< PreviousJOURNAL 220 221 JOURNAL PHO Painting, Drawing and Mixed Media | Prof. Martin Figura PDM 340 Advanced Drawing I: Observation and Interpretation Firenze Fantasy, acrylic paint on paper, 56x76cm Untitled; pastel, charcoal, and pencil on paper, 50x70cm This semester definitely took some unexpected turns and brought me back home to the United States. I am now living with my parents and dogs in our house in Illinois. We only leave the house to go for a walk around the block or go in our garden. This is very different than exploring new things every day when I was studying abroad in Florence. Being isolated has brought up feelings of being trapped and also missing Italy. I have used these ideas in my work while I have been back at home. For example, in my self-portrait as an animal, I dealt with environmental issues of sea creatures getting caught in nets but it also portrayed feelings of being trapped. My final project is about me thinking of Florence and how it all feels like a dream and how I wish to return one day. While at home, I had to get creative because I am not in an art studio with all the equipment that I might usually have in art classes. So, I turned our dining room into my art studio where I could lay newspapers down on the tables and then draw and paint my pieces. I also experimented a lot with new approaches. For example, in the final project, I used a hairdryer to blow around the paint. I had never tried this before but it ended up creating some cool forms and giving a dream-like quality. Making artworks is a great way to express myself during this time and can be relaxing during a time of stress. I am so glad that we got to continue this course even while I am at home because I have experimented a lot and my emotions have influenced my artwork. JENNIFER VERNONJOURNAL 222 223 JOURNAL For this project, I decided to work with the theme of nightmares and fear. Because of the times that we are currently living in, this theme came up quite naturally. This past semester, I have found that my drawings were mostly centered around a human figure, so I wanted this final project to approach something new and different from the other works I have made this spring. I decided to illustrate interior spaces in my home, including a visual representation of the virus in the form of spooky branches that are entering into my home. In the first drawing, I created the corner of my bedroom, with the virus entering through the open window. In the second drawing, I drew the bathroom with branches entering through the sink and tile wall. I created these works using a pencil first to achieve an accurate architectural drawing, then I added ink, charcoal, graphite and collage. I wanted to use multiple materials for this project, because I feel that the use of many materials evokes layers of emotion for the viewer. I chose to work with high contrast collage materials such as black and white paper to make the scene more extreme. I used very harsh and rigid lines to draw the room, and added more free and flowing lines in the branches and collaged areas. This contrast between black and white relates to the range of emotions we feel during this time. The eeriness of our current reality is something we are aware of constantly right now. I wanted these works to represent that this anxiety and fear exists for everyone right now. Going forward, I plan to continue drawing both with these themes and with the other subjects that I have approached this semester. I look forward to going deeper into emotional pieces like these. PDM AVA PEARLMAN Painting, Drawing and Mixed Media | Prof. Martin Figura PDM 390 Advanced Drawing II Always Dancing; pencil, charcoal, 45cm x 60cm Out from Under these Four Walls (2 and 3); pencil, charcoal, ink, collaged black + white paper, 45cm x 60cmJOURNAL 224 225 JOURNAL Isolation has had both positive and negative effects on my creative process. When I first understood that we could not leave our homes or see anyone, I was optimistic. I thought being alone would give me the chance to sit down and really be creative and start a bunch of projects. I remember during school I would wish for alone time like this and just the ability to stay home. But sitting in your house does not offer a lot of inspiration. I started to realize how influential going to school, seeing my friends, living in a city, and just experiencing normal life had been in my art. I had taken for granted being able to go out to a museum or park to get a boost of inspiration. It has been such a drastic change that I was not expecting. I now had to figure out how to inspire myself with all these outside stimulations now being taken away. At first it was hard and I just felt stuck. When I would sit down to work, I would end up staring at my paper with no ideas. I realized I needed to start looking inward, we had all been through so much having to be brought back to the United States from Florence and I had not even tried to process these emotions. All these feelings could be used as inspiration for paintings, drawings, and other art projects. Now that I was more comfortable expressing how I felt in my art, it became much easier for me to give a psychological twist on my projects. Going forward I now realize I do not need outside influence all the time to be creative. Though yes, it is easier to have a studio and a model set up for you to work with, it is very rewarding to create work using how you feel. I also think it has made my subject matter more interesting. Instead of just drawing a set up still life, I have been thinking about the psychology of my pieces. This isolation has made me more conscious of how I translate my emotions into art. Painting, Drawing and Mixed Media | Prof. Martin Figura PDM 390 Advanced Drawing II Self Portrait in Nature; black, white and colored charcoal, 46x61cm Sitting Figure , charcoal and pencil, 46x 61cm PDM CAROLINE AULLJOURNAL 226 227 JOURNAL Isolation has proven to be both detrimental and beneficial towards my creative process. Being isolated may affect every person and artist differently but I have felt my creative process have ups and downs. When my period of isolation began, I felt a complete lack of motivation to complete any pieces. Personally, I have never been good at working in a non-studio setting, as I get distracted quite easily and my creative thoughts get lost. Throughout these isolated times, I have struggled to keep the technical aspects of my creative projects adequate. I’m not sure what the reason is, but without the professional setting of a studio, I begin to work with less structure. I have had to adapt while being isolated to complete my drawings and feel pleased with them. In isolation, I have also noticed the benefits of the creative process. Being contained into one space with little to no social interaction, leaves few things to be the subject for a piece of work. While this sounds negative, I found that I have been able to evolve simple ideas based on my average, repetitive surroundings into developed, concrete ideas. For my final drawings, I was able to use my dog as an inspiration. My drawings started as simple portraits of her and developed into drawings with a narrative. Being isolated gave me plenty of time to sketch through my thoughts and create finished cohesive pieces. Isolation has been obstructive towards my creative process but by adjusting, I have benefited from the time alone and the time familiarizing myself with my intimate surroundings. If given enough time, isolation can become something positive and the experience can add new qualities to one’s creative process. Painting, Drawing and Mixed Media | Prof. Martin Figura PDM 390 Advanced Drawing II Metamorphosis; various types of charcoal, 25,40x35,56 cm My Duality; various types of charcoal, 45,72x60,96 cm Self Portrait in Nature; various types of charcoal, 25,40x35,56 cm PDM JULIA HIGGINSJOURNAL 228 229 JOURNAL PDM My drawings reflect how I feel about the time we are in now being quarantined due to the virus. I have used brain scans to reflect on how when the stress of our regular daily lives is taken away, and we are left with our own thoughts. The biological looking elements in my work are made up and appeared naturally in the process of making the drawing. In these drawings, I have experimented with elements of line weight, texture and transparency. Looking at brain scans has helped me bridge the gap between what is in front of me and my imagination. I can use the shapes from images of brains as guides but then make my own gestures and patterns, continuing to overlap as I add more elements. I am interested in what we can reveal about our thoughts and feelings at a specific time by drawing unconsciously. I let the drawing take its own path and allow every small decision to help me steer the drawing. While drawing, I have left some mistakes or smudges and turned them into an element of the drawing, thus transforming an error into something intentional. The elements of small lines in my drawings that look like raindrops serve as a meditation for me, after working through some of the more messy parts. It is nice to have control and direct the drawing with intention during the last steps by filling the space with particles that provide movement and energy. Painting, Drawing and Mixed Media | Prof. Martin Figura PDM 390 Advanced Drawing II Beneath The Surface; graphite pencil on paper, 22,86x30,48 cm What Is Inside; graphite pencil on paper, 22,86x30,48 cm Mind Map; graphite pencil on paper, 22,86x30,48 cm MIA GRASSIE-CLARKENext >