Kathy Laiafa
Fiji
What is Art? Part I & II
Technique:
The materials I used throughout my art piece was actually better than I predicted from the get go. My original materials were just going to be markers and colored pencils, but I thought about taking it a step forward and trying paint. I honestly I didn’t want to use paint because it was going to be more work than I planned on doing, but since I finished early and had so much time left, I ended up using it productively and painting it. While I continued on using the paint I had ran into some trial and error problems because normally with the colored pencils and markers I would have the colors already but with the paint I was limited and I had to get creative and start mixing the colors so I can get to some of the original colors. When I mixed the colors together and applied it onto to the canvas the colored dried to be another color so I had to go through different layers of different colors. And from going through those layers of different colors I had to add more coats to the other solid and final colors so that my art piece would be evenly layered and coated. While I was experimenting them they eventually came out descent and stress less. I tried a new color everyday and eventually found the right one and I stuck with that because it was the closest I had gotten to the original color.
My art piece that I created compares to other professional art pieces by the quality and creativity. It’s hard to explain what art is because it’s too much of a broad subject to touch on. I clearly state that my piece is just as good as other artists work. Comparing to the other pieces I've seen, I would have to say that my piece is unique because I haven’t seen it as often as other art pieces. When I was experimenting with this specific genre I wasn’t really confident about it because it was my first time attempting to do so. But after believing in myself and trying it I finally got comfortable enough to keep going and to be passionate about it.
The techniques of brush stroking, coating, accuracy, speed and never hit until we started posting the blogs and I had to think about it more in depth. And I didn’t realize how many different techniques I had to apply to a simple canvas. But than again without those different techniques it wouldn’t be as god as it is now. During the whole process, it shows how putting thought into it can make a big difference because if I wouldn’t have taken my time and carefully went around the edges it wouldn’t look as sharp as it is now. Come to think about it when you actually pay attention to the little things such as, how much pressure your applying to the brush, how much paint you put on, or even which way your going to stroke the brush. Everything matters because it can conflict with the texture, costing or even the complexion of it.
Point of View:
The ultimate meaning of art to me is everything. Everywhere you go and walk and surround yourself with is art. You are a working piece of art in progress. You having a culture behind you, that’s art. You having two sides, an inner self and outer self is art. No one really gets to know the real you unless they ask and get to know you. All they do is judge you from the way you look on the outside. Art is exactly what you are. You have to think in and out of the box. There are two sides of my piece of art, and when I say two sides I literally mean two sides. When you have it up or down there’s a different image every time. It may appear to be as simple as it being two guys but they have feelings too. The look on their faces can explain a lot or even what they have on. My art expresses the mood of happiness, because both of the males are showing an expression of joyfulness as if they found their true loves in a blink of an eye. They seem as if they aren’t scared of anything and they can take what ever is being thrown at them. You can say a lot about these two gentlemen by just looking at them. I would have to say that thinking of this project and what I was going to do was the hardest because I was going to do music like always do. But since I do music all the time and it’ll always be there, that I would try something different. So I wanted to create an art piece, but not my regular art pieces. I wanted to do something that no one else would have thought of. Is something I’ve always wanted to try but never got around the chance to do so, and this was my chance to do so. And I’m pretty relived about my final choice and I’m very passionate about it.
“There is no such thing as non-art!”
Context and Connections:
In the beginning I looked at different art pieces to determine my definition of art, but over the time I realized that our whole life is art in progress. The different pieces I explored brought the true meaning of art and it cant get any simpler. There are no specific details for art. Your skin tone is art, even your blood, your blood can be rich or thin and loose, and that’s art. I mean if you really think about it the 4-year-old girl who just put paint all over a big canvas was automatically an artist. But than again any little kid can make an art piece like that because that’s what they do. So I cant see how you put a strict and precise meaning to a very broad thing. So when I judged my final piece on whether it was an art piece or not I instantly, with any hesitation judged it as an art piece. Not only that it was mine but the prestige details I put in and preciseness.
Reflection:
When we first got this project I thought it was going to be easy because I could simply make music like I’m used to and I know for a guaranteed fact that I can produce something proficient. But after putting some thought into, I finally concluded in producing an art project because it was something I have always wanted to do but I have never met the potential to do so. So when we got this project and since it is a possible portfolio piece I wanted go above and beyond my limits to exercise them. It was the art piece that I thought I could never produce until I tried and I did better than I expected.
I did several coats of paint so that my art piece has a more smooth and original look, rather than a half finished piece. I used a stroking technique with the paintbrush so there wouldn’t be as many different streaks and so it looked smoother. I also did different layers of pencil, than I went over it with marker, and finally I'm in the process of painting it. This helped so I wouldn’t mess up the first with the paint. I am also taking baby steps to get to the final product so I can be as precise and detailed as possible, so I don’t have and errors or mistakes.
Process:
From the beginning of this project with my first paper I conducted certain limitations and restrictions but now that I broaden my horizons and seen the truth. Art can mean so much in the littlest context. It hit me going through the different trial and errors. Going through this process really gave me the heads up on what is really about. Its something I wont stop exploring because I have never been this passionate and engaged into art at all.
