The Anthropology of (another) Painting, Part II

Tonight I made some more than necessary revisions on a newer piece, and wanted to share the results with you- initially, the space in this painting, titled Hymnal, was very dreamlike and ... Well, fluffy. The painting was too fluffy, especially when you consider the subject matter of the piece (a group of individuals witnessing a hanging, plus the absence of that person... pretty heavy shit).

I solved the fluff problem by simply adding a ground plane (which allows for the viewer to actually see that the individuals below are on the ground), and revamping the tea bags, as well as adding in a nice, flat background. I think the overall composition is far more successful now, and evokes a sense of foreboding and acceptance, which was the goal for this piece. 

Let me know what you think in the comments- OR, tell me what YOU get from the painting. I'm working on my artist statement right now, so I would appreciate what the general public gets from my work, so I can tailor my statement for a better sense of understanding (for someone viewing my work that isn't familiar with it or me).

Thanks for your help! (PS- if you're a friend on Facebook, the color in the green painting is far more accurate- for whatever reason, blogger's interface isn't a fan of grey/green.)

The Anthropology of a Painting

This week, I took some time and documented a painting I was working on throughout the various stages of completion- the results were interesting! Check it out below.

This is one of my favorite parts about my process- looking back at all of the "progress" photos to see how I've grown through the different stages of the painting. VERY exciting! Also, here's the still life I set up for the occasion- obviously this was painted with more natural light.

Untitled Life Post #1

This week's update is more of a photo montage than anything else, folks. I've just been so busy! I've done things! I painted with tea! I spilled coffee (intentionally!) all over my screen prints, I've painted, and hey, I turned 26, too! I'm just so damned exciting. So here, friends- have a photo or seven.

Here are a few photos from my recent edition in my screen printing class- I took a two-layer print and just went nuts with some black coffee. Successful? I think so- kinda. Though I'm not new to screen printing, I haven't done it in years, so I'm a little behind on figuring myself out this semester (as far as that goes).

In my advanced painting course, we worked from a model last week- rather happy with my results.

In another course, I made a mess. I enjoyed the mess, but nonetheless, I made one.

I just finished this little baby up today- VERY happy with the results! 

Oh- have a birthday selfie, too.

Enjoy, folks! I'll have more for you soon! Maybe I'll even get off my ass and make a real website!

Abstraction: The New (and perhaps final?) Frontier

My work has taken a new turn, friends! After those small studies from last week, I took the plunge into objective abstraction. Though this began as an assignment for my contemporary abstraction course, it blossomed into what could be the direction I continue to follow for the remainder of my time in graduate school (who am I kidding, this could change in ten minutes.. Bear with me.).

This new direction really allows for me to fully execute what I'm trying to say conceptually in my work- absense/presence. Time/space. Fresh memories/things we've forgotten. THIS has been a huge help for sure.

What's extra exciting about these pieces is that they're exponentially LARGER than previous posts' artwork. The first piece is 2x2', where this piece is even larger, at 28x32", I believe. I think the size really allows for the viewer to feel a bit more immersed in the piece, though I'll say that sometimes the wee little ones hold my attention, as well!

This piece is actually only 8x10", and though I wasn't happy with it at first, I can now see how size really doesn't matter (heh.) in paintings, as long as you can effectively communicate what it is that you need to say as an artist.

WOO! Again, thank you readers, for following me in my journey through graduate school! Side note- my birthday is a week from today. Only 6 days left of being 25!! Life is a wonderful thing.

XOXO,

C.

We Don't Want A Strong Concept!

In the graphic design building on campus, a student posted the title of this post on the wall, somewhat protesting the need for a strong concept in graphic design. While hilarious and snarky, it does ask an important question that I sometimes often struggle with-

What is the importance of a concept in visual art? Why is it that artists, critics, etc. feel that the makers of art have to have some strong, deep conceptual backing to hold their work accountable?

As children, we start making art simply to fulfill the need for a creative outlet- somewhere to expel energy without ripping the house apart, or something like that. We made art because we wanted to, and at that point, it was enough.

As adults, so many of us are plagued with the question, "So, what is your work about?" 

Simply stating that it's about the damn vase on the table and how the light bounced off the ceramic isn't really ever the answer that's acceptable. Take my work for example- while I do have a concept that I feel is developing into something quite strong and well thought out, I still struggle regularly with how to word it, how to paint it, and why the hell I'm even bothering in the first place.

This is not an orange.

It isn't that the struggle is all that debilitating- I really enjoy mentally working out compositions and how said compositions drive a particular point home. What makes things difficult for me personally as an artist is getting those organized thoughts from my head to paper, or to mouth, whatever you like. In my brain box, everything makes sense- this relates to this, and so on... When it comes out of my mouth, it sounds like jumbled word vomit that no one wants to clean up.

Does anyone else have this problem? I know I have this problem. It's a problem.

I'm really hoping that in the oncoming months, I can figure out how to fully articulate what I want to communicate in my work, as well as why I find this method of creation important to my own personal growth, and to the growth of the art world, as well.

Also not an orange- I like to think of this as my struggle with the  Dionysian and Apollonian dichotomy, and its role in factory farming.

Happy painting!

Best,

C.

The Importance of Progress

Evening, all! I was just sitting here in my studio and thinking about progress- most artists make this daily in their studios- it's what we thrive on! Progress means we're getting somewhere, that something is HAPPENING within these 4 (well, in my case 3.75) walls.

What got me thinking about this topic was rather simple- I took some photos of a piece I'm working on at two different stages of its completion, and wondered just how many painters (and artists that work in other media) take progress photos.

This post isn't particularly long, but I would like to ask my fellow painters out there, "Do you take progress photos?" and "Do you find them helpful?"

Let me know what you think!!!

Here are the photos in question, by the way. I'll post more on this piece as I continue to work on it, I'm VERY excited about where this little baby is going!

Until next time,

C.

Edinboro: Getting Back.

If there's one thing I know about being a painter, it's that getting back to your studio after being away for awhile feels better than ice cream. 

No really, it's better.

I've been back for a week now, and I've really been getting back into the schedule of wake up, eat food, paint, eat food, paint, sleep, repeat. I also took some time out to get my studio moved (I got me a nice one, with a window I can open! Fresh air. It's a good thing. Feels good, man.)

Just a small portion of the new space- REALLY digging that my easel doesn't eat the entire room anymore.

Once I finished the move and cleaned (my previous studio mate left me some almonds, post-its, and about 12 cents. Thanks, Josh! Heh.), I was able to bring in some of the things I'd done over the summer, as well as new supplies and whatnot. This post isn't really about the process of moving a studio, though- it's more about some of my summer creations, and where I'm intending to go with them!

What I have for you today isn't quite everything that I've been working on, but just some of the ideas I've gotten down on canvas in the past few months. Prepare yourself for some tea...

Not so much tea, more an expansion on a previous thought from earlier this summer..

Okay, so this one isn't tea. It's a quick studio of my boyfriend, Nick. :)

This... This is a bottle cap.

I'm really excited about this idea of using mundane, used objects as surrogate figures in my work- I think that it really adds to the running theme of impermanence, absence, memory and overall life cycles in my work. The objects we use are left, discarded, and forgotten. What I'm aiming to do is give these objects (and portraits, when I produce those) the respect they deserve- in my eyes, they lived a life equally important to ours, though short. 

Keep on the lookout for more pieces in the future!