Explosive Nature

Explosive Nature was a piece I started several years ago. Originally, this piece was done in acrylic and recently I decided paint over the acrylic with oil using a knife. This left a crinkled texture which really added a unique dimension. While working with the knife and oil, it was important to maintain the explosion of color while adding a new freshness. I had to be careful while working so that the colors and lines wouldn't be blended losing the integrity of the piece. This process took two days to finish.

Roots

This Lithograph was one of the first I ever made.  I visualized roots of a tree growing and taking on various shapes. I used negative (empty) space to give this piece balance. I actually took a class on printmaking. I drew this image on stone then developed it. I transferred the image from the stone to a metal sheet. I used the metal sheet to make copy prints of the image. Making the prints was the most fun. I used this hand made press and rolled it back and forth over layers of cloth and paper to transfer the image.  

Printmaking takes time and patience. This piece was in 2 different art shows. The first one was at College of Dupage. It was a printmaking exhibit. The second show was at North Central College. I attended both schools. 

Bliss

This started out being a Chinese influenced piece. I love the culture and mythology. This changed in to more of a spanish theme.  The woman is floating on a cloud of happiness.  Her thoughts are projected out ward. The water, waves, and flowers are a reflection of the joy and clamness inside her mind. 

This is a knife painting with oil on canvas paper. I have been exploring knife painting more. I am learning more techniques and practicing patterns. I have found that using oil is more appealing than acrylic which is what I have mainly used in the past. You can bring out much more tone and texture with oil. 

Two Women

This is colored pencil on paper. I wanted to make something that looked like it was from an earlier time period. I used an image I found that was similar to this but it was done a different way. I made my own version of it.  I used cross hatching on this drawing to add texture. I blended different colors together using this technique. This was very time consuming but worth it. I loved the delicate features of the women. The woman on the left is smoking. I tried to capture what smoke would look like. I made these clouds that were floating up and away.  The cat is one of my favorite parts besides the dresses that the women are wearing. 

At The Bar

This is colored pencil on paper.  This started out an assignment for a figure drawing class. We had to go out on the streets and draw what we saw then come back to class and talk about it. A classmate and I went to this bar right by my school. It had a great atmosphere. It was the perfect place to come and relax.  I drew a quick sketch out and presented it to class later that day.  I decided to finish the sketch in colored pencil. This was a long labor of love. I took this piece everywhere and worked on it when I could. I even took it to the drive in and sat in a fold out chair trying to complete it before a movie came on. It was bigger originally but I cropped it down to the shape of a rectangle. 

Egyptian Scarab Beetle

This is a knife painting with oil on canvas paper.  This is a reproduction of an ancient artifact. I like ancient Egyptian history. This is taken from a symbol of Tutankhamun's throne name NEB-KHEPERU-RE, lord of manifestations of Re'. I am working on more pieces from that time period. Below the beetle are stick figures of egyptian people. On the right 2 slaves and a gaurd. On the left a gaurd and a pharaoh. This is a bejewelled winged scarab beetle rolling the sun with it's forelegs, and resting it's hindlegs on a basket. This work is from the 18th dynasty. 

I studied a lot of Egyptian art history. I am very interested in the language and symbol meanings. The tombs and afterlife stories are amazing.  The culture was so creative and expressive. I have seen some of the artifacts up close in museums but have yet to make it to Egypt myself.  I will visit eventually. 

Multicolor Skeleton

Colored pencil on black paper. This was spawned from a style of art that I have seen. It involves combining different patterns together surrounding a main focal point. I used a skeleton that didn't have arms from a classroom project. I took the background colors and used them on the skeleton to create a balance of color. I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out but in the end I was happy.