Redesigned Final Piece

I didn’t think my original final piece was consistent with my previous coursework so in order for my art work to flow and remain relevant to my theme I reworked the original (below).

I began by cutting the board up into three sections and keeping the original painted sunset as it related to my prep work and use of warm colours. However the original cacti lacked the detail and collage aspects of my previous work. So for each board I explored separate aspects from my previous work to then form a triptych of collage, sketches and transfer techniques (all shown on previous sheets of work).

 

For the first board I used layered torn sheets as I had on my collage sheet of work, and on how I had painted over print in the past. I tea stained pages from a book my family have had for 5 generations, in order to link to my theme of traces, the tea stain aged them even more and picked up all the small crinkles and tears in the paper.

I then sketched cacti over the top from various angles and in different tones, I chose them to represent the Mexican/American side of my family and the merge of my English family (by using the old book).

In order to make the original background blend successfully I dry brushed paint into the paper so the composition of the piece didn’t go through two harsh extremes. It also gave the paper an effect similar to a faded photo, similar to Rauschenberg’s Retroactive (1963) (canvas and collage) [http://www.thewadsworth.org/robert-rauschenberg-retroactive-i/] due to the way the contrasting colours blend subtlety.

 

For my second board I kept the composition of the sunset at the top in order to keep a consistency with the other pieces, although I painted it upside-down so the paint drips and cacti are drawn upside down to keep a contrast with the other paintings this is why this is placed in the centre of the triptych to show its obvious difference.

This painting base of rough white emulsion was created by accident whilst trying to cover the original image but the texture created an ideal surface for charcoal rubbing and paint dripping. The detail sketches and base of vibrant colour are inspired by Kahlo and her use of intricate yet heavily charcoal shaded sketches combined with her use of warm Mexican folk art tonal colour.

The black paint drips are based on a piece I created previously which was based on Jose Parlas’s Love affair with drips over a detailed background which I added to this piece to combine some of my transfer technique work in.

 

 

For my third board I focused on the texture and roots of the cacti using tonal pencils similar to my original observational sketches. I chose to only do sketching instead of collage on this board to highlight the tones and shadows of the sunset; however I didn’t use shadow on the cacti to make it seem more similar to Kahlo and Rivera’s use of surrealism and folk art where shadows often aren’t features unlike in realism.

Overall I prefer my redone boards due to how they bring the coursework together into a more consistent project by featuring many sections and artists from previous works as well as drawing from my colour and tonal prep work in my sketchbook.

Final Piece Evaluation

 

 

I found that my final piece wasn't that successful because I found it difficult to relate to my previous coursework, I could improve it by adding more tone using charcoal and biro which I found difficult over the paint as it didn't show up very clearly and carved through showing the white emulsion below:

 

 

 

One thing I did like about my final piece were the overall colours especially the warm colours which related to my personal theme which focused on Mexican folk art particularly the vivid colours.

 I painted this section in the style of one of the artists I studied Frida Kahlo by layering acrylic paint heavily to get a thick uneven texture that looks similar to oil paint but without the lengthy drying time which is unideal for this piece.

 

 Although I was disappointed with how the final piece turned out I experimented with the green I hadn't used much previously on another piece:

 

 

I experimented with green in this piece by blending a vibrant shade with blues and reds to see how well it blended with more earthy tones, If I could add to my final piece I would add to the cacti in more shades such as the one shown below.

 As well as this on this piece I also carved through the blue sky layer to show the white emulsion below to show different layers of tone.

 I also experimented with collage in this piece as the base is made of newspaper and text with acrylic paint which I think creates an interesting mountain like texture particularly where its starting to peel and appear really rough, I highlighted these edges using charcoal.

Overall I am much more pleased with this piece than my final piece as it shows a lot more experimental techniques and a better use of materials. As well as that I think it shows a better use of techniques I've learnt during my coursework such as collage, tone and layers.

Collage Progression

These are 2 collages inspired by the artists Jose Parla and Michel Keck and how the layers were formed step by step, I have done full a full analysis of the originals of the two pieces I created here on my blog post : http://www.izzysartblog1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/painting-analysis.html
Firstly is a copy of Parla's collage 'Love Affair':
The first layer was of white emulsion to prepare the page as it was created over text.

The second layer (shown above) was created by dry brushing various brown and sepia shades of acrylic paint to create the effect of an old wall.

 

 

 Then I added layers of writing, covering each other so the messages become unreadable like the original.

Finally I added chalk over the writing to give it an added faded effect, leaving only traces of the original message.

Since then I have added more layers to the collage as I didn't like the way it originally turned out, one major change was adding dripping white paint to the piece as if someone had tried to conceal the writing in sections.

 

The second collage is a copy of Michel Keck's 'Searching for a new distraction'.

The first layer was also white emulsion for the same reasons as before.

Firstly I created a layer of yellow and then blue paint then carved through messages and patterns, I found the effect very interesting and later experimented with creating marks through layers on my other coursework pieces.

Then I applied paint in many different ways such as flicking it or blending it to see how close to the original different effects were.

Then on the left side I created the woman from the original out of newspaper and charcoal and paint, I found it strange to work in such a messy style but I was really pleased with the effect.

Finally, on the right side I layered chalk all over it which blended the charcoal and pastel into one consistent layer.