Latest Project - Metro... Journeys... Pathways... Intersections... no title yet!

This project was inspired from Jackson Pollock, even though my technique of drip-dropping was quite different from his! The painting is now a combination of people walking either towards or away from the viewer, and the background consists of my 'Jackson Pollock' effect... I first drew out the people, then covered them with paper (with tape), and then put dollops of different colored acrylic paint (mixed with water) in various places and then dripped the paint around, by turning the canvas around.

Almost everyone who sees it tells me it reminds them of a metro map - which I think is quite fitting, since the photo which I am painting from (which I took myself, of course) is of people leaving a metro station. I like how I placed the walking people 'out of context', as in, removed the background and replaced it with something else, something abstract... I have kind of formed the idea that the intersecting lines of paint symbolize the journeys of the wandering people in the picture, and how people 'intersect', or meet other people in life...

On the far left is my mom, next to her is my dad, and the person I am painting (in the photo below) is my sister Olivia.

Above is what the painting looks like now - not finished yet but getting there!

My dad is not satisfied with how I have portrayed him, but in art it is very easy to emphasize wrinkles...

A Canvas

Still Life of Grapes, E. Melendez

Ciurana, the Path, Miro

Above is a photo (not a great one) of a canvas, part of my most recent project. It is a blend of a photo I took of a tree (in Madrid, Spain) and two paintings I saw in Madrid (Ciurana, the Path, by Joan Miro, 1917, and Still Life of Grapes, by E. Melendez, 1700s). The 'theme' of this canvas is realistic and abstract nature. On the left hand side, there is a fairly realistic tree (from a photo I took), and it 'fades' into abstract nature on the right, and some on the far left. This painting is an exploration of depth, in a way, because in some parts a sense of depth is apparent, and in others it is not. I like how through art one can 'play with the eye', as in create illusions. When looking at this painting, one sees it as 3-D. Therefore, I think placing a realistic element in the scene gives the abstract elements more life, and therefore they 'jump out' and grab the viewer. 

I like this approach to art. Therefore, I would like to try this approach for my next project. 

My Art projects so far have included:
- A fish-eye self-portrait (using acrylic paints and oil pastel)
- A chalk/charcoal drawing of three me's, one of which was me wearing a mask (which I made)
- A self-portrait (the design of which is below)
- Time, Texture, Pattern project (partially described in first post, below)
- Woodcut prints and linocut prints
- Charcoal drawing (of a horse and rider)
- Sculpture and corresponding canvas

My Favorite Paintings

Here are two paintings which I really like, and which I'm sure everyone knows of. (Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh and The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer)

Light and Energy

This is a Photoshopped design for a large painting (which I have completed). 

Photography - Time, Texture and Pattern

Here are some photos I took around my house and neighborhood, inspired by the theme "Time, Texture and Pattern".

The above photo is an interpretation of the word 'time'. This is because time can be thought of us a line that is constantly being 'drawn' - the curving lines can represent distortions of time.

The 'face' of this kiwi has a surprisingly complex texture, from close up. The pattern of the inside of the kiwi reminds me of other shapes in nature, such as those of flowers, sun rays, sea urchins, etc. This reminds me of how the same simple shapes are used over and over again in nature.

Below is a Photoshop collage of some of the photos above, and a few others. It is the general plan of a painting I am currently working on. The sort of 'upside-down jelly fish thing' on the left is my dog's nose (upside down), and the red branches are from a picture of a 'tree skeleton' I took. 

                                 Directly above is my favorite, and by far
                                     most exciting, part of the design!

Below is another Photoshop collage of my own photos.

In the background, in the first 'layer', is a picture of the view into a glass vase, looking like the view from inside a sort of tunnel ('vortex', Doctor Who thoughts were in my mind when I chose it for the background - these thoughts were what made me decide the photo was an interesting interpretation of 'time') Over top are images of cowry shells (stringed onto a basket), a pine-cone, and the leaf from above.