8.19.2008

Update

This summer I spent half of May and all of June in Paris, France with the International Studies Abroad program. I attended two classes 5 days a week with Christopher Schade, a paiting professor from Montclair, and professional photographer Claudio Cambon. The painting course was plein-air acrylic based and was held in different areas around the city. The photo class was classroom oriented, but had certain times a week to go out and shoot with my manual SLR. The experience was amazing. I got to see and know Paris while still learning and practicing my skills. I came home with 6 paintings and 18 rolls of film developed.

Since then, Iv'e been catching up on some commisioned paintings here and there in my free time. I still find that the most enjoyable and most difficult paintings are the ones I do on my own, sans assignment. I need to stop judging myself so much.

Can't wait to get back!

Artists Statement
I began painting by learning the skills and techniques associated with traditional style representation and plein air style landscape. Today I use these skills to create a more abstract representation, usually of figures and powerful objects that have an air of anthropromorphism. My pieces tend to work with saturated colours, textural application and incorporation of other two-dimensional materials. I feel that painting is not necessarily the final product, but more about the process leading up to it. Because of this, I like to leave traces of a human interaction within a work.


Intensity of Ten Thousand
Acrylic on Canvas
2007

2 comments:

Anita Allyn said...

oh la la - an amazing summer- indeed!

Kerrin said...

Overall I think you did a good job with your artist statement.
The only areas I would make some subtle changes to would be the following:

"Today I use these skills to create a more abstract representation..." -Representation of...? Life? General subject matter? Silly looking ardvarks from las Vegas? :)

"I feel that painting is not necessarily the final product, but more about the process leading up to it." - Subtle grammar change... you could either insert "about" just before "the final product" OR you could say "A painting is not necessarily the final product."

"Because of this, I like to leave traces of a human interaction within a work." - This is a little vague and that may have actually been your intent. If not, you may want to expand on how you leave traces of human interaction in your work. Are you transcribing my phone conversations and taping them to your canvas??? :-) Or referencing your own human interaction with your painting(s)? Do you reference your interation with other humans?

Just my two cents :) Hope you're having a great weekend!
-Kerrin