Speak

"Art without emotion is like chocolate cake without sugar. It makes you gag. The next time you work on your trees, don't think about trees. Think about love, or hate, or joy, or pain- whatever makes you feel something, makes your palms sweat, or your toes curl. Focus on that feeling. When people don't express themselves, they die on piece at a time." -Speak

Thursday, January 19, 2012

I can't think of a creative and/or cheesy title....METAL!

Finally something I'm comfortable with! Though Its been two years since I have touched a saw it still feels pretty natural. I always enjoyed metal work because I have worked with my hands all my life and it lets me let get rid of a lot of stress (at least when its not the cause of my stress). My design is simple but I like it and am excited to complete it. It is so different from any metal piece I have created in the past, especially because of how delicate it is. This is the first time this year that I felt completely confident in my knowledge and abilities so I can't wait to see what the finished product is.

Shhh It's a secret...

Yet again I was scared to start another art project. The only collage's I had ever made made included cutting pictures out of magazine and layering them together until they look half decent. This wasn't the same thing obviously. Luckily inspiration struck when I remembered my favorite book The Secret Life of Bees/ This book by Sue Monk Kidd changed my life for the better and I wanted to base my ID collage off of it from there I only included a few others items which would symbolize myself and focused on building color around these objects. Luckily Miss Kiick taught about dry brushing which allowed me to work colors together more subtlety. I felt the objects blended well to create a more cohesive image.

C'est Moi

Who knew I would actually be extremely happy with the way my self-portrait turned out? I started painting and suddenly a face formed under my paintbrush. This surprised me because I had very little idea of what I was actually doing. I was primarily guessing and checking as I went, which could have destroyed my art work. When I first finished the painting I had no desire to ink over and wash it because I was so happy with what I had created.


But I finally got the courage to layer over it with ink (after I asked Ms. Kiick diluted it of course, I wasn't that brave). I was very careful in the whole process so I would not take away to much of the vibrancy. Though the picture did come out slightly more muted but over all I think it just made the picture more subtle. The pencil allowed me to detail and highlight my favorite parts. Over all I was very happy.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

"I was born a @#^$&. I was born a painter."

Frida Kahol was born on July 7th, three years before the Mexican revolution was to begin. She would later say she was born in 1910 so her name would forever be remember with the beginning of the uprising. She was not a healthy child. polio at the age of six left one leg noticeably skinner than the other. When she was 18 she was involved in a bus accident. Besides many broken and dislocated bones, a hand rail also pierced her uterus leaving her almost unable to concieve. She became pregnant three times but none were successful. Even after recovering from the accident she still periods of extreme pain which could last for months. It was during these where she was confined to a bed or hospital room that she became serious about painting. She later married a fellow Mexican artist Diego Rivera. the marriage was trouble from the beginning, both having very fiery tempers. Both had affairs and the marriage ended in  1939 only for them to get back together in 1940.

Frida Kahol originally interested me of the mystery encompassed in her paintings. The woman shown seemed so intense and almost dark in some ways, then I learned it was her and I wanted to know why she felt the need to paint herself that way. The life she lived shed some light on the situation. She was a woman tossed and battered by life both literally and figuratively. The painting on the left is entitled  "Self-Portrait with Hummingbird and Thorn Necklace." Her gaze almost seems exhausted. She has seen and live through so much that she has come to some sort of acceptance.The thorn almost seem to be encasing and her and pulling tighter around her, but she appears completely uncaring.

"I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know the best." -Frida Kahol