Last term I really pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and learned a lot about what I can do and what I enjoy doing as an artist. This term however, I learned a lot about how I work as an artist. I found that it was easier for me to start one project, move to another, and then come back to that first project. It helps me if I don't look at a piece for a long time, then come back and look at it with fresh eyes. My biggest success this term was probably one of my pieces with the notecards. Unfortunately the piece got lost in the abyss of the art room. It was the project where we had to somehow enlarge a small square of one of our notecards. I liked these projects because you had to copy an image, but you could somehow change it and make it bigger. I like taking an image and changing it somehow. Towards the end of the term, I was very stressed out with school and I think I wasn't focusing enough in the class, so I couldn't develop very finished pieces. The hardest for me, surprisingly, was the still life. I hadn't drawn in so long it was hard for me to focus. I was also trying to use new techniques with my drawing. I tried to do the undetailed parts first and then go in on the detail. I had a really hard time with this, but in some ways it was a learning experience, because I realized that maybe I can come up with a unique style of drawing. I've discovered I like having a balance or a certain relation between detailed and undetailed.

Symbolic Still life

For my symbolic still life I knew I wanted to use a clock somehow to go with the theme of change. I decided to use pine cones and branches to show how seeds grow into trees. I placed them near the window because I wanted to use shadow in my drawing. The clock symbolizes change, it kind of shows how it takes time for the pine cones to grow into trees. I wanted to do it all in pencil, because that has always been my safety area, but now i've started thinking it might have been easier with charcoal or some other material.

Opposites project

My theme for the opposite project is change. I wanted to use the theme of nature and changing seasons. I wanted to show that nature and seasons change all the time, but the fact that seasons are always changing never changes. I really wanted to use something with photos and images to show nature. It was too hard to develop pictures and find the right one, so I printed out pictures of nature and put varnish over it to make it glossy and photo like. I made all the images black and white to show that nature never really stops changing, so its unchanging in a way. I also put it in a circle to back up this idea.

statement of purpose :

- What questions can you formulate about your theme (at least 4)?

1. How have you changed? How/what do you relate to change personally?

2. Does everyone and everything change? Is change inevitable?

3. Is change good or bad?

4. Is change the same thing as growth?

5. Can you stop change?

-How does your theme connect to your life?

I feel like i've deffinately changed as a person these past 3 years, and as i've changed, i've watched people around me change as well. Now that i'm older, I notice things happening in the world more, and It makes me think about how the world has changed. I often think about whether change is good or bad, or if its possible to stop it, or why things change. Change is all around me, so I think it's the perfect theme for me.

-How does your theme connect to the world around you?

The world is changing all the time. Technology is everywhere, when a few decades ago, laptop schools were unheard of. Wars have started and ended.

What kinds of images come to mind when you think about your theme?

- Nature is a big theme that relates to change, since nature is always changing. Specifically, it makes me think of the seasons, and plants, since they change and grow so quickly. Personally, change makes me think of highschool and people and relationships. Change also brings the famous picture of evolution into my head, where there is an monkey growing into a man.

-What kinds of art or visual information (advertising, tv, film) have you seen that relates to your theme?

- Media in general has really changed. mTv no longer shows music, but reality t.v. Also, I really like the "we can do it," poster of the woman in a bandana from the 40's compared to women now. I might do something

with that.

-Why did you choose this theme and how can you envision exploring it through works of art over the course of the term?

I picked this course because it's big, but it can be made small because there are so many specific things to do with change. I also picked it because I feel personally connected to this theme. I can deffinatley see me doing some collage things with this theme. I'd also like do some things with simple shapes or images.

How do artists develop content and ideas from their work?

- Artists can get ideas a lot of different ways. Inspiration can come from people, places, objects, or even personal experiences. At the same time, an artist could get an idea from just messing around with material. There are times when I see a specific photo or picture and imediately get inspired to do something, but there are also times when i'm just playing around with different materials and I discover something new I can do with the materials, and I go with it. Also, if an artist is feeling a certain emotion strongly, it can often show in their work, purposely or not on purpose.

What kinds of techniques, behaviors, and habits allow artists to turn their ideas into meaningful works of art that engage the viewer?

- I don't think it necessarily takes a specific skill for someone to turn their ideas into meaningful works of art. I think if you enjoy what you are working on, and the idea you have, it will almost always turn out ok. But I think it is necessary to sometimes step back and look at your artwork from a different perspective. It is hard to see your artwork with fresh eyes, or from the perspective of someone who has never viewed it before, because you've been there every step of the way creating it. Often times, flaws that you see as an artist, others will not see, and it is important to get opinions from other people on what they think if you want your artwork to have a connection with people.