Concentration #9

This piece doubles as part of my concentration as well as part of my application to RISD :). This piece shows a definite shift in my concentration. To create this close up image of a splashing water drop, I moved beyond the two dimensional piece of paper and created a three dimentional paper sculpture by cutting out the shaded "splashing water" and making them stick out of the page. The only medium I used to create this piece was graphite pencil to give the droplets value. The final product shows a radiation structure through the ripples and the droplets that emerge from the page. I took a risk by making this piece, but I feel as if my risk resulted in an interesting and engaging piece.

Concentration #4

Here is my fourth concentration piece. Continuing my theme of abstracting nature, I created this on water color paper with similar mixed media I have used for my past works. I started off with a watercolor base by using water soluble crayons, layered acrylic paint and went back in to redefine my shapes with colored Sharpies. There is a fairly large amount of contrast and a wide value range throughout. The mood gives an almost busy, fast paced feel, as if the water in the stream is rushing to get somewhere. The choppy surface of the water and the swaying water plants give it a sense of rhythm and movement while the similar shapes throughout the piece add a sense of repetition. The human figure that can be seen in the plants helps to abstract the work. The idea of reality is conveyed above the water, but below it seems a bit more dreamy and unreal. To further the differences between the air and water, I used warm, light coloring above the surface while beneath the surface I chose to use cool, deep colors. I would love to hear any comments or advice because I know this piece could be improved! In this upcoming week, I am going to try to redefine my concentration statement to make it more specific and clear to the viewer. Thanks :)

Concentration #3

First off, I want to say that this concentration piece will be changed a lot as soon as I'm able to work on it more. Overall, I like the feel of the piece with the radial structure of the web and the somewhat concentration structure of the water droplets, but I will make this clearer as I continue to work on it. To create this piece, I first painted with watercolor over the entire piece of bristol board. It is difficult to see, but when the bristol board was still wet, I went back in and scraped off parts of the paper surface to create the lines of the web that originate at the center and give them a jagged feel. I used acrylic paint on top of this and then went in with Sharpies and water colored pencils. My message is a little bit obscure at the moment, but if you look closely in the reflection of the water droplets you can see the shape of a hand. As I work on this piece, I plan to make the mesage much clearer to the viewer. I'll post another image of the final product once I'm happy with it, but for now I would love to hear any suggestions that anyone may have!