In the Eye of the Beholder

Just last week we were assigned to do large scale portrait of ourselves. This is probably the second portrait of my self in a total of four years, and I was apphensive going in. So i just didnt think of it,; I simply let my hand move (and getting very dirty in the process). This the beginning. the finsihed product is to come




You get the picture?

"Abstract IT!" "Okay....How?"

This was assignment we received. Bascially it was "Draw IT...than Abstact IT!". I tried, really I did, but even looking at 30+ examples I still didn't get. All I thought is that it that abstract art involved using line and color, so...  I basicallly took the same theme I was working on and made so the lines and color created the shape and the objects.  And they all came tumbling after.....



Discarding the Tools


-pastel, acrylic

Must Remember...

The Pass it art. Wanna know what it looked like before ? Well here's your answer.

Just Flew in From Atlanta and Boy Do I Feel....

....Terrified. That's the word terrified. I was at the NAHS conference and let me say this now, I don't stand a chance. IN LIFE.

Anyway, back on more productive note, This is my pass it art. The assignment was to pass our art to someone else and have them work on it the way they wanted and then we got it back and made it our own. THIS is waht I ended up with. It's not that I don't like it; I just feel detached from it, since it's not all my ideas. I am feeling this with my pieces lately. I feel detached. I don't love my lastest ones as much I did. I think what I need to do is go back to what I love doing, but the problem is how do I improve if I'm stuck in one place?

Portrait for a Thousand

For this project we were assigned to make a portrait of our favorite teacher. Truthfully this may only be the third portrait I've ever made and I feel I'll have to do it again. It's not because I think this turned out bad. I think I can do better if I keep doing it. ' So without farther delay, this is my birthday present to you Ms. Anne-Rose Baker!

The Key To My Heart is the Key to Your Doom

The theme for this piece was "Lock It." Let me start out by saying this piece literally drained me. I was so excited to start and had the idea in my head for about a week. To put it down to basics: Me, one week, hours of drafting, hours of coloring, very little sleep.

Okay moving on, because I have moved on to playing cards I decided to continue that route in a less literal fashion. In my research for our last assignment, I found out the Club suit is many times associated with marriage. Also there's this metaphor, saying in marriage the man represent the key and the woman represents the lock. To incorporate these two concepts I had the woman's body shaped like a key and have the key look like a Club, holding a heart shaped locket. I wanted to invoke a play on words ( Lock It=Locket), and invoke two meanings with the picture. One the woman is the key to her own lock and two ....well... notice the vague hand in the cell reaching for the lock and the small 'A' on the woman's cheek? I'll leave the viewer to come up with their own thought. Now some may be wondering why I didn't use the Heart suit. Well, I think it's grossly over used and I wanted to try something...interesting....

Fifty-Two Pick UP!

To continue my theme of manipulation and control through games, I have shifted to chess and plating boards to cards. The foundation for this piece was the theme "Book It". I wanted to make the cards look like they were flying outward. I did not choose the cards' signs by random, I actully went through all 52 cards and found their basic meanings and chose the cards that relate to stories. And so, not neccessarily in order:

'Face Down Card' - The Unknown, Mystery

' Ace of Clubs' - New Endeavor, New Beginning

'Five of Daimonds'- Change in Scenery, Setting

'Seven of Clubs'- Competition, Fending Off One's Adversaries

'Joker'- 'Wild Card', Plot Twist

'Jack of Hearts'- Impractical, Immature, Kind, but Unrealistic -Basically the handsome, funny guy that's always the first to go...or burn

Procrastination Will Kill You

But it's fun while it lasts. Anyway, the next piece of my concentration was suppose to include insects. Yes, I know a spider is technically an arachnid, but .....nevermind. The whole concept of the this is like 'attack on the battlefield" or "descent of the prey". Either it all goes to my thought the games are just like life, and yes horrible things happen, but my question is what makes it happen, and who is really in control of it all. That question is up to the "hand above".

                                                

The End

No, no note that type of end. Let me explain. I have reached the end of another sketchbook. Everytime I get a new one, I collage the cover with a different theme, surrounding one of my favorite cartoon or comic. I title them my 'Sketch Diaries'. I am not sure whether or not show my first-year sketchbook, but my second-year was fantasy based and centered around the

W. I.T.C.H book series, which in turn was adapted by the Italian/French comic series under the same name, created by Elisabetta Gnone . My third and most recent cover was centered around the Gothic American manga Bizenghast by M. Alice Legrow ( one of my inspirations) and fashioned after the neoclassical era. I do enjoy collaging my covers; it's the only pleasure in finishing a book, starting anew.

I Feel Like Dancin'!

......eh, not really., but the inspirations for this next work certainly. This is the product of six weeks of figure studies drawn from actual dancers. Take those drawings, zoom in on one figure,
reconstruct, and a few mixed media
with warmer colors (teacher's suggestion) and you got...yeah...GREEN!

Nom Nom Nom

Get a bowl. Got a bowl? Good.
Not got a bowl? Fine!
Look at you bowl of candy-corn. Look at it!
Look at your bowl. Now back to the painting.
Now back to your bowl. Now back to my painting.
Sadly, your bowl is not my painting, but with acrylic and oil pastel your bowl can taste like my painting. And who wouldn't want a bowl of acrylic-tasting candy corn?

Now look. The bowl is now stale!

Don't Say IT

New assignment in progress: Large Food. And I mean food. Here's how far I've gotten. Finished product to come.

Arrival!!

It. Is. Here! Yes, this this the Lyric piece! Yes, yes. If you look at a previous post , I put the link of this song, "Cosmic Love" by Florence and the Machine. when I listen to this song, I envision a girl decayed and lost by the love she knows she can leave but won't and is stuck in the shadows. So I wanted to portray her lack of independent emotions through the gears in her chest and mechanical chest, as well as her puppet like arm and lack of 'human' part on the frontal side. I also wanted parts of the lyrics to be reflected with certain objects. If you look closely there is "the sun....then moon" and a "shadow of " a "heart". I could seriously spend pages translating but I feel I'll give too much away? Hmmm...
Anyway, listen to the song , and tell me what you think of when you listen. Every mind has its own axis.





-mixed media

Excuses Should Be Shot

Okay, I was asked awhile ago why I wasn't at National Portfolio Day. This is not an excuse. This is fact. I had to help my mother plan my grandmother's funeral, which is taking place in my home country of Nigeria. I am just getting back now to post this. For all those who did go, I hope you had a great time. I'd love to here what the colleges had to say, maybe I can apply it to my own work. I leave now with this. So trite, I know.

"You can shed tears that she is gone,
or smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray she'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all she has left.
You can empty your heart beacause you can't see her
or you can be can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her only that she is gone
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.

Or you can do what she'd want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on"
-David Herkins

Dot Dot Dot

Hello, everyone...Happy Thanks Giving.....yes I'm aware it's tomorrow, but what
s the point of time anyway? I know I said I would post my lyric piece this week, but I've been preoccupied as of late. 'With what?" one may ask, well If I told you it would be a surprise now would it?
Therefore, today, I give you a kitty. Ths assignment was to make a collaged portrait, and when i hear portrait , I think animal. Why? because I'm weird like that.
And I just love black cats.
Remember to give THANKS!

Pain

Pain Pain Pain!! Okay, if this post sounds more tense my previous entries, I apologize. My back feels like it's had a tractor truck slammed into it for the past six hours, and by know in this state I shouldn't been making but, what the heck!- Let's get on with it!

The day- or should I say night- before I began this piece, was bad. I'll just say that, it was bad. So bad that I scrapped all my previous thought and immediately began the thumbnails for this and it pretty much illustrates what I wanted and I find the title extremely appropriate....or inappropriate. Hmm, I'm not getting into details. You tell me.

On a happy note (Ha!) I will be posting my recent piece soon, but more importantly something has occurred for me. I like my ideas. I love my ideas. In fact, I think my ideas are, for lack of a better word, great, but-and excuse my french- Mon execution suce. So I have this question, when a piece is done does one ask oneself is this piece done or is it done well.

Here is a lyric video- Tell me what comes mind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-jgzVHyZd4

Blah

No, I'm not going to sing the song, if that's what you're thinking. Anyway, Happy November. I hope your Halloween was great (really, I do. Mine was snore-inducing), I hope you voted yesterday ( You had better), and I hope this post doesn't, well, 'blah' (not extremely optimistic on that).

This work was based off an artist trading card assignment. I did two full design, cut them up and arranged them in a odd way. I like that it's nice and dark but I still feel it needs something.
Any thoughts?
This week I'm embarking on a new assignment based off my favorite song. Too bad I don't have one-a song I mean. So far I'm thinking it'll be like my 'Control' piece, but who knows how the wind will sway ....or the bones will spill.

Control

I have been told my work is very dark and heavy and I should try using lighter colors...okay.
Anyway, this one has to be one of my favorites. I was inspired by two of my favorite artist M. Alice LeGrow and Remedios Varo. I love both these women and this is the first piece I feel like that actually has me in it.

Shutting Up now

How do you say 'adults' in five languages cause all I got it 'they' 'are' 'so' 'annoying' and that only makes four.
Okay enough about my mood. On to today's post(s)!
Not matter how long I spent erasing doing this bike drawing I still love it, and might I add that I love it so much I want to do more with more views and this time try stippling with pen. Insane! I know! Well, back to ......what was I doing?


Loose

-graphite

Pouring Out

At this point, I have three things I want to do right now for my art and novels, but with school, well.....urgh....
Anyway, the next series I'm thinking of doing, I don't think my teaher would approve if I did for my concetration series. This series will be for me. It will kill me. I will hate, and I will want to take a torch for it, but I know I'll love it when I'm done. Ad this with for concetration for class and my other school work and *shiver* college...I will be in a dark, well, darker mood for the next few.....months. Ain't that just lovely?