mid semester: 2nd piece and 3rd work in progress

I believe my paintings are developing most prominently in the areas of color, brushstroke, and handling of the background. Many of my paintings take on a similar color palette regardless of the subject matter. I want the colors to lend themselves to the topic rather that just stand as a random choice. This, in turn, aided my handling of the background in that it allowed me to simplify the surrounding areas with the use of a more saturated singular color scale so that more of the focus was on the figure. I also tended to get caught up in using the same brush for almost the entire painting. I feel that I successfully used many different brushes which allowed me to vary my stokes more freely.

I still need to work on concept. Several people expressed during critique that they were uncertain of the message, seeing my piece as no more than a random portrait. I am beginning to realize that challenges of being a portrait artist... Is an inaccessible face or figure all there really is too it for the viewer? I internalize a great amount of feeling for the subjects that I depict, which in turn feeds my expression and spontaneity on the canvas. However, I do not feel that the reasons I paint these individuals is coming across. Perhaps, I am truly painting these portraits for myself, but my goal is still to bring to light an element of each individual that I paint.

I am challenging myself with a full-body-self-portrait for my final piece. I have never intentionally painted a self portrait before. There is a strong part of me that wants to portray my subjects highly accurately, but there is also a part of me that finds photo realism uninteresting. I have been attempting to stray from depending on photography as my source material and try painting from life. At this point, my frustration has reached an all time high, as I try to paint myself from life. So far I have whited out my face four times trying to create an accurate depiction of myself. I am trying to expand the realm of portraiture by not simply painting a classical strait forward image of myself, but I am continuing to struggle with the elements that will show aspect of my personality. So far I think the incorporation of the full body is a new and interesting direction. I will continue to work on the background and the face...

Yan Pei-Ming - Comparison

Yan Pei-Ming, "Mao" (Ch. Ver. #6), 2001, oil on canvas

Pei-Ming's work is known for its large scale and thick, heavy, brush strokes. I admire the loose application of paint and Pei-Ming's ability to accurately portray an individual without precise detailed rendering. Pei-Ming and I share the subject matter of portraiture on a large scale. I want to incorporate more texture into my work with the use of more paint and medium. However, I do want to vary my brush size and stroke slightly more than Pei-Ming. I do not want to paint in a monochrome pallet as Pei-Ming does, but I do want to lesson the "rainbow" effect that often occurs in my work.

Alice Neel - Comparison

Alice Neel, "Priscilla Johnson," 1966, oil on canvas

Neel and I share portraiture as a subject matter. And, within that suject matter comes a similar conceptual matter as well. Neel's portraits have been characterized as highly psychological as she seeks to show how the outside forces of society affect a person both mentally and physically, something I hope to achieve in my work. Neel's combination of Realism as well as Expressionism contribute to her ability to accurately portray her subjects as well as a secondary element of personality in those she portrays as well as herself. I find that Neel's work is "better" than mine due to her ability to freely attack the canvas with her self expression. She is not focused on photo-realism and works fully from life. I want to break free from trying to make my work look "pretty" and focus more on the process, which I feel will lend to the psychological aspects of my work.

Chantal Joffe - Comparison

Chantal Joffe, "Big Head," 2003, oil

Joffes work is similar to mine in process and concept. Although she uses oil paint and I use acrylic, she mentions when talking about her process that she enjoys the messiness of the paint and talks of her struggle to master the medium. I too approach painting as a struggle and experimentation with new techniques and ways of manipulating the paint. Both Joffe and I have a somewhat loose painterly quality to our work, leaving room for the paint to make some of the decisions for itself. Conceptually, Joffe's work is largely psychological and emotional, something that I have been trying to achieve throughout my work. For example, during her pregnancy, Joffe talks about trying to convey the anxiety and physical changes that come from being pregnant. I want to try and narrow my conceptual focus to more specific topics, rather than broad generally ideas.

Work in Progress: fall 09

The subject of my intended work this semester is portraiture. I plan to depict images of people that I have close ties with as I want to be able to incorporate and bring to light elements of an individual’s mentality and/or physicality. My intention is to pay homage to my subjects and also expose something mental, physical, and emotional that may not be consciously or deliberately on display. Portraiture for me has become a means of story telling. There are so many people in my life that I find absolutely fascinating and feel that each one deserves to have a part of their self illuminated.

The first piece I intend to paint is an image of my grandfather and my brother together. I only knew my grandfather for the first twelve years of my life, but I do have some fond memories with him. This first piece will deal with the psychological aspect of memory as well as attachment and loss. It is significant to me that my brother is in the piece because much of the way I viewed my grandfather was based on how I saw him interact with my brother. I plan to work from photographs as well as specific mixed media elements.

A second piece I have in mind is that of a very close friend of mine. We spend a great deal of time together so I am able to closely observe and attend to her mental and physical attributes. Although I am able to make my own opinions of this specific individual, it is how she views herself, namely her physical appearance, that I am interested in basing my piece off of. I want to use this piece as an exploration of technique, but also want to attempt to show emotion in the face of my subject as if she is studying herself, rather than a bland statement about cosmetics.

Formally, I will be working initially from photographs and intend to incorporate a large variety of materials to avoid direct photorealism as an outcome. I am interested in continuing to work with mixed media elements, which I feel adds greater emphasis and intrigue to my work.

My biggest challenge with materials is going to be tackling the largest scale piece I have ever worked on for the piece of my grandfather and brother. Also, I want to avoid overloading my pieces with too much alternative material and knowing when an element is adding or subtracting from the image.

Fall 09 Painting III - 30 Studies

The more experimental I got while making my studies, the more successful I felt the outcome was. There were certain techniques such as the repeated line making that I felt were particularly beneficial to my process and was able to use them in numerous ways to create emphasis. The line making is definitely something I want to incorporate into my projects this semester. I also discovered the power of repetition in a few of the studies. As I continue to be interested in psychological phenomena I often come across repeated themes and thought processes, which I feel directly relates to the recurrence of certain imagery. I found it challenging to decide when a study was completed. I often over crowd my work, which is not always a fault, but I wanted to keep my studies simple so that I could practice specific techniques with a wide variety of materials and mediums.

I feel I was most experimental with the studies on texture. I have a acquired some new acrylic mediums that are intended to add body to the paint, which allowed me to experience a somewhat sculptural process. I also attempted the use of oil paint for the first time in my life in a couple of the studies. I enjoy the vibrancy and concentrated color palette as well as the ability to rework certain areas days later. However, I am used to working at a fast pace, and have found that elements of mixed media are important to my work at this point in time so I do want to continue working with acrylic paint for now. There will definitely be a time in the future when oil paints will prove to be more beneficial.

Experimentation with materials has become a way for me to expand my conceptual intentions. My interest in mental states as well as physical attributes keeps me searching for ways to add emphasis to the portraiture work that I do. I relate the way that the paint reacts to certain surfaces and mixed media elements to the way the brain reacts to outside forces, whether it be a personal experience with a substance, death, relationship, body image, etc. or an ever present and often uncontrollable outside force such as the media, expectations from society, competition, etc. These ideas closely relate to many of the "interest" words I listed earlier in the project. Words such as environment, disorders, balance, relationships, self-control, indulgence, harmony, trends, among others, I feel, make direct connections to the conceptual goals of my work. I want the effects of a person's experiences to be backed by the effects that I create with heavily layered paint application as well as elements of mixed media.

Assignment 3: PaintersNYC

Elizabeth Peyton

Some critics consider Peyton's loose brush stroke to be an excuse to avoid "mistakes" in her process. By not fully rendering accurate and photorealistic portraits of her subjects some feel she is being lazy or avoiding a time consuming process.  Another critic defends Peyton's work by saying that her paintings do not seem unskilled at all, but that sometimes less is more in a painting. I have struggled with this idea myself. I stray from highly rendering my paintings because I enjoy the freedom of spontaneous brushstrokes. Another critic mentions that sometimes exploration is what makes a successful painting. The individual goes on to explain that it is when the artist is unsatisfied with their work or surroundings that forces them to develop into a more rounded artist. This is the direction that I am going in currently and hope to continue reaching new levels.