Author: HollyB

I made a lot of progress on my space painting this week!  I’m very pleased with how this is coming along.  I am growing more comfortable following my intuition rather than going off the initial picture, which is becoming less relevant as I paint.  After thinking about it, I’ve decided I won’t be adding the jellyfish to this; I’m letting it become what it wants to be.  These sessions I focused on adding texture and enriching the movement and color variety.  I also touched up the moon and put in the earth so I can think about it as things evolve.

Above is my progress after Tuesday, and then the rest of these show where I left it after a long session on Wednesday!

I felt a responsibility for making the project happen. Although we didn’t officially elect a leader, I started the communications, prompted people to explain their ideas/work, and asked for input. Unfortunately, it ended up feeling like I was handling a lot of the project’s weight even though it was supposed to be a collaboration. I wrote everything our group ever submitted, because no one else was willing to contribute anything beyond vague ideas or suggestions. I’m happy with where our ideas ended up, but I am disappointed that I had to take everything into my own hands, in order for it to get done.

I enjoyed the installation process, working with the group to manage our layout. Seeing how the works informed each other and setting up visual connections/balance with such a diverse range of style was very satisfying and engaging. I do wish we could have had more time to produce work, because I felt very rushed.  If future classes do group exhibitions, I would recommend giving them more time.  I would have liked to have more on the wall.  It’s important to our theme how the space feels and as is, it feels somewhat empty. However, our group has most of the younger students, myself included, so many of us didn’t have work we could re-use or add to bolster our exhibition.

Overall, I would have enjoyed more collaboration. If I was doing a project with less people, so we could get to know each other and our work better, perhaps we could have engaged in more productive conversation. I tried to make that happen for our group. I’m not sure if people were uncomfortable because we are mostly strangers, or just didn’t want to put in the time, but we didn’t have hardly any group conversation about ideas. That is something I’d be interested in doing in the future perhaps, because I think having more than one person’s input can grow something to be a better version of itself. (Most of the time)

This exhibition has peaked my interest in thinking about how to display my work. In the context of school and group critiques, I’ve never really put effort into making a display of my work except for portfolio review. Moving forward, I want to think about my work in its own context. I’ve been experimenting more with my studio wall and hope to continue this exploration.

I’ve actually spent most of my time away from the studio this week.  After my midterm conversation with Laura, I wanted time to think about the direction to take my space painting.  In the meantime, I started 2 other pieces:

One is a digital painting, for which I did some preliminary pose studies.  For the background I am loosely painting over a photo so I can make changes to fit my concept.  My experience so far:  Fabric is impossible. Why did I choose such a complex dress?!

The other piece is nearly finished.  The watercolor has been a nice break from oils.  I want to add a light grey shadow underneath the woman on the moon.  After that, I plan to make an accompanying piece of a sun goddess.  Fun detail: the moon’s eyes are brown/yellow and the sun’s will be blue because they are reflected in each other’s gaze. <3

This week I finished my exhibition piece.  I decided not to include the top portion I made for it.  It looked clunky and was distracting from the focus of the image.  I also wouldn’t have had the time to finish it the way I’d like for the show.

I added some things to my studio wall just for fun since I really haven’t thought about it as another place for working.  I completely overworked the moon on my space painting, so I need to go back in and  simplify the shapes and textures.  I got caught up in trying to make it 3-dimensional and it ended up looking fuzzy and out of place.  Lastly I did a bunch of sketches trying to choose a new hair style for my original character.  I settled with the one where it’s flipped back, because he wears a helmet a lot and that makes the most sense as a result.

This week I made significant progress on my TBD Exhibition piece (since it didn’t exist before this week haha).  I made an I-pad out of an old pizza box, which I will glue on the front of the canvas.  I also assembled an expanse, which I’ll attach to the top to break up the rectangle shape.  Unfortunately the pizza box warped slightly from the paper mache, but I don’t have time to make another one before this needs to be on display.  Still, hoping to get the cardboard section paper mached and gesso-ed on Sunday, and paint the top part of the canvas.  It might not be completely done for installation on Monday, but if I can get it mostly finished I can come in on Wednesday for the rest.

I also kept up with my sketchbook; no studies this time, just whatever came to mind.

This week I did some anatomy studies on the oblique muscles because they’ve always been a mystery to me.  The pen/marker drawings look stiff, but I wanted to sketch a few women to combat all that testosterone haha.

I also started a new painting!  I am pushing myself to use colors less typically associated with outer space to see if I can still achieve the desired depth of field with my technique/gesture.  The painting will feature a jellyfish migration to the moon.  The earth will be in that blank space at the bottom, and the moon will be in the pink area, with the jellyfish subtly flying in between.  My goal is for them to be present, but not overwhelm the picture.  Once I get the background mostly finished I’ll add in the planets.  Part of me wants to use this in the TBD Exhibition, but I don’t know if I will finish it in time.  Maybe that doesn’t matter?  I’m not sure.

 

 

 

I finished my large star painting from last semester!  I am really proud of how this turned out; seeing it finished motivates me to work on the next one, which is already underway.  Moving forward, I will be working slightly smaller so I can transport things easier.  I will also be lowering the star density in my next piece; I get carried away sometimes and too many stars makes it read flat.  Still, this is one of my favorite things I’ve ever made.

This weekend I also went home to my family.  It is my goal to use this class to rekindle my sketch practice as well as my paintings.  This batch was mostly about warming up, stretching  the muscles of proportions, gestures, and likeness capturing.  I drew whatever I wanted to, without worrying whether it was good enough to post on social media (which can dampen my experience if I let it).  I decided to focus on studying anatomy moving forward, so the next batch of sketches will be more targeted.  For these, I just tried to do a variety of things.

 

This video shows a sped up version of how I assemble my own surface to paint on.  Normally I would use thicker cardboard, like an amazon box, but all I had at my apartment was recycled food boxes.  I tear the boxes up into smaller pieces, making sure to build up layers without leaving straight edges exposed.  I build up the edges of the shape and not the middle, to create a slope that directs the eye to the center.  On my bigger pieces this is easier to see; the edges curve in like a contact lens.  I use wood glue to press and secure the cardboard. (with thin pieces you don’t have to press as much, but thicker cardboard needs to be held in place until the glue is dry)  After I finish this, I cover the cardboard shape with 2 layers of paper-mache, and then paint over it with gesso.

This prompt was somewhat limiting for me, as I couldn’t find a way to use it to develop my current paintings.  Instead, I focused on the main artistic association I have with paper: sketching.  My sketchbook practice has significantly declined since coming to college, so I used my time to rekindle it.  I wasn’t able to do 10 different sketches, but I enjoyed spending time creating for the sake of it again.  I made the blue sheet of paper, although the surface wasn’t the best fore drawing on.  I’ll have to experiment with different pulp mixtures next time to see if I can make a more functional surface.  I enjoy using my sketchbook as a free space to draw whatever I want and play with media.  This is what think of as my “home studio” practice.

Looking forward to getting to work on my paintings soon!

For those of you that weren’t in painting last semester, I will make a separate post of my previous paintings once we are allowed back in the studio. (I left them there!)  I have been depicting outer space/nebula on irregular supports.  They have been an exploration of color and form, and an attempt to capture whatever mystery, awe, or longing continues drawing me to these interstellar scenes.  For now, here are the sketches, ideas, and Hubble images that are inspiring me moving forward.

“Do these space paintings have a clear message, or are they more about conveying an atmosphere/experience/feeling?  What perspective am I to impress upon the viewer?  Does adding sea creatures enhance this idea or take it in a different direction?  Is that where I’m going next?”  I realize these are nebulous questions, but I am struggling to pin down my thoughts.  Normally I make very concept driven artwork, so I am exploring new terrain.  For now, I plan to make some space paintings featuring sea creatures and seeing if they “work”.  If not, I’m hoping that will clarify what I am trying to achieve with these pieces.