William Wonter Painting

I guess I'm guilty of, once again, robotically typing in some art related mumbo jumbo into google images, and picking some random picture a few lines down that for whatever reason grabbed my attention, and then framing this frenzied, hasty series of events as something "deeply personal and moving".  Let's be frank. What's so deep about that? Thus, for this post I'm determined to do some background research to add that needed depth (okay, so the only difference now is the search has shifted from google images to wikipedia, but wikipedia is NOT as bad as everyone says). 

So, it turns out this oil painting is by renowned 18th century portrait painter William Clarke Wontner. I guess you could say he was sort of "behind his times" (in a good way), because instead of jumping on the surrealist bandwagon that was cruising around the bend around the time of his career, he immersed himself in Academic Classicism and Romanticism. 

It can definitely be said his drawing have a weighty classic and romantic vibe, bringing to mind the masterpieces of European painters several hundred years before the man's time. The rich, luminous shading -- a known trademark of oil painting -- exemplifies a technical proficiency not to be taken for granted. He doesn't just ape after his former's formula though -- he brings his own twist of mood and aesthetics -- subtly yet successfully. For instance, ponder the uniqueness and aesthetic merit to the marble wash background.

Mural

For the upcoming mural assignment, I plan to draw inspiration from this music video. I think the "earth people" are not only really cool looking, but profound. I'm really visually inspired by them and hope to incorporate the concept into my mural.  Though despite this, I want to add my own originality to the artwork.

Etchings

From a quick search of etchings on Google Images, I found this particular one by Anders Zorn really attracted me. The sense of depth in the portrait, with an emphasis on lighting, is masterful. Also, I like the way the artist's lines manage to be so expressive. The chopped, dissonant hatching-- almost scribble like--  brings a dark mood to the artwork. The picture is beyond realism in the sense of photograph perfectness:  it captures a scene with an emotional lense.

Nils Frahm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIwwjy4slI8
The above link is to a music video by Nils Frahm, which in my opinion is both visually and orally a good example of abstract. The monochrome rain-like drops come down at first in tiny impressions but eventually in dramatic, bold washes that mark the building progression of the song. It reminds me of painting--specifically watercolors--the way the fluid continually falls and leaves marks yet is always added to and changed, it's constant yet ephemeral, simple yet profound. It's like a painting in motion.

Contrasting Concepts

The above is one of the many interesting artworks by artist Charlie Immer. Immer enjoys creating paintings taking place in a made up world that blends gory violence with cute, rainbow candy coated creatures. I love the contrast of the two concepts, and the unique vibe it gives the artwork. Technically, I am very amazed by Immer's painting skills as well, I feel like I can learn allot from his art just by looking at it.

Watercolor eyes

    

     The above drawing models the step by step procedure of making eyes with watercolors. As a watercolor user myself, I found this model helpful and informative. I'm familiar enough with how to use watercolors, but this drawing was able to highlight the finer techniques of creating depth and value with the paints. I especially commend the artists creative and diverse use of color--avoiding "dead" colors as is traditional with watercolors. Though first hand experience is a good teacher, sometimes learning from external resources can be just as helpful.

Artist Statement

Art is not "something" to me. That is to say, it's not something I can simply categorize from the rest of my being. It's at my core. I have a great knowing that art will always be with me. In second grade, despite my teacher's reprimands and my own moral discomfort I always ended up doodling in the margins of my math homework. They might as well have been telling me not to breathe. Today, I still doodle in the margins of my math homework, and science homework, and pretty much on everything. Art is like anything else about me from my brown eyes to my personality--it will always be there. But like people, art is always changing and developing. Art is a life long journey of discovery: always expanding, improving and reflecting me in my present state. It's always there, yet always changing. In my current Art Foundations class, I have gotten the chance to experience art in a diversity of ways I never had before. I have always loved water colors, and drawing people, but I feel as if those are only two pieces of a puzzle I'm still at this momment putting together piece by piece. I love color. That is not to say necessarily that I love flashy and multiple colors, however, no matter the project, inspiration, or concept I take special care with color schemes, the emotions they convey, and furthermore, their meanings. I do admit to a penchant for the bright, but also the pastel, and perhaps more. In short, I love color schemes teamed with emotion. Also, aside from the translucently layered, even meticulous watercolors, I have grown fond of pastel crayons. Each line is bold, makes a statement, and can always be "canceled out" by another line. I love charchoal, ink, and even paper machè yet colored pencils have attained a certain flatness for me. What else? I'm not sure, I'm still in my experimental phase as an artist, if it's even a phase. Though I may think certain characteristics are staples of my artistry, how can I know without experiencing the alternative? I prefer 2-D art, painting, sketching, portraits over landscapes, "pretty" color schemes over the less so...yet all this is subject to change.