"CHEEZY LOVE"
Acrylic Paint
(See the heart? <3 )
"A Light Night Snack"
Oil Pastel on Cardboard
(What's this? More Cheez-It's? I know. I have a problem.)
"Material Girl"
Photo Montage (Images cut from magazine.)
(An abstract statement about the effects of materialism on humanity and social interactions)
"Harsh Realities"
Acrylic Paint
(A Sequel to the previous piece, what eventually happens to anyone whom views material possessions as being more important than family, friends, and loved ones)
"A Hollow House in A Bitter Ocean"
Acrylic Paint
(This painting is rather personal so I ask you as the viewer to interpret your own meanings. The lyrics are from a song titled, "Blame It On The Tetons" by Modest Mouse. If you can't the lyrics very well they're "Everyone's a building burning, with no one really to show how. Standing at a window looking out, waiting for time to burn us down. Everyone's an ocean DROWNING with no one really to show how...")
"Medicated Marilyn 'Overslept'."
Acrylic Paint
(For some reason this particular picture does not making the painting look as saturated and vividly colorful as it really is. My apologies for the inconvenience. The lyrics from this painting are from a song by the band The Mars Volta titled, “Televators.” The lyrics imply irony given Marilyn Monroe died of an overdose of drugs. The number eight repeated in the painting represents the eight milligram percent of chloral hydrate found in Marilyn’s body. Chloral hydrate is a sedative as well as hallucinogen thus there is a starry sky and why Marilyn looks oddly colored and strange. Chloral hydrate comes in the form of small red pills which is why instead of pearls Marilyn wears the pills. When someone takes drugs and becomes addicted to them and is high on them often, they are not themselves. Therefore I gave myself exactly twenty minutes to sketch Marilyn from a reference photo because I knew she would like familiar but not quite herself.)
"Silver Screen Dreams"
Acrylic Paint
My Self Portrait
"If I were a pair of shoes..."
Acrylic Paint
(A Painting of my signature Converse that I'm famous for here at my high school. I'm a Converse addict, to put it lightly. I can't get enough of the shoes and clothing line. So if I were magically to be transformed into a pair of shoes, I'd become these shoes. Once again this picture really does not do the painting justice.)
"Coyote is like The River"
Clay & Glaze
Diameter - 7.2 inches. Height - 14.9 inches.
(I am proud to say that this massive vase is the first clay project I ever did in high school. I made it in my junior year then glazed it this year. This is based on the Native American legends of the old trickster Coyote. Like the eagle has the power to fly and the bear has strength Coyote was granted the power to shape shift. I portray him in forms to cover all terrains, air, land, and water. On this vase he is in his own form, an eagle form, and a koi fish form. Above the forms swirl what represents them. Coyote’s fur, a feather, and fish scales/ Also in this piece I compare the way Coyote bends and shapes his body to the way a river bends and changes sizes as well (evaporating, going into the ocean, etc). Therefore the shifting vase that swirls at the top represent the river. Coyote, the stories surrounding Coyote, and rivers are sacred to Native American culture.)
10 Things Future IB Art Students Should Do
1. Start all at home work (paintings, pages, etc.) as soon as possible!
2. Always keep up with IW pages. If you get quite stressed and rushed IW pages are bad IW pages.
3. Don't be afraid to explore outside of your artistic comforts and range. The final exam is alllllll about how you've developed and grown after two years as an artist. So challenge yourself!
4. Don't only pick a big idea or theme for your two years of work that's appealing to you. Pick an idea you can EXPLORE all elements of in a variety of ways.
5. NEVER waste ANY of your in class time. Every minute of your class periods you need to focus on IB Art work only. Working hard in class will allow you to stay caught up and have little to no homework.
6. Research every topic you make art about. It might help you find out something you never knew before. If you're educated about your topic, it shows in your work and in your conversation with the examiner.
7. Explore as many new medias as you can. Mastery or skill in various media is impressive to the examiners and portrays your growth well.
8. From day one always make your IW pages neat, colorful. and interesting.
9. DO NOT procrastinate EVER on ANYTHING AT ALL, EVER. Seriously. You'll die. I'm not kidding. You will die. Do you want to die? You'll die even faster if you have a busy extra-curricular schedule. Just do the work. Save yourself! This is an experienced student trying to prevent you from going through agony!
10. Give an "A" effort in everything you do in IB Art. It will pay off for your exam and you'll be more then eligible to become IB Art god! By your effort being awarded the divine 7!
