Nearing the end of the semester...

                Before taking this class, digital art was not completely new to me. I had been interested in it for a few years, and I had made a number of small works since then. However, the class did further reinforce my interest in digital art. I found it to be even more enjoyable when I had a specific assignment to complete, rather than simply creating an idea that I had thought about. The entire process of creating digital art felt more productive when given clear goals and criteria for each piece.

                Compared to other forms of art, digital art allows more experimentation and variation during the creation process. Most mediums, such as paint or pencil, are difficult to change after the material has been applied. While not impossible to alter, it is very time consuming to repaint or redraw something, which makes it difficult to try multiple ideas before deciding on the final one. Digital art, however, can easily be reverted back to a particular stage if you find certain elements unappealing. Many programs used to create digital art contain features that allow you to simply add or remove individual elements you’ve created or altered, ranging from the “Undo” command to the “History” panel found in many Adobe programs.

                Of the programs we used in class, my favorite was Illustrator. Before taking this class, Illustrator was my most frequently used program, and I had been well accustomed to its interface beforehand. I enjoyed using Illustrator for an actual assignment, and doing so only made me appreciate it more. However, I did learn many new things about other programs. Before this class, I generally didn’t enjoy using Photoshop, but after using it for specific assignments and learning more about it, I’ve become more accepting of it and I do enjoy using it now.

A day in the life

busy day of schoolwork....

Ideas behind my art style

My artwork tends to have an overall theme of peculiarity and a sense of “weirdness” to those viewing it. Regardless of the actual type of artwork a particular piece is, such as a portrait, scene, or design, there is almost always at least a subtle element of oddness in my work. For example, an otherwise “normal” composition, such as portrait, may have a single minor element that is distorted in some way. This distortion may not be strikingly out of place to a viewer, but it will contribute to some sort of alteration in how the overall portrait is perceived. In other cases, the peculiar elements may be the most significant part of the artwork itself. The scene may feature odd combinations of objects, strangely proportioned and colored in such a way that makes their strangeness obvious.

                The peculiar nature underlying most of my artwork generally illustrates an idea or a part of an idea that can be applied to both other works and life itself. Oftentimes, the idea is a portrayal of the complexity of life, and how including or excluding that complexity affects the way the art is perceived. When I attempt to include some of the complexity in a particular composition, I find that the finished work has a number of minor elements which all add to the complexity of whatever is being depicted. In this sense, I believe that these complex works are more relatable to individuals than less complex works, because, at the very least, we can all compare the depicted complexity to the real complexity we experience in our lives. On the other hand, when I intentionally avoid showing elements of the complexity of life, my artworks are more clearly identifiable as imagined rather than realistic. The lack of complexity may make a work feel more distant than complex works, but it can also make certain concepts and scenes easier to understand.

                Generally, when there are odd or peculiar elements present in my work, they were intentionally included. This is partially because I believe that such elements help to portray a theme, and partially a simple matter of preference. I find works, from visual arts to literature, to be fascinating when they show elements of nonsense, and I enjoy creating my own works using those elements, interpreted in my own way. Although the “Alice in Wonderland”-like feel makes a work less explicitly realistic, I feel that, when taken together with the idea of complexity, it can strengthen the connection between canvas and viewer. I try to make art that is both fun to see and interesting to think about.

Interesting art by Kay Sage

This composition, titled The Fourteen Daggers, is an oil on canvas painting by American artist Kay Sage, one of the few female surrealist painters of the 20^th century. Sage’s work was generally praised by critics, though it was not as popular as many other artists’ work at the time. Even today, Sage isn’t well-known amongst the general population. I enjoy Sage’s works because of the realism in their depictions of concepts that are ultimately unrealistic. I also find it interesting that Sage herself never publicly explained the meaning of any of her works.

This painting interests me because it has so much depth and mystery to it. The two figures shown in the work are completely covered by robes, which leads the viewer to wonder what would happen if the scene were continued. Deeper still, the concealed nature of the figures and the many creases in their robes leads one to wonder if they are people or some unknown life form, or if they are even living beings at all. The seemingly endless horizon depicted in the background of the painting also contributes to its mystery. The whole scene seems to take place in the middle of nowhere, which evokes a sense of desolation and deepens the mystery further.

 

                I find this painting fascinating. Titled Tomorrow Is Never, it has an enticing quality to it that makes the viewer think hard about what Sage could be saying. I feel that without knowing the title of the painting, it is harder to imagine what the meaning might be. The forms shown in the painting are instantly reminiscent of skyscrapers, but knowing the title guides the viewer to a sense of disenchantment of modernity, which I feel is at least partly what Sage intended. The bleak overtone of the painting also contributes to a sense of despair over the concept of modernity.

                The solid shape of the skyscrapers, as well as the well-defined brush strokes of the fog at the top of the painting, cause the overall work to feel more real to the viewer. Surrealist art is often composed of both strange concepts as well as vaguely defined forms depicting those concepts, which I feel disconnects the work from the viewer. Because this painting, like most of Sage’s works, does not use such vague forms, it seems to draw the viewer into a level of contemplation that is deeper than both traditional paintings and more “normal” surrealist paintings. This painting also exhibits elements of mystery just as The Fourteen Daggers does. I also thought it was interesting that the robe-like fabrics from The Fourteen Daggers make an appearance in this work.

                The last painting I chose, titled Le Passage, is interesting because it is the only work of Sage’s that definitely features a person. Sage’s other works may have human-like forms in them, but they are not definitively human; they could be something completely unrelated. Similarly, the viewer could speculate about whether or not the subject in the work is a person, or simply a resemblance of one.  Le Passage is also believed to be a self-portrait, which is interesting because the subject’s face is turned completely away from the viewer.

                Like most of Sage’s work, this painting has a mysterious tone, which is made stronger by the presence of the woman. Seeing another human being in this somewhat unsettling painting makes it more relatable, but also leads the viewer to consider why the subject does not seem at all afraid. Like The Fourteen Daggers, this painting illustrates a never-ending landscape which gives the location a secluded feel. The painting has an overall feeling of being lost, both physically and mentally, which I feel is interesting. Sage’s style of realistic surrealism is also present in this work.

Art event afterthoughts

Event: 19th Century American Art

 

I attended the “Nineteenth Century American Art” exhibit at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. As the name suggests, the show featured landscape works by both prominent and lesser known American artists of the 1800s. Because the show displayed 19^th century art, however, even the more popular artists, such as George Bingham, are not widely known today. The majority of the works were oil on canvas paintings, though there were also a few watercolors. Overall, the exhibit was interesting, particularly as it was not what I expected it to be.

                When I hear the words “American art,” I usually think about the abstract art movements of the early or mid-20^th century. I picture works like American Gothic or those of Jackson Pollock. The exhibit I attended, then, was surprising to me because the style was vastly different from what I had imagined. I knew that the exhibit was about 19^th century art, but because I didn’t know of any real examples, I substituted what I did know. Overall, the works were highly realistic portrayals of American landscapes; the realism of many of the paintings was surprising in and of itself. It was clear that the artists went through years of training and practice to accurately include so much detail in their work. Their expertise serves as a reminder that we tend to take photography for granted in modern times. In the same sense, I felt that a lot of the works were somewhat dull in their appeal. The ease of capturing real life with a digital camera has almost caused us to expect some sort of personal innovation in all artwork, which was not the case in the 19^th century. Without photography, people in that period would probably think such realistic depictions of life were fascinating. I enjoyed the whole exhibit because although I didn’t find the paintings hugely appealing, I was able to see how art has changed not just in terms of an artist’s style, but also in terms of what people want to see in artwork.

A few of my works

    For this work, I used both pencil and Adobe Illustrator. I originally drew the base image on standard copier paper using a pencil. A physical medium, such as a pencil, was much easier to control and experiment with specific shapes than a digital medium would be. However, I used Illustrator to color in the work, because I found it easier to be precise on a small-scaled work such as this. I also wanted the work to have a simple, straightforward feel, which I felt would be best created by pure, solid colors.

     I created this work entirely in Adobe Illustrator. To me, it looks very basic, but I like the "clean" look of the image. I created this work as a more light-hearted graphic showing outer space. A lot of graphics and even photos of outer space have a kind of dark, sullen feel to them, probably because they depict something so vast and poorly understood. With this work, however, I wanted to create a space scene, but I didn't want it to be too solemn, and I feel that I was able to satisfy that intention.

    I created this work for an art project in high school. It is made from a piece of cardboard covered in duct tape, which I then coated in black spray paint. To me, the simple black coating gives the sculpture an air of mystery. It is clearly discernible as an elephant (I hope), but it strikes me as something that one wouldn't expect to encounter in an average art show. When I created the sculpture, I intended it to seem authentic; That is, I wanted it to look like genuine African art, and I feel that I was able to create that sensation in this work.


Full sizes for all of these pictures available here.

First Words

I've never really tried blogging before, so this will all be new to me. I do like to draw things on the computer, though, so I'm looking forward to having a place to share it all. I find it odd to be called an artist because I've never really considered myself one. Most people in college art classes have been doing some sort of art for most of their lives. They've been drawing, painting, sketching, and sculpting for years. I enjoy creating art, but I haven't done it much in my lifetime, especially with a medium other than the computer.
I can easily get swept up on a drawing I'm doing on the computer. Hours can pass without notice. Years ago, when I first got started with digital art, I assumed it would be faster than the traditional mediums, but I've found that it can take just as long. I guess I was just used to computers speeding things up. Now, I'm happy that digital art can be so time consuming as it feels more rewarding in the end.