Beginning Studio Art
For this class, we each had to pick a concentration for the semester. Mine was combining dance with fish and aquatic-themes. I chose this because dance is graceful, unpredictable, and powerful; much like water.
First Piece: Fish in the Studio
This is a pencil piece I did as my first project showing fish swimming in an abandoned, underwater dance studio. The broken windows to the right supply the scene with light, and moss and algae grow on the old mirrors and remaining glass.
Second Piece: Beta Fish Tutu Decor
My second piece was a colored-pencil-on-black-paper piece showing the minute details of the fin of a beta fish. The positioning of the body and the spines of the tail give the subject an outwardly flowing motion that mimics that of a dancer's tutu.
Third Piece: Dancing Water
My third piece showcases the delicate moments of dance, like the moment before the female ballerina and the male dansuer's hands meet. I gave the figures aquatic coloring and nail-polish scales that fall from the blue hand to the green to show the connection of the two and show delicacy in the movement of water.
Fourth Piece: Something Fishy
Using an old pointe shoe I actually had performed in this past December, I made it into a "fish" of sorts. I used old green, purple, and blue ribbons for the embellishment in the back to go with the pink ribbons I would tie around my ankle. To create the scales on the box, I used turquoise, light blue, and purple sequins, which I attached with super glue.
Piece Number 4.5: My Degas Dancer
This piece doesn't really have anything to do with my concentration (other than the fact that it's a dancer), but I am proud of it all the same. As a class, we took a field trip to the Denver Art Museum where Edgar Degas's work was being showcased. Here is my own sketch of one of his pieces.
Fifth Piece: Pond-er
My fifth piece depicts a ballerina sitting lost in thought in front of a large fish tank. This work was done in a mixture of vine and compressed charcoal to create the dark, smoky vibe and the dark silhouettes of the fish and the dancer.
Sixth Piece: Preserved in Glass
My sixth and final piece was inspired by my favorite ballet, Giselle, by Marius Petipa. To keep with me theme, I gave the dancers a background of rolling waves made to look like stained glass. To do this, I used a calligraphy pen for the wave outline, and a watercolor crayon (which I went over with a wet brush to get it to bleed). The dancers were drawn and colored with a black Pigma markers.
Self Reflection
My concentration for Beginning Studio Art was showing the correlation between the grace of water and its inhabitants, and the movement of ballet. These pieces do illustrate my theme effectively because each one has some aspect of fish or water, and a reference (or exact representation) of dancers and ballet. My strongest pieces are the ones I used pencil or charcoal for because that is the medium I am most comfortable in. My weakest piece was the “sculpture” piece I attempted with an old pointe shoe, sequins, and ribbons. I have never done a sculpture piece before and I was completely out of my element. To make it better, I could do more effective planning and just take more time to practice with that medium.
This year, I really wanted to expand my horizons and work in mediums that I’ve never attempted before. I was not very proud of most of my pieces, but I just need to spend more time out of my comfort zone. Throughout this process, I have learned that I really should do more work in places where I am not comfortable. I tend to stay where I know I can be successful, rather than challenging myself. This class really pushed me to do that.
I had a really wonderful time with this class. I feel like I have expanded as an artist and I enjoyed seeing how many different ways I could illustrate the same topic. I do feel prepared for AP next year, however I might need to choose a different concentration; something I can expand upon for twelve pieces.