Submitted January 2014
My work focuses on my immense interest on the beauty found within nature. I question why our current focus has shifted to new technologies, man-made creations, and advancing ways to “filter” the world when the environment alone provides enough colour, excitement, beauty, and continuous change that we should be aware of. Our increasing blindness to our own environment due to our over-consumption of new technologies needs to be recognized.
I plan to investigate my concept through a wide range of mediums to portray my overall message of the importance of observation. Painting and drawing are my main focus, but I am hoping to move towards more sculptural works which include more modern technologies to help support my ideas of technology and its effect on our view of the world. In one case I am hoping to use shapes commonly found on an iphone to frame my nature-based imagery as well as a large scale light box designed to look like a cellular phone to display works.
Through the process of creating works I have seen what has been successful and not worked out as well through the aid of critique. I need to focus more on the space I am creating in some of my more scene/narrative based paintings to make sure that I am not venturing into the realm of dreams but remain in a “real” space so that my ideas come across in a more serious manner. In working on my smaller scale drawings I have also learned the importance of the smaller details and how such things as outline can distract and detract from the work. I really enjoyed the efficiency smaller works had to offer in completing a work promptly allowing for more time to fully develop conceptually.
Researching other artists who have similar passions and concept ideas may help me to see how successfully these ideas can be employed. Besides that, my research lies within personal observations of the world and objects around us, studying them closely, and taking photographs as references when I see something worth recapturing or emphasizing in a future work. Because many of my paintings are based from my own photographs, specifically the portrait and flora, I like to create a collage on Photoshop to imagine what the final image may come to look like. With my black paintings this has allowed me to see what overall layout problems may occur before committing to paint. I collect images of foliage to refer to, mostly my own, but from other sources as well that range from online sources to flower reference books.
Canadian painter, Ramona Swift in her painting Life Abundant, chooses to paint large scale, closely cropped images of poppies. She depicts all the fine hair that they are covered with and the fine details the average walking glance would miss. Georgia O'Keeffe as well uses closely cropped floral images to emphasize colour, texture, and line and are often ambiguous enough to hold interest yet familiar enough to appreciate her view. My work too emphasizes not the whole picture of what beauty can be found in our environment, but rather a close detail or fraction of the whole. I too like to emphasize textures, colours and interesting details that you need to spend more time with the object in order to discover and enjoy. Theorist Immanuel Kant in his Critique of Judgement brings up an important idea about beautiful objects. He argues that they should affect us as if they have a purpose, although no particular purpose can be found. I want my images to do just that, be beautiful and intriguing for the viewer to see what sort of details and beauty can be found in our own back yards and view them as if they have great significance. All I wish from my viewers, is for them to experience the importance of viewing the world and taking it all in with all your senses and that this does not have to be done by physically taking it and controlling our environment.
Because my emphasis on nature lies solely on using imagery of leaves and flowers I believe that although I am planning to use an array of mediums, the work will still look cohesive as a whole. I want to have at least three paintings in my recent “Pause” series I have started, a series of three for my black cellphone-lit portrait series, a sculptural light box work, and some smaller scale sculptural paper works which I am currently in the process of conceptualizing. I am finding it very difficult even with the lightest course load I've had since attending UBC to organize my time effectively. Work, and outside school curricular consume a lot of my time so to help stay constructive I've brought many of my supplies home with me so that I can work on projects in between these outside responsibilities. I hope to complete, or come to near completion to one work per week/week and a half. I struggle to stay focused and as said in the beginning of the year am easily stressed and distracted which I am happy to say is gradually improving. The days I am lucky enough to not have class nor work I need to remember to take full advantage of for the final upcoming months.
I plan to investigate my concept through a wide range of mediums to portray my overall message of the importance of observation. Painting and drawing are my main focus, but I am hoping to move towards more sculptural works which include more modern technologies to help support my ideas of technology and its effect on our view of the world. In one case I am hoping to use shapes commonly found on an iphone to frame my nature-based imagery as well as a large scale light box designed to look like a cellular phone to display works.
Through the process of creating works I have seen what has been successful and not worked out as well through the aid of critique. I need to focus more on the space I am creating in some of my more scene/narrative based paintings to make sure that I am not venturing into the realm of dreams but remain in a “real” space so that my ideas come across in a more serious manner. In working on my smaller scale drawings I have also learned the importance of the smaller details and how such things as outline can distract and detract from the work. I really enjoyed the efficiency smaller works had to offer in completing a work promptly allowing for more time to fully develop conceptually.
Researching other artists who have similar passions and concept ideas may help me to see how successfully these ideas can be employed. Besides that, my research lies within personal observations of the world and objects around us, studying them closely, and taking photographs as references when I see something worth recapturing or emphasizing in a future work. Because many of my paintings are based from my own photographs, specifically the portrait and flora, I like to create a collage on Photoshop to imagine what the final image may come to look like. With my black paintings this has allowed me to see what overall layout problems may occur before committing to paint. I collect images of foliage to refer to, mostly my own, but from other sources as well that range from online sources to flower reference books.
Canadian painter, Ramona Swift in her painting Life Abundant, chooses to paint large scale, closely cropped images of poppies. She depicts all the fine hair that they are covered with and the fine details the average walking glance would miss. Georgia O'Keeffe as well uses closely cropped floral images to emphasize colour, texture, and line and are often ambiguous enough to hold interest yet familiar enough to appreciate her view. My work too emphasizes not the whole picture of what beauty can be found in our environment, but rather a close detail or fraction of the whole. I too like to emphasize textures, colours and interesting details that you need to spend more time with the object in order to discover and enjoy. Theorist Immanuel Kant in his Critique of Judgement brings up an important idea about beautiful objects. He argues that they should affect us as if they have a purpose, although no particular purpose can be found. I want my images to do just that, be beautiful and intriguing for the viewer to see what sort of details and beauty can be found in our own back yards and view them as if they have great significance. All I wish from my viewers, is for them to experience the importance of viewing the world and taking it all in with all your senses and that this does not have to be done by physically taking it and controlling our environment.
Because my emphasis on nature lies solely on using imagery of leaves and flowers I believe that although I am planning to use an array of mediums, the work will still look cohesive as a whole. I want to have at least three paintings in my recent “Pause” series I have started, a series of three for my black cellphone-lit portrait series, a sculptural light box work, and some smaller scale sculptural paper works which I am currently in the process of conceptualizing. I am finding it very difficult even with the lightest course load I've had since attending UBC to organize my time effectively. Work, and outside school curricular consume a lot of my time so to help stay constructive I've brought many of my supplies home with me so that I can work on projects in between these outside responsibilities. I hope to complete, or come to near completion to one work per week/week and a half. I struggle to stay focused and as said in the beginning of the year am easily stressed and distracted which I am happy to say is gradually improving. The days I am lucky enough to not have class nor work I need to remember to take full advantage of for the final upcoming months.
Submitted September 2013 (Intent no longer current)
This year I look to do more illustrative and decorative line-focused art. My main influences are tattoo artists and their art as it is a career I am also interested in pursuing. Tattoo artists rely heavily on line work to create a sense of space, thicker lines to bring objects forward and thin to no outline to push things back. Tattoo artist Jeff Gogue uses great examples of this in his octopus designs making the tentacles seem as though they are truly over lapping and coming at you on the skins surface. Outlines are prominent in all my work helping to bring movement and tying in the separate elements together in a design. Along side the more illustrative based work I also would like to incorporate another interest of mine; portraiture. Similar to caricatures, I too, enjoy distortion of the face and emphasizing different facial features or expressions in my subjects. Painter Guim Tio Zarraluki paints his subjects eyes small and bead like and often has interesting open mouthed facial expressions which I find to be quite humorous. My own portraits I try to engage the viewer through interesting expressions and alterations of the face in hopes that they will see the humour of it too. Photographer Tadao Cern uses high force winds in the faces of his subjects to photographically capture very unusual and funny expressions that could not on their own be achieved. I have been told many times before that “I am like a cartoon” my facial expressions often being quite emphasized and unique, because of this, I prefer to use myself as my portrait subject which helps to create consistency in the final body of work. The use of line work to create both flat and 3-dimensional space to help frame and emphasize my unusual distorted portraits is what I hope to develop this year.
I would like to focus on acrylic painting for my portraiture, and also work on some smaller colour studies in Prisma marker and pencil crayon. Painting has been my focus throughout my art education but drawing is my true passion which I hope to render these smaller drawings into larger painted pieces. For the paintings I plan on using a variety of colour, paint pens to assist in smooth outlining where necessary, and am hoping to try using spray paint for certain textured visual effects. The smaller paper works where I will be using mostly marker I hope to incorporate pencil crayon into shading and fading techniques. Practicing the use of distinct varying line work and sharp colour contrast to help create a real sense of 3-dimensionality of my subjects.
I want to explore the ideas of symbols in imagery. Tattoos often have certain connotations and meaning associated with them, such as a bird symbolizing freedom and “spreading your wings”. I would like to use some of these common subjects of meaning so that the art can be easily read. Symbols can be used against each other to emphasize their meaning or to contrast from each other. (Examples: Life/Death, Age/Youth etc.) With the portrait aspects of my work I would like to explore my interest in the face, how simple changes and distortion of facial features can express completely different moods and interpretation from the viewer. A face is something that is recognized by all, I wish to alter the familiar to create a specific mood, more specifically humour with these faces.
I often do my research of other successful tattoo artists through their online portfolios to see how they achieve their depth and amazing colour gradations. As a practicing tool I often do what I like to call “Frankenstein” drawings, where I take one hand from this artist I liked the positioning of, a flower from another, the colour combination in another, and so on to create a new design. These of course I don't necessarily deem as my own works but they help me practice drawing and making a design of many elements work together.
This year I hope to stay consistent. I am easily distracted and like to work quickly and efficiently which has taken away from the quality of my work in the past. This year, I hope to pace myself better and really focus on perfecting a work and by the end of the year, have a strong cohesive body that is amusing to look at yet beautiful. To remain focused I would like to complete a painting every two weeks while creating smaller ideas and works during that time period. Due to a minimal course load this semester I look forward to spending this time available developing my work to be stronger on a conceptual level.
I would like to focus on acrylic painting for my portraiture, and also work on some smaller colour studies in Prisma marker and pencil crayon. Painting has been my focus throughout my art education but drawing is my true passion which I hope to render these smaller drawings into larger painted pieces. For the paintings I plan on using a variety of colour, paint pens to assist in smooth outlining where necessary, and am hoping to try using spray paint for certain textured visual effects. The smaller paper works where I will be using mostly marker I hope to incorporate pencil crayon into shading and fading techniques. Practicing the use of distinct varying line work and sharp colour contrast to help create a real sense of 3-dimensionality of my subjects.
I want to explore the ideas of symbols in imagery. Tattoos often have certain connotations and meaning associated with them, such as a bird symbolizing freedom and “spreading your wings”. I would like to use some of these common subjects of meaning so that the art can be easily read. Symbols can be used against each other to emphasize their meaning or to contrast from each other. (Examples: Life/Death, Age/Youth etc.) With the portrait aspects of my work I would like to explore my interest in the face, how simple changes and distortion of facial features can express completely different moods and interpretation from the viewer. A face is something that is recognized by all, I wish to alter the familiar to create a specific mood, more specifically humour with these faces.
I often do my research of other successful tattoo artists through their online portfolios to see how they achieve their depth and amazing colour gradations. As a practicing tool I often do what I like to call “Frankenstein” drawings, where I take one hand from this artist I liked the positioning of, a flower from another, the colour combination in another, and so on to create a new design. These of course I don't necessarily deem as my own works but they help me practice drawing and making a design of many elements work together.
This year I hope to stay consistent. I am easily distracted and like to work quickly and efficiently which has taken away from the quality of my work in the past. This year, I hope to pace myself better and really focus on perfecting a work and by the end of the year, have a strong cohesive body that is amusing to look at yet beautiful. To remain focused I would like to complete a painting every two weeks while creating smaller ideas and works during that time period. Due to a minimal course load this semester I look forward to spending this time available developing my work to be stronger on a conceptual level.