While I am focusing on capturing the small snapshots of happiness in my art, I have notice that my pieces tend to focus on water. Water can represent many emotions and can influence your feelings without even realizing it. With a rainy day some people feel sad or lazy while others can't wait to run out and splash in puddles. This has changes my focus again to the small details. Currently I am adding another piece in pastel of a woman in a kimono that turns into water. I was inspired by the grace of dancer and how fish swim through the water with ease. I believe my new piece focus on the harmony between human and nature.

After looking at the minimalist paintings and drawings and the highly realistic detailed drawings I have been doing. I have decided to blend them together. Just as the sadness and happiness present in the piece seem to be a paradox I want to blend to different styles of art. I like looking at the whole picture and being able to get the "snapshot" of a feeling that is being portrayed, but upon closer inspection have small elements that make them unique. I struggle in trying not to go overboard and add too many details that confuse the viewer, but still give the viewer some surprise when one takes a closer look. I believe it is very difficult for me to move away from traditional drawing and like trying to push myself to try new mediums and mix different medias. Currently I mixing graphite with watercolor and adding in shading and detail. However I want to keep the watercolor free flowing and balance it with the more rigid medium. I am still trying to find the balance that best suits my style of art and will continue to explore new ideas.

In poetry class we have been writing haikus. These short poems strive to capture a snapshot of a image that is often related to nature. I want to capture the emoting and image like a haiku. I've been working on the watercolor and going back with a pencil and adding shading next to the watercolor. I don't want the piece to fall flat so I am treating the parts that are not in water color as a realistic portrait. I have also been working on more faces that draw from my concentration last year with human and animal. So far I have not been as successful with some of the animals. I want to add more emotion in the eyes of the people an animals to create a balance between minimalist watercolor and my highly detailed realistic style of drawing.

I have trying to find a theme to fit my body of works. Although since all my pieces have a somber tone I was still unsure how to tie all these pieces together. The I began to think about what was similar elements. I thought back to one of the first pieces I did at Emma Willard of a dystopia with robot hands reaching for the sky. I realized that it wasn't the sadness that my art is focused on. Instead it's the hope contrasted with the sorrow one feels, and the dream that one can change.

Inspiration

I am now incorporating minimalist art with detailed scientific drawings. I am currently working in watercolor and working on a traditional landscape as well as freeform watercolor portraits. My landscape is a rainy day in a broken city. In order to create a lonely sorrowful feeling I have decided to use neutral tones. My portraits have bright colors that have been corrupted by inky blacks which tones them down. There is also a new type of watercolor paper to create a new style. The paper can be very frustrating because the paint does not always stick to certain parts of the paper. This piece must be done in many layers and is very time consuming. It is fun experimenting with the new paper even though it can be a bit aggravating not knowing how the product with turn out. I really like that this project allows me the freedom to experiment with different techniques.

I want to blend my intricate detailed style of drawing with minimal more minimal styles with watercolor. To integrate the two styles I want to create soft environments with certain elements in great details. After creating this teapot and vase I experimented with the different variations in size and shapes. I used other interesting minimal designs such are the spout of the teapot like a milk cartoon. I also wanted to make the sides different. One square for the thumb and 4 shallow squares for the fingers. The vase was put together so that the two sides are mirror images of each other. Both can hold water and are made out of slabs. I want to continue building these sculptures and incorporate them into more of my 2D pieces.

I have been busy with my portfolio and have been working on a still life of an animal skull. After working on this piece I was inspired to look at life and death. I believe this can fit closely relate with architecture and how skeletons are similar to the frames of buildings. I have a few sketches of some animals with bones and mechanical elements. However I need to do more research to make sure they will look anatomically correct. I want to play with this idea of what is manmade and what is natural.