Showing posts with label Painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Painting. Show all posts

Friday, April 8, 2011

Liquid Light

This painting was made after the DRIP show we performed at the Fringe Festival in 2008 called WET. During the show we had dancers performing silhouetted against a screen projected with light and different colored liquids. It was an absolutely breathtaking show to watch as well as be a part of.


Months after the show I made this paining and I had a bit of a revelation. This painting reminded me of drawings that I made in 7th grade that were very similar. A figure silhouette against a green background with light radiating around their body. For some reason I never saved those drawings and I had almost forgotten about making them until I had finished this painting. 

That memory ended up being a huge affirmation for me. Something I am currently involved with is reminiscent of sketches I made years ago. I felt very in tune with my sub-conscious and my inner child. It reminded me that trusting yourself is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Most people view leaps of faith as dangerous, I believe they can save you. 

I'm on the right track. I know I was made for this. 

Thursday, September 30, 2010

WET Performance

The follow painting was made after working with DRIP during our WET show at the 2008 Fringe Festival. After the show I came across a photo that Tisse Mallon had snapped of Mariko's performance. I was taken by the beautiful colors, the abstract shapes, and the expressive pose. I was so moved by the photograph that I decided to abstract it further and make it my own. 

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Influence from DRIP

These are some watercolor and ink paintings that I was inspired to make after working with DRIP when we did our "WET" show at the Orlando Fringe Festival in 2008. 





Monday, August 2, 2010

Froggies


I don't even remember what this assignment was for. All I know is that it makes me smile. 

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Painting

Admittedly, I wouldn't consider myself much of a painter. I prefer to work in dry media because I feel like I have better control. At one of my final semesters at UCF I enrolled in an Advanced Drawing class. Because only a small number of students signed up, we were all moved into the Advanced Painting class. The instructor told us that we were welcome to draw, however, he encouraged us to paint because that was the only thing he was going to teach. I decided to go with the flow and try to learn something new. To my disappointment the instructor was reluctant to teach the basics of painting and I found myself working in a unfamiliar medium with little direction. I had never taken a painting class before and now I was in an advanced class trying to figure out how to do simple things like use a brush. The only thing the instructor would tell me was that he "didn't like my brush strokes". When I asked him how I could improve my technique he would only offer vague advice like "just keep trying". 

One day he came up to me and again proclaimed that he "didn't like my brush strokes". In a moment of frustration I threw my brush down and said "FINE!". I smeared paint all over my hands and forearms and rubbed them all over the canvas. I rarely used a brush in his class after that. 

"The Sneeze"

After I painted the background yellow I used my finger tips to create the field of green. For the blue, I soaked a rubber dog toy in paint and slapped it against the canvas.

"The Spark"

This affect was achieved by flicking the paint on to the canvas. 


"Slippery"


For this piece I layered thin waves of green over a yellow background. Thick globs of dark green and blue were dropped onto the canvas.


"The Flare"

For this one I painted spurts of red and splattered black on top.

As frustrating as the process was in the beginning, I have to say that I did enjoy the liberation that came from choosing not to use a brush. Shortly before I began these paintings I had started to work with a performance art company called DRIP. The first show I was involved with was one we did for the Orlando Fringe Festival called "WET". During "WET" the dancers used their bodies as a way to move paint and create art. As I worked on these paintings I began to see it as my way to better understand DRIP and use my own body as a medium to create.

Being in a class I was uncomfortable in, being willing to try something new, and ultimately finding my own solutions, helped me relate to art in a brand new way. I was no longer just the creator, I was actively involved and participating on a whole new level.