ART IS THE PATHWAY IN WHICH WE EXPRESS OURSELVES: OUR INTERESTS AND OUR PAINS

Self- Evaluation

Reflecting back on this semester in honors art, I have realized that I have learned a tremendous amount about my style, work ethic, and even myself as an individual. First, I have come to realize that I love dealing with abstract art. I am not quite sure what it is specifically that draws me in, but the ideas that some pieces can represent endless amounts of ideas fascinates me. I love the ability of a piece to be interpreted in a million different ways because it adds much more value to the piece. I feel that realism, while impressive in a whole other category, limits itself to interpretations. Secondly, I have discovered my best work ethic occurs when I am attached to the piece I am working on. If I don’t have a connection, or am not happy with the piece, I tend to usually become frustrated with the piece because it doesn’t turn out the way I had imagined it. However, I have also realized that pieces can continuously be worked on to achieve the completed feeling: a piece doesn’t have to be put away and completed once the due date arrives. Lastly, this past semester has allowed me to see my growth as an artist. Each project we did opened up new insight to myself. I think some of my work combines conceptual imperatives and visual appeals. I usually tend to think how can piece be the most attractive, then try to create meaning out of it through the colors I use. I tried to do this with my gum piece, but I feel like I created more of a visual piece than a conceptual idea. Regardless of conceptual or visual, I want all of pieces going forward to be open to interpretation because art is not one thing. There should be countless ideas in one piece because it make the piece so much more powerful. I want the audience to be pulled in and want to discuss my projects.

That being said, my favorite and best piece in my opinion is “Renewal”, my plant and pattern project. I love this piece because it feels genuine to my character. I thoroughly enjoyed making this piece because I took my doodles, something so common and that I usually draw everyday, and made them into a big piece. I love the fact that something ordinary can turn out to be something so much greater. Yes, while they still are doodles on a page, they take on a much greater role for interpretation. This piece is also my favorite because it was so therapeutic to work on. Since I decided to make 9 panels, it was easily transportable and I could essentially work on it anywhere. It was soothing to make the repeated doodles and brought me emotional comfort. I was able to devote myself to this piece, which is why I think it turned out successful.

On the other hand, my worst, and probably least favorite piece I made this year was our final project for art and text. My project, “THIS.”, did not turn out the way I had hoped it would. I’m not 100% sure why, but something in the piece doesn’t settle with me, but I can’t figure out what. While working on this piece I had the constant feeling that I needed to add more, but I struggled with how to add more while keeping my authenticity. While I loved working with the screen printing and ink, I couldn’t figure out how to love my piece. It wasn’t until I rearranged my triptic, and began working on it as a diagonal, that I became more comfortable with the piece, but by then I had already grown tired of the piece and wanted to start something completely different. Nonetheless, I kept working on it, but I think because I already had a preconceived notion that it wasn’t going to turn out the way I had hoped, I ultimately wasn’t going to like the final result regardless.

As a result, I have been able to see my growth and what I still need to work on. I have improved in a sense that I know what I need to do to create a project that I am proud of: authenticity to my style and a good mindset. For what I still need to work on is how to not become frustrated with a piece and mentally shut down. I believe that if I can clear my mind while working on a piece and simply enjoy the process, a much more cohesive piece emerges. I would still like to continue to explore new mediums and ideas for future projects. More specifically, I would like to try to use encaustic, oil paint, and ceramics. I also would like to try and incorporate something realistic into a piece and branch out from pure abstraction. I want to push myself out of my comfort zone and try something new. I think a big reason why I love abstraction so much is that it doesn’t have to be perfect, where as realism does. I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to small details, so I quickly become frustrated when something doesn’t match what I am attempting to make perfectly. I am hoping to overcome that though and create something that merges abstract and real together. One artist that particularly does this well, and that I intend to use as future inspiration, is Beau B. Frank (instagram handle @beaubfrank). He is a surrealist artist from California and his work reflects his love for his home. He combines portraits with the Pacific Ocean, red wood trees, and coast line sunsets. He is important to me because he shows his love for his home in his work. I would love to do this with Deltaville, as I already have one piece dedicated to my second home.

This is what I hope my show in April will be- almost a shrine to my river house. As cliché as it may sound, I would not be the person I am today if I hadn’t had the privilege to grow up with a second home at the river. It has shaped my character beyond anything else, and is a place the effortlessly makes me so happy. It is part of who I am, and is unique to myself, and I would love to share the experience with others.