Self-Reflection

1. I think that for the most part, I have balanced the technical and conceptual aspects of my work well. I like that each piece has a more complex meaning than what the viewer may interpret which plays into my concentration. However, I believe that I could of challenged myself, technically, more. It always felt a rush for time so I was reluctant to choose ambitious pieces. In the next term, I am hoping I can balance my time better so I can spend time creating more complex pieces.

2. I think that my two fruit pieces were most successful this term. I like the end result of them and I think they look good side by side. It was fun using all those colors to create "fruit" yet making it very abstract and open for interpretation. Although I think these pieces were most successful, I think if I had more time, I would prefer my charcoal drawing. The subject was more personal so therefore I felt more connected to it. I am hoping to do another charcoal drawing next term.

3. I realized that I have trouble with time management and sometimes are not able to create a more ambitious piece due to time constraints. It usually takes me awhile to come up with an idea, so by the time I choose a subject, I have very limited time to make the piece. I also have realized what style of art I prefer because I seem to gravitate towards similar ideas and pieces each time. I've noticed that I usually use acrylic paint as my materials in my pieces. I am hoping to maybe go out of my comfort zone during term three and expand my ideas and use different materials.

4. For term 3, I want to do one more drawing and then a larger scale painting involving my mom. I'm not sure exactly the specifics but I have come up with a few ideas hopefully to help me with the "idea process" so I have more time to create the pieces.

5. I would really like my final piece to be something I am really proud of. I feel like I haven't really been able to show what I am capable of yet this year and I ways to challenge myself with this larger scale piece. I know that I want the piece to have something to do with my mom because we are very close. I have a specific idea in mind but I want to explore other areas to make sure this is what I want to do.

Self Reflection

1. Yes I feel like my pieces balanced my ideas and skill level very well except for my first piece. That was below my skill level and I don’t even consider that piece when I think about my skill level and how far I’ve come.

2. I think my most successful piece was the boats on the beach. It was my strongest piece I’ve ever made and the one I enjoyed most. Although at times it got tedious with the little details and my hands got shaky I enjoyed painting it because it pushed me to focus on details I normally wouldn’t bring to light.

3. I work a lot more diligently when I’m enjoying my piece. When I don’t like what I’m working on I tend to get off task because I don’t want to work on my piece. I’ve learned to love acrylic paint this term and want to keep using it for my more detailed pieces.

4. I see myself working in more landscapes because I seem to enjoy them the most. I’ve also thought of picking something people don’t usually think of in everyday life and focusing on all the little details of it. So I guess you could say I have a range of where my pieces will go in term 3.

5. My goal for the rest of the year, that I strongly hope I accomplish, is loving every piece I do. I want to push myself so I love every finished product and don’t stop working until I do. I want to pick pieces that are ambitious for me and are going to push my skill levels, so working till I love and master my difficult pieces is a big goal I have for myself.

Maggie Nemecz

After completing your fourth piece of term 2, answer the following. (25 points)

1. 1. Overall, do you feel that you have successfully balanced the technical (skill-based) and conceptual (idea-based) aspects of your work?

I think that my pieces during term 2 based on technical and conceptual aspects of the piece differed from work to work. I think that some of my pieces were very strong idea-based and less in technical while some were the opposite. I would like to have more of a consistency of strong in both aspects in term 3.

2. 2. Of the four pieces you created this term, which one do you feel was most successful and why? Which piece did you enjoy making the most, and why?

I think that my piece of the clock and the cycle of life was my most successful in portraying my concentration. It had the deepest meaning behind pattern of life and the most connection of all my pieces. The piece I enjoyed making the most was the printmaking road in Ireland. I enjoyed this one the most because of the technique of printmaking.

3. 3. What have you learned about your own working methods since we began in September? Specifically, address your time management, creative process, and material preferences.

Since September, I have learned that I need to be more prepared and have many ideas for my next piece ready at all times. I have noticed that my creative process changes while working on my piece. I may begin with one idea but then end up with a totally different one by the end of the piece. I have worked with many materials and found that I work best with charcoal, but I enjoy acrylic a lot but I need more practice.

4. 4. What direction do you see yourself taking in term 3?

In term 3, I hope to take more chances with the pieces I create (idea-based) and possibly find new techniques to use.

5. 5. What is one goal you hope to accomplish as an artist before the end of the year? This could be a technique to try, to master, or an ambitious piece you have been wanting to do but have had reservations about, etc.

By the end of the year I would like to master acrylic paintings. Before this year I had not painted much and by continuing to practice, hopefully I will be much better at blending ext. by the end of the year.

Laurens end of term blog

1. Overall, do you feel that you have successfully balanced the technical (skill-based) and conceptual (idea-based) aspects of your work?

In terms of being technical, I always pay attention to detail and make sure to define the subject of my piece realistically, so I feel like I have stuck to that value I like to have in my art. I think I’ve balanced the idea-based aspects my work, since it is centered around conveying a particular emotion, mood, or feeling. I think my neck piece conveyed the feeling of being trapped in different ways one can interpret it, my panda bear piece conveyed the emotion of attachment, or fearing either separation or trying new things, my house piece gave off an eerie or spooky vibe, and the purple/yellow colors of the owl painting give off the aura of it being watched during a performance on stage, since those are common stage lighting colors, which is like how it is constantly observed by people in awe of its cuteness at the Brandywine zoo.

2. Of the four pieces you created this term, which one do you feel was most successful and why? Which piece did you enjoy making the most, and why?

I feel that the house was the most successful, because it was the most out of my comfort zone. That was my first scenery charcoal piece ever, so it was a challenge and felt like a risk but it turned out better than I expected and I realized I was capable of more variety in art than I knew I was before trying it. I most enjoyed making the owl, because I didn’t know what to expect free-handing it and doing non-realistic colors, but mixing the colors came more naturally to me than any of my other pieces, so I really enjoyed making it since it was unique for me, not stressful, and I love the colors and animals so I had fun creating it.

3. What have you learned about your own working methods since we began in September? Specifically, address your time management, creative process, and material preferences.

My time management skills have improved a lot since working in September. Now that I know my weakness is being slow at art, I’ve figured out how to better manage my time to finish a project. My material preference started out charcoal and pastel since it was the first thing I tried and enjoyed doing it a lot, but once I tried painting and felt comfortable with that, it became my preference because the final product lasts better with no risk of smudging. For my creative process, I’ve figured out that I’m inspired by doing scenery, portraits, and animals, and that I love to have a deeper meaning in my work but keep it something that could be interpreted as more simple at times as well.

4. What direction do you see yourself taking in term 3?

In term three I see myself trying new things to challenge myself and expand on what I've done now that I have more confidence as an artist. I want to take more risks with my artwork and create pieces that are pleasing to the eye because I like to have art that I like to look at. I want to make pieces that each look more realistic then my last as my skills continue to grow with practice.

5. What is one goal you hope to accomplish as an artist before the end of the year? This could be a technique to try, to master, or an ambitious piece you have been wanting to do but have had reservations about, etc.

One goal I hope to accomplish is creating a painting portrait of either a face of someone I look up to or just a close up eye. I would love to do a piece of a close up blue eye and show all the different color variations within the eye, but I think it would be hard to pull off a regular sized painting of just an eye. In the eye’s iris I want to have a reflection of the Hollywood sign, so it shows a hopeful emotion or someone who dreams big and is wide eyed. I haven’t tried a color painted portrait of a person, but I think it would be cool to do one I have taken at a concert of a singer I like, since the lighting would be awesome. My other goal would be to do a city scene painting where you see the road after it had been raining with the way city lights reflect off wet pavement, which I think would be challenging to show distorted reflection like that.

Katie Schneider 4th Concentration piece

After completing your fourth piece of term 2, answer the following. (25 points)

1. Overall, do you feel that you have successfully balanced the technical (skill-based) and conceptual (idea-based) aspects of your work?

I think that I have successfully balanced the technical and conceptual aspects of my work. I have learned that portraits are what make me enjoy creating art and delivering it through my own eyes.

2. Of the four pieces you created this term, which one do you feel was most successful and why? Which piece did you enjoy making the most, and why?

I think my most successful piece was the painting of my cousin’s daughter. This helped me to realize that I am best at people and that it is what I enjoy doing most. It helped me to know that I should focus on people and improving my skill on a higher level.

3. What have you learned about your own working methods since we began in September? Specifically, address your time management, creative process, and material preferences.

I have worked with paint this whole year and have definitely been improving my skills with acrylics. I think that when you work on something you enjoy it is much more easier to express it and you will become excited about working on your projects. That is what art is all about, creating beautiful and inspired work.

4. What direction do you see yourself taking in term 3?

In term 3 I think I will continue to improve my skills on creating people. I have only worked with paint this year, but I would love to use pastels and charcoals in term 3 to continue my concentration with portraits.

5. What is one goal you hope to accomplish as an artist before the end of the year? This could be a technique to try, to master, or an ambitious piece you have been wanting to do but have had reservations about, etc.

By the end of the year I would like to accomplish a piece that looks very realistic and like the subject. This means that I have improved and learned how to successfully create realistic portraits, my style.

1. Overall, do you feel that you have successfully balanced the technical (skill-based) and conceptual (idea-based) aspects of your work?
I think have been able to balance both technical and conceptual aspects of my work. Creating a concentration definitely helped me to come up with ideas for my work. It gave me a framework yet there was a lot of freedom within my topic of Focus.

2. Of the four pieces you created this term, which one do you feel was most successful and why? Which piece did you enjoy making the most, and why?

I think that each of my pieces were successful for different reasons. My Mixed Media piece of Enrique Iglesias was effective because I believe it is the most obvious example of Focus. I think technically my NYC charcoal piece was the most successful.

3. What have you learned about your own working methods since we began in September? Specifically, address your time management, creative process, and material preferences.
I have learned that I should come into class with an idea for my next piece so that I do not waste class time. I have tried out many materials this year and I have realized that I like acrylic, pastel, and charcoal the best.

4. What direction do you see yourself taking in term 3?
After trying many new materials and styles in the first two terms, I would love to use more pastel, charcoal and paint. I also enjoyed creating my Mixed Media piece so I will try to do another in Term 3.

5. What is one goal you hope to accomplish as an artist before the end of the year? This could be a technique to try, to master, or an ambitious piece you have been wanting to do but have had reservations about, etc.

I really want to try to do a big piece! It would be challenging and time consuming, but it would be worth it in the end. If this isn't possible I would like to do a drawing of me and my three brothers.