Self Portrait
Title: Bubbles in Abstract
Size: 4 feet by 4 feet
Medium: Acrylic paint and Canvas
Completion: March
Size: 4 feet by 4 feet
Medium: Acrylic paint and Canvas
Completion: March
Exhibition Text: Throughout the 15th century up until present day, self portraits have been a staple in expressing oneself through art. This piece represents both the good and evil inside of a person, as well as as close to a vision of myself as possible without losing the pieces personality.
Inspiration:
The inspiration for this piece came from the artist Larry Rivers. Rivers was an accomplished Jazz musician, a painter, sculptor, poet, actor, television personality, filmmaker, an MC at nightclubs, a popular personality on the lecture circuit, author and teacher. He’s been aptly referred to as “a renaissance man,” but perhaps he’s most often recognized and ironically at times equally under appreciated as one of if not the key founding fathers of Pop Art. An artist, jazz musician, former quiz show participant, part-time Hamptons resident, and flamboyant gadabout, Larry Rivers’ celebrity persona sometimes overshadows the depth and range of his artwork. Spanning seven decades and a variety of media, Rivers’ oeuvre shows his willingness to explore new styles, techniques, and media, and also reveals his commitment to signature elements throughout his work: a technical virtuosity, repeated art historical allusions, references to popular culture, clever wit, and a sustained engagement with familiar, intimate subjects. Rivers’s works were characterized by competent draftsmanship, a fine sense of colour, and the frequent use of complex, fragmentary, and multiple views. Beginning in 1961, commercial images, such as cigarette packages, figured prominently in his pictures, which, after 1963, frequently had elements of collage, construction, and sculpture. All of these things made Rivers a perfect example for my inspiration work. He was creative enough to not have to mimic him perfectly, but also had a style that was easily recognizable. The Drummer, 1958
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Blackjack: Black Queens, 1989
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Planning:
As I began working out my planning process for this piece I knew I would have to be specific about the connections that I was going to make so that it could be more obvious to the viewer. I needed to find an inspiration that showed use of color to create tone, while also being abstract for the viewer to look at and enjoy. I came across the painting "Self Portrait". This painting showed a self portrait of the artist with a overwhelming use of warm tones to create warmth and mystery in the piece. These elements truly spoke to an emotional piece, exactly what I was looking for. My theme changed throughout my planning and eventually became "confusing". This was important for my work because it was to display the abstractness of a self portrait and how it can become a new version of yourself. I worked on listing ways in which I could display similarities in my artwork. Eventually I came up with a list of things that give me a consistent idea;
1. Have random shapes to distract the viewers eyes
2. Have the face be the most detailed part of the painting so it can be a viewpoint
3. Use a lot of warm tones in the piece
These three things helped me to shape my artwork into a piece that would truly show emotion and theme as the main ideas of the work. In order to properly plan this piece I began by laying out what I wanted to accomplish each day that I would work on the piece. I began with picking out a color pallet that would properly fit into the theme of my piece. This would allow me to keep my creativity balanced while also being productive. Next, I worked on what my main focal point would be. I planned on following in my inspirations footsteps, and using the face, the most realistic part of the painting, as well as the eyes, to show the amount of emotion in the piece. This would allow me to use all of the three elements listed above to truly show the theme. Lastly, I planned out my composition, because my piece was a very larve canvas, I had had to take extra time on this step. I wanted the piece to be able to fit over my own face in a way that felt natural. To do this I had had spend time making sure the piece all came together properly, and not overly confusing, which would cause the focal point to change as I created the piece.
As I began working out my planning process for this piece I knew I would have to be specific about the connections that I was going to make so that it could be more obvious to the viewer. I needed to find an inspiration that showed use of color to create tone, while also being abstract for the viewer to look at and enjoy. I came across the painting "Self Portrait". This painting showed a self portrait of the artist with a overwhelming use of warm tones to create warmth and mystery in the piece. These elements truly spoke to an emotional piece, exactly what I was looking for. My theme changed throughout my planning and eventually became "confusing". This was important for my work because it was to display the abstractness of a self portrait and how it can become a new version of yourself. I worked on listing ways in which I could display similarities in my artwork. Eventually I came up with a list of things that give me a consistent idea;
1. Have random shapes to distract the viewers eyes
2. Have the face be the most detailed part of the painting so it can be a viewpoint
3. Use a lot of warm tones in the piece
These three things helped me to shape my artwork into a piece that would truly show emotion and theme as the main ideas of the work. In order to properly plan this piece I began by laying out what I wanted to accomplish each day that I would work on the piece. I began with picking out a color pallet that would properly fit into the theme of my piece. This would allow me to keep my creativity balanced while also being productive. Next, I worked on what my main focal point would be. I planned on following in my inspirations footsteps, and using the face, the most realistic part of the painting, as well as the eyes, to show the amount of emotion in the piece. This would allow me to use all of the three elements listed above to truly show the theme. Lastly, I planned out my composition, because my piece was a very larve canvas, I had had to take extra time on this step. I wanted the piece to be able to fit over my own face in a way that felt natural. To do this I had had spend time making sure the piece all came together properly, and not overly confusing, which would cause the focal point to change as I created the piece.
Process/Techniques/Inspiration:
As I began putting the final piece together I had had to focus on using my skills as both an artist, but also focusing my creativity. I wanted my piece to cohesively work well together, while also giving off the complexity I was hoping for. I began with some experience in doing semi-abstract work and so I felt confident going into the piece. I began by sketching out the final composition so that I could lay it out next to the piece and grid down what I wanted to transfer over. I also focused on making sure I used majority of the canvas to my advantage. Next, I began mixing the skin tone and other colors I would need for my piece. I knew I had to be focused on the colors because I had a limited amount of paint and so I had to use each color wisely. I wanted the piece to be semi-realistic, it should look like a face, without actually being extremely realistic. This would allow for further creativity in the viewers mind as well. I was also inspired by Rivers use of repetition in his piece, and so I decided to use this in the background of my piece as well. This would allow for an obvious connection, as well as a building block for the final piece. Continuing, in order to create the best quality piece that I could, I focused on my technique a lot. For example, I focused intently on not having huge brush strokes where I wanted the paint to appear smooth. This would promote better composition of the piece in the end. Furthermore, for the skin and the eye bags I wanted to have it be a focal point of the face so that the rest of the piece would fit around it. This, although not completely anatomically correct, would add more depth to the piece. As I finished the face, I began transitioning to the background. I wanted to include a non-realisitc background so that it would stay similar to Rivers. This gave the most simplified version of a background I could figure out. Finally, the hardest part of putting the project together was definitely figuring out how to finish the piece. I have always struggled with self portraits, so I made sure to keep adding details to my face so that I would be able to have a connection to the piece as well as the viewers. |
Top image- The original grid being painted the background nude color
Bottom Image- The process between painting the hair, face, and other parts of the body. Finished first eye is also shown |
Experimentation:
In my past experimentations with art, I have not focused on creating such a large scale piece. This creates a struggle for me when I choose to challenge myself composition I choose to use. I first began my piece by focusing on just the final composition of how I would connect my inspiration to my final creation. I knew that I wanted the piece to look cohesive, while also being made up of several different components. So I experimented with different shades of color for each element of the mask, as well as adding other unusual shapes that would shadow around the piece. Doing these things helped me better understand how to put together the final composition for the piece. I made sure to focus on what different backgrounds would look like so that I could be happy with the contrasting of the final piece. During the process I learned three very important things:
1. Manipulating paint when it is wet is hard to do if you want to keep the same color.
2. The colors pink and blue are good to contrast, but come out looking rather basic.
3. Planning out every layer is important for the final integrity of the piece.
Continuing, these three things helped me evaluate my success as an artist and my understanding of my inspiration as I worked on it. I also experimented with the techniques I used to paint the shapes. I used both tape and free hand painting in order to create the background. This trial and error was very helpful for learning in the future how to plan out my piece. Furthermore, the hair was supposed to represent the both the layers of complexity of the piece, as well as a shield to the mouth. This was very hard to do because of the lack of experience I had. This was something I struggled with originally because it was an aspect of the piece I wanted to include, but I was unsure how to get it looking correctly. Eventually I was able to have a final creation that resembled hair and did not take away from the focus of the face. Finally, with these concepts, I was a was able to create a piece that flowed and used line and balance to create a face like my own. Using my new skills surrounding technical art, I had a better understanding of using paint to create a self portrait.
In my past experimentations with art, I have not focused on creating such a large scale piece. This creates a struggle for me when I choose to challenge myself composition I choose to use. I first began my piece by focusing on just the final composition of how I would connect my inspiration to my final creation. I knew that I wanted the piece to look cohesive, while also being made up of several different components. So I experimented with different shades of color for each element of the mask, as well as adding other unusual shapes that would shadow around the piece. Doing these things helped me better understand how to put together the final composition for the piece. I made sure to focus on what different backgrounds would look like so that I could be happy with the contrasting of the final piece. During the process I learned three very important things:
1. Manipulating paint when it is wet is hard to do if you want to keep the same color.
2. The colors pink and blue are good to contrast, but come out looking rather basic.
3. Planning out every layer is important for the final integrity of the piece.
Continuing, these three things helped me evaluate my success as an artist and my understanding of my inspiration as I worked on it. I also experimented with the techniques I used to paint the shapes. I used both tape and free hand painting in order to create the background. This trial and error was very helpful for learning in the future how to plan out my piece. Furthermore, the hair was supposed to represent the both the layers of complexity of the piece, as well as a shield to the mouth. This was very hard to do because of the lack of experience I had. This was something I struggled with originally because it was an aspect of the piece I wanted to include, but I was unsure how to get it looking correctly. Eventually I was able to have a final creation that resembled hair and did not take away from the focus of the face. Finally, with these concepts, I was a was able to create a piece that flowed and used line and balance to create a face like my own. Using my new skills surrounding technical art, I had a better understanding of using paint to create a self portrait.
Critique:
Similarities:
1. Composition- Both pieces are made up of a focal point, a background, and a foreground. They all work together to create a cohesive piece that works as one big image. The face of the piece is also the most detailed part of the piece for both artworks. Rivers focused on making the viewer want to see the person and try and identify who they are. I kept the same idea in my painting through decided to do a self portrait with his style in mind. 2. Media- Both pieces use acrylic and canvas to create their painting. Rivers also uses oil in his paintings, but switches between acrylic and oil. Both artists also focused on painting and not creating a mixed media piece. This made sure that the inspiration and the final piece were as closely related as possible to the viewers naked eye. 3. Color- Both pieces surround the same color pallet. Warm tones of blue, red, and yellow are all used to create the final piece. Rivers wanted all of the pieces to be entirely unique to themselves, and so having a specific color palette helped for each piece to look unique to the viewer. I also took this in my inspiration by making sure that the piece was not exactly like something else I had painting in the past, using new colors. |
Differences:
1. Theme- The theme of the pieces, although similar, are not he same. Rivers wanted to focus more on creating a person to distort their opinion of the person in the painting, whereas I wanted the viewer to make a connection between me and the painting. The paintings focused on creating two separate projects with the same subject matter in mind. 2. Focus- The focus of the two pieces originally started from two separate ideas, Rivers wanted to focus on creating a distorted view of himself. He used music as his inspiration which helped him create the shapes in his pieces. I did not use music for my inspiration, rather just Rivers pieces and my own imagination. These two differences produced two very different outcomes of focus. Rivers, arguably, more deeply thought through from the viewers point of vision. 3. Line- The line usage in this piece is a lot more evident in Rivers piece through the repetitive use of line to recreate the outline of his self portrait several times. My piece uses line to create a window like background using basic shapes, but does not repeat the same repetitive face to create a more complex line formation. |
Reflection:
Looking back on the final piece that I created, I am very proud of the process and product I was able to produce. I was able to adapt quickly to using a skill set I was not used to using, which helped me learn about what my strengths and weaknesses were. Continuing, I was able to see a clear connection between my inspiration and my final piece. I included similar themes, as well as similar colors in creating my piece. I knew in the beginning of this piece I had to focus on getting to a final product and not correction every single mistake that I would make. Although I am not a perfectionist, when I work on art I tend to over analyze the piece I am creating and never finish my projects. Knowing this was something I would have to work around I planned out each day and how much work I would get done on that day. This helped me to finish my painting in a timely manner and create a piece I was truly proud of.
Continuing, my favorite part of creating this piece was definitely creating the mouth of the mask. I had never created a piece completely out of felt before, so it was a fun test of skill. I enjoyed the amount of creative freedom it gave me when I worked on putting all the different ideas in my head together. Originally I did not know what to put over the edges of the piece, but as I worked slowly it all eventually came together. Continuing, when I try and create a self portrait piece it can be difficult to stick to a specific theme. Technique was something that i worked hard on staying consistent through this piece and this was reflected in the final product. Even now, I am still working on improving my skills when it comes to felt, but this process showed me the strengths and weaknesses I already had.
In conclusion, I hope that others take my work as a chance to look back on their own life. My work is supposed to enlighten the viewers so that they have to think of a deeper meaning, not just what someone could see at first glance. My piece is to be seen as reflective a common emotion that a lot of people experience. Especially during 2020 and 2021 regret has been present in everyone’s house and so this piece gives light to that struggle. Finally, in the future I would like to work on having more than one mask so I can represent the emotion in several ways. This would had another layer of complexity to my piece.
Looking back on the final piece that I created, I am very proud of the process and product I was able to produce. I was able to adapt quickly to using a skill set I was not used to using, which helped me learn about what my strengths and weaknesses were. Continuing, I was able to see a clear connection between my inspiration and my final piece. I included similar themes, as well as similar colors in creating my piece. I knew in the beginning of this piece I had to focus on getting to a final product and not correction every single mistake that I would make. Although I am not a perfectionist, when I work on art I tend to over analyze the piece I am creating and never finish my projects. Knowing this was something I would have to work around I planned out each day and how much work I would get done on that day. This helped me to finish my painting in a timely manner and create a piece I was truly proud of.
Continuing, my favorite part of creating this piece was definitely creating the mouth of the mask. I had never created a piece completely out of felt before, so it was a fun test of skill. I enjoyed the amount of creative freedom it gave me when I worked on putting all the different ideas in my head together. Originally I did not know what to put over the edges of the piece, but as I worked slowly it all eventually came together. Continuing, when I try and create a self portrait piece it can be difficult to stick to a specific theme. Technique was something that i worked hard on staying consistent through this piece and this was reflected in the final product. Even now, I am still working on improving my skills when it comes to felt, but this process showed me the strengths and weaknesses I already had.
In conclusion, I hope that others take my work as a chance to look back on their own life. My work is supposed to enlighten the viewers so that they have to think of a deeper meaning, not just what someone could see at first glance. My piece is to be seen as reflective a common emotion that a lot of people experience. Especially during 2020 and 2021 regret has been present in everyone’s house and so this piece gives light to that struggle. Finally, in the future I would like to work on having more than one mask so I can represent the emotion in several ways. This would had another layer of complexity to my piece.
ACT Questions:
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
- While completing my artwork I was able to clearly identify the cause and effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect on my artwork through the discussion of focus point and color. My inspiration directly influenced the face being so detailed and color scheme, as well as how the piece was going to be interpreted by the viewer. This showed an obvious cause and effect relationship.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
- The overall approach my author had regarding my topic of inspiration is that he wanted to create pieces of work that immediately struck the attention of the viewer. Rivers did not care about what "Impression" he made. He made the work for himself. He focused on creating portraits/paintings that look unique, and this is just what I wanted my inspiration to allow my final piece to become.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- While working on my art piece I have had to make generalizations about the message that my inspiration artist wanted to have come across with her work. This artist is not extremely well known to the levels that Picasso's is, and so there are not as many resources about him. This made me make generalizations about some of the information I read. I also made generalizations about the intentions that would come across in my work.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
- The central idea/theme of my inspirational research was focused on expression. This focus would ultimately lead me to focus my research on technique rather than the history of the artist.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
- While I was reading my research I made inferences about time periods and other sorts of understandings that were not explicitly stated when reading. I wanted to make sure that my inspiration matched my research, so I inferred which cites and articles would be best to get that information from. I also inferred how the information would best connect with my final product of a drawing.
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
- While completing my artwork I was able to clearly identify the cause and effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect on my artwork through the discussion of focus point and color. My inspiration directly influenced the face being so detailed and color scheme, as well as how the piece was going to be interpreted by the viewer. This showed an obvious cause and effect relationship.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
- The overall approach my author had regarding my topic of inspiration is that he wanted to create pieces of work that immediately struck the attention of the viewer. Rivers did not care about what "Impression" he made. He made the work for himself. He focused on creating portraits/paintings that look unique, and this is just what I wanted my inspiration to allow my final piece to become.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- While working on my art piece I have had to make generalizations about the message that my inspiration artist wanted to have come across with her work. This artist is not extremely well known to the levels that Picasso's is, and so there are not as many resources about him. This made me make generalizations about some of the information I read. I also made generalizations about the intentions that would come across in my work.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
- The central idea/theme of my inspirational research was focused on expression. This focus would ultimately lead me to focus my research on technique rather than the history of the artist.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
- While I was reading my research I made inferences about time periods and other sorts of understandings that were not explicitly stated when reading. I wanted to make sure that my inspiration matched my research, so I inferred which cites and articles would be best to get that information from. I also inferred how the information would best connect with my final product of a drawing.
Bibliography:
Hollis. “Larry Rivers.” Hollis Taggart, 2021. https://www.hollistaggart.com/artists/94-larry-rivers/.
Rahn, A. (2010). The Last Civil War Veteran. Haus Der Kunst. https://postwar.hausderkunst.de/en/artworks-artists/artworks/the-last-civil-war-veteran-der-letzte-buergerkriegsveteran.
Arnot, A. (n.d.). Larry Rivers. Tibor de Nagy Gallery. https://www.tibordenagy.com/exhibitions/larry-rivers.
Hollis. “Larry Rivers.” Hollis Taggart, 2021. https://www.hollistaggart.com/artists/94-larry-rivers/.
Rahn, A. (2010). The Last Civil War Veteran. Haus Der Kunst. https://postwar.hausderkunst.de/en/artworks-artists/artworks/the-last-civil-war-veteran-der-letzte-buergerkriegsveteran.
Arnot, A. (n.d.). Larry Rivers. Tibor de Nagy Gallery. https://www.tibordenagy.com/exhibitions/larry-rivers.