Alli

CONCENTRATION 3: AMBITION

Right now, I am working on a piece of larger scale with more images. It is the piece that is supposed to be for the drug alcohol which is why I chose pastels (messy and blurred). I collaged multiple different quick pastel drawings together into the shape of a bottle with a brain at the top being squeezed through by a rope tied at the bottom of the bottle. I want this piece to portray how serious an alcohol addiction is, how it can take over your mind, which is why i have the brain entering the bottle. The different pieces in the middle can represent all of the others' heads or brains already mixed up inside. I think before I finished this piece I am going to make the bottom of the brain brighter different colors as if its spreading as it enters. I know that the bright colors can give it a happy feel, but in the end I want to give it a more negative vibe. Ive pushed it further by the abstraction within the pieces. Its going to be hard for me to portray my message through such an abstract form, but I am going to add little sayings to each piece to help get the message across.

CONCENTRATION 2: EVOLUTION

My project has naturally evolved into larger scale. I added more color and made each piece more original, less based on a picture I have seen.

CONCENTRATION 1: GENERATION

I began generating this project first in my mind (inspired by an image I found in my initial concentration brainstorming) and then on a sketchbook page in which i experimented with different materials to find the exact ones I wanted to use. I settled on wax paper because it has a transparent aspect and crumpling it up gave it interesting creases that I think added to the overall look of the piece. In the end, I have found it challenging to know what else needs to be added to get my message across. I have learned that in the second quarter I should do better planning (scaling, materials, etc) before actually jumping into each piece.

DIGITAL PROJECT

In doing the digital piece on photoshop, I particularly liked the aspect of "layers." I found it very helpful that if you made a mistake, you could just go back to the previoius layer as if it never happened. I did, however, sometimes find that certain parts of photoshop were very frustrating. For example: filling in certain areas with color. If it had been physical materials, I could simply put color wherever I wanted, no problem. But, in photoshop it sometimes became very difficult to get the color in the specific place you wanted it. I would really like to use photoshop for at least one of my concentration pieces. I think certain aspects of it could really enhance my pieces, especially if i need to add smoke or slightly transparent objects over one.

PROJECT #5

The purpose of this project was exactly what the title says, to "embrace chaos." I think that this project showed that you can go in with little to no idea of how your project will turn out in the end, but still manage to pull it all together. My piece, like all of the others, started with picking out the background and then splatter painting a solid color onto it. I chose a very tacky hawaiian shirt for the background for my piece. After splatter painting a turquoise-ish color onto it (which turned out to just be a blue-green stain), I decided to cut off the sleeves and pop the collar. I thought this gave the shirt a quirky, unordinary flare to separate it from just your average Hawaiian shirt. Next, we all picked two completely random, unrelated items to put onto our piece in some way. I chose a boom box and a rib cage, and started with painting the rib cage on in a deep maroon color. I really liked the rib cage and was hesitant to add the boom box so I split it up into pieces and added it in a transparent neon green color and decided to return to it later. Next, I had to find some way to tie the two objects together, so I decided to have a red liquid dripping from the boom box through the rib cage (its supposed to represent blood). Following this step I reached a stand point. I could not decide what to do next, so taking the project title to heart, I leapt in with multiple colors and went into the rib cage, defining the ribs and adding contrast between them and the background. In many places I would alternate between a darker rib with a pale background and a light rib with a dark background. I then decided to go back into the boom box and go over the green with a more opaque lime green and stain it with black watered down paint to highlight the green. Next, to balance the area around the rib cage, I outlined my hand (one on one side and one on the other) in red paint. I decided to stain around my hand in one, and then fill in the other with red. I think what tied the whole thing together was the rich mixture and contrast of colors I used, but especially the different tones of red. Starting with the deep purple-maroon color at the very beginning, I had reds in mind. I have hot and light pinks, purples, deep reds, etc all throughout my piece. I think I can still go back and make my piece even more dramatic, but for now I am pleased with how it's turned out so far.

PROJECT #4

This project started with a sketchbook assignment that required us to create three different layers of space using three pages within our sketchbook. This strategy helped me to establish a sense of depth in my piece, working one layer at a time. The simplest part of my piece is the closest layer. It is just a piece of construction paper cut into the silhouette of a woman on the phone standing next to a lamp looking out of her window. Strategy is very important in executing a successful concentration because it requires you to create a plan prior to diving into your project. Knowing which materials you want to to use and how to use them to create the message you are trying to convey is vital for a successful piece.

PROJECT #3  In my piece, if light was a metaphor, I think it would symbolize a solution. My expression in this piece is a mixture of concern and deep thought. The light, which hits only half of my face, dramatizes this expression and gives the impression that there is an answer to the issue I may be thinking about. The image insinuates that if time went on, I would fully enter the light and my problems would be solved. I did not bring any physical props to the photo shoot, but I did enter it with an idea of how I wanted it to look. I wanted it to be pensive and seem as if I had no idea the picture was being taken. For the concentration process, we will have to complete a lot of pieces in a short amount of time, and this project stressed just how important it really is to get off to a quick start.

PROJECT #2 

For Project 2 the objective was to choose an object to focus on while somehow conveying a hidden message or alternate image throughout. I like to think of my painting as a wedding explosion. There is complete chaos in the background—shards of broken glass, fire, debris—but at the same time there is a sense of serenity in the three large bottles. I also think that nothing represents a wedding celebration like popping the cork of a champagne bottle. I chose to use a black background to bring out the color of the spontaneous small explosions throughout. In order to create these explosions, I splattered a mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows onto the canvas, and used a sponge to wring out wet paint onto the canvas. This method was almost totally out of my control, similar to explosions. For the large bottles I also used acrylics, but added a texture to them with colored chalk while also creating a strong contrast between the bottle and the chaotic. If this were my concentration I would probably do simpler pieces, maybe focusing on just one bottle, and try to draw/paint the bottles at different, more abstract angles and viewpoints.

PROJECT #1 

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