Digital Collage IWB pages
Block Print IWB pages
Dry Point IWB pages
Mixed Media IWB pages
Self Portrait IWB pages
1st Semester Gallery Visits
Artist in the City IWB pages
Natural v.s. Industrial IWB pages
Sacred Vessel IWB pages
Choice piece IWB pages
2nd Semester Gallery Visits
Photography VAJ pages
Oil Pastel Choice VAJ pages
Oil on Canvas Choice VAJ pages
Planning & Sketching- Chinese Tiger
- I was inspired by a picture I saw in National Geographic of a roaring lion
- I found a similar image of a tiger on Google images
- I first sketched this with a pencil and even did precise measuring for the Chinese symbol
- I went over it with a sharpie pen so it can pop and have that illustration type feel
- This was just a planning sketch because I wanted to then cut out all of the black sections of the piece so I could then use it as a stencil
- I would then spray paint this white to have an outline of the tiger and working around the negative contrast
- My lines were way too thin to ever use as a stencil and would need to include less detail which I did not want to do
- My overall solution was a white oil pen I found at a local art store to make the final sketch on the canvas and that way, I get my negative contrast because of the black and white materials but I also get to show all of the details
- I was inspired by a picture I saw in National Geographic of a roaring lion
- I found a similar image of a tiger on Google images
- I first sketched this with a pencil and even did precise measuring for the Chinese symbol
- I went over it with a sharpie pen so it can pop and have that illustration type feel
- This was just a planning sketch because I wanted to then cut out all of the black sections of the piece so I could then use it as a stencil
- I would then spray paint this white to have an outline of the tiger and working around the negative contrast
- My lines were way too thin to ever use as a stencil and would need to include less detail which I did not want to do
- My overall solution was a white oil pen I found at a local art store to make the final sketch on the canvas and that way, I get my negative contrast because of the black and white materials but I also get to show all of the details
Culture - Chinese
A person half a world away could have the same thought and idea as me just laying in bed thinking. I find that amazing and I would like to think that I constantly use Asian culture within my artwork. I've always been intrigued with the Chinese symbol of yin yang which represents balance. A prey and predator allow the world to be balanced because one feeds off the other and in the end, both co-exist with the constant threat always lingering. On the other hand. humans don't know what it is like to be preyed upon because we are always on the top of the food chain. The symbol means beast in Chinese and it is written to represent the tiger due to its monstrous roar. The positioning of the tiger on top also reflects the way Chinese write their letters from top to bottom. I also incorporated spray paint as the background because Asian street art is one of a kind in displaying relative and trendy cultures.
A person half a world away could have the same thought and idea as me just laying in bed thinking. I find that amazing and I would like to think that I constantly use Asian culture within my artwork. I've always been intrigued with the Chinese symbol of yin yang which represents balance. A prey and predator allow the world to be balanced because one feeds off the other and in the end, both co-exist with the constant threat always lingering. On the other hand. humans don't know what it is like to be preyed upon because we are always on the top of the food chain. The symbol means beast in Chinese and it is written to represent the tiger due to its monstrous roar. The positioning of the tiger on top also reflects the way Chinese write their letters from top to bottom. I also incorporated spray paint as the background because Asian street art is one of a kind in displaying relative and trendy cultures.
Artist Inspiration - Chris O'Connell
The brilliant work of tattoo artist Chris O' Donnell is displayed on the left. I came across this artist who creates his masterpieces in Brooklyn a couple months ago when I was doing research for a potential tattoo. A fan favorite and a legend amongst his peers, Chris has his own select gallery of work but at the end of the day, it's his creative mind that translates to tattoos that intrigued me. Tattooing is still a frowned upon art form to some people but for my generation, we view it as a great way to display self expression and creativity. I started to dive into his gallery and noticed he works with a lot of tigers. This lead me to remember my own fascination of tigers and how I haven't expressed my favorite animal in any of my recent artworks. A big difference between his style is his use of color while mine lacks color, the black and white contrast makes my image pop and allow viewers to question why I decided what I did. Also his use of the cherry blossoms correlates with Chinese culture which relates to my piece because the symbol right below my roaring tiger means beast in Chinese.
The brilliant work of tattoo artist Chris O' Donnell is displayed on the left. I came across this artist who creates his masterpieces in Brooklyn a couple months ago when I was doing research for a potential tattoo. A fan favorite and a legend amongst his peers, Chris has his own select gallery of work but at the end of the day, it's his creative mind that translates to tattoos that intrigued me. Tattooing is still a frowned upon art form to some people but for my generation, we view it as a great way to display self expression and creativity. I started to dive into his gallery and noticed he works with a lot of tigers. This lead me to remember my own fascination of tigers and how I haven't expressed my favorite animal in any of my recent artworks. A big difference between his style is his use of color while mine lacks color, the black and white contrast makes my image pop and allow viewers to question why I decided what I did. Also his use of the cherry blossoms correlates with Chinese culture which relates to my piece because the symbol right below my roaring tiger means beast in Chinese.
Beast
Perception and interpretation are an artist's biggest obstacle because there are so many interpretations of just one brilliant idea. The meaning behind Beast is the sheer fact that something that was once considered innocent and so sweet can just turn into a creature that is feared. Or is it still an innocent creature? I use the tiger because of a number of reasons. For one it's my favorite animal but the second reason is that a tiger has always been misinterpreted by man through legends or other ways of passing the word convinces us that whatever we hear is automatically true. Now a days, research has become accelerated due to the constant modifications of technology allowing us to have a whole library of information at our finger tips. The problem is the first thing that we see whether it's on Facebook or Twitter or PeopleMagazine.com becomes our truth. We believe in almost everything we hear or see even if it's not a credible source. So the tiger is seen as a threat and is currently on the endangered species list because we continue to hunt and kill it because it poses a possible threat towards us. But if tigers were as bad as we thought they were, how come none of their food supply distinguishes or depletes? Do they not hunt or kill for pleasure? Do they declare war on others? So who's our enemy? Us or them...
Perception and interpretation are an artist's biggest obstacle because there are so many interpretations of just one brilliant idea. The meaning behind Beast is the sheer fact that something that was once considered innocent and so sweet can just turn into a creature that is feared. Or is it still an innocent creature? I use the tiger because of a number of reasons. For one it's my favorite animal but the second reason is that a tiger has always been misinterpreted by man through legends or other ways of passing the word convinces us that whatever we hear is automatically true. Now a days, research has become accelerated due to the constant modifications of technology allowing us to have a whole library of information at our finger tips. The problem is the first thing that we see whether it's on Facebook or Twitter or PeopleMagazine.com becomes our truth. We believe in almost everything we hear or see even if it's not a credible source. So the tiger is seen as a threat and is currently on the endangered species list because we continue to hunt and kill it because it poses a possible threat towards us. But if tigers were as bad as we thought they were, how come none of their food supply distinguishes or depletes? Do they not hunt or kill for pleasure? Do they declare war on others? So who's our enemy? Us or them...
Photography Choice VAJ pages
Planning & Sketching- City Photos
- I knew that I wanted to capture 3 different moments
- A street sign which was taken in Wisconsin Dells
- A lonely road which was taken in industrial Milwaukee
- An open skyline which was taken at Pulaski Stadium
- Before Obviously I made these sketches after I took my photos but before I took the pictures, I had an idea of what I wanted to capture
- The three photos share the theme of city but truly make you wonder what I was thinking and why I wanted to capture those precise moments.
- I had to capture the lonely road within a few minutes because it was a perfect sunset that showed pinkish skies and kept changing colors the more time past
- I originally wanted to showcase my photos in color because all three look absolutely brilliant with the color contrast
- However, I was inspired by a photographer that specializes in black and white imagery
- I knew that I wanted to capture 3 different moments
- A street sign which was taken in Wisconsin Dells
- A lonely road which was taken in industrial Milwaukee
- An open skyline which was taken at Pulaski Stadium
- Before Obviously I made these sketches after I took my photos but before I took the pictures, I had an idea of what I wanted to capture
- The three photos share the theme of city but truly make you wonder what I was thinking and why I wanted to capture those precise moments.
- I had to capture the lonely road within a few minutes because it was a perfect sunset that showed pinkish skies and kept changing colors the more time past
- I originally wanted to showcase my photos in color because all three look absolutely brilliant with the color contrast
- However, I was inspired by a photographer that specializes in black and white imagery
Artist Inspiration - Michael Kenna
Michael Kenna is such a talented artist who captures these breathtakingly gorgeous scenes behind his camera lens. Traveling all over the world from Japan to Italy, he managed to share his experiences by taking photos. Born in 1953 and of British decent, he is most famous for his black and white color contrast. I came across his work by reading an article titled the top 15 photographers, and soon was inspired by his visuals. Coming across Kenna, I found a comparison with his work and my work. Kenna loves to show lonesome scenes whether it is a lone rock to a bridge as seen on the right. His work consists of very few people which my work was almost identical to his entire style. My goal as an artist is allow people to feel like little kids again and question my work and wonder why I chose to do what I did which I would like to think is Michael Kenna's goal.
Michael Kenna is such a talented artist who captures these breathtakingly gorgeous scenes behind his camera lens. Traveling all over the world from Japan to Italy, he managed to share his experiences by taking photos. Born in 1953 and of British decent, he is most famous for his black and white color contrast. I came across his work by reading an article titled the top 15 photographers, and soon was inspired by his visuals. Coming across Kenna, I found a comparison with his work and my work. Kenna loves to show lonesome scenes whether it is a lone rock to a bridge as seen on the right. His work consists of very few people which my work was almost identical to his entire style. My goal as an artist is allow people to feel like little kids again and question my work and wonder why I chose to do what I did which I would like to think is Michael Kenna's goal.
Process
The pictures that I took were all shot on an IPhone 6 camera and edited in Photoshop. Photoshop made editing the images so much easier because I originally tried to edit them through the apple camera settings but when uploading them, they reverted back to their original form. This particular picture; Broadway, was shot in downtown Wisconsin Dells. This image is the original and I began to mess with the gamma at first but then discovering Michael Kenna's work, I chose to leave all of my art in black and white. It gives that old type feel when looking at it but also opens the doors to assume that the light is a sun ray. I also brightened the writing, Broadway so it is easier for the eye to see.
The pictures that I took were all shot on an IPhone 6 camera and edited in Photoshop. Photoshop made editing the images so much easier because I originally tried to edit them through the apple camera settings but when uploading them, they reverted back to their original form. This particular picture; Broadway, was shot in downtown Wisconsin Dells. This image is the original and I began to mess with the gamma at first but then discovering Michael Kenna's work, I chose to leave all of my art in black and white. It gives that old type feel when looking at it but also opens the doors to assume that the light is a sun ray. I also brightened the writing, Broadway so it is easier for the eye to see.
Cloud Nine
Skyline. Broadway. Road. They all showcase living on Cloud Nine because we are all supposed to live great lives and find ourselves along the way. Each image represents a different step to finding yourself in the exact order. Skyline represents looking up and realizes all of the opportunities that life has to offer. Broadway represents a person who has to find themselves and become noticed by making a name for themselves so that they can achieve greatness. Road is the last photo which is very important. It means taking that one path in life that will open your eyes and make you into a different person. I am a strong believer in everything happens for a reason and why my artwork represents so many different self-made ideas of success because I feel that I am constantly battling myself on what life has in store for me. That's the beauty of life, not knowing what will happen which makes us appreciate everyday and live life to the fullest.
Skyline. Broadway. Road. They all showcase living on Cloud Nine because we are all supposed to live great lives and find ourselves along the way. Each image represents a different step to finding yourself in the exact order. Skyline represents looking up and realizes all of the opportunities that life has to offer. Broadway represents a person who has to find themselves and become noticed by making a name for themselves so that they can achieve greatness. Road is the last photo which is very important. It means taking that one path in life that will open your eyes and make you into a different person. I am a strong believer in everything happens for a reason and why my artwork represents so many different self-made ideas of success because I feel that I am constantly battling myself on what life has in store for me. That's the beauty of life, not knowing what will happen which makes us appreciate everyday and live life to the fullest.
Acrylic on Parchment Paper Choice VAJ pages
Planning & Sketching - Ideas
- I had no idea of where I wanted to take my artwork yet.
- Running out of ideas, everyday I just kept sketching drawings like this but soon started to lose hope because I was at an artist block
- With no theme or inspiration, I would use my imagination to configure small ides, yet nothing stuck nor showed a promising idea
- At first I wanted to do a piece based on Leonardo Da Vinci's biblical work such as the arch angel Michael as displayed on the left.
- I was fascinated with good verses evil and making a piece in which Michael would fight Lucifer because I was so intrigued with the arch angels.
- I dropped this idea because I didn't feel that it fulfilled my own requirements.
- Searching once again for a strong idea, I was back to sketching but one day I was playing one of my video games which me curious to look up a certain word that lead me to my piece
- I had no idea of where I wanted to take my artwork yet.
- Running out of ideas, everyday I just kept sketching drawings like this but soon started to lose hope because I was at an artist block
- With no theme or inspiration, I would use my imagination to configure small ides, yet nothing stuck nor showed a promising idea
- At first I wanted to do a piece based on Leonardo Da Vinci's biblical work such as the arch angel Michael as displayed on the left.
- I was fascinated with good verses evil and making a piece in which Michael would fight Lucifer because I was so intrigued with the arch angels.
- I dropped this idea because I didn't feel that it fulfilled my own requirements.
- Searching once again for a strong idea, I was back to sketching but one day I was playing one of my video games which me curious to look up a certain word that lead me to my piece
Cultural Inspiration - Pop Culture
Bioshock is a critically acclaimed console videogame that was released in 2008 and I recently started to play through it. The game takes place in an under water city named Rapture which got me curious because I've heard that word before but didn't know what it meant. Essentially it evokes the feeling of intense happiness and joy which I figured would make a really nice theme for my next project. I began to research the feeling of happiness and for the most part the feeling can be described with color, especially bright colors. This lead me to find my artist inspiration.
Bioshock is a critically acclaimed console videogame that was released in 2008 and I recently started to play through it. The game takes place in an under water city named Rapture which got me curious because I've heard that word before but didn't know what it meant. Essentially it evokes the feeling of intense happiness and joy which I figured would make a really nice theme for my next project. I began to research the feeling of happiness and for the most part the feeling can be described with color, especially bright colors. This lead me to find my artist inspiration.
Artist Inspiration - Leonid Afremov
My artist inspiration was Leonid Afremov who is an impressionist painter who creates wonderful color filled masterpieces such as this piece to the right titled Melody of the Night. Now I piece doesn't entirely embrace his impressionist pieces but my use of different hues having direction proves to be very similar to his color scheme. He has dark colors towards the bottom of the canvas much like mine and how they approach the warm colors to the top right. My brush strokes also resemble that of an impressionist because I have very quick and vivid brush strokes that are easily seen as well as blending my hues to perfection. I am very proud of the way Rapture turned out because it has a lot of fluidity to it.
My artist inspiration was Leonid Afremov who is an impressionist painter who creates wonderful color filled masterpieces such as this piece to the right titled Melody of the Night. Now I piece doesn't entirely embrace his impressionist pieces but my use of different hues having direction proves to be very similar to his color scheme. He has dark colors towards the bottom of the canvas much like mine and how they approach the warm colors to the top right. My brush strokes also resemble that of an impressionist because I have very quick and vivid brush strokes that are easily seen as well as blending my hues to perfection. I am very proud of the way Rapture turned out because it has a lot of fluidity to it.
Rapture
This piece demonstrates my multiple styles of painting and how I can mimic almost all of the art movements in history. I named this piece Rapture because I was inspired by the Bioshock videogame but also because the brightness of the colors makes me feel happy. The curves of the brushstrokes were to represent that of a wave so the fluidity can be seen. Much like Vincent Van Gogh with Starry Night, viewers can see the fluidity of the night sky breeze over the town with the stars gazing. Starting from darkest to lightest, I managed to blend all of the hues together making distinct off springs of the main colors. I see a sunset on the ocean wave when I look at this piece and one of the cool traits behind this piece that none of my other works have is different resemblances because all of my other work are to the point and center around a distinct artist. Rapture is up for interpretation which I absolutely love.
This piece demonstrates my multiple styles of painting and how I can mimic almost all of the art movements in history. I named this piece Rapture because I was inspired by the Bioshock videogame but also because the brightness of the colors makes me feel happy. The curves of the brushstrokes were to represent that of a wave so the fluidity can be seen. Much like Vincent Van Gogh with Starry Night, viewers can see the fluidity of the night sky breeze over the town with the stars gazing. Starting from darkest to lightest, I managed to blend all of the hues together making distinct off springs of the main colors. I see a sunset on the ocean wave when I look at this piece and one of the cool traits behind this piece that none of my other works have is different resemblances because all of my other work are to the point and center around a distinct artist. Rapture is up for interpretation which I absolutely love.
Acrylic on Canvas Choice VAJ pages
Planning & Sketching - Chaos
- I knew that my next project I wanted to represent chaos
- To start my journey, I used Google images to give me ideas of the theme and then I came across this image. A man with scattered thoughts got me thinking of mankind being outrageous and chaotic that I began what I wanted to do.
- Knowing that I wanted to represent man was a challenge because I started to sketch violence and guns but I thought that would be to broad.
- My dad was the one who gave me the idea of doing the world.
- Knowing it was a good idea I was lost how to represent chaos.
- I knew that my next project I wanted to represent chaos
- To start my journey, I used Google images to give me ideas of the theme and then I came across this image. A man with scattered thoughts got me thinking of mankind being outrageous and chaotic that I began what I wanted to do.
- Knowing that I wanted to represent man was a challenge because I started to sketch violence and guns but I thought that would be to broad.
- My dad was the one who gave me the idea of doing the world.
- Knowing it was a good idea I was lost how to represent chaos.
Artist Inspiration - Jackson Pollock
- Besides sharing the same birthday and the same passion for creating art, Jackson Pollock was my artist inspiration for my very first splatter painting. I was starting to run low on ideas of what I could do for my next art piece so I began web searching which is how I encountered Jackson Pollock. Born on January 28th, 1912, Mr. Pollock began creating works of art soon after and he envisioned the future of art at such a young age. Becoming a revolutionary artist by his use of his brush and different art style that many never considered, became the most famous splatter painter and drip painter to date. Most would agree that he was a leading figure in the abstract expressionist movement and gave audiences a beautiful yet chaotic sight to look at. When I saw his gallery of his drip paintings, I was amazed, taken a back by the fact that such a simple idea could be such a complex thought process and that each drip had a purpose and wasn't random. I used his same technique by watching the paint slowly streamline on the canvas and then at times I would flick my wrist to shoot the paint at the canvas.
- Besides sharing the same birthday and the same passion for creating art, Jackson Pollock was my artist inspiration for my very first splatter painting. I was starting to run low on ideas of what I could do for my next art piece so I began web searching which is how I encountered Jackson Pollock. Born on January 28th, 1912, Mr. Pollock began creating works of art soon after and he envisioned the future of art at such a young age. Becoming a revolutionary artist by his use of his brush and different art style that many never considered, became the most famous splatter painter and drip painter to date. Most would agree that he was a leading figure in the abstract expressionist movement and gave audiences a beautiful yet chaotic sight to look at. When I saw his gallery of his drip paintings, I was amazed, taken a back by the fact that such a simple idea could be such a complex thought process and that each drip had a purpose and wasn't random. I used his same technique by watching the paint slowly streamline on the canvas and then at times I would flick my wrist to shoot the paint at the canvas.
Cultural Significance - Current events
Looking at this chart is heartbreaking but it's the sad truth. Not only mass shootings have driven this world to chaos but the terrorism, crimes, and discrimination all have negative affects on the world. Less than a month ago, the terrorist group ICIS, terrorized hundreds of civilians in Paris for absolutely no reason. This brings a tear to my eye on how another person, born just like the rest of us could harm other innocent people. This world is so chaotic and I want my art to make a difference. No matter how big or small my art effects viewers, I want to make the world a better place through my passion and do that by tackling themes such as this. Getting these topics out there for everyone to view is so important. Violence is in everyday life through the media and I think that it slowly affects our brain cells.
Looking at this chart is heartbreaking but it's the sad truth. Not only mass shootings have driven this world to chaos but the terrorism, crimes, and discrimination all have negative affects on the world. Less than a month ago, the terrorist group ICIS, terrorized hundreds of civilians in Paris for absolutely no reason. This brings a tear to my eye on how another person, born just like the rest of us could harm other innocent people. This world is so chaotic and I want my art to make a difference. No matter how big or small my art effects viewers, I want to make the world a better place through my passion and do that by tackling themes such as this. Getting these topics out there for everyone to view is so important. Violence is in everyday life through the media and I think that it slowly affects our brain cells.
Chaotic World
Where do I begin? The scattered stars colliding with the canvas is what makes this piece visually pleasing. The chaotic flow of greens, blues, reds, and white formulate rapid movement. These drops attempt to demonstrate the chaotic state in which we live in today. I knew I wanted the background to be black for two reasons. One being that black is a dark vivid color that emphasizes other colors and consumes the idea of darkness and despair that I wanted to replicate in this piece. The second reason that I decided to use black was to demonstrate the universe and the rest of outer space being so vast and endless. The splatter point has no order except for the positioning on the canvas so the majority of the canvas is covered in white. The world that we live in today is not the same one from one hundred years ago. Violence and acts of terror are becoming common events all throughout the world and there is a lot of things that we can do to minimize these tragic occurrences. One of the things I agree most with is banning guns to civilians, the less weapons there are, means less violence. I would like to believe that the world can change.
Where do I begin? The scattered stars colliding with the canvas is what makes this piece visually pleasing. The chaotic flow of greens, blues, reds, and white formulate rapid movement. These drops attempt to demonstrate the chaotic state in which we live in today. I knew I wanted the background to be black for two reasons. One being that black is a dark vivid color that emphasizes other colors and consumes the idea of darkness and despair that I wanted to replicate in this piece. The second reason that I decided to use black was to demonstrate the universe and the rest of outer space being so vast and endless. The splatter point has no order except for the positioning on the canvas so the majority of the canvas is covered in white. The world that we live in today is not the same one from one hundred years ago. Violence and acts of terror are becoming common events all throughout the world and there is a lot of things that we can do to minimize these tragic occurrences. One of the things I agree most with is banning guns to civilians, the less weapons there are, means less violence. I would like to believe that the world can change.