Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Mind-boggling Game of Chess


Game day- the most exciting waste of a class period an elementary school student can have. It was on one of these very days that I was introduced to the mind-boggling game of chess. The teacher reached into the cabinet and emerged with a pile of abused board games. The kids swarmed around him. I was slow to get over there and the only thing left was chess which made me very sad. It has an unfortunate reputation of being nerdy and I had no idea how to play. However, I quickly learned how from a classmate and it became one of my favorites. I was amazed how fun it was. I've been playing it ever since. I'm not good at it, I've been beaten by children before, but I absolutely love it. Thus, this painting was born. I wanted to use colors that I wouldnt normally use (brown) in a painting to push myself. I think it turned out quite well.

Everyone's a Critic

Being an artist is hard sometimes. It's humbling. Everyone's a critic. I've been getting a lot more criticism about my work lately. The fact is that everyone is not going to like my art- and I'm totally cool with that. It's not about whether people like it or not. I don't do it for the adoration of others. I do it because I want to do it. There's something inside me that drives me to create. I love it. It's my outlet. Don't get me wrong- people liking my art is a definate plus. I like to submit my work to shows because I want people to enjoy it. If I can just get the viewer to feel something- I have accomplished what I've worked towards. I like for my paintings to tell a story, to entertain and evoke some emotion. Every painting tells a story.

My sad attempt at pop art




What is pop art really? I'm still not sure. It was one of my assignments, so I attempted it. I've always had a fascination with dinosaurs ever since I was kid. I had the priveledge of volunteering at a museum awhile back. I was in heaven. When I was done with demonstrations and working in the paleo lab, I would wander around the museum and take in everything... These paintings are an omage to that. The painting with the velocoraptor in the purse is my lame attempt at "making fun of materialism"- one of the classic characteristics of pop art. :) Anyways, enjoy.

The Heart of a Servant


This painting has a lot to do with the soul. Water represents life.