work up to now

I really like how this last project has turned out, pretty much from first paint to last couple of touches everything was really smooth. I feel like I achieved the result that I wanted to and fulfills what my project proposal meant to me. I think that I need to dive deeper into more obscure imagery, and look for more of a more abstraction of idea, rather than something so direct. I like that this painting was so clear cut and easy for the viewer to interpret, but I can see how it could possibly be construed as a little cliche and pedantic--a little too easy to interpret.

I have definitely upgraded to a large size after many comments on the size of the last two paintings, and I like the result. I initially wanted to shy away from large painting scale because I feel like EVERYONE wants to paint big, and I am aware of how much paint/resources it costs, and how small my wallet really is...In the end, I feel as though the size is appropriate. I wish I knew how to stretch canvas better, as I know the construction is a little sketchy and I feel like that is the only drawback.

For my next painting I want to explore more of the human psyche and its relationship to violence, particularly in a more intimate setting. I have been learning a lot about human sexuality in my segment three cluster and I think it is interesting how certain types of violence dance along a thin line of being erotic (sadism/masochism) and being plain wrong (domestic abuse). I wanted to work with wood at least once this semester, and I found a coffee table in the Castro that will do sufficiently, so hopefully that will work well.

project proposal

For this semester’s project I wanted to focus on the political. Not so much the obvious political images of a hated president but more of imagery that is politically charged, with a commentary on its subject. I have always been interested in the violent and the act of painting the violent image, how the viewer reacts to the subject and the relationship of the painter with the subject.



We, as a race, are violent. War is inevitable and I believe that war is something that we have to accept as a consequence to our nature. As someone who believes that peace is ideal, but is aware that it is unattainable, I am constantly frustrated with the naivety of politically charged pieces, and their attempt to sell peace as an end-all construct. I would like to propose an acceptance of violence as apart of our nature and embracing the knowledge that we cannot live with out it, as the first step toward a more peaceful nature.

I also would like examine how something that is violent, can become beautiful. I also want to play with the reactions of the viewer, create a response of awe, humility and terror, while throwing those emotions in the same mix as beauty and peace. In all, I want my paintings to help us (and myself) examine ourselves and our nature.

30 Studies

Here are some of the examples from my 30 studies assignment.



I felt that my most successful moments in the project was the conveyance of my own ideas as a painter. Previously, all I would ever do was sketch ideas in my sketch book, or quickly jot them down, but never did i actually take the time and the effort to create a study. I found that practice to be very rewarding, as I was able to visualize what type of paintings I could make out of them and it also helped me experiment with a range of mediums and techniques.



Challenges also arose in creating the creating of the studies, I would run out of ideas and then I would have to start from ground zero and think of something completely different. Another challenge was presenting everything to the class and an audience. These were purely the ideas behind the paintings, there was really no time to formally dress it up, to become detached through the act of continuous labor and boredom. They were still fresh and new and to me, very vulnerable ideas.



This above study is one of my most experimental study, because I was working in watercolor, a medium that I enjoy, but at the same time I really do not know how to use it well. The beauty of this study is that I learned that you cannot really control the medium, and I was able to allow the colors to bleed into each other and create a life with the subject. This study was particularly experimental because I painted a portrait in watercolor, something that I wasn't really sure if I would like or even know how to pull off successfully.



As for themes for within my work, I have noticed that I tend to be drawn to more violent images, usually they are images from the past and are politically charged or I am drawn to incorporate animals and nature into my work. I have a love of nature and I want to be able to paint that, but I do not want it to be your average nature/animal paintings. I want to be able to convey a political message with my work, something that will make the viewer think, and step back, but I also want to be able to make people smile, through humor, or just plain intelligence.



All of these paintings do incorporate from my list of terms. I had a lot of terms that were associated with the political and violence, and many of the subject matter that I explored were in my studies. Not because I had to go to the list from an early time, but I am interested in those subjects, so I was naturally drawn to them, and was inclined to paint them. It was merely the list was just reiterating what I wanted to paint.

day one

i think i need to get a 3-ring binder for how many things we have to print out :)