Week Ten

Well it's big critique week and I worked my ass off to make as many paintings as I could especially since I feel a little late on deciding my focus. I'm happy that I brought the cube back to see it with all my other work too. Granted it was a little distracting since everything else was painting but it helped arrive to a way I can further push my concept. Russell really liked the cube and felt I should go more in that direction which threw me off a little since I was seeing it as something of an experiment that brought me back around to painting. After talking to him and others, I arrived at trying a painting on a mirror to push the uncomfortable recognizability that I'm going for in the paintings. Since technically what you see of a mirror does not exist without the things around it, the forms would truly not have a space to inhabit. The only thing I don't think I'll like about the mirror is if it's hanging directly in front of the viewer, they'll see their reflection which I do not want at all. That would maybe make the viewer want to relate themselves to the form or something and that's not what I'm going for.

Week Nine

This week I am getting more confident in my idea and figuring out different ways to paint my "blobs" or forms (still trying to find a good name for them). I feel like the word "blob" just doesn't create the correct approach I'm going for with these. Critique definitely helped resolve some issues with the backgrounds since I brought in an older painting where I felt like the shape needed to be grounded in something but it can simply stand alone which also makes it even more of a mystery. At this point, I'm more curious about the form itself rather than the background surrounding it. I also brought it the start of a painting that I'm basically suffocating the canvas with these forms and leaving a blank shape in the middle. I'm trying to manipulate and move these forms around the canvas as much as possible.

(Finished photo)

Week Eight

After last week, I finally decided rather than trying to execute all the ideas I have; I need to focus on one thing that I'm passionate about right now and explore that more. These "blob" paintings are what I enjoy and want to develop on for this class. I am so interested in these forms mostly because I wanted to improve my formal aspects of painting and also because I've toyed around with "abstract painting." The forms themselves do not root from anywhere in particular. I just started to paint them because I wanted to paint funky flesh shapes. The shapes, of course, grew into something more which I haven't completely figured out yet, however, I do enjoy them.

A couple artists that helped inspire these paintings at this point are Christian Rex Van Minnen (left) and Paul Wright (right.) I love the colors  Paul Wright creates in his layered portraits and the painterly style. Christian Rex Van Minnen makes almost creepy paintings that I find hauntingly beautiful and i can appreciate the realistic skin like forms he makes and adds tattoos which I find pretty amazing. Some of the color tones he uses are more realistic but how he paints the forms is definitely something I can learn from. I enjoy how he makes almost personalities from his faceless forms.

Week Seven

This week, I tried going along a common theme I have with my transformation drawing. What I liked about those drawings was working in a larger scale, having to make quick major changing decisions and starting from a base that I build from. I felt this piece wasn't as successful because I made it in one sitting and there was no base to start from that I previously made. In critique, I made it clear that I had little connection to the piece and did not see it as anything significant for my portfolio. It was worth a shot but was both unsuccessful and unfulfilling. It got a good response in critique aesthetically but it is not a full direction to take for my portfolio.

On the bright side, I did have a lot of inspiration that will hopefully influence what I make next week and put me on a clearer path.