Painting
Pattern As the Subject
This is an acrylic painting. We had to create a composition that included 3 sections that was intriguing by using odd shapes, inspired by cut paper. For each of those 3 sections, we had to assign a color triad to each section which included primary, secondary and tertiary. For each of the 3 sections, we then had to pick different patterns for each. We had to make sure that one pattern was specifically the focal point, and the other two had to fall back and be background matter. This process was difficult, because you had to make sure nothing you didn't want to be the focal point was coming forward. You also had to consider saturation along with mixing and making sure each color looked close enough to the real one. At the end, we learned about organization, saturation, focal points, backgrounds, patterns and mixing.
Atmospheric Perspective
This is my first oil painting on canvas ever. I even had the opportunity to stretch my own canvas. We had to take a photo of a landscape that had elements of Atmospheric Perspective, or the illusion of falling back into space. This is a photo from Alaska, and it was perfect for this assignement. We had to consider value, color relationships, mixing, shadows, background, middle ground and foreground, the horizon line, and mark making. I felt as this painting was very freeing for me, and allowed for a lot of experimentation. My favorite part was the trees, because all you had to do is dab the brush, and layer colors from dark to light, then add darks again. It is crazy how a random dab of a brush can create the illusion of trees. The most difficult part of this process was capturing the middle ground, as it covers much distance. I could have improved if I added more trees in the middle ground, but I am happy with the results I achieved from my first oil painting.
Oil Abstraction
We had the opportunity to abstract a famous painting using oil paint. This was a very fun and freeing process. All we had to consider was the balance, focal points, shape and color of the original one. I didn't realize how hard it is to abstract something, but I am proud of the different brushstroke techniques I came up with. I did Winslow Homer's, Eagle Head. I kept the figures figure like by making them out of circles, and abstracted the rest with either blocks, or loose brushstrokes. I could have improved on the dog, and maybe more variation of warmer colors.