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Piece 1: Time is Gold

Materials: For this week's final, I chose to create a piece called Time is Gold. This phrase is a metaphor that means that time is valuable and a limited resource. As time is spent, it will never come back so it should be used to the fullest. For the materials portion, I used watercolors in my sketchbook. Specifically, I used purple and yellow to create a waterbrushed effect for the background.

Complimentary Color: For this section, I used the complentary colors yellow and purple. These colors are found all over the piece in the background and images.

Inspiration from a classmate: I was inspired by Kendal's work from the luxury assignment we had. Specifically, I was really inspired by the enlarged watches she used in her piece. I integrated this into my piece by using watches in the complementary colors of yellow and purple. I also added other pieces that matched the theme to make it my own. For example, the brain is used to enhance the phrases, meaning that time is so valuable individuals need to be smart and spend it wisely. I really wanted this theme to be portrayed throughout my entire piece, which is why there are so many clocks.

Visual: When viewing my artwork filled with various clocks with the theme of time is gold, a person should feel a profound sense of value and the ticking nature of time. The interplay of the different clocks serves as the visual to the reader that every moment is important, urging reflection on how we should spend our time. It should inspire people and make people appreciate the present and the past.

Piece 2: Sandy Isolation

Materials: for my second project, I utilized colored pencils to create a desert landscape. I mixed to sandy yellow colors to create a more sandy look to the piece. I used a much larger force on my darker yellow pencil to create shadows on the rock structures in the back. Then, I layered differently shaped cacti onto my sketchbook to add dimension to the piece. Then, I added roses to the cactuses to make them look more interesting.

Complementary colors: I decided to put red roses on the green cactuses for my complementary colors. As I know, this is not the typical flower that is found on a cactus I think the colors complement each other and really add a pop to the piece.

Inspiration from a classmate: I was inspired by Fiona’s desert piece for this project. To add my own flair to this project, I created a desert that I had pictured in my mind.

Visual: For this project, I wanted people to feel as if they were in a desert. I tried to capture how hot, dry, and open a desert is due to the expansive landscape, minimal vegetation, and intense sunlight. Since this piece has minimal vegetation and few signs of life, it gives a sense of silence and stillness as well, leading to the name of Sandy Isolation.

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For my project this week, I thought it would be fun to make a girl that would typically live in the city. As the girls aesthetic is bold reds and blacks the background I choose is the complete opposite. It is colorful and full of life just like how a bustling city filled with opportunity is in real life.

Attendance:

1. Beret: the beret hat originates from the Basque region, which spans the French and Spanish border. Traditionally, the Basque berets were made from wool that would felt when exposed to rain, creating a snug cap. Felted wool is very practice due to its warmth and water resistance. https://pieceworkmagazine.com/history-of-the-beret/#:~:text=The%20beret%2Dstyle%20hat%20has,warm%20but%20also%20water%20resistant

2. Kiwi: I learned that the kiwi fruit originated in Yangtze Valley in central China. Historically, they were valued for their nutritional and medicinal properties and remain a local delicacy.

3. Pear: in the article I read I found this specifically to be interesting. In the Odyssey, the Greek poet praises pears as a gift from the gods. In Roman mythology, Pomona, the goddess of fruit, held a revered place in the pantheon, and Roman farmers recorded advanced techniques for pear cultivating and grafting.

4. Red lipstick: over 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, red lipsticks were made from crushed gemstones. Later, ingredients like red algae and fish scales were used. The first molded lipsticks, similar to today’s were invented by Abu Al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi during the Islamic Golden Age.

5. Shopping bags: in 1871, Margaret E. Knight invented a machine for flats bottomed paper bags, improving capacity. In 1883, Charles Stilwell’s machine added pleated sides for easier folding and storage.

6. Perfume: perfumes date back thousands of years, used in ancient Egypt, Rome, Mesopotamia, and Persia for hygiene, ceremonies, and as symbols nobility.

7. Starbucks: Starbucks began in 1971 in Seattle’s Pike Place Market offering roasted coffees and teas. The shop quickly became a global sensation.

8. Bag charms: I learned that in the Neolithic Era leather bracelets were decorated with bone, shell, wood, and other materials as early forms of personal style. In ancient Egypt, these charms evolved into symbols of protection and good luck. Today they are still used to show off personal style.

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For my portrait this week, I chose to collage a luxury lifestyle, including designer clothes, makeup, handbags, and vacation locations. The images I chose really capture the essence of glamour and expensive taste. I chose to put Sofia Grainge in front of the collage because I truly think she is timelessly chic. I added huge diamond earrings and a diamond necklace to put an exaggerated emphasis on how rich and glamorous she is. The teardrop diamonds can also symbolize love, commitment, purity, and eternal beauty, which I think are qualities she exemplifies through the media.

I chose to do the same influencer, Sofia Grainge, for her affluent lifestyle. I selected this particular image because it was posted in September, and she is wearing a symbol outfit, but she makes it look effortlessly chic. While she looks like she is dressed out of my Pinterest board, I am wearing a hoodie and leggings every day to class.

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Activity 1:

I decided to draw a portrait of my boyfriend Zach. I chose to draw him because he is charismatic and charming. His smile lights up a room which is why I tried to capture that in just his straight face and in his eyes. I have never really tried to draw someone like this so it was a challenge for me, but in the end I really liked the outcome of it.

Activity 2:

For this part of the assignment I went for a walk in the bonaventure trail. It was beautiful to walk on the trail this time of year because the trees are changing colors. I hope someone else sees this and can maybe add to it.

Activity 3:

I hosted a fall themed sip and paint with my roommates! It was super fun to spend time with them and watch a Halloween movie and just get super creative. I think all of the canvases turned out so cute and now we have some art to go in our living room! Overall this was my favorite assignment of this year!

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For my collage this week, I decided to do a beachside landscape. For the animals human hybrid portion I used a fish and morphed it with a suba diver and I did a flamingo morphed with a surfer. This piece was fun to make because I love the ocean and ocean wildlife.

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Brody, I chose to reblog your most recent midterm skull piece because your work has significantly improved so much over the semester, and I wanted to highlight that. Seeing your piece on my feed this past week was awesome. I loved how you turned the skull into a witch’s brew keeping the Halloween theme. As I scrolled through your Tumblr, the progression from your birth to death piece stood out to me. Even your skills from the landscape assignment have grown noticeably. I am very excited to see what you create this week and for your future assignments!

MIDTERM:

For this assignment I chose to transform my skull into a witches cauldron. I felt that it fit the halloween theme really well. I chose the cauldron because as I was drawing the skull I noticed that the rounded sides at the top sort of looked like a bowl and that's when my idea came about. I then chose to only color the top and do only shading on the skull because I wanted the cauldron to stand out. Along with that, instead of doing traditional red and orange flames I picked purple because it reminded me more of a witch and their potions. I thought that it would give the drawing a more spooky look compared to the normal flame along with making the green bubbles contrast better. I also chose to leave the background blank because I didn't want it to take away from the skull or make it look too cluttered.

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For my midterm this week, I decided to take pictures of trees on campus. In the first picture, I was walking towards the fields and saw a cluster of trees. To enhance the photo, I used the noir filter on my iPhone camera making it look spookier. For the second photo, I was walking on the path towards Francis and took a picture of the tree by the townhouses. I used the same filter in this photo as well. For the last photo, I saw the street lights and the trees and thought it would look spooky in a noir filter. I chose to photograph trees because an individual doesn’t know what can be lurking behind the trees. Especially, in a forest animals, insects, and the unknown can be hiding in there.

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For my Halloween-themed drawing I decided to draw a skull forming into a flower garden. I used multiple colors on the skull to enhance the colors of the flowers. I decided to do flowers because of their connection with death. Flowers are used in funeral arrangements or as gifts for those who have lost a loved one. The red, pink, and white particularly because the colors symbolize remembrance.

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My birthday is August 2nd, and I am a Leo! From my research I have learned that Leo’s are a fire sign represented by a lion. Leo’s can be described as leaders who are assertive and driven.

Summer brings on feelings of nostalgia and carefreeness. During this time, people often take vacations and take a break from their usual routines. The essence of summer often brings thoughts of warmth and sunshine. So in my piece I wanted to capture that feeling by creating a burst of sunshine as the background. I also included a woman on a raft relaxing in the ocean to emphasize the carefreeness of summer.

The animal connected with Leo’s is a lion. The lion spirit is associated with invincibility, self-confidence, and bravery. This animal has a strong and unique symbolism. Lions can help you overcome challenges with bravery and nobility. I used a photo in my piece of a lion to show the strength and courage it represents.

For my collage, I really wanted to emphasize the nostalgia so I used pictures that looked vintage to me. Along with this, I also really enjoyed making the piece using collage. I like how she describes that nothing is linear and you can just play around until you like it without rushing. (10:35-11:10) I love going to the beach and being out in the sun so it was fun for me to use pieces that reflected pictures I liked.

The singer that has the same birthday to me is Charli XCX. I like the song Speed Drive by her.

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For this weeks project, I was inspired by my classmates Brooke and Grace to do a beach scene. I liked the palm trees Grace used in her piece so I incorporated them into mine. I also was inspired by Brooke's sky in her landscape. Specifically, the pinks, reds, and yellows. For my own twist on the two peices I collaged in the corner and used cutout words from a magazine to say "life's a beach."

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For my project I decided to recreate the sunset from outside my house. I used watercolor and colored pencils for this piece. I used cool tones to replicate the grass and the sky line. Then I used warm tones yellow, orange, and red to create the sunset. I used collage pieces to try to replicate my roommate and some trees. I added cats because our neighbors have a ton of outdoor cats that hangout outside our house which I thought was fitting.

For my celebrity in complimentary colors I chose Taylor Swift she is wearing a sparkly blue top and a sparkly orange skirt. She wears this during her concert during the 1989 portion.

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For my landscape piece I was looking for inspiration online and was inspired Claude Monets artwork called Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies. As my piece does not compare to this work of art, I used a Crayola watercolor set and Crayola colored pencils as an overlay. The YouTube video showed me how to enhance the water-colored piece with small details in colored pencil. Because the watercolor pallet was pretty basic, I mixed colors to get my desired colors. Once the piece was dry, I added animals and plants I thought would make the piece come to life.

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Hi I’m Olivia Russo! I’m a senior health science major from Whitesboro, NY. I’m also co-president and founder of the health science club here on campus.

I have never taken an art class, but I have always enjoyed being creative. All my art in my room and dorm is pieces I have created. For example, I love doing diamond painting and rhinestone canvas art. I’m super excited for a great year!