Artist Drawing

Pond

While in Florida this year, I took many pictures of different types of flowers. For this art piece, I combined my flower pictures into one nature painting. To fill the empty space, I placed a quote that had a lot of meaning to me. It says, "Every flower must grow through dirt". It was written by Laurie Jean Sennott. To me, this quote means that we all must go through hardships, struggles, and challenges to become beautiful people.

Artist Menu

Food

In the Mirror

Messy Drawer

Messy Desk

The Street

Looking Through

Inside a Closet

Around the Corner

Bathroom

Glasses Half Full

Kitchen Sink

Shiny Object

Household Items

Paint it Black

In this art piece, my goal was to create a well blended, interesting painting of a reflection. I accomplished my goal by zooming in on my subject until I found an angle with a fun look. I was very surprised how hard it was to blend the paint and create the "right" colors. The best way to fix this issue was by holding the paint to my subjects to compare color values. I believe that I experienced the switch to right brain thinking when I stopped looking at my still life as objects and instead just painted colors. I feel like the lipstick in the painting really works. If I had a do-over, I would make the yellow in the reflection less yellow and more green and I would make the handle of the cup thinner. I would also give the edge of the cup a more rounded look. Through this art piece, I learned how to blend colors and mix color values. I feel that the best thing about my painting is the lipstick. I love the highlight on it.

Artist Pages: Robert Stark

Version One:

I think Robert Stark did a great job with the color on his projects. In Red Dory, one of his paintings, the beautiful transitions from sea to sky really caught my eye. In addition, the small lines he made to suggest distant ships or birds really brought the piece together.

Version Two:

I really connected with Robert Stark as an artist. His use of the color blue throughout his paintings had a calming vibe that drew me into each of his works of art. The way, and the things, he paints present a tranquil mood for his audience; so as a person who needs some calamity in the chaos that is my life, I was instantly interested to learn more about Robert Stark. One of my favorite things about Stark's work was his smooth transitions. I love to have paintings that flow, and all of Stark's paintings do just that. Not only do they flow between values, but they also flow between sky and sea. By studying Stark, I learned the importance of color values and how hard it can be to transition between values without an object becoming flat or a solid color. Throughout this oil pastel, I felt calm and free because no matter how badly I messed up everything could be fixed through blending and layering and if everything wasn't perfect it didn't matter because, as a luminist and expressionist painter, Robert Stark didn't try to be perfect either.

Eggs

In this art piece, my goal was to create a painting of three vibrant easter eggs. I accomplished my goal by using fun bright colors. I was very surprised how hard it was to create a 3d look. The best way to fix this issue was by continuously looking at the real objects to find the shadows and highlights. I believe that I experienced the switch to right brain thinking when I began to find the different shaped colors on the real objects and incorporated that into my painting. I feel like the colors in my painting really work together. Although, I wish the pink egg was more vibrant and, if I had a do-over, I would repaint that egg. Through this art piece, I learned how to paint a 3d image from life. I feel that the best thing about my painting is the green egg and the bright orange background. I like how fun and free they feel.

Oil Painting: Three Shiny Objects

In this art piece, my goal was to create a Peggy Kroll styled oil painting. I accomplished my goal by minimizing the amount of strokes I painted in one area. I was very surprised how hard it was to stop repainting one area of the painting after I had "messed up". There were so many times that I went back to fix certain parts of the painting, but I found that the more you work on one part of the canvas the potential for the painting to get worse increases. The best way to avoid this was to stop repainting an area, instead leave it to one stroke and done. I believe that I experienced the switch to right brain thinking when I stopped looking at my artwork as an object and instead as shapes. I feel like the shadows in my drawing really work. Through this art piece, I learned how to create a realistic object with shapes not lines. If I had a do-over, I would repaint the background, I feel that the colors need more contrast. I feel that the best thing about my drawing is the front binder clip. I like the contrast between the two sides of shadow.

Oil Painting in 25 Strokes

In this art piece, my goal was to create a painting of a pool ball using a maximum of 25 strokes. I accomplished my goal by piling a large load of paint onto my brush before aggressively spreading it around the canvas without lifting my brush until most necessary. I was very surprised how hard it was to avoid lifting my brush. There were so many times that I wanted to "touch-up" an area, but I couldn't unless I wanted to use up another one of my limited strokes. I found the best way to stop lifting my brush so that I could obtain that "perfect" look was by being more open to an abstract art piece. I believe that I experienced the switch to right brain thinking when I stopped looking at my artwork as a realistic pool ball, but instead as a fun coloring puzzle. I feel like my drawing really works in the area consisting of the stripe and the back of the pool ball. Through this art piece I learned how to make a painting quickly by limiting the number of strokes I could use. If I had a do-over, I would repaint the shadows. I feel that the best thing about my drawing is the pool ball. I like the "painterly" look some areas of it have.

Don’t Touch the Edges

In this artwork, my goal was to create a painting of a pool ball using sections of color. I accomplished my goal by using colors of differing shades to create highlights and shadows, while consciously avoiding the edges of the separate colors. I was very surprised how hard it was to avoid the edges of the different colors. In addition, I found it very difficult to mix the colors to create the right "look" for my painting. I found the best way to avoid the edges of the different colors and yet still create a "clean" and purposeful look was by using a palette knife that was angled differently than what I had originally been using. In addition, I found that the best way to achieve colors with the right look was through a lot of trial and error before placing the color on the canvas. I believe that I experienced the switch to right brain thinking when I stopped looking at my artwork as a pool ball, but instead as colored shapes. I feel like my drawing really works in the region consisting of the yellow and blue shadow. Through this art piece I learned how to find colors in color. For example, I found that yellow is not just yellow, instead it has a slight blue hue when in shadow. If I had a do-over, I would paint a different pool ball and use a brush, not a palette knife. I feel that the best thing about my drawing is the abstract look it has. I did not love this art piece at first, but I learned that if you look at it from a different perspective it can turn into something beautiful.

Snow Shadows

Peggi Kroll Oil Pastel

From copying and examining the work of other artists, we can learn new techniques to use when we create art. From Peggi Kroll's art, I learned about mixing colors, mapping out my art piece, and painting in a painterly manner. Mapping is outlining the places for specific colors to be placed within art art piece. After this lesson, I learned that mapping is important in an art piece; that you should test mixed colors separately before placing them on your art work; that shadows don't have to be black; that highlights don't have to be white; and that painting doesn't have to be neat (it can be a bit sloppy). Mr. Gaudreau was trying to get us to understand the concept of a painterly art piece. He wanted us to see that art can be implied. In addition, he wanted us to understand how to mix colors. From Alla Prima Painting, I learned that an art subject can be implied. That colors should be mixed prior to painting, and that your paint strokes don't have to be smoothed out or covered. Line and shape were used in my art to map out my colors; mixed colors were used throughout the painting to bring it to life; space was used to create contrast with the subject and the background; texture was used throughout the whole subject matter to create a painterly art piece; and value was used for contrast within the subject. In a painting, painterly means painting an art piece without returning to the strokes to smooth them down. In a painterly painting, you should be able to count each brush stroke. While painting this oil pastel, I learned the importance of correctly mixing colors prior to applying color to your drawing. In addition, I learned that mapping within an art piece prior to painting can help you to correctly apply mixed colors within the painting.

Print

My goal in this art piece was to create a unique print in my own artistic style. I accomplished my goal through my inspiration of a linocut artist (who I am still trying to find the name of) I found while researching different linocut ideas. The most difficult challenge I had to overcome was drawing a simplistic version of my dog to cut for the print. I met this challenge by following the aforementioned artist's simplistic animal prints. I think that my print really works with the bold outline around Gracie. Through this project, I learned that great art doesn't have to be complicated. If I had a do-over I would fix how I cut out the eyes. It's barely noticeable, but I don't love that they are uneven. I feel like the background colors really made a great addition to what was originally going to be a black and white print and now the art really pops with the added contrast.