Oh the places you'll go...

I'm graduating.

In less then two weeks.

Oh my.

Though I have only taken an official art class for two years, I have been wandering around the art classroom for three. It has been my favorite room by far, a haven from the dullness of all other classes. There was no test or quizzes to worry about (well no hard one at least)and though there were always assignments I had to complete,  they were all completely my own creations and no one could tell me exactly how to go about the process. There was a freedom I could not find anywhere else.

I never thought I had any talent in art. I had always enjoyed it but by comparing my art to the work of others I became discourage from pursuing It after middle school. I highly regret that that decision. If I could go back and change something about my time in high school it would be not taking art freshman year. I would have one more years worth of art work under my name. Though I have never been the best I have been able to develop and push my self as an artist.

My sophomore year I was highly dependent on Ms. Kiick, asking before every step of the process to make sure I was going exactly by book, I was never comfortable making my own decisions. This year I have become more independent and able to make decisions by myself. Because of that fact the art I have made this year is a deeper reflection of who I am as a person and an artist. That doesn't mean that Ms. Kiick hasn't been a great part of this year for me, always providing sound guidance and direction when I feel lost.

So thank you Ms. Kiick for everything. Art changed my life and I have developed a true love for it that will last my entire life.

Well bye HT! I will truly miss you (not so much the cockroaches).

One Year in a Minute and Thirty Seconds

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Not quite as easy as I thought....

I used to think I could make clay do whatever I wanted it to as long as I worked hard enough and payed attention to detail; this clay piece made it its mission in life to prove me wrong, very very wrong...
The plate it self went very well. The coils I used worked well to make it appear as if there was a piece of rope sewn through the sides of the plate, but coils did not stay my friend for long.

I made a small piece to attach the two point of the plate by winding together two coils. I slipped and scored it on and all appeared well, until I had to move the plate and it decided it no longer wanted to be apart of the piece. I reattached it at least three times and assumed it was attached on well enough to let it dry. I learned I was wrong when I went to check on it later that day. It seemed the coils dried faster than the rest of the plate and broke off. The best part? I'm planning on making a bowl to match my plate completely out of coils... whoopee.

Precious Metals

This is the simplest metal piece I have ever done, and that is why it is one of favorites. I used to try to cram as much as could into the past metal pieces I have done mainly because it was fun to use all the different tools. But from the slides shown to us in class I realized some of the most beautiful pieces were the most simplistic, and that's what I chose to focus on. It was also a simple change which I thought gave this piece much more depth. originally I wanted the center piece to lay under the bronze frame, but that wasn't just simple; it was simply boring. So I started trying to move this around a bit and ended up putting part of the center piece over the frame. Not only did this make it seem more interesting but it also seemed to make the center appear as if floating which made me smile :)

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.