Artist statement
My work is definitely not organized, but it has an order. My art style comes from all of the little things I collect, they all fit together with how I am feeling and what is going on in my life at that point in time. I never know what my artwork is going to look like until it’s finished. My art consists of multiple layers of paper, paint, and anything else I can get my hands on. I like to have a very textured or layered feel to all of my pieces of art, but also a flat almost two dimensional look to it if you aren’t very close. Perspective is a big part in all of my work. If you are up close you can see the raised images and multiple layers I add. I start out with a layer of papers and plane tickets, then I add a layer of a thinner paper or paint and add smaller pieces I find around me. Typically I will paint something coming off of the side or something in the center. I’m never fully done with a project until I have no more space on the surface I’m working on. Once I believe to be finished I take a photo and play around in photoshop to see what possible changes could be done and after I’ve fixed color changes or placement fixes, then my work of art is finished.
Recycled Design Project
During this project, I've learned that graphic design isn't all about computers, but
about alignment and how things are arranged. If this project was assigned again, I think the only
thing that could be tweaked would be the amount of time we had to spend on it.
If we had less time to work on it, I feel like I wouldn't have had as much time to over think
what I already did. I think during this project my thoughts about design have changed completely. I think now that I've done this project I will use design in my future works. I would change how many times I re-did my project. I would spend more time working on the shapes of the project instead of the background.
Summer Work (2015)
This summer I really thought about what my art means to me and how I can grow to be better as an artist. I didn’t have a single clue as to what my summer work would look like, but I wasn’t
going to let that get in my way. I was stumped for a good two weeks before I remembered what Mr. Guyer had mentioned the previous year. I created multiple works
of art in a very small amount of time. By not thinking and just creating, I found my style of art and I found what my summer work should look like. Not all of my work
has meaning behind it, I usually create art based on the mood I am in at that moment in time. Throughout art II and art III, I didn’t know my style. I tried different
techniques and I studied different artists, but I never liked doing anything I tried. Over this summer I created my own style. This kind of work I can do with all moods,
emotions, and styles. The artwork that came out of this summer is personally my favorite artwork that I’ve ever done. I really enjoy creating art and I can’t wait to go to t
he next project. If I was to give myself a grade for this summer work, I would have to give myself an A- or a B+. I know this wasn’t the best work, but it is a step in
the right direction. I am happy that I now have a style and I am very excited to see where this year takes me as an artist.
Final Exam (2015-2016)
During the course of this year, I was able to find my style. From my very first day in art at Deep Run High School, I’ve been searching for something I enjoy to do. My style has evolved to mixed media. I started with just collage but as the year went on, I found myself experimenting with larger objects. I used to see art as another class I needed to get an A in, but now art class is my safety zone. I feel at home in the classroom. During the past years, I noticed myself not caring much about the process and the actual art itself, I was more focused on getting a good grade. During this year of making art, I find myself taking better care of my art pieces and wanting to spend as much time as I can making them. If I could go back and re-live this year as an art student, I think I would use the constructive criticism I receive during critique more than I have in the past. I usually just use a few things people say but I can see now that I should have used a few more things to my advantage. One accomplishment of mine in the last two years that I am proud of would have to be getting my artwork published in the Tempest Magazine. I had no idea it would be in there but just seeing it in the book made me proud. One thing I will never forget from this school and taking these art classes is critique. One of the best things is standing in front of your classmates and showing a piece of art that you have worked for days on. It is one of the best feelings showing off something that you are so proud of. One thing I would tell future students would have to be that Mr. Guyer does give great advice. Over the years I can honestly say I didn’t believe some of the things he told me, but I do think that had I listened to the things he told me about my artwork I would have liked a few of them better than I do now. It is better to take advice from other people than to just do what you think is what needs to happen. With art it is hard to critique your own artwork because you’ve been looking at it for so long and working on it that you have seen everything about it. It is good to get a fresh pair of eyes to look and help you to improve it. The people around you aren’t going to talk bad about your artwork just because they can. They are truly trying to help you. Go into art with an open mind and good things will come from it.