Reading part II

Tabor, in my opinion, offers a variety of courses designed to appeal to a diverse student body. I came here because of my interest in marine science and art. There are some really interesting classes, but none that involve preparing for a position in trades. I've never gone to a school that offers woodshop or mechanics, but there is a high school in my town that is specifically for these jobs. Students take academic classes one week, and then take classes another week that they would like to pursue a career in. It was always an option for kids that weren't planning on going to college, which gave it a bad image in some ways. People would consider these kids lazy, unintelligent, or the working class stereo type. I think Tabor supports us to strive for greatness and what makes us happy, but in most cases a position in trades isn't what we study night and day for. A school like Tri county guides students for a position in trades, and it's a free education. My parents would not be happy with me if I decided to become a plumber after paying for my tuition for four years. Tabor, and my parents, would support me to own the company instead.

Reading over thanksgiving

If I were to have a hands-on job....it would most likely be a painter. Shocker. I have watched the same man (Mike) paint our house inside and out over the years, using a delicate brush stroke while evenly distributing the color across our walls. Although painting for me is all about depth, I can find that in Mike's job. It's all about color in my eyes, and I've nagged my mom about changing the color of her room to something deeper or more calming. Maybe I could paint murals as well. This article has pointed out the advantages of being a do-it-yourself kind of person, which I struggle with. I know nothing about plumbing, changing a tire, or building anything. Maybe now I'll try to learn from my dad, although he usually has someone come and fix things. He knows how, but is usually away for work. I definitely see the advantages of woodshop and mechanics in school. Not only do they save you money in the long run, but they also make you more self-sufficient. Mike also makes a decent living! Although I most likely won't go for a hands-on job, I have a deeper understanding and appreciation after reading the article over break.

So, this big canvas project is taking way longer than expected due to my constant absence from school. However, I do try to make major improvements everyday. Ms. Smith gave me a tip on how to create a warmer skin tone by using a buttery-light type of accent, which did help pull everything together. I might try to add a tint of orange into the dark shadow in the cheek after break. I still have to start this political piece, which is going to be difficult for me. All my ideas are tacky.

I've started my big canvas project, and it's my first time using anything bigger than 14x16. So far I really enjoy it, and I have a feeling it's going to turn out really well. This will be a good building year for my college portfolio. I'm starting to get that urge of never wanting to stop painting, which is a sure sign this big canvas self portrait will be worthwhile.

So my first project this year has been about women, as usual, because I wanted to try watercolor pencils and designing dresses. I actually really liked my idea about everyday objects (a lamp and a pitcher) effecting miniature people in evening wear. The dramatic effects of the watercolor and poses pulled the pieces together. So far this year is going well!

New project: Dark shadows

I can't wait to start painting again. This time I'm going to use dark shadows and bright skin tones to make a dramatic picture. The oil paints should blend well together to create a rich composition. Using some friends as photographers, I will take pictures of my friends to use as subject matter. I love doing portraits, and I can't wait to paint faces again. Using pictures of my friends taken by my friends will be a fun challenge, because I will want to make them look perfect. I'm planning on using colored shadows such as ultramarine and maybe even some permanent rose.

Iconic views of women

I'm excited to do a drawing of a burlesque girl. The idea of showing the iconic beauty of women idolized by men will turn out to be a fun project. I can't wait to use dark colors and deep reds combined with sparkles and styles of old fashioned burlesque.

Subject Matters

When told to pick a subject to do several projects on, I decided to choose women. After reading the essay "Why Have there been no Great Women Artists", I decided women would be an interesting subject to choose. People have many different views of women across the world, and I wanted to highlight them in my work. My first painting is of a temptress holding an apple. This represents eve and tempting women all over the world. My next two are going to be drawings of how some ignorant men view women. One will be a domesticated woman doing household chores, and the other will be a woman hidden by scarves. I believe in equality like most people, but I realize that women may never have it.

Transformation and Metamorphosis

The transformation and metamorphosis project was challenging because grasping the concept that these two words mean different things was hard to show in my work. For my transformation project, I did a landscape of winter transforming into fall. Watercolor pencil is great to work with when only having a short amount of time for a project, so I decided to use it in the landscape. It came out decent, but there are some things I wish I could change. My metamorphosis project was a beach ball with a man's arms, legs, and head attached. The idea was based on obesity, and how it could be displayed in metamorphosis. Although it wasn't quite finished, the beach ball man was fun to make.

Mentor for Dialogue Project

My mentor is Jacqueline Devreux because of the lighting she uses in her paintings. Some of her paintings are disturbing, but I love how she uses a ghostly effect. In my painting, I would like to take that idea and have my face be hidden in the darkness. I also would like to use bright light to emphasize the shadows and disappearance of my face. 

"why there have been no great women artists"

This essay shows a realistic view of the role women play in society and how it has affected women artists. Linda Nochlin does make it clear that there has been great women artist, and different styles of greatness. Some are writers or painters, and often display feminine characteristics in their work. Art was mainly left for men in past centuries because of the nudity used in their work. A woman was not allowed to paint a naked man, and social customs like these limited the ability of female artists. Nochlin says, "women are often weakened by the internalized demands of the male-dominated society itself," showing how woman artists are often not given a proper chance to display their talent. I agree with her point of view, because is not bais. At first, I thought Nochlin was feminist in some points of the essay, but after reading it again I came to a different conclusion. She did a nice job of making it clear that there has been some great women artists, but most talent has been overshadowed by a patriarchal society.