Michele's Thesis

• My original expectations for my artwork were not that far off from what I had originally set out to do, but my experiences during the semester, such as the trips we took and the people we met, inspired me to do more and work harder, and thus create more pieces than I had originally planned.
• My original proposal stated that I wanted to do something that involved personal and inner struggles, and some of my work entails that but mostly it embodies the things i enjoy, like zombies and Charlie Chaplin.
• I feel good about the work I have created this semester. In the beginning I followed through with my idea of inner struddle, especially with my first piece and my personal ideals piece. The main ideas after that changed in that I just wanted to create-and thats what I did by experimenting with new materials I was able to make pieces that reveal a little bit about me as a person, but not too much.
• I mainly stuck with my favorite materials, such as acrylic paint and black and white photographs, but I also had fun experimenting with found objects which I think gave me more ideas for my pieces and helped them develop as I went along.
• Many commented that while my work was colorful and vibrant, it was also very dark. This didn't really change the direction of my work but made me realize more who I am as an artist so I stuck with that.
• In my visual culture paper I talked about the art scene in New York in the 1980's, and specifically the work of David Wojnarowicz, and while that is a time period I find fascinating and I really enjoy his work, I found that it didn't really influence the direction of my pieces too much, just influenced me to take a look at other time periods to gather inspiration.
• It was really cool to be able to go to New York, check out galleries, and meet with artists who have experience in the art world. Paul Laster and Renee Ricardo made a big impression on me because they started at the bottom and worked their way to the top, and I admire them for that. They probably have the greatest jobs in the world.