GRAND TETONS Concentration Project 2

This piece was inspired by a piece I did many years ago, right after I saw the Grand Tetons in real life.  After completing this picture I saw how much I have grown as an artist over the past year. I have more striking colors and a composition more appealing to the eye. 

Painting of Grand Tetons from Freshman Year Art I

Artists Have a Global Awareness of Art Making

Tracing paper

The history of the Grand Tetons is never ending. There are several tales hidden in the walls of the Grand Tetons.  The Tetons were given a french name and were explored on Louis and Clark's expedition to the west. Colter tagged along with Louis and Clark to see the Grand Tetons. I have not yet added in the history to this piece but I have finished the Grand Tetons. I love the landscape before the history is added so I am using tracing paper to make sure I love what I am about to add. I would hate to mess up what I already have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artists Develop Art Making Skills

I am more than happy with the colors and boldness of the mountains. The grass has almost every color imaginable. I love it! Starting with my first piece in Art 4, I have learned to add bold colors. Now I am taking it to an extreme, and I LOVE IT! The colors really reflect who I am. I have always searched for that small detail that would represent me in my art. I have finally found it. I am no longer afraid to add colors that may seem ridiculous at first. If it doesn't at first fit, I make it fit. I am the artists, I have that control.

Artists Reflect

Looking back, I would have saved a lot of trouble in the end if I was loose with my grasses brush strokes from the start. I first painted the grass in straight lines. What wild, tall, grass is stick straight? Giving the grass some turns made the piece appear to be more realistic. A skill I am still trying to master is being loose with my art. I am very measurement oriented and I need to break free of that.  I may, if I have time at the end, do some abstract art because I need to train my mind to be free flowing and not so geometric.

Recyclable Stuffed Animal Deer (Wire,Plastic Bags, Fabric, Yarn)

The eyes are made out of soda bottle tops. These made for adorable big eyes.

 

We began this piece with just a wire outline (lost all the process pictures with my old phone).  The wire was shaped into the basic shape of a deer.  We then stuffed the wire structure with plastic bags. After the animal was stuffed to the seam, I added fabric to the outside and yarn to hold it in place.  The body is made of fabric and string to hold it together. 

 Artists Have a Global Awareness of Art-making

The whole point of this project was to learn how to use recyclable objects and create beautiful artwork. The wire, plastic bags and pop bottle tops were all from recycling bins or brought in from home (instead of throwing away).  I really learned how what some as trash can be seen as art materials to others. There is a art and use for everything. A true artist can see the art in all items, trash or luxury items.

Artists Create Original Art

The only guidance and references I used in this piece was a picture of a deer. I looked at its basic figure and went to town.  The piece was a very learn-as-you-go and add-as-you-need project. The instructor of this project was very helpful in adding in tips from her experiences. I love the final look of the deer because it is almost like I created a customized stuffed animal. Build-A-Bear to the extreme. 

Artists Collaborate

All throughout the lesson, the artists  in my class would recommend each other colors, patterns, decorations and other items to add to each others animals. The idea for a tale with the left over loose string I cut off the jagged fabric was given to me by the instructor. She said the ball of threads would represent the fluffy bottom of a deer's tail perfectly. I constantly ask Naya how my piece looks and what I should add on all my pieces (sorry Naya). She is an incredible artist that always has great input and ideas to put final touches on my pieces. 

Steampunk Project 5

Steampunk is an artist that turns objects into gears and mechanical elements. I was crammed into completing this piece in one day.  This class has taught me how to create quality pieces on the spot. Time management was key. 

Artists Create Original Art

I began to think about the human mind and how it has many gears, or emotions, that are driven by time and place. I represented time and place by clocks and compasses. I have always been interested in psychology (my intended major at UNC Asheville) and I was more than excited to complete this bold art piece.My mind sees both cool and warm colors so I incorporated both in the piece. The black silhouette creates a strong message and contrast against the bold colors.  The clocks and the compasses are the only gears outlines in black marker, directly connecting them to the woman's body.

Artists Develop Art Making Skills 

Four out of my last seven projects have been in colored pencil. I  have really began to see the boldness that can come out in colored pencil (not to mention it is a lot easier to set up than paints).  I still enjoy painting more but the techniques I have learned and gained understanding for through using colored pencil has shown in my more recent pieces. Looking through old homework pieces, I saw how bland and boring my old sketches are. The homework pieces were very proportional (almost "cartoony") and did not portray a message.

Artists Take Risks

When maping out this project I only had the silhouette and the brain in my mind. I was going to leave the background white. Then, when Mrs. Rossi suggested I add more gears in the background, I began to realize that we are driven by more than just our times and locations. We are driven by what the world whats us to do and where the world wants us to be. This was perfect! I "winged" the background and loved the outcome. I have really learned that the less planned I am the more abstract and bold my art looks. My eye chooses the colors as I go and the pieces turn out to look like something I would have never imagined.

YELLOWSTONE Concentration Piece #1

 

 YELLOWSTONE

Allie Snyder 

Feb. 2014

Medium: Acrylic Paint

My concentration is national parks and there history. I want to capture the beauty in the national parks of America through there natural beauty and there unique histories.

Artists Create Original Art

I came up withe the concentration topic and composition all on my own. I am very proud because I feel that I have found myself in my art. I love history of exploration and who couldn't love the beauty of nature. Ever since the Romantic Era people have scene the beauty of nature.

Artists Develop Art Making Skills

I love painting. Ask anyone what I do when I am stressed, happy, sad, excited, or just calm. They will say, if not swimming, that I always have a paint brush in hand.  I found a unique skill of mine a few years ago when I put down the paint brush and picked up a palette knife.  I have only grown with this skill through projects like this.

Artist Have a Global Awareness of Art-making

My whole concentration relies on culture, history, and research of the national parks. The colors, mediums, and techniques I use in each piece are based on the unique histories of each park.  This park is well known for its beautiful (and stinky) thermal pools.  I also knew and researched about Teddy Roosevelt's contribution to the  Yellowstone National Park.  The history all lies in the Native Americans. I am 1/8 Cherokee Indian (which may be what led me to represent the histories of these parks) and wanted to represent American Indians well in my piece as an important building structure to the piece and also a figure of the past. The mountains represented this perfectly.

    

Patchy the Dog (3)

Patchy is my friend, Maddie's dog. I decided to draw him because black is a harder color to draw in fur.  It takes abstract thinking when adding in other colors to provide texture.

Artists Develop Art Making Skills

Drawing fur on a animal with black fur is not easy. You have to include more than just black and grey to show the defined lines in the fur. I remembered that when you see black dogs in the sun, their fur almost looks blue.  I took this in consideration when I added in blue, turquoise, and purple. Then, with Mrs. Rossi's help, I added more and more black on top to define the fur.

Artists Reflect

After completing this piece, I do see many areas for improvement.  I need to become more comfortable when added in black for the fur. Mrs. Rossi had to practically drag my pencil for me when I was adding the black. I was so stuck on how I saw the piece that I did not see that the dog looked more velvety than furry without the black lines.  I need to learn to be looser too. I am very stiff when I draw. Fur is not stiff (unless it is geled...) and the black lines shouldn't be stiff either. I need to work with a flowing hand.

Artists Create Original Work

I took this picture of Patchy about three years ago at Bond Park when Maddie and I took him on a walk.  Of course, at the time I was not intending to use the image for any art project. I just wanted to take it because he was almost modeling for the camera as we sat in the amphitheater.

Hundertwasser Project (2)

My next project was inspired by the artist, Hunderwasser. Hunderwasser is known for his abstract arts in buildings and the colorful, textural shapes in his architecture.

Artists Develop Art Making Skills

I am not an artists who thinks as abstractly as Dr. Seuss, let alone Hunderwasser so this project took a lot of research and referances for me to fully grasp the artists style. I started my piece with shapes that were colored in in one solid color. The texture component of Hunderwasser's pieces was missing from mine.  I added pattern and shading to make the piece bold and flashy. I also added a more realistic image in the windows (across the street) to show how bold and flashy the actual building was it. The building was not meant to be normal.

Artists Take Risks

I had an idea but no plan going into this piece.  I had not clue what patterns, what colors, or what angles I was going to use in these pieces. All I knew was Hunderswasser's style.  I did not map out many of my lines with pencil first. I let my mind freely flow. I did use a ruler and pencil on the lines and angles that were crucial to making the building appear to be realistic and sturdy.  

Artists Collaborate

It is not uncommon for artists to ask another how a piece looks. When they do ask they are not looking for a simple, "Good," or, "Pretty!" They want to hear constructive criticism. Is there anything that draws there eye or could draw there eye? I believe that my AP Art class is very strong in this area. We all help with each others artwork and praise each others accomplishments. This piece required a lot of peer input because it was so far out of my comfort zone. I love the outcome!!

Reflection Project (1)

For my first project in AP Art, I decided to work with reflection. I have not drawn in so long so it felt good to get back into the old habits of griding and working with exact measurements. Painting is very relaxing but challenging the more mathematical part of the brain and art is always a fun get away.

Artists Develop Art Making Skills

I focused on measurement and how glass changes shapes and distorts objects. I had never used colored pencils in this class and I wanted to explore with Prisma Colors. Learning how to draw with distortion is tricky. Your ind thinks the piece should look opposite of what the piece needs to look like.  I began to focus on the small areas of the photograph instead of the whole picture. I am very happy with how this piece turned out. I am loving the new comfort I have in using many bold and bright colors.  I am learning how to make my art one of my own, an original...

Artists Create Original Art

I set up the composition in my house using dinner clothes, sundae glasses, spoons, and money.  It took many shots and many meetings with Mrs. Rossi on what to add and take out of the images, but, in the long run, I was very happy I made so many changes.  I got an image and composition I loved that told my story...

Artists Communicate Through Their Work

I loved this idea with reflection  because it was not only a reflection  in glass, it was a reflection of my childhood. When it was a nice Sunday and my sister and I were well behaved, my parents would take us to the Salem Street Soda Shot. There we would have the most delicious, and probably most fattening, burgers, fries, and shakes I have ever tasted. Setting up this composition reminded me of those great memories at he now closes shop on Salem Street. 

Project 10 (more to be added)

 For my last project I wanted to go back to using Photoshop. I loved the Photoshop class I took last semester and I wanted to take a brake from the canvas. As everyone knows, I am a swimmer and my whole life revolves around the sport. I eat, sleep, and plan studies around practice times and goals I have for college swimming.  A old summer league and high school coach took pictures of me at my last apex meet that I used in this project. I really enjoyed this project because it brought back many skills in Photoshop I had not used in a while and I got to express some of my athletic life in my art life. I love combining my interest.

Images taken by Catherine Grimes

My Photoshop edits:

More will be added to this piece soon. :) Stay tuned!!

Artwork for Portfolio

These are some of the pieces I have done in the past. The first image is made with all wallpaper and the second image is made with all watercolors.

The following pictures are all made with acrylic paint.  I plan to use acrylic on all of my concentration pieces.  I will add in techniques to the pieces, however.  I have learned how to use oils on top of acrylic and how to use a pallet knife (like the flower picture here) and other mediams to make my pieces really pop.