Exhibit text: In my work "Inverted Forest" I try to capture the branches and the leaves that you see in the original images. This piece was created using house paints on a canvas. My piece was inspired by Jackson Pollock, and the photo it is based off of was inspired by Simon baxter. I used Pollock's technique of action painting to get all of the drips and splatters that you see.
Inspirations:
The main artist that I focused on for the inspiration of this piece was Jackson Pollock. Jackson Pollock was one of the leading forces behind the abstract expressionist movement. Jackson pollock used a technique of painting known as "Action Painting". The term action painting characterizes the artist as somebody who will first look at the canvas and see action, they will then let their emotions loose. The artist then takes the paint and drips it over top creating all different forms and weights of line. The artist can also splatter the paint in order to create different effects upon the canvas. while doing this the paint brush would never touch the canvas, it would only hover above it. The Painting "Blue Poles" by Pollock is the main inspiration for my piece, because similarly with mine, it somewhat focuses on a more specific image, in Pollock's work it's the telephone poles, in mine it's the trees and tree branches.
The artist Simon Baxter Is the inspiration for my photography project which this project is based off of. within his photos, he uses much darker tones, and tends to take his photos on foggy days, or days when it’s snowing, making his photos seem almost like a fantasy or a dream. He focuses on very therapeutic and beautiful woodland shots. Simon’s work really makes you take a second to appreciate your surroundings and the world that we have.
In the photo to the left he takes advantage of all the green within the photo in order to make the colors of the central path stand out. He also uses symmetry and patterns within the trees as well as the fog within the background to make the greens pop out more. He did this all in order to create an image that is pleasing on the eyes that when put together with all of these elements makes it seem as if it were from a story. |
Planning:
In my first planning sketch I planned out what section of the image I was going to use and how I was going to use the colors. I had remembered from a class discussion that we could change up the colors and that it was recommended that we did in order to change it even further from the original. This is when I got the Idea to put the image through a simple photo editing software and invert the colors in order to get similar colors and imagery to what Pollock uses and does. You can see all of this in the images attached to the planning sheet as they transition to the next step. After I had all of that planned out I wrote out what my next steps were going to be to start the painting; I did this in an instructional format.
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In the second step of my planning I took the final edited image that I wanted to use, and I looked at it with a keen eye in order to identify all of the colors in the image, from reds to purples to green and blues. I did this so that I would have an idea of the kind of paints I would need to use and to get an understanding of what kind of paints I would need to mix and plan all of that out ahead of time. After I did all of that I identified my inspiration and their techniques in order to see how I should bring those things out in my painting. I knew that I would very rarely touch the brush to the canvas and mainly drip the paint, but one thing I learned was that I shouldn't just follow the image, I should more let my emotions take the reigns and let that dictate how my painting was painted.
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Experimentation:
Another thing that I played around with was the paint that I used. I used house paint like Pollock did, but I played around with different brands and kinds of house paint. I also played around with the different consistencies of paint in order to better understand my medium and how to use it. While I experimented with the consistency I also worked on mixing colors in order to get paints that I didn't have, I did this similarly to how pollock would. Something else that I had experimented with was the different colors within my painting. I used most of the same colors that I had listed in the planning, but when I would look closely again at the image I would see new or different colors, and with the mixing I couldn't get exact colors, so I would experiment and see what worked best and got me the best results.
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One of the things that I experimented with was the drip technique, I did this before every section of the painting in order to have the right consistency of paint but also to understand what I was doing and try out different techniques of it. even after practicing and using different techniques it didn't always come out how I had planned and it had added to the experimentation for later parts of the painting. For some colors in the actual painting I experimented with layering and adding more to the painting and never actually being satisfied with it, I always looked at it like there was something missing. When dripping I also tried out different tools to do so, for some colors I used a paint stick, and others I used a smaller or larger paint brush. I also played around with the way that I "dripped the paint". With some I flicked the paint more, on others I poured it more than I dripped it.
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Process
First thing I did was I took my original image, and cropped it to the image seen to the left. I then put this image through an editing software and inverted the colors to get the image to the right. This became the basis for my painting.
The next thing I did was practice dripping the white paint to get it right and know where to put it, I did this on a piece of cardboard with a wood stick. In the image to the right you can see that I've slightly outlined certain parts of things, specifically the tree branches, especially in the upper right hand corner, and in the lower right hand corner as well.
Now we jump ahead and more colors have been added, I used a little green to show the minty green colors within some of the branches, as you can see in the upper right hand corner, I slightly added a little outline to the one large white stripe that is the branch. In the lower left corner is the dark blue blob that represents a cluster of leaves in the original image. The maroon blob in the lower right corner represents the same thing, but as a different color. I then also added more coral/purple colors to represent the more of the leaves, I did this with the splatter technique I talked about earlier in the experimentation.
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To start the painting, I took black paint and just laid down a base coat of the black in order to get the black background seen in my base image. I tried to do it in a way where the paint brush strokes blend in as much as possible, but you can still see them for the most part. I didn't use that much paint for this coat since it wasn't a huge canvas and I wanted it to be a thinner layer. When putting on the next layers I never let any paint dry in order to let the colors blend together a bit as I dripped them.
The next step that I took was actually applying the technique to the canvas, so as to outline the branches in the image. As you can see between the image of the canvas and the cardboard there are similarities and shapes that are very similar between the two.
This is the point when with all of the layering the image started to take shape and started to reach the end point that I felt was right. I added more of the dark coral color, as well as a blueberry color, and at this point I was using a lot of the splatter technique in order to really get all of the leaves and layer more.
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Critique:
Similarities:
- One Similarity is that both pieces focus on a specific object from within our world. In Pollock's piece, it's the telephone poles, in mine it's the trees and branches.
- Another similarity is that both have very similar mediums.
- The final similarity is the technique used to create both.
- One difference is that Pollock's piece has a much more colorful and brighter composition, whereas my piece contains lots of darks.
- Another thing that is different between the two pieces is the line shapes and length of the lines in both pieces.
Reflection:
Looking back on the project as a whole, I really enjoyed it because I got to try a new medium and style of art that I'm not used to which expanded my horizons of what I can do.
I also really liked how well my inspiration connected with my actual artwork, Im really glad about the inspiration that I chose as well, because I feel like they fit my art style the best. When working on the painting, one challenge I encountered was creating the right images with the dripped and flicked paint.
I hope people see this as ground breaking as Pollock's work was.
I also really liked how well my inspiration connected with my actual artwork, Im really glad about the inspiration that I chose as well, because I feel like they fit my art style the best. When working on the painting, one challenge I encountered was creating the right images with the dripped and flicked paint.
I hope people see this as ground breaking as Pollock's work was.
ACT Connection:
1.) Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
- I am able to identify the relationship between my inspiration and its effect on my artwork through the use of lines, technique, and fantasy like imagery.
- My inspiration Jackson Pollock as an action painter first looks at the painting and sees it as a place to let ones imagination and emotions run free. He pictures it as a place for action and attacks it as such.
- When doing my research and painting for myself I found that painting can often be a thing where you let out your emotions and let them spill out onto the canvas. it is something where you don't have to follow classic rules, if you have something the you feel is what you want to do you should do it.
- The central idea/theme around my inspirational research was the use of darker tones and capturing the lines within the original forest image I took for the photography aspect of the project. This allowed me to focus more on the techniques that I would use to create these lines.
- While reading my research I made inferences about how intentional everything was, and how much the piece was up to you when it came to action painting. I also made inferences about how much you should let your emotions take over, and how nothing was really truly a mistake in action painting.
Citations (MLA Format):
Australia, National Gallery Of. Jackson Pollock Before Blue Poles, nga.gov.au/pollock/.
“Jackson Pollock and His Paintings.” Jackson Pollock: 100 Famous Paintings Analysis and Biography, www.jackson-pollock.org/.
“Jackson Pollock Unauthorized.” The Technique of Action Painting in Jackson Pollock Paintings, www.jackson-pollock.com/action-painting.html.
“Legacy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Jackson-Pollock/Legacy.
“Jackson Pollock and His Paintings.” Jackson Pollock: 100 Famous Paintings Analysis and Biography, www.jackson-pollock.org/.
“Jackson Pollock Unauthorized.” The Technique of Action Painting in Jackson Pollock Paintings, www.jackson-pollock.com/action-painting.html.
“Legacy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Jackson-Pollock/Legacy.