Proposal and in progress work.

            The underlying theme or basis for my project is the subject matter of my father. I plan on portraying my father’s face, whether prominent or subtle. I then want to capture each emotion I feel towards or opinions I have of my father. In addition to symbolism of various types, I intend to use the application of non-traditional colors (i.e. a face would not be painted in flesh tones, but perhaps red and purple or blue and yellow.) The color will help me set the mood of a piece according to what characteristic or emotion I want to evoke. My father does not share much of himself with me, leaving much of his life a mystery. I imagine my father to have many past lives. I currently see him living the life inside his head that is controlled by his chronic depression, and the monotonous active life he carries out on a daily bases, doing the dishes, yard-work, or maintaining the cars and house. I have chosen and begun to research symbolism such as those related to immortality or agelessness: the fungus of longevity, the Amaranth flower and color, oak/acorn, etc. Thus far the nightingale bird, another symbol of immortality, has sparked my interest most prominently. I have envisioned an image combining the face of my father intertwined with that of a nightingale bird. I want to continue looking into mythology and historical writings to find more on symbols of mystery, depression, and wisdom. I do not want my images to be saddening, but beautifully curious. Rather, I want the viewer to feel calm looking at the piece, but wonder whom the face belongs to and how the symbolism is connected. I intend to use acrylic paint on canvas. A variety of brushes and palette knives will allow me to make visibly different brush strokes and layered paint.