Artwork: Summer Project #2
Title: The Best of Both Worlds
Size: 61cm x 61cm Medium: Watercolor and acrylic on canvas Completion: July 25, 2019 Exhibition Text The Best of Both Worlds is a combination of a beautiful sunset with a breathtaking night sky. This captured a moment when I am most calm and appreciate the beauty of nature. I believe nature is always a part of us and it is important to take good care of our environment. I was inspired by the Empire of Light created by Rene Magritte and San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk by Claude Monet. Both watercolor and acrylic paints were used to produce this piece. |
Planning
Inspirations
Magritte, Rene. Empire of Light. Oil on canvas. Web. 5 Aug. 2019.
My first inspiration was Empire of Light, 1950 by Rene Magritte. I found this piece very interesting and mysterious. It presents a house lit up by its interior lights, and surrounded by the darkness of the night. However, the sky above the house is a daytime sky full of the brightness of a blue sky with white clouds. Half of the image is daytime and the other half is night time. So, I applied this idea to my piece. I decided to create a piece that captures both a sunset and a nighttime scene. This could create some kind of mystery for the audience. |
Monet, Claude. San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk. Oil on canvas. Web. 5 Aug. 2019.
I was inspired by San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk, 1908 by Claude Monet. I first saw this masterpiece in my art history class and I was amazed by the mixture of colors to create a sunset vibe. I am not quite sure what the big object is, but I am assuming it could be a city or some type of buildings. I love how the audience can assume that unknowable object as whatever they see or want. I want to apply different perspective in my piece meaning the audience could create their own image. I was inspired to paint a sunset vibe just like this piece to capture warmth, clam, and pleasure feelings.
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Planning Sketches / Experimentation and Techniques
While working on my 100 photographs, I like this evening scene that captured an in my backyard. So, I used that image as my inference to start my sketches.
I started sketching images that I had in my mind. I wanted to combine two different elements to create a piece. So, I decided to paint a combination of an evening scene on the left side and a night sky on the right side of the canvas. |
I did experimentation with watercolor. I found out that the more water I add to the color, the less visible the color is on the paper. This gave me an idea of using less water for this piece because watercolor might be even less visible on the canvas since I did not apply any base. One thing I love about watercolor as it is easy to blend them out and gives a soft touch to the image. I also did some swatches just so I know what colors I would use for this piece. |
Process
First, I created a canvas using wooden stretchers to create the frame. Next, stapled the corners with a manual staple gun and secure them with a hammer. Then, I added the canvas and cut the extra edges to the frame. After that, I applied one layer of thick gesso to the canvas and let it dry. I repeated these steps to create four canvases for this piece.
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I started with cobalt blue and sky blue on the right side of the canvas. I used Artist's Loft #1 brush to blend the colors. The colors blended well since I used watercolors. I thought the colors would not show that much because I didn't apply any base, but applying less water helps the colors to be more visible. It was important for your brush to go in the same direction. Next, I applied more colors such as carmine, vermilion, white and pale orange to the left corner of the canvas. Then, I blended all the colors from top to bottom of the canvas for the base.
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Once the background is complete, I started painting trees using black acrylic paint with a fan brush at the bottom of the canvas. I like the fan brush because it leaves some spaces to make the background visible. Then, I drew electric lines with black acrylic paint. It was very challenging to create a straight line using a brush. I wasn't happy with the result.
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I applied white acrylic paint and watercolor to cover the black electric lines because I wanted to start over again. It is important to let the paint dry before painting over them. Once everything is dry up, I repaint the background to cover the outlines. Then, I remembered my dad using tape to create straight lines and to cover areas that he doesn't want to paint. So, I used tape to create straight edges to the electric lines.
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I applied a lot of white watercolor to blend the colors really well. After that, I drew a moon to the upper right corner of the canvas and applied white dots using a small brush. Basically, the right side of this piece is a night time while the left side is more like a sunset vibe.
Reflection
Critique
I enjoyed painting this piece because this kind of scene is something that I always wanted to paint. I was glad to have an opportunity to create my interest. There were many challenges during this process. One example would be creating a straight line for the electric lines. I was frustrated because I had to fix the lines to make them straighter by adding more paints. This exactly made the shapes thicker. So, I decided to paint white color to cover the black color so I could start over again. Then, I used tape to make straight lines and it works. Another challenge was running out of paints. That was annoying because I had to stop working until I buy the paints that I need. However, there were many successes. One example would be blending because acrylic paint and watercolor blended well.
Compare and Contrast
"Empire of Light" by Rene Magritte
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Similarities
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Differences
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"The Best of Both Worlds"
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"San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk" by Claude Monet
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Differences
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Differences
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"The Best of Both Worlds"
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ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
Empire of Light by Rene Magritte is a combination of the darkness of the night and a daytime blue sky that creates a mysterious scene just like how I mixed an evening scene with a nighttime sky.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author of my research describes the Empire of Light created by Rene Magritte. The source of clarity of the sunlight confuses when associated with darkness. The second author of my research talks about Claude Monet's life and a period which he created San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk was when he began losing his eyesight from gray cataracts.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered that Claude Monet was a founder of the Impressionist movement. Impressionism is an art movement that uses small, thin, visible brush strokes and emphasizes the shifting effect of light and color.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central themes around my inspirational research are the unconscious mind and capturing the moment in time.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While reading my research, I inferred Claude Monet is someone who would rather paint outside, present on the scene from the start to finish instead of painting the work inside his studio.
Empire of Light by Rene Magritte is a combination of the darkness of the night and a daytime blue sky that creates a mysterious scene just like how I mixed an evening scene with a nighttime sky.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author of my research describes the Empire of Light created by Rene Magritte. The source of clarity of the sunlight confuses when associated with darkness. The second author of my research talks about Claude Monet's life and a period which he created San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk was when he began losing his eyesight from gray cataracts.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered that Claude Monet was a founder of the Impressionist movement. Impressionism is an art movement that uses small, thin, visible brush strokes and emphasizes the shifting effect of light and color.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central themes around my inspirational research are the unconscious mind and capturing the moment in time.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While reading my research, I inferred Claude Monet is someone who would rather paint outside, present on the scene from the start to finish instead of painting the work inside his studio.
Works Cited
San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk, 1908 by Claude Monet. Retrieved from https://www.claude-monet.com/san-giorgio-maggiore-at-dusk.jsp
Empire of Light, 1950 by Rene Magritte. Retrieved from https://www.renemagritte.org/empire-of-light.jsp
Empire of Light, 1950 by Rene Magritte. Retrieved from https://www.renemagritte.org/empire-of-light.jsp