Figurative Painting

Out of all of the artists in the article, I was the most drawn to Jordan Casteel's work. I like that she creates her art through experiences from her own life and what she has witnessed. 

"I am most interested in sharing sensitive, humanistic, and honest stories of my community." - Jordan Casteel 

I like how detail oriented her work is and I can relate to that. The small details like the Nike swoosh on the boys' shoes and the tattoos on the older male's chest really caught my eye. I also really love the style this painting is done in. The figures are quite realistic, but their skin tone is very unnatural and I find this to be very intriguing. The blue skin tone and the expression on their faces gives this piece a somewhat upsetting vibe. The direct eye contact between the figures and the viewer also gives off a sense of disappointment. My favorite part of the piece is the little monster that the boy is holding. I love how Jordan captured the texture of the monster's fur as well as the texture of the carpet. 

I think I'd like to try her approach to painting. When painting with acrylics, I often try to get the colors as blended and smooth as I can. I like how Jordan allows for the brushstrokes to be visible and not completely blended, especially on the values of the skin. I think she has some really beautiful value work in this piece and I want to further play with my use of value and depth. 

Real Life and Fantasy Exhibit Reflection

How did you feel about the experience of curating a show?

I feel it was a successful show and I had a positive experience curating it. I certainly got a lot of experience with matting, which will be helpful when we do the school art show at the end of the year. 

 What were some struggles you experienced in the process? How were these dealt with?

It took me quite a while in the beginning to mat one piece, but I became faster and more efficient as I did it more and more. Other than that, I can't think of any other struggles. Though getting all the pieces organized and hung up took quite a long time, we all worked well together and I think that could be seen when looking at the final exhibit. 

 What were the most successful aspects of the process?

The process of choosing the pieces went smoothly and we didn't have trouble agreeing on things. I also feel that the design for the exhibit that Lydia and I worked together on worked well and was successful in making the most of the limited space within Domicile. 

 What would you do differently next time?

One thing I might do differently would be to separate the pieces into the various sections of the exhibit prior to getting all the pieces to the space. We could've started hanging pieces up sooner had we sorted the pieces into fantasy, real life, and pairings before we took everything over to Domicile. 

 What do the photos tell you?

This photo tells me that people were stopping to really look at the pieces instead of just briefly glancing and then moving on. They appear to be enjoying this particular wall. 

This photo tells me that, design wise, we had a clear concept and were able to execute it. I particularly liked this section of the exhibit because of the large ears from the fox and the cat and the pairing of the mermaid and the underwater scene because of the clown fish in each piece.

This photo tells me that having food and refreshments can really bring together an exhibit and make it more of a social experience. I was also very fond of the way Lydia designed the sign.

Home Breadth 8 - Troll Girl

My little troll girl enjoying the forest. The hair is made out of yarn.