Painting - Final Statement
And so, the end of the painting elective and my first year itself is here. I've attached a video of my work created during this self-portrait project, making these videos has become a habit I picked up earlier in the year.
What I'm proud of
Overall, I'm very happy with the quality of my work. I've seen clear improvement with anatomy, proportions, colour mixing and composition in the paintings I have made during this project.
I've gone outside my comfort zone yet again. Prior to the painting elective, I've never painted so much, worked with such large scale, using media I've never used or was previously not comfortable with.
My personal take on self-portraiture. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring creating self-portraits through non-convention means. I researched hard and thought deeply of how to depict myself and my point of view, and discovered focusing on the deeply personal and almost taboo topic of my personal finances, spendings and possessions felt right to me.
and lastly, I'm excited about all I have learnt. Eoin and Sylvia have been amazing tutors and have taught me lots and shown me different ways of thinking and seeing, such as colour, concepts, media, tools and artists. The library and the exercises I attended have been amazing assets for every step of the way.
I love the work I have created during this time and I'm glad I chose the painting elective.
What I would have done differently.
Right off the bat, I would have tried to balance quantity and quality better. I felt as if I made less pieces than my previous projects as I spent my time focusing on the quality. While I love what I've made I wish I'd have created more.
Experimented with texture and form. I unconsciously worked quite flat. I wish I'd have changed things up and tried out painting on 3D such as on clay or sculpted pieces or perhaps even brought different textures into my works, such as impasto or working on different surfaces. I noticed this flat pattern and towards the end incorporated layered paintings with collage into the book I made.
And last but not least, I'd have researched more artists. The five weeks went by quick and between finishing up my CCS notebook and painting, I carried out less research into artists than I would have liked, I still did research three separate artists and carried over inspiration from previously researched artists but I'd have liked to have done more.
So long first year! New adventures await!















