Final Art Process Reflection

• Identify two works from this school year that you find to be the most successful examples of your creative development. Include image, title, and project for each. 

The two works that I found were my most successful pieces were:

1. Someone Protecting Them Self. (Plaster Sculpture and Clay Moquette)

2. Exploring the Woods. (Ink Drawings and Photographs in Book)

• Explain, using art vocabulary relevant to the project, why these works stand out to you. Also, articulate the development each work illustrates (ie the craft, formal and/or conceptual qualities that you honed in the making of the works). 

Plaster Sculpture: 
     This work stands out to me as a successful work because of all the thought I put into it to simplify the form of the figure. I revised and simplified my figure on paper, as clay, and, finally, as plaster. After focusing on and simplifying the form of the figure, I ended up with a simplified, fluid gesture sculpture.


Book:
     For my book I focused on working with different line qualities. I worked with two different types of drawings: one with a brush and the other with an ink dropper. With both of these I focused on drawing in the dark parts of tree bark in ink, and leaving the lighter parts as negative space. As you can see, the concepts of line quality and shadow were very important aspects to my drawings, and I paid very close attention to these elements of my drawings.

• Identify your least successful work. What did you learn from the experience of making the work? What would you do differently knowing what you know now?

I think that my least successful work was my Texture Sculpture project. In the experience of making this work I learned valuable information about staying focused during class. I had to create lots of different elements to create my sculpture, and I did not use my class time effectively. By not staying focused I ended up with a lot of work to do and not enough time to finish, which led me to rush my work and not pay close attention to detail. This error resulted in a very scrappy looking final product that is not very successful. After learning this valuable lesson I put more focus into our work periods, and my last two projects, the two after my texture collage, are the two that I am most proud of.

• What skills do you consider to be your greatest strengths?

I think that my greatest strength is drawing. Throughout the year we have covered many different mediums, and I have discovered that I am most successful in drawing. Especially during the wintertime, I have honed my drawing skills by drawing in my two sketchbooks (one in class and one at home). From the beginning of the year, when I had no artistic experience to now, to now, I have improved tremendously in all aspects of art, but especially in drawing.

• Evaluate your overall effort in this class. (In what ways did you give it your all? Where could you have improved?)

For the most part, I have put a lot of effort into my classwork. I feel that I always, even if talking to friends, focused on drawing rather than the conversation. In Ms. Seal's words, I always "moved my hand more than my lips". There was one section of one or two days, as I stated above, where I did not focus completely on my artwork and chose to talk to friends instead of working. I definitely learned my lesson when I did that and focused for pretty much the rest of the year. 

• What are you most excited about pursuing in future artistic endeavors?

On looking back at my first year in art, I see the extreme amount of progress I have made. I started this year with no artistic experience, and in one short year I have improved drastically. I am excited to further explore art to see what I am truly capable of with more time dedicated to art. I am planning on taking Intermediate Drawing and Painting next year, and I am looking forward to learning more about painting, as well as pushing my drawing to another level.

• How might skills you've developed in this class impact your learning and process beyond the art studio?

In this class I have learned to be careful. When drawing or chipping away at a sculpture, you have to go slow and work carefully. This act of slowing down applies to many situations in everyday life, you have to go slow and live in the moment, a concept that I think about on a daily basis. By slowing down you begin to love what you have, which makes you a happier person.

 For my book I chose for my theme to be trees, and, specifically, tree bark. In my drawings I have drawn in the shadows and dark areas of the tree bark, which leave the areas of the bark that catch light as negative space.  In my photographs I believe that I showed the form of the landscapes well by strategically capturing textured foregrounds, which adds a layering effect and a third dimension to the photographs. The line quality in some of my drawings are very specific, and one is able to tell that lots of attention was put into the detail of the drawings.