Final Reflection

Use of color: I've made alot of progress in use my of color. My white objects painting was extremely challenging for me and even though i wasnt able to finish it it taught me alot about how to use color in oil painting. In my white objects painting i struggled alot with finding the finding the exact color of the objects, i tried layering colors and exaggerated colors but in the end was still not satisfied. After that painting however i was able to use both layering colors, and mixing colors to create the colors i wanted. Use of composition: I feel like i came into this course with a good understanding and ability to create good compositions. I was able to experiment more with different kinds of setups, types of objects, and textures,
My ability to create the illusion of different surfaces and textures: In my white objects painting my objects where very 2 dimensional. They were more outlined and My use of light was weak. As i went on my use of light and my ability to create 3 dimensional looking objects improved.In my second painting I was able to create surfaces that appeared transparent, and smooth, and fabrics.
My ability to create the illusion of space and depth: In my surface and texture painting I was able to create a very good illusion of depth. I came into the class with a good understanding of space and depth. I struggled in my white objects painting but after that i really got in the hang of oil painting in general which helped bring out my strengths

Critique Feedback

Use of Color: In my critique everyone really liked the way I created the reflection in the glasses in my surface and texture painting. They also liked my use of light and shadows as well as the color and illusion of transparency in the bow on the bear. But that I may want to differenciate between the black on the headphones and the black of the fabric. Also my group thought that it would be nice to make the edges of my clock sharper.
Depth and Volume: During my critique my group thought that i did a really good job creating depth of the objects, as well as between the objects on my surface and texture painting. We decided that the white objects painting looks more blocky and the objects are more outlined which is why they appear 2 dimensional. They thought that I had really improved from my white objects painting to my surface and texture painting.
Composition choices: My group loved the use of depth in my surface and texture painting. In both paintings everyone agreed that the objects flowed together to create a even composition. They thought i should work on sharper/softer edges to help to diversity of the objects.

White objects thumb nail scetches

finished white objects painting

Surface and texture set-up

Why Oil Paint?

Oil paint was officially invented in the 15th century in Italy/Greece. Usually paint was a mixture of pigment and egg. Jan Van Eyck was one of the first in Europe to add oil paint to pigment. When his paintings were first seen everyone thought it was an incredable invention. It trapped the light and increased the colors intensity. He invented it because he wanted to make his paintings as realistic as possible, with every little detail. Temera paint, which had been used before, dried much to quickly and didnt allow him to make the detail that he wanted. Oil paint dried much slower and allowed him to make better and smoother changes between colors and light making his painting more realistic. Later Leonardo cooked the paint and added 5-10% beewax, which made the color lighter.
Oil paint has been continued to be used by artists and painters because it allows them to rework their paintings to perfection, you can completely erase or paint over things and made extremely smooth gradients of color.

What Is A Portrait?

Sally Mann: Shiva At Whistle Creek
Composition is extremely important in this photograph. She does a great job depicting the young womans personality. The photograph catches her in the moment right before she jumps. The way the photo is slightly out of focus and how she casually peers over the slide of the water fall makes it seem like she is uncertain and vulnerable. Her eyes are closed and shes looking away from where she's going to jump. The artist also creates a dark tone with the colors, which adds to the personality of the girl and the moment.

James McNeil Whistler: Portrait of artists mother
I chose this photo because i really liked the set up. The subject of the painting is an old traditional looking woman, shes looking straight ahead and wears dark colors with her feet planted on the ground. Out the window you can see a big city with bright lights. I love how the two contrast, it shows change over different generations are well as contrasting two different cultures. The fact that the woman is not interacting with anything else in the set makes it feel like she is fighting her suroundings and doesnt accept the big cities and different ways of life. She sits firmly and upright, her stiff figure shows alot about her stubborn nature.

Annie Liebowitz: Whoopi Goldberg
I also really enjoyed the composition of this picture. When i first saw it I barely even noticed there was a person there, which i think is a major part of the reason the artist set it up like that. Not only is the person alone but the tree behind him is also completely seperated from its suroundings. The composition shows alot about the withdrawn personality of the subject. He also seems to have a shy or secretive side to him. At the same time the tree he is standing under is also the highest tree among all the others and has a very strong and important feel about it.