High Museum Inspiration

For this piece I was inspired by the painting "Below the Flood Gates, Huntington Harbour" by Arthur Dove (1930), at the High Museum. I really liked the movement of water and the way the lines were constructed. So I tried to imitate the artist style, but I used brighter colors instead of the duller colors used in the original.

Final Project: Dancers in Motion 

For this collection, I wanted to paint something that I relate to, such as dance, and I wanted to show the movement of a dancer. From the first piece to the last, they are in order by height. The male dancer is seen arching his back, reaching as far as he can toward the ground. The middle, female dancer is shown in more relaxing and natural position, with arms raised reaching toward the sky, while the third figure seems to be floating and has achieved every dancers dream; flight. The height is also in relation to the way you grow as a dancer. You have to learn the basic dance positions, and learn how to extend and bend your body before you learn how to fly with grace.

Final Project Sources

Watercolor painting
For this project I used watercolor paint and watercolor pencils. Usually when a tree is chopped down, the tree stops growing and it just leaves a stump. However, I wanted to create something organic, but not necessarily a natural phenomenon. I added the bubble and the vines for fun and to create a challenge for myself.

Photo References:

Background, Middle ground, Foreground painting

For this painting I used acrylic paint. The background was originally, supposed to be kind of in the form of a blue galaxy. However, the middle covered up most of the background. For the for ground, I took some of the blues from from the background to help add more dimensions to the figures face and hair.

Photo  References:

Artist Statement

Most of the pieces I create relate to nature and the use of cool colors. Many pieces include figures (usually female) that are of different ethnicities, but are dressed in attire from another culture. Many figures have movement or they are shown in a dancing stance. However, there are works that revolves around the elements of nature such as, trees, wind or water. These works send the impression of a calm or tranquil environment.

 Artist Critique

Fresh Hybrid by Sandy Skoglund 

For this piece, I can tell that the trees with legs are furry and the texture of the ground soft and lush, imitating thick green grass in a meadow. The five trees that appear throughout this photographic image are all standing in different poses or skipping. There are figures that look like they are made from the same material as the trees. However, four figures; a young boy, an older male and female, walking along side a dog. The artist used pipe cleaners for the ground and the background, while fur was used on the trees. If you look at a close of the top of the trees,  you realize that the yellow blossoms on the trees are furry little chicks.

Skoglund uses an analogous color scheme blues greens, turquoise, yellow, orange and red-orange. The blues and greens of the trees connect with the background in the installation, while the yellows and oranges on the manikins tie in with the grass swaying to the left giving the installation the feeling of whimsy and shows movement. The trees having legs standing in different poses or skipping around gives the installation an automatic feeling of this piece being unrealistic, along with the the unrealistic colors. The vertical lines in the trees leads your eye to the yellow blossoms in the trees.

The meaning behind this piece is described on Skoglung's website; it states, "the materials strive to transform nature into a cornucopia of human pleasure with ubiquitous soft and fluffy surfaces. As if on a spring day, the sculpted hybrid trees blossom with impossible bounty and cheer."

This piece is very creative, especially with the materials, but the textures kind of make me feel uneasy because it looks like that cheap fur used for those colorful pillows that look like velvet. Although I don't like the texture, this piece is unique  and wonderfully displayed.

      Dream Board Collage

Acrylic paint, marker and magazine clippings.

The newspaper clippings represent goals a strive for in the 2017,such as traveling, reading more and becoming better at drawing. For one of my goals, I wanted to receive all A's, so I glued 8 capital A's on this collage to represent the 8 classes I wish to retain these grades in. Pictures like the girl sitting by the open window and the balloons, represent that are other opportunities or goals that could come along before the year is over that I have not set until later on in 2017.