Rainbow Beauties
Independent Project Blog - 05/06/2021
For my independent project, I decided to make a series of monochromatic paintings revolving around the 6 colors of the rainbow. Each painting was done with acrylic paint, and featured a portrait done entirely in that one color. Originally, I wanted to portray the different moods and impressions each color had on me, but as time went on I realized that everyone portrays things differently, so even if I understood it to be one way, chances are a lot of other people would interpret it entirely differently. It was because of this that I decided to keep it more simple, instead focusing on just simple portraits in the designated colors. I’m a lot happier with the result, and I feel like that decision helped to make the series a bit more inclusive to the viewers. In the beginning of this project, I often found myself struggling to find the motivation to paint, and just struggled with painting in general. Painting has never been my strong suit, though after this assignment I think it’s safe to say that I’ve picked up a few things, and have even learned to enjoy painting a bit more. I had a lot of worries throughout the duration of this project, but I eventually overcame them and learned ways to avoid such struggles in the future. Of course, there were times when I hated doing this project, as anyone would with anything, but I was surprised to find I was actually having more fun with it. I wasn’t expecting to hate it of course, but I definitely wasn’t expecting to enjoy it and actually look forward to painting some days. I’m really glad I went with my gut on this one and chose to do painting this year, despite it previously not being my strong suit. I’m definitely a lot more satisfied with this series than my attempt last year.
May Art Installment Artist Statement
My art style is constantly changing. Every time I see something I like in art, I try to find ways to implement it into my own art, and even without meaning to, my art style is constantly evolving and taking in the things I see around me. My style also changes depending on the medium, or the art I’m trying to create. In the case of this project, I was focusing on realism, so instead of taking inspiration from my usual artists, I took inspiration from realistic art, and even just the reference pictures themselves. My art style is nearly impossible to describe, since it’s so fluid. I’ve always taken inspiration from people around me. I usually notice people on instagram, and a lot of my own art style is influenced by them. It’s not just artists, though. One of the other big things that influences my work is music. Depending on what song I’m listening to determines what kind of art I will create, and since my style is so fluid, it can determine the entire style of the piece. I’m really just influenced by anything and everything. I like that detail about me, as I can always create something if I am in the right headspace. Some things that I take inspiration from are as simple as the weather, or the colors I’m surrounded by. Sometimes it’s where I am, or the time of day. For this project, I used acrylic paints and focused on a semi-realistic style. The main thing that sets these paintings apart from any of my other series would be the color coordination, as it is the main focus of the series. I dedicated the entire series to following a strict monochromatic portrait for each color of the rainbow, which proved to be a lot more difficult than I’d expected. I learned that I wasn’t as bad at painting as I’d originally thought. I also learned that, despite my lack of knowledge in the shading department, I was actually able to replicate the shading on the paintings quite well, even though I had to piece things together differently seeing as how each painting was monochromatic, while the reference pictures were not. I also learned that certain paints and colors react differently, so almost every painting turned out a different texture and I had to learn different techniques multiple times throughout the project. If I had to pick a favorite piece, it would have to be the blue painting, as I feel like it came out the best, and I think the model really fit the color already. It gives off the right emotion I was aiming for, and I feel like that adds a lot to the painting. I’m most proud of this painting, even though it took the least amount of time. Not only that, but I had a lot of fun painting this one. I genuinely enjoyed it, which rarely happens with art, especially painting.I wish I’d stuck to the idea about having each piece relate to a mood and unique art style, but I knew after the first painting that it was a high expectation to set for myself, and knowing my own capabilities helped. Though it’s still something I wish I’d done, I’m also partly glad I didn’t. I’m overambitious, and that’s one of my greatest downfalls. I aim too high and can’t reach my expectations, which then leads to me growing a hatred for certain mediums, and sometimes even art in general. I would’ve also changed some of the models for better images more suited to my painting style. I found that the green one in particular was extremely difficult, and lead to a lot of rushing and I lost all interest in the project.I’ve never been a fan of painting, especially with acrylics, as I’ve always struggled with it and never ended up liking any of my work. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that painting wasn’t nearly as bad as I always thought it was, but that doesn’t mean I like it. The thing that surprised me most, though, was that the less time I spent on a painting, the better it turned out. Of course, it could’ve just been the model being easier to paint in some paintings compared to the others, but as time went on I realized that no matter what, the more rushed it was, the better it came out. Not only that, but I found that I had more fun, and actually enjoyed painting it. I think, even though I don’t necessarily love painting, I’ll definitely return to it and work more with acrylics in the future. Seeing that I have the capability to create nice art with them really helped to show me that as long as I try, things will work out.