Advanced Drawing Portfolio

For my senior year of high school, I enrolled in a program to take all college classes. This is my midterm portfolio work for the Advanced Drawing class at Mt. Mary College.

"Transparency", Charcoal and Chalk, 12" x 18"

This piece is of a transparent milk jug and styrofoam ball against cloth. The focus was on contrast and distortion caused by the transparency. (left)

"Reflections", Graphite Stick, 18" x 24"

This piece is of an urn, two bowls, and a coffee cup. The focus was on reflections and proportions. (right)

The piece is of hanging cloth and the focus was value shift and form. (left)

"Cow Skull", 2H, HB, 4B,6B Pencils, 12" x 24"

This piece is of a cow skull on a box, and the focus is on hatching/cross-hatching and form. (right)

This piece is of draping cloth focused on form. (below)

"Falling Down", Charcoal, 18" x 24"

Drawings

(below) "Radiation", Colored Pencil, 12" x 18"

(left) "My Life from a Grid", Pencil Drawing, 20" x 28"

"Distorted Personality", Ink Pen, 18" x 24" (right)

MIAD Figure Drawing Class

I enrolled in a figure drawing college class at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in order to better my skills with the figure and really have professional time to study form. These are some examples of my work from the class.

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Midterm Assignment

This assignment was to take a famous painting and make four of our own interpretations of it. This painting is originally composed by Chuck Close, the painting "Phil". I used his composition and rendered it four times; there was no tracing involved, just observation.

WATERCOLOR

PENCIL

CHALK PASTEL

INK PEN

Watercolor Work

"Global Warming", Watercolor, 18" x 24"

Left is a watercolor of a nymph inspired by my cousin who has learned to be completely self-sustaining and in touch with the world around her.

"Colors Dance", Watercolor, 18" x 24"

Right is a painting of

reflective surface, transparent surface, and cloth.

"Freedom Flyers", Mixed Media, 16" x 20"

Left is a painting of combined objects. The objects that are combined are a book and a bird. And as the bird fights free of the book, it creates a winding tale that is sent out from it. This is a representation of humans fighting their demons in order to write their own individual story.

AP Studio Art Concentration

For my junior year AP Art Studio class, I was required to create a concentration of pieces on a certain topic. I chose to expand on the idea from my final work in Chicago, and explore the complex characters that would be found at a carnival.

The piece to the right was my first exploration of the down-and-0ut clown that is so often seen at carnivals.

His expression, his melting figure, and the mask that hangs below him are all indications of how trapped he is inside of his make-up. The background is a blur of colors and emotions that constantly circle his life.

"Layers", Oil on Canvas, 18"x 24"

"An Identity Lost", Oil on Canvas, 12"x 18"

This piece reaches a deeper level, where the make-up and mask is layered, in order to represent the layers that these people, and people in general have to hide behind. The close-up of the face is intended to reach out to the viewer

and peer through them, in order to force them to examine themselves and their own personal masks.

"Interpretation", Oil on Canvas, 10' x 2'

This painting to the right was a experiment in size and it's effect on the viewer. The canvas is very tall, reaching 10 feet in hi

ght, and 2 feet across. I painted the character with a neutral expression in order to really force the viewer to make an opinion about his well-being. I left a sheet out next to the piece for two weeks for anyone to comment on. I received over a forty reactions, ranging from creepy to depressing to happy. The piece made a huge impact on a lot of students, even an offer to buy it.

"Definition", Oil on Canvas, 18"x 24"

This piece to the left is of a masked character that is defined in his mask and surroundings, but is loosing definition in his body. This is a representation of how permanent masks can become, and how they can start to become a person's identity before they know it. He is holding his world in his hands, and everything else is loosing its hold on him.

Printmaking Work

"Music Moves", Linoleum Print, 16"x36"

Linoleum printing was introduced to me my freshman year 2-D class, and this is the first piece I created. This piece is a demonstration of musical emotion and the way certain songs/lyrics can really "move" a person. This idea is executed in the dual print that creates a vibrating quality.

This piece to the left is a black print on white paper. The subject is a person opening their mouth to discover that they have so much to say that the world needs to hear.

"One Voice", Linoleum Print, 16" x 38"

Art from the Early College Program at SAIC

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago hosts two early college programs every summer. I was lucky enough to be one of those students during June/July of 2009. Here is some of the work I created while I was there.

"In Between", Oil on Canvas, 9' x 4'

Here is a closeup of some of the figures. This painting was one of my first oil paintings, and took me approximately three different 12 hour days.

*This piece was chosen to represent SAIC on their website. Check it out at www.saic.edu

"Inner Being", Self Portrait, Oil on Canvas, 36" x 48"

This was the first self portrait I attempted with oil paint. I love the way the paint layers and creates texture. This painting was inspired by a blurred picture I took of myself that seemed to represent myself splitting away from old ways.

"Chaos & Beans", Oil on Canvas, 18"x24"

To the left is an abstraction piece demonstrating the chaos of Chicago that was constantly inspiring my work.

"'Nighthawks' Reinvented" Oil on Canvas, 40"x32"

Here, we were to create a painting based on a famous painting in the museum. I chose Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks". My spin on it was to make it into a modern day Starbucks.