Stefany Thesis Paper

Stefany Schwartz
Individual Studio and Professional Practices
2009
Thesis Paper


When asked this semester, “What were some of your original expectations for your artwork within this course and how does this compare to your actual experience this semester”, my mind started racing. I learned a lot about myself through this semester. Some of my original expectations of this course were very different than I thought. I believed that in the beginning it wouldn’t be much fun but very stressful. I had a hard time being creative and this challenged my as an artist. I also had difficulty finding inspiration, but used my personal experiences to create art.

If I had to summarize the proposal for my intended body of work, and explain how this has been realized or perhaps altered during the course of working, I would say it was a hard work. I originally had different ideas for my proposals for the semester. I also had many paintings that I thought I had to do. I did not really understand that I was able to go freely and express my “own” art. I had so many ideas that I wanted to accomplish and in the end I had art that I created. Since this was my last class I took for art, I wanted to experiment with different types of materials and medias. I wanted to get away from working with the traditional paintings and use something along the lines of colored inks. Since I had all these ideas in my proposal for paintings, I realized that I needed to adjust my projects. After I did three paintings I started to experiment with the inks. I liked the inks because I could be free and express my feelings in art. This is where I altered my works. I am happy that I experimented with new media and materials.
During the semester I created many pieces. I also have strong feelings about these pieces because they are from personal experiences in life. In addition, each piece has a main idea and I try to communicate it through these feelings. My first piece of art I created was the personal belief system road piece. I would have liked to been able to continue working on this but there was a deadline and specific requirements. I do not think this piece turned out as well as I had hoped or envisioned. I used paper towel, acrylic paint, and artist tape. One of the requirements for this project was using found objects. The paper towel served as my found objects. At first I was hesitant to use this but it turned out well, I normally find expensive objects and have to buy more of but paper towels was a good found objects. Looking at this piece after I finished it I noticed that I had my perspective off. The center yellow boundary lines are supposed to be split farther apart at the bottom of the canvas, and become thicker as the lines travel down. I also look back now at the piece and do not like it as much. The reason for this is because I have grown so much as an artist I can see what things should be different and how I should have added “this or taken out that”.
The second piece I did was the personal belief system piece with impressionistic qualities. At this point in my artwork I was trying to find my niche. I was attempting to experiment to find what I as comfortable with and looking back I do not think that impressionistic painting is my “thing.” I also was experimenting under different influences like Monet, Renoir, Manet, etc. I had fun creating this piece though, because it had personal meaning. I had a very bumpy road this semester with my health and family. Creating art was fun this semester because it was an outlet I could express my thoughts. The main idea was that it symbolized the end of the road and it always leads to better things. I was not sure if it would but in the end I need to focus on myself, my health, and my school work. My third and last personal belief system was the best. I had a lot of fun creating this piece and inspiration was very easy. At this point in time I realized that doing abstract pieces was my “thing.” I enjoyed throwing paint “here and there”, and placing white and yellow stripes “over there”. The hardest part of this piece was to decide where to put the paper towel on the canvas. I really enjoyed this piece, and it inspired me for other pieces to create after this.
My first works after the personal belief system pieces were also abstract. I turned over a new leaf and started working with flowers. Their organic shapes that I see attract me to create art. It was instant inspiration. Since I enjoy organic shapes I am a magnet towards organic flowers. Orchids, in my opinion, are as organic as they get. I spent a lot of time taking apart an Orchid and examining every detail and every aspect. My first piece with this was two abstract Orchid seedlings hanging off a branch. I wanted to use color and express freely these images. I had so much fun creating these pieces of art. I used lighter ink colors where the light would hit on the top of the branch and illuminate it. I used darker ink for shadows and dark spots. I also used a calligraphy pen with different tips to create thick and thin lines. I had never used ink before this series of projects but am very glad I tried something new. I also never used a calligraphy pen before. It was a lot of fun to see the different lines I could create using different tips, “blobs” and whimsical lines. It gave me a sense of positive and negative space and that was what I was going for.
The second piece after I created the seedlings was an open bloom Orchid; I zoomed in to the center to get as abstract as I could. I filled an entire 18 x 24 page with color. Looking back at this piece I think I went a little crazy with the colors and the inks. This piece was also a little hard for me to create, I got stuck half way because I could not make the Orchid look dimensional. After taking another try, I realized that I liked the way it turned out; I liked the water stained inks spots, and the very abstract feel.
The piece after the Orchid bloom I took another look at the inside of a flower. I examined the shapes, colors, and how they both blended together. I knew right then and there that I wanted to create a piece. Looking back, this piece was much easier to create then the last, I liked how you could tell it still was an open flower but yet the sense of abstractness it created itself. I used a lot of yellow, purple, magenta, red, brown, and green inks. For this piece, I also used the calligraphy pen to shade. At this point in the semester I was dealing with a lot of health and family issues again. This piece was done in a fair amount of time. It holds a significant amount of personal meaning and I spent a great amount of time on this.
My last piece for this series was the Dead Orchid. I wanted to “sum up” what I had worked on this semester, tying the road pieces in with the flower works. I was going for the dead flower look when I realized I wanted to crumble a paper towel. I took a paper towel, put it in a pitcher of water and let it soak in. I then took my brown and red inks and dropped them into the water. I set the dyed paper towel outside in the sun to dry. The sun also bleached a few areas which gave it the tie-dyed affect too. I was happy the way the paper towel turned out. For the piece I wanted to dead flower to be the center of attention, but I still wanted it to look abstract. I hot glued the paper towel flower to the paper canvas and drew with the calligraphy pen under the flower to give it some dimension. I also used more red and magenta inks for the center and let them bleed together. I used these colors because the inside of the orchid flower was magenta and red spotted. I also took black and brown inks to make lines on the flower to make it look dead and dry crumbled up. I noticed after I glued the flower to the page it was very bland. I added the bottom two border images to give it a sense of groundedness. I did not want to make it look like it was floating so I also added the line above it. Looking through previous semester works I wanted to add the “mother nature” aspect. I dropped black ink blobs on the top in an abstract whimsical manner to show that even though the flower is dead mother nature’s spirit still is there using it to create new life. I really enjoyed working on this piece.
The last two pieces I did this semester were paintings of lilies. I wanted to get away from the Orchid aspect but still work with flowers. I used lilies because they give me a sense of purity and calmness. I wanted to experiment with different sized canvases and thought this would be a great opportunity. I used two 12 x 24 sizes and painted two lilies on them. The first was the side view of a white lily. I examined the shadows and the colors very closely. I realized that even though it may look white, there actually are other colors that make it up. I saw this for the first time; I saw yellows, greens and even a little pink. I worked hard to put these colors in the painting. The hardest part of the painting was the blending. I normally can get the general shape of the object or image but never the exact shadows or right colors. For this piece I did and I am very satisfied with it.
The second of the two pieces was another lily. This was the front open view of a pink Calla lily. I also took time to examine this flower as well. I once again noticed all the colors that made up this flower. I was amazed how the deep magentas and reds made the flower look so innocent and fragile. Before this semester I never really took the time out of my day to look at a flower so closely. It taught me to slow down and see what nature has to offer. The pink lily piece was much harder to create because I could not get every detail with paint that I saw inside the flower. I saw how the different shades of green all blended together but yet was still visible individually. I saw these green shades blend into the base of the flower but the pinks and magentas were so over powering that they disappeared. I would like to take more time out and continue working on this piece and even the white lily. Even though I am satisfied again with these pieces it took a long time to create and get to that point.
I really enjoyed working with paper towels and inks this semester. I am glad I experimented with different medias and materials. I am also fortunate to use different sized canvases and experiment with flowers creating art through personal experiences.
For this semesters works I used a lot of different techniques. I used water colored inks, drawings, paintings, and even used different types of media. I enjoyed working with paper towel, the different colors of ink, the different sizes of canvases and drawing paper. These materials played a role with my feelings because they were very flexible and I could mold them to how I wanted. I used the paper towels in the road pieces as bumps and pot holes. I also manipulated the paper towel to mean a softer side using it as a dead flower. I covered it before with thick paint and hot glue but this time I let the texture show through and be freely hanging.
As far as our critiques are concerned, to be honest, I do not enjoy them very much. I understand the process and the significant point of doing a critique but it does not have to be drawn out and a long process. In my opinion, the critiques helped a little bit. I did not get much information from the others in my class on how to improve anything or make it better. I did get more valuable information talking one –on –one with you about the direction my work should go. I do not know if this is just from personal experience but that is how I feel.
There were some artists who inspired me this semester. At first I was inspired by Claude Monet. I also wrote my Visual Culture Paper on him as an artist and enjoyed that opportunity to explore him more. I was later inspired my Georgia O’ Keefe and her abstract flower designs paintings. I also started looking at Diane Elgin’s flowers and more abstract flowers shapes. I searched online and found it very useful. I have several images in my sketchbook of ideas for future paintings and drawings.
During the semester I had a great opportunity to meet several artists. I enjoyed seeing John Kings works in person. I think the atmosphere, his works, and his talk was very impactful. I learned a lot by his demonstration with the wax. I was mesmerized by all of his works he had and he book he took part in. I also liked when Frank Mann came to the college. I enjoyed talking with him. I noticed he really took pleasure in my lily pieces. I wish he could have come to the opening to see what we accomplished after his talk with us. I learned a great deal of information from him and his works. I liked them because they were abstract, and thoughtful. I looked up to him because his works have been shown in the Museum of Modern Art, Buenos Aires, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Nice, France, the Guggenheim Museum, New York, Nationalgallerie, Berlin, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. That is something to be said about Frank Mann. He is an inspirational artist. Overall, both artists made a big impression on me. I loved seeing John King’s studio and how he works. I also benefited from Frank Mann because he told us what the real world is like and the route he thinks we should take.
My artists statement tells the audience about my work and the mind set I had while completing and creating new pieces. It is to the point and describes me as an artist.
Artist Statement: The changing of the events in my life dictates who I am as an artist. My art is from my personal feelings, and the colors show my true soul. My primary focus is on being free and experimenting with color, not held back by challenges that lie ahead or the ones that affected prior to this. As a student of Northampton Community College I have learned that there is no such thing as “bad art.” Everyone has an opinion, and they should be willing to accept these feelings.
My artwork is from creativity and inspirations that surround me. I selected these materials because they serve as found objects and add a sculpture feel towards the works. The texture and shapes they portray are very organic. In several works I used colored ink, acrylic paint, and paper towels. Working with these gave me a sense of being free and inspired. I am attracted to the abstract look I can create with these materials.
My current art is a work in progress. I began my work with the journey that has lead me to this class. I experimented with paper towels, the abstract shapes and free flowing paints. In addition, the rough road that I have overcome taught me to see things in a different light. I have a positive outlook on things and the abstract flower pieces dictate the point I am at currently. I am challenging myself by soul searching and expressing my true feelings from within to create art. I enjoy expressing myself using abstract shapes and colors.