choose active colors for my backgrounds, they always speak loudly, even when I’m not allowed. 

                  

           My art speaks for me whether I expect it to or not. 

Joe

DECONSTRUCTED SELF PORTRAIT

acrylic on masonite

This self portrait was influenced by several artists, graphic and illegal street, which reflects how I am thinking at this point in my art. I have been working on a comic book which draws on my history of abuse and it feels as though it is just a flood of ideas that have been cascading out of me. While working I have been studying other artists,  such as Banksy and Alex Ross, it has helped me to understand where I want to go and how my style has been influenced by these artists.

I think that if it is looked at closely enough, the style in which I painted shows some homage to Ross and Banksy, as well as Mr. Brainwash. In the process of making this piece, I realized I was influenced in more than a stylistic manner, and in the way of street writers I found myself seriously considering defacing some of the school property for my art.